variations on a theme

 Five quilts in the last two years all made from the same fabrics and mostly 4 1/2 and 2 1/2 inch strips.  Can they really be considered scrap quilts when there was that much fabric in the stash?  --Ann--

another ta da da done

 I don't know which I like to do more piecing a quilt or machine quilting maybe its just putting my foot on the pedal and feeling the hum of the machine.  This was the third quilt from these fabrics this year.  It seems these fabrics grow instead of deplete from the stash.  Another one done!! --Ann--

Ta da da done twice

 

Another weekend at home with much accomplished in the sewing room.  The two baby quilts are finished except for labels but that will wait until the babies are born and have names. Details.......  I just free motion quilted and quilted and quilted.  I think the design in the kaleidoscope looks like a sand dollar.  --Ann--

more baby socks

 

My knitting of infant and baby socks has been trial and error because I haven't found a good toe up pattern. The white pair I knit just like adult socks only with fewer stitches and three increase rows in the toes.  The orange, green and lavander I knit with increases every row in the gusset rather than every other row, the proportion is more like those intelligent wool 0-6 month socks. And the bottom pair out of habit I knit every other row increases for the toe and gusset.  Surprising how the stripes matched up in the last two pairs but I already did the purl rows.  One sock from each pair of toe up socks is an almost perfect match. No baby will cry over mismatched socks.  --Ann--

pin basted

 

I pin basted 5 of the 7 quilt tops that I have pieced since March and then my fingers got sore they were actually sore after the 3rd quilt but I took a couple breaks for lunch and coffee.  I need to tidy up the table before I can start machine quilting.  Almost all those fabrics were in the stash some of the batiks were new and the white and black prints and the paw print was new, but everything else including the backs were from the stash.  And I barely made a dent.  On to the next step.  How shall I machine quilt these?  --Ann--

seeing double

I had a very productive weekend I would get one part done and then do it all again only a little differently. I really had to dig in the stash for a backing fabric then I only had two yards of it.  Cut it in half and add some other fabrics like the longer yardages of some of the batiks on the quilt fronts.  The sashing strips are 3 inches wide.  I just cut the polka dots random widths and sewed the first set of sashing then turned it and cut again but turned the strips around. I didn't want to mess with lining up the sashing.  If the sashing is a little bit off it really bugs me so make it obviously off and then it looks artsy.  I can see the grands playing with little trucks or animals on the roads and pens and maybe asking Gramma why the roads aren't straight and me saying I didn't feel like doing math that day.  Its on to basting day.  --Ann--

matching pairs

 

I've been knitting little socks on these road trips to the camper.  Some trips the scenery is more interesting than others.  The sunflower fields are starting to bloom, they always take my breath away to come over a hill or round a curve and there in all their glory is a bright yellow field.  The amber waves of grain were being harvested leaving a sea of golden stubble. Alfalfa had been freshly cut and rolled into bales I love that smell but we were driving to fast for me to get a good high on fresh cut hay.  The farm girl is me is coming out.  --Ann--

kaleidoscope

 

Tuesday always feel like Monday when we spend a weekend at the camper because we always drive home on Monday.  The company was great, the food was great, the fishing was fishing not catching. But the guys had fun trying.  I was eager to get back to my sewing room and sew the rest of the color blocks.     On top are all the color blocks together.  I'm going to go with the blocks all mixed up together.  Today I start sewing the corner triangles.  Happy stitching. --Ann--

Kaleidescope progress

The first bunch of blocks are partially sewn, then I sewed the black and white blocks for the second quilt and thought what if I put all the black blocks in one quilt and next week we will see what all the colored blocks look like together.  Those decisions will determine which set of fabrics I use for the corner triangles.  Happy stitching  --Ann--

parts and progress

I cut parts all last week and over ther weekend, lots and lots of parts.  Monday afternoon was spent sewing.  I think I cut too many parts, when I started sewing I sewed one octagon of each color before repeating I can either have one block that is a duplicate or cut one more set of trangles........So many decisions.  --Ann--