Friday Finish and A Pile of Olympic Fabric

My Valentine Runner is Quilted!

I made the runner last year. I know I used this big block pattern, which was in a Fon's and Porter Love of Quilting magazine (maybe even the Feb 2009 issue?) because it would give me large spaces to practice quilting.
A year later, here it is:)



I used a different colour thread on each of the three blocks. I really like the peach thread on the pink. In this photo you can see the circle of hearts in the middle of the block and some of the heart border.



I traced the paisleys from the fabric onto freezer paper and used that as a sewing guide in the two spaces between the blocks. Paisleys are an easier curve to sew than the hearts, but I like how the heart border turned out.


Here are my February strip blocks. Can you tell I was going for an Olympic theme with my last block? I may even stitch something in the white strips. Although then I may have to do it on each block.


Speaking of the Olympics. . .



Do you think I've been influenced by the Olympic colour scheme?



Maybe just a little?! I picked these fabrics up on sale while shopping for my giveaway. How does that saying go - one for you, two for me? or three!! Anyway, I was impressed that I bought tone on tone fabrics for myself. Usually I buy big prints. Right now I have quite a few big prints waiting for these kinds of fabrics so they can play nice together in a quilt.

I've also started to buy more of a fabric. I bought half a metre of the lighter green and a metre each of the beige and dark green. This way I can use them as a main fabric - I would use any of these as background fabrics - and not have to limit design decisions on how much of these colours I have on hand.

A few more things waiting to be finished this morning.
Then onto March's list of things to get done!
One pressing big project is waiting for me. Time to move it to the front of the sewing line.

~
With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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I'm Almost Whistling

I'm almost whistling because I'm making some progress on a few things today.



I'm almost done the middle section of my Valentine runner. In this photo you can see I used a different thread for the heart border on the yellow fabric. I think you can see it better ( at least in person). I've also gone around the paisley in the fabric - and traced it to make paisley blocks between the centres.
I've challenged myself to get this done before the Olympics are over. One more paisley block, then the pink block to do.

Will I get a medal? Probably not. But I will have one less UFO!



Since I realized that it IS Friday today - I made my weekly string block too. I think I like it going the other direction - with the bright yellow in the bottom right. I also cut some more foundations for March blocks.
(Yes, I even trimmed some more 1 1/2 triangle units for the basket block, too!)


I've been chain piecing my strip blocks - and finally working on another big project too.

This is when I almost started whistling.


These strip blocks, together with a few longer ones will make - another birthday present!

Because I can't stop at just one :)


Back to the Olympics on TV and some handquilting tonight.

~With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Sweet Hearts and Tea

It's slow going on the table runner quilting. I adjusted the exposure on this photo so you could see the row of hearts on the runner. A happy accident!



Still using freezer paper to add some more designs. I'm making smaller heart circles in the four corners. I've planned some paisleys for between the blocks.




I prepped another tea cup from the Madhatter Tea Party Challenge. Some Olympic handwork.



Chocolate tip of the day: Choose a chocolate heart that you can pop in your mouth in one bite to prevent chocolatey fingers on your quilt top:) A "kiss" works too!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Freezer Paper is My Friend

My string block for this week. Lots of yellow from my Sloanie Camp quilt. I'm trying to use strips each week from projects I'm working on, then use what's already in my strip bin to finish it.


I have finally started quilting my Valentine table runner. I saw a smaller version of this circle fill in the Amish book from the library. I wondered how to enlarge it - then realized it was simple to draw! I drew my own lines onto the paper side of some freezer paper, then added the curves. I used the silk heat setting on my iron to set it in place. I'm hoping it looks like hearts?! Yes?

I'm using a matching thread so you can't see my mistakes too clearly. I can see where I went slowly around curves and where I didn't:) I will use a smaller stitch next time as some of the stitches started to come out when I removed the freezer paper.

Here's to all the handstitching I hope to get done during the Olympics!

With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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Progress and Procrastination - 3 Takes

I got the borders on my Charming Tiles quilt top. I'm finding I need a bigger vertical space to take pictures of my quilts - my quilts are growing! This one measures 49 x 60 inches.



My newest library find. It is for painters, but she discusses at great length seeing colour as VALUE. This is a lesson I can translate to choosing fabrics for my quilts. The cool bookmark my daughter bought for me at her school book fair this week (after I oohed and awed over the one she bought for herself first:))


My Procrastination Photo of (last) year! I made this table runner for last Valentine's and STILL have to quilt it. I didn't even sew shut the little gap from turning it right side out. I am really working on getting over the final hurdle of quilting a top. It's something I've always slowed down at. I could count all the quilt tops looking at me to get DONE already - I think I have enough fingers to count them all!
This one I would love to finish for this year. For this weekend!!

Can I do it? Yes. Will I do it? We'll see.

Is there a step in the quilt MAKING process that slows you down?

~
With Joy,
Sarah Vee

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