Celtic Shamrocks

 I made a table runner and I'm blogging about it within 24 hours!

  After a successful Celtic applique workshop with Scarlett Rose in January with Ninigret Quilters, I went all in on Celtic! There's a big, beautiful Valentine wall hanging that is on hiatus. I wanted to practice quilting on something less important, so I started this shamrock piece.

 

I drafted this design in EQ8 by tracing some stock Celtic drawings I found online. The block finishes at 7.5", which was pretty small for those inside loops, even with 1/4" bias. Playing with plaid was fun!

 

 

After some very basic quilting (straight lines and tight echo around the applique), I thought I might be done. Well, that wouldn't meet my goal of practicing, so I stitched on.

Before and After

 

I dove head first into free-form feathers! I used to tell myself that I stink at feathers. I wasn't getting any better with that attitude and no practice! I used Lisa H Calle's ProEcho 11 ruler to form the veins. I watched a bunch of videos on how to form the feathers. Then I drew a bunch on a dry erase board until I felt like I had the shapes and motions down. Then I started stitching. I'm thrilled with the results!

 

 

I stitches the side triangles first, then filled in around the applique. I quilted the snot out of it!

 

Check it out! I don't stink at feathers after all!

 
 I love a flange binding! This runner was not particularly square or flat when I started quilting. It got a little better, but still isn't perfect. Done is better than perfect! I know I can make a perfect binding when I need to.

 

This piece will be a nice decoration for March and a great lecture/teaching piece. Suzanne at the sew-op has already requested that I start teaching Celtic applique in the shop! I'll be sure to let you know when I emerge from my bubble.

 "Celtic Shamrocks"

by Tina Craig 

14" X 43"

started 2/24/2021

completed 3/4/2021

Hand appliqued, machine pieced.

Quilted on Bernina 153 with walking foot, ruler work and free motion.

First Finish of 2016

 There were a few small table runners that didn't get quilted before the craft show a month ago. I really didn't want them to sit in the UFO pile for another year, so I pulled them out yesterday. They were already pin-basted and the binding was cut, so it only took a few hours to finish them up.

Can you tell I had fun playing with my stash of Christmas prints? I was in use-it-up mode!

 

I love that blue and green one.

Fun prints on the back, too. I'm getting better about remembering to include my printed labels.

The two larger ones are about 12" X 36" and the three small ones are 6" X 18".

Sunday Stitching

 I've been busy hand appliqueing lately, so I was ready for a quick piecing project. This little table runner will be donated to a holiday raffle/auction. One of my guilds meets at a senior center that does not charge us rent, so we try to donate quilty things when they have fundraisers.

I was supposed to make a runner suitable for April. Looking for spring fabric in my stash on this cold, rainy day was a welcome break. I found a mini charm pack of Wren & Friends that seemed appropriate. I had to add a few extra squares and some Kona Snow.

I just love that border print and have almost used it up. The backing is a sweet calico from a friend's stash. For the binding, I found two jelly roll strips of brown stripe left over from Olivia's quilt. 

 

Some simple free motion continuous curves and machine stitched binding made this was a two hour project. The finished product doesn't really say "April," but it is what it is.

Wrens & Friends Runner

 November 2, 2014

12" X 28"

WIP Wednesday

 I'm back in the swing of sewing random projects. After finishing the Monkey Wrench last week (see below), I had to pull out some happy colors. There is nothing happier than these sweet animal panels by Blend! I pieced the borders from scraps, which didn't even make a dent in the pile I pulled. I had originally planned on turning these 4 pieces into 2 pillows, but now I like them so much together. I'll probably buy some of the coordinating print at the LQS sale tomorrow to turn this into a wall hanging or baby quilt.

When my niece, Debbie, visited in August, she picked out this Art Gallery print from my stash for some place mats. The dining room in her rental apartment is painted lavender. The 4 place mats are quilted and ready to be bound, as soon as I buy the right binding fabric.

 

Monkey Wrench is done and waiting to be photographed, as soon as it stops raining.

 

This little table runner was made with scraps from the monkey wrench and pieced as leaders/enders. It's like getting an extra project for free!

 

 I had two quilts on display at the Air Museum show last week: Pete's quilt and the Wedding ring. Christopher and Jamie can finally have their quilt back!

I'm heading down to the dungeon to put away the piles of fabric and supplies that have accumulated on (under and around) my table in the last few weeks.

WIP Wednesday

 I didn't get a lot of quilting done this week, as I was cleaning for company.

Tangerine and Teal was finished last Wednesday. Read more about it here.

I finally cut out the pieces for the wedding ring arcs. The new Judy Neimeyer pattern has instructions for strip piecing the arcs. I tried  it, but didn't enjoy it. I'd rather piece with rectangles. It took about 2 hours to cut out 1280 rectangles- enough for 160 arcs! I think I'll try working on 20 at a time.

 

I'm not sure what will become of these fussy cut hexies. I think they look like gears.

 

In a never-ending attempt to get organized, my husband helped me hang some decorative shelves in our bedroom. I thought I wanted a ladder in this corner, but I can put a lot more quilts on these shelves. 

 

I had to snap a pic of the dining room table cleared off. It lasted only 3 days and things are piling up already.

 

Have a fun Wednesday!

(Linkup is on vacation today.)

Friday Finishes

 I managed to find bits of time this week to finish a few table runners.

I hand stitched some binding at my mom's.

Five infinity scarves were made between dentist and doctor appointments. I hand stitched the opening closed on the orchid one while waiting for AAA to tow an overheating car.

 

Anna Maria Horner and Tula Pink voiles and a vintage linen(?) blend.

Since I'm stuck at home with no car today, I will completely enjoy a full day of sewing!