The Waiting Room

I have visited a few waiting rooms lately, while getting some routine appointments out of the way.  Most of them have been surprising comfortable, with magazines definitely younger than my children, and (mostly) music that doesn't make you want to jump off a building.  And I haven't really had to wait very long.  A couple of times I barely got settled before they called my name.

This is the quilt waiting room in my sewing room annex, aka the closet.  Some of these "patients" have been waiting a long, long time.

I usually don't let the guilt of UFOs get to me.  I tell myself this is my hobby, not my job, and I can go with the flow, piecing whatever takes my fancy.  But once in a while, common sense has to break through.

I can't use and enjoy ANY of these quilts, and neither can anybody else, until they are finished.

Maybe if I just get started, I could make a dent in this backlog.
So what about the baby quilts, and the small quilts?  I can easily quilt those myself on my Pfaff.
How many could there be?

There were TEN of them.  Seriously.  They're not even pictured above.  Almost all of them are donation quilts.
So first I finished this one:

It's a Chevron pattern, made with HSTs.

Here's a detail.  Some of these fabrics are from the yardage I used for tablecloths at my grandson's baby shower last April.

The back was more of the fabric from the shower.

Here's a closeup, kind of bleached out from the sunlight.  Each square has a zoo animal or two.  These fabrics can be hard to use on the front of the quilt because the printed lines are rarely straight, but it works nicely as a back.

I finished an almost identical quilt late last April.  I modified a pattern from the Moda Bakeshop, which you can find HERE.

One down, 9 to go.
You might need your sunglasses for the next one.

This red, blue, and yellow quilt has been hanging around the quilt waiting room for about a year.  I used a Quilts for Kids simple pattern which you can find HERE as a pdf.

The main fabric is this blue bug print, complete with realistic bugs.  I also found some other bug prints to go with it.  Most of these fabrics were purchased second hand.

I marked the quilting lines with soap, which worked well.  I quilted in the ditch between the blocks, and then did this diagonal grid over the top.

The back is a sports print.  This quilt will be donated to a child who likes sports and bugs.

So that leaves 8 more small quilts to finish.

I spray basted these 4 last night after supper.  Yes, that's more of the bug print on the bottom quilt, but it's a different quilt.  I think there is still more of that fabric in the basement.
These 4 will be the next to be quilted.

And then what?

And then these 4!  All four of these have a backing, but no batting.  When I get the first batch done, I'll cut all 4 battings at once from a large batt, and spray baste these little quilts.

I'm fired up now, and ready to get stuff quilted.  I don't know how long this mood will last, so I'd better get back to the machine.  I've got bobbins to wind and stitching to do.

And when I finish these, there are the (gulp!) big quilts!

Happy stitching!
Sylvia at Treadlestitches

I'm linking up with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts and Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts this week.

Purple and Green Rail Fence

I am not sure why I am so obsessed with purple lately.  I don't think it's got anything to do with the poem about being an old lady and wearing purple.  Although I AM an old lady, I came of age in the 1970s, and I've worn purple off and on for many years.

Maybe it's because there are so many cute purple prints now.  These are in my latest actual finish, a purple and green baby quilt to give away.

Here's a corner turned over, so you can see the heart print on the back.
Some of the scraps in this quilt were given away at our January quilt guild meeting.  I got the cute Halloween print there, with all the kids in costumes on a purple background.  I also got one of the green bug prints there.

With my cold fading into the rear view mirror, I finally got the gumption needed to do a little quilting.  This one is ready for its new home.

Now I've got to finish the next one, a chevron baby quilt also for donation.  I'll say it again, I love my Pfaff Select with the built-in walking foot.

It was a wonderful day today.  All four of my grandchildren were here, with most of their parents.  The weather was beautiful, and we were outside quite a while.  My granddaughter fell in the mud and got her pants dirty, so my daughter made her a skirt from fabric in my stash.  I wish I had taken a picture, but here is a recent one of the adorable Miss E.

I am the luckiest person in the world.
Wishing you good luck and simple joys.
Cheers,
Sylvia

I'm linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts (at the very last minute!) and Myra at Busy Hands Quilts this week.  I can't wait to check out what everybody else is doing.

A Pieceful Week

It seems like sometimes it takes a lot of gumption for me to quilt.  By that I mean actually quilt a quilt, not just piece scraps together.  If I'm tired, or sick, or both, quilting just seems like a heavy lift.  But I can always piece.
Here's some fun I've been having this week, in spite of a rotten cold.

I'm participating in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge again this year (click HERE to find out all about it).  This month's color is aqua or teal or variations thereof.  I have to apologize for the photos, there was actually sunlight pouring into the kitchen when I took them, so all the colors are a bit washed out.

Aqua/teal was a tough color for me, since I barely had any scraps in the right color.  But then I remembered the feed sacks!  I'm making the Buckeye Beauty quilt from 1930s repros, so the feed sack scraps fit right in.  And several of them were the right color.  I ended up making 7 of these blocks, all different.

The house blocks were even more fun.  Truthfully, they always are!

Watch out for the tigers!

And the cats...

and the owls on the roof.
So I made 7 more of these blocks too.

Meanwhile, my basket of leader and ender blocks is getting a little bit fuller every day.  I have around 120 blocks now, and I need at least 300.  So that's a good long term project.

For now, I'm going to get a cup of tea and check out all the wonderful blocks and quilts everyone else has made.
I hope your projects are going well this week, with scraps and inspiration, and sunshine pouring in.

I'm linking up (late!) with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts.

As the World Turns

I seem to be stuck on a soap opera theme lately.
Here's what's happening in my world.

I made this baby quilt top at the retreat our quilt group had last October, and finally got around to quilting it.  Above you can see how I'm marking it for the diagonal lines--I'm using a yardstick and a pencil.  Yep, old school again.

Here's how the quilting turned out.  I also did quilt in the ditch through the obvious seam lines.

The back is a soft print of happy animals and palm trees.  Palm trees sound wonderful this time of year, with snow on the ground and a sharp nip in the air.

This quilt should be warm and cozy for a little one who needs it.  I hung it on my grandson's pack and play for the photo, but he won't be keeping it, he has so many quilts already.

WARNING:
Treadlestitches is not a political blog, it's a quilt blog.  But it's written by me, and I do have political opinions, which I express from time to time in quilts.  I'm about to do so now.  If this is not your cup of tea, that's okay.  Everyone has a right to his/her own opinion, and a right to read whatever they like.  I don't want to insult anyone or hurt anyone's feelings.

Okay, here we go.

Here's a small top I just finished:

It's a protest quilt, to celebrate the Women's March of Jan. 21st.  My husband and I attended the march in Madison, Wisconsin, along with thousands of other protesters, and I made this quilt as a remembrance.

I've had a hard time getting a good photo today, this one was taken after dark.

The top and bottom rows are my interpretation of the pink hats many people wore, which I shall call "kitty" hats, which stand for women's right to equality. 

Rows 2 and 4 are hearts, some with two shades of red, some with red and blue.  They represent love for America, and for each other.

The middle row is my interpretation of the gay pride flag, and represents equal rights for all.

Each of the blocks finishes at 6 in. square.  I hope to get the quilting done this week.

I don't think I can adequately describe the feelings of joy and togetherness I experienced at the march.  It is just so good to know you're not alone.

This was a celebration of our values:  equality, inclusion, and kindness to each other.  I was proud to stand up for these values, and I am sure I will be doing so again soon.

Have a wonderful week!  I'm linking up with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts
and Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts.