It's like a new machine... Gobble gobble

It's funny how we can get used to how things work. I can't believe how zippy and fast the fabric passes under the presser foot now. Those feet really grab hold now and pull the fabric through versus the pushing and pulling I found myself doing sometimes.

I gave up on the "pattern" for the Moda baby quilt using the gobble gobble squares. Once I got started on these this weekend, there was no stopping until the quilt top was done. The question is now, how to finish it. I have some brown fabric for a border I think I'm going to use but I'm not sure what backing fabric I'll use. Here's the top...


It turned out I had 12 blocks left and immediately thought to make a pillow. I sewed the 12 blocks together and cut the square down to 12.5 for a smaller pillow cover. I found a complementary batik piece of fabric for the backing. The back pieces I cut to 8.5" each and then turned down a 1/2 inch on the edge and sewed a 1/4 seam to finish the opening that would receive the pillow insert when it is all finished.

To prep for sewing, I placed the pillow face up and the two backing pieces face down and sewed all around the perimeter. I sewed a few back and forths on the edges where the back pieces overlap for stability and here you have it, my matching little pillow. I love how the little pillow turned out! Of course, I only have a 14, 16 & 18" pillow form. I need to stop by the craft store and get a 12" square pillow form.

Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

Four Breast Cancer Warrior Quilts Finito!!

I am 100% done with the Four Breast Cancer Warrior Quilts that I started back around June. It seems like I have been working on these for months and months.... Wait, I have. However, since I can only sew on the weekends, a lot of progress has been completed over these couple months.

I can say I am finally found my rhythm with hand sewn binding. It took a quilt and a half and then I was whip stitching like crazy. One a night since Wednesday. At first after the first binding my little finger I use to push the needle was so sore.

Then, I came up with a compromise. I had a box of spot band-aids and used them as makeshift thimbles for my middle finger which I use to push the needle through the binding. One on top near the nail and then one near the middle section. It worked like a charm!! Probably shouldn't be used for hard needle work because they are apt to puncturing. Terrible photo but you get the picture.

But, I can finally say, I am done !! Now, time to box them up and ship them out to the ad agency. I hope a few of mine go to hang in the hospitals for Breast Cancer Awareness month before they are given to a recipient. I hung them over the banister (so you can see on each one where they bow out over the carpet) and took my final photos. What a nice view below:

Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~

Busy Weekend for Quilts and Butterflies

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend!

Breast Cancer Warrior Quilts Status

I had a great visit with my sister and my nephew. I did not complete much sewing on Saturday/Sunday/Monday early since I had guests. However, I was on a roll once I put my mind and my new walking foot to it.

The end result is, I have 4 quilts ready to have their bindings turned and sewn down. Since I accomplished "sew" much, "sew" fast, I decided I am going to finish the bindings by hand. Over the next 4 nights, I'll sew while watching TV and hope to have them completed by the end of the weekend!!



Embellishment Cover

There were a few rhinestones that did not make it through all the handling of the quilts when I was adding the binding. That was until I figured out a way to protect any blocks that had excessive embellishments. I purchased some Glad Press'n Seal and then cut a piece of paper the size of the block to cover. I placed the paper on the block and then covered with the Press'n Seal around the edges. The paper protected the block and the embellishments from sticking to the Press'n Seal. When I came close to stitching in the ditch near the block, I lifted the Press'n seal, sewed the block, pressed it back down and kept going. Worked like a charm!


Butterflies Everywhere

Every time we turned around we had new butterflies this weekend. What perfect timing to have my nephew here to see the process. I think we released 3 and we have 4 about to be released tonight with about 3 more chrysalises to go. The good news is, the lid that dropped had all of it's butterflies hatch!!

Here are a few photos. Too many to choose from. Some are blurred by the netting and others came out clear. The last two show a new butterfly just minutes after it came out of the chrysalis and then a few minutes later once the wings expanded.

If you look closely at the left photo, you can see the butterfly in the chrysalis.

Soaking up some nourishment and then just hanging around drying

Before and after the wings expanded

Room with a View - Hung the netting in the window

Thanks for stopping by!
~*~Trish~*~