Design Wall Monday -- 01/30/2012

My design wall is still loaded with the Jacob’s Ladder blocks I’ve posted about before.  I hope to resume work on them this week.

I am very happy to make my first “Bound, Labeled, Done!” post of 2012 today.  My Easter wall quilt is completed and ready for display in a few weeks.  This was a project for a workshop in machine applique and is the first of the collection of seasonal wall quilts I hope to complete.  This design is from the Small Celebrations collection by Judydidit Designs. 

I quilted it on my domestic sewing machine using a simple stipple and thread that pretty much disappeared into the fabric.  It had been a long time since quilting on the dsm and it felt really strange.

Surf on over to Patchwork Times to see what other quilters have on their design wall today.

Design Wall Monday -- 01/23/2012

We made a fairly impromptu trip to the ranch for three days and two nights last week.  While there I quilted the Civil War Chronicles quilt.  It is ready for its final trim and binding.  Even draped over the frame, it is so large (108” square before quilting) I could not get a picture of the complete quilt.  This is probably as large a quilt as my machine can accommodate.  I had to trim down the backing to 115”, which is the width of my leader cloths, and remove the stylus attached to the frame so the machine carriage could travel every available inch on its tracks. 

Our temperature highs were in the 80s.  This is very mild weather for January, even in Central Texas. 

I took this photo at sunset from our front porch.  The antenna you see, or perhaps its predecessor, was erected as part of the communications network put in place when Lyndon Johnson was President and spending a lot of time at his ranch and other getaway sites in this area.  Today it is used by a television station, cell phone company and others.

Be sure and check out the other Design Wall Monday postings at  Patchwork Times.

Progress on Wall Quilt

There is nothing new to show on my design wall today.  I attended a machine applique class Saturday and had a great time.  Here is the project in the process of being machine appliqued.   My friend who taught the class is at a quilt retreat this week (lucky her!).  I hope to have the machine work done on this project so I can show it to her on Sit ‘N Sew day next week. 

Day Trip to the Big City!

Eight of my quilting friends and I spent Wednesday in San Antonio visiting three quilt stores (two of them new to me) and having lunch together.  San Antonio is about 1½ hours from our area, so it’s always a treat to make the trip, especially with quilting friends.

Since I made several purchases in December, I tried not to spend too much, but I did come home with these items:  some batik cuts, straw needles for applique, and a needle plate screwdriver.  We had great fun.

Progress of Heart Wall Quilt

We had a group of 12 at Sit 'N Sew Tuesday.  That’s about as big a crowd as our gathering place can accommodate, but everyone maintained their good humor despite jockeying for chairs and table space.  Since I was having a harder than usual time getting myself organized for the day, I decided to only take handwork and did not require as much work space.

I am more than a third of the way through stitching the flowers and stems on my applique project.  It was a very relaxing way to spend the day with friends. 

More Jacob's Ladder Blocks

I pulled out my Jacob’s Ladder blocks today and began laying out some more on the design wall.  These may complete what I need for the center blocks.  It should be fun to work on them again since blue has always been my favorite color.

Design Wall Monday -- 01/09/2012

This is what's currently on my design wall.  It looks a little odd, doesn't it?  This will be the background for a small wall quilt I will be working on during a machine applique class Saturday. 

Here is a picture of the pattern and some of the other fabrics that were included in the kit.

One of the good things about taking a class is that it forces me to not only try new techniques, but also to use fabric choices I would never have opted for on my own.  I’ve seen the class sample and know it looks very cute, but I would not have been brave enough to pick these fabrics. 

I sometimes get stressed in quilt classes if I don't keep up with the other students.  We’ll see how I do this time.  The teacher is a friend, so it should be fun.

Be sure to check out what other quilters are working on today by checking the Design Wall Monday links at  Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday -- 01/02/2012

We enjoyed an extended and very enjoyable Christmas this year.  Christmas day was spent with neighbors.  Our family Christmas happened a week later with the arrival of the grand kids and a Wisconsin brother-in-law.  So, there was not much sewing or blog commenting time the last couple of weeks.  This week, however, I actually have some “unsupervised” time in the house as Bob will be at the ranch with his hunting partner.  I've got the humongous cutting table out and I’m hoping to indulge in some quality quilting time.

The wall quilt I posted about last week now has the flowers glued to it for applique.  My specifically requested Christmas gift was a light box, which I pressed into service when constructing the blooms. 

I am trying a hand applique technique I learned in a class last year.  This will be a project that I can enjoy during those times I can’t get to my machine.  I doubt it will be finished in time for Valentine’s Day for 2012, but maybe 2013? 

Check out what other quilters are up to at Judy’s Design Wall Monday links.