Benjamin Biggs Block Three

 Gay of Sentimental Stitches gave the book "Quilts of Indiana”  away on her blog last week and I was lucky enough to be the winner.
She had her furry friends Clutch and Zoe do the drawing and posted a little video here.  It was just too cute.

I was surprised when looking through the book to see this write up and picture about the Benjamin Biggs quilt.  It is so nice to have a good picture of the finished quilt and to read some history about it.  It has really inspired me to keep going on this one.

Here is my block 3 the Cherry Wreath block.  This one wasn’t too difficult even if some of the stems were very tiny.  I just made little templates from freezer paper and turned the edges with starch.

Happy Stitching,

Nancy

Quilting Flower Garden

This has been my motto this week as I have been attempting to quilt my Flower Garden quilt.

  Now I must say the quilting of a quilt is my least favorite thing to do.  In fact I just don’t enjoy it on a good day and so far I have not had a good day with this one.

I did most of the stitch in the ditch quilting on the top border and thought things were going well until I checked the back and saw the tension was flat lining in places.

So I ripped it all out and decided it was the timing on my machine or maybe the thread I was using or the needle.  After working on the timing and changing the thread and needle I started over.

It is better but still I am having to check each little motif as I go along to make sure the tension is alright.  Sometime it still flat lines and I have to rip and do over.  At this rate It will be the next century before this one is finished.

Oh happy day maybe this just isn’t for me.

Chester Criswell Block 19

I made two versions of this months Chester Criswell block.

                   Block 19 Emily Carlile

Block 19 Margaret Criswell

Both blocks are made from the same pattern and I think I caught a subtle message in this months print out about there being a third year.  This is going to be a large quilt.

Auntie Green Update

 I have completed my Auntie Green shipment for this month.  Every month around the 15th I get a little package of fabric in the mail from Homestead Hearth.  It’s always fun to see what they have sent and to see if I can figure out where they want me to use each piece of fabric.
This month I had to trim my center block and add some borders so the background would be large enough.

I am very pleased with the fabrics they have sent so far and with the way the quilt is turning out.  The pieces are simple enough so it usually doesn’t take too long to get them prepped and stitched.
This is a good thing since I have several BOM appliqué quilts I am working on at the same time.
I hope you are finding some time to stitch,
Nancy

How About A Little Color - "Flower Pots"

I have been working on so much red and green fabric I decided I needed a little color in my life.

This is Flower Pots by Kim McClean.  

I really like Kim McClean’s patterns the  pieces  are large,  the curves are gradual and very easy to stitch and she lets the fabric do most of the work for you.

These blocks are only prepped and need to be stitch but it was a nice change to work with some of Kaffe  Fassett’s beautiful fabrics.

Happy Stitching.
Nancy

BB, CC and NM

I am working on so much red and green sometime it is a little confusing keeping each group of fabric seperate.

This is block two of the Benjamin Biggs quilt, BB.  I decided to make all the corner buds cheddar.  These blocks are so large, 16” finished.  I have made the first two blocks and am beginning to second guess my decision to make this quilt.

Block 18 of the Chester Criswell quilt, CC.
Mary McKissick’s Block.  The quilt has three of this block two red and one red and green.  I think I will stop with two.

                 

The next four blocks are of the Noah and Matilda quilt.  This one is one of my favorites.  I like the little 8” blocks and how different they are.

Noah and Matilda BOM

Some days I feel like I need to hurry up and hurry up.  I just finished the last stitches on the first 4 blocks of Noah and Matilda and today all the February blocks for all the quilts I am making came out and I am already behind again.
Noah and Matilda is the new BOM quilt from Dawn at Collector with a Needle.  If I remember correctly this is the third quilt I have made from one of Dawn's patterns.  She alway does a wonderful job drafting the patterns.  This one she is sending as a BOM.  Four blocks each month for a small fee.   The blocks finish at 8 inches and are set on point.

I haven’t been doing much stitching the past few days as I have my 7 year old Granddaughter staying with me and that’s a different kind of fun.

Happy Stitching,

Nancy

Auntie Green’s Wreath

I completed the wreath for Auntie Green’s Garden last night.  Please forgive the shadowing from underneath.  I was just too tried to take everything down before I took the picture.
Someone remarked that this was a big project  to undertake but I don’t think of it as a whole I  just worry about the part I am working on at the moment.  Then bit by bit you have a quilt top.
I wonder what part of the quilt we will stitch next month.
Happy stitching,
Nancy

Auntie Green’s Garden

This year I decided to purchase Auntie Green’s Garden by Irene Blanck as a block of the month from Homestead Hearth.

I have never made a block of the month quilt where you get all of the fabrics  picked out for you but I must  say I enjoy getting the little package of fabric every month.  I have added a couple of my stash fabrics for a little variety even tho it wasn’t necessary because they do send a nice selection.

                                                                                                                                                                                This is Decembers block all stitched and now I am working on the wreath of leaves that goes around this center pot of flowers. The packages come around the middle of each month so I have couple of weeks to get my January block finished before another one arrives.

Roberts Floral Garden

Four more blocks from Roberts Floral Garden are all prepped for stitching.

I really like this pattern.  I think it’s because the blocks are all different sizes.  It seems like lately everything I have been working on all the block are the same size just set in rows.

Some of the blocks are still missing their tiny circles.  I guess I will just have to spend a day and make little circles.

I may have to do something about those two little faces staring at me in this one although they are sort of comical.
Happy Stitching,
Nancy

Benjamin Biggs

My first block of the Benjamin Biggs quilt.  If it was a little smaller it would look just like a block from my Chester Criswell quilt.  Maybe I need to go in another direction with this one.
The reds are more maroon and have a little pink in them and I had planned on adding some dark pinks.  Oh dear what to do!
I think this one needs more thought.

Florabunda

I started Florabunda way back in May of 2010 and have just now put all the blocks together.  It was a free block of the month from Erin Russek of One Piece at a Time.
I first learned the freezer paper method of appliqué from Erin.
Erin has a wonderful site with lots of videos about this type of appliqué. She was one of the first if not the first  quilter to introduce this type of appliqué .
I made a little cutting mistake when cutting the background for the large center block and had to put a little border around it so it would fit.  Maybe after it’s all quilted it won’t be too noticeable.  I also put it together a little simpler than the original quilt but at least it is together and ready for quilting.
Happy stitching,
Nancy

Chester Criswell Quilt

Finally something to Post about.  I am all caught up with my Chester Criswell Blocks.

Block 13 Alice Criswell

I decided to just leave the horseshoe shapes off of block 13.  Too much stress involved in cutting those little things.  Anyway who will ever know the difference if they haven’t seen the pattern.

                                                    Block 14 Mary E Wilson

Block 15 Alice McClellan

I stitched two of blocks 14 and 15.  I believe there are three of block 14 and two of block 15 in the original quilt but two was enough for me.

 Block 16 Adaline Gibson

       Block 17 Criswell Gibson

This is block 14 all ready to press after soaking to remove all of the glue.  I always press my blocks when they are dry upside down on a clean white towel.  One other thing I try to remember to do is press with the straight of grain of the background fabric.  The straight of grain would be the direction of the selvedge or the direction without any stretch.
Try as hard as I may I always seem to find myself doing a little ironing instead of just pressing like you are supposed to.  If you go with the straight of grain there is less chance of stretching your blocks out of shape.
Hope everyone is well and back to stitching after the Holidays.
Nancy

Just Takes 2 – The Benjamin Biggs Quilt

Honestly, I think someone needs to do an intervention over here.  Maybe Sharon from Grass Roots Quilting and I can get a group rate.

This is the new block of the month being offered by  Sentimental Stitches called Benjamin Biggs.  Now it’s not like I don’t have three new block of the month quilts starting this year but they were not free and who can pass up a beautiful free one.
It reminds me somewhat of Beyond the Cherry Trees from a couple of years ago which still isn’t quilted.  I may choose to do this one in something other than red and green not sure yet.
So if you are an appliqué  addict like me hop over to Sentimental Stitches and sign up.
Merry Christmas to you all.
Nancy

Robert’s Floral Garden

Back in September I started prepping the blocks for Roberts Floral Garden.

I have had this pattern in my stash for several years.  In fact I bought it long before I ever thought I wanted to or could do hand appliqué.  So one day last September I decided to start working on the blocks.

  I had purchased the fabric Bread & Butter by Kaye England to make a different quilt and it’s been sitting on my table staring up at me for months when all of sudden I thought it might work for 

Floral Garden.

 So far I think it’s going pretty well.

I really enjoy prepping blocks for appliqué.  I think it’s a hang over from my child hood when I spent so may hours cutting out paper dolls.  It’s like putting together a puzzle and once the picture is made I am in no hurry to do the stitching.

Floral Garden has 13 blocks eleven are appliquéd and two are pieced.  Most of the appliqué blocks have some stem stitching.

 I have five more blocks to prep and I am just about out of the dark green fabric I have been using for the leaves.  It’s not from the Bread & Butter line.  What to do.  I doubt it’s still available since I have had it so long.

So I have come to a halt until I find some more green.

Happy Stitching,

Nancy

I am linking this post to Applique Tuesday on A Quilting Reader’s Garden.