Setting Sail Again...

I know that a lot of my sewing and quilting projects have fallen by the wayside over the last year or so.  I mentioned in my last post how the move sort of took over things for a while.  But I'm starting to get back into old (and new) projects again and I'm really enjoying myself!  Recently I finished one of the Ladies of the Sea blocks I've been hand appliqueing for so long.  This is the 15th ship I've completed.

I knew I'd started this ship over a year ago, but I was shocked when I looked back on my blog and learned it was actually just over 2 years ago!  I started this quilt in 2009 and although I've taken numerous breaks to work on other hand applique projects (mainly my Baltimore Halloween quilt), it is definitely my longest project to date.  Here are all of the blocks I've completed so far...

I've already started on the 16th and last ship.  I can only hope it doesn't take me nearly as long to finish.  If I work on it regularly, I can usually knock it out in a month or two, but honestly, this summer is already looking to be a very busy one so time will tell.

With my lack of posting over the last year, I've also neglected to share pictures of my furbabies.  In August it will be 3 years since Sam was diagnosed with kidney disease.  She's already beat the odds and lived longer than the vet said she should.  In fact, she has more energy and is more playful than she was before she got sick.  She's almost 16, but most days she's carrying around her baby in her mouth from place to place before kicking it's butt.  Go Sam!

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT)

The Dutch Hooker...

I have to be honest and admit I hesitated with the title of my post, but it's the name of my latest block so I'm going to go with it.  Funny but true story, when I made Carrie Nelson's 'X-Rated' quilt last year, I started receiving a lot of spam mail after using the name of it in my blog posts.  So much so that I had to turn word verification on.  It's this month's Schnibbles quilt for AYOS, so I wonder how many others are going to experience the same issue.

But back to 'The Dutch Hooker'.  It's one of the ships in Sue Garman's Ladies of the Sea quilt and my most recent finish.  Each block will actually have the name and year of the ship inked underneath them, but I'm going to wait until I've finished them all before adding that.

The Dutch Hooker, 1350

As I've mentioned before, I'm using the back-basting method to applique each of these.  This ship makes 14 I've completed; I only have 2 left (plus all of the borders and compasses of course.)

The blocks I've finished so far

I've already prepped the last two blocks.  I'm just waiting on some matching thread to come in before I start.  I use YLI 100 wt. silk thread for all my hand applique because I love how invisible your stitches become.  I wish my local quilt shops carried it, but when I can find it, they usually only have a couple of spools.  I've found it's great for machine quilting as well.

I'm working on so many different projects right now, but it's nice to see some progress.  Little by little, they'll all eventually get finished.  That's the plan anyway!

Sam has been feeling pretty good lately and has been rather playful.  She even claimed one of the dog's toys for the night.  Despite having a gazillion others and a new bone, the dog was NOT a happy camper.

“I’m a mess. I’m nothing and have nothing; make something of me! You can do it; you’ve got what it takes God.” 

Psalm 40:17 (MSG)

Finally Sailing Again...

It's been more than a year since I've finished one of these blocks.  I didn't look back to see exactly how long, because I'd probably feel guilty for not working on this more (even though there's no deadline).

This is the Chinese Pirate Junk of 1807.  The pattern is Ladies of the Sea by Sue Garman and this marks my 13th ship completed out of 16.

I would have finished it a few days ago, but after I completed all of the applique I decided I didn't like one of the fabrics and decided to replace it.  Even though it took a bit longer, I think it was a good call.

I usually work on the ships in pairs which means I've almost finished another one as well.  Hopefully I'll be back with it in another week or so.  This quilt is a labor of love for my husband and so far I think I've been working on it for about 4 years.  He's started to joke about whether he'll live to see it completed.  I still have the remaining ships and 4 full borders, so I'm not sure how to answer him!

By the way, I'm having some trouble getting comments lately.  So if I haven't responded, please know that's the reason why!

"Be bold and strong! Banish fear and doubt! For remember, the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." 

Joshua 1:9 (LB)

Peaceful Days...

Now that the preparations are done and the presents are wrapped (finally), there's nothing left to do but enjoy the next few days.  My husband and I found a funny little spy-comedy series on Hulu called The Wrong Mans that we've been watching while I work on appliqueing my Ladies of the Sea blocks.  (It doesn't look like much yet, but I've actually made a good bit of progress on it.)

I've also started quilting the Christmas table runner.  Not much chance of finishing this in time for Christmas, but hopefully soon after.  I haven't had much experience working with metallic thread and after reading about it online, thought I would have a lot more trouble with it.  It's broken a couple of times, but that's all.  I'm using a 90/14 topstitch needle and have the thread sitting vertically and it seems to be happy.  It's hard to capture in a photo, but it has quite a lot of sparkle to it.

And what would a quilting post be without it's corresponding helper?  Sam assisted me with my stencil work on this quilt.  (Which reminds me, I need to buy a refill for my lint roller...)

Today I'm hoping to find a little more sewing time before heading to a small get together at my mother-in-law's home, where she's making a 21 lb turkey for 4 people.  I can promise you that no one ever leaves her house hungry!

but the angel reassured them. "Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. The Savior-yes, the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!

Luke 2:10-11, NLT

Setting sail...

After a long time in dry dock, I've finally managed to finish another couple of blocks for the Ladies of the Sea (LOTS) quilt I'm working on.  The pattern is by the very talented Sue Garman.  I'm making this quilt for Mr. Quilting Bug and it's all hand appliqued.  So far, I've been working on it (off and on) for about 3 years.  I'm guessing it'll take another 2 or 3 years to complete the top.

These latest blocks are #11 and 12.  The first one is called the Oseberg and was a fun one to stitch.

The Oseberg

I debated about using Karen Kay Buckley's Perfect Circles on the ship, but instead just did my regular back-basting applique.  I still think they turned out pretty round.

The Lilies of the Valley were also a pretty quick stitch...

Lilies of the Valley on the Oseberg

The second block I finished is called the Constitution.  Because of all the sails and rigging, this one was a much bigger labor of love.

The Constitution

I didn't realize until I'd finished all the applique that the eagle's beak was supposed to be done with embroidery.  I had gone ahead and appliqued it.  It's a tiny piece, but really wasn't that hard to do.

I thought it was ironic that I started this block just after finishing my last Baltimore Halloween block that had all the acorns.  I was so tired of appliqueing acorns, but these were really much simpler.

Acorns and leaves on the Constitution

These ships will go back into dry dock for a while now.  Next up for hand work is to start on the Snowmen A to ZZZZ quilt that my mom and I are each making.  Then I need to finish the borders for Baltimore Halloween so I can get the top done and quilted.  I really do love doing both hand applique and hand embroidery.  If only there were enough hours in the day to get all the projects I want to make done!

I thought this was a sweet picture of Jack.  Her eyes are so wide in it.  I was waving my hand over her head and I think she was hoping for a treat.

Jack

Until later...

Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. 

Colossians 3:23 (NLT)

A little bit of handwork...

Probably like most couples, Mr. Quilting Bug and I enjoy watching some TV at night.  And with the invention of the DVR/Tivo, it's so much more enjoyable!  We've become so used to the convenience that it's hard to remember back when we had to sit through commercials or plan our evening around the start time of a show.  Our current favorites right now are Parks and Recreation, Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest and Once Upon a Time.  We're really enjoying each of these shows.  I'll also admit that we watch Survivor almost every season too.  How awesome is it that over the last 3 or 4 seasons God is mentioned more and more often!  I think the contestants prayed to Jesus in every episode this past season.

However, I'm one of those people who can't just sit and watch TV.  I have to be doing something else at the same time.  Usually, I work on my hand applique then.  I've been working on the next couple Ladies of the Sea blocks (#11 & #12).  (You can see the other blocks I've stitched so far here.)  So far, I've managed to finish the outer wreaths on both blocks and have started appliqueing the ships that go in the center...

We've ordered seasons 3 and 4 of the Big Bang Theory and they should come in tomorrow.  I've already seen them, but Mr. Quilting Bug hasn't.  I expect we'll do a marathon session of the series tomorrow night and I hope to make some good progress on the ships then.  I'd love to finish both of these blocks by the end of the year, but will have to spend a lot of time appliqueing for that to happen.  Each of these 16" blocks usually takes me about a month to complete.

I'm sure everyone out there is busy with last minute preparations for Christmas, but I hope you're also finding time to laugh and relax and enjoy those people around you!

Until later...

“Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established.” 

Proverbs 4:26 (HCSB)

Another Lady is done...

This Lady took me a long time.  Not because she was more complicated than the others, but because I had so many other things to work on at the same time - namely the CQ block.  I looked back through my posts and see that I started stitching her in July.  So that's about 3 months to finish the one block.  Normally I can do one in about a month.

If you have no idea what I'm referring to, I'm talking about the Ladies of the Sea quilt I'm making for Mr. Quilting Bug.  It's a pattern by Sue Garman and I've been working on it for a couple of years now.  I do a ship or two and then work on the Baltimore Halloween quilt, then come back to this one and so on.  I now have 10 ships completed and have 6 more to do (not to mention the applique borders).  Here's the latest ship...

Ladies of the Sea - The Mayflower

I'm doing all of these blocks by hand using the Back-Basting Needleturn Applique method.  It takes some time but produces very accurate results.

Now that this one is done, I'm going to turn my attention back to the Baltimore Halloween quilt.  I'll start on block 11 (out of 12).  This one has a lot of small pieces (around 100) so I expect it will take a while too.  But that's OK as I enjoy working on them.  I'll also be interspersing it with the final two Camelot Snowman stitcheries, Winter Wonderland and a small wool project.  Busy, busy, busy!

I just took this picture of Gabriel and 'duck' baby.  It's our nightly ritual; she brings me one of her babies and we play tug of war.  If I can manage to get it away from her, I throw it, she fetches it and we continue on until I cry uncle...

Tug of war with Gabriel and duck baby

Until later...

"God is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of, infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts or hopes."

Ephesians 3:20 (LB)

The little details...

Not too long ago, someone turned me on to Sandra Leichner's blog.  She's a quilt artist whose talent lies in combining applique with embroidery to create some amazingly lifelike quilts.  And she's inspired me to try to step my work up a notch.

Lately I've been working on block 10 of the Ladies of the Sea quilt by Sue Garman.  I haven't finished the entire block yet, but already I've found some places to add some special touches.  Here's a picture of the cornucopia on the block without any embroidery...

And now I've added a stem stitch to the red and green apples, a small satin stitch to the bottom of the pumpkin stem and some straight stitches to the top of the oranges...

It didn't take a lot of time, but I like how it looks.  What do you think?   I also added some detail to the Mayflowers on the block.  Here's before...

And after I added a turkey stitch to the centers...

I'm now working on the actual ship, the Mayflower.  I don't know if I'll find any areas to add to here because the ships are already pretty detailed.  But I do know that I'll keep an eye out in the future for more opportunities.  For such a small time investment, I think the embroidery adds a lot to the overall look of the block.

P.S.  If you haven't read Sandra's blog, I'd recommend you take a look.  Especially if you like applique as much as I do!

Until later...

Though he was God, he did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. 

Philippians 2:6-7 (LB)

Another lady done...

I've now finished 9 blocks for the Ladies of the Sea quilt I'm making for Mr. Quilting Bug.  This one is called the Greek Galliot. 

 The Greek Galliot

This quilt was designed by Sue Garman, who I believe is an amazing designer.  I also have the patterns and kits for her quilt 'The Night Before Christmas', but don't expect to get to them for at least the next couple of years.  One of the things I love most about her designs is how detailed they are.  However that also means they take quite a long time to make - especially if you do them all by hand.  But I figure each one is an heirloom and I hope will be passed down.  I'm going to start on the next block (#10) now.  It's called the America and has a cornucopia at the base of its wreath.

On the home front, it looks like Rocky is coming to the end of his short life.

Rocky

I took this picture tonight and since then, his upper and lower halves have split.  He still has all of his squeakers though and Gabriel has so much fun playing with him.

Until later...

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. 

Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Pretty ladies...

I started working on a quilt for my dear husband almost a year and a half ago.  It's called the Ladies of the Sea by Sue Garman.  I'm guessing I have another 3 years left before it's done.  But I'm slowly making progress on it.  Each block is 16" square and stitched completely by hand using the back-basting applique method.

Previously I had finished 6 blocks - all of them done last year.  I started on these last two blocks (7 & 8) at the end of January and put the final stitches in them just today! 

The ship in block 7 is called the America.

I have to say that all the curves in those sunflowers were fairly challenging to stitch...

The ship in block 8 is called the Piccolo Bragozzo.

The wreaths in all of these blocks actually take a lot more time to stitch then the ships themselves.

You can see the other 6 ships I've completed here.  And now that these 2 are done, I think I'll work on a couple of the blocks for my Baltimore Halloween quilt before making more of these.

Until later...

"Run from anything that gives you evil thoughts . . . but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right." 

2 Timothy 2:22 (LB)

April package and some ladies of the sea...

Well, I mailed my mom's April package just in time.  Each month, her package's are getting later and later as things pile up.  I've already started on June's Camelot Snowman block so I'm hoping to be better about it.

This month's package was a more sparse than the others.  I'm working on a quilt for her, but didn't finish quilting it in time.  I just haven't had much time to spend on it lately.  Hopefully it'll be done in plenty of time for May's package. 

I included the next Camelot Snowman mini hanging, the 5th block for Imperial Splendor and a general quilting book by Fons & Porter.  I bought this book back when I started quilting and it has information on almost every subject pertaining to quilting.  I figure it will be a good how-to book for my mom.  She was asking me some questions on how to bind a quilt, so I also printed out a couple of tutorials and included them.  Isn't the web great for finding information?

Since I started putting together these packages for my mom, I'm always on the lookout for things I think she'll like.  I found this little box at Michael's and it made me think of her.

Inside I included several things geared towards quilting your quilt top.  These are few of my favorite notions as well...

We basically have the same sewing machine (hers is just a newer version of mine) so they take the same type of bobbins.  I'm always running out of them so I bought a mega pak online and split them with her.  Also, if you haven't tried the Machingers gloves, I highly recommend them.  They make such a difference in controlling your quilt when free motion quilting.  There's a water soluble blue marking pen which makes marking quilting designs on your quilt top so easy.  But if you've never used one, I'll warn you that ironing over them before erasing will set them permanently - so be careful!  And have you tried the new Sewline fabric pencils?  You can get the lead in different colors as well as an eraser to remove the lines.  I use mine mainly for marking applique projects, but they work well for marking your quilt top too.  And finally, I included a little stencil so she can see how she likes it. 

I forgot that I had picked up some fabric for her as well, but it will keep until I see her.  She's so busy right now, I know she wouldn't have time to play with it in any case.  In fact, she's walking for the March of Dimes today.  Way to go mom!!!

While sitting in front of the television at night, I work on some hand sewing projects.  Lately I've spent most of the time working on my Ladies of the Sea blocks.  I work on them 2 at a time because I find it easier to baste a bunch of pieces in place on both blocks and then applique them down before repeating.  After several months, I've finally finished the outer wreaths for both blocks.

Soon I'll start the ships that go in the centers.

The ships usually take much less time than the wreaths do to applique.

Until later...

"Wherever your treasure is, your heart will be also"

Matthew 6:21 NIV

A Prize Package...

While I was out of town, I received a package in the mail.  (Don't you love getting packages in the mail?)

This one was my prize package for winning the Best of Show for the Scraps to Treasures challenge on the HGTV forum.  There was a bunch of stuff in it - including a quilted ribbon, a book and lots and lots of FQ's.  It was my first ever quilting prize and I'm really enjoying it.

While I was away, I finally managed to finish the rigging on my 6th Ladies of the Sea block - the Golden Hind.  Now I'll put them away until next year.  I completed 6 blocks this year and I hope to do the same next year.

Tomorrow is our quilting bee's Christmas party and I have some things to finish, so I'll end for now.  Until next time...

It's been a while...

OK, I've fallen down a bit on posting.  It's not that I don't have a lot to show, but I've been struggling with motivation problems...

I did manage to finish the prayer quilt for my friend Terri.  I found out recently that not only does she have to deal with MS but she was just diagnosed with brain cancer.  Although her prognosis is hopeful, I really wanted to get her quilt done and into her hands.  I worked hard on quilting it over the weekend.  I could have just stippled it and had it done sooner, but I wanted it to be special for her.

Besides stitching in the ditch, I did crosshatching in the sashing and outlined each bird.  I also did feathers and hearts in the outer borders.

I printed out the label on fabric and sewed it to the back before quilting.  I can't take credit for the wording.  I found it in a book and just changed it a little.

I brought it to the church on Monday so they could pray over it before giving it to her.  She's scheduled to have surgery to remove the cancer in her brain in January.  It's a long procedure so please keep her in your prayers.

I also finally finished stitching the rigging on the 5th block for Mr. QuiltingBug's Ladies of the Sea quilt.  Woohoo!  Only 11 more to go!  I do these blocks 2 at a time, so I'm working on the rigging for block 6 as well.  There's a lot of it though - more than any other ship.

This ship is call the Hannah.  Until next time...