Chester County Criswell and Scrappy Cheddar Squares

I finished making all the extra blocks for my Chester County Criswell quilt this week.  Some of the blocks in the quilt are repeated and since I have chosen to make my quilt more like the original I decided to go ahead and make the extra blocks so I would be up to date when the new year starts in September.
I went ahead and washed this years blocks and removed the starch and glue that I used to prepare the pieces.  Teresa from Fabric Therapy has an excellent post today about the process of removing Roxanne's glue from your fabric. This is basically how I remove the glue from my blocks.
The only thing left to do is square the blocks up to the correct size.
I haven't decided how I want to layout my quilt and I really hate squaring up appliqué  blocks so I will put this off as long as possible.

I also managed to get the binding on my Scrappy Cheddar Squares quilt.  I  used wool batting in this quilt and I really like the way it makes the feathers stand out.  If you would like to read more about how I made Scrappy Cheddar you can go here and here for previous  posts.

I hope you found some  time to stitch this summer.
Nancy  

Calico Paradise Progress

I have been making good progress on my Calico Paradise quilt.  I purchased the pattern from Dawn at Collector With a Needle .  It's a lovely pattern and Dawn has been a tremendous help to me in selecting fabrics.

Calico Paradise is going rather quickly. Once I got my mind around the fact that I was not going to be able to find fabrics exactly like the original it became easier.  I am happy with the ones I have been able to find and although it will not be like the original it pleases me.

Once I got the overlay made I used it to place several pieces at one time stitched them and then placed some more.  Holding this large piece of fabric in my hand to stitch became easier once the two large center pieces were finished.

There is still much to do but I must say I just love this quilt.  It is so bright and cheerful to work on.  I  have the pinks to add and they will really make it sing.
Happy stitching,

Lillian's Dresses

It's so much fun making these little dresses for Lillian.


Simplicity #1821

She won't be little long.  She's already three.

Macy Giggles Sundress
Izzy & Ivy Designs








Simplicity #2171

 I think this blue one is my favorite.

Simplicity #1924

Happy Stitching,
Nancy

A Year With Chester County Criswell

Block 12 - Martha Lamborn 

I finished block 12 the wreath block of my Chester County Criswell quilt last week.  I discovered after completing the block that the little flower centers were supposed to be done in reverse appliqué but no matter mine are not.

Here are all twelve of my blocks.  They haven't been squared up as I will do that when I have them all finished and decide how I want to arrange them in my quilt.
I also need to decide if I want to make the smaller version of the quilt or duplicate some of the blocks to make the larger version.  Sharon has a description of both versions  here.

I thought I had been doing really well keeping up with the blocks every month and was just about to start doing a little back patting when I paid a visit to Karen's blog.  How amazing she is.

It really doesn't seem like we have been working on this quilt for a year and I am looking forward to seeing what blocks Sharon sends us next year.
Nancy

Calico Paradise.

Just like lots of other people I have been so tempted by Esther Aliu's new 

Block of the Month Love Entwined.  

At first I was ready to jump right in and start the first block but after thinking it over I have decide to try and get some of the projects I have on hand completed before starting something new.  I will continue to save the patterns every month for 18 months and maybe make it at a later time.

So, I am starting Calico Paradise.  I bought the pattern some time back from Dawn at Collector With A Needle and have been collecting my fabrics.  The only ones I have not been able to find are the floral red and blue stripes that you use to fussy cut the birds, leaves and buds. I have spent lots of time at shops and on line searching for this type fabrics with no luck.

The center for Calico Paradise finishes at 52x63 and needless to say I don't have a light box that size or even a patio door I could use so I made a giant overlay out of upholstery vinyl and will use it to place my  pieces on the background.

 I have decide to use the template and starch method to make the appliqué pieces.  The method I use is described here.  With one difference.  Since the pattern is too large to place on a light box to trace the pieces reversed I had to figure out a way to reverse them.

Instead of tracing the patterns on the dull side of the freezer paper I used a sharpie ultra fine marker and traced them on the shiny side of the freezer paper.  That way I could have the original pattern right side up and would be able to see the pattern pieces through the freezer paper without a light box to trace them.  I must say Dawn did a fantastic job on this pattern.  The pieces are so easy to see through the paper.

Once the templates were traced on to the shiny side I ironed this piece of freezer paper  to another sheet of freezer paper placing the shiny side of this paper to the dull side of the freezer paper just like I normally would.  Not only does this reverse the patterns it also covers the sharpie marks so they don't get on your fabric and you are still able to see your markings just fine for cutting out the templates.

Then I proceed just like in these instructions.

Here are some of my pattern templates all traced and cut out. By the time I finished I could have used a trip to the appliqué clinic for a neck and hand treatment.

This is the center saw tooth template ironed onto the wrong side of the fabric.  I forgot to take any pictures of it after the edges were turned.

 Here it is under the huge overlay all pined in place.  Hindsight tells me I should have placed the center piece before this one so it could have been stitched first, but no way  am I starting over.

Finally it's all glued down and ready to stitch.  I need to buy stock in Roxanne's glue.
Once again I had thought about using invisible machine appliqué to stitch this quilt but have decide to go ahead and do it by hand. I am just not all that good at machine applique'.  I will just have to see how good I am at holding all this fabric in my hand while stitching.
Happy stitching,
Nancy

Google Reader's Demise

I have not been posting, reading or commenting on blogs for a while due to lots of different family issues but I just wanted to take a moment and post a reminder about Google Reader.

On July 1, Google Reader will be gone forever I have no clue why Google Reader is soon to be gone.  But, I have made the transition to Bloglovin to read up on the blogs I follow.  It was actually super simple and took just a few minutes.
I put a button in my sidebar if you wish to use Bloglovin to follow my blog.  The other option is to receive blog posts via email or you may have already chosen another blog feed system.

Karen from "Sew Many Ways" has an excellent post today about setting up your account on Bloglovin.  If you would like to read it go here.

I know there will always be change in the world, especially change with the computers and systems constantly upgrading.  I am not a big fan of change but it keeps happening so I guess we just have to learn to go with it.  I do hope we don't lose all the little pictures of our followers under Google Friend Connect.
Here's hoping  you will continue to follow my blog on whatever feed you choose.
Happy Stitching,
Nancy

Chester County Criswell Block 11

 William Criswell's block 

Jane Criswell's block

I made two versions of this block.  I must admit the history behind the names on this quilt is starting to get a little confusing to me even tho Sharon is doing a great job.  There is an excellent post here about the family tree.  I am just happy that Sharon is able to keep it all straight.  I really think she should write a book about this quilt.
I have just about run out of reds and greens and may repeat some but not too many.  Does anyone have any they could suggest.

Happy Sunday.
Nancy

A Quilt for Evelyn

Evelyn is almost a year old and I am just starting to work on her quilt.  I made a quilt for Lillian (here) to hang on her wall when she was about this age so Evelyn needs one too.
This is really a work in progress and I don't  have any idea which direction it will take.
I can see it needs more brown and maybe a little less green.
I enjoy working with liberated letters and continue to be inspired by designers like Tonya at Lazy Gal and Gwen Marston  along with Mary Lou Weidman.  Their work is so creative and original.

So she would not feel left out I stitched up two little dresses for Lillian.

Happy stitching,
Nancy

Sally Post Top

I have all my Sally Post blocks together - lots of pink and green going on here.   It's hard to tell just how they really look in this picture.
I am thinking I need to move to a house with higher ceilings so I have a place to hang my quilts.  That doesn't sound like an unreasonable request does it?
I am linking to Appliqué Thursday at A Quilting Readers Garden
Happy Stitching,
Nancy

Chester County Criswell Swap Block

Last Wednesday was a very exciting day.   My swap block arrived in the mail all the way from Australia.  It's very special for me to have a block from Sharon because this is her families quilt.
Such pretty fabrics and a special signature.  Thanks Sharon.
This months block was just released and I am anxious to start working on it.
Happy stitching,
Nancy

More little quilts & a Winner

First the winner of the giveaway is number 24 Annette.

Annette said this about the reason she reads blogs.

I LOVE blogging and bloggers! I am so inspired by blogs...including yours. So many talented quilters out there and within reach of a computer screen. Just amazing. And I appreciate the kindness and support from those who read mine. That keeps me motivated. The blogging world is an awesome community isn't it.

Most of the comments were similar to Annette's.   I think we just enjoy connecting with other quilters.  I know I do.  If you would like to connect with Annette go here.  Thanks to everyone who took the time to come by and leave a comment and congratulations to Annette.

This little quilt was made from a SAL by Cheri at quiltsbycheri's blog.  She calls it Piecework Sampler.  As hard as I try I just can't  pass up a SAL from Cheri.

My second little quilt was made from a pattern I won in a giveaway on Quilty Folk.  You should check out both of these blogs because they always have something interesting going on.

Finally let's not forget to remember and honor all of America's Heroes on this Memorial Day.

Pens for signing Quilt Blocks

I have had several inquires about the pen I used to sign my Priscilla Turner quilt block.
Not ever having signed a block before I wasn't sure which pen I should use so I did a Google search to see if I could get any information.  I did find several sites with recommendations about which pen to use. This site seemed to have the most information so I wrote down the names of the pens she recommend and went on a pen search.
I was not able to locate any of the ones she recommended so I decided to do a test for myself of the pens I was able to locate.

All of these pens claim to be permanent.  I used pre washed Kona  snow as my test fabric.  After writing on the fabric I heat set the names with a dry iron and then washed the sample with Dawn dishwashing liquid.  I then ironed it dry.

As you can see the Pigment Pro gave me the best results so this is the pen I used to sign my blocks.  In the sample it looks like I went over the writing twice with the pigment Pro but the first pen was out of ink so I traced over it.  I would recommend you do a test of the pen you might use to see what results you get.  We don't want our signatures to fade with time.  I wonder what type pen Rachel used to sign her blocks back in 1852 because the signatures still looks great.

Signing a Quilt Block

I have never signed a quilt block before  and have been putting it off for as long as possible.
Sharon the owner of the Chester County Criswell quilt and I decided to exchange  the Priscilla Turner block.

I have had the block appliquéd for some time now but couldn't bring myself to sign it for fear of making a mess of it.  Then I read a comment on the latest post Sharon did on her blog and decided what the heck.
I did iron a piece of freezer paper behind the  space to be signed  before I attempted to write on it.  Now I am not know for my handwriting abilities but I decided to just use my own handwriting instead of printing one on the computer.  Maybe next time I will use the computer.
Now to package and ship to it's new home in Gippsland.

Bonnie Hunters Easy Street

I finally got the binding on this huge quilt Bonnie Hunter calls Easy Street.  

It measures 99 X 99.

I must say my street wasn't all that easy in fact it had several pot holes.

 This one almost blew the tires off my car.  I have no idea what happened.  I was merrily quilting along - almost to the bottom of the quilt when all of sudden this terrible noise erupts from my machine and part of a needle goes flying by my head.  At first I thought I must have hit a pin but there were no pins in this area.  Still can't figure out what happened.

I had to remove the quilt from the machine to repair it.  Thank heaven for zippered leaders. A hole was torn all the way through to the back.  I replaced the two torn pieces on the front and ironed a small piece of fusible interfacing to cover the hole in the back then I stitched over it to hold in place.  I was so happy the backing fabric hid the stitching and now I have a hard time finding the repair.

Once repaired and back on the machine I finished the quilting and everything ended up fine.  I did have to retime my machine which I had never done before but it wasn't as scary as I had imagined.  No more giant quilts for me for a while.

Hope your are finding some time to stitch.

Nancy

PS:  Some people are writing they are having their comments disappear before they are able to get them posted.  I have no idea what the problem is but if I keep having all these problems with blogger I am going to have to make a change.  Anyone else having this problem?

A Little Giveaway

I was checking the stats on my blog today for no particular reason and saw where there have been over 160,000 Pageviews from 10 different countries and I have over 270 terrific followers..  Now I know that is not a lot for some blogs but for me it  feels amazing.
I think the best part of blogging for me is  communicating with so may different people from different parts of the world.  Lots of us don't even speak the same language but we communicate through a quilting language.
It made me feel like giving something away.
So if you would be interested in winning what's in the picture above leave a little comment about your favorite part of blogging or why you choose to follow a blog.
It would be great if you chose to follow mine.
Then on the 27th I will have the Random Number Generator choose a winner.
Happy Stitching,
Nancy

Sally Post

This is the second set of my Sally Post blocks just the cutest little things.  The final block will be posted by Sentimental Stitches on Saturday (today) and then I will have a all 36 blocks.  I am really looking forward to putting this one together. I still haven't decided if I should set it in the unusual way Sally did.
This was supposed to be a year long project with the PrimFolkArtQuilts yahoo group but I just couldn't seem to stop stitching.
I hope you can find some time to stitch today.
Nancy

Simply Fun and Lovers Links

I stitched the binding on two more of my binding pile quilts this week.  The first one is "Simply Fun" made from a pattern by Glad Creations, Inc.  I purchased the fabrics for this quilt on a trip to the Nashville quilt show back around 2005.  They no longer have the show in Nashville which I find sad because I enjoyed going to Opryland.

This next quilt is called "Lovers Links" and is from a pattern in a McCall's Quilting magazine from August 2000.

I made this one with the Stitch "N Sisters Club in 2005.

It's been fun turning some of this into this.

Lucky Me!

A nice surprise in the mail today.  

I was lucky enough to be chosen as the winner of the giveaway at Quilty Folk last week and the goodies arrived  today.  I am really looking forward to trying all these new needles and the pencil for marking my appliqué blocks.  I have already started cutting out one of the cute little quilts from this pattern.  What a nice giveaway, thanks Audrey.

Lori and Randy's Sow Along

Lori from Humble Quilts and Randy from Barrister's Block are have a medallion quilt sew along and this is my version of the center block.

This was my first attempt at the block but the vine fabric was just too light to suit me so I changed it and now I think it looks better.  

I don't think I am going to make the whole quilt maybe just the center and the first border.  I am into making little quilts at the moment and this one will fit on my little quilt wall nicely.

I decided to try machine appliqué on this little block.  I really prefer hand appliqué but there is only so much time - anyway as I was stitching along my machine decided it just didn't want to sew anymore.  I guess it thinks I work it too hard and has gone on strike.  It will turn on but won't stitch.  Now I have to decide if I want to invest anymore money in her of just go ahead and buy a new machine.  I am not a big fan of change and I have loved this machine but there does come the time when change is needed.