Still Not a Mini

 Every month, Wendy at The Constant Quilter encourages quilters to make mini quilts.  I always have good intentions to make small quilts, especially using my reproduction fabric stash.  But, good intentions don't always equal finished projects - no surprise to anyone who makes quilts!

I did however, dig out an unfinished table runner and finish it up this month.

The appliquéd sunflower blocks started as a practice project.  I made two blocks and set them aside to be used as pillows or something.  Last fall I rediscovered the blocks and decided to make a table runner using some ancient sunflower fabric I also rediscovered in the stash. 

I found enough matching fabric to make a third sunflower block, then added some orange Grunge and yellow batik sashing and cornerstones before finishing with a border of the sunflower print.

That sunflower print has been marinating in my stash a good long time.  There's no date on the selvedge, but the fabric was made by Cranston VIP Print Works.  I believe the company stopped using that name when they ceased printing fabric in the US in 2009.  I think this fabric is even older, probably from the mid to late 1990s. 

I had prepped the top for quilting last fall, but stalled out because I didn't have the right color threads for quilting it.  I pulled out the project last week, added some simple quilting and bound the whole thing with the sunflower fabric.  

Here's the finished runner, actually on a table.  I gave it a quick trip through the washer and dryer, so now it has that lovely crinkly look.

It's nice to have a UFO crossed off the list!

 

A Buffet of Stitching

 My sewing machine has been taking an unintended break from sewing.  Several hand stitching projects have demanded my attention, so the sewing machine has been neglected.

I guess this is one way to neglect your sewing machine.  
(can't you just hear a Disney song in the background?)

For example, there's the new free BOM from Sentimental Stitches - Poppy's Polka Dot Garden.

Poppy's Polka Dot Garden, block 1

Poppy's Polka Dot Garden block 2

I've finished the first two blocks using a combination of freezer paper and back basting techniques.  Blocks 3 and 4 are still in the planning stages.  Block 4 (and the pattern calls for two of these blocks) is an 18 inch block, so I may wind up using machine appliqué to keep from getting too far behind.

Ok, I did use the sewing machine for the Cassandra's Circle Block #10.  Freezer paper and starch for prepping the pieces and invisible machine appliqué made quick work of this block.

Last time I showed this project, there were only two appliquéd sunflower blocks and an idea.  I hand appliquéd another sunflower, then set the blocks together with some fabrics from the stash.  Now it is pinned and waiting for quilting (I'm waiting on some thread).

Last - but certainly not least - the hexie flamingos are being assembled into a quilt top.  I've been hand stitching the hexies into small groups in an attempt to avoid having to stitch long, awkward rows of blocks together.  I figure there will ultimately be some long rows or columns that need to be stitched, but I'm avoiding that for now.  I have to pay attention as I do the assembly - it's too easy to get mixed up and sew a hexie in the wrong position.  I'm keeping the blocks pinned on the design wall and only taking down two or three blocks at a time to avoid errors!

Waiting on Zeta

 Of course it was bound to happen.  Six times this hurricane season, storms have threatened the New Orleans area, only to change course and go elsewhere.  The seventh time is our lucky time! 😝

Hurricane Zeta, now a Category 2 storm, is approaching the coast of Louisiana and will be affecting the New Orleans area by dinner time.  The main threat expected here is 70 - 90 mph winds.  Good news:  the storm is moving quickly, so it should be gone before midnight.

We have made all our preparations and are now in waiting mode.  We've been through hurricanes many times before, so we know what to do and what to expect.  We'll probably lose power, so I may be offline for awhile.

In the meantime, I'm trying to stay focused on some stitching projects.  

I started a practice block from Poppy's Polka Dot Garden.  I'm still an appliqué novice, and I've never attempted a block this small (9 inches finished).  I wanted to see how difficult the appliqué stitching would be with pieces this size.

I decided to try using the back-basting appliqué technique for the practice block.  It turned out to be pretty easy, although I need to be careful not to distort the background fabric too much.  I did try a freezer paper and starch prep for one of the green flower buds, and that worked pretty well, too.  Since this was just for practice, I probably won't finish it, but will start again once I figure out what fabric(s) I want to use for the background.

The background fabric in the practice block goes perfectly with the quilt name!  It's a Thimbleberries fabric from many years ago called "A Gardener's Touch".  I have at least a yard of the fabric, so I may use it for a couple of blocks - if I can find another background fabric that compliments it.

In cleaning out and organizing drawers and bins last week, I came across these sunflower blocks and sunflower fabric.  

The appliqué blocks were practice blocks (I like to practice!) from when I made my New Orleans Sunflowers quilt.

The sunflower fabric was purchased years ago just because I love sunflowers.

This morning it occurred to me I could combine the two of them into a project.  Maybe a table runner? 

As luck would have it (better than lucky hurricane number seven), I had enough of the appliqué sunflower fabrics left to make a third block.  I prepped another sunflower and it's just waiting for some hand stitching.

So that's what I'll be doing while waiting for Zeta!

RSC15: Where Sunflowers Go To Work

I was recently issued a new laptop computer for work.  It's the smallest laptop I've ever used, just a little larger than an iPad.  I've grown to really appreciate its portability, since I use my computer as I travel to different medical offices every day.  In the past, I've always used a rather large rolling computer bag to tote all my paraphernalia around, but this laptop is so small the rolling bag seems kind of overblown.  I've been experimenting with just using a large tote bag, and that's working well.  Except the laptop needs a padded cover to help protect it while I'm traveling.

 

Thanks to Dasha, I was reminded of an iPad sleeve tutorial by Amber of One Shabby Chick.  I made several of these sleeves a few years ago for various tablets and laptops in my household.   Dasha used yellow scraps for her sleeve, but when I started looking through my stash I found a great piece of sunflower fabric and knew I had to use it. 

 

Who wouldn't want this fabric greeting them on a work day?! "Sunny Side Up" by Rennie Rau Marquez for Hoffman International California Fabrics, 2012.

 

Amber's excellent instructions required me to make two quilted pieces for the outside of the sleeve.  I started doing just straight line quilting on my first piece, but decided it was too boring and this fabric was perfect for practicing some free motion quilting.

 

I learned I have a L O N G way to go to get proficient at free motion quilting, but this was fun.  If you really want to see my lack of proficiency, just click on the picture for a larger version.

 

Here's the finished bag, waiting to see if I adjusted the measurements correctly for my laptop.

 

Success!  It fits perfectly!

 

Closed up and ready for work.  I'm almost looking forward to Monday!  

Now I think I need a new tote bag - the one I've been using is my favorite for toting sewing projects.  I'll pass on making a tote bag, though.  For that I'm going to use the services of Cedar Key Canvas, a small Florida business I discovered years ago during a magical trip to Cedar Key.  I've been buying their bags for years and they never disappoint.  This is a perfect excuse for a new bag!

I'm not quite finished wrapping up my yellow Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects for the month.

 

If the wind ever dies down, I'll be outside spraying adhesive to complete this fabric-covered bulletin board.  I've never used an adhesive spray, so wish me luck!

There's still plenty more yellow Rainbow Scrap goodness to be found at this week's link up.  Hope you're inspired to be scrappy!

New Orleans Sunflowers: Quilted and Finished!

I shared some pictures of my New Orleans Sunflowers quilt last fall - before I sent it off to be quilted.  Local long-arm quilter Cindy Braiwick always does an amazing job of quilting, so I was looking forward to her artistry on this quilt.  She did a wonderful job fulfilling my requests and still managed to insert her usual playful touches as well!

It's way too windy to hang quilts for photography today, so I improvised by draping the quilt on my porch furniture.  The porch worked pretty well, except for the pesky lovebugs that kept getting in the way.

I wanted to have flowers quilted in the baskets, to mimic the original quilting idea suggested by Anita Shackelford in her pattern.  Cindy quilted sunflowers in the triangles and cross-hatching in the basket base.

The sunflowers were quilted to mimic the sunflower petals and the flower centers were cross-hatched to mimic sunflower seeds.

Sunflowers and leaves in the borders.

Cindy scattered lots of whimsical touches throughout the quilt.  Here are two bees buzzin'.

A caterpillar

A hummingbird.  It's almost like playing a hidden objects game!

I need to stitch down the hanging sleeve and the quilt will be ready for display.  My hubby built me a new quilt hanging rack especially for this quilt.  Hope to have pictures soon!

New Orleans Sunflowers

I have always had a fondness for sunflowers.  Their cheerful yellow blooms seem to be sunshine, personified.  After the devastating floods following Hurricane Katrina, sunflowers bloomed in the most unlikely places all over New Orleans, symbolizing the rebirth and resilience of my city.  I started envisioning sunflower quilts.

I discovered Anita Shackelford's Arizona Sunflowers quilt a year or so after the flood.  Somehow a forlorn copy of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting got left behind on the magazine rack at my local grocery, even though the magazine was months out of date!  The Arizona Sunflower quilt graced the cover of the magazine, and I snatched up that lone copy just for the sunflower pattern.

Arizona Sunflowers from Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting, Sept/Oct 2006

As usual, it took me several years to get started on the quilt.  I decided to change the colors just a bit, aiming for muted blues in place of the brown baskets and border.  I also wanted to challenge myself to doing needle-turn applique for the sunflowers, leaves and stems (the pattern is written for machine applique).  I had never done much hand applique, so I turned to my favorite tutor - Google - and experimented with applique methods until I found the technique I liked best.  I began appliqueing the sunflowers late last fall and finished piecing and assembling the quilt last month.

New Orleans Sunflowers!

I'll be the first to say I made several mistakes with the applique process.  For example, the instructions led me to applique all the sunflowers, but there was no mention of leaving some un-stitched areas in which to insert the ends of the stems.  When it came time to applique the vines, I had no desire to snip any of my hand applique stitches, so I just tucked the cut ends of the stems inside themselves and appliqued everything down as best I could.  The baskets were also kind of a bear to piece.  I wound up hand-piecing the base of each basket and even then some of my corners got cut off!

My original thought was that I would also hand-quilt my sunflowers.  Now I'm feeling less inclined to do so.  I'm rather reluctant to quilt through all those triangles in the basket blocks - I really dislike stab-stitching through all those layers.  I think I will be asking one of my favorite machine quilters to collaborate with me on the quilting!

I'm sorry I couldn't get the blue baskets and border to show up better!  Here's one of the sunflowers next to the backing fabric.  I just need to finish trimming the fabric layers under the applique and get the backing pieced.  I'm so ready to have this hanging on the wall and making me smile every day!