The Bind-A-Thon Continues

 

Over the past few months I have accumulated quite a pile of quilts in need of binding .  It's hard to get motivated to hand stitch binding when the weather is warm.  Even if the air conditioning is running, it's uncomfortable to have a quilt draped on your lap for hours on end.

 

Now that our Gu'f Coast weather has cooled off, I don't have any excuses to keep procrastinating on finishing these quilts!  I've completed hand-stitching the binding and labels for the two memory quilts on the top right; next up is the Scrap Jar Star quilt on the upper left.  Dear Husband and I have planned a driving trip to Florida to visit family, so my goal is to finish those top three quilts by Wednesday so I can deliver them to their new owners. 

 

Since I'm not working on any new quilting projects, I thought I'd share my latest sewing machine project.  I had been looking for a Singer sewing machine cabinet to house one of my favorite vintage machines.  I found this cabinet AND Singer sewing chair recently, and even though delightfully shabby, it came home with me.  My plan is to remove the veneer and stain the top, then paint the rest of the cabinet.  The chair cushions just need new fabric.  It should be a pretty easy project, right?

 

The cabinet will eventually hold this machine - a Singer 503A, sometimes called a Rocketeer by sewing machine enthusiasts.  It's a machine that can handle heavy-duty stitching and do zig-zag.  I haven't played with this machine much, so I'm looking forward to getting everything set up for some sewing fun.

 

 

A Tale of Broken Dishes

 

I recently participated in Barb's (Fun with Barb) Broken Dishes block swap.  I chose the red reproduction fabric group and wound up with 80 fantastic red and white blocks.  My design wall was empty this week, so I pinned up a batch of them to see how my setting idea would work.

 

I was hoping I would have a red and white toile fabric in my stash that would work for the alternate blocks.  I have a lot of toile fabric, but alas, not one that played nicely with the Dishes.  I auditioned this foulard print, but the background is too yellow.

 

This is more the idea I have in mind.  Unfortunately, I only have a fat quarter of this fabric and haven't had any luck finding more online.  I'm sure I'll be able to find something similar at my LQS, which specializes in reproduction fabrics.  There's no rush - I won't be able to do any assembly on this quilt until the first of the year.  Until then, I think I'll leave the blocks hanging for now, so I can enjoy all the different red fabrics!

Many thanks to Barb and all the swap participants for such a fun project!

 

 

A Rainbow Nine Patch Flimsy

I'm excited to have a finished Rainbow Scrap Challenge flimsy to add to the stack!  I had a few distractions, so it took a couple of weeks to get all the nine patch variation blocks sewn together. 

 

I assembled the blocks in sections instead of rows, but there were still some long seams to pin and sew before the entire top was assembled.

 

The flimsy measures out at 60" x 72".  I'm don't think borders will add anything, so I'm stopping there.  I'm contemplating some bright polka dots or a stripe cut on the diagonal for the binding.

 

Now that our weather has finally cooled off, I can no longer procrastinate on binding some quilts.  I've got 4 quilts that need the binding completed in the next 4 weeks - if I stay focused, I can get 'er done!

 

Somewhere in Blogland, I read about wrapping bias binding around a cardboard tube to help prevent tangles while stitching.  Since I usually struggle with a wad of binding and throw it over my shoulder as I sew, this idea sounded promising.  I pronounce it very useful - just unwind the binding as you stitch.  Of course, it also helps to have a sewing machine with a built-in walking foot - my favorite feature on my trusty Pfaff!

I can't wait to see what finished project the other Rainbow Scrap Challenge stitchers have to share today!

 

 

 

Quilty 365 Loves Halloween

 

October's Quilty 365 circles had a lot of Halloween influence!  Here they are, laid out to mimic October's calendar page.  I started making circles for Audrey's project last November, and as of October 31, I've completed 362 circles.  I thought I might sneak my last few circles into October's post, but decided to wait and officially finish in November.  Maybe I'll even have time to do some block layout before it's time to post November's results!

As always, I tried to have my daily circle reflect something that was going on in my life - even if it was only a weather update.  Since my memory ain't what it used to be, I've been writing snippets about each day in a journal, as well.

 

The weather this October has been unseasonably warm.  There have even been some record-setting temperatures during the past 4 weeks.  I'm ready for boots and sweaters, not more sandals and t-shirts!

 

There were lots of events to commemorate this month, too.  Birthdays, vacations, homecoming football games, Important Baseball Games and even a quilting trunk show and workshop.  Sadly, the entire state of Louisiana mourned the loss of the beloved LSU football mascot, Mike (VI) the Tiger.

 

And where would October be without Halloween?  It has always been my favorite holiday!  I love collecting Halloween-themed fabrics - maybe one of these days I'll actually make a Halloween quilt with them. 

I'm linking up with Audrey's Quilty 365 post for October.  I haven't checked it out myself yet, so I'm looking forward to seeing lots of fun circles!