July is a Productive Month

While I ignored the challenges of the quilt top in the previous post, the youngest of the 2 grands and I tie dyed.  Well really, the 6 year old was the only one that really had any interest.  Our efforts were rewarded and he was very pleased with the results.  So was mom.  We dyed some flour sack dishtowels for her.  The three basic colors in the Dharma kit were very bright and attractive.  I will order them the next time I plan a tie dye event.

The week before I completed a patchwork skirt.  While it is not exactly as I envisioned, DH likes it and that is a huge plus.

Rafiki Skirt Pattern from Craftsy

The skirt goes well with a recent bracelet I made. 

Now to complete a necklace. 

From all appearances, some think I have returned to my hippie days.

Elm Street Quilts July OMG Finish: Waves. . .

It has been said:  "Life is a series of waves to be embraced and overcome."  Some longarm quilters would say to embrace the challenge of this quilt top.  The wavy borders are not that bad; some quilters have taken on far worse.  Proof exists on YouTube as they demonstrate their prowess with their longarm using varying techniques to conquer the waves.

Elm Street Quilts July OMG Finish

Two weeks ago, I was planning to take the borders off and use a different sewing machine to stitch them on again.  I am convinced it was having the Pfaff's dual feed engaged that caused this problem because the previous quilt with all bias edges was completed with the Janome 9400 without the AccuFeed foot attached and the borders went on flawlessly with no issues or challenges for me to conquer.

My fear of the challenge has diminished and the thrill of conquest is building.  Stay tuned to see if I rise to the occasion or cave in and retreat to my favorite chair to remove the offensive borders.

Little Labels

All quilts deserve a label and all quilters should sign their work.  With those two directives in mind, I finally ordered some small labels for my charity quilts and small projects.  All special quilts will still show off a label made with my embroidery machine. 

The labels are from a company called Wunderlabel.  They have a US office in Springfield, Illinois.  I was pleased with the price, service, and quality.  They are easy to pierce with a needle so I had no trouble taking tiny stitches to secure them.    

Elm Street July OMG: Properly Aged

With the addition of three borders by the end of July, this top will be an Elm Street Quilts finish.

Yesterday afternoon, I pulled these blocks out of a cupboard in the sewing room and squared up the remaining 16.  I know why I left them to age for a few years.  They refused to square up so that the seams would match.  Additionally, I was having a terrible time getting a layout that pleased me, but the time had come to finish this quilt top.

The only seams that match reasonably are the large block intersections but with the lattice or love knot layout that emerged when I discovered that I sewed all of the strip sets with with light to dark repeat, precise intersections just weren't worth pursuing.  With a few twists and turns that didn't match the pattern designer's scrappy layout, I found one that satisfied me.  Now to find some batiks to complete the borders so the top is in the stack to be quilted.  Finished is better than perfect.