Wooooo - wheee

There's nothin' that will put a hop in your get-along like 24 mph winds and 31 degrees.

Yes, that's SNOW you see out there.  Just enough to be thankful for a warm fire, plenty of milk for hot chocolate and enough pet food to last until it melts.  Which will be soon I'm hoping.

Stay safe everyone and have a Blessed Thanksgiving.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Are you ready for the next QOV challenge?

Yes, I realize it's Thanksgiving week and everyone is rushing around buying out the grocery stores and contacting Aunt Midge for her famous sweet potato pie recipe.  So if you are in charge of cooking the turkey, you can have a hall pass for this week only.

and if your job is walking the poor, nobody-loves-me pup, you get a hall pass too.

But everyone else, I'm counting on you to do a bit of sewing for our soldiers this holiday season. After all, if it weren't for our boys in blue (and khaki) we would not have a home front to come home to now would we?

So get out some light 2" strips and trim the edges even.  Sew into a long chain using a fat 1/4" seem.  The longer the strips the better.  But if you only have short ones, that's okay.

Get out some dark 2" strips.  Try to use several pieces in one color family, say browns, blacks, or greens.  Then cut 47" lengths off of each chain.

Sew a light chain to a dark chain, press.

With the light chain in the middle, sew another dark chain to make a unit of 3.  (No picture available, but I'm sure you can envision it.)

Press unit well and cut into 4-1/2" length and trim to 4-1/2" square.

Wa-lahhh, a speedy rail fence block.

You can make it red, white and blue!  You could even use 2-1/2" strips, but you'll need to adjust the size of your block.

Since I've been busy buying out the grocery store and calling Aunt Midge for her recipe, I've only gotten this far.  But trust me, it's a speedy project.

My friends keep warning me about the "coming storm" and the chance of "SNOW".

This was my view on my way up to work this morning, a.k.a the balcony, and yes indeed, you could see ol' mother nature rolling in.  With a morning temp of 26 degrees, I'm glad to say we're ready for anything.  Except power outage.

Dang, I forgot the batteries!

Until then, keep stitchin' . . . .

Plaid-A-Thon, Part Three

Nothing brings a smile to my day like 4 babies greeting me each morning and waiting for their treat.

Thank you for your patience.  Finally here is step #3.

BLOCK A - 3rd row

Cut 2 pieces 8-1/2"
Cut 2 pieces 11-1/2"

Sew together and trim down to 10-3/4"

Here are all 56 blocks assembled.  Not bad for a week and a half of borrowed time.

Notice I went a little wild and used up 2 different prints on the inner square.  I know, just call me radical.

No fabric colors inside compare to the Master's handiwork outside, however.  Yes, those are mountains in the distance.  I had forgotten what incredible views I have when the leaves fall.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Plaid-A-Thon, Part Two

On Saturday, a friend came by for a QOV Sew-In.

I managed to get quite a few more squares cut out and sewn.

It really does go together quickly, once the plaid fabric is starched and dried.  To do that, I lay the larger pieces on top of the ironing board.  Then I spray the smaller pieces allowing the excess starch to filter on to the bigger ones.

The small pieces then hang down off the side of the ironing board overnight to dry.  This way I can get done several pieces at a time without spending all day doing it.  It seems that plaids take "forever" to dry.  However, if they are not starched, the unraveling can get extensive.  Also, plaids shrink a LOT.  So to avoid hassles along the way, I simply starch from the get-go whenever possible.

Here is BLOCK A, round #2.

Cut 2 - 5-3/4" long
Cut 2 - 8-3/4" long

You can stack strips and cut for 2 blocks at a time to speed things up.

Assemble block and trim down to 8".

Also, this is a great project to use up bits of thread from half-used spools to leftovers on the bobbin.  Plaids hide those odd colors well.  And it helps tidy up your sewing table for the next big project.

We're to hit 20 degrees tonight.  Dolly asked that I remind everyone with outside critters to be sure and provide enough hay or warm bedding along with plenty of water.  Hypothermia can happen to furry ones too.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Plaid-A-Thon, Part One

 This QOV project idea is brought to you via Harriet Hargrave's book, "The Art of Classic Quilting Making."

And, of course, Dolly.

You'll notice on page 124, an all plaid quilt using 1-1/2" strips.

My version uses 2" wide strips, which is what I had a lot of.  So I'll be giving all measurements accordingly.

Begin with a dark colored 2-1/2" square.  I chose black.

Forest green, burgundy, or navy blue would work just as well.

From a dark plaid, cut the following:

2 - 2-3/4" long
2 - 5-3/4" long

Assemble according to the picture, creating the center of BLOCK A.  Trim to 5-1/4" square.

For BLOCK B, cut the same pieces from light colored plaid or just plain muslin.

I decided that my quilt will be 7 squares wide by 8 squares long.  Therefore, I'll need 56 squares.

Finished measurement will be around 70" x 80".

I will need 23 squares with light colored centers (light, dark, light rows)

And 23 squares of dark colored centers (dark, light, dark rows).

The finished size of my block, after trimming, when sewn together, will be 10-1/4"

I'll post the next step soon.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Thank You Veterans!

For keeping our country FREE.

We're having a parrrty! A QOV party, and you're invited.

This weekend starts off the November QOV Plaid-A-Thon !  Woo hooo.

So get out that pile of plaids that has been hiding in the closet for 20 years.  Or cut up some shirts, whichever you prefer.

Stack up some 2" strips.

And get ready for further instructions on assembling.  This is just the beginning.

Whomever makes the most blocks gets the chance to win a bunny!

Here's the latest picture of last week's project.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .

Eastbound and down, loaded up and truckin'

ah we gonna do what they say can't be done

 We've got a long way to go, and a short time to get there.

I'm eastbound, just watch old bandit run.

Actually, it's been a re-organizational race.  Lots and lots of fabric . . pulled out, snipped off, or re-folded.  Here are my 4 stacks all needing ironing and starching.  Lots of starching!  Two of them are as high as the sewing machine.

This box is full of fabric for a particular quilt.  I still need to work through this one and put away the extras.

This stack will get measured and put on empty cardboard bolts.  I do that with big pieces.

This stack is ironed, starched, and ready for trimming up.  There's a table under there somewhere.

I had Monday off unexpectedly, so I was able to finish up reorganizing several things, including all 5 bins of lights to tans.

Oh yeah, we're truckin'!

As promised, the final instructions.

Are you ready?  Gather 36 trimmed triangle units, along with the medium and light prints.

From the medium print cut 9, 5" squares.  Then cut into 4ths on the diagonal.

Assemble units according to the picture above, press seams open to decrease bulk.

Trim each side evenly.  Allow a very fat 1/4" seam allowance along each edge, outside of the dark triangle points.

From the light print, cut out 6 rectangles measuring 7-1/2" x 8-1/2".  Fabric needs to be heavily starched before cutting.

Align your pieced triangle units accordingly and pin face down onto the light rectangle.  Leave room in the center and along each side for trimming later.

Sew a 1/4" seam along the top of each triangle unit.  Do this by sewing all the top pieces down in a chain piecing fashion, clip apart, reverse units, and sew on opposite triangle unit.

Remove pins, cut apart evenly along top of 1/4" seam, press center seams open, trim blocks up.  They should measure around 6-3/4".  Ta Da!  Easy peasy.

Dolly sniffing for snow.

Until then, keep stitchin' . . .