CATS WITH TIES

Working on "Ties and Tails"

I don't quite remember when I started this quilt, it was a long time ago. I love the pattern... I love cats and this 3D pattern is so cute.

The cats all have ties and the collars are 3D.

Note that many of the ties are made with cat print fabric. These block still need embroidery of mouths, birds legs and eyes - a work in process.

Sitting Cat with Bird #2

Sitting Cat with Bird
17.5" x 17.5"

Tall Cat
13" x 25"

Fat Cat
13" x 23"

 I also made this small wall hanging of boats and a lighthouse. While cleaning out the sewing room, I found this paper piecing kit and just had to make it up. I was so easy and fast. I like the way it went together.

9" x 22"

4" X 4"

4" X 4"

 Feeling the Season

These little pumpkin blocks were made up to enter into a block exchange contest at my guild Tuesday. You can enter up to 5 times and if they pick your ticket, you win them all. 

Wish me luck!

SaveSave

Two Finishes So Far This Week

I'm back! 

Its been a while, I have been sewing but not really quilting. This week I will complete three quilts tho. They only needed binding. Sometimes that is not an easy thing if you have to go shopping to match colors. I did catch the July sale at M&L's and picked up a few much needed fabrics to complete WIP's.

Finished! A Red White and Blue
93"x 70"

This red while and blue quilt was a garage sale find for $3.00. All the fabric was cut - 2 blocks were finished. The finished blocks led me on the trail as to what to do with the pieces. Along the way it was discovered that 4 pieces of the white print background were missing. I could not believe I found a very very close match - the back of one of the pieces in a charm pack (5" square) and I bet you could not pick it out of the quilt unless I showed it to you. OH the luck of the Irish!
You can see a post from December 2013 about this quilt that is when I started on it.

The following is a quilt top that was given to me by my friend in Washington - Lori. Her neighbor gave it to her and she passed it on. It is now backed, quilted and bound. I will be giving it to Philanthropy Quilts at our guild. It was a joy to quilt it on my quilty friend Ann's long arm. Next time I will not do micro quilting, it took a long time and when you are borrowing a long arm... that is just a lot to ask.

The Salmon Quilt
36" x 36"

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The back of the Salmon Quilt showing the quilting.

I am sew lucky!

I can not believe it I am a winner!
Lori Kennedy of The Inbox Jaunt  had a contest. Lori is a fabulous free motion quilter. She offers tutorials all the time and she has a wonderful blog - she shares so much.
Andover Fabrics gave five bolts of the Downton Abbey Fabrics and she decided to share - to three of her followers - 1 yard of each of the five bolts. I was one of the three winners and she will be sending me five different yards of her Downton Abbey Fabric.

I am sew lucky!

Thank you sew much Lori!

Feather Block

Just finished another block for my "In The Garden" quilt.

This one is another free design from Shape-Moth. I think I am crazy for attempting another one of her designs as I almost went bonkers on her Eurasian Jay, but I am having problems finding blocks that I like to complete this quilt. Joanna makes gorgeous complicated patterns - she lives in Germany at this time. I follow her blog and you can also find her selling on Crafsy.



After all the effort I am disappointed as the block said 12" - and it is 12" not 12" finished! It will be 11.5" finished....bummer! AND I do not have even a speck of background fabric left over to add to the sides... double bummer. I will have to frame the block somehow.

Linking up with Free Motion By The River Linky Tuesday

Large Scappy Blue Bowl

After the bowl I made in Catherine Redfords class, I wanted to make something larger. My  blue scraps were still overflowing so late night wrapping of clothe line, ended me up with a whole spool, I think 2 clothe lines so 200 feet. Wrapping takes the most time - sewing is a breeze.

                                            

My Little Collection

 Thread Painting

Here is some of the progress on my thread painting. Still in the hoop with the washable stabilizer. You draw on the stabilizer and you fill in from there. First the trunk, then the rest of the tree. I used variegated thread.

Fabric Bowls with Catherine Redford

This weekend was fantastic. The Road To California Quilt Market was at the Ontario Convention Center not too far from where I live in Orange County, CA. I participated in two classes. Thread Painting with Nancy Prince and Wrapped In Scraps with Catherine Redford. Both classes were fun. I find trying out a new technique is alway very inspiring. 

Here I am with Catherine. She is a great teacher and explained things very well. It also helped that were were not a lot of participants in the class, it gave us a lot of one on one time.

The bowl show here was completely made of scraps left over from other projects. Almost everyone in the class used yardage, I was the only one who really used scraps. I think my bowl is really pretty. I am going to make many many more bowls with this technique.

Eurasian Jay

This block was by far the most complicated block I have ever attempted!

I am satisfied I did the best I could do. I like the fabric choices and I am very glad I kept trying to figure out the pattern and that I finished it. It is for free on Craftsy by Shape Moth (here) But it is not for the faint at heart. No wonder why this quilt is taking me so long to complete. 

I am linking up with Free Motion By The River

Link Tuesday.

I love looking at all the new projects Connie fans come up with.

See them here!

In The Garden

Back to working on my "In The Garden" quilt. I love paper piecing and this one is full of it. The blocks are 12" square, I went thought all the free patterns I have and found two more that will work. One is an Australian Kokako (from Tartankiwi) and the other an Eurasian Jay. I have finished the Kokako and now working on the very intricate Jay. The Eurasian Jay pattern is from Shape Moth did not have a placement guide... what do you expect for free? I almost gave up, it was like putting a puzzle together, finally I printed out another set of of the pattern and taped it together - then color coded it. 

Australian Kokako

On the pink design board

Progress on the Eurasian Jay


"In The Garden"
Here are some of the other posts about this quilt:
Hummingbird
Sunflower
Tulips
Beautiful Bird
Squirrel

My friend Ann and I went shopping Saturday - another of our local quilt shops is closing...The Flying Geese in Tustin. Everything is 30% off.

Got some Kaffe Fassett and basic white.

Finally sewing again! Hope to be back soon with more.

Loving You!

Julie