I Didn't Mean To Finish the Checker Board Rails Quilt So Quickly!

On Monday I got the Checker Board Rails leader and ender quilt on the frame.  Just before I started quilting, I noticed something not quite right with one of the checker board rails but it is going to have to stay that way!

I quilted a row of X's and O's and I meant to leave it at that and quilt a row here and there over the next few days but before you know it I only had three rows left to quilt.

On Tuesday, since I was so close to finishing, I had to quilt the last three rows.  Here's the front all quilted.

And the back.

And since the binding was already made and waiting I went ahead and bound the quilt too.  The lighting wasn't great outdoors, but here's a picture of the finished quilt back

and front.  I really like the checkered binding!

I'm going to get this quilt in the wash and then get a final picture of this quilt and the two Christmas Present Quilts in good lighting and after "crinkage" (crinkling due to quilting and shrinkage due to washing).

Two Christmas Present Quilts Finished

On Thursday I finished quilting the second half of the first Present Quilt.  Here's a picture of the wonderful texture of the quilting on the backing fleece.

I decided to go ahead and self bind the quilt by rolling the fleece backing around to the front.  First I had to miter the excess fabric off the corners.  The binding went really well and looks great.

On Friday I got the second present quilt on the frame and quilted the whole thing.  I didn't get any sewing done on Saturday, but on Sunday I self bound the second quilt too.  Here they both are hanging on the line.  I just love the texture of the quilting on the fleece backing.

Just because I like it so much, here's a closeup of the backing texture.

Here are the quilts from the front.

And blowing in the breeze.

Here's a close up of one of the quilt blocks and a bound edge.

I only had a little bit of thread left from two 250 metre spools of thread which was used in the bobbins only which means I used almost a kilometre of thread quilting and binding these two quilts!

I had so much fun quilting these two quilts that I pieced together some backing fabric so I can go ahead and start quilting the  Checker Board Rails Quilt next.

Quilting the Present Quilts

I started making one of these quilts in December of 2018 and had two different present quilts sewn together into completed tops by March of 2019.  You can see previous blog posts by clicking on this link.  I have been wanting to try fleece as a quilt backing for awhile and since these two quilts are both lap size I thought a nice cozy fleece backing would be a good fit.  As a bonus, I can use the same colour fleece for both quilts so only have to load the backing fabric on the frame once.  We are cat sitting for my daughter so one of her cats, Quincy, was "snoopervising" as I loaded the fleece on my frame.

I decided to use a pantograph called leaf and berry by Golden Threads.

I used green thread in the bobbin to match the fleece backing and off white thread on the top because the background of the top is off white.  Here is what the quilting looks like both on the top of the quilt and on the rolled up fleece backing. 

I'm half way through quilting the first quilt and I'm loving how the quilting is giving the fleece an embossed look.  At the fabric store they suggested rolling the fleece to the front for binding.  I will have to see if I like the look of that or not....

Checker Board Rails Ready for Quilting

Today was a busy day with voting and other errands but I managed to get the Checker Board Rails Quilt sewn together into one piece.

I now have an empty project box which I will try to keep that way and the top and binding have moved into the to be quilted pile.

This quilt has been growing on me... I am beginning to like it.

Checker Board Rails

This morning I was "skype sewing" with my buddy Marilyn.  We were both working on our Checker Board Rails Quilt.  I sewed all my blocks into ten rows and then got four of those rows sewn together.

I also got the binding made for this quilt.  Here is a very close up picture of how well my joining seams in my binding ended up.

And here is the nice roll of binding beside the extra block.  I haven't decided if the checkered binding is a really good match or overkill.... oh well, I'm using it!

Just six more seams and this top will be in the ready to be quilted pile!

UFO - Bonnie Hunter's Leaders and Enders 2017 Challenge

Last night at my quilt guild meeting a UFO challenge was initiated.  You sign up to finish a specific UFO (unfinished object) by the June meeting with a monetary penalty if you fail to finish it.  Any money collected will go towards programs.  I will sign up for something, but I haven't decided what yet.  However, it did spur me on to work on a UFO today.   I started this in the summer of 2017 and last worked on it in February.  Bonnie Hunter does a Leader and Ender Challenge every year and I decided to join.  This one was originally called Rail Fence but morphed into Checkerboard Rails.  I needed 29 more strips of black and white checkers 2 wide by 6 long.  I started by making black and white strip sets and then cutting them into matched pairs arranged on design boards to take to the sewing machine to turn into four patches.  You can see a finished block in the bottom left hand corner.

Before lunch I had already made a pile of the 87 required four patches.

A short time later I had 28 strips made, 14 starting with a black square in the upper left and 14 starting with a white square in the upper left.  I left the last strip unsewn as I didn't know which type of strip I would need.  I finished off a spool of thread half way through the last checker.

I had the coloured strips already sewn in groups of four so just had to add the black and white checker boards to them.  Here are my 29 finished blocks.  It makes you dizzy looking at these blocks as they are so busy which is why I don't really like them.

I've put all 80 blocks on the design wall.  I have to move a few around that have the same fabric touching.  I guess I really only needed 28 more blocks not 29, as I have one left over.....oh well.

Now all I have to do is sew the blocks together and I will have another donation top.  All of the coloured fabric strips came from leftover fabric scraps.  Some of the white checkers came from scraps but most of the white and black I had to cut from my stash.  I was really surprised at how quickly these 29 blocks came together today!

Rail Fence Comfort Quilt Finished

Yesterday I made some scrappy binding and bound the guild's rail fence comfort quilt I had finally quilted the day before.  Oops, I see I missed trimming a thread.

It is very wet and windy here today so an indoor shot will have to do for this quilt as I will hand it in at my guild meeting tonight.

It is made out of 90 6" finished rail fence blocks set 9 across and 10 down so mathematically it measures 54.5" x 60.5"  After "crinkage" (crinkling due to quilting + shrinkage due to washing) it is 52" x 58", a nice lap or child sized quilt.  I used a piece of really soft donated fabric printed with rope swirls for the backing and just had to add a small piece of checkered flannel fabric in one corner.

I kind of like that word, "crinkage".  I googled it but could not find that it had been used anywhere.  Have I invented a new quilting term?

Sewing for Thursday Night's Quilt Guild Meeting

I started off this morning by finishing the two pillow cases I had almost finished for last meeting.  I would make one more but I don't really have any more suitable fabric right now.  These two aren't as nice and colourful as the first seven I made but maybe someone who plays an instrument or enjoys music will appreciate them.  These will go to Ryan's Case for Smiles and be given to children and youth who have extended stays at the IWK Children's Hospital.

I have had this quilt on the frame for a couple of months now but had not put a single stitch in it.  I knew what quilting design I wanted to do so I got out my manual and oiled my machine and got to it and around 4:30 this afternoon I had the quilting done and the quilt trimmed and ready for binding.  These rail fence blocks were made by members of my quilting guild and sewn together at a charity quilting day at one of our local quilt shops.

Here's a close up of the quilting called filigree.  I tried to keep my loops consistent.....

So now I have two days to get the binding made and sewn on and the quilt washed and ready to donate.  Should be easily doable.

Edith's Folded / Manx Log Cabin Quilt

This is the beautiful folded log cabin quilt made by Grandma Langille that Edith brought for show and share at our last Guild meeting.  I just love all the scrappy colours.  It inspired me to make two folded log cabin blocks but mine pale in comparison.

And here's a closeup

 Her quilt was made with approximately quarter inch folds where my two blocks were made with half inch folds.  Here's an even closer look at a block.  The dark and light choices of fabrics are very subtle when looking at only one block, but really show up seen from afar.

Thank you Edith for sending me pictures so I could share your beautiful quilt!  

If you click on this link you can see the blocks I made as well as find a link to a tutorial on how to make the folded / Manx log cabin block.

Dear Jane Quilt, 95 Blocks Plus 1 Triangle

B5  I paper pieced this block.

B6  I pieced this block.  I didn't notice until I took the photo that I should have had one more round of triangles on it but I am happy with it the way it is...

B7  I appliqued this block.  It's not my best work so kind of glad the contrast between the black and blue fabric is not showing up well...

B8  I pieced the centre part of the block and "cathedral windowed" the melons.

B9  I pieced this block with red and white striped fabric and really liked it but it did not fit into the colour plus black theme.  I used a marker and coloured the white lines black but it is not good enough to use so I made a second block.

L5  I pieced this block.

L6  I probably should have paper pieced this block, but I pieced it.  It's a little bit warped but I am not making it over...

L7  I pieced this block.  If I had thought about it a bit more, I would have reversed the colours so there was more blue than black in the block.  Without meaning to, I reversed the colours in the centre.

L8  I pieced this block.

L9  I pieced this block and it turned out really well.

TR6  I paper pieced my first triangle border block!!!  If you look closely there is supposed to be a tiny melon appliqued at the tip of the top diamond but I don't think it's necessary.

So, now I have 95 blocks of 169 and 1 triangle of 56 or 96/225 which is 42% done.

Here's what the 95 blocks look like together.

I am still having so much fun!!!