Sewing on the phone!

This is what is up on the design wall right now.  I really like the look of the blue and red 12.5" blocks but I am totally bored with them.  I have to make many more of them.  I was planning to sew some tonight while I was on a messenger video chat with my siblings and I did get four more of the 6.5" blocks made so that is ONE more complete block. 

SIGH...

My design wall.  

In order to try to increase my interest I put up one rainbow block set.  That only lasted until I had chosen all the colors.  Can you tell I don't like to do the same thing over and over again?  I had hoped the fact that I was using many different fabrics would keep me interested but it seems that is not true.

If you notice at the top of the wall is a lone flower block. I saw it on Facebook and thought I could make that little block.   So I did

Isn't it cute?

After I made the 4 red and blue blocks I decided I needed a treat so I made a companion block for the first one.

Ahhh, that's better!

Since I was video chatting with my sisters while I was doing this I showed them the flowers.  Then I was informed I had to make a yellow flower too.  I was concerned because I wanted the flowers to have yellow stamens and I didn't know if that would show up on a yellow flower.  But we found a scrap of orange with yellow dots that will work nicely for the flower center.  I guess I can be flexible occasionally.

Ready to sew the pieces.

So all the parts are cut and laid out. Now all I have to do is sew the petals together and assemble the block.  That will be for tomorrow I guess. It's late tonight.

Hugs,

Nancy

Finished!

My first quilt retreat since November 2019!

I was a bit worried that it wouldn't be safe, but I had both my vaccine shots and it had been 3 weeks since the last one so I decided to go. I was promised a spot away from the others with no table mates.  

This is my spot. Half the gymnasium away from the rest of the retreaters.

My goal was to quilt several quilts and to put binding on them and some already quilted ones.  I planned on using my 301 for the free motion quilting.  I brought several different threads but ended up using Glide 40 weight and it worked well.  

On this Harmonic Convergence wall hanging I quilted loops and oak leaves.

I used a thread holder behind the machine because the spool of glide was too large for the machines spool pin. 

 

Three of the quilts I wanted to put binding on were backed with Cuddle.  What a pain putting binding onto Cuddle.  But I got it on all three.  I had to use the walking foot for that.

On this quilt I couldn't make a mitered finish
because that was ALL the binding I had left! 
I cut off about 3/8" and it worked out fine.

My friend Loretta needed help with a quilt that was way out of her box!  We spent about an hour moving the blocks around and this is what she ended up with.  I have a feeling she is not going to keep this one.  

Loretta's challenge

Another look at how far I was from the rest of the ladies.  

Distance from the others really wasn't a issue until Friday night when an idiot lady arrived and came in talking about how she would never get the vaccine blah blah blah.  I told her to make sure she stayed far away from me because I had a transplant and she mildly said she would.  We didn't hear any more stupidity about the vaccine after that.

There was lots of room and only about 15 retreaters.

This top was the winner in the oldest UFO contest at the last retreat with these ladies.  I finally have it sandwiched and pinned and plan on tying it instead of quilting it.  

From 1987!

Here are four of the quilt tops with their binding sewn on by machine and waiting to go home to be finished by hand.

This is my Bonnie Hunter MQ2020 showing off the binding that was attached at the retreat.  I only had that corner stitched down while there.  I really liked the way the veggie fabric binding finished it off.

Eat Your Fruits and Veggies is it's name.

Here are the quilts at home. These are piled up on the couch waiting for some HGTV time to bind them

 Hugs,

Nancy