Art, Craft and Needlework, March, 2011

[Sunny]

Harriet.... I bought an apron from a gift shop while in Wash.DC. It is a bib type with a gathered skirt. The bib is a quilt block with the English Flying Geese pattern that makes a pinwheel block. (Hope you understand my description). I practiced the fl geese pattern using the tutorial and did pretty good.

However, I need to finish the quilt for dgd13 before I start anything else. I have most of it marked with quilting lines, just have to finish that then the sewing. They will be here the last week of April; Easter Sun. and the following week, for their spring break. I want to have it done by then so she can take it back home with her. Then I can start on something else, most likely a quilt for dgs9. I have some of the fabric he picked out last summer, but will need more.

P.S. Harriet, a few weeks ago I mentioned reading quilting mags and you asked if I had subscriptions or just random reading. Don't know if you saw my reply, but I have two subscriptions: McCalls Quick Quilts and BH&G Quilts & More. Sometimes I'll pick up a different magazine when at Sam's or W-M. Do you have any subscriptions?

[Nancy]

That apron sounds great Sunny!

I have granny square blocks put together in strips on half of the green one now.

[Harriet]

BookSaver, it would be fun to see photos. That is a lot of variety in sewing (and service to others). Time for planning is some of the most important time spent!

Emptynester, that is downright charming and reminds me of The Borrowers or fairy stories about places for tiny homes or even Wind in the Willows type fantasy neighborhoods. It should last a long time, shouldn't it?

Sunny, my dd31 always gives me a year's subscription to Quilter's Newsletter Magazine for Christmas. That has been my most consistent subscription all these years, although I used to subscribe to some others, especially Quiltmaker and back "in the day" Quilt World, American Quilter, and had a one-year subscription to the funny Quilting Today last year when it first came out. My favorites that I turn to again and again even when they are old are the sampler-quilt specialty issues. I cannot remember ever throwing away a quilt magazine! LOL

I was going to tell LisaB that the QNM recent issue has an article about the book she and I were talking about by Jinny Beyer.

Since I last posted here I finished the quilt top center, made/attached the borders, and pieced the backing. The border is "piano key", 1.5 x 5-inch rectangles side-by-side, like the keys of a piano, using all the house/roof/door fabrics. I finished it and realized I left out one favorite roof fabric but, hey, finished. By that time, pushing the long seams through the machine had made me less of a perfectionist. Besides, on this project I've done enough seam ripping for 2 quilts.

The machine quilter I used for dstepgd's quilt, who was able to leave all the little character faces open, is no longer doing custom quilting, which saddens me. But she can make more money and have time for her own quilts if she only offers the fast, all-over quilting. So I really considered doing this myself, like I did with dsil's quilt, which would have taken up a lot of time, and I need to get back into routine on so many areas of life. It's the piecing that is my craft and inspires me, not the quilting. So I scoured the net and found a lady who can do what I want in the time I have, and I sent the quilt top and backing off to her Priority today. I was pleased she understood what I meant by a drapable quilt for a child and didn't push for the 100 percent cotton batting. I'll bind it when she sends it back and in the meantime will make a label.

[Nancy]

I have the green granny squares all in strips now.
Dgson was asking for another one already! LOL!