February Finish

Material Girls WIP (Works in Progress) challenge for 2020. We made a list of 10 projects we want to work on this year. Each month I select one and see how far I get. You don't have to finish, just get it out and work on it. 

I mentioned this in my previous post and now I have a finish to share.

I was quilting Frolic trying to get it ready for Best of the Valley. Then I thought "why am I pushing this?" sooooo . . . I put it away and got out a different project.

A few Christmases ago I put out tops and kits and asked family members to look them over and see if there was one they wanted. I was honest and told them I had no idea when I would actually get around to putting it together, but if I knew someone wanted it I might start sooner. This is "Donna's Quilt". Such an original name!! This was a kit from Fons and Porter, purchased who knows when. I pre-cut the strips before visiting my dad and was able to get a good start one evening using the machine I'm leaving at his house.  I was surprised how easily it went together.  I'm just sewing along and then "It's done!" Why not get it basted?  Why not get it quilted?

Another project "finished and out of the house". (However, she won't get it until after a trunk show in early April)

Donna's Quilt
56 x 70 inches

I used rulers for the straight lines and inner spiral curve.
The feathers were all free motion.

I was at Costco last week and saw these gardening gloves.  They looked very much like a new pair of quilting gloves I had just purchased.  However, these were $10 for 10 pair of gloves!  MUCH cheaper than the quilting gloves AND they work well!  The grip makes it easier to hold rulers when doing ruler work quilting.

Thanks for checking in.

January 2020

It's not a new decade, but it is the start of the 20's.  Every time I write 2020 I think "perfect vision".  Is this the year to look around and see??!!

I ended up being ill from Christmas until mid January.  I did manage to get some sewing done during periods of only mild illness or maybe it was just boredom from being cooped up for so long.

I made progress on the Bonnie Hunter mystery "Frolic".  I'm a long way from being done, but I work on it when I visit my dad.  I stay at his house (which is empty) and sew late evenings and mornings.  Since I'll be going over quite often in the next few weeks, I'm actually leaving a machine set up so I just need to bring a project.  "Frolic" is my work of choice.

"Frolic" on the wall.

A not-so-local quilt shop is offering a class with "Enchanted Garden" by Jason Yenter.  The best part is the applique has been digitized!!  I can't miss 7 Tuesday's because of Soroptimist, but I signed up and will go maybe two or three times.  It just means I have to work at home.  This week will be my first class (it's actually #3 for everyone else).  I meant to attend the January class but due to illness could not manage the 5+ hour round trip drive.

The shop offered a kit, but I'm using my own fabrics.

I've already learned something about my Silhouette Cameo.  The instructor suggested using Terial Magic to prep the fabric before fusing.  It seems to work much better.  I still have places where the cut is not good, but considering I've never really had instruction in using the machine I think I'm doing well. I'll talk to the instructor during class to see if she has more ideas. I'll post a photo after the first class.  Right now all I have is a stack of fabrics and cut pieces.

Currently I'm quilting "Sizzle" from The Quilt Show 2019 block of the month.  It's my project for February for Material Girls WIP (Works in Progress) challenge for 2020.  We made a list of 10 projects we want to work on this year.  Each month I select one and see how far I get.  You don't have to finish, just get it out and work on it.  I do find it amazing though, that when I work on something it actually gets finished!  I keep hoping the quilting faeries will stop by and work for me, but they seem to be busy elsewhere.

Quilting doesn't show well, but I have started!
The hard part for me is that every block is different.
I have to think about how to quilt each one.

I did a trunk show for a local guild earlier this month.
Here are my quilts all ready to load in the car.

Thanks for checking in.