This is the fourth quilt I have finished this winter. With one more to go I am feeling pretty good about my progress of not only getting quilts off the "to do" list but working on my machine quilting skills. This quilt is 50" x 50", so not too large. I bought it as a kit and when I say that, I purchased a package of fabric and a paper pattern to go with it. I would not recommend using a purchased paper pattern for this type of quilt. It drove me nuts and I refuse to look at the corners too closely for obvious reasons. I added an extra row of blocks making it a bit larger than the original pattern and so I had to use the backing fabric for the inserts and binding. Luckily I had a great piece in my stash for the backing and so didn't need to add even more to the old stash. This is the "mother" of the quilt I finished first and put up on the blog recently. I used the left overs and the rest of the backing on that quilt which was my own design.
I used this quilt to practice the free motion feathering stitch and I quickly got the hang of it. It was fun to do, especially when you have a space that blocks the design. It took me about 15 - 18 hours to finish the quilting - I don't even want to think how long it would have taken me if I had decided to do it by hand!
We have had a never ending winter this year (or so it seems). The other day we had Livi over for a couple of hours and after painting and cartoon watching she wanted to go to the park. We explained that the snow was still there, but she insisted and..... so we went!
When you are desperate for the outdoors, a little snow makes no difference. She had a ball and only got her boot stuck in the snow once.
The deer have also been a problem this winter as they are coming lower and lower looking for something to feed on. Our pines have taken a real beating as they have been munched down to nothing by our local guests. Roger stepped out to get our paper (yes, we still like to read and feel real paper) the other morning and scared three away from their breakfast. I've hired a good friend who has trained as a Master Gardener to help with the repairs once winter actually decides to leave - maybe in July!
As Kim and Mary can remember, there was some property left open to the south of us. This past fall, the signs went up that it was going to be developed. They started last week grading the property and are bringing in large boulders to terrace the rather steep slope. With ten homes planned for the development it may be a noisy summer.
One thing the new owners will be getting is the same beautiful sunsets we enjoy viewing every night.
Livi has so much fun at your house! And yes, we still have the huge stick in our living room :)
ReplyDeleteOh that is a beautiful quilt. The colours are so fresh looking and a lovely design that I can only admire. If I'd owned that kit, I'd have had to hand the photo of the quilt on the wall! Janice that quilting looks fantastic. I looked close up on the photo and the points looked okay to me, so it is probably your overly critical eye. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI see that a bit of snow cannot keep Livi from two things, the park and wearing pink! Well at least you can see her if she falls into a large drift.
By the way Alison, what exactly are you using a large stick for in your living room? It sounds like you are keeping control with it!