Back to Visit Great Granny





This week, I pulled out my Great Granny Square blocks that I made last year. I am going to use a layout that I saw at Pokey's blog. (Sorry, but I can't find the exact link on her blog!) I have added the sashings and cornerstones so the center of the quilt is all together now. I still have to add a pieced border which I have not made yet so that will be my next project. Here is a preview of the top so far.

Here is the link to Pokey's blogpost about her GGS quilt! Thanks, Pokey!  http://pokeydotquilting.blogspot.com/2012/08/nancys-batik-and-my-grannies.html



I loved making these blocks! Besides the red centers, I did not repeat any of the fabrics from block to block in this quilt. There are 20 blocks in my quilt.

The Elgin Piecemakers Guild met last week and we decided that each member will make one 12" block in a predetermined colour scheme per month which will be used to make a quilt top. we will make at least 8 quilt tops this year. We have to bring red, black and white blocks to our February meeting.  I decided to make another Great Granny Square for my block. :-)

My stash report for the week... I did a little shopping this past week... I purchased 11.5 yards of fabric (it was on sale--I could not resist!). I have purchased 21.5 yards of fabric this year.  This past week, I used 5.75 yards. Some of the fabric I purchased will be used for backings so it will be used shortly. I have used a total of 20 yards so far this year. I have purchased 1.5 yards more than I have used this year so far.



Crossing things off my list...

Yesterday, the Elgin Piecemakers had  a sewing day at a local church. Sixteen of us gathered to sew and several worked on charity comfort quilts for adult chemo patients at our local hospital. Pat and I had a jelly roll, donated by Pam at Mad About Patchwork for our project. Here is the quilt top we created. We hope this will brighten someone's days as they have their treatments for cancer. It will be quilted shortly with a flannel backing.

Debbie and Diane had a second jelly roll of the same fabric, again donated by Pam. Here is what they did with their jelly roll:

It was a fun day and I will try to do another blogpost about it later this week.



After we finished our quilt top, I worked on catching up with blocks for my mystery quilt. I had to make a few more rail fence blocks and trim the hourglass blocks.  Then, I made 72 HST's and now, I am all caught up!

I am hoping to get a couple of quilt backs pieced this week so that I can start a new project next week. I am trying hard to stay away from my stash so that I am not inspired to start my Scrappy Trips quilt before I finish off the projects on the list. The stash is just so tempting and it is calling my name loudly... I will resist and stay focussed!

This morning, there was frost everywhere and we had to stop the car so I could get some pictures:

 

 

I could have spent an hour or more taking pictures before the frost melted away, but we were on our way out for breakfast and we were already late. Maybe next time...

I picked up the Outhouse quilt at the quilter's house on Wednesday and finished hand sewing the binding down on Friday night so I could give it to my FIL today. Cathy did a great job on the quilting--Tractors!



 

 

Here is the completed quilt, held by my capable quilt holder, my husband.

 

 

My FIL loved his quilt and was quite amused by the outhouses!  It is wonderful to bring a smile to someone's face with my quilts! 



This Week's Projects

The weekend went by with no sewing done... but I did manage to get some items crossed off my list last night when Christine came over to sew and tonight after supper.

At February's meeting of the London Friendship Quilter's guild, we will be handing in our purple nine patches for the 9 patch swap mystery quilt. I have mine done early this month!  I have to make 72 HST blocks as well sometime this month...those are still on my list.

I also made pillowcases for two cousins...The narrow band on each pillowcase is fabric that belonged to my grandmother. When she died, I was given a suitcase full of material that belonged to her. I have used much of it to make pillowcases for all her great and great, great grandchildren.

There is a new baby in the family too so he will be receiving a fabric book and a pillowcase. The turquoise fabric belonged to Grandma.

Another cousin and his wife will be having a new baby any day now. I made another quilted book for this baby.

I am getting closer to being able to start a new project.  The long arm quilter called tonight and the Outhouse quilt is done and ready for me to pick up. I will be working on binding tomorrow night so that I can give it to its new owner this weekend.

Next up, a couple of quilt backings need to be pieced.

My weekly stash report: I used 4.25 yards this week for a total of 14.25 yards used this year. I have purchased 8 yards of fabric this year. That means, my stash has been reduced by 6.25 yards of fabric in 2013.

The Outhouse Quilt

I bought this fabric at a quilt show a few years ago because it had birdhouses on it. When I got home, I opened up my fat quarter and found that it also had outhouses on it. I was a bit disturbed that I had purchased outhouse fabric and put it away, until this past weekend when I was looking for fabric for a quilt for a family member who grew up on a farm and was very well acquainted with outhouses! I decided to use this fabric as my focus fabric for the quilt.

I picked out some greens,

and some tans,

 and some browns.

(I ended up taking out that gold fat quarter!)

I used my GO cutter to cut out about 100 tumblers and then arranged them on my design floor.

 I sewed the tumblers together on Monday night and tonight, I cut and added two borders.

 (That is the toe of my shoe at the bottom of the picture!)

I also pieced the back of this quilt. I used some farm fabric across the center of the back.

This quilt is ready for the long arm quilter!  I will likely add my label before I take it to her so that it will be quilted in. 

 

I have a list of projects to make or finish before starting a new fun project for me... I would like to make a Scrappy Trip Around the World Quilt!  There seem to be lots of people working on this quilt right now.  In the meantime, I have some baby gifts, some pillow cases (gifts), the backing for Swoon, my Great Granny Square blocks to assemble, GGS backing, and the backing for my Sewing Baskets quilt.  Sew much to do, sew little time!

I have also decided to keep track of fabric in and out of my stash this year. So far this year, I have purchased 8 yards of fabric and used 10 yards.  At least that is more out than in!  We will see how the year unfolds...

It's been ages...

I have had several people comment to me that I have not been blogging much lately.  Life continues to be busy and there has not been much sewing time, until this week.  After several weeks' break from our weekly sewing night, Christine and I got together on Wednesday night to work on some projects. I made some 9 patches in red and yellow for the mystery quilt swap for the London Friendship Quilter's Guild. This month, we had to make 20 red and 20 yellow/gold 9 patches.

Today, Christine and I taught a workshop on using selvages. On Wednesday night, we both worked on some samples to show the people who came to the workshop.

Christine finished off her selvage pillow on Thursday and brought it to the workshop today.

Nine ladies spent the day with us today. We showed them how to make selvage fabric, selvage asterisk blocks (from the Selvage blog),








selvage snowflakes (from the Q and the U blog)

 a selvage thread catcher (Thanks for the pattern, Jacqui), and spool blocks like I made for my Sewing Basket quilt when I was at the Beaver Island Quilt retreat with Gwen Marston in September.

We talked about the endless possibilites for selvage projects and where we get our inspiration... blogs, books, magazines, etc.  Any string block can be made with selvages as well.

We had fun and everyone went home with a completed or nearly completed project and lots of ideas and inspiration for more selvage projects.

I can hardly wait for the next guild meeting's show and tell time!

Tonight, my husband is out so I spent the evening pulling fabrics for a surprise project...My focus fabric for this project has outhouses on it!

 More pictures to follow. I hope to get this quilt top together this week.

Happy sewing!  (and I will try to blog a little more often!)