Weekly Update - First Quilt Top Done!

Yay!!!! I finished my very first quilt top!!!!

*grabs the nearest person and does the dance of joy*

 

And here it is: Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) designed by Karen Combs and hand pieced by Yours Truly!

 

If I'm this excited now, you can just imagine what I'll be like when I get it quilted and bound. :D

Deanne Eisenman of Snuggles Quilts has posted the August installment of her Block of the Month series, Cat and Mouse. I started cutting the pieces, but unfortunately I didn't have enough background fabric. I've got some more on order, but it doesn't come in until next Tuesday.

Anyway, here's what I did get done.

So, the plan is to start piecing my next quilt tonight. Tomorrow, the other sew-along I plan to participate in is supposed to start. Then, after I get paid next week, I need to head to the store and buy some of the supplies that I need to finish Batik Cascade and then order the rest. After that, I'll have to wash the background fabric for Cat and Mouse and get going on it. Looks to be a busy week.

Weekly Update

I've been bitten by the quilting bug, and I've got it bad. I'm still working on Batik Cascade and the BOTM, but I've just decided to join another sew-along which starts late next week, I've got 3 more quilts planned, I have a kit I haven't started, and I have 2 sets of novelty fabric that I need to design quilts for which will probably make at least 3 more quilts. So that's a total of at least 10 projects and I've yet to finish my first quilt top. Good grief! I'm having fun, though. :)

Speaking of that first quilt top, I got another row finished on Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs and started on the next.

That makes 10 rows done and just 3 more left to do. I plan to go ahead and start quilting it right away, but I'll have to order backing fabric and buy batting and quilting thread first which I won't be able to do until after next paycheck, and I hope to have it finished before then. So, I'll probably start piecing the next quilt while I'm waiting. I washed and ironed some of the fabric for that one today, so I'll be set to go when I finish piecing Batik Cascade.

Don't worry, this isn't turning into a quilting blog. I'll wake up some morning and decide I need a break from quilting and get back to my other projects. In the meantime, I'm up to my eyeballs in fabric and loving it. ;)

Weekly Update

Quilting:

I finished sewing row 8 of Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs to the rest the top, pressed it, and made a good start on row 9.

Swedish Weaving:

I made some more progress on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

Weekly Update

Sorry about the awful pictures and the lateness of the post, but I haven't been feeling well lately. Anyway, here's what I had done on Wednesday.

Quilting:

I did another row on on Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs and almost finished sewing it to the rest of the quilt. That makes 8 rows now.

Swedish Weaving:

I got some more work done on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

Weekly Update

Quilting:

I did 2 more rows on Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs. I now have 7 rows completed: a little over halfway done.

Swedish Weaving:

I did a little more on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly. I'm finding that it's a good project to work on while watching videos.

Weekly Update

I did nothing but quilt this week (I only wish that were literally true). I did the 5th row of Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs from start to finish.

Weekly Update

Cross Stitch:

I made good progress on Brilliant Butterfly Celebration from The Gold Collection by Dimensions. The top part of the "frame" is almost done.

Finishing:

I finished the hem on Purple Passage from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly and started on the beading.

I had originally intended to do netting around the edge, but that didn't work. So I tried fringe at the bottom and that didn't work either. I finally settled on a single row of beads around the edge, but it took me a couple of tries to figure out how to sew them on properly.

Once I'm done with these, I've got to figure out some sort of hanger.

I've decided that I don't much like beading. Darn things are slippery and don't stay where they're put.

Quilting:

I've got the first 4 rows of Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs sewn together.

I've gotten distracted again. Deanne Eisnenman of Snuggles Quilts is doing a Block of the Month (BOTM), and it looked like fun so I decided to join in. She's on the third month already so I have a bit of catching up to do, but not too much. I'll continue to work on Batik Cascade as well.

For May, she's chosen a Rolling Stone block. Every time I see the name of this block the following song starts going through my head.

So far, I've got the first 2 rows of the block almost completely sewn together, and have started the first unit of the third row.

I didn't get anything done on my other projects.

Weekly Update

Swedish Weaving:

I finally got the last motif done on the first half of the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly. Now I'm ready to turn it around and work on the second half.

Quilting:

I sewed the first 3 squares of the 4th row together on Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs.

Cross Stitch:

I made quite a bit of progress this week on Brilliant Butterfly Celebration from The Gold Collection by Dimensions.

Crochet:

For my crochet project, I pulled out the Morning Glory afghan designed by Michele Maks again. You can see what I'd got done last time here.  This week I finished one of the blue flowers, so I now have 12 blue flowers out of the 28 needed, 2 of which have been sewn to the 1st panel, and 2 of which still need the ends woven in.

I also crocheted the first square for the 3rd panel and started a second.

I didn't get my knitting and blackwork projects out yet. I had planned to, but illness and jury duty got in the way. Hopefully I can get started on them this week. Also, I hope to be able to get to the store this week to buy supplies for the finishing project I have in mind.

Weekly Update

I'm getting bored working on the same one or two projects all the time, so I've decided to try something new.  Since I do so many different types of needlework, I figure that if I keep one project for each type of needlework out I should have enough variety to keep from getting bored and still actually finish things occasionally. It should make the blog a bit more interesting to look at as well. So, I plan to have one each of the following types of projects going at all times: crochet, cross stitch, knitting, blackwork, Swedish weaving, quilting, and finishing.

For my Swedish weaving project, I'm still working on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly. I got a little bit done on it this week.

My current quilting project is still Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs.  I got the 3rd row done and sewn to the first 2 rows.

For my cross stitch project, I pulled out Brilliant Butterfly Celebration from The Gold Collection by Dimensions again. You can see how far I'd gotten on it last time here. The first square section is completely done now, backstitching and all.

I haven't pulled out any crochet, knitting, or blackwork projects yet, but I have plenty of UFOs to choose from. I have a finishing project in mind, but I have to wait for next payday before I can buy supplies.

Weekly Update - Feathers To And Fro Afghan & Batik Cascade

I got the first 2 rows sewn together on Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs.

I'm still working on the last big motif on this half of the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

Weekly Update - Feathers To And Fro Afghan & Batik Cascade

I've finished the first 2 rows of Batik Cascade (Batik Go-Round) by Karen Combs.

Speaking of Karen Combs, she was travelling recently and someone stole several of her quilts out of her car.  Please visit her blog, keep an eye out for her quilts, and spread the word. If we can get the whole internet looking for her quilts, they'll be found.


On a happier note, I only have one more motif to go on this half of the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly. When I'm finished with this large motif I'll be able to turn it around and start the second half.

Weekly Update - Feathers To And Fro Afghan & New Project - Batik Cascade

I made a little more progress on the Feathers To and Fro afghan from Learn to Make Monk’s Cloth Afghans by Marilyn T. Magly.

My quilting has been calling me, so on Friday I started Batik Cascade by Karen Combs.  At least that's what she was calling it when it was published in the Oct./Nov. 2009 issue of Mark Lipinski's Quilter's Home.  It's now for sale on her website under the name Batik Go-Round.

I've already finished the 1st row and part of the 2nd. I've also got a bunch of patches cut and marked.

I'm keeping Feathers To And Fro out since I know there will be days -- like the last two -- when I just won't feel like messing with the iron.