Stuff over the last few Months!!!

Just to let you know that I am still here.  Maybe this is the way for me to write more about my quilting today.  I am excited about all the stuff I have done over the past few months:  Like.. finish some knitting stuff and some quilty stuff!!!  Quilts and hats, mittens, scarfs, mending for the children, finished Christmas stuff by the end of January of this for last years Christmas.  Dave and I are enjoying our time together here on the farm.  He is working on the Kitchen renovations and thinking about seeing our Grandbabies do their stuff.  It is somethig.. our first grandgirl will graduate from HIGH School next year at this time.  And this past year has flown by way toooooo fast.  Here are few pics of some of the stuff I have accomplished?  Have fun looking.  The birds on the curtain are FSL of Birds... cardinal, chickadee and humming bird.  The Hats are in two different colors of red... one matches my coat and the other turned out to be too rusty color.  I am having fun in our retirement.    Talk again sometime!!!

12 Days of Chirstmas

Well. Just before Christmas a lovely lady created the 12 Days of Christmas as a block of the month.... this is my progress.  I have taken some pictures of the tree.....

And the choosen fabrics for the "things" under the tree.....

And some closeups of the above bottom colors....

The plaid here will be the ribbon??? Maybe!!!

I forgot to take a picture of the Dove fabrics.... they are white on whites... white on cream!!! 

This is a far as I am...

Trimming Paper pieced Blocks

When your block is complete pin all edges that are flapping in place by placing the pins inside the sections on the perimerter of the block making sure all fabric is smooth and/or flat. 

Turn the block over and using a ruler that has a 1/4 inch mark, place the 1/4 inch line on the sewing line of the block... on this project it is a dash line about 3/8 inch in from the solid line of the outside edge of the printed block.

Holding the ruler in place... trim with roatary cutter to give the block the 1/4 inch seam allowance.  You may also simply trim using the 3/8 inch that was drawn on the block template. Whatever way you use... remember that when you go to sew the blocks together.  I trimmed to 1/4 inch as I generally use a 1/4 inch seam allowance for my piecing.  Continue this procedure on all 4 edges of the diamond. 

The block will look like this.  I am not sure I like my color combination in this picture.  I may have to to another block.!!!!! 

Paperpiecing directions...????

Pick up your paper foundation and find the # one section.  Turn the paper to the blank side and palce a piece of fabric you want to cover that space over the space.  How can you tell... hold it to the light.  The fabric should be right side up on the blank side of the foundation.  Pin in place with a flat flower head pin and have the needle part inside the perimeter of the section.  Now Turn the paper over with the printed side up.  Find a piece of card stock in the form of a post card or the like and it must have an edge that is straight and be about 6 inches long.

Place this cardstock edge on the line between space 1 and 2 and fold the paper back on the card exposing the edge of fabric that is covering the number 1 space.

Lay an add a quarter ruler or a ruler that has a 1/4 inch mark on it and line the 1/4 inch mark with the fold of the paper.  Take a cutter and trim the exposed fabric away.  Unfold the paper and you have a straight edge of fabric that has a 1/4 inch seam and is ready for the next piece of fabric... fabric that will cover space # 2. 

Choose the next fabric and align it with the straight edge you just created with the ruler and cutter.  Pin the fabric in place with a flat flower head pin.  I find those pins easiest to work with.

After fabric # 2 is pinned in place turn the paper over... you will see the line to sew on between

spaces 1 and 2. With your machine set to a short stitch lengeth like1.5mm... or at least 15 to 20 stitches to the inch.  Start sewing about 5 stitches before the line and end, in this instance... after the edge of the seam allowance. Or end about 5 stitches after the end of the line or the seam allowance.  Take away from the sewing machine and trim the threads tails.

Turn the paper over to reveal the two pieces sewed together.  Using a wooden iron... press the newest fabric toward the just created seam.  Pin in place so the pin is inside the area of the section #2. Check to see that this fabric did cover the section intended to cover.  Hold it up to the light and see that there is fabric all aroud the edge of the secion you want to cover.  Turn the paper over to begin with the card again. 

Notice: theere is a pin in section 1 and a pin is in section 2 and the stiching line between section 1 and 2 shows here as a line ending in section 3 and extends out in the seam allowance to the left in this picture.  We are going to start preparing for section 3 now... place the card on the line at the edge of sections 1 and 2 by the edge of section 3.  Fold the paper back onto the card  so you can trim the fabric that will show when you have the paper folded.  You will have to loosen the paper from the end of the stitching line you just created to get the fabic flat on the table and the paper folded evenly on the section 3 line as in the next picture.

This is the card in place ready for folding the paper back over it.

With the trimming complete remover the ruler and unfold the paper and lay the paper with the fabric showing. 

Now choose the fabric for section three.  Place it right sides together with the edge of the fabric lined up with the newly cut edge giving you a 1/4 inch seam allowance between the section 3 and the previous sections. In this picture it is going to line up with the left edge and will be pinned in place so we won't stitch on the pins.

Stitch starting before the seam allowance that will be before the edge of the diamond and continue over the line between the section 1 & 2 and section 3.  As shown in this photo.  Then take it away from the machine.

Now you are ready to turn the paper over to reveal the third piece stitched in place.  Open out the newest fabric and press it over the section you wanted covered.  Finger press in place or use a wooden iron.  Pin the fabric in place in the secion you were covering. Make sure the fabric is smooth over the paper or you will have loose fabric when you remove the paper and an uneven finished block. Turn the paper over.  Determine the line for the next stitching and place the card... fold the paper back over the card and trim the fabric to 1/4 inch.  Remove the ruler and card and turn the paper again showing the fabric side of the paper.  Now choose the next fabric and line it up on the newly cut edge to follow.  Place the next fabric right sides together and aligned with the newly cut edge of fabric already stitched in place.  Continue with these steps until all the spaces have fabric over them.  Please ask me questions... this is the first of several edits ... that can make it more clear with each question you have...!!!

Fun in the Sun!

Today and the last few days have been lovely!!! I have been playing or caretaking of grand people!!! They are so awsome!! They have played and played are still playing. I remember playing with my cousins...it was always such fun. They have "pretended" to do several things today. And today they ate. I know they ate all weekend and today we ate all day. The weather is near to perfect. Humidity is a bit more than I like but it is not hampering them. One time today they all sat on the deck with popsicles and in their little chairs like us "big people"!

Emma, Ben, Nora and Olivia and Pop and I all had a lovely swim in Sebago Lake Sunday afternoon!!! It was invigorating to be in the lake for a length of time and get really cooled off. However, the lake was like bath water all weekend. Emma jumped off my knees and in one breath would go under my legs and do a flip and come back through my legs. She was really good at it! Ben and Nora and I played with a squirt gun of sorts.

On August 7th there was a Stairs Family reunion at Sebago Lake state Park Day use area. There was fun to be had by all. Children swam,adults caught up with each other and new memebers were met. Babies were fun to see. All in all it was a wonderful time there.

It is story time! Childeren are ready for story!!!

Quilt finally finished!!

I am finally finished with a project started in 1992. A flying geese quilt from Eleanor Burns first Flying Geese Book. I decided that my son turning 40 was the best excuse to stop everything and get it done!!! I did and it is... the label goes on today and then to the laundry for the removal of the 17 years of dust and kitties. Then to him!!! However I will be taking it to my guilds quilt show on Wednesday and then another guilds quilt show on the following Saturday. HEre are some pics of the progress. I quilted on it the whole week I was at the lake on vacation. I cannot sit in the sun but the camp was arranged so I could be in the light enough to feel like I am on the lake. Very relaxing and I finished it!!! Dave and I even took a whole day on the lake. I spent the weekend in bed but ... that is another story. That is Pepper in the pictures... he always like to help me do things...Everything!! Sits on the edge of the tub when I shower... on the bathroom counter when I brush my teeth... stuff like that.