Design wall Monday - a teaser!

I am just going to show you a teaser of what I'm working on!

I'm working on a project that hopefully I'll be able to share soon!

hand stitching the easy way

My sewing machine has the most amazing stitch.  I need to mess with the tension a bit still, but LOOK what it can do!  Yes, that was done on the MACHINE!  I swear to you!  Now, the back isn't as purty as the top, but I would choose a backing/thread to match so it didn't stand out.  Doesn't this have great possibilities?!!!

Postage stamp quilt top is DONE!

My quilt top for the postage stamp quilt along at p.s. i quilt is DONE DONE DONE!  This was more time consuming than I thought it would be really, but I'm glad I decided to add two more rows of blocks and make mine 80x80 instead of 60x80 :)  I just love a square quilt that it doesn't matter which way you throw it on the bed :)  And, I have to say, that this is the MOST 'points matching' quilt I've ever made!  I pinned every intersection and I did not find one point that didn't match!  I am so proud of that!  I did have to make two tiny puckers in two different spots to make that happen, but they will not show when it gets quilted and washed, but if a point didn't match, that *would* show, so that was more important than a teeny pucker :)

I will try to get better pics, nobody is home to hold it for me, although it will be tricky to get a pic of it since I don't think anybody's arms are 80'' across! LOL!  Might have to have both hubby and son hold it (good luck on that one I hear me say to myself).

Tippy and I are getting along like old friends.....

I am *love love loving* my new-to-me Pfaff!  I have been humming away most of the day assembling my postage stamp quilt along quilt top.  I am done with all block assembly and have 8 rows of 8 blocks together.  Now just sewing those rows together and I'll be DONE!  Weeee!

a new member of the family

Meet my new 'baby' Tippy!

Tippy is a Pfaff Tiptronic 2030 and I think I got a heluva deal on her. $295 and she's just been serviced.  I hope it's the last sewing machine I'll ever have to buy!
Now excuse me while Tippy and I get acquainted :)

Argyle quilt DONE!

Sorry for the crummy pic, but it's icky rainy here today and hopefully I can get a better pic when I can get someone to hold it up for me.  I washed it and here it is just out of the dryer all krinkly and lovely!  I am glad I went with the dark brown binding, that was definitely the right choice I think!  Hubby says it looks like a stained glass window :)  So, maybe this is ''stained glass argyle''?  Still debating on the name!!!  Not all my quilts get names, so maybe it will always just be 'the argyle quilt', LOL.

I tell ya, my middle finger is SORE this morning from hand sewing the binding down!  I hate to use a thimble, and I ended up poking the eye of the needle into the end of my finger at least twice!  OUCH!  I wish they made a thimble that was thin like tape, but strong!  I could use it if I could tape it onto my finger - I have those leather 'dots' and those are OK, but they end up sliding around! and the needle catches the edge of them sometimes.   I wish they were a tiny bit larger and thinner.....

Design wall Monday

I am almost finished with block assembly for my postage stamp quilt along quilt!

I need to try to finish assembly of the blocks (hopefully tonight) and then iron!  (a few are ironed, but have lots yet to do!)

debating on binding color for argyle quilt

The argyle quilt is HOME and I love it in person even more than in pictures!  Angela is a way better photographer than I am, but here it is!

 The backing - a LOVELY ''watercolor'' vintage sheet!

Now I am stuck on what binding to do on it.  I have enough of the batik green or orange or the dark brown sashing color.  I am leaning toward the dark brown........   Ideas are welcome!

edit to add: I ended up going with the brown binding and I *LOVE* it!

postage stamp quilt along segments ready

I have all my strip sets cut into segments ready for block assembly for the postage stamp quilt along!

I had enough extra strips of the Pampered Pooch leftover from my hexagon/pinwheel Pampered Pooch quilt that I could make enough strip sets to make 64 blocks - so my postage stamp quilt is going to be 80x80 (I love a square quilt!)  Two down, only 62 to go, oye!

A vintage quilt top acquisition

Just before Christmas, I acquired this lovely vintage quilt top.  All hand pieced 1'' hexagons.  It's HUGE.  Close to 100'' square.  It's only drawbacks are:
1.  It needs to be quilted (which means I need to find a suitable backing material!)
2.  The faded spots on the fold lines.  I love the effect it gives in the parts between the flowers, but not so much on the borders.  I'm hoping that quilting will give the borders a new perspective though, because it would be nice to leave it the size it is!

It all seems to be in excellent condition apart from the faded parts.  Material seems good and strong, and I can't wait to see it in a finished quilt!  Just love a good hexagon quilt!

6 bobbins

I did a lot of sewing this weekend.  Six 15 class bobbins worth, whew!
My postage stamp quilt along strips are sewn and ready for the next step!

I actually made 17 strip sets and plan to make one more white/print/white/print/white one so I can make my quilt a bit wider than the sample.  I have to go pick up some more white today though (was only 3 strips short!)
And, I also worked on my spiderweb selvage quilt.  I have all but about 6 blocks finished (out of 100!).  The finish line is in sight!

The reason I was able to do so much sewing with hubby home is that he found a new indoor hobby!  Oil painting!  And I think he's going to be really good at it!!!  This is one of his first paintings and he's never painted with oil before now!  Amazing isn't it???!!!

ready to start the postage stamp quilt!

I have my strips all ready and sorted for the postage stamp quilt along!

I need to get a little more white, I plan to make it a bit bigger than the one Rachel has... I'm guessing she is going to do 25-patches since she's having us sew in strip sets of 5 strips, so I'll probably do a bunch of 9 patches too, to add just a bit more width and length to mine (and try to use up ALL the Pampered Pooch material I have!)

EDIT TO ADD (two strip sets ready!)

Angela's Awesome Artistic Assembly of the Amped up Argyle Quilt

OK, I am feeling a bit giddy as the title reflects, LOL.  Not long ago, I sent my argyle quilt top to the wonderful Angela Walters over at Quiltingismytherapy to have her quilt it.  Today I got pictures and OMG I am blown away!  I so SO totally *excited* to get this in person and put the binding on!  I think I will have the binding waiting for it so I can put it on and snuggle with it for a couple hours on the couch hand-stitching the back of the binding down to finish it - the same day it arrives in the mail I'm sure! hehe :)
I first saw Angela's work at Tallgrass Prairie Studio when Angela quilted Jacquie's spiderweb selvage quilt.  I knew immediately when I saw that quilt that I had to make my own version of it so Angela could quilt it too!  I blogged about it here and here.  I'm definitely stoked to start work on it again though!  The first top on my ''to finish'' list is the postage stamp quilt for the quilt along - then I am going to work on the selvage quilt again.  The postage stamp quilt should be a pretty quick project - the spiderweb selvage quilt is a bit time consuming.
Anyhow, here it is in all it's glory!  The Amped up Argyle quilt!  (I never did decide on a name for it, maybe that's it?)

Isn't it MeadowSWEEEEET?!!!! hehe :)

a new pillow cover

I had to put away my Christmas pillow cover I made, so I whipped up this one leftover from a layer cake project (one I haven't posted yet, maybe soon!).  It goes with my Dandelion Girl Hunter's Star that I have on the back of my couch :)  I made it reversible and put a zipper (love a zippered pillow cover over a slip cover!)

postage stamp quilt along

I have decided to join in the Postage stamp quilt along at p.s. i quilt

I am going to use white and a jelly roll of ''Pampered Pooch'' (mainly because that's what I have on hand!)

a sight for sore eyes.....

My son went back to college this morning, but before he left I got him to hold my Wee Play HST quilt top so I could take pics.  I am just in LOVE with this top and I can't wait to get a backing for it and start quilting!  I have 'work' things I need to finish first, but I expect I'll get to quilting on it by the beginning of next week :)  Weeee!

The wind wasn't cooperating, but at least you can see it, in all of it's glory!