Finished Dresden plate quilt!

I finally finished my Dresden plate quilt!

 Since I am still learning how to quilt, I just did a basic cross hatch in the squares.  I love my backing, it is a retro sheet I found at a yard sale.  I saw the same sheets on the Mary Tyler Moore show, ain't that a hoot?  I definitely want more retro sheets for my backings!

 I was so worried that my fabric marker would not wash out from the antennae  it was the first thing I looked at when I pulled it out of the dryer.  My first appliques!

I did straight lines on the border and I love how the corners turned out!  I used this tutorial from Pt Sloan on my binding, unfortunately I did not have a reverse blanket stitch to use, so I just sewed a straight line.  I was reading another tutorial that had a great hint, if you want the binding to be 3/4 of an inch or 1/2 an inch or whatever, that is the seam allowance you use while sewing the back of the binding, it worked perfect!

I didn't have enough of the green, so I added left over pieces of the sashing here and there.  I got to the end and I was an inch short, I was so happy I had not thrown away that last piece of sashing, it was just long enough!  They pulled the quilt off the chair and then crawled in it.  They love quilts!

This is my first full sized quilt that I made all by myself that I have finished.  It has been approved by all six of my cats!

 A couple of my yo-yo's came undone in the dryer, so I will fix those tomorrow and then package it up for the person I'm giving it to!

 For more info on my quilt and some tutorials, go here.  I still need to post my tutorial on how to make the butterflies, that will have to wait until next week though.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving ya'll!
Missy

Working hard

I got so irritated that I missed my self imposed deadline on my Dresden plate quilt, that I put it to the side and started working on other things.  Well, I have to get it done now, so I've pulled it back out and started quilting it again.  As usual, Pippi wants to help.

 I've been doing a cross hatch pattern on it.

 Word of caution, don't get in such a hurry that you sew the corner of the quilt to the quilt.

 Tiger had to check out the quilt and make sure it was looking nice.

 This is where it is right now, I have one or one and a half blocks to finish quilting.  Then it is ready for the binding, which is already cut and pressed, ready to go.  I have really got to clean off my table!

After helping me, they decided to take a nap.  Aren't they cute?  They love quilts, just like me!

Tonight we are having our first prayer meeting for the prayer quilt, and my goal is to  get the top sewn tonight.  It's only 12 blocks.  This will be perfect for the Friday Night Sew In at Handmade by Heidi.   We'll probably be there until 10-11 pm.
Tomorrow I'm having a yard sale.
What are you working on?
Happy quilting!
Missy

Quilt Update!

I missed my deadline on getting my quilt done!  I wanted to finish it before I went out of town, I stayed up until 2 AM quilting it before I left, but was too tired to finish it.  I'll finish it Tuesday, when I go to my friend's house.

I finished the top and most of the quilting.  The binding is ironed and ready to put on also.  Of course, Pippi was a big help!  While piecing the blocks together;

 And even while quilting!

I decided she needed her own blanket so I could finish the quilting!

I did straight stitching on the border, and cross hatched the blocks.  I stitched in the ditch on the sashing.

 I love the quilting guide that came with my machine!

 Here's a good picture of the cross hatch.

I did all this on my small Janome.  I like to scrunch up the extra material to the side.

This is only my second full-size quilt to "quilt", so I am doing simple quilting and there are a lot of mistakes!
Hopefully I will show the finished quilt later, although I can't show you the label until I give it to it's recipient!  To see other posts on my quilt look under the label for the Dresdan plate quilt on the left.
Happy Quilting!
Missy

Design Wall Monday

I had planned to have my quilt top finished by Saturday, but my plans for sewing Sunday night kind of changed when I dropped the sewing machine pedal on my pinky toe!  I didn't break it(at least I don't think I did), but it is all swollen and black and blue.  My sweet husband carried me all the way to the couch and got me an ice pack.  Unfortunately, my foot hurt too much and I had to keep it raised and iced for the rest of the evening.  I hope it's not broken, I'll be able to tell in the morning whether or not I can move it.  You ask why I didn't go to the hospital?  Last time I broke two toes (two weeks before my wedding), I went to the emergency room and they did not do anything for me except give me a bill.  LOL  (Update on my toe this morning, it is not broken, but blue and very sore.  Luckily I don't need to wear shoes until our midweek service at church)

I finished all of my butterflies and Dresden plates.  Pippi had to check them all out of course.

I wanted to make a patchwork sashing.  I cut all my strips 2 3/4 inches wide.  

Instead of measuring it and trying to do the math, I just laid them out on the blocks to see if I had enough.  I laid all the blocks out so I could see them, of course my babies had to help.  This is the sheet I bought for the back of the quilt.

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 Tiger loves a good belly rub!  He looks good in blue!

Next I sewed all my strips together in two sections.

Then I trimmed it up and cut 2 3/4 strips again.

Of course I ironed everything as I went.  Then I cut 24 16 inch strips, four for the top and 20 for the bottom of each block.

 I ironed again.

 Then I trimmed them up evenly.

 I cut the side strips the same, except 18 1/2 inches, since they are longer after adding the bottom sashing.  The top four were longer though, but I can't remember what size I cut those.
I was going to sew it all together Friday after appliqueing my antennae  but I couldn't figure out how to get my feed dogs back up.  Duh, I just had to turn the wheel!  LOL

So, everything is cut out, all I have left is sewing the top together, measuring it to see if it needs another border to make it the right size, adding a border to the backing to make it big enough, adding the label (which is already printed), quilting it and adding the border.  I have five days to finish it!  ARRRRGH!  But I can do it!
Very busily quilting (and limping) along!
Missy