An Epic Finish!!

This is what winter looks like in Northeast Ohio -- not much color -- thank goodness for Cardinals!! 

After many years of lying about on my UFQ shelves, the Baltimore Album applique quilt which I started in 199? is finished and ready to pass onto my younger daughter!

It was mild here today (64 degrees - about 30 degrees above average) so I was able to grab a couple photos of it on the front porch.

I used Elly Sienkiewicz's first book, Baltimore Album Applique published in 1990 for the block patterns.  It was to be one of three completely hand pieced or appliqued quilts for my three children. 

 There were a group of us that worked on these blocks together and the only other one that I know was finished was my mother's.  I crashed and burned before getting all the blocks stitched for the original plan but after helping a family liquidate their mother's estate which included the most amazing set of Baltimore-style blocks, I was determined to finish these quilts!!

And I'm done!!  I've been hand quilting on this one off and on all year!  I used Quilter's Dream Wool batting which is easy to hand quilt and holds a nice loft.  I've kept the quilting simple so that I would get finished -- lots of straight lines and echo quilting.  A couple of the original blocks were eliminated -- either not finished or the color scheme didn't fit.  I balanced the layout by keeping the placement of the color and design styles symmetrical.

Now it's ready for a gentle washing (must do that since it's been in process for so long) and then it's off to it's permanent home at the end of December.

 

It's my only complete finish from my fourth quarter list of goals for the 2015 Finish Along over at On the Windy Side with Adrienne though progress was made on several others!  Maybe next quarter will be a bigger one for complete finishes!!

 

So good to have this goal completely achieved!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

Wrapping up 2015

As 2015 comes to a close, I'm already thinking about my quilting goals for 2016 but first I need to review what I've accomplished this year!

 

The winter group of donation quilts are finished, washed, and bagged up ready to deliver to the City Mission's Laura's Home here in Cleveland.  There are 18 in this pile, each with it's own carry bag ready for the day that the children and their mothers move into a new home.
This is our second donation this year and when all is said and done, we will have made 35 quilts for 35 folks!!

As I shared  on Tuesday, I haven't had as many finishes with my 2015 APQ Challenge list but I've certainly made progress!!  And that's always good.  The information for the 2016 Challenge is already posted on their website (find it HERE) -- I've printed it out and am contemplating which projects will "make the list"!!  Probably need to start with the leftovers from 2015?!?

Some of my finishing goals for the 4th quarter of the 2015 Finish-Along over at On the Windy Side have been neglected.  I will for sure get this one done -- just have two or three more evenings of sappy Christmas movies to go on Hallmark Channel (are you watching those?) and it will be ready to bind -- yeaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!  And there is another one layered and waiting patiently on the table next to George.  I thought I knew how I wanted to quilt it, but I'm hesitating . . . . . again????

At the beginning of 2015, I said (out loud) that I intended to make a twin size quilt top to donate every month and clean out some of my stash -- that lasted for three or four months before I lost my steam.  But it did result in a couple finishes for the year and both quilts are now comforting some one some where!!  I might give that idea a try again in 2016 -- maybe set a goal of six and give myself two months for each one.

Blog reading and writing has added a new dimension and energy to my quilt making in 2015.  With a lot of help from quilters far and near this past year, I have two exciting (unfinished) projects which will need to be at the top of 2016 "to-finish" list.   The Bug Hut is my next hand quilting project!

And all my wonky birds have the next shift on the work wall -- one more teaching sample to finish organizing for the new year!  I just received a happy surprise box from Moda -- won a scrap giveaway on Instagram!! -- and one of the bags of scraps (all polka dots) might be destined to become part of this quilt.

As I look forward to another year of quilting and blogging and teaching, I'm working towards participating in Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs BEST OF 2015 Linky Party which begins on December 26!  It will be open for a week and I think it will provide a perfect opportunity for me to review this year's posts and help me determine my direction for 2016!!

It's so much fun to share my work with all of you and to see what you are doing as well.

Thanks for your interest and compliments!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fourth Quarter Finishing Goals

My finishing average for the third quarter was about 38% but I'm not going to back down from setting big goals.  I think the goals are encouraging me to finish more than I would otherwise.  What I should do is pick projects that have other deadlines!?!

 

Good idea!!  So I'm going forward with three of the projects from the third quarter and four new ones from my 2015 list for the APQ Challenge that began in January. 

 

The roll overs from the third quarter include:

The epic applique -- currently (hand) quilting the sashing and borders -- I can finish this!! 

The applique designs are from Elly Sienkiewicz's first book, Baltimore Beauties and Beyond.

My son's Ohio Bicentennial quilt -- it's layered and I know how I'm going to quilt it!! 

Nat's Sunflower -- I think this might be a Christmas gift for someone and I'd like to teach a workshop using this design with the Set-in Piecing Simplified techniques this fall.

This is one of three small quilts I'm making from a set of 23 pieced blocks -- not sure I will get all three finished before the end of the year, but I'll get one done for sure as a donation to my group's annual Christmas quilt campaign.

My oldest daughter made a full size version of my pattern, Mississippi Mud which was stolen from her home about 10 years ago.  She started a second one to replace it but has lost heart along the way several times -- not hard to understand.  I'm going to try to finish it for her this winter!

This was the APQ Challenge pull for August and I made tremendous progress on it this past weekend during a retreat!!  (More about it on Friday.)  I'm so startled by the success of it that I think it's going to be a fast finish!!

And finally, the APQ Challenge pull for October -- not a big quilt -- awfully cute!!  Think if I use the drunkard's path units as "sew-offs" while I finish the kaleidoscope, the curves will feel less overwhelming. 

Feeling very confident!!

Are setting some finishing goals for the remainder of 2015?

Fall weather is pushing me inside!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

 

 

 



Not Finished Friday

Where did that 3 months go? 

Back at the beginning of July, I was confident that I'd be able to finish this pile of tops into the real thing -- quilted and bound!!

But I only finished two of the eight.

This one now belongs to a happy friend in her new home in Canada.

And this small piece is currently touring the lecture circuit with me to illustrated updating an older piece with some modern (and simple) quilting.

This one is so close and I really thought I would have it finished yesterday -- just two borders left to quilt and then it's ready to bind.  I guess I've been enjoying the outdoors too much lately??

The hand quilting project is moving along -- past the halfway point on the final block and half of the sashing strips are quilted.  I might bog down again while I consider a design for the border but I'm quite pleased with how the quilting is bringing the quilt to life. 

There's a full frontal view of it HERE.

Two are still layered and patiently waiting for their turn to be quilted.  They are in my line of sight from my machine quilting table and just yesterday I figured out how I'm going to quilt one of them!!

Whether that decision will speed things up remains to be seen.

The last two are still hanging out in the studio waiting to be layered.  (Sigh)

 

Next week I'll consider my 2015 Finish Along goals for the fourth quarter -- might do well to just finish the UFQ's from the third quarter. 

 

But for now, I'm going to quilt for a bit.

 

Enjoy your weekend!!

 

Mary Huey

 

 

 

Rather Piece than Quilt?

I'm home and unpacked from my teaching trip to the Remembrance Quilt Guild in Springfield, Ohio where I taught Set-In Piecing Simplified and the gals started scrappy tumbling blocks quilts.  We had a good time on Tuesday!

 

But now it's time to get back to the third quarter list for the 2015 Finish Along -- eight on the list, two finished, one in progress (hand quilting), and if I stay focused I can get this one quilted and back to my daughter when I see her next weekend!! 

 

(That will leave only four to finish in September?)

 

So I auditioned threads, wound bobbins, changed the needle, oiled my machine, made a cuppa', found my gloves and started!!

I layered this quilt before leaving (so I could get right to it) and have been trying to think about how to quilt it.  I've done some finger sketching on the flower motifs and still haven't come up with the simplest path though I do have a germ of a design idea.

I plunged in by starting with some continuous curve work through the 9-patch blocks.  I am working across them diagonally, coming down the right side of the center patches and out into the right corner.

When I reach the end of that diagonal row, I head back up the left side of the blocks.

Before leaving the last corner of the center patch,

I am retracing another series of curves inside the first set to give it an extra detail.

I like the impact and it reminds me a bit of a "god's-eye".

I expect to finish this part of the quilting quickly and will have to face the next set of design decisions.  One of the gals in the workshop Tuesday asked me how I stay focused on quilting when piecing is so much more fun?  Her question was in the forefront of my mind as I began to work on this piece.  I've been trying out several answers while I stitch and I think I've settled on the basic issue for me.

 

When I piece a quilt top, I know what it will look like before I start -- I have a diagram of some sort that satisfies my need to see where I'm going. 

 

But when I begin to quilt a piece, I very seldom can see what it will look like when it's finished.  The exception is when I'm making a quilt for the second or third time -- then I've quilted that design once before and know what the finished product will look like. 

 

So I waffle and demure and procrastinate and go piece another quilt top to add to my "to-be-quilted" piles.

 

What about you?  What keeps you from quilting as many tops as you piece?

 

Mary Huey

The "tidying" continues!!

 The "tidying" in my studio continues in spite of all the temptation in the garden.

I've tackled this pile of fabric on the floor because it always in the way (blocks creativity).

Most of it is BIG HUNKS that I hoarded during my years as a quilt shop owner.  I whittle away at it for borders and backings.

I moved it all onto the (cleared off) cutting table and sorted it by color pulling out a few pieces to donate to my charity quilt making group for backings.

It lived on this shelf for a long time before taking temporary refuge on the floor (my son is replacing windows in the studio), so I was happy to have it back in place and out of the way.

Doesn't it look neat and tidy??

Turning around, I decided to handle these floor piles as well -- a combination of UFO's to be repurposed and fabric that hasn't been put back into the "floral" collection.

In the process, I uncovered this hoard of random strips that I used for a charming little string-pieced kaleidoscope quilt.  I'm not sure why I haven't let the leftovers go since I never do the same thing twice.  You could help me out with this!!  There is at least 1 1/2 yards in the assortment and if you'd like to use it, you can have it for the cost of postage -- just leave me a comment -- first one wins!!

My magazine hoard is also housed there and I let go of some and have plans to let go of more as the month progresses (we'll see??), but I found this article and set it aside for a closer look!! 

Perhaps we could use that information??

So that corner of the studio is much tidier!!

At this point, I decided I had earned a stitching break!!  This wall hanging is on my third quarter 2015 Finish Along list and I decided to try out "pencil" quilting on it.  It's 29" square and a teaching sample from the triad color scheme lesson in Quilting From the Heart by Gai Perry.

I thought I would use a turquoise thread since that is the dominate color, but at the last minute decided to audition a variegated gold thread as well.  In the end, that was my choice primarily because it didn't contrast so strongly with the background fabric.

I used the edge of my walking foot to measure the distance between the lines.  I started at the center of quilt and worked out to each side.  The lines became somewhat "organic" -- why can't I quilt as straight as I piece??  Not sure why, but it is what it is this time.

I love that there are no thread tails to tie off when I am done with the quilting since all the lines went from raw edge to raw edge!!

I need to learn how to keep the line spacing more uniform or else do this as whimsical lines in the future, but I like the look and the flatness of the finished piece. (The wonky upper right corner is the camera angle, not the quilt!)

 

I spent the evening stitching on the binding and adding a casing to the back so it's all ready to share with someone.  I've decided to call it Cactus Flower for no other reason that it seems like the right name. 

 

I'm feeling good!! 

A bit more of the studio tidy and another UFO finished!!

Next???

 

Mary Huey

 

Linking up over at PINK DOXIES!!

 

 

 

A Third Quarter Finish!!

One down, seven to do!! 

My list for the 2015 Finish Along is HERE.

As I was working on this quilt, I was reminded of my first "major" machine quilting effort.  I had been quilting by machine for over 10 years, but I decided to enter a local quilt show so I needed to do an extra special good job -- no more "this is just practice"!! 

 

As I tried in vain to move around the appliques carefully and retrace these curly-ques, I made a decision!  It looked whimsical but not perfect.  As always, I was in a time crunch, no time to have a meltdown about lack of skill.  

Solution??  Ever since I have described my machine quilting style as "whimsical". 

Identifying that aspect of my style released me from all the pressure of imitating the style of more detail oriented, skilled long-arm machine quilters. 

 

So I engaged in a little whimsy to quilt all the flowers in this quilt.  I took some photos while quilting the borders to share with you.

 

I meandered along the borders and after some experimentation discovered it was best to approach each cluster at the base of one of the leaves.  From there, I traced around the outside edge of the flower (I'm much better at that these days).

Next, I zig-zagged around the "petal" area of the flower -- random whimsy! 

And at some point when I was against the center of the flower, I outlined it. 

Arriving back at the outside edge of the flower and the base of a leaf, I then outlined the leaves and echoed them.  From here, I continued to meander through the border to the next cluster.  An expert could tell where I started working on the border because my "design" evolved a bit as I progressed, but the quilt isn't for an expert. 

I've used a "wonky" diamond cable many times as it eliminates the need to calculate the "lowest common denominator" of different border lengths.  Since acquiring a "Fine Line" Quilter's Ruler and my ruler foot, it's so easy.  Just plop the ruler down and follow it!!

I go all the way around the quilt doing one side and then the other, then come back and echo the first lines twice.  That safety pin is to remind me that I have to tie threads off there. 

Six trips around the last border and the quilting is finished!!  Gasp!!  Just in the nick of time, too.  It's hard to see in the picture but that is the end of the thread I have in my fingers.  Another 12" and I would have been irritated!!

Isn't the backing wonderful?  Oddly, I had picked out the backing for this quilt (an old sample from my shop) as I was closing in 2005.  It was only as I was binding the quilt that I realized just how perfect it was for this quilt.

The gal who now owns the quilt is a dear friend of my daughter.  We were very sorry to see her move out of our town and church but so happy to be able to send her off with a memento to celebrate the friendship we hope will survive the distance.

On to the next quilting task.  It's layered, the thread is chosen, the quilting ideas are flowing!!

 

Mary Huey