Lessons Learned from Deer Xings

I finally finished the quilt for my nephew who is an avid hunter. And not without some wailing and gnashing of teeth. I call it "Deer Crossing".

You see, I tried a new method of basting. I used a long board and rolled the layers up as tightly as possible, then unrolled a bit at a time and pinned. It was so much easier than kneeling on the floor but....the back was not tight enough. For the first half of the quilting process I could NOT get it smooth enough. There were so many tucks and puckers that I wound up having to take it apart and repin it. Even just laying it flat on the kitchen table yielded better results than the board.

I used the backing as binding as well and since it was so skewed, I had trouble with that as well. I decided to just tough it out and hope it all came out in the wash...literally. And much of it did. So, I can live with it.

I fussy cut some of the larger square areas instead of making them four pieces, I made them one with the deer panel. I like how that worked out, but it took some figuring in my head and lots of note taking and reading to get them put together correctly.

In any case, I learned a valuable lesson and will try a different way of using a board next go round. And I won't hesitate to re pin it if I see it's not as smooth as I think it should be from the get go!!

Harper

I can post this quilt now since Harper has had her birthday.

My daugher-in-law chose all the fabrics and the pattern for her niece's first birthday gift.

Putting it together was quick and easy due to the design, so it gave me more time to really put the quilting to it. I love how it turned out.

The hardest part was the ruffle around the binding. But it adds so much to the quilt.

I left out one of my paper pieced blocks in yesterday's post. I wanted to add it for fun.

I realized only after I'd finished that one point on the star is cut off, but I'll keep it just the same. And I meant for Santa to only peek out of one spot, but he managed to sneak in there behind Sweet Sue anyway. Rascal!!

May BOMs and May for Me

I'm not an official participant of Marcia's May for Me, but I have done some things for myself the last couple of days.

Before I get to that, I'll show you my May blocks for our BOM. I'll post Janice's when she's ready.

First one is traditional. I made if from a pattern I found in a trunk my Mom had. My great-grandmother ordered it by mail, way back in the 1940s and I was determined to try it. The Y seams were a struggle because I'd never done them before, but I managed to muddle through. I'm very happy with it.

This is from a pp pattern I found online. Calla lilies are my favorite flower and this reached out and grabbed me. I didn't have any trouble at all with it, and it looks exactly like I wanted it to. Not that there aren't a few little flaws here and there.

I've had those done since last month, but this is what I did yesterday and today just for me.

It's never the wrong time for Christmas as far as I'm concerned. And since I haven't been able to do my Twelve Month's of Christmas this year, I needed a Santa fix.

I jumped the gun on June and did this sailboat for our BOM. It was so easy! I decided to add a red flag for fun, and I sewed some wavy lines in the water to suggest waves.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I'm finally seeing the light. I'm in the home stretch of finishing three UFOs and it feels so good. Of course I still have others, but these have a deadline.

First, a graduation gift for one of my nephews. He will be attending the University of Arkansas this coming fall.

I also have a canvas I'm going to paint for him.

Second, I'm getting ready to quilt this bad boy.

It is a graduation gift for my other nephew. The pattern is Arkansas Crossroads. I'm excited to see the finale on this one.

Third, I still have finishing touches to put on a baby gift set, but that will be done today, and then I'll move to the quilt.

I wish I had all my UFOs in this state of doneness. I guess I'll always have them though. Doesn't everyone?

Lately

I've had trouble getting anything finished lately, mainly due to the arrival of our little Klaire. I thought it had been long enough since I posted something, so here is what I've managed to get done, and also managed to take a photo of.

Western towels for my friend Judy.

John Deere outfit for LMW's third birthday, which you can read about here. I also made him an I Spy quilt, but failed to get a shot of it finished. This is what I did manage to get.

I have another set of towels done for a graduation gift, and have a quilt top all done but the border. I'll post about them as soon as I get more time. That's all for now!

For Robert the IV

Here is a set I put together for a friend of mine who is expecting her first grandchild this summer. He is the 4th Robert in his family and his Mom, Dad, and grandparents are die hard Patriots fans.

I always have a ball putting these sets together.  This one was especially fun!! The onesie even has a number 4 on the back. They are all ready for game day!!

Where I Work

I did  a little rearranging and organizing yesterday afternoon. My sewing space just didn't seem to be working for me as well as I thought it should, so I started moving things around to see if I could use the space more efficiently.
I have to use our guest bedroom, so the bed is a must. I started by shifting the headboard around to the right, with the bed facing the doorway.

I then moved my monstrous fabric cabinet from the far corner, to the wall where the door is. That was where my dresser was originally. It's really big too. (There's too much large furniture in this room....but we do what we have to don't we?)

After doing that, I realized I didn't have a place for my sewing machine. So my only option was to put it in the middle of the room. And it worked out perfectly!

I can look out the window at my bird feeders, see who is coming into the hall, and best of all, put my cutting table right beside me to save steps! What could be better?

 I even have my laptop right behind me to look at patterns and tutorials. I'm digging it. It also gives me some more wall space to hang a small quilt or two when I get to it. 

A little repurposing was done with this little basket thingy.

Can you guess where it came from? My old dishwasher. It's absolutely perfect for holding my scissors, pens,  lotion and odds and ends. I'm thinking of hanging it on the wall beside my chair. 

I love when a plan comes together!!