Latest quilt for Wounded Warriors

My guild sends quilts to Afghanistan to be used when wounded soldiers are sent out...this is the one I just finished. It is really rewarding to make these quilts ,for someone I'll never meet but who gives so much for our country. Happy Memorial Day to all...take time to remember those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom.

Latest Farmer's Wife Sampler block

Look at all the foundation pieces!! It's a puzzle to put together.

This is Darting Birds...it's a lot of triangles, but with foundation piecing, they are always perfect ( or almost, in my case.)

Back to work on the Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks!!!

Finally, I'm getting time to work on The Farmer's Wife Sampler quilt blocks...it has been awhile since I made any blocks. Today, I printed some of the foundation directions on muslin. I like sewing on it instead of paper...I don't have to rip paper out. I iron the muslin on freezer paper and it goes through my printer. I tested the first one I did to be sure the ink would not run. Time to get sewing. Yay!!!

Progress being made but no quilting going on!

I have worked this week on getting the attic cleaned up. We live in a ranch style house so the roof is low pitch....no standing room up there. I wanted to get it done before it got HOT! Here in NC, 80 plus humidity plus attic equals HOT!!! I should have sweated off some weight, but didn't. I got rid of lots of things that needed to go and have 4 big boxes of STUFF for the Habitat Restore...they love me. It looks so neat....now on to the upstairs in the garage...at least, we have lots of walking room there and will have more if we get rid of STUFF. It seems my husband thinks what should go is mine and I find it easy to get rid of his stuff!!!

I won!!

I entered Dawn's Quilt Corners  giveaway and won one of the fat quarter bundles shown above. The mailman brought them today...I love them. Now to decide what to make!!!

Day 13 & 14 FMQ Challenge

On the final two days, I practiced on Kids For Quilts quilts. The first is the fabric they sent me. I did free motion all over. I got curves and stars in!!! It was also the first time that I have zigzagged a binding. In the instructions, it said to quilt heavily for heavy use. I thought the machine sewing would be studier than hand stitches. Last year was the first year I did a Quilt For Kids kit...it had all the fabric I needed. This year, when I got to the borders, I had no more fabric, so I searched my stash and added cornerstones. I had a print that was exactly the same color. They sent no binding fabric, so I looked and found a green that exactly matched even though it had a swirly design.

 

 Quilts For Kids ask if you will send a second quilt also. It was made from a book panel that a friend gave me. She didn't remember how long she had had it...I had never seen it before....but is is so colorful and cute. I did the pantograph on it. Not all curves and loops are smooth and I still have some problems when the machine bumps the side tensioner clamps.  I know one of my problems was that the backing was on a little over 2 inches larger on each side. From now on, I'll baste a strip so the tensioners are farther out.

The FMQ (Free Motion Quilting) Challenge gave me practice I needed.

Day 12 FMQ Challenge

I practiced this pantograph because I think it has more quilting than the one I did yesterday. The curves look smoother...to me..LOL!!

FMQ Day11

Trying out the pantograph I think I will use on theQuilts for Kids quilt... It may not be heavy enough on the quilting...they wrote they wanted heavy quilting as it will get lots of wear. I got the top pieced...it is a cute monkey print and bright pink. My curves are not very smooth.

Day 10..FMQ challenge

Day 10: More stars( top pic)...the machine platform wanted to keep grabbing the side tensioners.

Added some stippling and practiced some of a pantogragh one of my friends gave me. I think I am going to use it on the Quilts For Kids quilt I am making. 

FMQ Day 8 & 9

Forgot to post last night ...so doing 2 days again. 

Day 8:When I put the new fabric on my frame and started trying to make hearts , I kept having problems in one area with "Drag"...like the machine did not want to move. I took a peek and saw no problem. Then quilted a few more hearts...looked again...then I saw that I had left my 5 inch square pincushion on the machine's support...no wonder it could not move freely.  Most of the hearts look consistent.

I also tried feathers again...I think I will be practicing them for years!!

Day 9: Practiced stars again...I still need practice here.

I guess I could call them very free form stars!!!

I decided to practice a star pantogragh also...it is difficult to stay in a straight line even with the laser light.

FMQ Challenge Day 6 & 7

Day 6: practiced more curves and squiggles...not good. Tried feathers....Hard!!

Tried some loose curves...sort of even.

Day 7: Tried to do some meandering hearts...I think they would look nice on a project...they are my best "project" so far.

Tried to do some stars...some okay, BUT I still need lots of practice here!!! I ran ut of fabric....so Time to take this section off and pin more on.