Finished or Not Friday: A New Tote and a Wall Hanging UFO Finish

I had to do some late Friday finishing so am a little late joining in with Quilty Girl Alycia for some "Finished or Not Friday" review! 

First off, a new project:  I made another tool tote for travel sewing:  I present my Catch-All Cutie II:

In 2021, I made my first “Catch-All Cutie” for my entry in a blogging challenge on the topic of “Zippered Accessories”.  

I love this pattern and its instructions are straightforward although not intuitive – it's best to just follow them verbatim step by step and in the end is actually very easy to make.  I added a twist to it in the form of a little container with a stuffed pincushion top to hold clips and pins which was inspired by a similar gift made and given to me by my MIL.  

This little tote is ingenious and indispensable when I travel with a sewing machine. I had made the original bag out of a "sewing themed" line of fabrics from a bundle that I had in stash.  With Red, Yellow and Aqua accents, it went well enough with the Red tote bag I had made for my Featherweight.  I made a point of putting Aqua and Yellow tools in it to coordinate.  It holds all the basic working tools you need when sewing while away.  Even better, when I fold down the sides, the inside pockets hold all the tools neatly and are easy to grab and put back as you sew.  Did I mention I love this bag?!?

So when when I purchased a new Juki machine last year and wanted to take it down to my MIL's, I also purchased a bag to transport it in.  I wound up getting an aqua colored one and admit I was thrilled my little “Cutie” coordinated with it too.  

However, eventually I found that I didn't like that if I alternated between which machine I carried, I had to make sure I moved the “Cutie” to that bag before traveling.  I have always held to the practice that with the exception of my house keys and ID, if I needed a specific thing/tool/item in more than one bag, I prefer to have multiples of that item and stock each bag I use them in with their own supply.  It only took about three trips (especially one where I started out with the plan to take the Featherweight but then switched and decided to take the Juki) to realize that I'd really like another “Cutie” – this time designed specifically for the Featherweight's tote.  

So I looked around for fabric to do just that.  I would have loved to get more of the Robert Kaufman Singer-themed fabric but that line had gone out of stock years ago.  I had a few scraps left though and knew just where in a new bag I could incorporate them if I could find other fabrics to coordinate with it.  

I lucked up on that when I saw prints from the “She Who Sews” line by J. Wecker Frisch in an Etsy shop one day.  There were Black and White and Red and White sewing themed prints with an “old-timey” look which was perfect for my needs.  I checked the fabric requirements in the pattern and saw that I only needed about a half yard of each to make the bag.  Sweet!  

Eventually I also caught both red and black Lori Holt zippers that were long enough for use on the exterior and interior on sale at Sentimental Stitches.  Later, the same vendor offered a beautiful pair of small black embroidery scissors with gold sunflower motifs on the handles.  The product description said how they reminded one of a Featherweight machine!  I agreed and even though they were on the pricey side, I ordered them anyway to add to the tools for the new bag.  

With an upcoming trip that I planned to take my Featherweight along with me, I got this new bag underway appropriately enough on “National Sewing Machine Day”.  Once again the instructions were straightforward although I had overlooked one important thing when I made the bag the first time:  the instructions do say that using directional fabrics is not recommended!  That had not been a factor for the fabrics used in the first bag but of course both of the fabrics I had purchased this time as well as my Singer scraps were just that, LOL!  

To add to the complications,  I wanted to feature certain motifs from the cover fabric on the sides of the bag.  Had I purchased a yard of each fabric it would have made it easier to finagle.  Fortunately, I was able to figure out how to make it all work by adding an additional seam at the bottom of the bag and get it made up for the trip.  Here it is in action:

I also ordered more tools to coordinate with this bag and they came in on Friday so now it is fully outfitted and ready for the next trip! 

Now for the UFO:  Americana Lone Star

As often happens, I decided to make this one to fill a need:     

I like to hang Red, White and Blue quilts during the summer or as I call it "the Patriotic Season" from Memorial Day until Labor Day which also includes July 4th.  The wall at the top of our entry stairs is one of my prime display spaces and I had finished the "Hometown USA" wall hanging seen above for it back in 2022.  In the past when I have hung quilts in this spot, I have also made companion wall hangings for the smaller space on the wall next to it like these: 

Pioneer Sampler and Honoring the Journeys

Jelly-ish Snowflake and Hello Luv

When I put up "Hometown" in 2022,  I had decided it was time to make a companion.  I started by looking through one of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine's compilations for "Patriotic Patterns".  Well it didn't take long to find one I had downloaded years ago and had always wanted to make.  

This was a goodie in that I was more than happy to follow the pattern cues for colors and was pretty sure I had fabrics in my RWB stash to execute it.  Even better, making a Lone Star quilt had always been on my quilt "Bucket List" and even though I have "fabric funded" a few projects, I hadn't made one yet.  

It did not take long to compile a project stash but a read of the pattern presented a new problem:  the pattern was designed to make a wall hanging that finished at 43 inches square but for my space I needed one of about 25 inches.  I figured out that if I made it using smaller blocks (6 inch Leymoyne Star corner blocks rather than the patterned 10 inch), it should fit my space.  However, I wasn't sure what size strips to use to piece the center Lone Star.  I had some estimates but not enough in my project stash to run a test.  

Fortunately at the time I was also embarking on another project that used Shot Cottons and since I had a big stash of those, I tested my block size theories using that stash.  The good news there is that not only did I get that done but I used the test block in the backing for that other project which at the moment is still awaiting quilting:

Strip size settled (1-1/2”), and after strip piecing the first star points I then realized I had to replace the diamonds cut out of the stripe fabric I wanted to use in the star point tips with "fussy cuts".  This was the only way to have the stripe run pointing into the tip the way I wanted.  For the Lemoyne Star corner blocks, I used my trusty Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star ruler and Deb Tucker's techniques to make the 6 inch finished blocks needed.  

Once the top was finished it sat for the usual reason:  how do I want to quilt this?  Then it continued to sit until now for the other usual reason: the season passed and other projects became a priority.  So much for an “I can make this up quick” project!  This year however, when the RWB quilts went out on display again, I decided I really wanted to get this done.  Even better, looking at the top with fresh eyes, I also immediately came up with a very simple quilting plan.

Right before we were due to go on a camping trip for my DH's vacation two weeks ago, I figured I would try to get this layered so I could quilt it as soon as we got back.  To that end, before leaving on our trip, I had hoped to try a new basting technique:  

My MIL had seen some videos on glue basting, tried one of them and liked the results.  While I have done it for bindings, I've never tried it for a whole quilt.  Before we left, I had set up to try to get it done but found that the containers of glue I had on hand wouldn't dispense!  I picked up some new ones and once back did get the basting done.  My opinion:  the method does work but just like when using it for basting a binding, it is important to use a light hand with the glue:  you want thin lines or small dots not glops and slathers!  

I will also note that like so many I've seen described, my center Lone Star block was not exactly “flat” and bubbled a bit in spots.  The condition was helped a bit by giving it a good press.  I also decided to "double batt" it when I layered it.  I was hoping to further minimize how much of the puffiness I would have to try to “quilt out” later.

And yes, these are Franken-batts!

I also had to change machines:  I started quilting this on my vintage Singer 401 because that was what was in the sewing table and I had recently worked on another project that needed its zigzag capabilities.  However, while it started out okay, I started getting a lot thread breakage and I have found that after awhile the walking foot on that machine starts to jam up.  So change of personnel:  I swapped my Juki into the table and got it done!  I was even able to use the new add-on guide unit for the walking foot for that machine.  Good thing I had finally caved and purchased it about a month ago.

So now it's done!

Bound with more of the outer border fabric and up on the wall!

So now the side display space is filled with a permanent entry for when I decorate for this season each year!   Hmm, I had to take the other frame I normally hang there down but me thinks I need to find a little seasonal sign to add under it.  If I don't find one, that need might wind up generating a new cross stitch project, LOL!

That will be it for finishes this month but as always there's a lot on the table for July so hopefully there will be more then.  Now I'm headed back over to Quilty Girl Alycia's to see what everyone else has been up to for "Finished Or Not Friday" this week.  Won't you join me there?

In Honor of National Sewing Machine Day

 As always a lot going on in the studio this week.  I was pleased to find out that today is National Sewing Machine Day.  

We quilters all appreciate how much the sewing machine contributes to our quilty crafting.  In my last post I had talked about wanting to switch over to my Juki machine but as of right now my Singer 401 is still in my sewing cabinet and the project it had been hard at work on was this one:

I had hoped to have finished these but I hit a snag.  I've put the project in time out for a while and then will try to take another stab at it.

In the meantime, a new project has been started:  

These are blocks for "Apple Crisp", a design that originally appeared in the October 2010 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine and is now available free on their website.  

When I started quilting, "background fabrics" for me were almost always light to dark tans because I worked with a lot of shaded fabrics and Civil War reproductions.  However in recent years as I've embraced more fabrics in the brighter modern palette, I have expanded my use of backgrounds to include more whites and white-based "low volume" prints.  

In the process, the darker tans had been languishing but when I saw this lovely project on the APQ website a few years back, I loved its Fall vibe and thought it a perfect way to cull some of the darker tans from my background stash.  Although I had pulled together the group of tans for it a good while ago, the big push to start it now has to do with an upcoming event. 

 Angela Walters is getting ready to do another of her "Free Motion Quilting Challenge Alongs " this time with the theme of "How Do I Quilt It?".  She will be covering stitching designs on Chevron, Log Cabin, Curved and Snowball blocks.  I have a top ready for the Log Cabin session and realized that this was the perfect time to get "Crisp" started since half of the blocks for it are Snowball blocks.

According to the Challenge schedule, Angela will start showing designs for stitching Snowball blocks on July 16th.  If I can stick to a schedule of stitching "Daily Blocks",  I could have the top ready for quilting by then.  I really look forward to seeing what ideas she has that I might be able to use to quilt this one up quick!

However, having made a schedule for daily stitching I did have one issue:  we are going on vacation next week.  In order to stick to the schedule, that means I'll need to take my stitching with me.  Fortunately that's not a problem as I've already put my trusty Featherweight with the travel stuff:

When I took my Juki on my last two travel trips,  I realized something:  the "Catch-All Cutie" I had made a few years ago and love to bring as part of my "sewing machine travel kit" was colored perfectly to go with the Tutto bag I had purchased for toting my Juki machine.  

Rather than having to move that tote between the two travel bags, I thought about making another one that I can leave in my Featherweight tote bag.  I saw some cute "old-timey" fabric on Etsy and knew I still had a little of the "Singer" fabric leftover from making the Featherweight tote bag:

All of this would be perfect for a new "Cutie"!  Recently I also saw that Gaye at Sentimental Stiches had a pair of scissors that I thought went perfectly with my Featherweight so purchased those too (in the lower left) to go in the new "Cutie" bag.  When we get back, I plan to order one of the Lori Holt Red Olfa Splash rotary cutters to add to it as well.  

So as of right now I've cut all the parts out (although still debating between the handle choices on the lower left) and hope I  can get it made up before we leave on Sunday.      

Because it's that time of the year, the Red, White and Blue quilts have gone up for the "Patriotic Season" (May to September) so I also hope to get back to work on these in the coming weeks:

Two years ago, I got as far as quilting the front and back panels for a cover for a pillow for my living room chair so hopefully this year I can assemble and finally finish it.  I also pieced a Lone Star wall hanging that year but could not decide how to quilt it.  

Looking at a picture of it recently,  I suddenly realized exactly how I want to do that.  When we get back, I'm going to try layering it using a glue basting method from You Tube that my MIL has tried and says works great.  If it works for me too, I can get that quilted and hung up --- hopefully by month's end! 

One of the things that had attracted me to quilting was finding out that all of the construction of a quilt  can be done completely by machine.  Having grown up in the days of Home Ec training in school, I was excited to find a new use for a sewing machine.  Over twenty years on, it is still a thrill to put the "pedal to the metal" and get a quilt out of it, LOL!!  I hope you are having an enjoyable time working with your machine today and if not, pull it out and take it for a celebratory spin!   

To Do Tuesday: Trip Recap and Plans For the Rest of the Week

It's been a while but I am back again for another:

Hosted by Carol at Quilt Schmilt

My DH and I are back from the trip for the family funeral that I mentioned in my last post.  We wound up staying an extra day so only got back yesterday.  While you hate for a death to be the reason for extended family to get together,  it was a happy opportunity to re-connect with three generations of family and friends we hadn't seen in a long while.  Another plus is that plans were put in motion for a family reunion for next year.  

However, with all the visiting with family, it meant less time than expected to spend quilting with my MIL.  We did get to a few things:  I made up the backing for the "Heartland" 3 Yard Quilt top I had started on our visit to her last Fall.  I had purchased the backing fabric for it during the shop hop we did then and finished the top once I got back home.  

Now having brought it back down with me, I managed to get it loaded on her longarm frame in the hopes of quilting it on this trip.    

The day I did that, I also had the opportunity to show something to the daughter of another of my MIL's sisters.  The last time we were together was eight years ago and I had gifted her mother a quilt while she was in the hospital that I had originally made for myself for Spring decorating.  When her mother passed, the quilt was passed on to the daughter.  Now I have finally used the pretty floral fabric I had leftover from that quilt project to make this new one for myself.  

Once everyone left, I finished picking out an edge to edge design to quilt it with.  The design I wanted to use was kind of dense so I formatted it to be stitched more spread out on the top.  However, that created issues due to the limited experience I have working with the machine and rudimentary knowledge on how to get the design to stitch out.  I spent the rest of the night trying figure out how to get it to work but couldn't.  Knowing we'd be out most of the next day, I ultimately had to pull it back off the frame and initially decided to just bring it back home and quilt it on my DSM instead.  

Because we decided to stay an extra day, we did manage to also load a smaller wall hanging my MIL had pieced.  Once again there was a lot of back and forth and layout changes made to how we thought we could get the design she picked to stitch out.  We ultimately were able to get that one done.  Fortunately that also meant we got to demo the machine in action for her friend, another quilter, who was also staying with her.  It was not perfectly stitched but my MIL was happy with the results.  

The good news is that some of what I learned working on that and from our previous session back in February have given me some insight into how I might take another shot at getting the "Heartland" quilt successfully longarmed.  So I will bring it back again on our next trip down in the Fall.   Like they say, every project is practice for the next one!

Unfortunately, no work done on these two!

I didn't find all the kinds of custom stitch patterns I wanted for the other quilt I brought down (in the Apples bag) that I wanted to longarm so that too didn't get worked on.  Since we were in and out most days, I never got around to doing any piecing on the project I brought for that (in the project bag).  So those two will have to wait as now that I am back home, the machine currently in my table needs a long over do cleaning and oiling session:

And since my 401 is the only zigzag machine in the house, before I take it out of the table I want to work on two projects that need that feature.   

Ever since the pandemic, I've wanted to make a "Jelly Roll Rug" for my kitchen.  I got the pattern and the bulky batting rolls back then and finally caught the jelly rolls I wanted on sale in 2022.  Since I am also trying to Spring clean the quilt space in particular and the house in general, getting this project done will help with both!  

Zigzag Project #2 will be to finally work on Pat Sloan's "Breakfast Club" applique Quilt Along that she hosted from January to March.  

I've had the fabric sitting on my sewing table since then but other projects took priority.  Since this is also planned for the kitchen, getting it done will add to the Spring spruce-up to be done in there.   So I figure those will be the priority quilt projects for this week and possibly the next.  The hope is after that I'll swap my Juki in to the sewing table and try to get in a free-motion quilting groove and work on my "To Be Quilted" backlog until the start of Summer.

On the cross stitch front, the project I took for stitching on the way down has moved forward some:

Pattern by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle and Thread

When I left, only the "IT", the "D" and part of the "G" had been done and that last letter had to be re-done because I had started the placement of it wrong.  I had thought this would be an easy stitch since it's so open.  However, I am still getting my sea legs on stitching on Evenweave so didn't get as much done while away as hoped.  I also made some last minute thread changes last night, grabbing two colors from other projects (one finished, one in progress) that had what I was looking for.   So now I'll continue with it this week until I get the stitching done.  Hopefully then I'll get the project bag it is going to be part of done next week.   

That should all be more than enough to keep me busy as I expect we'll also need to sign up for shifts in our community garden now that it's open for the season.  Still hoping May will be a little less frantic than the last few months have been.  It helps too that we are all enjoying more sunshine and warm weather now that Spring has fully sprung!   And when you come back inside, take some time to also check out what everyone else has going on for this week over at Quilt Schmilt!

April Recap: Still Busy and Now Blue (and White)

Warning:  As usual since this is a month long recap, it's pretty long so strap in!

The busyness of the last two months has continued a pace.  Our community garden's Season Opening/Earth Day Celebration on the 20th went well.  

 "Mother Earth" (Our Garden President) and some happy Butterflies celebrate the day!

Being in charge of organizing the garden's set up for the day was stressful right up to the end!  While glad to have done it and with ideas for improving it next year,  I would also be more than glad to hand the reins to someone else next year!

As noted in my post for March I had started a blue and white Bargello quilt for decorating for the Spring season.  That quilt is now basted and while I have tried sketching out designs for quilting it, I haven't settled on one yet:

One other thing we were also waiting on this month was word of the health condition of my MIL's ill sister.  Unfortunately, the day after the garden event we were told she lost her battle with lung cancer so now we are organizing things for a trip back down to North Carolina for her funeral.  

My DH and I will be staying at my MIL's house and although it will not be a long trip (this Thursday until Sunday),  I am also packing for our usual mini quilt retreat.  I had gone down to comfort my MIL when her husband passed away in 2020 and had found that what time we could spend together quilting helped blunt the pain of the grief she was feeling so I want to be ready to do that again.

While I had put together the Bargello quilt, I had ideas for two more blue and white quilts.  One was based on a Fat Quarter bundle I had seen on Etsy while shopping for fabrics for another quilt (and more on that later).

Fat Quarter and Half Yard Bundles available from Neemerone on Etsy

As I have noted in the last two years, my new "go to" easy quilt design is the "9 Fat Quarter Disappearing Nine Patch" that I learned about from a You Tube video.  I have finished two so far:

The Last Dash and Lavender Love

When I saw that the FQ bundle above contained nine fabrics, two of which were Grunge, I knew I had to have it and knew just what design I'd make it up in!  However, I replaced the Grunge pieces it came with and added those to the stash I am trying to build of those fabrics.  

The light blue Grunge in the bundle was replaced with a tone-on-tone fabric that was used in the Bargello quilt.  When I realized that it would work here too, I was fortunately able to find more of it.  The white Grunge was replaced with a light batik from my stash.  So that top is now done too!

The fabric bundle was anchored by four indigo prints from Debbie Maddy's "Yukata" line for MODA.  Debbie's Shibori dyed fabrics are reproduced by MODA for her fabric lines.  Ironically,  I have a label panel of MODA designers and one of the labels happened to be by Debbie Maddy!  So of course, I had to use it for this quilt.  

To do so,  I purchased some yardage of a print from one of her other lines ("Kawa") and used that to make the backing for this quilt.    

This has now been put with the things I plan to take down with me.  I am hoping I might be able to quilt it on my MIL's longarm while there.  

It should be noted that this is actually an alternate project to take along.  Originally my plan was to take my Juki sewing machine down with me and resume the quilting of yet another FQ Disappearing Nine Patch quilt I had started as a gift for one of the Steering Committee members of my garden.  

What's funny is that I hadn't unpacked this machine since I took it with me on our last trip down to my MIL's back in February!  However, as plans for family members to attend the funeral got underway, the plans changed to having us ferry some relatives down with us in our car.  That means we would not have as much cargo space as originally planned.  So I decided that I would nix taking the Juki in favor of taking my Singer Featherweight and the new FQ Disappearing Nine Patch project both of which will take up less space than what I originally had planned to bring.

I am also taking another top that I had made after our trip to my MIL's last Fall for the All Carolinas Shop Hop.  I had expected to long arm it on the trip in February but didn't get to it.  So it and the batting for it are also packed.  

I had also planned to bring a scrappy piecing project:  Bonnie Hunter's "Shoo-Fly Shoo".  However, now that plan has changed too.  Ironically, all the recent blue and white quilt project setups had actually started with finding a blue and white fabric picked up when I had visited my MIL in 2020.

I had gotten this fabric as part of a scrap bag I purchased on our first trip to the Keepsake Quilting/Pineapple Fabrics Outlet which had opened that year.  I had come across the scrap bag in March while cleaning up my quilt space and was surprised to find that this "scrap" piece was actually a little over a yard!  After I had put out the few Blue and White Quilts I had for Spring, I got the idea to see if I could find a design that could utilize this fabric to make up another one.  That is when I found the Bargello design but then realized that I already had other fabrics in house to make it.  However, I still wanted to find a design that could use the "scrap" fabric.

In mid-April, Pat Sloan previewed "Celebrate with Quilts", the new book by Lissa Alexander and Susan Ache in one of her daily videos in anticipation of a Quilt Along.  I thumbed through the book along with her since I had picked it up when the Fat Quarter Shop ran a book sale at the end of last year.  That's when I saw this quilt using the "Baby Bunting" block from the book:

Since one of the Blue and white quilts I have on display is this mini I made back in 2017:

I immediately thought the blue and white "scrap" print would be great made up in the "Bunting" quilt and I'd love having another quilt with a basket design!  A bunch of blue fabric purchases later and yet another blue and white "kit" had been established.

With the adjustment to our travel plans, I figured that if I take the FQ Disappearing Nine Patch quilt, I'd just as soon take the piecing for the "Bunting" quilt along instead of the scrappy project.  So I've prepped the block sets for it.

The book gives instructions for making this block in four sizes and my plans are to make it in the nine inch finished version for the lap quilt size I want to make.  The good news there is that all the pieces for the block could be die cut since I have the 9" Cube set from Accuquilt:

This is the first time I've used it!

Of course I am also taking cross stitch with me for the drive down and back.  I admit with the garden work,  I had been too distracted (and pooped) to concentrate on the "Harriet Tubman" piece I had been working on.  Then I saw a You Tube video where 123Stitch.com announced they were doing a Spring Stitch Along!  Although I have shopped with them, I had not been aware before then that they A) had a You Tube channel or B) hosted Stitch Alongs.  So with the usual nod to "squirrels" and FOMO,  I had to make plans to join in!

What I liked about the design they are using is that it is a Lizzie Kate pattern and that is a designer I have not stitched before.  I also liked that they were going to use a decorative button to complete part of it.  Of course, I then decided to take it to the next level:  my plans were to do less stitching of the motifs in it and use even more decorative buttons to create it.  So I found these on Etsy:

A chance to try a new way of embellishing a CS project.

However, while I will take this with me it is not what I'll be stitching on the way down.  At the time I had set up this project, I thought I had an empty project bag to put it in but couldn't find it.  During the AC Shop Hop in the Fall, I had picked up pieces of an older line of Pat Sloan's fabric.  I had decided that I'd use it to do another popular Cross Stitch thing:  make a project bag out of it!  

Not content to just work with the fabric, I noted there had been a pattern I had seen a while back that I had liked and realized it was the perfect thing to incorporate into the project bag.  Luckily enough when I went to look for it, it was on sale so yet another cross stitch project was born!  

This is also another chance for me to practice stitching on an Evenweave fabric.  I had started doing so for last year's Stitch June and I am hoping that this even easier stitch will get me in gear to resume that project.   Actually it looks like I will be attacking this frog design another way -- I see I already need to do some "rippit, rippit", LOL!!  I am hoping that I can finish it during the trip and can start the 123Stitch SAL project during the ride back.  We'll see!  

April has once again been a whirlwind, let's see if May will calm down a bit for a change of pace!