SBS 100th Block - M-7 New Mexico

I was so close to that wonderful milestone - 100 blocks done, that I just had to make one more. I have been working on the 3rd column or the Mth row, and went with M-7 New Mexico. It is one of those blocks that is pretty picky, 78 pieces in 6", and the 25 patch in 6" doesn't help. This would be a great, easy, block in 15", but noooo. Anyway. I used EQ6 to draft some paper piecing patterns for strip piecing those center squares, and also the templates. I nipped off the corners of the triangles using Marti Michell's triangle trimmer (really just a triangle that I had used to make Clay's Choice) so the squares lined up nicely. One other thing, I pressed the HSTs open and the long seams open. Other seams are pressed to a side so the seams nest nicely when piecing them together. This one took a while. Not sure how long because I was watching Dancing with the Stars results show (the Woz and Holly went home), and knitting in between stints at the cutting and sewing.

SBS March Challenge

The March Challange was to make 5 blocks from either the third column, or the M row. Well, including the BOWs, I have now made five blocks. G-3 Bear's Paw and N-3 Clay's Choice were made yesterday and today.

Quilts for the quilt show

This weekend, OK, that would be today, officially, I need to turn in the quilts for the quilt show. With some trepidation I will be showing "Dear Jane My Way" and "Basic and Beyond - Nine Patch to Mariner's Compass". I just added a bit more quilting to DJMW. I might add more when I get it back. I tried to blot out more of the bleeding, maybe it will be a little lighter when it is dry. I am not saying where it is, and don't believe it is that obvious in the picture. B&B was started a long time ago, but finished rather recently. DJMW was started this millenium, at least, but it did take a while to finish. I just need to add the official labels and they can be turned in for the show. Thank goodness!

SBS BOW M-5 Ohio Star

Another BOW done just in time! Thank goodness for a nice simple one this week.

Binding Dear Jane

OK, the red tinge is still there. I thought I would bind first and then wash again, because I will need to wash anyway after binding. I did find color catchers. I just might dry in the dryer on low to try and dry faster with no bleeding. I looked at the pictures I took right after I laid it on the towels, and no bleeding at that point. So, we will see.
Meanwhile I have been watching Sharon Schamber's curved binding youtube videos. I am only up to part 3 of 5. I keep re-watching segments to make sure I get it right, and am now stitching on the binding. Very slowly... Hopefully I will be done before I go to my sock class this afternoon. I probably should have cut the binding strips a bit bigger, but too late now. These will work and I will have a nice, narrow binding when done.

Saturday Mystery Quilt

Saturday was a Space Blanketeers mystery quilt day. We have been working our way through the North American Mystery Quilts, and Saturday was California. So I spent Saturday morning cutting up fabric into squares to be ready for the afternoon. After cutting I decided to try and get the sample made for my half square triangle table runner class, to be held in May. Thought it would be nice to bring a sample to drum up some interest. Did not get very far, ah well. But the mystery was fun, will post a picture when it is a top. Probably no borders on this one and it will be a good size baby quilt or small lap quilt, for someone who likes orange. I am sure the mystery people were thinking California Poppies.

So I took along my baby jane, now dry to show off, and horrors of horrors, when I spread it out, one of the reds had bled. So I am not not a happy camper. I tried to find Color Catchers before I bathed it, and couldn't, so decided to brave it, bad decision. Now I need to gently get the extra red out. Definately need to look further afield for Color Catchers! Tomorrow after work.

Today was bascially a cleaning day, plus one more SBS block, Dresden Plate.

Cube Lattice done!

I know I have been working on Dear Jane My Way, and I have been doing lots on it since I last posted. Enough so that it needed to be cleansed of the blue marker before it became permanent. So, it had a bath and is now drying. Since it has a wool batting, this takes a while. Soooo, I picked up the Cube Lattice mystery quilt that came back from the long arm quilters on 2 March, and bound it. I didn't just bind it, I watched Sharon Schamber's Binding the Angel videos and bound it more or less her way, not quite so neatly because after all, this is a quilt to be snuggled in the living room, and not an heirloom. If you want to look at Sharon doing her thing, check out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PE0Yq9iGlc&feature=related Binding the Angel Part 1. There is also a Part 2 and a Part 3. This is for straight edge binding. She also has one for scallops. Guess what I am watching next? Sharon is an awesome quilter, best of show at Houston caliber. Her "Lady in Red" first caught my eye years ago, although I didn't know of her at the time. Then I saw her green lady, and just discovered that another one of her quilts was also one of my favorites at PIQF a few years back. Check out her gallery at http://www.sharonschamber.com/ Meanwhile, here is my quilt that I finished using her binding technique.

SBS M-1 Spinning Hourglass

As a treat for finishing the quilting, I decided to put together this week's BOW for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler, M-1 Spinning Hourglass. Went together fairly easily following Jennifer's directions, Partial seaming on a 1 1/16" finished square is a bit tricky, but it works.

Getting ready to bind

The quilt is now quilted, at least to the point where it can be bound! Looking at it, I see a few points where I want to add a bit. But later. I remembered I had a scallop tool and actually found it. I tried to use it, and finally figured out how to put it together (the instructions were lacking that essential point), and then forgot that quilting makes things smaller. It is no longer 5" between the points of my triangles, just slightly less, but that magnifies to more as you go along, which I was blithely doing until I noticed how far off I was getting... Needless to say, I am glad I was using washout blue marker and on the back side. I will "erase" the bad parts and start again when they have dried.

Then there was the search for the binding material. I have a tote labeled Dear Jane fabric, no luck (although the pillowcase makings are in there), and two bins labeled 1800s reproductions, again, no luck. And finally another bin in the same general area as the 1800s fabrics, no label, but they looked like reproductions from the outside, and lo and behold, there was my extra border fabric that I planned on using for the binding. Yeah! It was getting a bit dicey there. Below are a couple of the blocks.

Counting Down the DJ center blocks!

Only 25 center blocks to go!

Quilting the blocks

I have been quilting away on the center blocks, just 41 are not quilted at all, although a few might need more quilting. And the kites, 2 have some quilting, but really need more, plus the two that don't have any quilting at all. Would love to get them all done this weekend. My quilting on these little blocks has certainly evolved over the 180 units that I have quilted (169 blocks, 52 triangles and 4 kites are in the quilt). Some of them might get picked out and redone, at some point. Not before I bind the quilt though.

Dear Jane Stippling Done!

The border is quilted! Not quite three bobbins on the outer section of stippling. Now on to blocks, less than 100 to go.

Still Stippling after all these days

I have an advanced degree in stippling, or I should have. So far there are about 450 yards of stippling in the border of my quilt, and I still have 3/4 of the border outside of the feathered cable to stipple, or another couple hundred yards.

Stippling

I have been stippling for hours now, gone through three bobbins and a fourth is loaded in the sewing machine. For reference, I am using the BSR on my Bernina 630, set at a 1.7 stitch length. This is slightly shorter than the default 2.0, and gives a much smoother curve to the tight stippling I am doing. The feathers are done with the 2.0 length, it works for them. I am now on the last side of the inner section of stippling, which includes echoing the triangle feathers. It is having the desired effect, I am loving the look. And I will also love being done stippling! I just might do a few blocks when I am done with this section, then go back and stipple the outer edges. Then the big question, to scallop or not to scallop the edge. The scallops would echo the line of the feathered cable, but the issue, as it was before, is the corners. They are not the same. So I will have to lay it out and look at it before making the decision (and I know I would love the scalloped edge, it is just getting it to work!).

No Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler blocks are being done right now, all of my sewing time is spent quilting in an attempt to get this done for the show, to my satisfaction. Then I have to get the binding done on my Cube Lattice. It is back from the quilters, which was quick. I didn’t expect if for another week.

This weekend

Friday night I spent working on the feathered cable border of my Dear Jane My Way, and got it to the point where I could wash out the blue marker (Yeah!). So I did that and it was very wet, and I hung it up to dry. Until I can really wash it, it will not go into the dryer! And that won’t be until it is done. I was trying to get the blue out because I had one more corner that just wasn’t right and needed to be re-marked. I did finally remark it today, so the feathered cable is all done. Then today I echo quilted around the cable so I could stipple outside of the feathers. I have stippled the inner section about 2/3 of a side, and it is looking good J. Taking a break, stippling is hard work. I ran out of bobbin thread (in the bobbin, have several waiting to go in) and thought it was a good time to relax the shoulders a bit. The stippling is having the desired effect of emphasizing the feathers, thank goodness! As far as the rest of the quilt, all the pieced triangles are now quilted, along with 1/3 or so of the center blocks.

Saturday I went to Stitches West and got blown away by all of the yarn. I came home with more than I planned, not a big surprise there.
Socks that Rock – 2 skeins of heavyweight and 1 of silkie – for socks

Cherry Tree Hill – 4 skeins of DK weight, 10 of select (fingering) (for sweater of many colors) – Beth snagged one of the DK weight to knit a scarf
Stickwear – 1 shawl kit
Gedifra – 16 balls of worsted weight medium blue (for sweater)
Miss Babs – 3 skeins of Yummy sock yarn – for socks

5 pairs of Skacel circular needles (40”) (sizes 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10)

Now to get busy!