Moving Along with Vintage Bow Tie Project

My vintage bow tie project is under the needle and I estimate that it is about 25% quilted.  When I use a meander motif, I always start at the center of the quilt and move out.  So, when I finally get a corner filled in, I feel like I’ve really accomplished something, especially on this project.  My quilting machine is giving me problems.  The stitches and tension look good, but the bobbin thread keeps breaking with annoying frequency.  I’ve cleaned and oiled the machine and replaced the needle, so I don’t know what its problem is.  I’m using a pre-wound bobbin and thread from a reputable company. 

My monthly applique group met yesterday and we got to see the completed top for the group project I participated in last summer.  I think it turned out well.  The block I worked on was the center block in the top row.  My final post on that project appeared July 17, 2023.

In other news…

The new roof is complete and we are waiting for the gutters to be installed.  El Nino, the weather system which provided our wetter than normal spring and early summer is officially over, according to the National Weather Service. 

 

Vintage Bowtie Quilt Top

My bowtie project that I did as part of a sew-along sponsored by Fig Tree Fabrics is a finished top.  I’ve started piecing the backing and hope to get it sandwiched and under the needle for quilting this week.  The batting and fabric for the binding have arrived. 

In other news…

No one ever said getting a new roof is fun.  The crew has been hard at work on it for two 12-hour shifts and will have to come back Monday to complete the job.  It certainly is a messy and noisy project.  For a time yesterday we could not get out our front door and we have had to park our cars outside our garage.  Most of the time we have been sheltering in place with two very nervous dogs.

Not a Routine Day

The bow tie blocks have been sewn into a top and I hope to add the borders this week.  I thought I had everything I needed to complete the quilt, but discovered I need batting and fabric for the binding.  Both are on order.  The extra long ruler hanging next to it on the design wall helps me lay the blocks out straight.

 

In other news, the shingles for our new roof arrived this afternoon.  We haven’t been told when they will actually begin work, but when they do, they will start early in order to avoid the worst of the heat.  They said the thought they could complete the work in one day.  I hope they’re right.  I’ve been through roof work before, and the noise can be maddening.  The dogs will have to stay indoors and I expect they won’t like the noise either.

 

In the process of delivering the shingles, the trailer hit a water meter across the street.  Fortunately, the city was able to get it fixed and the water was turned back on before I had to cook dinner.

 

My hibiscus put on another bloom.

A Finish and Progress on Sew Along

The patriotic wall quilt that grew out of a guild workshop with Becky Goldsmith in July, 2016, is bound-labeled-done.  The workshop subject was needle-turn applique, which I used for the flowers and stems.  However, by the time I picked it up this year, I had developed a strong preference for prepared edge applique and that’s how I finished it.  Becky is a good teacher, and I still prewash my fabric because of that workshop. 

 

I also finished the blocks for the Fig Tree Vintage Bowtie Sew Along.  Here they are on my design wall where I have been fiddling around with various arrangements.  I find it hard to believe I am currently ahead of schedule!

 

After taking a brief break from it, I’ve resumed work on my red and white tumbler quilt.  As for the Maymont project…it’s still in timeout. 

Progress on Bowtie Project

At least we got one tomato this year.  Its size was underwhelming.  I think it was labeled as being in the “slicing” variety of tomatoes, but maybe that’s a relative term.  I cut it in half and shared it with Bob.

More progress on the Vintage Bowtie Sewalong.  I’m actually a tiny bit ahead of schedule, but several participants are already quilting their projects.

I finished the quilting on my patriotic wall quilt, but discovered, as I started the binding, that I failed to ditch stitch one of the applique units.  They really do look better ditch stitched as it gives them more definition, so back to the invisible thread and walking foot I go.