Reverse Churn Dash is finished

I seem to spend most of my time in the kitchen these days but I did get the Reverse Churn Dash finished.

I quilted this on my new Juki with a meandering (large stippling) stitch. I love sewing on the Juki partly because I can easily see what I have already sewn.

The quilt has been laundered so I'm not sure you can see the quilting.

I used #2600 light gray 50-weight Aurifil thread to quilt this 50" by 60" donation quilt.

I began this quilt in May. I thought it would be a neat way to use some scraps. I also used leftover pieces of binding to make a scrappy binding. I finished the quilt top at a recent retreat and friends were checking out all of the scraps - some child may easily play Eye Spy with this one.

The backing fabric came from The Quilter's Fix in Sheridan Wyoming. It's very bright and cheerful. I really don't see the pattern in the back until I look at a picture of it.

I am slowly quilting another quilt and I also have a couple of quilts that I am slowly cutting and sewing. In another week, I should be done working with produce so then I will have a lot more time to quilt!

Catching up and a finish

Where does the time go? I've really been busy with freezing and drying zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes, ... and I've been busy with the Cricut. Here is Ray's new shirt that he designed.

We hung the sign that we bought in Virginia on our porch.

I finished a quilt! This is the quilt made from the African Wax Prints - I finished the top at the last retreat. I bought the collection of fabrics at Crimson Tate in Indianapolis last April.

The backing is some fabric that Ray picked out at Seams Sew Easy in Fairfield, Ohio in July.

This donation quilt has Dream Cotton batting and is 52" by 66". I used a walking foot and quilted this with straight lines. I used light gray #2600 50-weight Aurifil thread. I used my new machine!

close up of laundered quilt

I've really wanted a new sewing machine for quilting but I don't have the space for a long arm and I can't stand up for hours at a time. I considered a sit down long arm but again that would need quite a bit of space.

After years, make that 11 years of looking, reading, talking with people, researching, I finally purchased a Haruka, the Juki TL-18 QVP. This is a mid-arm machine and I love it. My understanding is that haruka is Japanese for beyond. So far is is beyond my expectations!

I am just finishing my first free-motion quilt on the Juki and will show it to you when the quilt is done. In the meantime, I'll be getting more produce this week so I'll be back in the kitchen.

I have a finish!

Enjoy each Day

I love our trips and my retreats and I also love being home. I've been home 1-1/2 weeks and I've enjoyed each day. I enjoy having some time in my sewing studio - I even have a finish. The blocks of this quilt each have 16 2.5" squares - 10 red and 6 white. Each block reminds me of a log cabin block so I named this quilt Square Log Cabin Diamond. This donation quilt is 59" square and has Dream Cotton Batting.

I free motion quilted loops on the white with Aurifil cream #2315 thread and meandering on the red with Aurifil dark red #1103 thread. The dark red thread was used for the entire red back. It felt so go to free motion quilt again but I really need some practice.

I used a walking foot for the borders and quilted straight lines.

The Jenny's Garden quilt top is finished. I made the blocks at the last retreat and now have them together and a couple of borders added. 

I once again have piles of quilts in various stages - I think it's becoming commonplace here!

There's been a lot of kitchen time freezing and/or drying produce. Some baking has happened too. There has also been some relaxing - I've read three books and done some knitting. Last week we enjoyed gorgeous weather and I loved being outside and on the porch.

I think we have a busy week this week so we'll just see how it goes. It's nice to just go with the flow...

July Retreat Projects

Quilters -

Cut with hope

Stitch with grace. 

Quilt with dreams. 

Bind with laughter. 

Share with love.

www.wishuponaquilt.com

Here are some of the projects worked on at our July retreat.

The. beginnings of a gorgeous log cabin quilt

Gorgeous blue batiks ready to sew into blocks

I love this paper pieced wall hanging.

She made 6 beautiful pillows for her new couch

The following are my projects.

Reverse Churn Dash top is finished

African Wax Prints top is finished

 Sticks and Stones blocks are finished.

Jenny's Flower Garden blocks are finished

I made a few bowties

We had a wonderful time! 

Really Home!

The Best Treat is a Quilt Retreat!

-QuiltingHub.com

I am really home now! We are going to live in our house for the next weeks and months - we have no trips planned. I am going to sew and I am going to do some other things too like freeze and/or dehydrate food. I might even clean the house.

After we arrived home last week, I did the laundry and prepared to go on a quilt retreat. I did get this one top finished before I left - I just added borders.

Scrappy Trip Around the World

I was really excited about this retreat because I hadn't been able to quilt for a number of weeks due to traveling. A group of us went to Prairie Star Lodge for our annual July retreat.

This was a new wallhanging at the lodge that I wanted to share.

The flowers were gorgeous.

The grounds were too.

Each bed has a purchased white quilt. Depending on the time of year, there is another quilt or a bed runner topping the white quilt. Here are a few bed runners.

This quilt was on a quilt rack in one bedroom.

The front porch has rocking chairs and benches. I enjoyed my breakfast in a rocking chair most mornings with this view.

I'll share some of the projects in the next post.

And we are home!

Travel is the only thing you buy 

that makes you richer.
                            – Anonymous

We spent much of Monday in Nashville, Indiana. We've enjoyed Nashville and the surrounding area of Brown County for years and often end or begin trips there. 

We wandered the streets and enjoyed the shops and the flowers on a very warm day. 

We decided to eat at Trolly's BBQ but there was only outside seating and it was too warm for us to enjoy eating in the heat. One shop owner suggested Heavenly Biscuit, Inc. There was plenty of outside seating while the inside seating was very limited. Three young women who met in college  and were enjoying their yearly vacation together, offered to share their table. They were fun and interesting to talk with. Ray and I both had BLTs and fried taters which were perhaps the best fried potatoes I've ever eaten! Sadly, we were too full to enjoy a cinnamon roll but our table mates said they were scrumptious. They ate dessert first - we should have!

My big disappointment of my day was that a new-to-me small quilt shop in Nashville, The Yellow Door Quilt Store, was closed on Mondays. I looked in the windows and they obviously saved me money by not being open today! Hopefully I'll catch them next time.

We spent part of the afternoon and evening doing very little - it was very relaxing.

Today we drove home in some rain and some sun. The beginning and the end of the day was spent on back roads, definitely our preferred way of traveling. The car is unloaded, a few groceries were purchased, and the mail was picked up. It's time to sit down!