Tag Archives: THE MAN quilt

A Slow Stitching FINISH!

Yesterday at 12:30 pm EDT I put what is now OFFICIALLY known as “The Man” quilt in the washer. And here is how luscious it came out!

Close up of the texture after washing 🙂

My idea is to rinse it all out with cold water good on a wash with cold water and no soap and not much spin (glad I have all those adjustments available now! lol) … so it get’s rinsed well. Then check it to make sure all is good… add some color catchers (all midtones and beige so I added 2) and soap and washed on a warm regular wash… I checked it very closely before putting in the dryer… I also ALWAYS wash my quilts with company… a large towel works well.. so I will use a large bathroom towel or beach towel with the same colors of the quilt for some added gently scrubbing action during the wash and fluffiness to the drying cycle. I also don’t dry it fully in the dryer but get it almost dry and let it airdry … about 1 hour til dry is all 🙂

Once I had that going my hands felt relieved but I still have a hand quilt to make this month and one to make AND machine quilt! Oh my!

Project RJq will be talked about fully next week. I am waiting for 1 fabric for it… I am excited to share the ideas God has given me for her quilt!

So I turned to Oh My Stars….

What to do! Start quilting in the ditch until I figure out how to use the wool batting I am NOT used to (I used Hobbs Tuscany Wool on this project) and it is ITCHY on the edges! But I do like the loft it gives and my understanding is it won’t shrink much either… so we shall see!

Finally all that is done and time for the man to get “The Man” quilt! Tadahhh!

Well he avoided all pics at this time.. but did say if I caught him snoozing he was fair game! So it is now a quest to get a pic of my man with his quilt! lol The quilt went into the washer measureing 69″ x 80 1/2″ and came out 67 x 78 1/2″… so def the wrinkley finish and shrinkage I expected with cotton batting but does anyone know the formula for figuring out how much shrinkage I had here??? Just curious really! lol

The label I shared with my readers already(and kept secret from my honey) I want to highlight one more time now that it is in it’s final place.. you see my bestie Connie Combs made it for me.. I cross stitch but the passion is NOT there.. for this quilt and signed my name with her initials 🙂

And I added one of my new labels I found from the Etsy shop I mentioned in a previous posting 🙂

My honey loved it all! He thanks me every time he sees me.. all together it took about 6 1/2 months to finish this quilt… but I am VERY happy with the results!

Finally today, I renewed my auction into a Buy It Now on eBay for 7 large spools of Aurifil thread… check it out HERE!

I hope you have enjoyed this post and will head over the Kathy’s to see who is linking up today with more slow Sunday stitching!

Also linking this finish to Richard & Tanya Quilts… Link a Finish Friday here 🙂

Have a blessed Sunday!

The Man Quilt.. Almost complete!

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I am so excited to update my blog with today’s post! Thanks for stopping in 🙂

I am on the final bit of border quilting then will be off to sew on the label…then Wash, wash, and dry! Yippee…

Here is a look at my quilting along the way… can you see my 3 needles spaced out on the left side of the pic… If you click it you should see I have 3 needles going to get this border done and in the ditch done to stabilize and make it show just right once washed! 🙂

The flimsy for this quilt was completed in November 2013… the fabric had been a birthday present (back in July… sorry honey!) and I just got the nerve to try to piece it on my own after drafting my own pattern for this quilt! lol

So needless to say this is my favorite of all my quilted items to date.. I have done my finest needlework on this busy fabric but my honey and I will know it is there and will enjoy it… the back is varigated blues (like the binding in the pic on the right) and will take a whole cloth effect on the back once finished 🙂

My honey helped decide all parts of this quilt after I presented him with lots of fabric for his birthday… this has truly been a journey for us… thanks for following along!

With Father’s Day right around the corner too… I wanted to share what my honey found for a STEAL on eBay.. so we got it to commemorate this Father’s Day for him from Daisy Mae 🙂 lol (Daisy is our mini doxie if you don’t recall)….

He has always wanted a toy train I found out.. since he was little.. so this year he got to see a lifelong wish be granted with this train set… bidding didn’t go very high because the seller didn’t test it due to it’s age… it is from 1965!!!

Yep, I have vintage sewing machines and my honey has vintage trains!!! lol

Do you like vintage? Pretty cute train set… the engine isn’t loud at all and it goes forward, reverse, link and unlink cars by using only the transformer at the very bottom of the pic. He is having a blast.. it has been rehomed to the “man cave” now… and fits PERFECT on a table my honey build about 2 1/2 years ago when we lived in TN! lol God is so good at showing himself sometimes I think!

I also want to thank God for giving my fingers the ability to finish this quilt so quickly… this has also been a family adventure of late as I am reorganizing all available time for quilting time to get this one finished so it can be loved.

As you may recall… my real motivation for two stepping the finish of my honey’s quilt is really so that I can start on Project RJq. More on that on my Slow Sunday Stitching post tomorrow!

So my goals for the month of June are coming up flowers at the moment… focusing on the positives here! lol

Have a blessed Saturday… come back tomorrow for final shots of THE MAN quilt.. hopefully to have a name soon from my honey!

On to the border.. :)

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Finally!!!

So excited to be working on the last thing to finish the quilting on this wonderful MAN quilt 🙂

Except I still need to add the label once the quilting is finished!

This has the most intricate quilting I have done in the body of it and is very quilty overall…

I have used Aurifil grey thread throughout and 1 roll of 820 yards I think did this quilt with some left over 🙂

I do use cotton batting in most of my quilts so once washed it will look wrinkledy and old but very cool and cozy as well!

I got my buttons for “Oh My Stars” organized!

In yesterday’s post I showed you the proposed layout for my 50 silver stars 🙂

And speaking of “Oh My Stars”…

It is pinned and waiting for me to finish THE MAN quilt! lol My honey helps with pinning and does a great job! I believe a quilt well pinned will have no puckers if your tension is good while quilting 🙂 Have you found pinning or thread basting to be important or not?

More fabric is coming in for Project RJq … looking forward to starting it next week…as soon as I wrap up THE MAN quilt 🙂

How are your goals for the month going? Are you keeping with your list, ticking it off and Partying??? I sure am !!! Loving how I got motivated on my current project because another urgent need has come up.

Have a blessed week… stop in Friday and see what I am whooping about!

Making HUGE progress :)

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… in so many areas of my life right now.

I am selling a lot of great Aurifil handquilting quality thread on eBay right now…

in all these delectable colors… It is 28/2 hand quilting 100% Mako Cotton thread as I only use cotton for my hand quilting. Check that auction out HERE!

I am doing the final stripe of double stitches on THE MAN quilt 🙂 Yippee!!! This is really going fast!

Just this row of double stitching and it is on the the chain border and the label and then WASH!
(Oh my goodness I got all my jobs in one line! lol)!!

I also got the stars all painted and laid out for “Oh My Stars” that I pieced last month…

it is patiently waiting to be sandwiched for hand quilting! 🙂

And I am already getting some of the fabric in for Rebakah’s Journey quilt!

I have a pattern picked out that I found online for free.

While I finish THE MAN quilt the rest of the items I need will come it… then I will share more on my fun plans for this project! Almost all batiks on the front, and a cute fun fabric for the back though 🙂

How are you doing on your goal setting? Ready for June 27th weekend to link up? Think about all the things you list and check off in other parts of your life.. why not the crafty side too.. if only in pics where you can see what is ahead of you.. and what you completed too!

Hope you have a blessed week!

Double timing it :)

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Happy Slow Sunday Stitching to you my bloggy friends… if you follow me you know I look forward to this post all week… what can I get accomplished before it is time to post at Kathy’s Quilts! lol

Since last weekend when I bound THE MAN quilt… now I am back to doing the finishing necessary kind of stitching (some in the ditch stitching to make all my swirlies pop! lol)

then do the chain of the outer border then the label and then wash and gift! Yahoo… my list of things to do before completion is getting MUCH smaller!

Meanwhile this week we have been doing lots of reorganization, cleaning, straightening, and selling on eBay… which means lots of shipping has been done too! I am very happy overall in how the house and the yard are looking this year… my honey really does a bang up job with all of it.

We currently have a cute little Centennial Edition of a Singer Featherweight 221-1 from October 31, 1951 that my honey is getting ready to list… it is fun seeing all he does for his photo shoots 🙂

So the big thing going on this week is a new project is now in the wings.. a good friend of mine who is in her 30’s with 3 small children and a wonderful husband living a wonderful life just found out she has cancer… so I offered to make her a quilt for this journey ahead of her… so I am double timing THE MAN quilt finish now to get ready to piece and quilt that one!!!!

I will call this quilt Project RJq for Rebekah’s Journey quilt. I spoke with her husband and he shared that she loves pink and chocolate together and loves chevrons.. I took to the internet for my fabric selections and what did I find on sale but some Bali Pops (like a jelly roll) in a collection called Sherbet! Check out the online pic…

I also found this “Think Pink” breast cancer awareness cutesy fabric I will use a bit in the quilt and the rest on the borders.

I have some peachy pink thread from an Aurifil haul I recently acquired in 28/2… my fave weight of Aurifil for hand quilting.

With the chevron idea in mind and a jelly roll already on the way … I needed a pattern. My friend Wendy came to the rescue again with this cool blog tutorial on using strips to make a chevron quilt!

PERFECT! And I can understand it (a bad problem I have is difficult understanding quilt patterns) and it has pics for reference too! So no HST’s on this quilt at this point anyway 🙂

In the mean time look forward to working on my “Oh my Stars” wall hanging… and there is that long last QAL for the spool blocks I made last month.

So as I close… I am currently on the 5th double sewn strip with 4 left to go… here’s to making some progress as I double time the slow stitching!!!

Please keep my friend Rebekah and her sweet family in your prayers…

And that my hands can create a quilt that truly can see her through this journey she is now on!

Linking this better late than never post to Kathy’s Quilts Slow Sunday Stitching as I am doing everything by hand today 🙂

Motivation Mayhem Monthly Muster LINKY PARTY & GIVEAWAY!! May 2014 :)

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Welcome to our first ever Linky Party May 30, May 31 & June 1 & a GIVEAWAY too if you play 🙂

I say our because me and my friend Wendy are hosting a joint linky… she lives in Australia.. I am on Florida’s east coast in the USA… we will get to see more fun eye candy but more importantly see how we are motivated to share what we are accomplishing!!!… and what we hope to accomplish!!! Since this is kinda complicated.. we picked a crazy name .. made a badge and are still working out the kinks .. but here we are with the great unveiling! Yippee!!! Come join us and celebrate and share across the world!!!

Write a blog post.. just for this linky party… doesn’t have to be fancy.. but talk and show pics of what you have accomplished and what you hope to work on in the upcoming month.. this can be quilting related… or otherwise… but you know we LOVE eye candy!!!

Why would you do this??? Hopefully to challenge yourself is enough motivation… just a once a month “check up” of sorts.. where you have been.. where you plan to go with all everyday life is throwing at you. .. well for everyone that links up .. there is a giveaway for you… I have something and Wendy has something… so 2 chances to win something cool!

Here is how you win>>> List… Tick… Party!!! Blog about it and link that post here.. simple as that… those that linked will be notified via their blog that they are the winner and we can get personal after that! lol

close up of Clips & Fabric Charms 🙂

So let me post for an example and you join in below when you have figured out what has meaning to YOU!

Welcome to my blog… today I want to share goals for Motivation Mayhem Monthly Muster linky party! This is my first post so I want to focus on upcoming goals.. and show where I am now as well 🙂

I have now quilted, bound, and returned to quilting on THE MAN quilt. I hope this quilt has a name but my main objective is to have it finish and gifted… I have left the naming to the recipient.. my awesome honey! And how cool that it will be about Father’s day when I call this one done… see here I am stitching straight lines in the ditch with 2 needles!

I have a total of 9 of these double lines to stitch to cover the quilt completely.. as I am going I am erasing the pencil marks too! So I am getting so much accomplished so quickly… I now only have 7 strips of double lines left! Yipee!!!

I also got a book a couple months ago that I have not read but part of the first chapter… called Loving Stitches..

on how to improve and be creative with your quilting hand stitches 🙂 I really want to read this book… so I will go for 1 chapter a month and give you all a little book report next month! lol

I continue to clean out cluttered spaces in my home and renovate furniture… those posts and activities will remain.. we are also starting a vintage sewing machine repair business that is doing well but takes my time and attention from personal goals… so giving room for them… I still hope to get this beauty quilted in June as well!

So here is hoping June gives me lots of energy, focus and stamina! Thanks for walking this with me all that link up…

Look closely at the blue “star” are on the flag above.. Those are 9 of the prints in the charm pack as this is the charm pack I got but didn’t use from this quilt… make your own if you like!

Enjoy making a list, ticking it off, and Partying all month long and come back the last weekend of June to share your achievements!!

Whooping in a Friday!

What’s Up Wednesday!

Memorial Day & Upcoming Linky Party!!!

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Okay so my dd says I overuse my punctuation.. but I love fun exclamation points… so instead of using 4 I used 3 (ha!)… nope … not yelling just EXCITED!!!

Starting this Friday and every on the last weekend of the month we will be hosting a Linky Party!!!

Yay… and better yet this is a joint venture Linky Party… I am linking up with my friend Wendy at Wehago Designs blog here!!!

Don’t you love how I keep using exclamation marks now 🙂

Anyway… you link with me or her and your linked post will show up on BOTH blogs… she is in Australia… I am in the USA in Florida!!!

We want to share out goal setting and goal meeting month by month.

Have you thought of writing a blog post of goals you hope to meet.. and goals you did meet? Nice to occasionally take a walk down memory lane and see how far your adventures have come.

Now we are quilters… but this can be anything sewing/organizing/home reno/gardening… but keep your post for this blog to goals met, how list making may help… seeing those checks is awesome!!! and hopefully goals met too!

Think about a post for this weekend.. you could include any stitching or housechores you managed to knock out… then start by making a purposeful plan for what you will accomplish the upcoming month.

Okay.. still thinking if this linky party is worth playing in?

I will be offering a giveaway for all that link! Wendy is offering a giveaway too!!!

So come on back by Friday and in the mean time…

Make sure you are a follower 🙂

P. S. Got half of the binding sewn down!!! Yippee 🙂

Catch up and back to slow stitching! Yippee!

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This week has been a whirlwind of activity as we have been doing lots of eBaying

One of our items we are proud of currently for sale on eBay 🙂

and I have been doing lots of quilting and straightening of things.

My honey has been keeping up the house and working on his things… however, we are both delighted this week to see Sunday roll around… a day we keep to ourselves and relax and reflect on the week behind us and focus on the week ahead! I love that about us 🙂

But I am most excited about the progress made on THE MAN quilt!

On Friday I was looking at this last block on the left…
And yesterday I sewed on the binding there on the right…

Now I am hand stitching down the binding! Yahoo! Such a glorious job to do on a Sunday as well!

I don’t use a thimble but already have my electrical tape out to cut into unique shapes to fit my middle “binding” finger… last large quilt I bound it wore a hole in my fingernail… so I have been taking my calcium.. using cream occasionally made to condition my skin and nails… and have trimmed my nails last week in preparation for this binding… we shall see how my hands hold up…

Using my new “binding clips” aka Wonder Clips… love them 🙂

May be that I will buy a leather thimble to use just for binding… but we shall see.. I hope not really!

Also yesterday I got the border added to the Aida cloth label my bestie Connie made for this quilt… isn’t it lovely! It is the only part my honey hasn’t seen and won’t see til the end! lol His decision to have a surprise 🙂

And since I needed a place to “park” my needles while I machine sewed the binding yesterday and this morning… I found a bit of batting and put in the top of the bottle that holds my thread and threader! AWESOME 🙂 Excited to do multiple needles now by prethreading several then just picking one out at a time.. more on that when I get back to quilting as I will be using more needles too 🙂

Now I want to share something VERY SPECIAL!

I will be chatting more about it this week but be following me here…. you won’t miss an update! Next weekend we are sponsoring a linky with GIVEAWAY for all to enjoy and enter in.

& my friend
Wendy

The idea is you write a blog post with goals you have made… short or long term.. and that you met this month… then share what you plan to accomplish the following month… you have your blog post to keep you honest and each of us reading your goals met as well as your goals set! Sound fun??

We call it M4.. but that is just short for Motivation Mayhem Monthly Muster blog 🙂

Finally… I have some very exciting news personally this week… as I was cleaning things out I found my old nursing license and had a sad feeling that I hadn’t kept up my license… just to have it.. not that I may use it again but I worked hard to get it and used it professionally … so it was important to maintain it… I thought it had lapsed…

Well according to the State of Tennessee it is still good and Active til my birthday!!!!

I will have to call them and register my new addy so I get an update to renew.. once renewed I will move my licensure to Florida. But that is in the future…

Thanks for sharing in all my little victories this week! Would love to hear about yours … please feel free to leave a comment! I respond to every one that isn’t spam-a-licious! lol

Linking this slow stitch binding post to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching here!