Blogger's Quilt Festival, Entry 1

Apologies to my audience on this re-post but it has to be a new one for entry into the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I am furiously binding my picnic quilt for a second entry into the festival, will I finish in time?

This is my Indianapolis Colts Quilt, first posted here.  I began with less than a yard of scraps from the Mr.'s daughter. 

The backing was flannel colts and a plaid. 

Link to event

It is interesting that as a I gain experience quilting (now nearly 5 years under my belt), that my tastes have changed. In the beginning, I was easily wowed by anything and everything that was posted by quilt bloggers and pinners. As you develop your own technique, you gain a discriminating eye. Ya'll know what I mean, that experienced quilter is going to see right off that your points don't match and fabric meant to point one direction heads off in another. 

I greatly appreciate when other quilters post about their travails and struggles with certain quilts. It seems some projects go together easier than others.  

Finally, I am eternally grateful that those experienced quilters didn't criticize my early work. Some of it was a hot mess but hey, you've got to start somewhere ~

Now go and visit all of those other wonderful fiber artists!

The Colts quilt

Just in time for the football season, a man-sized lap quilt!

Center piece was free motion quilted

When the Mr.'s daughter dropped by for a visit, she brought some remnants I could make into a quilt for her and her husband. She wanted grey and white with the Indianapolis Colts fabric. No amazing shots in the wild for this one, too hot outside. 
The quilts I give to friends and family are part of my legacy. Here is a link to a well-written post leave-quilts-not-fabric.

She chose a cotton batting and said she wanted "soft," to me that meant flannel backing. I had finished my last few quilts that way and it is fast becoming my preferred method. I figured that type of fabric would be half off this time of year and found the perfect one, tie-dyed horses and a smattering of plaid. 

Winding the backing onto the baseboard

The binding I used were 2" precut strips from a Coastal Beacons quilt kit. The finished binding looks more like piping when it is cut that small.  My upcoming quilt also uses pieces from that kit I purchased thrift. 

Updated post to link up with Amanda Jean at crazymomquilts for Finish it up Friday.

Smoked duck ringed with fruit salad

Veering off subject and onto food and tablescaping, for years, I have wanted a set of china. If not a set, then dinner plates. 6 Noritake Belmont dinner plates in perfect condition ($1.50 a plate) came home with me earlier in the month. I also found the tablecloth secondhand, buffet length priced $100 retail, for $1! I added 7 white fabric napkins, shown in the top of the image below, to my budding tablescape.

I listened to this 5 record set of Hawaiian music while quilting,
well worth the $2 paid for it

There has been a lot of thrift shop visits but not a lot coming home with me. I am still focusing on art work, linens, and now records. Clothing is always on the list, if not for me, then for others in my family.

Sharing a Tom Jones video  - just because I'm a fan!


My next project is the picnic quilt, pin basted and ready for quilting. 

Linking up with lizzielenard-vintagesewing for Free Motion Mavericks, I've got that bit of center piece that was free motion quilted. 

Sewing Machine Block and I captured a cashmere

July color in the 2018 Monthly Color Challenge is yellow/green. I chose this print along with a Tami-revised sewing machine block. I somewhat followed the pattern posted at amyscreativeside, and linked up at inspiring-stitches.com. I made the block more difficult by adding the brown border. My first attempt reminded me of the puppet Ollie.


Updating post to linkup at patternsbyjen.blogspot.com for the July Color Challenge. 

I had hoped to make it in to the Fair awards ceremony but spent the morning feeling punk and having car trouble so it wasn't meant to happen.

I felt as undetermined as this painting

I also captured a cashmere and silk skirt at Goodwill. Very happy finds for me. 

Posting some summer Patterns of the Day

1967

1968

1969

1970

1971

1972

1973

Marking quilting lines for the Indianapolis Colts lap quilt and listening to shuffled music on my laptop.