KatyQuilts

Design Wall Monday/This and That

Posted on September 30, 2013 by katyquilts

It has been a busy but wonderful weekend here. Friday I spent the day with Daughter #1 thrifting. We found some great sales! We found a lawn mower for her new house for only $5! I got a huge enamelware basin for $3 and a vintage christening gown for $5.

I got this set of vintage pillow cases for fifty cents. Daughter #1 wants me to finish them for her for Christmas. However, we only want the crocheted edges, not the shy lady. Any idea how to remove the blue marks?

I did get a little sewing time in and got these blocks finished.

I hope to get the rest done today along with some serious housecleaning!

A friend at work has asked me to make a QOV for a friend of hers that has served in Kuwait and Iraq. I also have promised two others, one to a vet home and another to a Welcome Home weekend. The thing that seems to stall me out with the QOVs is the presentation case. I heard last week that we can buy and decorate a pillow case to use. This is great news to me! I bought these.

And I plan to embroider them. Hopefully I can find the perfect design and get the embroidery machine going while I sew blocks.

The best part of our weekend came yesterday morning. Our Dear Daughter #1 and Dear Son in Law were both rebaptised at church.

We are so proud of them both and know that God has great things in store for them as they have chosen to put Him first in all things.

Posted in Life, Quilt of Valor, Traditional Quilts | 1 Comment

My Favorite Quilt

Posted on September 28, 2013 by katyquilts

On the blog, Moll Flanders, it was asked, what is your favorite quilt you have made?

Tough question! I thought long and hard about this. I think this is my favorite. It is hand pieced, appliqued and quilted.

Sorry about not getting a full picture, I can’t move the piano! Check out other’s favorite quilts here. What a fun idea for a linky party!

Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Another project…

Posted on September 27, 2013 by katyquilts

We recently got this new book at the library.

I love books with pictures and rarely follow a pattern but I loved this one.

She calls this block pattern “Vintage” but it is actually a very old pattern that she blew up in size. It is sometimes called Chimney Sweep. I like her take on it, especially the fact that you can make a good size nap quilt with just 12 FQs. Of course I can’t leave anything alone….. Her pieces are cut 4″ wide and mine are cut 3 1/2″ wide so I could use one of my strip cutter dies. Also she uses squares at the edges of the background and then trims.

I am cutting triangles for this so I don’t have to trim later. Here are my bits ready to sew.

These are the Silk Road Fabrics I showed earlier. I actually have 13 FQs so I may set all my blocks on point so I can use all 13. Here is a mockup of my first block minus the corner triangles.

The background is Kona Stone.

Posted in Accuquilt Studio Cutter | 3 Comments

Finally! A QOV Finish!

Posted on September 26, 2013 by katyquilts

This is my QOV for August…..yeah, I am behind. I usually bind a quilt ASAP. I remembered this week why I put this one off. I sued the great number fabric from IKEA for the back because it was wide enough without begging pieced. Problem is the printing on the selvedge is kinda far from the edge.

Yeah, so I made a wide binding. Not wide on the front:

Just on the back:

I did finish the hand sewing last night.

And here is a not so great finished picture before washing.

And a detail of the quilting:

Think I can get my September QOV done by Tuesday? Me neither.
I am linking up with Kelly at my Quilt Infatuation for Needle and Thread Thursday. She has such a lovely blog. I hope you will treat yourself to a visit!

Posted in Quilt of Valor | 5 Comments

Work in Progress Wednesday

Posted on September 25, 2013 by katyquilts

I couldn’t sleep this morning so I got up and made the binding for a Quilt of Valor and stitched it to the quilt. I hope to get the hand sewing done today.

I am also still working on the hand quilting of this little quilt.

I am working today so we shall see how much sewing I get done. I am linking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced for Work in Progress Wednesday. What is your WIP this week?

Posted in Hand quilting, Quilt of Valor | 4 Comments

Back to work…

Posted on September 24, 2013 by katyquilts

I don’t work at the library on Mondays so I am usually trying to pack as much in as I can at home. It was a productive day! I got the last batch of quilts for QBB shipped out, cleaned the pantry, various and sundry household chores, and I sewed!
I have over 40 cross blocks done.

I have 15 more to go and I hope to finish them before work today.

I also made 30 9-patches for a QOV. I cut these strips ages ago and now I don’t even remember what I had in mind to do with them! I do know that I still have to bind my August QOV and haven’t even started one for September and here the month is nearly over! I did pick out and press the binding fabric for the August one yesterday.

I listened to The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout while sewing. It is a NYTimes best seller but I was underwhelmed by it. Last night I started The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin while I started hand quilting this:

I haven’t done any hand quilting in ages and wow, I am rusty! Yikes! I am seriously thinking about ripping out what I have done and putting this on the frame for machine quilting. It will not be heavily quilted.

I am linking up with Connie at Free Motion by the River.

Posted in Accuquilt Studio Cutter, Fresh Modern Quilts, Hand quilting | 2 Comments

Design Wall Monday

Posted on September 23, 2013 by katyquilts

Remember the vintage blocks I got on vacation? I wanted to put them together but they varied greatly in size and were not even close to being square.

I had some vintage shirting fabric that I cut onto 2″ strips to frame the blocks.

When you do this, you have to use the straight edge of the strip as a guide, not the wonky block. So you end up with some strange looking seam allowances.

After that I trimmed them all to 9 1/2″ square and put them up on the design wall.

It still looks a bit wonky but they will fit together now.

I was so happy with how this was turning out, I stayed up to put them all together!

It finished to 36″ x 45″. I am actually thinking about hand quilting this. I haven’t done much of that in years! It will hang on one of my quilt racks for now while I decide how to quilt it.
I made a few more of the cross blocks as well.

I have 26 of these done now and enough pieces cut for 38 more. We shall see how much I get done today!

I am linking up with Judy at Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday. Click here to see what others are working on today.

Posted in Design Wall Monday, Traditional Quilts, Vintage Fabrics | 7 Comments

Something new…

Posted on September 22, 2013 by katyquilts

Remember my trip to Hancocks in Paducah? I bought this bundle of Noteworthy by Sweetwater.

Last night I started cutting it up.

I cut enough for two different nap quilts. I have a certain friend in mind for one if these. I used my 3″ x6″, 3″ square, and 1 1/2″ x 3″ dies for my studio cutter. Before bed, I pieced a few blocks.

There have been a lot of quilts with this pattern floating around out there in the blogosphere, but it is actually a pretty old design.

This picture is from the book Glorous Quilts. This quilt was made in 1918 to raise money for the Red Cross by Jessie Orndorff and Dricilla Orndorff. They charged their neighbors 10 cents each and then embroidered their initials into the quilt. It was presented to President Woodrow Wilson.

I made mine with 9″ pieced blocks.

It is another beautiful day that God has given us. How will you spend it?

Loving this verse today:

Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.
~Lamentations 3:22-23

Posted in Accuquilt Studio Cutter, Fabric, Fresh Modern Quilts, Modern Quilts, Precuts | 2 Comments

Treasures!

Posted on September 21, 2013 by katyquilts

My wonderful hubby took me up to the antique festival that is held in a nearby town three times each summer. I always seem to find something calling my name! Here is my greatest find of the day:

But wait , I have more pics of this beauty!

This is a big quilt measuring about 97″ square. There are 36 pieced blocks. The quilting has a 3/8″ crosshatch in the plain blocks and 1/4″ parallel lines in the pieced blocks. The backing was brought to the front and stitched down by hand to create a very narrow binding. Sadly, the fabrics in the stars are very deteriorated. This is by far the oldest quilt I own. I am pretty sure it is pre-civil war. Any ideas?

And I know you are all dying to know what I paid…….

Drumroll please…..

$20

Yep, $20 and she was all mine. She is far from mint but I have saved her from being cut up for teddy bears. I love it!

Here are the rest of my goodies. Pyrex with lid, $7.

Another piece of enamelware, $10.

This is about the size of a large shoebox.
And finally, a new toy sewing machine! It is a Gateway. It needs cleaning and a needle but everything moves.

Hubby and I walked 5 miles while we were at it. Now he is off to help our dear son in law with gardening stuff and I am about to cut pieces for a new quilt!
Happy Saturday!

Posted in Antiques, Toy Sewing Machines, Vintage Quilts | 12 Comments

Research

Posted on September 21, 2013 by katyquilts

I have always loved old houses. Since Daughter #1 and dear SIL bought an old house, I am enjoying theirs.

We were told the house was built in 1916. I have been going through old city directories to see who lived there. Yesterday, I went to the city assessors office and the Register of Deeds to further my research.

I have a few puzzles left to figure out yet. I love this kind of detective work!

Today hubby and I went to the antique festival and found some great things! Pictures next time.

Posted in Life | 1 Comment