Work Sewing

I finished up my second and third samples for the QAYG (quilt as you go) class I'm teaching this quarter at my LQS, Heartstrings & Heirlooms.

I finished the first sample last month. Click here to read that post. The first method is my favorite one but does require sashing on the front. This is why I found two other options that don't require sashing on the front.

I'm also working on another HST project for my August Scrap Group meeting.

All the HSTs are sewn and squared up. I'm just pressing them a little at a time.

My Baby Quilt

My LQS is having a Baby Quilt Show. I needed a photo of a baby quilt to advertise the show so I dug out this quilt.

My mom did the embroidery while she was in college. Her mom and a friend assembled the blocks into a quilt and finished it. Then mailed it to me in Hawaii when I was born. The quilt was never really used except as a decoration so it is still in great shape. It is a treasure!

Changing the subject, Miss Spooky Boo is finally starting to feel better. She started eating some and drinking last Friday, the day after our trip to the vet. Up until yesterday she was still sleeping all but an hour or so a day. Yesterday she went out several times and even disappeared for a couple of hours. Shew! She sure had me worried! We still have quite a few days left of daily antibiotic. Hopefully it will kill what is ailing her.

Poor Miss Spooky Boo

Our kitty is not feeling well. She and I spent an hour at the vet yesterday. She was poked and prodded and stuck with needles. Sadly, she felt so bad that she didn't even complain.

All of this told us that she has a very bad urinary tract infection. She wouldn't eat or drink and hadn't for two days so they also gave her some fluids. I'm happy to report that she did eat a little this morning and drank some both last night and this morning.

I've been doing more hand sewing lately with all the travel. I'm almost finished with my second panel for my Over the River and Through the Woods quilt.

I planned to do some quilting yesterday, but since Spooky had such a bad morning I didn't feel like moving her so I could quilt.

Back Home

We are back home after being gone for 12 days. We put 4200 miles on our car and had a great time visiting with family.

I made it to one quilt store on this trip which is one more than I expected to be able to visit. I went to Quilting by the Bay in Panama City, FL. It is a very nice shop. If you are ever in the area it is definitely worth a stop.

I bought five wool bundles.

I will use these in my upcoming class with Sue Spargo and the rest will be used for my Bird Dance quilt I'm planning to start.

HST Sampler

I've completed the class sample for my August Scrap Group class. We will be playing with half square triangles.

I've made a sampler showing 12 blocks that can be made from only half square triangles. I've got enough HST units to make another quilt too. Both will be donations for my Quilts for Oncology project when completed.

Just so no one worries that something is wrong, I'll be taking the next week off from blogging to spend some time with family.

Disappearing Hourglass

The tutorial for this quilt is from Missouri Star Quilt Company. I've embedded it below. If the video won't play for you, you can find it on Missouri Star Quilt Company YouTube Channel.

I only used 20 squares from my layer cake to make a smaller version, about 46" by 56". This is a good size for a quilt for my Quilts for Oncology project.

I enjoyed making this but hope the bias edges don't cause problems when it comes to the quilting. A border would contain the bias edges, but I don't want it to be any bigger than it already is. I stay-stitched around the outside edge instead. It will never hang on the wall, except on my design wall.

It would be easy to make without bias edges by using 7" squares and a more traditional method to make the HST units instead of the 10" squares and the fast method described in the video to make the HST units. I have tried this but I used 4" squares to make my HST units. These made a really small block. So small that the corner triangles will be lost in the seam allowance.

Despite the bias edges, I really like this quilt and will probably make another. I still have the other half of the layer cake left!

Linda's Stars and Bars Quilt

My friend Linda sent me a photo of her Stars and Scrappy Stripes quilt top.

She used some leftover Civil War fabrics from a previous project. She is calling her quilt Stars and Bars. Thanks for sharing Linda!!

If you'd like to make your own version of this quilt, the free tutorial can be found by clicking on this link: Stars and Scrappy Stripes Tutorial.

Another Oncology Quilt

This one was made by a friend.

front

back

It didn't have a label or a bag so I brought it home to remedy that. It now has both and has been washed. I'll drop it off at the hospital soon.

Half Square Triangle Sampler

In August I am going to share some block layouts for half square triangle units with my scrap group. I've already got them making half square triangles in preparation for this.

Here are 8 of the 12 blocks I am planning for my sampler.

I'm planning to put some sashing strips between the blocks and will probably make some scrappy four patches for cornerstones. 

I really love scrap quilts!

It's All Barb's Fault

Yesterday afternoon I was drinking a cup of tea and reading a few of my favorite blogs. Barb of Bejeweled Quilts by Barb showed a Disappearing Hourglass Block along with the tutorial by the Missouri Star Quilt Company.

If you don't know about this block click this link to go to Barb's post and watch the video.

I immediately pulled out a layer cake I was saving for the "right" project along with some a solid fabric and made a block.

And now I have yet another work in progress. But it really is a fun block!

One block got this out of my system for today, but I'm sure I will finish this at some point. It will make a nice size quilt. My block will finish at 11.5" square.