A Friday Night Sew-In is finished on Saturday...

I love it when one project counts towards more than one objective... my finished Sweet Pea Doll Quilt is a completion, and fulfills my participation in FNSI (sponsored by Heidi), and Kathleen Tracy's May 2013, Small Quilt Talk Monthly Doll Quilt.

 

My finished mini measures 16" x 16", smaller than Kathleen's pattern because I used fabric from a jelly roll for my outside border.  (The jelly roll fabrics were end bolt strips, put together by a delightful quilt shop in Brainard, Minnesota... a crafty way to mix, match, and sell, leftover fabric!)   After sewing the binding on, I hurried outside to catch the last of the daylight for my pictures.  I had fun with the machine quilting, using for the first time, my new Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2.  It was a joy... but I'm still learning where and how all those buttons work! 

When I came back indoors I noticed a framed cross stitched sampler that I made back in 1990... the colors in the sampler are similar to the mini quilt... I just may have to figure a way to display them together! 

Tell me how you spent your day... did cutting, piecing, or quilting fabric play a role? 

Sweet Pea progress...

Kathleen Tracy's 2013 Quilt a Month Challenge selection for May is Sweet Pea Doll Quilt.   You can find the free pattern here. 

For information about Kathleen's Monthly Quilt Challenges, visit her blog here.

I spent last evening pulling fabrics, cutting, and piecing the center of the block together.  My plan is to finish it this weekend.  When completed this cute mini will be 18" x 18".  The fabrics I'm using are from my stash, except for the 5 fat quarters in the picture.  I picked these up on the same visit to my LQS when I purchased my new Pfaff.  (Yes, I find it difficult to leave a quilt shop without a few fat quarters for my stash... don't you?)  It never fails... I'm constantly drawn to the same fabric designers... Judie Rothermel, Paula Barnes, Edita Sitar,  Barbara Brackman, and Jo Morton to name a few.  Can't get enough of them!

So far so good with the Pfaff Expression 4.2!  Love the thread snips, bright LED lights, large sewing space, bobbin thread sensor, the large foot control, and so much more!  I don't think I've discovered nearly every feature as of yet! 

I'm wishing all of you a happy weekend... hopefully you will be able to spend some of it with a needle and thread!   Enjoy!!!
 

Breaking the rules...

...that's me, once again.  Yes I can read instructions, but I don't always follow them!   This is the case with a sew along I recently joined.  Doreen at Aunt Reen's Place is hosting free monthly fast and easy mystery quilt alongs using precuts.  The quilt for May is Easy Summer Breeze, and uses one layer cake and a contrasting fabric.  I signed on, knowing exactly the layer cake I was going to use... it's been in my fabric closet for at least 5 years!   And I knew I had plenty of fabric from the same line to use as my contrasting fabric.  Turns out I must have dipped into that layer cake for another project... oh yes... I remember now.  Christmas presents, 3 years ago... I made oven mitts and hot plates for the females in my family.   (Except me, because one has to cook to have a need for oven mitts and hot plates!)  Aha!!!   I have a charm pack in the same fabric line!   It's settled!  My Easy Summer Breeze won't be a 72" x 84" quilt!  It will be a table topper, a wall hanging, or two baby quilts!

 

Baskets of Flowers by Mary Englebreit for Moda

My HST's are pressed open.  I need to measure and square them.  Once that is completed I will group them into sets.  Then I'll be ready for Doreen's week three instructions... hope she doesn't mind that I've already broken the rules!   I'm planning on making the May mystery quilt only, as I'm already behind with other sew along projects that I have committed to.  (Good thing none of them have deadlines!)

                                           

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I love to read in my spare time... whatever that is!  I'm really into my latest find... it's not really a book... it's an owner's manual!
 

After months and months of research, and oodles of encouragement from my quilting gal pals that currently sew with Pfaff machines, I took the plunge and visited my favorite local quilt shop to purchase the sewing machine that will carry me into retirement, and beyond! 

Pfaff Quilting Expression 4.2

 

 

I brought my new baby home last Thursday evening and due to a very busy weekend I haven't had a chance to play with it very much.   I'm looking forward to the quieter approaching weekend.  I just may hibernate, and hang a sign on my door that says "Gone Sewing!" 

 

It's been...

... a no sew weekend for me.  In fact I haven't been in my sewing room since last weekend.  That wasn't the plan, but it's the plain truth! 

 

However, I do have something to show you.  My big sis doesn't have a blog, but she has been sewing along with Darlene and I, and many of you, in the Simply Charming Every Other Month Sew Along.  This is her mini quilt for April.  Sis may not have a blog but she has an Etsy shop, and she informed me that this cute little mini sold the day after she posted it.  Way to go Sis!!!  She use a charm pack of Portugal for Moda, by April Cornwell. 

   

  

Off the Beaten Path - pattern by Tara Lynn Darr
Pieced and Quilted by Mary Jo
 

This past week I was more in reading mode than sewing mode in the evening hours after work.  It's a problem... if I'm engrossed in a book, NOTHING else gets done!  And that was the case with Me Before You, a novel by JoJo Moyes.  LOVED IT!!!  I will definitely be seeking other books by this author!


Although we had unseasonable weather last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and into Saturday, (lots of rain, of few inches of snow, windy, and cold), my daughter and I were determined to make our annual visit on Saturday to a local greenhouse to purchase our pretties for container gardening.  (We like to go the weekend before Mothers Day to avoid the crowds).  My prized purchases will have to spend evenings in my garage the next couple of days... I'm hoping for more realistic May weather next weekend so the planting can begin!   The local weathermen have shared words of encouragement, but we all know they've been wrong before!  Keeping my fingers crossed!

Just wondering... if you're not in sewing mode, what do you do???

Finally!!! A Finish!!!

Wednesday is May 1st... what happened to April??? 

I started CLOTHESLINE during my spring retreat in early March, and finally, it's a completed project!



Clothesline by Liberty Star

While I enjoyed making this cute wall hanging I will pass along that the outline of the poles is not included with the other applique pieces to trace.  I checked the pattern several times over to make sure.  There is not a "sketch" of the poles to trace.  I checked the designers website and did not find a correction listed.  I sent the designer an e-mail back in March when I first began to trace the applique pieces onto freezer paper.  I never heard back.  No biggie... I was able to fashion the poles by looking at the picture.  Now comes a big decision... should I keep this, or put it in the gifts pile???

Another note of interest... I used an orange FriXion marking pen by Pilot, to trace some of my quilting lines.  I had just one area traced when I remembered reading that some quilters were experiencing a noticeable trace line, after quilting, and after pressing.  (The color trace line is suppose to disappear once pressed with a hot iron).  I'm so happy I switched to Clover White Marking Pen.  Look closely at the next picture and you'll see why.

You can see the marking line on the brown fabric.  That is where I used the FriXion pen... after applying heat with my iron, it lifted the color right out of the fabric.   That is not from the Clover pen... those lines disappeared beautifully once heat from my iron was applied.  Needless to say, no more FriXion pens for me!!!  If you own one of these pens, I strongly suggest you try it on a scrap of fabric, especially on dark fabrics!

I hope you all find some time this week to do what you love to do... sew, quilt, read, garden, play... whatever it is, take time and do it!!!

Update, April 30th:

I was informed by another blogger that Renee Plains of Liberty Star Designs has retired. 
 
Also, I should have mentioned that, to my knowledge, FriXion marking pens were not marketed as fabric marking pens.   (I purchased mine at Target... found them in the office supply aisle).  Somewhere in blogland they were presented as an option to other fabric marking pens.   Hence, my experience with them was successful, until I used one on dark fabric.  It appears that the heat from an iron removes the tracing line, but also removes the dye from the fabric on the trace line.  I wrote about this to caution others.   

Morning Star Blocks...

12 Morning Star blocks scattered on top of my Mystery Quilt flimsy.

I'm making progress on the Morning Star blocks I am piecing for step 3 of Darlene's Mystery Quilt Sew-Along.  I'm living up to my reputation of changing the design... no applique for me in this step, but I want to incorporate the Morning Star blocks the step 3 instructions call for.  I've made 12 blocks, and I need to make 4 more.  A week ago I had a vision of what I wanted to do, but it's already history.  I hate to say I'm making this up as I go along, but... I'm making this up as I go along!

I'm behind in this project... step 4 instructions were revealed a couple of weeks ago.  Where is the time going?

Meanwhile, projects taking a back seat...

                Harmony Block by Lori - (printed instructions)
     Clothesline by Renee Plains - (sandwiched with batting and backing)
               Off the Beaten Path Simply Charming mini quilt - (flimsy)
     Paper Pieced Hearts - (5 of 12 made; not due until September retreat)
               Tumbler mini quilt - (48  1" x 2" paper tumblers completed; ?? to go)
           
Not to mention "projects on the radar"...
               Marcie's Calico Pennies 
    Sixteen Patch tied mini doll quilt seen here
               Hexagon Table Mats - using civil war fabrics
   And about two dozen others... 


            

 

Well, I don't love it...

... but at least I finished it!

 

After chores and shopping Saturday morning, I hurriedly pieced the Contrary Wife block together before I could change my mind and substitute other fabrics.  I love the block... there are so many options for piecing, and after trying out several, I opted to stay with my original plan.  (That does not happen often!  I'm famous for changing my mind!)   It does make a cute little table topper for displaying some of my favorite "things."  This mini is the SmallQuiltTalk April project, sponsored by Kathleen Tracy. 


I've been participating in Darlene's Mystery Quilt since January.  For some reason the month of March was crazy busy, and I didn't get around to step 3.  It involves a four sided border with applique and pieced corner blocks, and although I recently began needle turn applique on a small project, I just didn't want to commit to a four sided border!  Well, step 4 is upon us... and I don't want to get to far behind.   I spent a good part of Sunday evening sketching in my mind how I want to proceed.  If I want to have any success at ending up with the size quilt this challenge is intending, then I have to come up with something for step 3, before progressing to step 4. 

I have a plan... (but remember... I'm famous for changing my mind!)  I'm going to incorporate the four corner blocks Darlene planned for.   One is completed, three are prepped... and more may be coming!  This will be my WIP for the evening hours in the coming week.   It will be a pleasure to come home from work, knowing I have these lovelies to piece together!