With the ending of this year I’m taking stock of what I have accumulated for future projects. My favorite size block is 8 inches finished. I don’t like working on very small things, partly because I have difficulty doing handwork, so everything I do is done by machine. I also have done lots of projects using pre-cuts, so the 2 1/2 inch size and multiples of that work best.

I collected all my finished blocks and set them out to see what I’ve got.

These are the ones that are calling my name. The majority are improv blocks, which I do love to make. Along with some stars I have about 25 eight-inch blocks. i’m thinking about framing them in white or gray sashing. The little houses will have to wait for another day.

I don’t have very many UFOs because I have finished those that I’m able to give to charity. Of course, this is not talking about my stash yet. I’ve been able to whittle it down quite a bit. However two days ago a friend was given some donated fabrics and I was there when I was able to pick some out for myself.

The two lengths of floral fabric are each about 60 inches. I just love the luscious flowers. The dark green with tiny crosses is about 4 yards long. This will have to be a special quilt, something I’ll be thinking of for the new year.

We have had some very early snow, 11 inches so far this year. With snow on the ground, then on sunny days all the heat is reflected back upwards and the temps are lower. But it’s lovely to look out at the snow, great quilting weather.

I’m linking up with Angela at http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/and Cynthia at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

I belong to a group of quilters both here in the USA and in Great Britain, the Endeavourers, who meet online quarterly for a challenge. The subject is chosen by a random drawing from a list of images or ideas. This quarter, ending on November 1, is the theme of dreams.

I don’t remember any of my dreams these days, but when I was young I dreamt frequently and some of them were happy and others sometimes scary. So I decided to show a young girl having some sweet dreams.

I found a fat quarter of a starry blue. I chose to fuse the images using Wonder Under. I cut out each one in a rough square and then fused them, using parchment paper to release them. Now that they were stiff it was easy to trim them down with sharp small scissors.

For a backing I fused this to a 9 x 12″ piece of Bosal N-R double-sided foam.

Finally I ran a simple pathway of stitching line going from the little girl then up and around all her dream images.

The challenge for me this time was to improve my fusing skills. Now I feel more confident and I’m happy with my project.

For the end of October we ended up with 8 inches of snow, a chance for some nice photos.

I’m linking up with Angela at http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/and Cynthia at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

One thing I learned last week while working on my stained glass window quilt was the difficulty in working with black. My Pfaff sewing machine is very functional. It has an LED light shining on the stitching area, more than my other machines had. Other than that I have the ceiling light.

In order to see my stitching line with all the black, I had to get really close to the needle area to make sure it was lined up.

When the project was complete, a lightbulb went off in my head. Why don’t I have more light on the subject? My answer, as usual, was to check on Amazon to look for additional lighting.

I wanted a floor lamp with flexible lighting and found this model, which had more than enough features.

It arrived on Monday and was not difficult to assemble. It has a very heavy sturdy base and the top flexible LED lamp. It fits very nicely alongside my sewing table and is just what I needed for complete coverage of the area. I keep it on the brightest lighting level and there’s no need to change that.

Voila! Isn’t it great? I don’t know why I didn’t do this a whole lot sooner.

I really didn’t get any quilting done this week because I am still continuing to have physical problems which keep me from sitting at the machine for any length of time. I did manage to wind a few bobbins.

My project for next week will be finishing a challenge wallhanging for the Endeavourers.

The fall colors have been lovely here, but they are on the way out. With the cold weather setting in I hope you are all staying warm and in good health.

I’m linking up with Angela at http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/and Cynthia at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

My Stained Glass Window turned out better than I could’ve expected. Framing the batiks in black was something I have always wanted to do, so doing the charm squares as part of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge was the perfect answer.

Despite some lingering health problems I was able to finish the project this afternoon. It was just in time to get it photographed with the help of my friends. The indoor view looked nicely finished with the added 2 1/2 inch black border.

I’ve decided not to quilt it, but to keep it for myself and hang it where I can enjoy the colors. Quilting it would destroy the effect of the stained glass.

The weather cooperated perfectly. Despite on and off rain the sun came out in late afternoon just in time for the final photo.

if you look closely you can see the quarter-inch seams shining through, which gives the squares a three-dimensional effect.

I am really thrilled that this project turned out better than I expected. I now have my own stained glass window like those in beautiful cathedrals.

I’m linking up with Angela at http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/and Cynthia at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

My goal for this week was to finish my Stained Glass Window flimsy. I didn’t have much left to get done, only one side strip and then a 2 1/2 inch border all around. It was frustrating work because the 1 1/2-inch strips were not pinked and were constantly fraying.

Then two days ago I woke up with very painful sciatica. I could hardly get out of bed and the only place I could sit was in my recliner, not on a regular chair. I looked online and found exercises that were supposed to help. I began to do them regularly and some kind friends brought me some lunch and dinner because I couldn’t do any cooking.

Years ago I had a bout of sciatica which lasted for weeks. This time I was very fortunate to get it cleared up today, Friday.

In order to have something to show for this post, I did some more work on fusing a small wall hanging, which I call Carnivale in Rio. This was my original idea.

I worked on it some more today and begin fusing the pieces. Then this new version came to a screeching halt with a sticky iron. I found a easy method for cleaning it but using baby powder on the cold iron, then heating it and the glue came right off. I am passing this on to you.

This is my latest version including the fireworks at night and the parade along the boulevard beside the beach. The fusing will have to wait.

i’m calling it quits for tonight. This Squirrley piece will be finished by next week, I promise.

I’m linking up with Angela at http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/and Cynthia at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

Batiks are my favorite type of quilting fabric because the pure colors are like jewels. They also can be muted and swirled, blending colors into something unique.

That was why I decided to use them in one of my Rainbow Scrap Challenge projects this year. For each month’s color I made six simple charm squares, each with a black border.

This was my first trial, later expanded with the addition of lime green.

I chose the pure hues of each color, with no mixtures or blending.

My goal for September was to combine all the colors to make eight rows. Then the fun process began. I stitched up most of them into pairs, played around with the placements and photographed each arrangement.

This week I worked on arranging them on the design floor and adding horizontal strips between the rows. For some reason, between the trips to the machine and the stitching it did not go easily and there was quite a bit of ripping.

So I did not quite make my goal of piecing the entire top, but most of them are finished and only one side strip remains to be done.

Isn’t it beautiful? I think I will have to keep it for myself, probably as a lap quilt.

Now that we have reached the end of the rainbow, I’m looking forward to seeing what treasures all of you have made.

I’m linking up with Angela at http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/and Cynthia at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/

We quilters tend to get sidetracked, dropping a work in progress to start something totally different. Sandra at mmm! Quilts likens it to a squirrel running across our path and we take off to follow it. That is exactly what I did this week.

In my last post I asked for input on backing for my stained glass batik quilt. Thanks to all your kind comments I chose the M&M fabric.

With a week full of distractions that was as far as I got. Then yesterday I started thinking about fusing again. I have used it for two wall hangings this year and it is the best method I have found for appliqué. I came across two excellent fusing tutorials on YouTube and dug into my fat quarter solids for inspiration.

For the background I chose a deep purple. In my scrap pile I found a little piece that I’ve had around for years but hated to waste it. This was what started me thinking.

This scrap brought to mind pictures of Rio de de Janeiro with its favelas. These are very poor neighborhoods built of scrap wood and whatever materials could be found, with wiring strung from one to unit to another. Most of them are brightly colored, expressing the vibrancy of the Brazilian people.

After a couple of hours rummaging through bins of scraps I added a few more pieces to suggest a hot summer night.

Here is my squirrel project so far, with no fusing done yet.

I seem to do my best work when I have a subject or image in mind. From here on it won’t take long to get this fused and ready to go, with fireworks lighting up the sky.

The other day I went on a beautiful long ride through the Wisconsin farmlands with perfect weather and a lovely breeze. The trees have not yet begun to turn but in October we will have lovely days to enjoy them,

I’m linking up with Angela at http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/and Cynthia at http://quiltingismorefunthanhousework.blogspot.com/