Memorial Day ...

 ...is more than just a three-day weekend.

And, shout out and thank you to my 9-year-old grandson's teacher for actually teaching the kids about honoring our fallen soldiers.  It was impressive that he could tell me why we celebrate Memorial Day.  As a class project they even made a lapel pin with red, white and blue ribbon and he wore it for two days... front and center....on his dirty shirt.  Did I mention he was a BOY?!

 That's not to say we didn't get in our beach time.

 

Started cool and cloudy, gradually warmed up.  Lovely Day.

 AND, spent extended sessions in the studio.

Working on Long Time Gone

 

 

Lay out the pieces on the design board next to the sewing machine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chain Piecing on Miss Ellie. 

Finished two blocks, and made a good start on a third.

Jacob's Ladder

Trip Around the World

 

Plus Star Block.
I will admit - this one is hard!
and still unfinished, I'm finding
mistakes, even now...Oy, Vey...
This block needs some time out.

 

 

My Progress

 

 

All-in-all it was a very lovely weekend.

The New Math

Have you seen the crazy way they teach math these days?  Not only does it NOT make sense, but it takes soooo loooonng to get the answer.  (Thanks to the pandemic and g-ma school, my g-sons know the right way!)  

Quilters come up with new ways of doing things all the time, i.e.,

Joining the ends of your quilt binding

No-waste flying geese

Make 12 half-square triangles at once, perfectly

Paperless foundation paper piecing (it's true)

Sometimes it's an improvement....sometimes not.

Well, I have to say my new way of assembling on-point rows was NOT a winner! 
I guess I can't charge $27 to take my class to learn this new technique, darn.

 

After reading my post from May 4, 2021, the tens-and-tens of people reading my blog probably figured out, way before I did, "ahhhhhhh....sounds good Charlotte, if you like A LOT of partial seams!"  

 

Needless to say, like the New Math, it didn't work out so well. Ho Hum!

 

Sometimes the good-ol-fashion way is the best way.

 

.... nothing ventured,
no tedious partial seams,
no frustration,
no cussing thus no wine drinking!

So this little adventure was good for something.

Cheers.

 

But, perseverance has paid off and it's done.  I've learned from my mistake and from now on I'll stick to the tried-and-true.

Carolina Chain - 55" X 67"

I've decided to keep this lap quilt.  Every fabric in this quilt has a story, going all the way back to when my 14-year-old g-son was just a baby....his name is Cash. Can you spy with your little eye a fabric I used in Carolina Chain that
I also used in Cash's I Spy quilt?

I Spy - 2007

Broken Promises

 As the song goes:  

March went out like a lion

Awakin' up the water in the bay;

Then April cried and stepped aside,

And along came pretty little May!

May was full of promises

But she didn't keep 'em quickly enough for some...

 

Can you believe it is more than half way through May?!   My day-job work is also bustin out all over!  I have not had any studio time for more than a week!  

 

Today has rectified that little problem, however... It's Saturday and even though I've already put in 4 work hours at my desk,
I am about to head over to the studio.

 

To get back in the swing of things, and get those creative juices flowing, I like to tidy up and make a list.  

I'm a list-maker.  Never met a list I didn't like.  It helps me focus.

 

 

Before

 

After

Some putting away, some dusting, a little vacuuming...and it's time to rock and roll!

Redecorating

As of late, my focus has been birthday, lap quilts.  This past weekend I decided just to do some fun sewing and spruce up my sewing area.

Millie (as in Thoroughly Modern Millie) got a new coat.  Isn't this cute!? 

 

 

Because I wanted to add lining, batting and quilting, I had to figure out the assembling on my own, 
It turned out to be easy and fairly quick.  (Quilting took a while.)

  

The panel is from Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  Click here to order.

 And then a new apron and thread catcher.

You can find anything on YouTube.

For the machine apron, click HERE. Leave it to Jenny to make a project FAST.  

For the thread catcher tutorial click HERE.

I've never watched a tutorial by Lorrie Nunemaker before....
very clear and easy to follow.

 

It was a fun sewing weekend and I'm enjoying the results.

 

P.S.  I did take Sunday afternoon off to spend Mother's Day with my son and his family. (He looks like his dad...)

Happy Mother's Day

 ...to all the mom's, g-mom's, step mom's and those acting like mom's.

We fill THE most-important role in the lives of those entrusted into our care. 

And, to the two ladies who "Mothered" me.... My Mom, Dona and my Quilting Auntie, Nyla.

I miss them both every day.

This Laura Heine collage hangs in my home and reminds me every day of my two moms.

Leaders and Enders, Take Two

 

What a difference placement and fabric choice make! (And, it helps if the assembler pays attention.)

(See the post from April 7 for the before picture. )

This is Carolina Chain by Bonnie Hunter.

This is most likely not the final block placement, just pinning to the design wall as I go.  

The blocks are on point.  While studying the picture it came to me in a vision just how I'll sew the blocks together. 

Start with a 4-patch.

Then  sew the 4 patches together.

That way I don't have to match the seams of so many long, long rows of smallish blocks.

Carolina Chain is from Bonnie Hunter's book, Addicted to Scraps. 
It IS addicting, that is for sure!  I call it the Accidental Quilt because it is what you get using Leaders and Enders while piecing other quilts.  

This will be another Birthday quilt for either August, 2021* or January 2022, I haven't decided. It is so fun and easy, relatively speaking, I just might make two! AND, it certainly does reduce Mt. Scrapmore!**

*For those of you paying attention, yes, I did add another B-day quilt.  My sister, Renee.
**Mt Scrapmore is a term used by Karen of Just Get It Done Quilts,

Take A Penny - Leave A Penny

 We've all seen these trays at various check-out stations. (Secretly, have you ever been tempted?)

Well, it works with quilts, too.  Take a quilt (Jagged X.)  Leave a quilt (Cat Walk.)

Faith, my LAQ,  is doing much better after her terrible reaction to the second COVID shot and now she's getting back in the game.  

Of course, it still needs binding.

 

As usual, she did an excellent job on this Birthday Quilt.  Just need to get it bound and labeled before the June birthday.

Backing.

Quilting close up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cat Walk was a definite cake walk to piece....until the mitered corners.  It was a bit harder than I anticipated. Of course YouTube had lots of videos on the subject.  Unfortunately the first one I watched had me so confused I nearly gave up, but the second one did the trick. Click Here 

 

 

 

 

I had only done mitered corners once before and Miss Wanda was here to walk me through it.  I like them.  They give this quilt a nice look, don't you think?

This is my July Birthday Quilt.  Then I'm finished with Birthday Quilts until later in the year.  There is one in December and two January birthdays to consider.

We can all moan and groan about COVID and being locked down, but one big plus is having time in the studio