My First Border and Pretty Vase

Hello everyone!  I've been absent, but I promise I've been busy!

I'm still plugging along on my 

Friends of Baltimore quilt  AND A Bountiful Life/Civil War Bride quilt.  

I like working on them simultaneously.  Friends of Baltimore has teeny tiny pieces and more tedious while the Bountiful Life has larger pieces and gives me a break from the tedious so I can still keep busy.

I'm excited to show you my progress on the first border and vase from Friends of Baltimore.  I put off starting a border thinking it would be daunting, I was a scaredy cat…BUT HEY…it wasn't so bad.

I. LIKE.

As you can see, it is quite long.

There will be a vase sewn to each end to make a corner on this bottom border, which makes it even LONGER!  I'm still jurying fabrics for the vase on the other end.  Only 3 more borders to go!

The scary part will be when it comes time to trim this down!!

Must show you more proof I've been busy.

 Remember her?  My bride on the Bountiful Life quilt.

She now has a groom!  Isn't he handsome?

 They also have a hospitality table.  I think it's cute!

I think I had just started on this one in a previous post.

Working on both of these quilts at the same time has yielded me enough blocks for a WHOLE quilt!!
….Sigh...
I just don't think they would mix well together….too bad!

Sorry I've been so long with an update and I want to thank everyone who has inquired about me.  I desperately need a new camera.  The photos I take on my iPhone seem to be lacking in quality (I think it's the operator),  but I promise to blog with more quilty goodness!

Cotton harvest is in full swing here and so sad, for this will be our last crop.

Hubby is retiring.

Flags Of The American Revolution

It's time for my monthly Flags update.

For the month of December 2014 we were to cut out 5 of these sets for the Star and Moon setting blocks.

I finally decided on this fabric yesterday and I already had my templates made.

They will look similar to this photo from the book.

I appliquéd The Crescents of South Carolina flag.

The Fort Moultrie ( Liberty Moon ) flag was also appliquéd.

Here is a photo of how I started out on the quilt.  I pinned "chunks" of fabric pieces and the freezer paper templates up on my design wall to help get a cohesive look with the different fabrics.

I do this a lot with most of my quilts. 

I don't want any "surprise…it doesn't look good" episodes, having sewed it together

before I audition various fabrics.

Just a photo reminder to show you what I am shooting for in this FOLLOW/SEW ALONG

I am participating in over at

Lori's

Humble Quilts blog.

I will be linking up with the others to show our progress.

November Flag and Sawtooths

I. LIKE.  I.LIKE.  I.LIKE. my November Flag blocks!!

I especially like these sawtooth blocks that will be

scattered through out the quilt.

I agonized over the fabric choices but I dug and I dug

A-N-D 

I DUG SOME MORE

through the ole stash and finally came up with a combination I am happy with.

Make 3 for November………and I did.

Now

on to the Eagle/Dove block.   The official title for this one is 

Whiskey Rebellion. 

The pattern in the book calls it a "bird".  Looks kind of like a dove to me.   Maybe with it being white I don't relate to it being an eagle.

Anyway, this block was a little time consuming and was sort of a jig saw puzzle there around where the red/white ribbons reach towards the beak, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

All my blocks to The Flags of the American Revolution are coming along nicely.  I'm so glad

Lori from Humble Quilts decided on this quilt along.

Everyone who is participating are showing off their blocks with a link up over at Lori's blog.

Run over and take a gander at others and see the variety of fabrics 

being used.  I think that is the FUN part, seeing others interpretation.

Ok, I'm off to see which blocks we're to do for December.

October Flags Finished

There was a little fussy cutting needed for my FLAGS blocks this month.  Three of the blocks

called for star buttons.  Of course, I didn't find any buttons I liked, and besides, as many as I would have needed the total was going to be about $50.00 for the buttons.

No Way!  No Way!

I had some fabric with stars on it so I whooped out my freezer paper, starch and handy tools for hand appliqué pieces and carefully cut out these little stars to use in place of buttons.

Looks good to me.

I also flipped the navy star fabric over and used the back side.  The front side was whiter and brighter but the back was darker and dull and looked better.  The red dotted style fabric I have had for AT LEAST 25 years.  It really wasn't cotton and wanted to be limp and loosy goosey so I STARCHED THE HECK OUT OF IT to get it to play nice with the other cottons.

I did more Fussy cutting on this block too.

Yep, 13 more fussy cut stars here too!

Wow, that's a total of 39 little round stars I sewed down on 3 different blocks!

No fussy cutting here, b-u-t those tiny letters.  I was glad when I finished those.  Kind of time consuming for me.

Finally, just an ole plain one.  YIPPEE!

This is the SONS OF LIBERTY flag.  This had to do with a TAX the colonist had to pay on EVERY piece of paper they used.  CRAZY!

SO,

here are my 5 completed blocks in the Sew Along for the month of October.

I wonder what blocks Lori from Humble Quilts ( our fearless leader in this Sew Along ) has 

lined out for us in the month of November???

Revolutionary Flags Update

It's been a battle!  Yes, I battled and battled the sickness and disease!  Not long after I posted my previous post

I succumbed to the sickness!!

Drats!!

DOUBLE DRATS!!

  I had so much to do and was on a roll!

I so wanted to have an update post on my Flags quilt and be able to link up with

Lori's blog.

So, this is the first MOMENT I've stopped coughing long enough to post my update.

Here is my eagle block.  I got a late start on the Quilt Along and wasn't able to post my update 

on Sept. 1.

It's not complete as yet, just a few more stars to appliqué and I'll be able to sew the corner pieces to the eagle center part.
I decided to put the 13th star at the bottom of the eagle block.  The pattern shows only 12 stars, but
like some others I wanted the original 13 on there.  All the other blocks in the pattern
 have13 stars.

This is the center of the quilt and will be quite large when I sew it all together.  Just the eagle
part is a 22" square.

I.LIKE.

/////////////////////////////////////

For September there were 4 tree blocks to complete.

20 1/2" x 10 1/2"

20 1/2" x 10 1/2"

20 1/2" x 10 1/2"

This tiny tree is not even 3" tall.

It will be appliquéd to another 20 1/2" x 10 1/2" block.

I forgot all about this block until I saw others posting their "4" trees.  Oops, I only had 3.

I REALLY like this quilt and am thankful to Lori from Humble Quilts for getting up the

QUILT ALONG!

This is my first quilt along and I think it will help me to push myself and stay on track

to get it done in a timely fashion…….and besides, I LOVE seeing all the different fabrics the others are using!

Ok……..now back to my regularly scheduled coughing!!

In The Mean Time...

Yes, I am waiting for a fabric order to arrive with a few fabrics needed

to go with my FLAGS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION

quilt.  You know, the quilt along with LORI

over at Humble Quilts I talked

about in my previous 2 posts.

IN THE MEAN TIME…..

I've been working on my blocks for the 9 patch swap BARB is hosting over at her blog

FUN WITH BARB.

She decided on 2 groups, one with bright fabrics and the other group with Civil War style fabrics.  I chose the Civil War style because it was something new and different for me.

She offered up this great little tutorial on a super easy way to 

sew up these 9 patches.  You can check out this tutorial at her blog, click on the tab at the top of her blog header.

Each group was to make 50 pair.  Oh my, that's 100 single ones.  Some brave souls joined BOTH

groups.  I thought about doing both and now I'm glad I didn't.  I calmed down that

overly ambisious urge pretty quickly!!! 

IN THE MEAN TIME….

You can have a look-see at a few of my sweet little 9 patches.

These are sooooo addictive to make!!

As I've sewn these up, I made sure to set aside a pair of each fabric style for myself.

I can't wait to see the ones I get back from the swap!  Clapping! Clapping!

I'm excited!!

IN THE MEAN TIME….

I better get back to the sewing machine and get the rest of my 9 patches sewn up so I can get them mailed out to BARB and meet the deadline of October 1….and sorry, the swap entry has closed.

P.S.  In my previous post I was worried about my eagle design fitting on the only fat quarter I had that would work ( well, in my mind anyway ).

It fit perfectly…YIPPEE!!

(As you can see, the eagle is pinned to a stack of fabrics I auditioned.  I think this is my final decision)