Binding season

It’s Binding season around here lately. Guess that’s good because I’m maybe finishing some things? I found a great color of bias tape to use for the binding of the BAMQ challenge quilt.

I had to check the color all along the length of this piece.

It’s pretty close to the darkest color of the quilt. That’s how I choose binding colors usually (but not always).

I had to trim the excess backing fabric away first.in some cases, I’d do a satin stitch or couched ribbon sort of binding.

 But this going to be a table topper which means it needs a more solid and reliably durable finish that will hold up to lots of washing. Now for some hand stitching, oh joy.🤩 

Mom's Sewing Room

 

After a whirlwind few weeks of getting my mom moved out of her home, I'm unpacking the treasures I brought back to my own home. There wasn't a lot in the sewing area that I nabbed as she'd already been generous in sharing a lot of the fabrics and stuff from her mother. But there were of course a few items, as seen above. I wrote about her sewing room back when we were fire-evacuated and staying at my parent's house. So much has happened since then!

These are the type of pin I really like to use, and they're "the quilter's pin" so that's so very official and all. I'm probably going to toss the cute and somewhat vintage box. But maybe I'll make something with it.

There were two pincushions, one the red traditional tomato (or strawberry) red and the other a mid-70's wild floral in the same shape. Some of the pins are rusty, so I tossed those. And a silver thimble that maybe fits my pinky finger, but it's really pretty. A wooden box with wooden spools of thread that are likely too old to use. But I'll try them out to see. Some empty wooden spools that are just lovely all on their own. A box of miscellaneous buttons, one heavy duty zipper and some cotton-polyester threads in dark colors that I can use.

And lastly, I brought home an unfinished hook latching project from my rainbow-obsessed preteen years. I was willing to part with it, but my daughter said she wants a pillow made out of it, so I'll have to actually finish the project after 50 years. Polyester yarn is of course-- forever.

Garden Varieties

I've been out in the garden the last couple of days. A lot to do as the rain stops and the heat begins. So there's no new sewing pictures or work to report on. Here's some flower pictures from the previous month, call it a day early Flower Friday.

Admiring this one iris that's finally come through with the special, fancy colorations. 

There's a local person a couple towns over from us that holds a yearly "Iris Sale". We went probably five years ago and this is one of the ones that I bought and planted. Glad it's finally decided to show itself off.

Some very lovely lemons from my mom's former neighbor. In one of the ceramic trophy bowls that I claimed when we helped her move.

A picture of the blooming Large Wild Iris at my mom's house with red geraniums in the background.

Several colors of Columbines this year. I'd call this Dusky Rose, maybe?

These Columbines really are interesting structures.
 

Halfway to Binding

I sewed the blue binding onto the Slopes quilt.

I always like this step of quilt binding. Getting to turn the sewn on binding over the edge of the quilt to see it in its nearly final form is so fun. Something I really anticipate.

Now to hand sew down the edge. That’s what baseball games are for.

 I think the slightly different blue that I used will be fine. Close enough for me.

Slopes Binding

 

Time to make some time for some binding making. I didn't have enough of any of the fabrics used in the Slopes quilt, so this blue will have to do. It's very very close to the other blues, so hopefully it will blend in well enough. Or at least be not too different or remarkable to be noticeable.

My Binding Betty is all ready to sew on the binding for Slopes!

Slopes Quilted

 

I finally got to sit down at the sewing machine late yesterday, and I finished the diagonal quilting on Slopes. But first I sat in the rainbow-ness of the sun setting in the window.

It was really quite bright but it made for good light on the quilting left to be done.

Well-illuminated indeed.

I turned on some music (X-Wild Gift and The Blasters-Live 1986) and finished off the diagonals going in one direction. And then flipped it around and did the other direction too.

I think I like it. 

And now I'm done quilting it. Now for the finishing! But what color of binding? I do have small-ish pieces of all the colors left over, but that might be too much variety for a binding. I think one of the darker blues might be nice. I'll have to see if I have enough of one of them to make the binding or not.

May the Fourth Be With You

May the Fourth Be With You! 

That is the greeting that is given on May the 4th to one and all. It's a pun-ish sort of play on the phrase "May the Force be with you," which is a blessing one gives to another from all the Star Wars movies and shows. It expresses a hope for others to be aligned with and aware of the Force. The Force is first introduced in the original Star Wars film, by the character Obi Wan Kenobi as "an energy field created by all living things." 

The only creative thing I've ever made that had to do with Star Wars was the above card (that's the official CriCut picture, not a picture of the actual one I made). I made it for my dad using my CriCut. It features the Millennium Falcon swooping through space, with the Death Star in the background and is very 3-D. 

Some day, I'd like to make some sort of a Star Wars quilt for myself, but likely not using any of the official fabrics that have gotten released over the years. They're mostly not the types of fabric designs that I enjoy using so I've never bought any of them. I may be surprised by the newest ones though, who knows? But most definitely I'll consider using this pantograph for allover quilting if it turns out to be bed-sized.

But until that time, I better go and watch the long-anticipated second season of Andor.

May To-Do

Here's what my design wall looks like at the beginning of May. Peeking out on the left is the Metro Twist top and backing all pinned up so it doesn't get wrinkly. Then there is Slopes, which I'm almost finished quilting. The sour grass piece I started in the Jane Sassaman class is still up there on the right, kind of, still waiting to be made into a quilt top. The toilet paper "border" was removed by my studio assistant. In front is the BAMQ challenge piece which needs the binding, sleeve and label. Then underneath, is the Stamp Quilt blocks which were taken down to bring to the retreat in March, which I didn't get to, and they haven't been put back up on the wall yet. And below that is what will be the center of the backing for the Tula Pink City Sampler.

I'm continuing to use the new configuration of my to-do list below, as it more closely follows the database categories that I use to keep track of all my work-in-progress. Note: the use of 🥏👽  by a project name indicates that it's nearly classified as a UFO at this point by age so "Hey, you should work on it!"

QUILTS

Continue Assembly

Keep working on Sour Grass Grace from Jane Sassaman class.

Old Town Mystery Quilt - assemble blocks.

AG Stamp Quilt - continue to make more blocks using the cut-out stamp block borders and centers from Tula Pink fabrics.

🥏👽 Trim to size and then sew the 12 columns of the 2023 Temperature Quilt together.

🥏👽 Bohemian Wife - make the binding. Decide on whether I'm quilting this myself or not.

Pantone Project - work on a overall design, either in EQ8 or up on the design wall.

🥏👽City Sampler- finish putting together a backing, make the binding, take to a long-armer to be quilted.

Quilting

🥏👽 Trinket

🥏👽 Metro Twist - sandwich and quilt.

🥏👽 Slopes - complete quilting on diagonal and finish.

Final Steps

 Running Out of Raincloud -  hand sew down the facings, add the sleeve and label.

Spring Talking to Summer- Finish and turn in for the BAMQ challenge 

HANDWORK/BAG/CLOTHING PROJECTS 

Make a Cotton Candy pouch for myself.

Oxbow Tote - cut out and begin the assembly.

Toned-Down Circle Sampler - source grey background felt, arrange and appliqué the circles, start embroidering.

Y.E.S. Coat - continue making pieces/blocks. assemble on foundation, cut out lining pieces from the fabric that I dyed

Snake In The Garden - Finish hand stitching

Kawandii - Finish hand stitching/assembly

I got to move a lot of projects around and update them on this list, so that counts as good progress in April, hoping to regain my mojo and continue the momentum into May.

May Day May Day

 

Monthly marker for this new month of May. It was a very challenging April for me, so this is a May Day, May Day post.  

Based on using this picture of a calendar towel from 1975 at my mom's, manipulated in KaleidaCam and SnapSeed. This wasn't normally hung up here, which is why it looks brand new. Usually she had one by the artist, VERA, so I think she didn't care for this one as much. It's also "mixed-media" with the glued on felt flowers. I think she found it while going through all of her stuff before we moved her out of the house she's lived in since 1972.  So yes, it's been a rather "full" April for me.😵😵😵

 

Here's the 1SE video for 30 seconds of my April. I was really surprised at this video. I'm honestly so tired at the moment that I'd forgotten all about unpacking from the retreat, our trip to San Francisco and celebrating Passover with my SIL family earlier in April. Good thing I've been documenting as I go, huh?

Monthly I-Did List for APRIL

1. I documented my work at the BAMQ retreat.
2. I stitched on Snake In The Garden with new thread bought at Britex in SF.
3. I worked on finishing the initial clue piecing for the Old Town Mystery quilt.
4. I completed the design and quilting of the BAMQ challenge piece.
5. I started quilting the Slopes quilt and trimmed the edges.

I'm astonished at just how much I got done last month, given the traveling and all the effort on getting my mom moved out.  I posted on Blue Sky 32 times, Flashes 6 times, Instagram 4 times.