Today my fabrics arrived for my next project. A Baby Girl Quilt in Pinks

 

 This morning I was quilting the top for my UFO #5 and did not notice that a package arrived at my front door.  It was fabric I had ordered for a Baby Quilt for a Baby Girl for a client.  Oh my! all the pretty soft pinks and lavenders.  Now the fun begins.  I chose a lovely center panel and some soft pinks and lavenders to complement it.  Now on to the planning of this lovely quilt. 
 

my fabric selections for this quilt 

Working on an Un-Finished Object #5 today!

My Quilting and Sewing Arts Studio 

My Fabric Closet

Here I am in my quilting and sewing arts studio today working on my UFO #5 today.  It's a child's quilt for our Bright Star Quilts for kid's project for my quilt guild.  I had started this quilt top a few years ago when I lived in Tennessee, it was packed away with other unfinished quilts when I moved here to Virginia 2 1/2 yrs. ago.  I just opened the box 2 weeks ago and boy what a delight to find.  I looked in my Fabric Closet and found material that matched some of the blocks, so I pieced them together for the backing and used batting given to me by the guild.  Oh my, I am so glad to be finishing this quilt and to have it go to kids in need is perfect.  

Perfect, because it was started for my quilting group in Tennessee called Bags of Love.  We made quilts for children separated from their parents, so they had something of their own during a stressful time for them. 

pinning the quilt 

The Backing

Here I'm sewing a decorative
stitch over the seam line of the backing to give it strength.  I then pinned a "quilt sandwich" together consisting of the sewn quilt top, batting and the backing. this is getting it ready to be quilted on my Sit down longarm.  Then I outlined each block with stitching before the final Quilting.  I use my ruler to help do the straight stitching around my blocks.   

Quilting Wavy lines to finish the Quilt.

Using a ruler while quilting the straight seams is helpful to get better lines.  I'm finishing the quilting with free motion quilting of wavy lines to give it dimension.  After completing this part of the quilt, I will square it and then apply the binding and a label.  

2022 My Year of being "Purposeful" my "Quilting and Sewing Studio" is taking shape.

 2022 My Year of being "Purposeful" my "Quilting and Sewing Studio" is taking shape. 

 I am beginning this Year of 2022 being purposeful about my Quilting and Sewing Arts Studio and my Projects Old and New that I will start and finish this year.  In January I continued to open more moving boxes that remained unopen from my move here to the lovely foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Nellysford Virginia in Oct 2019.  In December I found a lot of UFO baby quilts, pinned and ready to be quilted in one unopened box.  In January I found a lot of my sewing notions and fabric, fabric, fabric.  I folded and wrapped my fabric on magazine cardboards and now I have a lot of fabric on a shelf in my FABRIC CLOSET.  I found great backing fabrics 108" wide and from 3 - 5 yds, plus I discovered, "Batting", lots of it.  It took up the whole bottom section of my Fabric closet.  I still have 2 more shelves to organize. I also restocked my fat quarters' area with all the fabric I found in the boxes I opened.     

My Quantum Embroidery Machine

My Fat Quater Stash

In February I purchased a metal shelving unit to house my Cricut machine and cutting stuff and wound up with 2 shelving units because I had some damaged plastic drawers and Michaels store replaced them by sending me a whole other damaged unit to replace them.  The damage was to the metal frame, not the drawers.  I managed to put it together ok and now I have 2 units.  the second one I used for an ironing table with supplies for my sewing notions. I still have a way to go before I'm all organized but I'm well on my way.

my Cricut station

My Ironing station

UFO #3 Completed and Sent!

 Well, last week I completed my UFO # 3,  A Baby Quilt for a Baby Boy!  

This Baby Quilt was a recent ufo from December, one of 2 I had made for one of my grandsons, but didn't complete it because I had found a ufo in dec that was a larger child's quilt and more suited for a 1-year-old.  I did do a similar quilt for my newest grandson who was just born in late November using similar fabrics and the same farm panel.  I enjoyed picking out the thread colors and quilted a lot of texture into this one.  I used a soft flannel for the backing. last week it arrived at my client's home and she loved it.    

Today I have finished at least 4 UFO's in my Quilting and Sewing Studio.

 Today I have finished at least 4 UFOs in my Quilting and Sewing Studio.  

My word for 2022 is "Purposeful" and I believe I have been living up to the word.  Today I finished my 4th UFO since the beginning of the year.  I started in Dec of 2022 with the Baby Quilt I found and finished for my grandson Walter.  a Cat in The Hat quilt I had pieced back in 2016 when I found a "Cat in the Hat" panel at the quaint quilt shop in Shakopee MN.  It was one of 4 baby quilts I found in a box, one of my unopened moving boxes from 2019.  January of 2022 I started opening more of the remaining boxes and found so many unfinished projects.  That set the stage for my Word of the Year.  I wanted to be purposeful in finishing more of these projects. 

my 2012 UFO completed March 13th 2022

  Yesterday I went to my CAQG Crozet Guild meeting and was able to bring a table topper I had just finished the day before.  My #4 UFO that I completed this year.   I had found it in one of the boxes in a baggie. It was a stack of 4" blocks and pieced 2 1/2 inch blocks from a Moda Jelly Roll along with a printed sheet with a pattern designed by Christa Watson of Christaquilts.com dated 2012.  Oh my! I followed the pattern adding some fabric I found from my stash of Downton Abbey fabric and completed the table topper.  I quilted it on my Bernina Q20 and added the binding and pretty machine stitching with my Singer Quantum. I love the Moda Fabrics I used from thier 2011 - 2012 line. 

fancy machine stitching

FMQ and Ruler work done on My Bernina Q20

This pattern was fun to quilt using my ruler and FMQ

I will think back and show you in my UFOs 1 - 3 and my future ones as I remember and complete them, so stay tuned

2021 - "PURPOSEFUL" is my word for this year.

"PURPOSEFUL" is my word for this year. 

In January a New year had begun! I have come from a year of "Intention" in 2020 to a "PURPOSEFUL" year in 2021 here in my Quilting and Sewing Arts Studio.  Last year was filled with intention as I continued to unpack and organize my studio here in the peaceful hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. I have come along way and am proud of what I accomplished in 2020 year of the pandemic. it was also my year for "Scrapy", I organized my scraps into squares and strips of various sizes, reducing 2 large totes of scrappy material to one tote bag and a bin of organized squares from inch, 1 1/2", 2", 2 1/2", 3",4" and 5" squares and strips. This year I continue to work on my "UFFIZI" Quilt for Nancy. I am purposeful and want to finish the Quilting on my Q20 Bernina by May.  This is my 1st larger Quilt I have done on my new sit-down Longarm.  It is not perfect but each stitch has been done with love. 

"Queen Bea" - My Bernina Q20 Longarm

 

I also have been asked to make a quilt for a friend.  So I have been busy acquiring the needed Pattern, fabric, and supplies for that.  In between my quilting, cutting, and sewing of both quilts I have been making small wall quilts and mini-quilts, gifts, and working on my Polymer Clay projects.  Life here in 2021 has been quietly hectic but full.  I am now enjoying the milder days of spring.  It is amazing to watch my world here in the Blue Ridge Mountains, bud and bloom.  I have noticed that some of my herbs like my rosemary has over-wintered well and so has my Thyme.  My Lavender plants are waking up also so I see some gardening taking place on my front deck as soon as the weather clears.  

Happy Sewing Y'all! - Dianna Elizabeth

My Quilted Irish Scarf A New Mini Quilt

My Quilted Irish Scarf A New Mini Quilt Wall Hanging

The Irish Scarf Mini-Quilt Wall Hanging
on the Living Room Wall.

The Scarf hanging from its special Branch

In 2008 four friends and I traveled to Ireland for a two-week vacation.  We had so much fun and bought back many treasures.  One of these treasures was this scarf pictured above.  This scarf was beautiful and I loved wearing it to work or out and about.  In recent years (since retirement) I have not worn this scarf very much. Its beauty was hidden in the folds of it and only the end corners were seen so it took up residence in my scarf drawer.  

It is now 2021 and I have been retired since 2010, I am now living with my daughter and son-in-law in Virginia and really love it here.  A month ago I decided to reorganize my scarf drawer and came across my Irish scarf.  Inspiration hit me!  My son-in-laws Birthday was coming up in early March and I wanted to give him a present and thought about his Irish Heritage. I took the scarf out of its retirement, (in my dresser scarf drawer) and thought it would make a nice wall hanging for his reading area.  I love to quilt and had been watching YouTube videos from Helen Godden a quilter known for her "free-motion Quilted" wall art using painted fabric and silk scarves; (FMQ for short.) I had purchased a sit-down Long Arm from Bernina last Feb, this would be an opportunity to play, and play I did. 

I did FMQ on the scarf 

This is my Bernina Q20

I enjoyed quilting this scarf.

I had my son-in-law search for a branch I could to hang the quilt from... He chose a very fun branch full of Mushrooms growing along the branch.  Perfect! I sealed it with modgePoge and it looked wonderful 

The Irish Scarf Wall Hanging on the special branch

He had decided to Place the wall hanging in the Livingroom area - Now I can enjoy seeing the scarf in its entirety.  This was a fun quilting project for me.  

Celebrating Hand Quilting

TODAY I'M CELEBRATING THE ART OF HAND QUILTING.

Hand Quilted Heart's Panel Mini-Quilt - Circa1980's 

The Back Panel.

Hand Quilted Panel - Quilter Unknown

My Added Label 

A Mini-Quilt Wall hanging "Hearts". A Mini-Quilt featuring a heart panel that was Hand-quilted, Quilter unknown. I found this panel at my local thrift store in Nellysford, VA. I added the outer border of vintage fabric I had purchased from a thrift store in Elswood Wisconsin about 8+ yrs ago when living in Hudson Wisconsin. I choose my binding fabric from my stash. I chose unbleached muslin for the backing, and fabrics I thought would compliment the heart panel in both value and appropriateness to showcase the hand quilting of the panel. The Mini-Quilt is Displayed on the wall of my Quilting and Sewing Arts Studio Update: a few months ago a quilting friend told me as a child she had worked on this same heart panel with her mom in the 1980s. Wow! I now have a circa date of the 1980s for this beautiful hand-quilted heart panel.

My "Charming Christmas" Mini Quilt is Almost complete.

 

Well, I'm almost finished with my "Charming Christmas" Mini Quilt - yesterday I prepared the branch I chose to hang the quilt from.  I sealed the ends and the minuet fungi with glue then dusted it with glitter.  I also made a tree topper for it so I will finish that today and tack it on to the top tomorrow afternoon I will have it hanging in my Quilting and Sewing Arts Studio Door Window to welcome all. 

I shared this picture on Pat Sloan's FaceBook Quilt along, I got over 250 + comments and 1.9K reactions. Wow! such lovely support and special words.  I also shared it on the FaceBook Group - Quilting and my Bernina Q20 Group.  Everyone has been so supportive and sweet with their comments.  Thanks, everyone.  

Under my needle  Getting ready to Quilt.

sewing my 2 1/2" squares together 

all sewn together ready to quilt.

sewing on the binding 

quilting my mini quilt

My Christmas Mini-Quilt

Thanksgiving was Wonderful!

Time for my Thanksgiving Mini Quilt to come down and my Christmas Mini-Quilt to replace it. 

 its done!

My  Christmas 🎄 Mini-Quilt is finished. I still need to find a Branch and paint it Siver so I can Hang it in my Studio Door Window.  It's raining today so I'll look for one tomorrow or buy a dowel.

Time for my Thanksgiving MiniQuilt to come down 

My Christmas Mini-Quilt is Finished.

 Thank you Tammy @ the Fat Quarter Shop for this lovely Christmas Tree Pattern. I used 2 1/2"squares of Christmas Fabric from my stash to make this Mini-Quilt to hang on my Quilting and Sewing Arts Studio door. I enjoyed using my Bernina Q20 FMQ sit-down Longarm to do my free motion Quilting and som ruler work to complete this project.  my Husqvarna Opal 650 was used to do the picing and binding.  Now she is completed I need a Silver Branch to hang her. So tomorrow I will search my yard for the perfect Branch.   then I will post a completed picture of it here on my blog.  

Applying The Binding

my Christmas mini quilt is ready for binding. 

I enjoyed quilting my Christmas Mini-Quilt on my Bernina Q20 now its time to apply the binding on my Viking Opal 650.

Oh how I miss the Tennessee Shop Hops

 This morning I visited the Tennessee Quilt Shop Hop Facebook page and discovered that my blog post from June 7, 2014 about the Tennessee Shop Hop of that year was viewed over 700 times. Oh my!

2020 In my New Quilting, Sewing & Creative Design Studio

 Oh my so much has happened since my last blog post in 2019. 2020 Happened and our world came to a numbing halt this past March with the pandemic and COVID-19. 

Saturday the 16th of November. My Phase II U-Haul ready to be unpacked

Here it is August, another birthday has passed and I'm 78 already.  Wow-what an amazing feat that is.  Well, let's catch up.  

Last November 15, 2019, I completed Phase II of my move her to Virginia. late Oct I went back to Tennesee to complete my move.  My friend Tina and I along with my daughter Elizabeth packed and moved my last 10% of my belongings. I bought a tow hitch for my daughters' car and rented a small trailer and she and my neighbor LC packed it tight. I left my Tennessee Home on November 15th about noon after saying goodbye to my neighbors, my apartment was already rented per my landlord, and off we drove.  Elizabeth in her car pulling the trailer and me in my car, both packed tight. We arrived in Virginia late that night after 11pm.  What an arduous ride.  I was very proud of my daughter, she handled the trailer like a pro.  

The weather in Nov and Dec was a dramatic change from the mild winters of Tennessee and I found it hard to adjust.  I think I spent over $500 on a new wardrobe of CuddleDuds, wool socks, and warm slippers.  every day I wore at least 3 layers of clothing which include a sweater or sweatshirt.  I even bought a new wool coat.  Christmas came and we had a lovely time being together and I started enjoying my new home and living with my daughter Nancy, her hubby Thomas and my grandaughter Zuri was a bonus.  Then January Arrived! 

Ahh, January - That's when it all began to go downhill.  I was still exhausted from the rigors of my move and trying to unpack my stuff and settle in when the Flu hit!  

Nancy came home one day from work and told us that someone there had come down with the flu. She caught it then Thomas did and then I.  Thankfully Zuri did not catch it.  Nancy & Thomas and I had gotten our flu shots at the beginning of fall but Zuri had not.  Now we don't know if it was Covid-19 or not but it was wicked.  It took me 3 weeks to recover.  

The Cold weather was a bit harsh on me and I did find it hard to adjust to it even tho we did not get snow until Jan 7th 2020.   

January 7th, 2020 it finally stopped snowing - our view from the living room window

The Temps remained in the low 20s - 30s most of the winter months with a lot of rain, wind, and only 2 snowfalls.  One in Jan and one in April. I did not get out much in this weather, on my 1st trip with Nancy and Zuri to Charlottesville I went to Cottonwood quilt shop for Thread. and while there signed up for the bus trip to the Quilt Show in February.  

February I joined the Charlottesville Quilt Guild and attended my 1st meetings at the Crozet chapter on the 2nd and 4th Mondays. I went to the Quilt show on the 27th. and met some lovely ladies on the bus a few of them belonged to the quilt guild. while there I tested out some sit down long arm FMQ machines and I liked the Bernina Q20 that was being sold from the Cottonwood Quilt Shop.  I was able to buy it  and I waited for its delivery. It was delivered the week before The Pandemic Order for "Shelter in Place" was ordered by our Virginia Governor.

My Bernina Q20 has Arrived

 - My Q20Berninna all set up and ready to go.

My Bernina Q20 FMQ  Longarm 

 I'm doing some Free Motion Quilting on a table mat

A Door Banner for March

my Door Hanging

 March came in like a lamb and I was able to attend my 2nd Quilt Guild Meeting on the 9th by then Covid-19 was in the news and the pandemic had started.  On Friday the 13th Nancy, Zuri and I went out to a local brewery for hamburgers and wine coolers, little did we know that it would be our last restaurant visit for several months.  On the 14th the Governor of Virginia ordered a "Shelter in Place" and everything shut down. We were in Quarantine mode and fearful.  

Nancy began working from home, Thomas & Zuri were deemed essential workers, he at the grocery store and she at the nursing home.  Worry for them both set in and we lived in fear and prayer for thier safety daily.  Ordering Groceries online for pickup became the norm, wearing a mask out in public became the norm, staying home became my norm.   

I began sewing masks for myself to wear to my next IV Therapy appointment and then masks for Nancy, Thomas, and Zuri to wear to work or when out getting essential needed groceries and such.  Life had Narrowed Down to just our home on the hill in Nellysford Virginia, our safe haven in this pandemic storm.  

Suddenly I was making masks for all the family and then friends and acquaintances started ordering masks and our quilting was asking for maks for the hospital.  I was in the Mask making business all of the Sudden. 

This was our new "NORMAL" thru May.