Summer vacation over

Just a quick post to get myself back on track. This summer was busy with traveling for me... Mississippi to Texas to Colorado to Oklahoma. 

I got a little side tracked. Row by Row had started by the time I went to CO the second time. So, of course, I wanted to join the fun of collecting some rows. I had the silly notion that I might to put together a quilt with 8 rows and be the first to turn it into my local participating fabric shop for a prize of a fat-quarter bundle... but by the end (almost) of the 4th row I knew this wasn't going to happen. Every store seemed to have designed their row using one of my least favorite applique techniques --- fusible webbing... 😏. Mind you, I'm not completely opposed to fusible applique. I can appreciate the speed it provides and ease of using tiny pieces for detail. But it just doesn't appeal to me as much as needle-turn or piecing (by hand or machine). 

.... And of course I had a mishap with the iron and the webbing...

Yes, that is paper backed fusible web stuck to my hot iron. The dark spot on the iron is a reflection of one of my daughter's paintings hanging on the wall.

Row from It's a Stitch in Humble, TX.
 I still need to stitch in the clothes line and add embellishment to the house window. 

Row from Down Home Quilts in Dumas, TX. Nice little shop. Last year she stayed open 1/2 hour later because I was driving thru from CO back to MS.  I had to stop by again this year (and happened to be driving thru during regular store hours)

row from OKC, OK. I love the name of the quilt shop The Savage Quilter, LOL! 

Row from Pacific Fabrics and Crafts - Sodo in Seattle, WA.
My friend Mable picked up a kit for me.
 Still needs boat embellishments and a few other things on the water.
Actually, as I'm looking at this pic, i realize it still needs a lot :p.

After stitching the skyline in the row from Seattle, I was ready for a break from fusible applique and I needed to clean up my sewing room a bit. 

As I was picking up some loose papers on the desk, I found a picture I had printed out from one of my FB groups Celebrate Hand Quilting that I had fallen in love with.

Quilt made by Shelly McAlindin. She calls it the Charlie Brown quilt.
Pattern is from the Merry Mayhems Mystery Quilt 136 from New Years Day 2014.

And this is what it has inpired. I'm a bit timid to go all scrappy. I can't imagine my fabrics would blend as beautifully as Shelly's did. So I made the big blocks with a focus fabric and scrappy on the little triangles. The light green squares seem to be very prominent in this photo. It's not quite as obnoxious to the naked eye. But I'm thinking I'm going to find something a little darker to take its place. I'm still playing with the colors and having fun.

I giggle at myself sometimes. Because I find that I really do enjoy the "process". Catching myself so pleased with the pinwheel corners that intersections make on the wrong side of the piecing... It seems like a trivial thing, but the realization that I am taking the time to iron these points down flat (and that they work every time!) and the fact that no one else is ever going to see them makes it a not-so-trivial thing 😁.

But starting a brand new project (even if it's using fabric already in my stash and hardly any new fabric purchased 😉) doesn't blind me to unfinished projects that I've put on my goal list this year.

So between all my regularly scheduled responsibilities, I was able to dedicate a good 5 to 6 hours marking the borders on the red and green quilt yesterday!! And I love this craft table that was gifted to me from MIL. Being able to spread out on a big flat surface is wonderful! Thanks, Mom :)!!

First I thought I wanted to use the Baptist fan circles in the border. The quilting stencil I was using was 5" wide and not filling the space enough. So I designed a template to echo the quilting in the appique blocks. I'm very pleased with the result. 

I saw a tip in the FB group Celebrate Hand Quilting that mentioned using washable markers  for marking quilting lines. I jumped in with both feet and used a washable marker without testing to make sure it will come out of my fabric first. But the tip is from a very accomplished quilter, Tim Latimer, so I'm pretty sure it will work just fine. Plus, the colors washed off my fingers without much scrubbing. That's got to be a good sign, right? I'll be sure to post another picture of complete and washed red and green quilt.

Alright! the school year has started. There's no big traveling trips in the near future. I can refocus goals of getting some UFO's completed. And adding some Row by Row's to the list :). And blog about it all! Until then happy quilting or whatever it is you enjoy doing :).