Mid-September To-Do's

Happy Mid-September Tuesday!
How was everyone's week?
I've been quilting away and my pile of
finished tops is now down to just one!

Last Week's To-Do's--Now Ta-Da's:

1) Bind and label Meow:  Done!

Meow!   46x54


Last week I avoided close-up pics due to my "off"
quilting but then I realized this was not sticking to
my "keep it real" rule so this time I'm including pics.



2) Finish quilting Squirrel in the Secret Garden:  Done!

Squirrel in the Secret Garden 88 X 104

Because nothing shows off a spring quilt like....
uh, pumpkins!?
Oh well.

(more true to color here)

The quilting went a little more smoothly with this quilt
but I still felt I could have done better.  I don't mean to
make an issue of it--I just want to diagnose what's up.


Perhaps it's just this pattern.  I vaguely remember
thinking this it's not quite as easy as it looks


The entire pattern has a pretty drastic "wave" to it
which can really add some strain.
I always feel pantograph quilting requires a different
kind of hold on the machine--one that, in my opinion,
uses more of the body.  Actually, it uses the entire body
right down to the toes to keep a smooth and fluid control.
But as a pattern gets farther away from you, the more
you have to lean and eventually rely on just your arms,
thus losing some of that smooth control.  Not sure if that
makes sense but think this is why the pattern isn't as
easy as it appears, especially with chronic pain issues.


But all that aside, I'm happy with it and I love the quilting
pattern that I chose for it, even if it was a little tricky.


can't wait to pull this one back out next spring!

3) Choose and start on border for the garlic knot quilt
Done!


I really wanted to put a black pieced border on this but 
when I went to "try out" fabrics next to it, I really liked how
they looked and suddenly I was just putting them on.

Another quick toss-on-the-bed pic; no staging.

This quilt is pretty much the same size as my
Secret garden quilt since it's going on our bed
as well--only much sooner.


 I hit my fav-clearance-section quilt shop and
found a nice plaid fabric that screamed
"Put me on the back of a fall quilt!"
(They should definitely make more assertive fabric like that.)


Plaids, stripes and other linear patterns aren't great
for backings but this looked to be printed very straight.
I was happily envisioning turning back the covers on cool
evenings to reveal this cozy fall fabric before I realized
there clearly was not enough for a queen quilt.

I used a brown floral from my stash; the strip is at the bottom
and will likely never be seen but it still matches very well.

Certainly I could add something from the stash?
(Ah--less guilt!)
Hubs loves plaids, too, and I knew he'd appreciate the
masculine touch it would bring so I snatched it up.
(Hubs thinks it's perfect.)

I may or may not have grabbed 11+ yards of
another fabric but who's keeping track?


Actually I am, and I'm supposed to be thinning out
my bolt stash most of all but if one can catch the
good stuff marked down to $5/yd and have a solid
purpose in mind for it, well then grab away!
And besides, I think that's the thinnest I've seen
that clearance collection--is this a sign of how the
Shop Hop might go?  Definitely safer to grab now.
It might even show up on my next project--likely
before the Shop Hop.


So now the garlic knot quilt is loaded up and
ready for quilting.  Amazing.
Stuff is gettin' done, I tell you!


Here's a random quilt that caught my attention
at the shop, btw.  So pretty!

4) Other things:
Continue canning tomatoes, fall decorating and 
make something yummy with the first pumpkin.

My collection of tomatoes is growing:
22 quarts and 20 pints total (reg and Italian-style)
so far.  Not bad, but I'd like to double it.


To this latest batch I added roasted garlic--yet
another step but it'll be great in certain recipes.

I didn't get anything made with pumpkin yet
but I got two baked and pureed up.

Looking forward, the weather is going to be super
so I want to focus a little more on fall cleaning.
But all work and no play makes me dull grumpy so
I do plan on getting some quilty things done still:

Next week's to-do's:

1)  Finish quilting garlic knot quilt

2) Load up West Point quilt
(start on quilting when thread arrives)

3) Start on West Point table runners?
Hoping to pop out 2 or 3 here.

4) Garden Stuff
More canning.
Start garden clean-up.

Happy quilting!


Linking up to

Comments

Home Sewn By Us said…
Good morning, Cheree! I love that plaid fabric and the floral print matches it so nicely. Plus your eleven yard bolt sounds like a great score to me. You've really been on a finishing roll lately! When is the shop hop? With all your finishes, you'll have plenty of room for more fabric and projects! I was wondering what was happening with the WP quilt - glad to see it back on your list. Thanks for linking up this week! ~smile~ Roseanne
grammajudyb said…
Some lovely projects! I don’t see an issue with the quilting of either Meow or Squirrel in the Secret Garden. But I admire and envy all quilters with a long arm! I would have grabbed up that tallish plaid also! Yummy!
my goodness you are busy! I love your quilts and am envious of your bolt finds! That's a lot of canning you did! Have a great week!
Debbie said…
Wow you got so much done. Very happy with your garlic knot finish. It looks so good on the bed with those simple borders. It all worked out well didn't it? I love your backings....great buys.
Wow you have so many lovely quilts! And I think all your quilting looks magnificent. Kudos to you for having such a productive week. Happy Stitching from me!
Long-arm quilting is a mystery to me, so I'll just say your finished quilts look gorgeous to me! I especially love the Secret Garden one. And you'll be so proud to know that I grew a pumpkin - actually two! 🎃
piecefulwendy said…
Well wowza - you have been busy - woohoo! Love all the quilts. They look great! Those canned tomatoes are so pretty all lined up. I think your quilting looks great, by the way!
Vicki in MN said…
OMG you rock with whipping out those quilts!! And all the garden stuff too! You described the panto experience just like I would. I find it hard to follow the lines but I also learned that if you are off a little it won't matter if you still have soft flowing lines and no abrupt turns to get back on the line.
Joyful Quilter said…
I miss my go-to shop for quilt backs - I need two right now and the local fabric shop has nothing! Your Meow and Squirrel in the Secret Garden quilting looks great - hurray for finishes.
Great quilt finishes! With the brown floral at the bottom of the quilt, it will be easy to figure out which way the quilt goes on the bed each time you change the sheets.