Quilt of Valor Presentation #3

The special label

At the end of September, I was honored to wrap a QOV around the shoulders of Butch. When I asked Butch if I could nominate him for a quilt, he immediately replied that there were other more deserving veterans. I told him that I would like to honor him. Then I asked if he would like to see the quilt that I had stitched for him.

Quilt pattern: Indigo Way 2023 Bonnie Hunter mystery

He replied, "You made me a quilt?" His eyes were wide and his normal loud voice was so soft. I showed him the quilt. He touched it like he was thinking... for me? He looked at me and said "YES!" So we completed the nomination form. Later, I arranged to pick up the label that the area QOV group provides for each presented quilt.

Butch served in the navy during the Vietnam war. He said he was based in California; but, most of his deployment was spent aboard one of three ships.

Butch wrapped in his quilt

He wanted to have the presentation in the presence of his coffee buddies so that was what we did. There were a couple wives in attendance too! I love the smile on his face because it is an actual smile. He wanted a photo with his buddies so of course that happened!

The "Boys" and me

Seeing him so tickled will stay with me a long time. He does so much for others and asks for nothing. Having this ceremony just for him did honor him. He was amazed to learn that the lifetime number of veterans comforted at the end of August was 421,941. The rest of the boys also were surprised at the number of quilts awarded! Documenting this presentation was goal number eleven on my October list.

Triple Treat Leader Ender

Twenty blocks kitted and ready to go

I looked back in my posts to see when I began this project. my inital post was July 31, 2022! Goal number two on my October list was to write an update.

In October of 2022, I shared photos of my project in my recap and goals post. In January of 2023, I shared how it was my leader ender project as I pieced Chilhowie. In August of 2023, I again shared in my recap and goals post to keep making the leader ender blocks. In my September 2023 recap and goals post, I even shared a layout of the blocks.

One block ready to stitch

Earlier this year, I decided to stitch what I had into a top and call it good.  At the beginning of June, I decided to inventory how many blocks I had made 72 with the 73rd ready to stitch. I decided to make more of an effort to make more of these blocks.

After all, I still have some large print fabrics and multi colored fabrics that work well for this block. I spent some time cutting and made more kits. In the future, I'm going to "try" to cut out kits in multiples of four because Bonnie set four blocks together to make a unit. Larger units will be easier to piece in the end. Bonnie is so wise when it comes to putting blocks together!

Block piles

So I'll be cutting lots more pieces and using up lots more scraps!!! I don't have an end date for this project. I'll keep piecing units as I work on other projects. When I make about 200 units, I'll consider a layout. I am a long ways from that number!

Pattern stitching four blocks together

In the meantime, Bonnie released her Four Patch Fun leader ender and Gertie, my inner squirrel, wants to make these blocks. Sigh. . .too many options and not enough time!!!! Linking to Oh Scrap.

Recap September and October Goals 2025

Temperature quilt 2022 and 2023 pin basted

My Annual Goals are:

✒1. Have a net loss of 100 yards of fabric from my stash.

✒2. Finish six UFOs

✔ a. Temperature 2021--pin basted and ditched quilted started in January;  progress made in February. Almost finished the quilting in March. Completed the project in April. Hooray!!!! 

✒b. Temperature 2022-2023--pin basted in September

✒c. Martha's House blocks--purchased backing in May; determined a quilting design in August;

✔d. Positively Grows--pin basted in February; started ditch quilting in July, finished in August, documented in September.

✔e. Maze top--purchased backing in May; longarmer quilted and I added the binding, sleeve and label in June!

Stitch By Stitch quilted

f. Butterfly number four 

Fabric Summary:

Fabric in this month: 0 yards   

Fabric in year to date: 64 3/4 yards

Fabric used from stash this month: 20.75 yards 

Fabric used from stash year to date: 103 yards

Net loss/gain this month: -20.75 yards

Net loss/gain year to date: -41 yards  

Books:

My favorite listen of the month was: "Christy" by Catherine Marshall. A nineteen year old leaves home to teach school in the Smokey Mountains. She learns as much from the pupils and families as they learn from her. The author bases much of her story on her own experiences. 

My favorite read of the month was: "Winter Garden" by Kristin Hannah. Learning about Anya in war torn Russia 50 years earlier is a puzzle her two American daughters unravel.

Grassy Creek string blocks pieced

My September goals were:

✔1. Document the finish of Sweet Tooth.

✔2. Document the finish of Grow.

✔3. Document the quilt that I gave my niece for her wedding in July.

✒4. Share my progress with the Triple Treat Leader Ender Project. Post is written; but, ran out of days to post it!

✔5. Continue documenting my recent trip to London, England and Paris, France. post 5, 

✔6. Make progress on Grassy Creek. I've finished stitching the string blocks for the border. I have stitched about half of the blocks.

✔7. Makc the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.

1/1/2025-6/9/2025 blocks for 
2025 Temperature quilt

✔8. Make more 2025 Temperature Quilt blocks. I have pieced the blocks through June 20 and have added the rows through June 9. While I'm still far behind, I'm less behind than I was!

✔9. Layer and baste Temperature Quilt 2022-2023.

✔10. Document the blocks I made during the July virtual retreat and the prize I won.

✔11. Make more progress on Stitch By Stitch. This month, I finished the quilting. 

✔12, Schedule a QOV presentation. I managed to schedule
and hold it before the end of the month. I will document the presentation next month!

It was another good month of progress inspite of working twelve days this month. I helped with a special project and taught two classes. I often work five to seven days in a month! I'm most pleased about the progress I have made on the Temperature Quilt for 2025. 

My October goals are:

1. Post about my sourdough baking.

2. Share my progress with the Triple Treat Leader Ender Project.

3. Make progress on Grassy Creek.

4. Make the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks. 

5. Make more 2025 Temperature Quilt blocks.

6. Finish of Stitch By Stitch.--It lacks a sleeve and blocking.

7. Prewash challenge fabrics that one of my small groups is doing.

8, Make a knit skirt for my granddaughter.

9, Piece the batting for Beyond the Surface.

10. Begin quilting the 2022-2023 Temperature quilt.

11. Document the QOV presentation.

12, Continue working on the virtual retreat.

Linking to Finished or Not Friday, Patchwork and Quilts.

Sweet Tooth Finished--post six

View of the quilting pattern and pieced back

I used a polyester batting and the longarmer quilted a circular design. I love the texture the quilting provided! It was the first time that I've tried a polyester batting. I like it; but, I like wool or 80/20 batting better!

Brown binding & close up of the quilting

I did buy a little more of the dark brown print so that I had enough to bind two quilts and make at least one hanging sleeve. I also bought some background fabric to use with the extra transparency blocks that I made before constructing the back to this project.

Label

For the label, I used a light box to copy the design using pigma pens to color the sections. I like how the label turned out!

Finished front

I used nine yards of fabric for this project. Documenting this finish was goal number one on my September list.

At least 30 years ago, I acquired a yard and three quarters piece of wool blend. I believe my mom gave it to me from her stash. I took it because it was red and thought I would make a skirt. I didn't. Earlier this month, I decided to take it to the free table at the guild meeting. If it went, awesome. If it didn't, I decided I would figure out a use for it. It went! 

A bit of yardage

I have a number of pieces of "fashion fabric." I know I'm not going to sew these so it is time to find another home for them that is preferably not in the landfill! This led me to the question: What do you do with the fashion fabric you aren't going to use? I'd like to know! 

Including that piece of wool blend, I have now "used" 20.75 yards of fabric from my stash this month. For the year, I have used 103 yards from my stash. With my purchases during the year though, my net loss of fabric is 41 yards of fabric. I'm a long way from meeting my goal of 100 yards; but, I'm making progress!

Linking to Oh Scrap and Sew and Tell.

Retreat Prize and Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025 Blocks

Retreat blocks

Goal number ten on my September list was to document the blocks and prize that I won at the Clark County Quilters Virtual Retreat. I like retreating for the camaraderie and inspiration of my fellow retreaters. Virtual retreats have spoiled me.

I have dietary issues which make eating at functions challenging. If I do eat a restricted food, it won't kill me; but, I sure won't feel well! Packing up my supplies, unpacking them, hoping that I've packed what I've needed, repacking them at the end of the retreat and unpacking them at home isn't fun. With a virtual retreat, I don't have concerns about meals and projects! Plus, I don't have to drive anywhere. There is the downside of not being able to shop hop on the way to and from the retreat though!

The prize

The charity blocks for this retreat will be stitched into a QoV. This was a Buggy Barn pattern from long ago. We were to use red, white and blue fabrics to make three stars. The fabrics were cut all at the same time so it was a matter of mixing and matching when stitching them.

I like how the stars float. Even with the directions, I found
putting the block together challenging! I do like the end result so I may try this block again. 

Then there were the games and the prizes. I liked that the prizes were notions and supplies like batting instead of fabrics. I was a winner of one game which was bobbin chicken. 

The prize

We were supposed to take a photo of the bobbin with the thread on it and then a photo with the thread measured. Four times I lost at the game because I used all of the bobbin thread. Finally, with a couple hours left in the contest, I was successful. My remaining thread was 2 3/8 inches. Second place was three inches and third places was 3 1/2 inches so it close. We didn't share our results, we sent a photo to one of the retreat chairs.

The prize was a box of Aurifil thread! I like the combination! Winning a prize was cool as it is rare that I win and thread . . .well, it couldn't have been more perfect prize for me!

String selvages made into squares

The retreat ended with fond farewells and yes, I made some new friends and caught up with friends I hadn't seen in awhile. I even made progress on my quilting project! It was a total win!

Two more blocks

Regarding the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color this month, Angela said to go back to the light and bright colors--blue and green! I went with green and orange! Why orange? I laid out the finished blocks and with the ones that I will finish next month, I needed two more blocks for the layout. I'll share the layout next month.

I started pulling selvages and with the projects that I finished this year, I had enough new orange and green selvages to piece the two blocks! It wasn't long until I had sewn the two blocks that I needed!

This was goal number seven on my September list. Linking to Finished or Not Friday, Patchwork and Quilts and Scrap Happy.

Grow FINISHED--post 5

Diagonal lines. . .fail

 It's official. Grow is FINISHED! This was goal number 2d on my annual list. It was goal number two on my September list.

I was stuck for a bit of how to quilt the background behind the leaves so I asked you for your thoughts. I appreciated your responses! Nancy R. suggested quilting more circles to hide the blocks and emphasize the leaves. Vicki suggested quilting ghost leaves. Bonnie suggested vines. At my Friday Sit and Sew, Pat and Rosanne suggested diagonal lines. I was thinking trellis so I tried the diagonal lines.

I mirrored the spacing of the leaves; but, the lines felt too heavy. They didn't add to the piece. I removed the lines. I thought about free motion quilting small leaves in the space. Large ghost leaves, while a great thought, replicating them made the stem of leaves clunky. I didn't remember to take a photo!

The piece seemed to be saying that it wanted lines; but, Gertie was not interested in straight lines. Get is my inner squirrel. Bonnie's suggestion of vines made me think of a curved line. While I was pondering how to have a similar curve in the blocks, I remembered my stitch book.

Curved line with machine embroidery stitches.

With my first Bernina 790, I stitched out all of the embroidery stitches in various widths and lengths on muslin that was stabilized. I put the finished sheets into clear sheet protectors and stored them in a three ring binder. I looked at different stitches and found one that I thought would work. It did. I had altered the stitch I chose making it wider and longer than it was designed.

Page from the stitch book

If I had been more mindful and started the stitching a bit further from the left and right edge of the block, I wouldn't have had a gap in the center. I tried filling in the gap with another line of curved stitching. Gertie and I both agreed that was not the right approach.

Feather stitch

After I had stitched all the curved lines, I chose another embroidery stitch. This time, I used the stitch as it was designed. I thought the feather stitch represented the leaves on the stem well. I thought that I would repeat this stitch in the leaf stems; but, both the green thread and the stitch did nothing for the stems.

Thread used for the project sans the blue

Instead, I used a dark blue thread and stitched a straight line through each stem. At this point, I had finished the quilting. I used three threads on the top. I used the purple thread in the bobbin.

I estimate that I used 10 yards in this project. All of it came from stash. I have now used 10 yards of fabric from my stash this month. For the year, I have used 93 yards and I have a net los of 28.25 yards for the year.

Quilt back

This sleeve was one I used on a project and then removed it because I decided that I wanted the orientation of the quilt vertical instead of horizontal. The leaf print fabric fit the theme of the quilt. I did use machine embroidery stitches to quilt the background as a nod to the brush strokes vanGogh used in his work.

The label

This project will be my submission for the book, "The Secret Life of Sunflowers" by Marta Molnar. It is a historical fiction book with one story line about how Vincent vanGogh's widowed sister in law works to promote his art. The leaves reminded me of sunflower leaves. Finishing a started project was a bonus!

I will be gifting this quilt; but after the quilt show next fall!

Quilt front

Previous posts of this project are:the creation of the top-- post 1; the tutorial of basting a quilt--post 2; Beginning the ditch quilting--post 3; Quilting decisions--post 4. The project started in 2023 as a Positively sew along with Preeti Harris who blogs at Sew Preeti Sew. I'm linking to Oh Scrap and Sew and Tell. 

Gifted Quilt

The bride and groom

I have a niece who loves the color purple. Years ago, I made a two color mystery quilt that was purple and lime green. I set it aside to gift it to her as a wedding gift. In July, she married her best friend. 

The gift area. . .note the lime green package

My niece is an honest to goodness cowgirl. Her wedding reflected her love of ranching. She and the love of her life, are so happy together. They were filled with joy and exuberance on their special day!

Back made from the leftover

Regarding the two color mystery quilt, I added a second label that listed their names and washing instructions. Best of all, I gifted it in a pillow case of coordinating fabrics. I''m sure that they didn't receive a second gift like this one!

The front

I hope it will warm them both when they need it! Documenting this quilt's forever home was goal number three on my September list. Linking to Finished or Not Friday and Patchwork and Quilts.

Paris Highlights Through the Eyes Of An 11 Year Old

This is the final post regarding the trip that J, my ll year old granddaughter and I took last July/August. Since J was the last one in her family to visit Auntie in London, Auntie and I decided that J should visit someplace before her sister. . .we decided a trip to Paris, France was just the ticket. We tried to surprise her about the trip; but, a well meaning friend dropped the trip in conversation.

Capturing a night photo of the Eiffel Tower

J loved seeing the Eiffel Tower lit up a night. From so many places in Paris, you can see the Eiffel Tower.

The Paris Cauldron

She thought that the Paris Cauldron, which is a helium powered balloon that debuted at the Olympics in 2024, was super cool. It has been retrofitted so that can be used year around. We found it in the Tuileries Garden.

Taking in the architecture of the Louvre

When we walked by the Louvre, J waved to Mona as in Mona Lisa. She wanted to spend her time outside and not in a museum.

Charcuterie bowl for dinner

We had charcuterie from a deli for dinner one night. It was delicious. It is more fun to eat at a neighborhood spot rather than a formal restaurant. J liked the variety of meats and of course the baguette that went with it! 

J on the river tour

We took a river tour on the Seine and learned a lot more about the bridges that I had heard on previous trips

Door into Notre Dame

We visited Notre Dame and it is just as beautiful as it was before the fire.

Sitting for a portrait

We visited Montmartre and J sat for a portrait. We walked around the Basilica of Sacre Coeur. We enjoyed a lunch and a sherbet while we enjoyed the sights. We even took a ride on a carousel!

Galettes

We had lunch at friends of Auntie. R made us galettes or savory crepes. He shared the recipe and I look forward to making them.

Dessert

That night for dinner, we went to "le Relais de l'Ebtrecôte." It opened in 1959. There are a variety of drinks, desserts; but, the menu is a walnut salad, fries and sirloin steak with a special secret green sauce. There is no take out, no reservations and no delivery options. We arrived 45 minutes before the restaurant opened and we waited in line an hour and a half before we were seated. That is how popular the restaurant is! I didn't take photos of the steak. . .how could I have forgotten? It was delicious. I did get a photo of the dessert sherbet.  When we left the restaurant, the line was just as long as when we had entered! 

Waiting for the train

We did have a challenge taking the train back to London. Our train was canceled due to a signal issue. We arrived at the train station about 9:30 for a 11:00 departure. There were a lot of people who were stuck like us. N found us seats on a train that left at 2:00. The challenge was that none of the seats were together and only two were in the same car!

N kept checking to see if there was a way we could get our seats closer together; but, with the upset in the schedule, there were no available options. I did ask one of the train attendants what happened to the staff that were supposed to be on our 11 am train. She told me they too had been waiting! I told her how sorry I was and how tired she must be dealing with cranky passengers AND she still had to work while I was going to be sitting in a comfy seat! 

She then told us that two people hadn't checked in for the car that the two seats were in. Lucky for us, they didn't show. I sat across the aisle from N and Miss A. J sat in front of the car in the seat she was assigned. She liked having space to herself. The delay made for a long day as there aren't a lot of activities that can be done to exercise an active 11 and three year old in a train station! 

All in all it was a great trip.