More Spring Quilt Tops

Yesterdays warm sunny weather had me in a spring fever mood so today it was dark and rainy and snowing.

But I still feel like spring!

here are a few more springy looking vintage quilt tops from my collection.

These colors sure look like spring to me!  Actually it looks rather like Easter.

This attic windows quilt top looks rather springy as well.

This Applique and embroidery Pansy basket top definitely looks like spring!…and there is a lot of room for hand quilting!!

And this Basket of Lilies Quilt top is also saying spring to me.

Tonight in Floral Design class I taught the students how to make Horizontal centerpieces.  And I used white and yellow flowers….they look like spring as well

I am NOT going to start another quilt until I finish the denim quilt!  and get going on the antique double pink quilt….I say that now but tomorrow I might crack and start another

This one has been calling me for a long time now!

Happy Quilting

Tim

Is It Spring Yet?

It has been Sunny and in the 40′s today.  Most of the snow is melted again and the grass even looks green.  I can’t wait for some spring flowers!

So here are a few pictures from my garden last spring.

I planted a lot more bulbs in the fall so I am looking forward to seeing how they do.

Last week I was at the store and they had a display of seeds.  I usually order seeds from a catalog but I couldn’t resist picking up a few.

Anticipation is a good thing.

So I guess I need a “Spring” quilt to work on as well.

Here is a candidate from my top collection

All the blocks are done. I just need to add the sashing and quilt it.

Happy Quilting

Tim

Now reader friendly

Saturday Night I Read a blog that was an eye opener.  It was all about what people DON’T like about blogs.  I was surprised to read several comments from readers who said that they will not read a blog with a black background and white text because it is difficult to see.  I had my blog set that way because I thought it WAS easy to read…hmmmmmm, I guess I was wrong, so I have changed to a more reader friendly look.  I hope it is an improvement.

Now for a quilt update….

Quilting work on the Denim top is moving along.

I did find that some of the denim is much harder to quilt than others.  The top had a variety of jeans used and there are some that are quite thick.  but overall it is going fine. (click pictures to enlarge)

Remember acid washed denim?  look at the cornerstones

Here is the back

So far I have 4 blocks done and the quilt has 16 blocks so 25% done, not bad for a few days.  I have bent 3 needles so far (less than I anticipated) and used a skein and 1/2 of the perle cotton thread.

Tonight is a quilting night because Downton Abbey is on.

Happy Quilting

Tim

Denim Hand Quilting

I couldn’t wait to get started on the denim quilt.  I spent some time today trimming the back.  There sure were a lot of loose threads!

After I got it all trimmed I did the mending and then off to the store to get batting and backing and thread.

I am using a low loft poly batting (it was on sale) and I looked at just about every fabric I could think of for backing ( I was shopping at JoAnn fabrics not a quilt store) and I found nothing that excited me, I ended up with off white flannel and I think it turned out to be a good choice.

So layering time, I just pin baste.

It is 64″ square.  Large enough for its intended recipient.

I am hand quilting it.

I decided to add a little jeans detail on the center.

I am using perle cotton thread and #5 embroidery needles.

Its taking a bit of practice to make such large stitches!   I was afraid it would be difficult….it’s different but not difficult.  I think the quilting should go pretty fast.

I got this section done in about 20 min.

I should be working on one of the quilts I started previously but I guess My attention span is to short….and this is fun!

Happy Quilting

Tim

Denim for quilting?

I have a friend who has been hinting that he would like a quilt.  The problem is it needs to be a very hard-wearing quilt.  He is not gentle or careful at all!

He would disagree, but I know better.

I think I have the solution.  I recently purchased a denim quilt top from eBay.

I imagine it was made in the 70′s ?  using various colors of denim, perhaps even old jeans.

Being denim I think it will hold up to Teddy’s scratching and clawing and can safely be used as a throw over “his” chair.

It was machine pieced and the edges bound, and it has been used and washed several times so it needs some work.

I will be spending some time trimming off the loose threads and then doing the needed repairs

I think It will be worth it.  I love the variety of denim used

I think I will use denim for the backing as well. I plan to use gold thread (like the color used for the top stitching on jeans) to do the quilting. I have not quilted denim before so I am not sure how that will go.  I will do larger stitches and use a larger needle.

I’m sure that teddy will approve

 

He normally is only allowed to enjoy a quilt for a few minutes while getting his picture taken.

Happy Quilting

Tim

Basic Floral Design

Last night was the first of the Basic floral design classes for MSU Evening College.

Class starts out with the most basic design…the symmetrical triangle.

I have a very receptive group of students eager to learn!

I am an old-fashioned teacher and love to use the blackboard! (ok it is green so I’ll try to call it a chalk board)

Here is step one of the arrangement

and step 2

and the finished design

The students did a great job!  I look forward to the next class, I enjoy teaching so much.

Update on the destruction of the front yard…they filled in all the holes…and here is the aftermath.

my yard is the right side of the picture

not a lot of care taken to clean up the sidewalk

everything that was planted against the fence is gone

the was the lawn next to the driveway

this is where the truck drove over the roses….amazingly they have sprung back…they might live after all

all the edging on the bed is dug up and the soaker hose (previously buried under mulch) it believe is a loss…and they left lots of trash…even a broken glass

Isn’t it pretty?

I have a lot more pictures of the mess but I will save those for consumer’s energy. I have my work cut out for me….but I think I will think about better things today…..like pretty flowers

And my next quilt

Happy Wednesday!

Tim

Michigan Basement

If you have followed my blog for a while you have seen how many times my front yard has been dug up.  They are at it again today!  My new neighbor keeps having contractors in to keep his basement dry.  It has never been dry…The previous owners told me it was wet all the time.  Here in Lansing we call it a “Michigan Basement”  !00 year old houses were made on field stone foundations and water always seeps through.  However there is always a contractor who will tell you how to fix it.  Today they are replacing the sewer line for the third time in a year.  So my yard gets dug up again…

The digging is actually on the neighbors side but the fence fell into the hole…..I have a garden full of plants right up to the edge of that fence who’s roots are now destroyed and hanging out…the digging continues past the front sidewalk which is one of the last remaining brick sidewalks (well over 100 years old) in Lansing….I hope its ok!!  and then out on an angle to the street through the front of my yard…I re-seeded that area 2 times for the same reason last year.

While digging they broke the Gass line  so the entire neighborhood is full of utility workers…they are walking all over all my flower beds trampling down and compacting the soil and killing plants like crazy.  and now they decided they needed to dig up more of my front yard!!

More grass to re-plant!!  I can’t leave the house because they say the will need to come in and check in the basement here as well…there is a smell of gas throughout the neighborhood…Teddy is going crazy having all those people in “his” yard  And I am just sick at all the destruction!…And I know that the end result is going to be that the “Michigan Basement” will still be wet!

Happy Valentines day

Tim

Update….the excavator is now parked on top of this flower bed

The pink roses and the hosta on the end…yike!!!!!!

Sunday Progress Report

I have a busy week coming up.  I start teaching a new floral design class on Tuesday (why it starts on Valentine’s Day I have no idea!) so there is a lot of prep for that, as well as the classes I teach for the Michigan floral association. 

I have made a bit more progress on the antique wild goose chase hand quilting

I am quilting this one pretty heavily so it does take some time!  You can see the quilting much better from the back.

I think It is even prettier from the back…..but I love whole cloth quilts

I have a report on the Antique Log Cabin that I recently finished.  It is warm and I love it!  So glad I decided to use it and not just have it for display!

I am feeling like its time for me to sell a few quilts…..quiling is not an inexpensive endeavor and selling one or two now and then helps to support my hobby/addiction.  here are the two candidates, and their posts

http://timquilts.wordpress.com/2011/12/05/old-italian-block-quilt-finished/

http://timquilts.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/thrifty-wife-block/

I will write-up some information on them and set a price and list them on my eBay page in the next few days. (see tab above)

(I added the information and listed them on 2/13/12)

The Michigan Floral Association Convention is quickly approaching and I am thinking that I will enter the floral design contest so I need to get busy and make some plans for that! 

It is snowy and very cold today!  The kind of weather that makes me less than energetic.

Hmmmmm……maybe I need a nap?

Happy Quilting

Tim

Vintage House Quilts

This week someone asked what my favorite quilt pattern is. To be honest it depends on the day and my mood.  Today I am drawn to the various house patterns.  I have a few in the vintage quilt top collection.

I think this one is from the 70′s.  It is made with  Cotton/poly blend fabrics.

it is machine pieced.

The maker apparently wanted to make sure to get the pieces put together in the right order because all the pieces are lettered for construction (click the pictures to enlarge and see the marks).  The marking was done with a pen!  I don’t imagine it will wash out easily, but it adds to the rustic charm.

 

whoever made this top was not afraid to use bold colors!  I love that bright blue sky and funky grass!

I don’t have a good idea of how old it is.  It is all machine pieced but that is not a good way to determine the date, my feeling is that it is also from the 70′s.

I love this one.  The design is so primitive and folksy.  Each of the 4 quadrants are made up of 4 blocks

I love those fabrics….very different from quilting fabrics today.

The sashing and borders are all hand pieced and the dots are applique.

I don’t have any house quilt tops that are antique, but here are a few from the Quilt Index.

this one is a tied quilt from about 1910

This is from about 1860

This as from about 1900.

There are so many variations of the house block.  I keep my eyes open for an antique top at a good price to add to the collection but I do really like the funky 70′s tops I have

Happy Quilting

Tim

Quilt top marking

Today I am working on marking the winning quilt top from the Readers Poll  in January.

I didn’t have a template that fit the way I wanted so I drew up a pattern on freezer paper then ironed it onto cardboard and cut it out.  A simple way to make a template.

I am using a clover wash away marker.  Be sure that you pay attention to the marker you use.  The air disappearing markers look much the same but all your marks will be gone in a matter of hours!  That can be hugely frustrating.

The feathers run along the streak of lightning sashing (difficult to see the marks, click to enlarge)

And I am adding straight lines parallel to the sashing

I am adding more lines in the setting triangles

I must confess that I HATE marking.  I just want to jump in and start quilting.  I often mark as I go but since the marking on this quilt is continuous along the length I didn’t think I could get it to line up if I didn’t mark it first.

It is not something that can be done in just a few minutes, but it is the basis of all the hours of quilting to follow.  It might not be fun but it is very important to the end result!

I only have about 1/4 of the marking done at this point and I’m tired of it so it is time to take a break.  If I keep going I will get sloppy and have to re-do it, so its back to work on the wild goose chase for now.  I’m making good progress on it.

I think the quilting shows up better on the back.

Happy Quilting

Tim