Halloween Skinny

Here it is, all finished!  I have to get a dowel for it instead of this arrow, but it's hanging in my kitchen!  Yayyyy!

Skinnies

Maggie's quilt is pinned and waiting.  But I wanted to take a little break before I started in with the quilting again.  So I wanted a quick easy project.  And I found one!  I have a book with patterns for Skinnies, tallish banner-like applique projects.  I had all the materials to make one, but I'm not a big fan of applique.  At least, not until now!  I discovered my new sewing machine has a blanket stitch on it, and even though I never used the fancier stitches on my machine, I gave it a try.  I tinkered with the stitch settings and made some samples, and guess what!  It's not so hard after all.  I had a GREAT time making my first (but not last!!) Skinny!

Here's the book I used:

This book has full sized patterns that you trace onto double sided fusible web.  You cut out on your traced lines and then iron it onto your fabric, then peel off the paper.  There is a rubbery glue on the back of the fabric and you place all your pieces onto the background fabric and when you have an arrangement you like, you iron the pieces again, and the rubbery glue (melts?) fuses the pattern piece to the background or to each other.  It really was quite easy and went fast.  I did this whole skinny in one day, and I didn't know what I was doing exactly.  I will do it a little differently next time--instead of tracing/cutting each shape one at a time, I will do all of one color in a group.  Less waste, and it would be faster.


So!  Here is my first Skinny!  I still have to add the batting, backing and binding, plus hanging "loops", but you get the idea.  I also included a detail closeup so you can see my blanket stitching around the shapes.

 

Oh, and guess what!  THIS project will decorate a wall in MY house!  I usually always give my projects away, but this is a keeper.  I will make more to give away.!

Memory Quilt is Pinned

I have been working on the Memory Quilt, and the top is finished now.  Today, I laid it out and pinned it.  This quilt doesn't quite fit on my kitchen floor.  It's bigger than Dianne's MoonGlow, which I pinned in the garage!  I pinned up to the refrigerator door, there was about 8 inches to go.  I will pin that upstairs as I quilt it.  I really like how this quilt turned out, It's bright and colorful, and the backing fabric I bought from the Internet continues that brightness.  The backing is a little more green than I intended, but it's still pretty, and I know Maggie will love it!

Backing fabric

Throw is finished

I have finished the Companion Throw for Becky.  I had an easy time with the quilting, I like this meandering square free motion stitch!  It's VERY easy to do, and very forgiving if you sew yourself into a tight spot and can't get out.  Just make a square and cut the thread!!  My lines are not very straight though.  I have heard of something called "ruler work" where you use a special thick ruler against your pressure foot to make nice straight lines.  I might have to look into that.  But here it is, anyway, even with crooked, wobbly lines, it looks nice!

In the first picture you can seen the funky fabric I used for the binding!

Bailey's Quilt

My grandson, Bailey, age 14, visited awhile ago and while he was here he asked me a favor: if I would make a quilt for him for Christmas, or maybe his birthday.  What a special request!  I was really touched by it!  So, I have been searching out patterns and fabrics for him.  I have a number of "deer panels" and deer fabric in my stash, and this would be a great quilt to use them in.  Then today, I came across this pattern:

It's called Pheasant Country, and the pattern  was a free download.  (You can get it here.)

The reason this appealed to me is because the 5 pheasant pictures in the quilt are the same size as a panel of deer pictures I have.  Of course my quilt won't look exactly like this, I will jazz it up and make it bigger.  This one is only 60 x 65.  but the checkerboard and triangles around the center are large, and the piecing would go quickly.  This is a good thing because I'd like to have this quilt ready for him for Christmas.  With Maggie's Memory quilts in the works, squeezing in another quilt before Christmas could be tricky.  Maybe after I finish Becky's Memory throw....!