Quilting a plenty

The quilts pin basted.  I used a hera marker to mark the quilting lines for the red and white quilt.

The binding all sewn together.  I am using a single layer binding.

Designer: Cheri Payne (freebie)

 I finally tried free motion quilting.  It was really scary but interesting at the same time.  The stitches are not perfect and their some jagged edges too if you look closely.  But I hope with practice the meanders will truly meander :)

Designer: Ann Hermes

I used the same colour scheme in the magazine instead of those in the instructions.  Straight line machine quilting in the form of a chevron.

Broken dishes block, straight line machine quilted.

The X-Quisite blocks quilt and Little Star blocks quilt (both are challenges on SQT) are all hand quilted and now for the binding.

It looks like I'm trying to clear all the WIP quilt tops that I have before I embark on a new one.  I've not done any piecing for some days now :p  But I think I need to pull out some fabric for some test Jacob Ladder blocks as done by Lucy.  

Peahen's Valentine. Designer: Appleseed Prim (freebie)

Tutorial for zipper bag found here.

  It's Margaret W's birthday today.  She messaged me to say she has opened her package.  It's a needlecase similar to the one I made for a swap recently but in semi-prim fabric Beach House by Blackbird Designs.  The zipper bag was easy to tackle but the bulk caused by the fusible batting was a concern.  I think I shall use regular interface the next time.  I made another zipper bag for Jackie W too.  Quite fun really!

The curtain is finally up but I think I need to swap the panels, too much red side by side.  A little busy if I may say so but I hope to get used to it.

I'll leave you with some tin whistle music.  Still working on Silver Spear :(  This is a basic The Foggy Dew but I hope to learn the ornaments and incorporate it into this lovely melody.

About Crows

Designer: Primitive Bettys (Freebie)

When I was working on the applique portion of the bow-tie quilt, I was using a piece of felt to poke my needle and applique pins.  For someone who does needlework, it's a shame :)

So I looked for simple pin cushion patterns and loved those by Betty Dekat.  She's a generous soul with so many lovely freebies.

Her most recent freebie is Sunflowers & Crows.  It was stitched with DMC 928, 3011, 3820 and 782.  As for Crow it's stitched with DMC 3371.  The linen is 35ct Fagales by HDF.  I really love the pairing of these 2 designs, quite primitive I must say.  I will weigh it with crushed walnut shells and finish it with a blanket stitch variation all around using Anchor's coton a broder thread.  One for my stitching table and one for my sewing table!
 

 I've completed the 20 star blocks and the 12, 9 patch setting squares.  So now it's a matter of sewing up the sashing and the blocks together.  It's gonna be a good lap quilt size and I'm quite pleased that it is nearing completion. This has taken a while.

The layout will 4 by 5 blocks.

I'll leave you with an Irish folk tune!  This tune is recorded earlier before the lessons got to be more technical.  Learning very important ornamentations in Irish tin whistle playing ... it's tough ...

Irish Influence

Block #27 of Barbara Brackman's Civil War Quilts.  It's called Irish Chain.  I kept to green.  Also I would like to incorporate plaids into future blocks.

 In keeping to the Irish theme, I bought a tin whistle over at eBay.  It's a Clarke's Sweetone in D.  I've been reading about inherent manufacturing faults in tin whistles.  So I decided to get a 'tweaked' tin whistle by Jerry Freeman no less!  It's sounding really nice and I am following online tutorials by Fr Ryan Duns.  So I think I am set up for some daily practice.

 Friendship Star quilt, coming along albeit slowly ...

 Added 2 more blocks to this long time WIP.

Mary Glover - WIP

Still at it.  I've started the rice stitch beneath the band of satin stitch.  Still some ways to go with the border vines and animal motifs.

Izra's shirt in the making.  The previous shirt was fraught with mistakes that I could have easily avoided.  The sewing is done more carefully this time.  What did they say about practice?

Fabrics from Fabric Shack.  I like the sampler fabric by French General.  It's a panel from the La Petite Ecole collection by Moda.

I am thinking lately that I could really like country music.  I like the story each song tells.  I've been following Scotty McCreery on American Idol and really from his first audition, I knew he'd be hard to beat.  Love his voice and the regular nice boy that he is. Very nice song for his first single, 'I Love You This Big'.

Move over Mary Wigham

 I had every intention to start on Mary Wigham until I read on Siobhan's blog (Thanks again Siobhan) that Emmanuelle was conducting a SAL on Mary Glover.  I could not resist.  So Mary Wigham has to wait for just a while longer.  I believe you can still register to partake in the SAL if you leave a comment on this post.

 Since there will be 1 over 1 stitching in a later section of the band, I thought I'd better go with 28ct Sand Cashel.  You know the old eyes.  I'm using DMC floss.  I am thinking of tea-dyeing the fabric after all the stitching is done. I think it'll make it look pretty old.  I'm trying to completed Part 2 this week.

CC & C to date.  A little slow for obvious reasons.

 On Monday, I bought a beginner fife in C.  It's like a flute but with a shriller tone.  It was displayed in the music shop window.  I used to play the recorder in school and thought a fife which has a different method of blowing would be more challenging.  Initially I couldn't even get a tone!  It was all air ... sigh ... I thought my lungs would collapse from all that blowing.  YouTube came to the rescue and I learnt how to blow with my embouchure on the lip plate etc.  I'm only now learning the fingering and notes slowly.  I'd like to play some Irish reels when I get better.  As my piano teacher used to scream at me ... practice practice practice!  I wonder if Jane Austen played the fife? Hmmm ....