Quilt Projects

   I have been working on a couple of quilting projects lately. It seems that I can never just work on one at a time. Actually it gets kind of boring if I am working on a long term project and don't do something else along with it. There is an old saying "feast for famine "or "all or nothing "   It seems that one new idea after another pops into my head.  At the same time I have been trying to organize my sewing room. Since I am very bad at organizing anything, this never seems to get done. I hired a friend to help me last spring and for awhile my sewing room didn't look too bad. However, I have been going through it the last couple months looking for different fabric and so the whole place looks like a tornado went through. I am going to soon take another friends offer to help tidy.  Actually my Mom is coming to visit next week, but I think I will let her clean the rest of my house.   Another discovery that I made is that I have a long list of quilt projects in various stages of completion. 

   Let me list them here. They are not listed in any particular order.

1.  baby sail boat quilt-  I have the blocks all cut out, but only a couple of them are sewn together.( I started that in 2002 I think )
2.  Nova Scotiaquilt- In 2000 I purchased various fabrics and cheater blocks to put together a theme quilt. Each block will display something found in NS. (strawberries, lobsters, apples, apple blossoms, lighthouse, mayflowers, the N.S. tartan  etc )  I have yet to cut out a single block.
3&4 Cheater block quilts – I have two of these, one I bought in 2004-2005, and then one was just given to me in August 2007. No rush on these.
5.    Log cabin quilt- I sewed this top while I lived in Montreal, I think likely in 2000 but not sure. I started to quilt it while I lived in Newfoundland, but I had to pack it up to move and it is still waiting to be finished. This is slated to get quilted this fall winter.

(Completed March  12 ,2009)

6.Heart Quilt. I made this in 2002 I think in NFLD. It is lap size; it never got finished because I was no unable to find suitable fabric for the border. Just a week or so ago I came across some fabric that I found at a yard sale this winter, and it occurred to me that it would be perfect for the border . I have that sewn on now and I have decided that it will be first on my list of quilts to do this fall.

(This presently in the frame and being quilted now )

7.  Teddy bear quilt- I found a beautiful piece of quilted fabric that I thought would make a quick quilt for a twin size bed. I just need to sew a border on it. Then I have some pretty teddy bear fabric that I am going to appliqué on it .I think it will look great. I plan to just tie this quilt so once I get going on it, it should go quickly.I want to get it done this fall .

8. Pinwheel quiltI finally got tied this summer. ( I made it sometime between 1990-92 , but it just got packed away) All I have left to do is sew the binding. Unfortunately I dislike that job and have put off doing it.

My friend Artje has kindly offered her services in binding my quilts. She is over 80 now and doesn't quilt much any more. She is a beautiful sewing and does lovely bindings and I was pleased and blessed to have her do them for me . It is truly a labor of love. This pinwheel quilt has been in use since September.

9.  A baby quilts for a girl. I found 2 different blocks and some plain fabric that was cut in strips already .it just seem to be begged to be sewn together. So I am working on that here and there.

10&11  Orphan blocks and cheater blocks. Over the years I seem to have collected a zillion of these. I am thinking with the right fabrics for borders these could be coordinated in to lovely quilts. These are at the bottom of my to do list.

12.Tea cups and saucers This is my latest effort. Right now I am sorting through fabrics for use in this quilt. I need a minimum of 80 different fabrics, but only 4 X 5 in size. Or in 2 inch widths I need it to be about 6 inches long.

I have expanded this quilt to fit a double bed, it has 99 teacups and saucers and they are all different. I have 7 rows of cups and saucers ironed on( I used heat and bond) in preparation for machine appliquéing them. I found some beautiful fabric for the border

13. My Grandmothers Flower quilt should  go at the top of my list.It is  a project that I am trying to work on some every day. I can only do so much before I need to take a break but I would like to have the top completely assembled by mid October at the latest. It depends on how much time per day I can put in to it.

Hmm, the actually blocks of this quilt have been done since October 26. By rights this quilt should be done by now. But I guess have some psychological blockage preventing me from doing it. I need to finish the border and the take out all the basting, and fix some puckers in the blocks. I going to put this in print- I am going to aim to have this quilt ready to put on the fame no later than April 2.

14. Tie Quilt. This is still in the idea stage. I do have a collection of ties that I have picked up at yard sales. One of these years I will get inspired to put them together into a quilt.

15. Baby Boy quilt. I have a quilt that was sewn and ready to quilt, but I discovered that the blocks are not all the same size , and it is very noticeable to I need to take it apart, cut the blocks to the correct size and re-assemble it .

16.   Denim rag quilt– I have this top mostly sewn .It is currently lap size and I am trying to decide if I want to make it twin bed size.

I ended up with two twin size denim quilts. The first one was done in November around the 22, I gave it to my daughter Christy and she has on her bed where she now lives.  Then I finished the second one and I have used on my bed every since.

17.   Postage stamp quilt- started this about 2 years ago, I just got as far as cutting a 200 blocks out and they are still stuck on my bulletin board.

Oh yeah I almost forgot about these – the blocks are all in freezer bags and in a bin by themselves.

18.   Drunkards Path – have a few blocks cut out

19. Baby Hearts Quilt –have some blocks cut out for this

20.  Stacked Bricks– have blocks cut out for this 

21. 9- patch – I 3 inch blocks cut out for a yet identified pattern.

September 24 

22. It finally came to me the other that I one more project to include. It is a  Kitty quilt that I started in December 2004.The blocks include appliquéd cats of all colours plus iron on transfers of pictures of most all the cats that I have ever owned. I still have to machine appliqué the Cats to the blocks (they are on just with heat and bond so far) and then assemble all my blocks with an appropriate sashing and border.

 Well I think that is about all I have on the go, who knows I may come across some more projects that I started. I do know I have some yard goods ear marked for some other quilts. And I came across an email that had a picture for a beautiful Christmas quilt. Hmm, that would look so good on my bed. I mentioned to a friend once that I was thinking of making a new quilt for every month. That was two years ago, I have completed some quilting projects since then, but none for my double bed.  I don't have pictures to post of these to post right now, but as I get them I will add them to my photos and give you an update on each project as I work on it.

March 17th .As I update this article today , I remembered to add this

25.My tulip quilt

I can't believe I forgot to include this in my orginal list .It is another older project ,that I started the same summer as the long cabin . ( so it is about 8 years old) Most of the blocks are done; I think some need machine appliquéing. I have to gather the blocks up and make sure there are enough. It has been so long ago ,I am not even sure I even have all the blocks started. I don't dare put a date on it, but it has been put high on my mental must do list.