Fooling Around With Kaffe

Or maybe I should say "fooling around with the Kaffe design roll". I have most of the pairs sewn together at this point and started to play around with how to lay them out. This was what I was originally planning to do

but, I don't think I like how all the prints sort of mush together.....especially as you keep adding blocks. I think it needs sashing. 

I'm pretty sure I like that better, but it means more cutting so that's the disadvantage. I will keep on working on this one. 

The rest of the day was customer quilts. 

I got this one finished; I still need to trim it and cut some binding. I got another loaded and partially done:

Isn't that rose quilt pattern pretty in pink thread? I've used that quilting design three times in the last couple of weeks. I'm happy about how well it is working out.

It was rainy and cool all day; when I got back to my shop from running an errand, I had a friend waiting for me.

I keep a plate of cat food by the back door for the stray cats that roam around here. He was letting me know the plate was empty. He is a regular here and looks pretty chubby so he may be a neighbor cat who has figured out where he can get a second meal.

To Do List Tuesday 11-1-22

It's November! My list from last week was the same as the week before:

1) Spend 15-30 minutes each day cutting up the small pieces into useable squares and strips. Sorry to say I pretty much fell of the wagon on this one. I remembered yesterday that I was supposed to be doing this, and cut a few, but I wouldn't really count it as progress.

2) Work on the Kaffe Fassett design role. I started last week, but haven't gotten farther than adding a black strip to each strip. I’m making progress on this one. Slowly but surely.

I will continue to sew the pairs together and get them ironed.

3) Bind the customer quits I quilted last week. Mostly done. Three of them are ready to be picked up, and the fourth one is in progress. In fact, it will be finished by the time this post goes live.

What's on my to-do list for this week. Hmmmm, that's a hard one. I will be in Houston Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for the quilt festival, so definitely no sewing or quilting will be done then. For the rest of this week:

1) Get some more done with the scraps....as in every day that I am in town.

2) Get two customer quilts done.

3) Get the binding done on customer quilts.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, productive week filled with all the things that make you happy. Today I am linking to TexasQuiltGal. 

Halloween

Another month gone.... and I forgot to publish this post this morning! Hmmm, wonder what else I have forgotten to do today? 

We had a potluck at church yesterday. Any month that has five Sundays, we do a potluck on the 5th Sunday. I think it's a cool idea. Of course, I never know what to take to stuff like that. I played it safe and made potato salad.

I try to make stuff Bill and I don't mind eating for a few days in case there is bunches left over. It was also Reformation Sunday and we were reminded to wear red. That always confuses me as I don't seem to have anything red to wear other than tee shirts, even though it's my favorite color. I had ordered a shirt from one of the Facebook ads (note to self: don't do that again). What I got was straight from China and crazy looking.

It's a super bright orangey red. I was going to send it back, but of course, there wasn't a return label or any paperwork of any kind, so......I put it on with some black slacks and called it good. I'm sure everyone could see me coming! 

Happy Halloween peeps!

Some Me Time

I spent most of yesterday on customer stuff. I had Chris’s quilt on the frame.

It’s the same kit I bought from the LQS. I finished the piecing but haven’t had time to quilt it. 

For whatever reason, mine had a different color of border. It will probably go on my 2023 UFO list. Oh well, customer stuff pays the bills; my stuff doesn’t. 

I stopped a little early so I could do some of own sewing. I got to play with my new machine.

So far, no issues with thickness. No hesitation and no skipped stitches. I’m happy with it. I also worked a little on the Kaffe design roll. I keep a stack by the machine so I can do a few whenever there is an opportunity.

I got quite a few done and feel like maybe I am making some progress.

I have maybe 20 or 30 more pairs left to sew, and then I can start on the sashing. All in good time I guess.

Making Progress

Yesterday felt like one of those days when you just spin your wheels and don't get too much done, but when I looked at the camera roll on my phone, I think I did more than I thought. I got a quilt on the frame and finished.

I don't know if you an see the quilt pattern or not, but it is called Animal Crackers and has lions, elephants, and giraffes in it. I also got the binding cut for this one. I hope to get it put on tomorrow if things go well. 

I got the binding sewn down on two other quilts. I had already sewn the binding to the back and pressed it to the front, so only had to topstitch it down.

I really like the Tula Pink prints in the second one. I'll be sad to see that one go home. It's a simple design, but the colors are so pretty. 

When I left my shop on Thursday, I stopped at the Midcoast Family Thrift Store (it's part of the Midcoast Family Services that I make quilts for), and found two Pyrex baking dishes.....$3.00 for both of them.

I think some of mine are now living at my daughter's house, or maybe my mom's house, so I was excited to find these. I also found this tea kettle which I took to my shop.

I'm not sure if it will go on the stove or on a shelf, but it was too cute to pass up. I don't plan to use it; I just like the way it looks.

So today is an early football game. I wish it wasn't so early, but it's their last game of the season, so I am going to make an effort to be there. A customer is coming later today to talk about some memory quilts she wants made. Not sure how long that will take, but I want to spend enough time with her to get a good feel for what she wants. I truly like doing the memory quilts, but it always feels like a big responsibility.

Update on Quilt Guild

We had our quilt guild meeting yesterday, and the ladies from Joseph's Warriors were there to pick up quilts and pillowcases. Most of the charity sewing I have done this year has been for Joseph's Warriors and Midcoast Family Services. Of course, I have done a few for Quilts of Valor, but those are more sporadic. I found two more quilts at my shop that I had forgotten to take to the guild, and got busy Wednesday and made pillowcases to go with them. 

I had enough leftover fabric from the quilts to make the cuff and the flange for each case, and I have a bolt of the solid yellow I used for the main part. I realize the solid yellow is obnoxiously bright with the second one, but it is what I had here. Here is a link to Joseph's Warriors if you want to read more about their organization.

One of the ladies is coming back in January to do a workshop on adding borders to a quilt. She brought a sample along, and I am pretty anxious to do the workshop.

I really like medallion-style quilts, so I will definitely enjoy this one. I have already signed up and paid the instructor's fee. It was $25.00 so that is a pretty good deal. Of course, we will furnish our own fabric, but somehow I don't think that will be a problem.

Thankful Thursday

I got my new to me sewing machine unboxed and set up. I’m liking it so far…..sewing through the clothesline rope I use for the rope bowls and bags doesn’t seem to phase it at all.

The real test will be when I start zigzagging everything into a circle. I like the black—my other Janomes are white, but I didn’t really consider the fingerprint problem.

I’ll just need to be a little more diligent about keeping it clean. I’m not guaranteeing that will happen. 

I did get to make a trip to Ganado a few days ago. She has the new William Reue fabric line. I think it is called Log Tavern Road.

It’s super pretty. It took most of my resistance to not buy any. I still have the fat quarter pack I bought from the Madison One line. Until I use it, I don’t want to buy more. They had a sample quilt made up in the new line.

Simple, but very effective at showcasing the fabrics. 

Today is quilt guild. The lady from Joseph Warriors is coming to collect our charity quilts. More about that later.