Completed UFOs this Summer

I have been so busy I have neglected my blog! Well I don't see how people can keep up with social connections sometime. I can't seem to keep it going like I had planned. 

Earlier this summer I finished a stack of UFO quilt tops! They are all listed for sale on Etsy and need good homes. 

UFO projects

No I did not fall off the side of the earth! So much has been happening at Ashlawnfarms Rag Quilt Creations lately that I don't know where to start!

I have completed many UFO projects-here is one that I will be keeping.

Others will be posted later.


I also re-opened my rag quilting cutting services in February. That is going well and keeping me on my toes.

In March I lost my dear Grandmother, so the last few weeks have been difficult in that respect.

Spring arrived pretty early this year and I have had to mow the yard 3 times now! My calendars from years past say that the first few days of April is when I have mowed for the first time that spring. This is such a different spring! Not complaining though!

Minor 8-hour setback on Hexi quilt top today

This morning I was excited to be finishing up adding the purple and pink flower rows to the rest of the quilt top. I think I had about 4 more to sew on. Finished that, then spread the top onto the floor and to my immediate disgust realized it was backwards: pink where the purple should be and visa versa. I spent a while thinking about the mistake and how mad I was at not checking to make sure it was correct in the first place. While thinking I matched up the reds I needed for the next row. Here they are-I am going to have to cut more reds too, so this is not all of them.

After matching the reds for awhile I picked up my seam ripper and went to work on fixing my problem. Then sewed it back correctly. I am glad I did! It looks like it is suppose to now....

Update on Hexagon Hand Piecing

I have been stitching away at the Grandmother's Flower Garden Hexy quilt top this week. I took this picture a couple of days ago showing the pink and purple flowers that are stacked up and ready for adding to the rest. I sewed them together first and will be adding both rows to the top in the next few days.

This next picture shows the top with the pink and purple rows before they are added.

Check back for more updates.

Quiltsy Christmas Quilt Block Swap Quilt Top

 This past fall my Etsy Team Quiltsy held a Christmas quilt block swap. There were red and green and blue and silver groups. I did the red and green blocks. On my trip to my in-laws over Christmas I rummaged through my MIL's fabric stash and found this nice Christmas print that I used to set the top up with.

This top is going into my quilting pile now....there are 12 tops in front of it now to quilt. Wish me luck!

These blocks were done by members of the Quiltsy Team! Thanks girls!

Hand Piecing

Many years ago (about 15) I started this hexagon quilt top. I admit that it has sat and left unfinished for long periods of time over the years. It seems I have had other things get in the way of me finishing it. During our recent travels I took it with me to work on. Now I want to stick with it and get it done. My pictures are not really great -my camera needs a major adjusting. 

Anyway I have a stack of purple and pink flowers sitting here to finish those rows then on to reds. 

All the fabric in this top is vintage, some feedsack, and some definitely out of date!  

When I woke up this morning snow had arrived here in East Central Indiana. I am not a fan of the snow, but will enjoy having the sun warm things up here this week -and the snow will be gone until the next time.

Happy New Year 2012

Happy New Year from Ashlawnfarms! As the holidays are coming to a close it is time to start new goals for the new year. One of my goals is to destash many of the fabrics taking up room in my fabric closet. Today I listed on Etsy many listings of minky squares that I am parting with from my old cutting services. There are many listings to choose from. 

For Christmas I gave my niece and nephew homespun traditional quilts. 

Homespun String Quilt Blocks

I have decided to add a "Sewing Bucket List" on my blog. This past year I have acknowledged my addiction to sewing/quilting and have so many things I want to create before I ....ya know -kick the bucket. So as my grandparents would say "If the Lord is willing...." I will start work on my bucket list pronto.

The first item listed is to make a string quilt. I have in mind to make it all from homespun scraps. I am sure I have mentioned a million times my favorite fabric is homespun as I just love the primitive look that it has. I have quite a  large stash of homespun and a few bins full of scraps. So one of my goals with this bucket list item is to lessen my scrap pile.

Tonight I was able to complete the first 4 quilt blocks. I am using 10" muslin fabric for the backing of the strings.

Moda Sanctuary Table Runner

My Christmas tree is still not up to hang my newly decoupaged ornaments, so maybe this weekend? 

Not too long ago I came across a small 2.5" charm pack I had stashed away. It was a Moda Sanctuary charm pack. Here is what it turned into.

Listed in my Etsy shop. 

My dog, Opal, modeling her new harness coat! I bought this from Little Paws Apparel on Etsy. I think she really is liking it after never wearing anything but her fur all her life. The harness works great too!

 

Thanksgiving 2011

For hearts that are kindly, with virtue and peace, and not seeking blindly a hoard to increase; for those who are grieving o'er life's sordid plan; for souls still believing in heaven and man; for homes that are lowly with love at the board; for things that are holy, I thank thee, O Lord!  ~Walt Mason


Great day at my brother's new place. God blessed us with such a beautiful day that included sunshine and warmer weather. We ate, chatted, and took a tour of the new barn being built. It was good seeing my brother and his family. I pray they are doing well.


Mom and I visited some before I headed back home. Planning for Christmas festivities seems to be coming together...though I need to check into what my fathers side is doing. 


I am thinking of doing all of my Christmas shopping online this year. I hate crowds for sure, and am not going out on Black Friday tomorrow. I hate getting up early and have to work a few hours anyway, so it works for me to shop online at my leisure and not deal with long lines and aching feet. 


This weekend I will be working on a small little girl's purse that a lady from my church ordered. I am hoping to have it for her this Sunday. 


As 2011 is coming to an end with one month to go I would like to send out a special "Thank You" to all of my readers who have reached my blog to read about rag quilting in one way or another. This year started out badly for me and I missed blogging for several months due to not feeling up to it.  Staying current with the latest trends is a tough thing to keep up with, so in those summer months I had much to catch up on. I have asked blog readers to give me feedback from time to time and have not had many respond to me, so I guess I am at least giving them information that is valuable to them, or they are not interested in my blabbering and move on. lol. My plans for 2012?


Well 2012, if God is Willing to allow me on this journey of quilt making and pattern writing, I plan to transition more into the traditional quilting where my roots are. Rag quilting is so easy and so non-challenging for me at this point that I need to venture into new territory.  I am just bored with Rag Quilting. There I said it....with that being said I have been toying with the idea of launching a new business name featuring my grandmother who taught me the art of sewing and quilting in the first place.  We will see- I will pray about it and see if that is where the Lord wants me to be next.  


God Bless you and yours as this Thanksgiving Day comes to a close.  Thank you again for reading my blog.

October Doings

Here are some new projects I have created in the last few weeks and are listed in my Etsy Shoppe.

Candy Corn Mug Rugs that turned out Adorable!

Fall Table Topper that is Traditionally quilted.

Gobble til ya Wobble Rag Quilted Mug Rugs

Primitive Black and Tan Homespun Coiled Bowl and Primitive Homespun Coasters

If you prefer to shop on Bonanza or Artfire most of my items are there as well.

Rail Fence Traditional Table Runner

Last month I was able to finish this wonderful table runner that had been sitting on my Unfinished Object shelf in the fabric closet for awhile. I listed the runner on Etsy and the description tells the story about project.

Here are some pictures of it during construction:

Finished up close shot

Just Quilted

The Binding

Homespun on the back

Binding Half on

Binding Finished

Shots for the listing

Traditional Quilt Blues and Whites

Creation #47
Inspired by the "Heavenly Blues" By Yolanda V. Fundora
in the Holiday Issue 2010 of The Quilter Magazine

Shhhhh! This is actually for my MIL!

This fall I have been skimming through several quilt magazines looking for ideas for gift giving. My MIL's kitchen is decked out in the blue/white dishes and decor, so when I came across this picture in the magazine my thoughts instantly went to her!

Knowing this was what I was going to make for her, I have been collecting remnants in blues/whites lately. Just enough to complete this as a wall hanging.

Last night I cut all the squares and today did all the sewing.

I used 4.5" squares for this.

Once I had the four corner blocks sewn I decided to change the overall pattern from the magazine a bit. I added in the white cross in the middle as an afterthought. I am not good at doing appliqued pieces, so this was a way out of it!

I follow a blog on free-motion quilting, The Free Motion Quilting Project, and was very tempted to use a cross pattern she had blogged about. So I did.....

Lets just say the 35" x 35" wall hanging was a success. I finished the free-motion quilting tonight. Yay! Another finish all the way through! Except for the binding, which I will do later this week.

This was hard on my back and shoulders moving the quilt around, so I think the next free motion pattern I use will be a bigger pattern!

Thread is out too, so I must replenish before I can sew again! :(

Anyhoo this was fun and different from my usual rag quilting projects.

Happy sewing!