I received the most wonderful package in the mail this week from Susan from the UK!
Inside I found two lovely fat quarters to add to the collection and the yummiest chocolate ever!
But best of all:
Isn’t this gorgeous! Hand quilting no less!
I just love this and plan to hang it in my hall way where I can see it often as I walk by. Thank you again, Susan and also to Lori from Humble Quilts for organizing this swap.
I haven’t forgotten this quilt. In fact, after the four log cabin blocks, I decided I would not allow myself to cut any more until this top was pieced.
This is the backing fabric.
Now I need to figure out how to piece this backing. I know I am supposed to load this so that the “stretch” of the fabric is parallel to the bars. But since I have to piece the backing, doing it this way will mean a seam allowance will be perpendicular to the rollers. Not a good idea as it will create a large ridge on the backing roller and uneven tension across the back of the quilt.
Anyone have any great ideas on how to deal with this?
Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts, Quilt Fabrication
Hubby found a garage sale with fabric last weekend and I got 20 FQs of 30s repro fabrics. I’ve been wanting to do something with these again. Maybe a Dresden plate? 
I also got a new iron last weekend. I’ve been through a gazillion. I have no good suggestions. I’ve been disappointed with pricy Rowentas before, but this one was under $40 at a local discount store. It does get hot. We’ll see how long it lasts.
Still trying to decide if I want to set these block to block or add sashing and cornerstones.
And I finished those 4 log cabin blocks. I really like them, but how many more do I want to make?
Have a great day!
Linking up with Free Motion by the River, Quilt Story, Mel’s Quilting Room, Blossom Heart Quilts
I wanted to do some machine piecing last night and I wanted to try out my log cabin die. The way the die is set up, one pass creates enough pieces for one block. But the lights would be all the same and the darks would be as well. I didn’t want to pull a bunch of different fabrics, so I went looking for one interesting piece. Here it is:
Perfect! I bought a 6 yard piece of this from Ikea a while back for $5. I chose white for my light and cut.
Turns out, I rather like piecing these once the bits are all cut.
I didn’t get very far, but I am liking this already.
I have a few rounds left to go. I’m not sure what this will grow up to be yet, so stay tuned.
Linking up with Em’s Scrap Bag, Love Laugh Quilt, Cooking Up Quilts, Patchwork Times
It has been a great weekend here so far. After church, I may be taking a road trip with Daughter #3 for some shopping. So that meant casting about for a hand project. I pulled out this oldie that I haven’t worked on in ages. I think scrap quilts will always be my favorites.
I would be happy to just get that partial row finished. Right now, this is about 48 by 56 inches or so. I’m not sure how big I want this to be.
I joined a Facebook group for people buying and selling Accuquilt dies etc. Its called Accuquilt Sales. Someone posted a note that this die was on clearance online and they got it price matched in the store.
I know, I know, I said no more log cabins for me. But this is not paper piecing and the cutting will be a breeze. The logs finish at an inch wide.
I stopped at a little antique shop last week and found this vintage pants hanger.
It’s perfect for hanging my little quilts. Now to find a place to hang the hanger.
I haven’t done any piecing in over a week and I’m looking forward to doing some this week. But first, I’m going to take some time to smell the daffodils.
Have a wonderful day!
Linking up with Quilting is More Fun than Housework, Kathy’s Quilts
I have another quilt quilted with the Baptist Fan design to share with you today. This one was made by my husband’s grandmother, Effie. It has lots of wonderful 1930’s fabrics. 
I love the string blocks mixed with the 9 patches. 
This has seen a lot of use and it has been mended here and there. It seems to be quite fragile. The fabrics in some blocks have completely worn away to reveal the batting.
Two corners have been rounded off. I have no idea why!
The backing is a plain muslin. It was hand quilted in a frame. You can see on the back that they worked the fans from opposite sides and met in the middle.
Here you can see it on my guest room bed.
I hope my quilts look like this someday, after a lifetime of use and love!
I started this quilt last week on a bit of a whim. I have no need for yet another baby quilt, but I ran across a small stack of my hand dyed fabrics and had an idea suddenly pop into my head. Tell me I am not the only one this happens to! I should have been doing something else, but I started cutting.
And then I started quilting.
And before I knew it I was binding and it was done!
That’s a bad picture if you are looking for quilting details, but I thought it was kind of a fun shot. Here is a better one.
And the back.
A few detail shots:
I had a lot of fun playing with the quilting on this one.
I shared a picture of this cutie, Little E, the other day, but I can’t resist a few more. I call him Mr. Squishy because I just want to squeeze him!
That face!
Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, A Quilted Passion, Sew Can She, Lizzie Lenard Vintage Sewing
I’ve powered through and finished quilting the QOV tops from the Stitching Sisters group. I didn’t make any of these tops so I don’t know names and I don’t have any patterns to share with you. 
Aren’t these lovely? I’m so glad to be part of this group! I will deliver these today after work and then I have another big project to power through.
I hope you are making lots of progress on your projects as well. Have a great day!
Linking up with My Quilt Infatuation
I’ve been quilting lots of pantographs lately. I thought I would share a bit about how they are used and how I space the rows of the design. This first pictures shows a Quilt of Valor loaded and ready for quilting. 
I have some heavy vinyl laying on the table of my frame. I lay the paper pantographs underneath that. It keeps them in place and I use a grease pencil to mark the pattern as needed. A dry towel is all I need to erase the marks. I purchased this from JoAnn’s in the home dec area.
I always mark a line where the edges of the quilt are so I don’t go off quilting in mid air.
This shows the first row of the pantograph completed.
When I finish a row. I move the machine so that I can drop the needle in the highest point of the pattern.
You can see in the next picture, that the laser light is on the corresponding part of the paper pattern.
I leave the needle down, turn the rollers to advance the quilt until the laser light is now on the lighter gray area of the pattern. This corresponds to the previous row. The machine moves as I roll the quilt. 
See how the machine has the needle down in the same spot of the quilt, but it is now close to the back bar? 
Now everything is lined up for the next row. I will use smooth everything out and then machine to baste the edges of the top to the batting/backing ad I am ready to go.
See the little arrow I marked with a grease pencil? Sometimes, I can’t complete a row. If I mark an arrow, it is easy to remember which way I am going when I come back. It isn’t always easy to see which way you are traveling on a complex pattern. You don’t want to sew on top of a previously sewn line and then have to rip! Ask me how I know this…
The pantograph I am using here is called Elongated Meander. It is a 13 inch panto and that is about the biggest I can do on my 18 inch machine.
I hope this makes sense. I am going to try to do another posting on choosing and purchasing pantos soon.
Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts, Quilt Fabrication
I spent a good chunk of my weekend quilting QOVs. These tops were all pieced by members of the Stitching Sisters group.
They do such beautiful work! I love quilting these. I have four more to do. I hope to get them done while hubby is on his business trip.
Have a beautiful day!
Linking up with The Quilting a Room with Mel, Free Motion by the River, Blossom Heart Quilts
KatyQuilts 