ALB # 2

We have two Grand Daughters they both have the same initials. I don't think it was noticed nor does it matter.

 Here is the latest addition to our family. She arrived on the last day of Febrary, two days after her Great Grand Father Fred passed away. A wonderful ray of sunshine with perfect timing for a sad family.

Welcome to the world ALB

 We love you bunches.

This is ALB 2 's cousin taking a selfie on GG's phone.

And the other ALB  who leads the pack

GG loves this bunch a whole bunch.

Happy Days,
Gudrun

Garden Weave

I started Garden Weave April 2018.  It started with all fabrics from one favourite shop and  was augmented with a few bits from my 'stash'.  It measures 90 x 110 inches and has a wool batt. It is warm. I had a couple of lovely sleeps under it and am keeping it.😊 I use wool batts when ever I can.

The motives in the plain squares were started with a tool I own called Circle Lord.  I recently had the wheels on the long arm replaced with a ballbearing arrangement called Bliss.  The Bliss system is great but now the Circle Lord aint what it used to be. 

This quilt is large and used most of the frame, and because I can not get around both sides of the machine (one end against the wall) I could not engage the Circle Lord on the wall end, I would have had to turn the quilt.  This scenerio annoyed me so much I pulled back from sewing Motives using Circle Lord and went freehand on a few. It all works in the end. 

So now I need to re-think how I am going to accomplish spirals etc. in the future. 

Some garden pictures,  just because.

Happy Friday,

Gudrun

The Eldest is Ready

It's finished.   My eldest Un Finished Object (UFO)

It was started one sunny day in January 2009.

It took a decade.

Why did it take this long?  I attempted this 3D 

New York Beauty, when I was in the kindergarten area in the art of piecing. This was then, beyond my abilities.  Abilities have been acquired and skills honed.

 I made use of the cut pieces and all the fabric that was kitted with this project. Repaired a number of blocks and called it done.

 I could made it bigger. However, I couldn't do it then,  though I can do it now, I have no interest in ever doing a 3 dimensional point on anything larger then a small wall piece.

Also  the instructor for this method  was a dear friend who died in 2014, and for a while I tried to work on it but would end up spending the time remembering Jo, not working on the blocks. Not a bad thing to do. :))

I did a lot of quilting on it. Used the last bits of fabric for binding, sewed my name & date on it,  call it a finish.
 Oh my...Ugh sure need to get at finishing this deck floor.
Happy Wednesday.... hope your doing something you like,
Gudrun
ps. another empty project box

Seat Protectors- AKA Cat Beds

It is a lot easier to wash a seat cover, then the seat. If  a cat or two or three live with you, then I highly recommend seat covers. I have a friend that recently acquired new furniture.  I happen to be her Quilty friend, and she's my cat lady....knows everything about cats.

Her new furniture is grey, her cats are mostly black. These covers have an open layered back, so they are stuffable.

One could stuff a little cat nip in them.  For Really Happy Cats.

Happy Monday,

Gudrun

Once upon a time, at least a decade ago, I attempted a Bargello style quilt.  I didn't like the process. I was well and truly into it before I had realized how much I disliked it. The fabrics were cut and sewn into strip sets,  one 24 " square section cut and sewn.  Recently, well I may be using the word recently loosley here, I took apart the long strip sets and did a kind of rail fence thing with some of the blues. There is too little contrast, so it's boring from a distance.  But close up I find it soothing.

The back uses a large piece

 from a stove top dye lot, from a long time ago as well and an aged piece for the insert to make it all fit.  It's nice to have this little quilt out of the way back cupboard area and into the world of living.  Yeah!!

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Happy Monday, keep on keeping on,
Gudrun

Fold over binding

I had a portion of a panel and matching prints, that have sat idle / marinating a long time.  Sew....I did.  I needed some quickies to quilt when I had the Bliss rail system installed on Lenni.

(he was named Lenni, long before APQS made a Lenni, this Lenni is an APQS Millennium.)

As always, upgrades have a learning curve.  The system makes a big difference, the machine moves with much less effort.  My shoulders thank me.  The however is....circles are wobbly and loops have a squiggle in them, and straight lines run away from me, and so far the channel locks don't want to work, another tech call in my future.  Aww...life is tuff. 

 While I was at it...learning I mean, I tried a fold over binding.  I trimmed the backing to 2 inches all around, folded and clipped it down ( I really like those clips.) and machined it. Quick and easy as advertized. It is for me not, great quality.  I don't care for the waves, and I sure don't know why it waves. Reminds me of that saying.... two of three is what you will get....no money involved in this two of three  ⇝  Back to my regular binding program.

Happy Quilting,
Gudrun

Owls in the Bed Room

     I spent a lovely couple of mornings making Owl panels into pillow covers.  They fit an average size bed pillow.
Around here we have numerous pillows that are no longer in circulation so this was a nice revival for them, well, two of them. The other two covers will reside in my gift bin.
      I used decorative stitches on the edges of the openings, and made them with enclosed seams. Because I can and because I am learning about decorative stitches and stabalizers. I used well aged office paper, a little heavier than  printer paper.  Remember typewriters? The paper tore away readily, and was readily available two important reasons for using it and not buying another product to do the job.

Happy Saturday,
Gudrun

Another T shirt quilt.

      This was made at the request of the owner of the shirts.  She thought to give them back to the person who organized the fundraiser, as a quilt.  A lovely idea.  I made this last year about this time.  It's very simple as per request.  I am thinking it was too simple.  Not one word of acknowlegment. Not even  "thanks for doing this".  I recently made 4 t- shirt quilts for her husband, and was well paid for my efforts. I gave this one away. 

 What is that expression about good deeds?

Happy Quilting, 

Gudrun

Potholders

A long time ago a dear friend dropped off a box of upholstery fabric sample books.

I took them apart, stored the fabric in a big box, and have over the years made pot holders, hot pads, cushion covers, stuff like that, and I recently flung about half of these samples to a new sewer. 

Here's the latest version of pot holders. I am attending a Janome course and trying various stitches. These use the overlock stitch.  I believe the key to using this stitch effectively is to use a thick thread.  Better yet the serger, but that's not the point.  :))

I am pleased I took out a few hours to make these. I feel less like the shoeless, shoemaker.

Rumour says, 'quilters have nice pot holders',  haha.  These are much better than what I was using.

Happy quilting,
Gudrun

Scraps Away

This was started on dark and stormy night about a year ago. An assortment of 2.5" squares.  I tried to keep it bright and cheerful,  not many browns, or greys. An assortment of freehand motifs in the light squares.  It measures 60 x 80 inches.



 There was fabric vomit on the back of one of the neutral squares. Something I discovered late...after the binding was on. Also, by then, the long arm had another quilt on it. I did a little domestic sewing maching finishing.

 Happy Quilting,
Gudrun

Place Mats

I used the same batik on all of these and two fabrics I have been looking at for a long time.
I also started making these this past November.
I have discovered I dislike doing the final binding join. A case of final binding join avoidance, lives here.




The whole cloth idea  for placemats came  to me after making these very busy vegetable stew style place mats.

Bon Appetite.
Gudrun

Jelly Roll Rug

Something different for the New Year.  All the aspects of quilting and the result is a rug.

This little rug is made from a "Jelly Roll".
It is about 30" by 40".
A jelly roll consists of  2.5 "  wide strips, the width of fabric (usually 42 " ), 42 of them.
The batting used was also precut and on a roll.
Just a bit spendy, however it was fun and quick.

Considering the volume of folded fabric and the amount of stitching, this should be able to take a
lot of wear. I hope.

I will make another but not with precuts, 😉'the stash'  has enough for me to cut a jelly roll's worth.
Happy Quilting,
Gudrun