Finish Report! ~ Marissa's Home Quilt ~

 Yesterday I finished the binding for Marissa's wedding quilt:

Pattern is Kim Diehl's "Journey's End," fabrics are her "Katie's Cupboard" collection. 
65 x 65 inches, Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 batting

I love doing custom quilting. Usually, the fancier the better, as far as I'm concerned. Once in a while, though - Less is More. 

I'd intended to do some roofing and siding lines in the houses, and then some fill work in the background of the blocks. However, when I started doing that with one of them, it detracted from the quilt instead of enhancing it. The houses are very busy with the dozens of different prints and the piecework of the blocks in them. Putting more quilting in mushed things together rather than highlighting them. So . . . I stuck with "just" stitch-in-the-ditch on the blocks with one 1/8-inch echo around the windows. That simple work did a lot to bring out the features in the houses, so that the center of the quilt no longer melted into itself.

On the sashing, I simply ran lines straddling the thin stripes in the fabric print. Looks great!

In the border, I wanted the white bricks to stand out better than they did before the quilting. To highlight those, I threw in some continuous-curve quilting, then I ran some fun leaves-and-vine-curls free-motion style through the colored bricks, treating them as one field on either side of the white bricks.

I loved this teal print from the collection, so I'd bought enough to make the whole backing with it, and the binding frames the quilt with the same fabric as the sashing.

I'm very happy with how the quilting enhanced this top. It felt a little too busy for its own good beforehand, but the subtle-yet-effective strategies in quilting brought it up to its full potential. It's a great scrappy quilt with a wonderful old-timey heart-is-where-the-home-is feel.

Marissa surprised me by choosing this quilt top for her special quilt. I didn't expect the reproduction fabrics and highly traditional pattern to appeal to her taste, but the top really called to her. It makes me happy when a quilt I've made resonates with others.  :)  

I'm linking up at:

Tish's UFO party

TGIFF at Storied Quilts this week

BOMs Away - Harmony and a Mother's Day visit :)

 

Welcome to the Link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM type project
so they don't stall out in UFO-land!
(Linky at the bottom)

I hope you had a nice Mother's Day for those who are here in the U.S.!

Lucille Sevey Johnson with daughter Karleen Cheryl ("Cheri") Johnson
circa 1949

 
I love this photo! My mom passed in 2004, and we had never seen this photo before. Her sister found it this weekend in Grandma's memory book. Very fun to have.

I had some nice phone conversations with the daughters and a son-in-law who are in Florida, and our Colorado daughter came up to have luncheon here with me and to spend the rest of the day. 

We had a great time eating, chatting, and making more big ribbon bows for her wedding. I pulled out my fabric sample booklets for Kona, Pure Element, and Bella solids, and we took some time to choose what she likes for the backing of her Kaffe Fassett Dinner Plate Dahlia quilt. 

(Element in Grapefruit won out.)

Then we went up to my longarm room so she could choose which of my Flimsies she would like me to quilt up for her wedding quilt. I have something like 38 flimsies hanging in my Flimsy Closet in that room, which makes times like this really very fun!

I was surprised at what called to her, and never would have chosen it myself as what I though would be the best pick. My "Journey's End" flimsy, made from late-1800's reproduction fabrics is the one that spoke to her. 

I showed her which of the top's fabrics I believe I already have on hand for backing, and she likes that - but just in case I don't actually have it, she is drawn to the idea of a soft pinwale corduroy in the Turkey Red color. 

Lots of flimsies to hang back up! My long-hauler Covid energy level was zapped by that point, so I told her we'd leave them for me to reload into the closet the next day.

Going in that room made it unavoidable to spoil the surprise of her college graduation quilt. She'd seen the fabrics before the top was made, but not the quilt top itself. Her reaction of, "Oh! I *really* like this!" when she saw it at this point made my day. (Particularly since all that McTavishing background work is time consuming and very demanding on my energy capabilities!)

So! On to the scheduled reason for this post - BOMs Away!

 I went back to my unfinished Month 6 applique blocks for "Harmony." These are big blocks - at least 16 inches finished. They have all been stitched down to this point now: 

And are ready for the next round at the sewing machine:

One more flower center and 6 more small leaves get put onto these blocks before they're finished. About 1/4 of those remaining pieces have been prepped. I believe these applique blocks can be all wrapped up next weekend.  :)

~*~*~*~

What BOM type project have you worked on recently? 

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

BOMs Away - Journey's End

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

Woohoo!!  I just finished putting this BOM top together:

This is the Kim Diehl pattern "Journey's End" that I started last April.

~*~*~

How is your BOM work going right now?

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

Inlinkz Link Party

BOMs Away - Journey's End

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

Apparently, it's a big football day here in the U.S.  ;D  

Doesn't mean anything to me, though. I've been perfectly happy spending the weekend with another old BOM that I pulled back out. 

I sewed the sashes and assembled the center of my Journey's End - 

I used the cornerstone blocks for the border as leader-enders for that, and they're almost finished - 

Then I spent a couple hours cutting up scraps from all the different fabrics for the 504 pieces of the border patchwork - (Sure was nice to fold up all those leftover fabric pieces draped on that back chair and that box, and put them away with my reproduction stash.)

There is a ton of piecing in the border, but it makes the whole quilt:

 I actually got about 1/3 of them put together, but I didn't take a pic, and now I don't feel like going back downstairs. The barometer plunged today, and it's messing with my Lupus. Time to go lay down and read if I don't straight up nap.

Maybe I can get this guy to snuggle with me.  :)

~*~*~

How is your BOM work going right now?

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up, 

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

An InLinkz Link-up

BOMs Away - Last of the Houses & some Window Dressing

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

I felt spurred to finish up the rest of the houses for Journey's End for this week's BOM work, so I did just that!

First the Star houses:

Then the King's Crown houses:

Yes, I am a reader. The books in the left-most pile are the last of my choices to fill in the gaps for my 2018 Popsugar Reading Challenge. It's my third year doing that, and I like the way it expands my reading experiences. Are you a reader? Do you still read paper books, or prefer electronic reading?

And check it out! We just put up the first of the window treatments that I've been sewing:

 I'm super happy with it. I needed neutral fabrics that would play nice with different quilts on the bed throughout the year, and with the white Christmas tree we like to put up in the window bay, but not be so tame that they were "blah."

I have enough of the cream fabric left to make a nice bedskirt with scraps of the gray behind the box pleats, but first I have to finish the gray portions of the other two windows and get those stitched to their mounting boards. I've already finished all of those in the cream facing treatment.

I mentioned being a reader - Scott is, too, and we both greatly prefer paper books. This room is huge - some 20 x 15 feet with the bay window on top of it all, so we're creating a little library nook. Scott's going to make me some beautiful bookcases, but those have to wait until we can put up the rest of the crown moulding. (His power saw is hostage right now to the special custom fencing you have to make specific to your particular crown moulding to accomodate the compound angles you have to cut, and unclamping that would mean he'd have to do all the work of making that fence all over again.)

This will become a pretty library nook,
but for now it's just remodeling storage area.

But the crown moulding can't be finished until the professional dude does the work on the fireplace surround that will go in here from floor to ceiling. Scott had put on the skeleton wood for the mantle before we decided the bottom tile will go away. It does look like the old tile can be removed and new backing board installed without taking the mantle beginnings down (you can't see the space underneath it all in this photo).

I'm also in the middle of painting the 4 doors for our suite. They were a really banged-up stained oak treatment, with deep gouges from the previous owner's dogs that looked really bad even with restaining. I had to do a lot of fill work and sanding to get them in good shape before I started the painting. I'm giving them a nice texture with chalk paint before doing some wash work that I'll show later. The first door side (the inside of the closet door) turned out exactly how I wanted it, so I'm replicating my work on the doors that all show now.

I lost my saw horses for the day -
it would be a real pain to paint these on the floor.

The doors will get some architectural overlays in each of the panels that will have gold brushing on them, rather like a modified French Renaissance style that will coordinate with the detail work that will go on the mantel and the vanity. They'll also get new knobs in the French Renaissance style.

After all this is squared away, I'll also refinish the chairs in the bay window to pull that look all together. I wanted to get them professionally refinished and reupholstered, but I've spent all my remodel budget (barring the hold-back of the professionals' fees for the fireplace and the tub surround), so that's no longer an option. The fabrics I like are Not Cheap, and would be something just under two thousand dollars for the reupholster supplies and labor. But guess what? CHALK PAINT, BABY!!!  WHO KNEW THAT YOU CAN PAINT THE ACTUAL FABRIC, AND IF YOU USE THE RIGHT TECHNIQUE, IT LOOKS AND PERFORMS JUST GREAT?! I saw some actual pieces done up, and found the result to be perfectly acceptable in appearance and function for these chairs here. I'm telling you, chalk paint is my new love, after quilting. My preferences tend to a more polished effect than people generally associate with chalk paint, but the stuff is incredibly versatile depending on the techniques you use.

The work is moving along so very slowly, but every little step forward tickles my fancy so perfectly - I really look forward to a finished suite that I completely adore.  :)

~*~*~

But it's time for me to stop jabbering and let you share what you've done lately for BOM work:

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up,

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

BOMs Away - Journey's End group 3

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

This week I put together the pinwheel houses for Journey's End:

Have you done BOM work lately?

~*~*~

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up,

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

BOMs Away - Journey's End and Sue Garman's Nutcracker #8

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

Hi, how are you doing? 

I got another set of the houses put together for my Journey's End project. 

And I'm totally in love with my Santa Nutcracker! Isn't he cool? He's block 8 of Sue Garman's Classic Nutcrackers.

It's so hard to get cameras to see glitter fabric anywhere near as pretty as it actually is. I've used that for Santa's hair, and the white cotton velvet for all his fur cuffs and hat pom. It came out absolutely perfect, and when the blocks are joined, I'll finish the star that will overlap the seam.

I'll probably stayed focused on only these two BOMs while I'm still working on remodel stuff - which I see lasting another 4 or 5 weeks. I do start working at the longarm again tomorrow - mornings for work on the house, afternoons for quilting. So I may just have other things to share again some time soon.  :)

Right now, I shall banish this adorable pest so I can get my valances cut out. . . 

Now it's your turn!

How are things at your place? Have you been able to do any BOM work lately? 

~*~*~

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up,

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

BOMs Away - Journey's End, some House attention, and a Doublet

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

Hello, everyone. I am so very sorry for the lapses in my blogging the past several weeks. (Thank you so much, Deana.)  My absence was all due to being entirely focused on the house remodeling and being so worn out from that, that I haven't done any sewing or blogging around it and family functioning.

Until today. It just occurred to me how appropos it is that I picked up a new-to-me BOM to work on that features house blocks.

I had seen a "Journey's End" quilt by Kim Diehl done up in the local quilt store, and was so intrigued at the "Whole is more than the Sum of the Parts" effect it had for me, that I bought all the original fabrics for it. What I mean by that is that every once in a blue moon, I am completely charmed by a quilt that is made up of fabrics I wouldn't choose and in a style that doesn't seem to be my favorite, and yet it pulls at me strongly for some reason.

So I got the first of six sets of 5 blocks put together:

I love the block-in-a-block approach.  :)

I had hoped to have all of our share of the remodel work finished today, as tomorrow I go back to work at my longarm in the afternoons - I have a really fun customer quilt to start up, but it's a gift, so I can't share that.  

How about a couple shots of house WIP? There are many things going on, but the most recent attention has been on these two works:

The skeleton of what will be a really pretty mantle. . . 

It will be getting these embellishments, 

but not until the white & glass mosaic tile that we decided to put in from floor to ceiling has been done. Demo will be involved here on that bottom portion. <fun>

And half the master suite has its crown molding now: 

It's going to take me a very long time to work my way around the room for its painting. . . so hard to get in every little nook and cranny without drips!  

A detail from before any caulking or painting

But man, my corners look amazing.  :D   <<Quilters make most excellent architectural detail workers!>>


Oh!  I did help my son-in-law make this short doublet over the past 4 weeks. 

He participates in SCA medieval fighting and society and wanted to use left-overs from his formal wedding doublet for one that he can wear on fight nights. He wants to keep the wedding doublet nice for banquets.

How are things at your place? Have you been able to do any BOM work lately? 

~*~*~

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up,

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.

BOMs Away - Journey's End (A Beginning)

Welcome to the link-up for BOMs Away Mondays!

Where we share what we're doing on a BOM-type project 

so they don't stall out in UFO-land!

(Linky at the bottom.)

I have been working myself too much the past three weeks and needed some serious down time today. So all I did in the BOM realm was to cut the neutrals out for my Journey's End kit. 

It's a project that is divided into 6 "intervals" of work. I saw the quilt from this kit when I went to the quilt shop for some backing, and something about the particular color saturation in the repro-style fabrics, combined with the super-cool pieced border called to me.

It will look like this:

Call me crazy for bringing it home - but I know I won't regret it.

How is BOM work going at your place?

~*~*~

Kate over at Katie Mae Quilts has joined me in hosting this meet-up,

and linking up from either end puts you on the party at both sides.