Tag Archives: linda ballard

17

Jan. ’23

Finished Flimsy: Dresden

I started this at my guild’s March 2022 workshop with Linda Ballard.

I can’t believe all I needed to do to finish this was blanket stitch the dresden down and applique a center. I already had decided not to add a border a long time ago. But it took me forever to get this to the finishing line.

I wanted my blanket stitch to pop so a 50w would have been too thin for the look I was going for. I ended up choosing a salmon/coral color 12w Aurifil. I buy Aurifil in different weights because I enjoy the look of a good decorative top thread when I want it. and I do not usually plan ahead enough to buy the right color when I need it. I always just look in my stash for something that will work. I get a thrill of pleasure when I find and use something in my stash. Not only am I using what I have but it justifies me buying Aurifil in different weights when I find them. 😁

50w Aurifil is now about $14/ large spool. So if I see 50w or 40w at less than $14 I will buy it. I have all my Aurifil thread listed on a google sheets so I go through that list to avoid buying duplicates.

For 28w and 12w- I like to buy the small spools in different colors so I have options for decorative thread. I used to buy large spools and if all I see are large spools I will buy them anyway. I find that I don’t use them enough to warrant choosing large spools and usually shops generally just have small spools of these weights. Sometimes though large spools are it.

I also buy 80w when I see them (which is not often) for applique. And if I see 12w wool, I used to pick these up too. But for my bday last year I bought the whole Ellana collection which is Wondefil’s wool thread so I don’t need Aurifils on hand anymore. I would LOVE to get Aurifils 12w cotton collection but it’s way too much! at 270 small spools and a beautiful box to store them all, it’s $1700 with tax and shipping. For some reason in my head I thought it was more like $400 for the whole thing. Either they raised the prices or I am totally way off. Either price would be too much but $400 is more swallowable than $1700! Wonderfil had split their collection into 2 boxes so while pricey I bought one at a time as my budget allowed.

Happy quilting friends,

Melanie

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31

Dec. ’22

December Recap 2022

Even with all my travels and all the things I had a great month in terms of my quilting goals. This pretty much is the same as my mid month recap.

First, my disappearing 9 patch – I wasn’t able to finish quilting this project but Im halfway through. With all the traveling I ran out of time.

Second, Wendy Mathson’s Storm at Sea/Snails Trail – My goal was to finish the top. And it’s done.

Storm at Sea / Snail’s Trail Wendy Mathson December 2022

Third, Plum Fusion – My goal was to finish page 19 and here it is! 4 of these blocks.

And Fourth, Linda Ballard’s Dresden from the guild’s February 2022 – my goal was to pull this out, take a more current picture, and see what needs to happen to finish this project up. And I did it!

Happy quilting!

Melanie

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15

Dec. ’22

December 2022 – mid month update

First, my disappearing 9 patch. Here’s how much I was able to quilt before I headed off to Paris.

Second, Wendy Mathson’s Storm at Sea/Snails Trail – My goal was to finish this top and I finished it!

Storm at Sea / Snail’s Trail Wendy Mathson December 2022

Third, Plum Fusion – one of our local shops’ Saturday Sampler. – I wanted to finish Page 19 and I did!

And Fourth, Linda Ballard’s Dresden from the guild’s February 2022 workshop. – My goal was to pull this out, take a more current picture, and see what needs to happen to finish this project up. – done!

I didn’t think I’d get everything done this month but my finishing urge has been going strong lately. The rest of the month will be a little slow on the crafty end as I take a few weeks off traveling.

Happy quilting!

Melanie

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11

Dec. ’22

Quilt in Progress: Linda Ballard’s Dresden

This was the picture I last posted on my WIP list:

My guild hosted this workshop with Linda Ballard in February 2022. As with everything, I worked on it and worked on it and then the next workshop happened and then life and it got put away and forgotten about. I really totally forgot about it until one of my friends pulled hers out and hers is pretty much almost done. And I mean fully quilted, bound and labeled done.

That’s when I remembered and added it to my WIP list. The nice thing about WIP lists is that it’s hard to forget about projects. And as much as I’m not wanting to work on this, I do want to get it done. My goal for December was to pull it out, take a current picture and see what needs to happen to finish this project up.

And I did that….Here’s my current picture:

Linda Ballard’s Dresden / current picture

And the next step is to attach the dresden to the Log Cabin background and then attach the center. Or, do you attach the center and then attach the dresden to the background? How do you do it?

I plan to hand applique the center and machine blanket stitch the dresden. I’m just not sure of the order yet.

That is all that needs to be done to call this a finished top.

There is too little time my crafty friends.

Hugs

Melanie

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15

Sep. ’20

My weekly crafty update ~on quilting

Last week I turned my sewing machine on again after 2 weeks of not touching it.

Dancing with the Stars
Still in pieces
Linda Ballard
9/7/2020

I pieced more pieces of Dancing with the Stars so I can make more blocks to fit a queen size quilt. I think I may run out of fabric and I went to Joanns to find something similar and I failed.  It may not be queen size. or, I’ll have to keep hunting.

I do not know why I stopped turning the machine on. It became too hard. My Lowery stand and my big cross stitch frame was in front of my table and the room was just messy enough that I didn’t want to disturb the piles by moving it so I can sew.  That’s not usually something that stops me. In addition, I had enough of a mess on my cutting table that I didn’t want to clean it up so I could cut fabric.  And I was at a perfect stand still in all of my projects. Most WIPs needed something pressed or cut or both before I could move into actually sewing on the machine.  And I didn’t want to press or cut. I wanted to sew.  It’s the kind of motivation or unmotivation -demotivation? – well I was immobilized by my inability to make a decision of what to do next and so did not do anything.  On Labor Day, I finally stopped with the inaction and pressed and put the pieces to Dancing with the Stars under the needle.  🙂

2012 Southern CA
Quilt Run
Area Four
Mystery quilt
3/8/2020

And over the weekend I pulled this quilt from my retreat luggage. I already had the first 2 rows pieced. I sewed all but the final row pieced together. I just ran out of energy and had to call it quits for the week.  I hope to finish the top in the next couple of weeks.

~ keep on quilting!

Melanie

 

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02

Jan. ’20

2020 Crafty Plans

Over the last 3-4 years I’ve added more crafts to my crafty life and I only have so much time for crafts.  Time is a fixed element.  There is only so much time and I love to do all the things. I quilt, knit, cross stitch and now I’m learning to sew and make project bags, and on and on and on.  Over the holiday break I used my gifted Christmas money to get a bobbin lacemaking kit.  I’ve got a ton of half done projects and plans for other projects but not enough time to do everything I want to do.  So rather than have goals each month of making progress on certain things I’ve decided to dedicate time to different crafts.

To summarize my crazy, I knit on my socks for 15 minutes every morning and 1-2 rows on my high priority knitting project every evening Monday thru Friday.  I cross stitch on my projects every evening Monday thru Friday. I quilt on Saturdays and I sew on Sundays.  Obviously if something comes up like an event or party or meeting, I will not be crafting. As a result, I like to avoid attending events and tend to stay home or hang out with like minded crafty people (just kidding – I still go out and see friends and family, I’m not totally crazy…. yet).

So here is a list of projects I will be working on during the craft times:

Quilting: So even though I’ve added new crafts to my life I still consider myself a Quilter with a capital Q.  And over the next year I want to learn to use my new machine (*more on that later when it arrives).  I want to learn how to service my featherweight, I’m taking a year long Judy Niemeyer class, take the monthly workshops offered by my quilt guild, take the embroidery class offered at my local sewing machine shop, do more hand work, and finish more of my WIPs.

My current WIPs:

Staycation

This is not really a WIP because the top is done. I just need to quilt it. I actually have this and possibly two other tops and a multitude of smaller projects ready to be quilted.  Those are top on my list to finish and will be done when my new machine arrives*.

Good Fortune 

Good Fortune
1/1/2020

I am currently finished with Border #3.  I’m working on the 4th and final border.

Glam Clam

I’ve been doing a row at a time at the various retreats I’ve gone to over the last 2 years and I only have about 3 rows left.

Scrappy Stars – I do not have a good picture of this because this was a mystery quilt from a few years ago and I’m currently on step 4 or something.  I believe that I’m at the point where I start putting the pieces together to make blocks. But right now, there are just a bunch of pieces…

Area One Mystery Quilt – 

This is another project I’ve been working on primarily at retreats.  I actually have two more sets of blocks done and I only have another 2 sets of blocks left before I can start piecing the blocks together. I know that doesn’t make any sense but I’m getting so close to a finish.  Here’s how the center looks which I got done after the above picture was taken.

Craftsy Mystery quilt from a long time ago by Kimberly Einmo.  I cannot remember where I am with this project but I started it at the last retreat I went to.

Area Two  Mystery quilt – I finished all the blocks that I have but apparently I do not have the finishing instructions!  So now I have a bunch of blocks that I have to figure out how to put together.  I will work on this at a retreat because I need a big design space and fellow retreat attendees’ help to decide how to move forward.

Dancing with the Stars by Linda Ballard – I pulled this out and started working on it again at the last retreat I went to and the last time I worked on this was in 2013.

Dancing With the Stars
2-Block A and Snowball

I get a lot of work done at retreats I attend throughout the year. These are formal retreats for my guild, and various retreats offered by shops but I also plan personal retreats with friends and with my family.  I generally work on one project at home and that is currently Good Fortune and when that is done I’ll work through this list in order.

This is a lot for one post so I’m putting my other crafts for other days.

Happy new year!

Melanie

Posted by . Categories: 2020 Crafty Goals, Quilting. Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , . 9 Comments