What Are You Working On?
 

Hi,

Fall is just around the corner and I was wondering what projects everyone is working on:)

I just finished piecing Shakespeare in the Park and am sending it out b.c my FMQ skills aren't there yet :)
I'm going to post a pic before I send it if I can figure out how to make the photo small enough.

What about you?

I am working on an original design that uses Diamond Textiles fabrics from their Nikko Collection. It is a fun scrappy quilt. I just love working with their fabrics. I will also incorporate some wool applique. I haven't see the pattern Shakespeare in the Park. I will look forward to your photo:)

And I want to see yours! Sounds nice :)

I'm hand quilting a wild twin size for my daughter. I'll post a sneaky preview later today. Also starting to pull colors for an Ann Shaw paper pieced rooster.

Thank you. Yes I am excited about it. I will share a photo as soon as it is completed.

Thanks for sharing can't wait to see the preview:)

Yesterday I made two in the hoop mug rugs. They turned out pretty well. Took the stabilizer out of one and not the other I like the stiffer one better but I believe if I add some quilting it will be okay.

Continuing in my ginger jar series, I just started one with fall fabrics in strips about 2 1/2 inches wide.

I'm working on a twin-size quilt for my nephew consisting of 320(!) flying geese units. If I never make another flying goose it will be too soon.

I love flying geese! Have one planned that needs over 400...

It's nice to hear what everyone has in the works.
I am quilting a small baby quilt. It is driving me crazy. I am doing white-thread circles on black background. I am finding it so difficult to keep the circle shape. I used the blue marking pencil that washes out but it doesn't show well enough on the black. I tried chalk and soap but can't get a fine enough line. The disappearing marker disappeared in some areas before I got the circle finished. As I do the circle, I sometimes stop to adjust and when I start again, if I'm not super careful, I get a 'bump' stitch. OMG!
Friend told me to cut some circles from sticky contact paper, stick it on, sew around it and then reuse. Will try that but I am thinking that the needle will sometimes go through the paper and make holes and the edges will become distorted. Your thoughts/suggestions?

I'm working on a Courthouse Stars quilt, a pineapple quilt, a mock cathedral window denim quilt, a challenge quilt, and a Stock Show quilt. I should be sewing instead of on the computer!

Way too many things, lol!! I'm piecing my charm double Irish chain quilt top (have all the blocks made up and am piecing together the top.) I'm also (still!) quilting my Bonnie Hunter MQ from last year. Those two are on the front seat at the moment, but I also have a wallhanging and Fall quilt in the works too. Hopefully I'll have everything done here and I'll post a pic as soon as the binding is on!

Forgot to say, I'm going to be starting a queen size Trip Around the World soon for my BIL's wedding quilt, due next summer. I hope I can do it!!

I am working on a Woolies over and under lap sized quilt for hubby. It looks like it is woven. I am pinning it up to quilt on the dsm. Real close to finishing now.
I also bought a santa's sleigh applique block from craftsy last week and made three of them. I set them as a runner for the family room coffee table. Just about ten inches left of the hand work to finish the binding. Yay!
I never work on just one at a time. It breaks it up to do a couple.

I also want to finish up a few baby quilt tops for donation. Oh! One child sized top I made that is for a neighbor of my sister. This little girl is adorable! Her name is Calliope. She is no bigger than a minute and a real heart stealer. So, I want to finish that dragger quilt up too.

For a fine white line on dark fabric, I like the ceramic chalk mechanical pencils, like Sewline's, or Fons and Porter, or Bohn. It's like pencil lead, about .7 mm thick. I find that as soon as I am stitching with a high contrast thread, fabric combo, I freeze up and tend to mess it up more often than not :o(. Clover also makes an iron off white gel type marker that showns up on dark fabric, but I don't use it as often as the fine ceramic pencil. Good luck with your project!

On one machine is a panel quilt being FMQed for a wedding present. Another has HSTs started for a baby quilt - also a gift. The third machine that is currently set up doesn't piece or quilt. Yesterday I made a yoga bolster on that one. I have a snowball/nine patch with the binding almost on - it's a Prayers and Squares quilt, but I want to use the machine that's FMQing right now for the binding, so it's on hold unless I drag out another 301.

I am working on my own variation of a NY Beauty wall hanging, a class that is putting together a QAYG ruler work quilt, a baby quilt and a tree skirt. If I get any of them done soon, I'll be surprised.

Watson

I put aside my Garden Twist and started making a quilted tote. I rarely take a class, but I saw the sample and admired it. I was so embarrassed that I've been quilting for 30+ years and...could not cut the fabric to the right size. Had to recut three times. I kept the fact that I've been quilting for so long a secret.

Here's my "sneaky" preview (that's what my dumb phone changed it to earlier!) No rhyme or reason quilt, every "block" was a different size with fillers in between to make them all fit together. Every "block" is getting different big stitch hand quilting in it.
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Faintly Artistic, I love the colors and arrangement of your quilt. The big stitch quilting is adding so much.

Thanks, grammasharon. This was my daughter's request...she forced me out of my box! Will post finished pics when I am done with the hand quilting, give me a few weeks!
I have seen your signature line several times and agree wholeheartedly!

It's fun to read about all of these projects. I'm working on handsewn hexies with a woodsy theme. Not sure what they will become, maybe center blocks for cafe curtains for our cottage. I'm knitting up a storm with Bamboo Blooms yarn using a really simple but satisfying pattern. I'm hoping to make a small car throw for car trips when my chauffeur is hot and I am cold from the a.c. blasting. I may move my small sewing table to a better place so I will be more motivated to use my machine.

You might try using freezer paper for your circle templates instead of contact paper. You can iron it to your fabric shiny side down. If you happen to sew over it, it will not be sticky and them just peel it off when you are through.

I'm working on a reversible quilt Summer Citrus and Citrus Nights. It is made from Boom 18 block swap, and being done QAYG.
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It will have cross sashing too, just not that far along when the pics were taken.

Thanks for replying.
Yes, I think freezer paper would be good but unfortunately I have never seen it in this area. I don't order online and the nearest big city is too far away from here.....not sure I would find freezer paper there even if I did make the trip. I have heard that it is carried in some quilt shops in the area but is very expensive..

Thanks for replying. I will look for the ceramic chalk pencil but I am unlikely to find it. I live in a rural area. There are a few quilt shops but not many notions carried and when they do have them, they are very expensive. I do not order online.

Anne, there are people who use rulers to quilt shapes, you might google ruler work quilting. Circles in one they do often w/ great results. You place your FM quilting foot right against the ruler and keep it against as you go around the shape.

Making Christmas table toppers, lap quilts, and baby quilts. Having fun!!!!

I'm ready to quilt "It's Fall Y'all". 2500 pieces in this one, glad it's almost done!!!

I'm working on scrappy boats and whales. The blocks here will eventually be a quilt border.[ATTACH=CONFIG]580923[/ATTACH]

I have been making quilts to donate to kids that must be removed from their homes. Been making scrappy quilts.
Today I finished sewing binding on the eight quilts. I have 28 or 30 ready to donate at Christmas time for the kids.
Tomorrow I will see what others to make. I have tons of scraps still to work with. These were my Daughters scraps, she has my scraps. She is making quilts for the kids also. We did it last year too.

Hmmm, let's see if I can remember all of them...

Piecing one using left over dotted fabric for the MQX Challenge next spring. I'm using the pattern "Metro Medallion" by Sew Kind of Wonderful. I'm thinking I'll name it "Oh My Eyes!!!"

Also piecing "Bohemian" by Judi Madsen. That's all in solids. May or may not enter it into a local show. I haven't decided yet.
I'm planning on doing "modern" quilting on both of these.

I finished frogging a red-white-blue Lone Star last week, and bought some dark blue backing for it this past weekend. I have to figure out how I'm going to quilt it on the LA.

I finished marking another Lone Star (Carolina Panthers colors). I created some designs for the setting blocks that look sort of like NY Beauty, and sort of like Mariner's Compass. I'm hoping to enter this one into MQX next spring also.

That's all that I'm ACTIVELY working on. Of course, there's a bazillion UFO's hanging around until I get "in the mood" for one of them. Hopefully, none of the four listed above will be UFO's... the first Lone Star actually WAS a UFO...but now that it's frogged (the back had some AWFUL pleats in it!!), hopefully I'll get it finished soon.

I lost all interest in quilting 12 mths ago, mostly due to health issues, and may be picking up a bit now. Waiting for me is the 365 Day Challenge, only have six 6" blocks to do to finish rounds 4 & 5 then I think it will be large enough for me with a border and binding.

Was also interested in trying a scrappy hexagon quilt, and have begun cutting out pieces using the same light fabrics of the Challenge, only sewing them up by machine. Thought it would be quicker than by hand, and going by some 'flowers' made of hexies gifted to me this could be true. There must be 20 hand stitches to each join (about 1 1/2") and I had wanted to un-sew them to re-use - but I can't even get the point of the unpicker in to undo them the thread is pulled so tight. But I love the fabrics used so will persevere.

Hi Kassaundra...thanks for the helpful information. I had not heard about using rulers to quilt circles. Will check it out tonight.

Happy Fall Y'all! Our guild challenge is due at the Oct. meeting so that is what I'm working on.

We had to take our monogram letters and make a project with the these rules. The first letter, (your name) is the main Color , Middle letter, (your last name) is the name of the project and the last letter, (your middle name or maiden name) is the Motif either in the fabric design or quilting design or block design.

Your big stitch quilting is perfect for this quilt. I love how you achieved harmony with your scrappy look.

I'm just about finished making 100 pairs of flying geese. not sure what I'll do with them, as I PP them just to get rid of some 6" sqs.

I'll have to try big stitch quilting one day; it's probably the only hand quilting I'll ever be good at. I think what turned me off hand quilting was the fact that, no matter how much I tried, I couldn't get small even stitches-- just big stitches!

A wedding quilt for my daughter's friend. It is a pattern called Garden Fence from this website. I am using the brides favorite colors: hot pink, black, gray, and zebra striped for the borders and backing. It's in the quilting stage (I do my own on my Juki). She is getting married on October 7th. I think I can finish it on time.