Flying in Circles

 

I designed and started stitching this quilt

top way back in 2005.

All the applique is needle turned.

I've been looking at it pinned to my ceiling

for all those years.

Good grief, that's twelve years.

Time to add borders to the left and right

and then hand quilt it.

 

 

 

 



Primitive Pinks, Pink Posies, Pink is for a little Girl...

 

Thinking of another name for the quilt, but it hasn't hit me yet.  Anyway, it's finished after machine quilting it and adding the last of a stem stitch to the wool leaves.

 



 

Gorgeous weather finally and the grass couldn't be any greener.  The Big Horns are down in the lower meadow with smiles on their faces, soaking up the rays. 

 

 

Primitive Pinks

 

Lots of pinks in this quilt I designed for a little girl.  It was started last year and it's time I finished it before she goes to college.

 

The largest circle is about 10 inches across so the applique is large and bold to contrast the large stripes.  A few of the circles still need to be appliqued. The vines and leaves are wool and I started embellishing the leaves with a hand-dyed silken pearl thread from Sue Spargo.  The wool stems were made from vine rolls that I bought from Cathi of Shakerwood Wools which are perfect for the stems since they are cut on the bias and are easy to shape into curves for the stems.

 

Baskets, Berries and Leaves

 Who would have thought I would be back working on Baskets, Berries & Leaves. 

Too great of a quilt to think bad karma, but I did think to find a safe way to line up the borders and applique.  The top border has been added, needs the corner swags and I'm appliqueing the bottom border now.

Won't tell you how long it took me to drag the quilt outside and pin it to the clothes line.  I'm getting around better every day with my cane, but am very, very careful, especially outside not to lose my balance or trip.  Can't over do either or my leg reminds me.

 

Funny as in odd, the picture with no snow, even bits of green grass, not even terribly cold.

 

Remembering our Veterans on this special day.

 

A few Squares, some Circles and some Stars

A picture of my quilt, Montana Stars that is in the Winter issue of the Primitive Quilt magazine before it was quilted, must have been late winter of this year.  I must have been cold and in a hurry because it's hanging upside down in that I wanted the darkest red section of the border to be at the bottom.  You would think I would have taken a picture of the quilted version, but obviously not. 

From the mag.  All the squares, circles and stars are needle turn applique.

I machine quilted in the ditch, free motion in the border, and then went back and hand quilted around all the applique.

Sidney waking up and wondering where is everybody, I had been sitting under the light stitching with Bailey in my lap. 

The First Border

I have the swags appliqued to the first border.  Lots of time going up and down the step ladder to get the placement correct.  There is a stop border that I need to sew to the main quilt which is why the border is longer than it needs to be for now.  I'll finish the applique on the birds and such in the border in the next few days and then I'll make myself take the quilt down from the wall and sew those borders.

The Collector Series



I've been quilting the Collector Series by hand with the big stitch using a DMC crochet cotton in black.  I have most of the blocks outlined and now I can go back and outline the applique.  I love using the black thread for quilting in a prim quilt. 

Yay!

I still need to sew those three blocks to the rest of the quilt, but dang if I didn't get it done.  I changed the applique on the last block after going back and forth about adding my initials and the date.  I'm pondering my plan on where to lay out the borders for measuring and placement before I get started on the first one.

A female Pronghorn behind the house.  She was with a small herd, about four fawns, but one of the fawns was limping so I didn't want to scare them with the click of my camera.

Wool Vines and Another Block

Yep, only one more block to go. 

I received the vine roll from Cathi, very pleased with the soft wool and colors.  I will cut the width of the strips down just a best for some bold vines that I want to put in a quilt. 

Another Block....

Another block from the BOM, Baskets, Berries and Leaves finished and a view of the quilt hanging over the closet doors.  You can tell how big the quilt is getting in reference to the rest of the room.  I'm going to go back and add more applique to the basket.

Baskets and you know the rest

Another block completed on the BOM, three more to go and then on to the borders. 

I'm handquilting the Collector Series when it cools off at night.  I don't have air conditioning, but have had some severe storms the last few days, lots of hail, enough to cover the ground and look like snow so it has made the evenings very cool and worth sitting under a quilt.

Baskets, Berries and Leaves, Another Block

Another block finished. 

The blocks are easy to applique and since I just cut out the motifs without any lines I am able to prep the blocks pretty fast.  I've never been one to focus on the perfection of the applique since it's prim.

In case you haven't seen what the entire quilt will look like.

Baskets, Berries and Leaves

A beautiful day to show off my progress on the Baskets, Berries and Leaves BOM.  I think I've already said how much I love working with such large applique, the blocks are 20" square, such a bold look and definately one of my favorite older Jan Patek designs.

I guess you've seen that Jan will be offering a kit for the Eagles & Roses quilt that I like so much, pondering that purchase. 

Glad you all enjoyed the pics of my little squirrel.  He's very unusual in his antics, rolling in the dirt when he sees me.  I guess he's excited that the nuts and seeds are coming and now lettuce. 

Baskets, Berries and Leaves Progress

I'm working on another block from Baskets, Berries and Leaves, had to show this pic when I noticed I captured a smidge of Sidney's face.  She's sleeping just outside the open window.

My favorite background in this quilt so far, a rusty orange with black stripes in a brushed cotton by Brannock and Patek.

Lots of berries to applique.

Hoping my code for Bloglovin gets inserted into this post so I can start changing everything over. 

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Baskets, Berries and Leaves Progress and The Neighborhood

I'm working on block six of the BOM.  Too windy to hang it on the line for a pic.

Horses.  Running and enjoying the sun.

Cows.  Don't know what they're enjoying, maybe not having gone to market yet.

The Yellowstone River.

Baskets, Berries and Leaves, Blk 4

I finished the fourth block from the BOM.  This block is called Berries and Leaves.  Simple block but makes a big statement, quick and easy even with the small berries.

I was watching the ewe as she kept slapping the water in the pail with her hoof.  I have no idea why they do that, in the winter I thought it was to break the ice away, but now, I don't know.  Over the years they have broken all the nice cement bird baths so this is the best they get now.  She's a mess, still shedding her winter coat. 

Baskets, Berries and Leaves, Block 2

Block two from this BOM completed and hanging to give me a visual for the next block.  The backgrounds of these two blocks are from an older line from Moda Basic Wovens in various shades of orange with lines or checks. 

I hope to complete the entire quilt, even the border, in a year since the needle turn applique method takes more time, but needle turn seems to suit this quilt and the design. 

My heart goes out to those affected by the Boston tragedy. 

Another Cross Quilt

I seem to be working on Cross quilts.  I made the center cross block a year or so ago as well as several others using Jim's shirts and had not made them into a quilt.  So playing with some fabric strips came up with a wonky quilt that I like.  The crosses in the center are all needle turn applique. The fabric strips are all various shades of aged muslin.  I'll need to label the strips so I sew them in order.

Collector Series, One More Time

One more picture of the Collector Series since the borders are now sewn on.  I do like the applique of the triangles on just one border.  And none of the borders are the same width, on purpose, like that about the primitive quilt designs. I'm waiting on a roll of black batting, then I can start to hand quilt it.

The pic was taken the day before the winter storm, still very, very cold and lots of snow on the ground.   Snow is a good thing because of the drought.

A view from my window, one of the big horn sheep that was radio collared by the biologists.  She doesn't seem bothered by it and the collar is suppose to drop off in about six months on it's own.  The ewe looks pregnant, doesn't she.

The Collector Series, the Saga Continues

I actually have three sections sewn together and had to stop after getting a headache from pounding my head against the sewing machine.  Just me and those Y seams, some witty quilter thought of that for a name for those set in seams, why is right. 

Can you spare a square is from a episode of Seinfeld, my favorite old sitcom, can you spare a square, as in toilet paper, as in only a woman would know what is feels like to be in a public restroom, in a stall, and find the roll empty and Elaine asks the woman in the next stall, 'can you spare a square'.  So for obvious reasons that came to me as did the thought that it could be the name for a quilt.  A quilt with lots of appliqued squares, my odd sense of humor.