Cotton Robin Reveal!

Finally I can show the photos. This is my 4th year to participate in the Cotton Robin. I have to wait until the BIG REVEAL on that site before I can upload mine. 
But first, do take a look at all the starting centers!

My Center

It would be perfectly acceptable to just use an orphan block but I have too much fun with this. I saw this pattern on a website and bought it. I am not buying patterns often but I could not resist. The center is supposed to be about 9 x 9 or 8 x 10 inches. 

It was supposed to arrive at the next person before February 28.

It was a paper piecing job. Only the second time for me to use this technique. Here the back side.

I texted the photo to Helen and she texted this photo back. "Looks just like June!!!" Helen has 6 chickens which are laying very nice eggs for her. We call them "the ladies".

I mailed my center to Allison in TX on February 21.

Center with one border

Next day I received the center block from Glen in Louisiana. I had to put it up on my design wall and contemplate what to do. She put a lot of work into it. Don't want to spoil it for her.

Laurina, the organizer, said that the borders don't have to be equally all around. The borders could be on only two sides for example. She encouraged us to be creative. So, here is what I did. 

I packed it up and posted that I was mailing it the next day but was told that I should wait a little because I was too early. Nobody should be overwhelmed ... if one projects arrived late and the next early you could have two at the same time. Finally mailed on March 19 to Traceyann in Canada.

Center with two borders

The next center with one border arrived Monday April 8 from Marie in New Hampshire. I put it on the design wall to ponder what to do. A lot going on in this block.

It was a difficult decision but I decided to do more trees. For another project years ago I had made this sample but it was too big so I made another drawing (on the right).

I ran out of some of the material. I also thought it needed something in the top right corner so I made the sun. I read that the owner had received her little quilt and was really happy about it.

Layering, quilting and binding 

When I got this one with two borders I had no idea what to do. I am not really a "modern" quilter. I didn't even know what was up or left and right. 

I decided that it needed quilting which calmed the design and pulled everything together. I always wanted to try this quilting with a walking foot. I was very happy about the result.

Since we were leaving on our 5 week trip at the end of May I had to be finished before the deadline which was June 13. The owner of this little quilt lives near London, England. I emailed her to ask whether she wanted me to mail it from the USA or from Germany or from Scotland or from England when I was in those places. She said she would rather wait instead of risking that it gets lost in the mail. Yes, we had some errant mail this year within this group. I finally mailed it from Germany. It arrived soon and she loved it. She said she could not decide herself which way was up either and there was a family vote.

And with everything done now all we have to do is wait for all the little quilts to arrive at their homes. I found this on the Cotton Robin side. Well done!

My chicken has come home to roost.

When we came home from our trip on July 5 my little quilt was waiting for me. It is a bit on the colorful side but we both really like it. And it is already mounted on its place with 2016 (Dresden plate), 2017 (bird) and 2018 (elephant).

And finally...

Everybody has received their little quilt and Laurina, the organizer, has posted THE BIG REVEAL. 

Kate's bed runner

Last year when Kate and David visited I asked whether they would like something quilted. Kate said immediately that she knew exactly what. They had a store-bought quilt on their bed but it was not practical because it was too large. They just needed something for the foot-end. I was happy to hear that. Their bedroom color is light purple. That was a bit more difficult since I don't really work with that color.

By chance soon after their visit in Virginia James and I visited England and also visited them. Before we left I asked Kate whether I could see her bed room because there is a wide variety of purple. She laughed and said she wondered whether I had forgotten about it. Oh no. We decided on the size it should be and I wrote it down. I also took some pictures to help with color choices.

Back home I went to a fabric store and mailed three color samples to Kate. She thought all would be ok. But I still had trouble deciding on a pattern. I had a panel with birds though I really wanted to use. I knew that they love birds.

I was very happy when I finally had figured it out. Log cabin. Different purples with different greens to pull the birds in. James went twice with me to a quilt store to select the fabrics. We both had fun. 

And we both were happy with the result when the top was finally pieced and ready for the longarmer. 

After that all it needed was trimming and the binding. Hand sewing of course for the last step.

And of course we are always told that you should never forget the label for posterity. 

And then on May 3 dear James brought it to the post office. I said to James: "I hope they like it". His reply: "Surely they will and if they don't they only have to put it on the bed when we visit". Love his humor. 

And yes, they received it. And yes, they like it.

Can't tell

I have done not much lacing or sewing lately. I did work on Cotton Robin things but can't show yet. The big reveal is usually in July. I had mailed my center, received somebody else's center and put the first border around and mailed it. Two days ago I received another center with the first border and now should put a second border around. It's on the design wall and I try to decide what to do. It's fun.

I also have worked on the bed runner quilt I promised to make for Kate and David in England. I am quite pleased with it. James likes it too and encouraged me to let the quilting done by a longarmer. That's were it is now. Again, can't spoil the surprise.

I did go to the Hospitality Chapter monthly meeting April 3 (every first Wednesday) of the Richmond Quilt Guild though. It was very informative even though quilts which are so repetitive are not my thing any more. I like now quilts were something is going on ... most of the time. Still, I liked seeing them.

The quilter/speaker was Laura Blanchard. When I realized you can see her designs on her BLOG and from there on her website, I only posting here a few of the photos I took. 

I did like the combination of simple piecing with the appliquéd leaves. She showed a quilt and a table runner in different colors.

 I liked how she showed how one block can be arranged to a lot of different patterns just by the way you arrange them.

She passed cards around for us to get more ideas.

I start liking green and purple. You see why in a future blog.

She also mentioned that she likes to use this invisible thread for quilting, top and/or bottom thread.

She also likes to use double-sided fusible batting for table runners and mats. 

On the following Monday the Colonial Lacemakers met at my house. Unfortunately we were only three. Two more could not come at the last minute because they got sick. Most of the time we meet in Williamsburg (hence "Colonial") which is an hour drive ... for me to them ... or for them to me.

I felt encouraged to work on one of my long-term projects. When did I start this? How long should the scarf be? Keep going until the thread runs out on one bobbin.

The CR quilters met Tuesday. These are friends in my community. As always a lot of show+tell. I only took a few photos. Janet and Becky took a class how to make these with a flatlock seam on a serger. I want to research whether I can do that on my serger (which I have not used in at least 10 years). The fabric is fleece and so cuddly.

I hope I feel more energetic soon ... when this cold/cough is out of my system. I have so many UFOs and so many ideas and designs in my head. Sigh!

Some sewing

Block Lotto's pattern for January is "Fireball". I can't link to the pattern because next month the link will show a different pattern. But you can navigate yourself to it this month from HERE.
It was more fun to make then I thought because it is actually very scrappy friendly.

I have a similar pattern in the "tutorial" section (see tab above) but you make 4 blocks in one go. It's a German technique.

At the Richmond Quilt Guild's Hospitality group monthly meeting we were given a pattern for each member to make one block for the outgoing president as it is custom. It was supposed to be pastel colors. I am not sure whether I met those requirements but I did the best with what I could find. I don't think I am given away any secret since she is not reading my blog.

When you drop it off at the next meeting they will have a pen for you to sign it in the middle. I personally think it is a bit of a shame to do it so obvious to the blocks.

Monthly meetings

The cancelled December meeting of the Colonial Lacemakers was rescheduled to Monday January 7. Since I wasn't sure at that time when we would drive to Nashville we had changed the regular meeting time to a week earlier.
Those who could come and I had a great time. Mary, Christina and Gail were working on their lace.

Natalie showed me a trick when knitting a pair of socks. She is an accomplished weaver and knitter besides making lace. Her lace jewelry is super.

I didn't take many photos when the CrossRidge Quilters met. Luckily I got these. Janet is making a "quilt as you go" and the strips are made in a very interesting technique.

Marsha finished piecing her BOM we all did all year. Unfortunately I am still far behind. I have a New Year's resolution for UFOs though .....

Most of the above blocks are made with the HST with squares. Betty also is trying to catch up with the project but has a problem with them. I prepared one for my blocks and called her so she could come over and see. That's what this group is about. Help each other.

To draw the lines to sew on, line the ruler edge up with the top left corner. Line the half-inch line up with the bottom right corner. You are doing it right if you can draw across of the corner of the square. Turn it around and do it again. Easy!

 Actually, that's what every group is about. To learn from each other.

Christmas stockings

December 9th - by 10 pm the amount of snow we had received since 11 am was unbelievable. 

The advantage of a week with snow: you can take care of your Christmas mail and I finally made the overdue stockings. I had made Helen and Sarah's when they were still living in our household. I had taken a class were I learned to do special stitches with my Pfaff. How many years ago was that? Several years later I made another "batch": Ben, William and Wade. Sarah's children were not yet on the horizon. Well, they are now. Caleb is 5 years old.

I found that they are not that difficult to make. By the third one it went fast. I started with the template I had made years ago on a grocery store paper bag. It would be easy though to draw a shape you like yourself. It's just good to keep it to make future family members exactly the same.

Cut out the shape from quilt batting. The inside of the stocking I cut a little larger. Make sure that you cut a second one with the fabric reversed. The outside of the back can be one piece too. The three layers of the back I just quilted criss-cross.

Then I covered the shape of the stocking just like you would make a crazy quilt. There are many tutorials on the internet but here is one youtube you might like.

When front and back are layered and quilted, all you have to do is put right sides together and sew around, turn.

Now the cuff!

Of course I had to ask my daughter what the children's favorite colors are. There dinner plates and cups are color coded! They know who's is who's. 

Cut the piece double wide to go all around the stocking. Of course thinking of the seam allowance. Write the name how you would like it on a piece of paper, folded in half so that you also have support on the back. Position it. 

The positioning was the hardest part so I would not end up with the name upside down. Nothing like making it visual for me.

Ready to do the "writing" with the free motion foot and the feed dogs down. I tried on a piece of scrap how wide the zig zack stitch should be. Go slow! Sometimes I even go forth and back when I was too fast and a line was too skimpy. You don't want the fabric to show through.

Sew the side seam of the cuff, iron and pin to attach. 

Again, I have to be visual. I put it round the outside first with the raw edge up to position it just perfect. Then I turn it inside and pin it. It's easy to forget to insert the hanger. I spread the ends of the hanger a little apart and around the corner a little to the back. That way the stocking hangs better.

There was a problem. Years earlier I had made Wade's stocking the other way. 

It took some doing but here is the row now.

Unfortunately the Virginia Tech fabric is now a bit upside down but I don't think my son-in-law minds.

That was fun. My husband said I should make some for us. May be during the next snow storm?