Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Another Finish , my Charm Square Star Quilt

Good morning , it is a dark and dreary morning here with some brisk winds and the possibility of rain which we actually need . I have been on a bit of a roll finishing off projects lately , feels so good . I wanted to prepare things for our upcoming quilt show on the 30th of this month so the pressure was on and I work better under pressure , guess I need that push .
Here you can see I was sewing down the binding using my walking foot , much easier that way and another little trick I learned a few years back from Luann at  May your bobbin always be full  , using a coffee can or in my case a little beach pail to put your binding in . The trick is to just let it accordion fold into the can and it will come out smooth and no issues when applying that binding .
Last night as I was watching the final episode of the Voice I sewed down the rest of the binding . I am super happy that Sawyer won this competition although the other competitors were also excellent performers , he just somehow spoke to my heart . I wasn't quite sure who his music reminded me of until he performed a song written for him by Ray LaMontagne who I really love and Sawyers music style is very similar , I find it relaxing . This was my first year watching all of the shows , really enjoyed it ! Anyway back to my quilt , want to see the finished project ?
Due to the windy and wet conditions I have taken this photo in the house . I am really happy with how this has turned out , my machine quilting is not the best but it was the best I could do and therefore I am happy . I will openly admit that machine quilting is not for me , I don't mind doing it on a small art quilt or even a baby size quilt but anything larger is just too hard on my body and not worth the pain it causes .
A picture on the bed , you can see my attempt at machine quilting a little more in this one , just went around the stars and blocks .
This quilt will be gifted to my grandson Christopher since he fell in love with it when I had it on my design wall , a perfect young mans quilt and he will always be wrapped in love from me and from his grandfathers shirts , what could be better than that ! I can tell you it is super warm , I nearly roasted sewing down that binding lol. Thanks to Terry for hosting this QAL , it was so much fun , took me a while to complete it but better late than never .

 All the sun and now the rain has finally made things pop around here , the trees are starting to show leaves and this morning I spotted some blooms on one of my Rhododendrons , a very welcoming sign to spring .
This poor plant had been buried with at least 7' of snow so I really had my doubts it would survive let alone bloom !
 Oops , I almost forgot again , the date for the postcard exchange mailout will be one month from today June 20th , thanks to everyone who has signed up , do we have any more takers , we sure would love to have you join us and you have a whole month to make and send that postcard !! They aren't difficult so please don't be shy .
 I am linking up today to the Needle and Thread Network for WIP Wednesday , be sure to stop by and see what others are up to this week .
  Thanks for taking the time to stop by today , hope your day is extra special .
 Hugs Sheila

16 comments:

  1. Hi Sheila boy I sure love that quilt ,the colours are beautiful,well done and Thankyou for that handy hint,and I hope you get your much wanted rain xx

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  2. I love this!! You have my two favs - blue and plaids. We turned very cold (and windy) overnight - good thing I haven't put my sweats away, brrr.

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  3. You did! The quilt with shirts! It was beautiful and appropriate for a boy! A great idea and checked combined very well. I'll never do something so big. Congratulations!
    My head is already thinking about the sea, beaches, ships, waves foam ...
    Hugs!

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  4. yay Sawyer! He was my favorite from the first night. I like your quilt. Mine still needs to be quilted. What type of batting do you use? It looks a little puffier than mine do, and I really like the look.

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  5. It's just lovely, Sheila. It really came out great, and he is going to love it for always!

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  6. I love the quilt Sheila, well done on another beautiful finish! I's wonderful that you have done such a lot of finishing lately!I have gathered my shirts for the challenge but done nothing with them - yet!

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  7. Hello Sheila! Love your finished quilt.... it looks fabulous! Love the colours! :) x

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  8. Your quilt looks wonderful. Love it. Hugs,xx

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  9. Sheila, your quilt is beautiful and the connection with his grandfather makes it the perfect quilt for Christopher! You must be so happy to see your spring flowers. Right now, we are having some very welcome rain too.

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  10. love the stars shirt quilt... it looks just lovely and great colours... no wonder Christopher loves it...
    Hugz

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  11. Your quilt is beautiful! Thanks so much for sewing along with us! And I have to admit I don't like machine quilting anything bigger than a baby quilt. It's just too hard.

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  12. very nice quilt, Sheila....cold and wet here yesterday and this morning. cleared this afternoon, hoping to mow grass tomorrow....not that I really want to!!!

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  13. Another great finish Sheila - and time to organise a swap, you really do like pressure!! xx

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  14. Oh it is lovely Sheila. Love that sweet little winter survivor too!

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  15. It turned out wonderful Sheila! Your quilting looks perfectly fine - especially for a young man's quilt. They don't want anything really fussy or busy on their stuff :) And it will be treasured I'm sure.

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  16. Nice colours. Lovely quilting too

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