Working on Tumbler QOV

On the 17th of January, I picked up a large plastic bag of pre-cut tumblers for a Quilt of Valor.  I decided to make the quilt with 14 tumbler patches across and 12 rows down for a total of 168 tumblers.  It measures 60" across x 65" down.  I'm guessing it probably needs one more row, so it won't be so close to a square.
By adding one more row, it should be 60" x 71".
So excited this evening, thinking I was done with the top.  I won't be totally happy until I add one more row to the bottom.  Now, to find more red fabric for 5 more red tumblers.  I have plenty of white & blue.  

It is now Jan. 30th, and I just finished trimming the sides & hanging the top on my design wall for a picture.
My design idea was to have all the white/cream blocks run diagonally down the quilt, and the blue and red to follow the same idea.  Since it's all scrappy, the diagonal lines are not as pronounced but it is definitely RED, WHITE & BLUE.

Tumbler Quilt of Valor

Tumble over to  Patchwork Times.com
to see what other quilters have designed this week. 

So Scrappy Challenge for January-Color Purple

My 1st Challenge block for January, with the color being purple.  My husband gave the "thumbs up" for the dress having a 3-D effect.  Next month, maybe I can add a few more details of lace and hands.  We'll see...

Antebellum Dress for January 2017

Link up with:   So Scrappy Challenge for January 2017

to see what others have created.....

Ordering more "Heat and Bond" ??

I just ordered a few quilting items; one of them being a bolt of "Heat n Bond" Lite.  My husband wondered why I needed another bolt of "Heat n Bond" since I just got a bolt a few months ago.  I told him that I had used it all up as I was making my 365 Quilty Quilt.  My husband thought it was odd since the bolt had 35 yards on it but since I said I needed it, another bolt was ordered.
Well, what a surprise I received this morning, as I was moving a few items around in my Sewing Room. Oops, there was about half of the last bolt that I had ordered.  Well, I believe, I now have enough!!!

Here's a picture of the purple scraps I found....
A few have been used to make my 1st Antebellum Dress.  Hopefully, the rest will be used for a Purple Scrappy quilt. 

Purple scraps for January

 

Antebellum Dress Design Continues

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge Color is Purple

Today, I looked through several patterns that I purchased long ago but have not used.  The first one I've chosen is by Jean Teal from Farmhouse Fabrics in Pine River, Wisconsin.  She designed it back in 1995.  It will be a bit of a challenge, however the best part is that the dress does not have to fit anyone.  It just needs to fit the background.  I've hunted for several minutes to determine the size of the blocks and discovered that the Dress Base pattern "is the foundation" on which all the dress pieces are sewn.  The next step will be to find all of my purple fabrics and place them in one basket or bin or both.

I'm adding to this post, this evening.... Jan. 10th
I may have taken on more than I bargained for-even though the dresses do not have to fit anyone, I'm beginning to feel a little stressed.  I decided quite a few years ago that I don't like sewing clothes, since after
high school, the clothes I tried to make never fit right.  That is why I fell in love with making quilts.
So, here is what I have so far.....
The little piece above the dress will be the collar.  I still need to make the bodice and the sleeves and sew all the pieces to the background.  It looks like it may be a project to continue tomorrow.  Maybe I will make the sleeves from the same fabric as the collar.  I do love the purple batik fabric I chose. 

Antebellum Purple Dress

Found my UFO Project #8 from March 2012

Yes, the completed quilt top, backing and binding have been sitting in a box and then moved to a chair and now has arrived in my sewing room for review.  This Blog has been the greatest asset in figuring out when a quilt was made, if it was a Guild workshop and who taught the class.

Pat Speth, the Nickel Quilt Lady came to our Guild in March 2011 and gave the workshop.


                Here is the finished "Top".

Our Sewing Group Met Today

Our Sewing Group met today and got right to work making pillowcases for the fire victims in Gatlinburg. We had over 20 ladies arrive, ready to work and work we did.  We all stayed later than usual.  To get us going, we had a small group of ladies who prepared and cut the fabric. Others pinned it, so it was ready to sew. About half of us sewed, some pressed, some used their sergers and by the time we were done, there were stacks and stacks of pillowcases.  We haven't gotten the final count but it was amazing what a group of ladies can accomplish when they put their minds and hands to work.  Lisa, who works full-time, brought in lots of colorful pillowcases that she worked on while she was on her Christmas break from work.  Here's a sampling...

I wish all work was this much fun--it helps to be working with friends.
 

Design Wall Monday 2017

Too many projects have been started and few finished.  I've made progress on several in the last few weeks but spotted an interesting design on-line and thought I'd give it a try since I had several long strips of colorful fabrics from my friend, Sandra who recently sold her Dog clothing business.

It sure looked easy in the picture but I discovered it is more difficult than I imagined to get the fabrics lined up with the white strips attached to top and bottom of each strip and then look like the picture.  So here it hangs...I may just choose another pattern with shorter strips.  But here's what is hanging on my Design Wall today.  All the strips are not the same width, because I wanted to use as much fabric without waste. 

DWM 01-02-2017

See what's on everyone's Design Walls this first Monday of 2017 by traveling over to:  Patchwork Times.com