Tree quilt finished

I finished my tree quilt started so many years ago.   Trees are paper pieced — I don’t remember where I got the pattern, just that it was in a quilting magazine.   I machine quilted it with vertical lines and am pleased at how it finished.

The top picture is a piece I did in a felting class last Saturday.  Started by felting a cone and a ball and turned it into this !   Class was given in Falmouth,ME, by Kathleen Gerdes, who is a wonderful teacher and felter.   She started the Maine Felters group and is an inspiration!  There were 8 of us in the class and each piece came out so differently.  Lots of fun!

 

Long Time Gone Progress

These are the March blocks for Long Time Gone by Jen Kingwell.  Several members of our Mount Battie MQG are working on this quilt and have divided the blocks so that we only have to do a few each month.  This is the third installment and I love these little 3.5 inch churn dash blocks.   I made the 9 patch block and was happy–then I read the directions and they called for 21 blocks all together.   Cute, but a lot of work to do these tiny squares.    

Coastal Quilters, a chapter of the Maine Pine Tree Guild, issued a challenge last June at our final meeting before summer break.  We were all given a paper bag with 3 coordinating fat quarters (all donated by the members and I have to say, the group who organized this did a good job of coordinating the assortment that was received).   I got fat quarters of the 3 fabrics used in the square in the square block.  I ended up two 5 inch blocks short of the green fabric, put a call out to the members and it turns out the fabric was donated by our president who fortunately had a bit left so I could finish my quilt!   I had the stripe in the sashing in my stash and knew I’d find a use for it someday!  Now it awaits a baby to use it.

Went into my  fabric/craft storage area to try to clean it up a bit and organize–but found too many distractions and ended up playing instead.   Anyone else have the same problem?  My intention is to see what I can donate to our local guild chapter’s auction later this year.  It is the major fund raiser and has been very successful.   I have a few months to get this done–have to keep myself on track next time and not get distracted by all the pretty things and potential projects!

Hope to have another finished  project to take a picture of soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finishing Some Old Tops

I got a new Janome 8900 last April and have been practicing machine quilting on some old tops I had in my “to do” pile.  The large throat on the machine makes it so much easier!     I love hand quilting and always have one or two quilts that I am doing by hand.   But I also realize that I’d never get all the tops done in my lifetime.   I did straight line quilting on both quilts and am happy with how they came out.   Most surprising–no puckers in the backing.   I layered and pinned the quilt as I would for hand quilting and it worked well.

Our Mt. Battie MQG meets once a month and we have a traveling quilt going on right now.   We started around March 2017 and keep the quilts we are adding to for two months.   I think we have 2 or 3 rounds to go and our quilts will return home.   We do get to see them when they are passed on to the next person.   There are some gorgeous quilts in the making.   Can’t wait to see the finished product.

These are a few of the blocks that have been made for my quilt.   My theme is neighborhoods  and I made the block with the 3 houses.   The talent in this group is amazing and I love all the blocks I have seen so far.   I prefer that the blocks not be joined yet–I will find a background for sashing and filler blocks and put it together myself.

Felting Swap, MQG Swap, Snow

No quilts to show today, but I wanted to show this little white pumpkin that I received in a Maine Felters Swap–a little gift each week, starting Jan 12, that we exchange with one another thru the mail.   My swap partner lives in Auburn, ME, and sent me this pumpkin that fits right in to the pumpkin patch and my chicken!

The afghan is a corner to corner pattern that I have wanted to try for some time now.   Nice and heavy, warm, just right for our Maine winters.

Our MBMQG has a sit and sew on Friday–looking forward to that.  I’m hand quilting a small piece for an MQG swap and it is so relaxing to work on it at these meetings and enjoy the company and conversation of other quilters.   I’ll post a picture after my swap partner receives her quilt– it is due in mid to late February.   I can give a peek at the fabrics I am using in the picture below.  

All of our snow is gone after a warm up.  Fifty degrees after a below zero stretch of cold for the past two weeks.  But the cold is back and more snow predicted.   It does look so clean and white and pretty after a new snowfall.    This is a picture of a cliff on Mt. Battie after a snowstorm.   It was a beautiful day to take pictures.   

Quilting During a Cold Maine Blizzard

Working on my “Scrap Vortex” and I have enough blocks for almost two quilts!   I’m going to have to make some  more red and green blocks because the thing got so big I had to stop at a point where I can get a batting long enough to use!

My Tula Pink City Sampler blocks are all done.   Now that one quilt is off the design wall I can put that up.

It is a cold, windy, snowy day here in Maine.  The snow has been falling all day long, strong winds whipping it sideways across the yards.   I haven’t been out at all.   Tomorrow will bring lots of shoveling out for us.   But I used the time for a “Sewing Marathon” and. besides the Scrap Vortex, I got a good start on a mini quilt for the MQG mini swap that is due to go to my partner next month.   There is a corner of one of  the blocks (not sewn together yet) pictured above.

I was cleaning out my store room off my sewing studio and am amazed at the fabrics I have up there.   I’d like to say I’m not going to buy anymore this year–but I know better.   I was listening to PBS radio yesterday and two women were discussing their “no buying year” and what that accomplished for them.   One limited it to no shoes, bags, clothing.   That seems do-able to me and I’d like to try.  No promises to myself, but I have already found myself asking myself if I really do need that sweater I saw in a catalog today–and I realized, no.   Lets see how long I can go!

I have done a considerable amount of ridding myself of so many of the “things” I have accumulated over the years that I don’t need, don’t have room for, don’t use anymore, etc.  There is still plenty left, but it is getting easier to “let go.”

Time to go watch a movie with husband.

 

Scrap Vortex Quilt

Quite some time ago, I saw a quilt top called the Scrap Vortex on “CrazyMomQuilts” blog and decided I needed to do that.   I chose to do mine in blocks of color and started putting some of the blocks on the design wall.   Of course, then I found more of the 4″ blocks in these colors that

 

I had made to do the quilt and have to do some more rearranging and fit them in.   This is about 1/3rd of the blocks I’ve done so far.   Other colorways I plan to include are reds, blues, and purples–they will go on the bottom of the quilt.   Have had fun piecing my scraps into these little blocks.

The Santas in this display were all carved several years ago by my husband.   He is more into furniture making now, but I appreciate that he did these for us.   The folded banner was done by a very talented friend who makes original and beautiful cards, boxes, ornaments, and anything else that can be done with cardstock!

Just finished shoveling the walks and driveway after a snowfall left us with about 5 inches more of snow.  It is so pretty out there now–love the whiteness and clean look.  Snow on the branches of the evergreens, covering part of my wreath on the front porch,  animal footprints across the yard, crunch of the snow underfoot.  All good things!

 

 

Felted Gnomes: It’s Christmas

The  Christmas Gnomes are visiting their family for the holidays.   Have had so much fun making these little creatures and as I make them, each develops its own personality!  

Flower Garden Explosion

I have been obsessed with this quilt!   I’ve been collecting batiks forever and decided it is time to do something with them.   I chose the brighter colors I had and kept making hexagon flowers.   After about 150 of them, started to sew them randomly together.  I have about 1/2 of the flowers sewn together and the finished size will be determined by whether or not I feel like making more after I’m done assembling these.   It is great sewing for evening while watching TV with my husband.

Saturday our guild chapter, Coastal Quilters, part of the Maine Pine Tree Quilt Guild, is having a map workshop given by Timna Tarr, who comes to us from MA.   One friend is enlarging a map of Camden Harbor and doing her map.   Another is doing her neighborhood.   I was going to do that, but then decided to do a map of my brain.   Have had fun choosing fabrics to reflect my interests.   I think there are 16 of us taking the all day class and I’m looking forward to seeing what the others decide to do.

Timna gave us a class on improv quilting last year, and we all came out with different blocks.   I’m handquilting my piece now and will post it when it is done.   There have been some beautiful pieces shown at our chapter meetings.

Looking forward to winter and more time to play with quilting.   So many ideas to try.  I sew with a group on most Friday mornings (except in the summer!) and we inspire one another.   Our current project, which will be finished by January, has been the City Sampler by Tula Pink.   Each one will be different–one participant has used a limited color pallet; one has used particular designers fabric; others, including myself, scrappy blocks.   I think I will arrange mine to look like skyscrapers.  I only have about 20 blocks to finish!!!!

It is a beautiful, sunny, and cold day here in Maine.  Last night we had a killing frost, so anything left in the garden is gone.    Winter is coming and I look forward to the first snow, so clean and fresh looking.   Every season here is a treat.   If any of you have not seen Maine, put it on your bucket list!  We do usually go visit our son  and family in Arizona for a couple of weeks in the winter, but are always glad to get back home.

 

 

CQ Retreat

Worked on my Tula Pink City Sampler blocks while at our guild chapter retreat at the Franciscan House in Kennebunkport, ME, last week.   Now am caught up for May–40 blocks done and about 60 more to go!   My group is doing 8 blocks per month and will finish up in December.

Last year we did Farmer’s Wife quilt and will “unveil” them at our CQ meeting in June.  Although we all did the same blocks, the five quilts are entirely different and all beautiful!  Hope to get a good picture of mine to show soon.

Another quilt finished piecing (except for the borders) was a Christmas bow tie pattern.   It has a 3-d center and I made the blocks so long ago that I don’t remember how I did it except that it was fairly easy!   Hopefully, I will find the instructions when I am looking for something else–usually when I find lost items.

There were 15 quilters at our retreat and all were very productive and had lots of fun.   This is our third retreat at the Franciscan House and we have two more planned–October 2017 and May 2018.   The people there are very receptive to quilters, the space is great ( we all had a 6 foot table and good lighting,  ironing boards supplied, boards to display our quilts/blocks, and meals in the next room!)    It is a half mile in one way to the beach, and a half mile the other direction to the very cute town of Kennebunkport.   We always go to the coffee shop in town for a treat and coffee (the half mile walk justifies a treat, doesn’t it!).   The grounds are well kept and there are paths through, part of which parallels the river out to the ocean.   Great weekend with friends.

Our new modern guild now has 12 members.   We started in January and meet monthly. Very inspiring to see what members are doing.   We have a “traveling quilt” now and have 9 members participating.   Each one has it’s own theme and it has been challenging and fun working on blocks for these quilts.   Very few rules except to only add blocks on 1-3 sides and go with whatever the maker suggests in her journal–very loose interpretation.   What I have seen so far is just amazing!   Can’t wait to see the finished quilts.   My theme is neighborhood and my starting block was a few houses representing some of my favorites from our 13 moves!

 

Beautiful Maine Rainbow

Yesterday, while spending the afternoon with my fiber art group, we witnessed the most beautiful rainbow over the bay.   A new friend, only here in Maine for a few months, joined our group and invited us to meet at the home she is renting –right on the water, waves rolling onto the rocky shoreline.  Yesterday we witnesses sunshine, a storm coming in from the east, rain, more sunshine and the most amazing

double rainbow I have ever seen.  The pictures don’t do it justice, but are still beautiful.  Every day I am reminded how fortunate I am to live in this wonderful part of the country.