Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge 2021!

 I wanted to make a quilt. I wanted to support the Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge!

 I started some blocks. I got this far! 

Then we traveled to California  to spend the holidays with our son. On January 8th my sister passed away! We left CA on the 10th to drive home.  I knew I couldn’t  commit to Sarah that I would participate. What if I  had to go to be with my brothers. What if I there was a funeral to plan. What if I just couldn’t sew! What if I couldn’t find a quilter! What if’s.   So I did not sign up.  

But my grief led me to my machine. And my blogger friends sent me good wishes. And I finished it just as one of my go to quilters arrived back home from wintering in Arizona. 

I auditioned some backings. 

I chose the first one.  It’s a warm rosy brown with peachy pink flowers and 2 tone green leaves. Just right. She was interested in building up her “ go to Houston ” fund. I gave her my quilt and a few days later it was quilted. 

The kit and pattern had just enough fabric for an economy binding. I’d never done that before but it went well! 

Finished ✅ 

And on my porch ready to be pick up by our mail person. 

That view will make you dizzy! 

On its way to Covered in Love in Texas. edit: Kat contacted me!  It arrived in Texas.  It’s a charity I have supported with blocks for the bi monthly block drives. Because I quilt by checkbook, I am not able to produce lots of charity quilts. But some. I’ve wanted to participate in Sarah’s Hands2Help for a few years. Well, I did support Jacks's Basket a year or two ago. I can quilt baby quilts on my DSM!  I'll do small quilts again. 

I’ll link this post at Confessions of a Fabric Addict Hands2Help round up,  the end of May!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

Finished or Not Finished Friday # 54

 

I finally finished the binding and it’s been washed and dried so it’s a crinkly and cuddly! The pattern called for an economy binding. That’s a new one for me, but I checked the tutorial and it worked out fine. 

This was a pattern I bought at our local quilt store just before we shut down for Covid, it’s a 3 yard quilt from Fabric Cafe, called Heartland. I purchased a three yard bundle in this green and peach colorway.

I had a bit of trouble because it uses exactly 3 yards , no room for error. And although there wasn’t a cutting  error, I did trim the selvage, indeed a little too much. I needed 1 inch more in the strip set! I did some math and made it work! It was quilted by my friend Marva Mooney using the Pantograph, Purple Meadow. It's a coneflower sort of design. 

 

The backing was in my stash. From the clearance bin at a quilt store before they closed in 2014, I think. 

Sorry about the shadows, but I could finally get an outdoor photo, and there was sunshine and of course shadow! I'll try for a better photo when I can get Mr Busy to hold it. 

This quilt will be on it’s  way to Kat at Covered in Love on Monday. I didn’t signup at Hands2Help at Confessions of a Fabric Addict because I had just lost my sister and I didn’t know where my grief was going to take me. Sewing like a madwoman or unable to get off the couch. And to be truthful, I was both places! But it feels good to complete this and I’m a big supporter of Kat and her awesome project. 

I’m linking  up with Alycia at Finished or Not Finished Friday  and I’ll contact Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict to let her know of my donation. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy 

To Do Tuesday #37

 

Last week’s  list:  April 20th  to April 26th

1. Finish table runner and post. ✅.      My post is here and below is a final photo.

2. Trace some of the designs for Crabapple project! ✅  

This is the center verse. Hard to get a photo of, because the tracing is brown pigma pen. It says:

I will create a beautiful world of fabric & floss.

Peaceful and joyous.

Calm hours filled with the sound of my needle and thread as I stitch

The small designs are mostly 2” x 2”, but some are slightly bigger and rectangular. If you want to see the whole project it at Crabapple Hill. Here is the link to the finished project. When I checked this morning, it was still available. 

3. Sew some seams on Follow Your Own Path.   Not done! 

I got interrupted by a squirrel. 

My quilter got Heartland done. Here it is ready to trim. 

And I started hand stitching the binding on. The pattern calls for an "economy binding" in order to get the top and binding out of 3 yards of fabric. I did it, but I am not fond of it. Then last night as I was approaching corner #4, the miter did not work. So I spent nearly an hour "unsewing" the binding so I could re turn the corner.  I will hopefully complete that today. I will donate this quilt to CiL, so I need to finish it, run it through the wash and get it in the mail to Kat!

4. Piece a backing for Garlic Knots. ✅

My Garlic Knots, a leader and ender project from a few years ago.

It has a lot of dark reds and burgundies and rusts in it.  I had some donated yardage that when pieced looks great I think. 

It's some coordinating fabrics. A print, a stripe and a gingham. Boy, the gingham doesn't photograph well indoors! I think I have decided to send it to my youngest granddaughter's fiance to celebrate his college graduation. He doesn't want all the pomp and circumstance....but a gift might be appreciated. 

To-Do for April 27th  - May 3rd

1. Check out the new color for May at So Scrappy!

2. Decide on OMG for May and write a post. 

3. Maybe retrieve my sewing machine and pick up the truck we bought in RC.

4. Sew some Follow Your Own Path blocks, if I get my machine back. 

5. Add some strips to the embroidery, so they will fit in a hoop and start the stitching. 

I'll be linking up with ChrisKnits and friends today. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy

March 2021 Goal Setting Link Up

 

My OMG for March will be to get Heartland to the final flimsy stage, select and construct backing fabric and make an appointment with a quilter. 

This picture was taken in November 2020 before we went to California for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It has been in a project box since then. I hope to have it to a quilter by the end of the month. Some of you may remember that I had trouble with the amount of fabric needed in this supposedly 3 yard quilt. There will be some seaming and making do. I hope it won't be too noticeable in the end. 

Elm Street Quilts One Monthly Goal March Link-up

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy

To-Do Tuesday and Weekly Progress #15

 Each week, Roseanne and Sue provide this platform to share a to-do list and then report how we did the next week. It really is keeping me on task. So, I’m linking up with Roseanne and Sue at Home Sewn By Us! 

Last week.

 1. Make more Heartland blocks. ✔️

2. Stage stuff ✔️

3. Work on embroidery blocks ✔️

1. There were 13, now there are 20.  Because my design wall is in the hallway, this layout is horizontal. The quilt will be 4 blocks wide by 6 blocks tall! But now I have hit a wall. I don’t have enough fabric to make 2 more large bordered squares. Unless o piece the leftovers  with extra border fabric. Mathematically I should be able to do that. I haven’t yet. I will wait until these are sewn together and remeasure. 

2. I’ve been gathering and organizing. Two black bags are my handwork projects and the supplies needed. 

3.  The star is almost done. I need to decide on the stripes. I had planned on gold, but the contrast isn’t enough. Maybe aqua, maybe lime green.....I have to get out my floss stash! 😀

Next week, a smaller list. 3 days will be on the road. 

1. Continue stitching on Christmas designs.  (In the evening when we get to our destination.)

2. Start fabric yarn crocheted rug. (I can do this in the car, as long as I’m not driving!)

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy! 

To-Do Tuesday and Weekly Progress #14

Every Tuesday, Home Sewn By Us, gives us this forum to record a list of things we want to accomplish and to share them and check them off. No worries if they don't get accomplished. Thanks to Roseanne and Sue for this. This is my 14th link up. 

Last Weeks To-Do List

Nov 3 - Nov 9

1. More Heartland Block, maybe 4?   Done

2. Sew a small zipper pouch.  You can't have too many!   Done

3. Make Christmas fabric masks for Mr. Busy and me.    Done

4. Write November OMG post  and link to Elm Street Quilts.  Done

1.  More Heartland blocks. Maybe four?

October 30th there were 9

Now there are 13

2. Sew a  little zipper pouch.

 

Mostly green with a little pink. 

And a cute starfish charm! 

3. Make Christmas fabric masks for Mr. Busy and myself. When I asked if he would wear a Christmas fabric face mask, he looked at me like I was off my rocker..so now I have 2 new masks. 

 

I used two different, new to me, patterns found on YouTube. 

4. Write  November OMG post and link to Elm Street Quilts. 

Post and Link   Mine is #43

Next week

Nov 10 - Nov 16

1. Continue to make Heartland Blocks.

2. Start to “stage” the stuff that we are taking to our son! 

3. Stitch on November OMG embroidery project. 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy!