Devoted to UFOs

 Two UFOs have been clamoring for attention (again).

I have blogged several times about my good intentions to finish up these quilts, but somehow life and other quilt projects (dare I say Squirrels?!) seem to get in the way.

I've come to the conclusion that it's time to focus on these two projects exclusively from now until they are finished. 

I started the 4-block eagle quilt in 2015.  It was my first major hand appliqué project.  I finished the appliqué fairly quickly, but I procrastinated on starting the hand quilting until last year.  

The background quilting is complete, so now I need to quilt all four eagles, as well as the HSTs in the quilt border.  If I quilt a little bit every day, I'll get it done in no time, right?

 

The other unfinished project demanding attention is Gathered Harvest - a BOM I started in January, 2018.  

The quilt is made up of nine blocks, five of which are complete.  Now I need to make four of these flowery vine blocks - identical except for different fabric placements.  Yes, each block has twenty appliquéd berries/circles!

Since snapping the above picture this morning, I've finished prepping all the leaves, berries and bias strips.  I'm using the freezer paper and starch method to prep the appliqué shapes.  

Next up, a little fabric glue and lots of machine appliqué.  

If it weren't for those pesky oak leaves, I could probably knock out the four blocks pretty quickly.  Those oak leaves take a little more concentration than your typical appliqué leaves, although I'm getting quicker at prepping them.  By the time I finish all the blocks, I'll probably be able to do them with my eyes closed!
 

 

Hand Quilting the Eagles

It looks like 2021 will be a year of hand quilting.

I started this four block eagle quilt in 2014.  Once the quilt top was complete, I procrastinated on the quilting because I was intimidated by all the hand stitching needed.  I knew I wanted to hand quilt the top, I just didn't trust my hand quilting skills.

I decided 2021 was the year to finish this project, so with a little inspiration from some dedicated hand quilters like Barb and Deb, I jumped in and got started.

First, I finished marking the cross-hatch design for the quilt's background.  I don't know where I read about this marking pencil - General's Sketch & Wash - but I've been pleased with it so far.  I tested the markings on some fabric scraps, and they wash out easily.   Some of the marked lines have gotten lighter as the quilt is handled, but I just lightly re-pencil them before stitching.

It took a few days to hand-baste the quilt - perfect for the Polar Vortex weather we had earlier this month.  The hand basting reminded me of fun afternoons spent with members of the Pensacola Quilter's Guild in my early days as a quilter.  Frame basting was a service provided by guild volunteers.  After the monthly guild meeting, basting frames were set up and members shared bag lunches and quilting fellowship while basting quilts.  It was a great learning experience!

I started with the background quilting this past Tuesday.  I've finished about half of the background around the center crowns.  I know there's a LOT of quilting ahead, but I'm really enjoying it!  In fact, I've neglected other stitching projects this week and focused almost exclusively on hand quilting.  I'm still working on having consistent and straight quilting stitches, but practice makes perfect (or so I'm told). 

Mass Quantities of Half Square Triangles

One of my goals for the first part of 2016 was to finish my Quilt Like An Eagle quilt top.  I was kind of dreading the last step in my design, because it involved making a LOT of half square triangles.  

My plan was to make a dog-tooth style border using HSTs.  After auditioning a couple of different sizes for the HSTs, I settled on 2 1/2" finished blocks.  What the heck - I only needed a little over 100 of them!

Since I usually make HSTs a few at a time using the Easy Angle ruler and scraps, I knew I needed a different technique for this project.

I pulled out one of my handy-dandy quilt reference tools:  All-In-One Quilter's Reference Tool by Harriet Hargrave, Sharyn Craig, Alex Anderson and Liz Aneloski.  The book had a great set of diagrams for making 8 HST units at a time from two fabric squares AND a table listing what size squares to cut based on the finished HST unit needed.  I quickly made a set of HSTs using their instructions and measurements, only to find the blocks were too large and would all need to be trimmed to size.  

So sorry, but I'm from the "measure twice, cut once" school of quilt block piecing.  I really don't like to cut my HSTs over-large and then trim them, especially if I'm making mass quantities of HSTs!

I decided to consult my other favorite reference, Google.  I found Karen Walker's "Magic 8" tutorial for the same HST process, but she included the math for figuring what size squares to cut.  The simple trick is to add 7/8" to your finished HST unit size, then multiply that number by 2.  That calculation will result in HSTs that don't need trimming.  She does note in the tutorial that you can add an extra 1/4" to your cutting measurement if you WANT oversize HSTs.

 

Once I did the math, I was ready to start making lots of HSTs.  Based on the math calculations, you cut two squares of fabric (in my case, light and dark), and layer them right sides together.  Draw a line from each top corner to each lower corner, forming an X.  Stitch a 1/4" seam on each side of the diagonal lines - there will be a set of parallel seams following the X.  Now cut the block in half from top to bottom.  Without moving anything, cut the block in half again from left to right.   Again, don't move the pieces, but cut along both of the lines forming the X.  You should have 8 triangles showing when you're done cutting. 

 

Press the triangles open and do a happy dance because you've just made 8 HSTs!  

Do  little more math and figure out how many squares you need to cut to make the remaining 90-something HSTs for the border...

 

Once the border is finished, I'll post full pictures at Quilt Like An Eagle.

 

 

A Little Less Porch Time

Dear Husband and I have taken the four-legged children and escaped to our camp for the holiday weekend.   Part of me would rather have stayed home where I could spend hours buried in my sewing room, creating and stitching to my heart's content.  On the other hand, it's always wonderful to get away and enjoy nature while at the camp.  Sewing definitely takes a back seat while I'm here, although I can usually find time to put needle and thread together somehow.

I was up before sunrise today and discovered we may have a colony of bats living nearby.  I was out on the porch and noticed a half dozen black shapes swooping through the predawn light.  My hopeful identification was bats and I silently thanked them for devouring mosquitoes and other pesky bugs!  By the time the sun came up, they were gone, so I'm assuming my identification was correct.

 

My plan was to enjoy some porch time while I hand-appliqued the second (cheddar) crown on my 4 block eagle quilt.  Unfortunately, my neighbor also planned to barbecue and fired up his smoker just as I finished my first cup of coffee.  The smoke hung over both of our yards and irritated my eyes and throat to the extreme.  I had to give up and come inside.  It's OK, as the outdoor temps were climbing and outdoor comfort was about to be over.  And I love barbecue, so I don't begrudge anyone creating a little smoke.  I'll just sit in my rocking chair and do some Slow Sunday Stitching while I enjoy some air conditioned comfort!

Stitchin', Reminiscin' and Daydreamin'

I'm enjoying some porch time and hand applique again this Sunday.  This morning's temperature was a lovely 62 º F (16.7 C), definitely porch-sitting weather in this part of the world!

 

I'm working on hand appliqueing one of the circular "crowns" on my 4 block eagle quilt.  Despite my new-found appreciation for the back-basting applique technique, I used a freezer paper template and starch to prep the crown.  The stitching is going remarkably fast, so I may be finished with this crown before the day is over!

Hand-stitching time is perfect for listening to one's inner thoughts, and I've been indulging in that this morning.  We attended a wedding in Tampa, Florida last weekend, and I have been going through my catalog of memories from the occasion.  It was wonderful to see old friends and reminisce about past adventures.  It was also delightful to see children grown to young adulthood and now with children of their own!

 

Many of the wedding activities took place in Ybor City, an area of the city once famous for cigar-making.   The area is also home to the Columbia Restaurant, the longest continually operating restaurant in Florida.  What I found inspiring about the restaurant were the fabulous tile images adorning the outside of the building.  I snapped pictures of my favorites, all the while day-dreaming about creating an applique quilt to reflect my Caribbean Soul!

I'm linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching, so if you're a fan of hand stitching, check out the links for some inspiration.

 

Sunday at the Camp with Birds and Beach Music

 

Dear Hubby and I retreated to our camp this weekend.  We were both in need of some R & R and the weather was some of the best we've had in months.  We spent most of the day out on our deck, watching the birds scarf down at the birdie buffet!  You can't really see them in this cell phone picture, but we had flocks of finches as well as our resident cardinals and blue jays.  A pair of bluebirds even stopped by to check out the bird house.  

 

We didn't exactly have a bright, sunny day, but the natural daylight was better for hand stitching than sitting in the house under the Ott light!  

 

I basted the head and wings for the first block of my 4 block eagle quilt.  After basting, I appliqued the head and most of one wing.  A little more stitching time this evening should result in two appliqued wings.

We also had a lovely Beach Music concert while we enjoyed our time on the deck.  Our oldest son turned us on to a music app (for smartphones, iPads and all computers) called Songza.  It has an amazing selection of music - for free!  We dialed in a "channel" called Under the Boardwalk and listened to hours of golden oldie R&B music.  All in all, a wonderfully relaxing day!

I'm linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  I'm so happy to have had a hand stitching day today!