Tag Archives: quilting

Tu-Na Quilts: Mixing Around and Having a Lot of Fun

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I’ve always said that spending the winter in Arizona is like going to winter camp for seniors. There’s 92 different clubs and activities offered in our 55+ active adult community and that’s not counting the flu that’s also going around. Tu-Na Helper and I have been busy and enjoying every minute of our time here.

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I did spend some time this week mixing things up a bit and produced this cute little block. I thought you’d like to see what I’ve been up to as far as sewing related. No, I have not started a new project. But more about that later.

 

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This little beauty is 7 3/4″ X 9 3/4.” Tu-Na Helper says this one is a new digital model since it’s missing the lever. Some things just have to be left to the imagination. You can find the free pattern here on Why Not Sew.

 

I changed the pattern a bit. I treated it like paper piecing and not sewed as shown on the pattern for two reasons; I needed it to be facing this direction and I just couldn’t see myself fussing over little pieces of freezer paper. It actually worked amazingly well. 

What I Learned Today:

  1. I’ve been missed. I received 4 emails from my dear readers asking if I was ok since it’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Rest assured all is well but I did enjoy knowing that I was missed. There is much fun in the sun around here taking my time. 
  2. The more time lapsed between posts makes sitting down and writing more difficult.
  3. I need to use my “real” Kitchen-Aid to whip up another lemon meringue pie. The lemons on our tree are ripe! I’ve already made three pies and we’ve had some company.
  4. Some of those lemons are so big that it only took 1 and 1/2 to make a 1/2 cup of juice.
  5. There’s no comparison between homemade fresh lemon meringue pie and lemon pie made from a box of lemon pie filling.
  6. Find another piece of fabric to use for the background in my pictures. I got a new camera for Christmas from my kids and a new light/camera stand from Tu-Na Helper. I’m still learning to use both.

Question: Do you whip things up by whisk, hand mixer, or a fancy stand mixer like the one pictured? I tried whipping cream with a whisk, once. After 30 seconds, I decided it definitely is worth using something that’s a whole lot faster.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen,

Tu-Na Quilts

Linking with:

Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

2018 Monthly Color Challenge (January is red) at Patterns by Jen (PB &J)

Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River

Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Tu-Na Quilts: My Three Month Plan

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Before I started my blog, I joined the finish-a-long party but haven’t been back since. Life happens. Because I need all the motivation and encouragement I can muster, I am linking once again. It’s an International affair hosted by a group of bloggers from around the world. You will find the link at the bottom of this post. Look out party goers, Tu-Na’s back! 

2018 Finish A Long LogoTu-Na’s January, February, and March Finish-A-Long projects

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Tu-Na Quilts: Let’s Talk About the Elephant in the Closet

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Yes, lets’ talk about that elephant quilt lurking in my closet. I’m making it for my best friend’s granddaughter who already celebrated her first birthday in November. So it’s officially not a baby quilt anymore. And I’m officially very late with it.

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This project became shelved when I began having eye issues. It needs a bit of seam adjustment to make the rows match.

Everyone (well, at least the blogs that I follow) talks about their one monthly goals and up to now I figured I didn’t need to set myself one goal a month. But after last year, I do need an incentive or something to help me move some projects along. So I figured I’d join the party.

OMG 2018 Blog logo Jan

The rules are to write a post about the one item you want to move along or finish this month and link to the party at Elm Street Quilts. Then at the end of the month, write a post about your progress and link to the finish party. I figure it may be just the incentive I need to move along a few projects. Oh, and there are prizes to win, too.

I started this quilt last spring. You can read about the exciting birth of that baby elephant here as Dr. Tu-Na was present in the delivery (sewing) room. I posted about this quilt’s progress here in Let’s Make Elephants, and here  in We Have an Elephant Parade, and here in Progress on She Has Her Mommy’s Nose.

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I’ll post about my progress on this Elephant at the end of the month or sooner if I actually get it done. Yes, completely done: pieced, sandwiched, quilted, bound, and in the mail.

What I Learned Today:

  1. There are 25 days left in January. I better not wait until the last week to work on this project.
  2. It gets cold in North Dakota in the winter. We braved the cold temps and spent the holidays with our family in North Dakota. The coldest it got was -28°F with at least two days of never getting above 0°.
  3. My plants in the sunroom don’t like the cold. The dieffenbachia froze.
  4. It’s time to bring on the heat and head back to Arizona.
  5. I’m thinking an Arizona Family Christmas next year just might be perfect.

Question: What project do you have that’s been hiding in the closet? Oh, I have others that will hopefully make their appearances this year but this is the one that really needs to get done so someone cute and little can snuggle with it.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen,  Tu-Na Quilts

Linking to:

One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts

Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts

Moving It Forward at Em’s Scrapbag

Monday Making at Love Laugh Quilt

Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River

 

 

Tu-Na Quilts: The Best of 2017

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Visitors from 72 countries stopped by Tu-Na Quilts, Travels, and Eats and have left over 1600 comments on the 98 posts I published this year. I was honored to receive 453 comments on the twelve 12 Days of Christmas in July blog hop posts. I’ve been unable to reply to all of them but know that I have read and appreciated every one of them. Thank you for taking the time to stop and chat, ask a question, leave an answer, or offer some help. I’ve learned so much from my readers.

I’m excited to have almost 450 followers by email, WordPress, and Bloglovin. Thank you for taking the time to not only read what I write but want to follow so you don’t miss a post. I’ve only been blogging for 1 and 1/2 years and strive to make my posts interesting and entertaining. If they sometimes read a bit humorous, it’s an added bonus for both of us.

There’s a year-end party happening over at Meadow Mist Designs. Cheryl has invited us to reflect on our year by sharing five of our top posts.

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Tu-Na Quilts: Tish to the Rescue

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Tish, who blogs at Tish’s Adventure in Wonderland, has begun a project to help us get our UFO’s to completion.

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This is a super cute button!

Since I previously said that 2018 was going to be the year of finishes rather than new project starts, it seems natural to join Tish for some added encouragement. Plus, it’s nice to have cheerleaders and coaches urging one to move forward, to reach higher, to cross the finish line. Besides, I got to meet Tish in person in October at the Quilt Blogger’s Retreat in Ohio and I know that she’ll make a great coach.

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Tu-Na Quilts: I Wish You A Merry Quilt-A-Long Block 10 Released Today

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Today’s charming Christmas Lantern block is designed by Diane of Cwilt. You’ll find the link to her free pattern on her blog here. Don’t delay. It’s free only until January 15th so download it today. Continue reading →

Tu-Na Quilts: I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long Block 9 Released Today

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♪ Do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? ♪

If you guessed Rudolph the red nosed reindeer, you are right. Most everyone knows that song. If not, you can listen to it here. But did you know it originally started as a poem and was published by the Montgomery Ward department store? This poem, written by Robert May in 1939, was included in a coloring book and given to children when they came to visit Santa.

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Today’s block can be identified just by looking at his nose. This Reindeer Games block was designed by Bobbi at Snowy Days Quilting. You’ll find the link to her free pattern on her blog here. Don’t delay. It’s free only until January 15th. Continue reading →

Tu-Na Quilts: Art with Fabric: Sunflowers-if Van Gogh Were a Quilter

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Welcome to my stop on the Art with Fabric Blog Hop. Thank you Alida of Tweety Loves Quilting for hosting this event. Be sure to stop by the other artists displaying their creations today. The list is below.

I grew up on a farm. When I read that the theme for this Art with Fabric Blog Hop was Mother Earth, visions of fields came to mind. My parents have now retired and moved off the farm but my brother and his boys now work the land. They raise wheat, corn, soybeans, canola, cattle, kids (the human kind), and sunflowers. Continue reading →

Tu-Na Quilts: I Wish You A Merry Quilt-A-Long Block 8 Released Today

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In the spirit of giving, we give you another free pattern today. But don’t delay in downloading your patterns, as they are free only as long as the quilt-a-long is going on.

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This block may look challenging to some of you. But it goes together easily just follow the directions. I used the pictures a lot to tell me if I was on the right course or not.

Sola, at Alice Samuel’s Quilt Co., created this super cute pattern. You can find the pattern on her blog here. Don’t be overly worried about it. I’ve got a couple of construction tips for you to help you along your way and so do my fellow hosts listed below.

First, the pattern makes two identical present blocks within the block. At first, I thought I’d only make one present for my square. I should have done that and once finished I would have realized how easy they were and then gone on and made the second. Instead, I cut out for both presents and tried sewing them up together. I highly suggest cutting out and sewing up only one at a time. Why you ask?

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I accidently cut two of those white with red pieces that were to be set aside. This meant that the remaining piece would now be short and I would have to start over.

Next, when sewing the angled edges together, baste them in place along the seam line and then check. If the ribbons don’t match, you can easily remove the basting and try again. Why you ask?

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I machine basted just thru the ribbon seams to see how they lined up. It took me about six tries on each present before I got it right. Ripping out only this much saved me a lot of time. I use this technique a lot when matching angles.

I will add the ric rack bows and gift tags after the top is finished and quilted.

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I’ll use fray check on the ends of the ric rac. I had to find a way to sneak some ric rack into this block.

I think the bows and tags really dress up this gift and also help create the 3-D effect.

I hope I’ve inspired you to grab your fabric and sew up a couple of presents today.

Then post the picture on either Sola’s party link on her blog or on the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long Facebook page or tag # #iwishyouamerryqal on Instagram to win some prizes. Remember you have until October 23rd at 11.59 PM to link or post your pic to be entered to win.

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Thank you to Warm Crochet for offering this prize. In addition, they are also offering a discount code to all QAL participants. Use the code “ChristmasQAL” to get 10%OFF your purchase. Thank you also to Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl for offering a pattern for this giveaway. You can find her shop here.

At the end of the QAL there will be a link to download a picture of your finished quilt. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must make a quilt top using all twelve of the QAL blocks by January 16th, 2018. Thank you to all these sponsors for prizes.

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Here’s all my blocks so far.

Find info on where to get the pattern and see my Block 3-Santa’s Belt here,  Block 4-Christmas Memories (ornaments) here, Block 5-Snowman here, and Block 6-Angel here, Block 7-Poinsettia here. As you can see, I am still working on blocks one and two, so you see, there’s still time for you to join along. You can find the pattern for block one-snowflake here and block 2-tree farm here.

I’ve got a start on the tree farm. I’m starting to see a secondary theme emerging. Do you?

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Meet the rest of the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long Hosts as they reveal their version of this block

Look for Block 9 to be released on October 24th.

Coming soon:

My Art with Fabric Blog Hop post on Wednesday  (I hope you’ll be back to check it out as I’m really excited about it)

A visit to the Quilted Ceiling Quilt Shop in Valley City, ND.

A look at all the Quilt MN Shop Hop loot

What I Learned Today:

  1. Take more pics. I do take a lot but I could use more.
  2. When the camera stops working: take out the battery, wait 10 seconds, reinsert the battery, start taking pics again.
  3. Deer don’t like zucchini. They ate the watermelon but left the zucchini in the garden.

Question: What was a unique gift you gave or received? I made a jar of reindeer noses (malted milk balls and sour cherries) and gifted them to our neighbors at our AZ house a couple of years ago. They all enjoyed them. I should do that again.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen, Tu-Na Quilts

Linking to:

I Wish You a Merry QAL Linky Party at Alice Samuels Quilt Co.

Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River

Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

WIPs at Silly Mama Quilts

Tu-Na Quilts: I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long Block 7 Released Today

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 Did you know there’s a song about a poinsettia? It starts out:

♪ Percy the puny poinsettia
Is hanging his bloom in dismay
If they had just kept him wetta
He’d be a houseplant today
Folks liked the other plants betta
Now he’s alone on the shelf
Even a plant with no uncle or aunt
Shouldn’t spend Christmas Day by himself ♪

If you’re interested in finding out what happens to Percy, you can listen to it here.

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The seventh block in our I Wish You A Merry Quilt-A-Long just happens to be a poinsettia. However, this poinsettia definitely isn’t puny and it sure is cute.

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The pattern can be found here at SandyStar Designs.

You will have fun sewing this one. Ohhh, the possibilities! I wanted to use just one color for all of the petals but wanted to make a definition between them. Voila, ric rac to the rescue. I plan to use ric rac in many of these blocks. I liked ric rac as a little girl and still do. I think I’ll start a campaign to promote the use of ric rac again. There used to be so many colors to choose from at the store and now the selection is rather limited. So let’s start using more ric rac.

Adding the ric rac, took a bit of thought. I started by machine basting the ric rack onto the piece that I wanted it to lay flat against.

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Then I pressed the seam open.

Check the picture below to see how I easily squared the half square triangle/quarter square triangle pieces.

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I aligned the diagonal line on my square ruler along the seam line as noted by the black arrows. I made sure the cutting line on the right side of the ruler would fall exactly at 3.5 inches at the place where the quarter square triangle seams joined as noted by the red arrow. This is very important as it ensures the square will be cut accurately and each quarter square triangle will be the correct size helping tremendously when matching seams.

Sewing all that ric rac in the seams produced quite a clump in the middle. It was so thick when I joined the final two seams that I didn’t even try to sew through it. I didn’t want to break a needle but I tried to get as close as I could to the center.

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Once all the seams were sewn and pressed, I cut away the center making sure there would still be plenty of block that would be covered by the appliqued circle.

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Reducing this bulk, helped the appliqued center lie flat.

I used a vintage thread spool to trace around for the center part of the poinsettia.

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I often look for items to trace around especially round things.

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That’s how I made my pretty-but not puny-Poinsettia.

Are you making a Poinsettia this week?

Grab your fabric and sew up a poinsettia today.

Then post the picture on either Sandy’s party link on her blog or on the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long Facebook page or tag # #iwishyouamerryqal on Instagram to win some prizes. Remember you have until October 23rd at 11.59 PM to link or post your pic to be entered to win.

Prizes

Special thanks to Jennifer at The Inquiring Quilter for supplying a pattern for the giveaway. You can find her pattern shop here.

At the end of the QAL there will be a link to download a picture of your finished quilt. To be eligible for the grand prize, you must make a quilt top using all twelve of the QAL blocks by January 16th, 2018. Thank you to all these sponsors for prizes.

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Here’s all my blocks.

Find info on where to get the pattern and see my Block 3-Santa’s Belt here,  Block 4-Christmas Memories (ornaments) here, Block 5-Snowman here, and Block 6-Angel here. As you can see, I am still working on blocks one and two, so you see, there’s still time for you to join along. You can find the pattern for block one-snowflake here and block 2-tree farm here.

Meet the rest of the I Wish You a Merry Quilt-A-Long Hosts as they reveal their version of this block

Look for block 8 to be released today also! You can find my version of Block 8 here. Block 9 will be released on October 24th.

Coming soon:

A visit to the Quilted Ceiling Quilt Shop in Valley City, ND.

A look at all the Quilt MN Shop Hop loot

What I Learned Today?

  1. There appears to be a song written for just about anything.
  2. There’s a lot of creative quilters making this quilt. I Wish You a Merry QAL facebook page shows lots of creative versions of these blocks.
  3. Looking at all that creativity makes me want to start another one of these quilts but in blue and white.
  4. Someone, probably on four legs, stole all of our watermelons from the garden. My husband even put them in hiding amongst the vines and laid corn stalks over the top. We picked one last week and it was delicious. I hope they enjoyed them, too.

Question: Does your Christmas decorating include buying Poinsettia plants?  Do you use ric rac?

If you want to be notified of my posts when they publish, please subscribe to follow me using one of the three ways; email, WordPress, or Bloglovin, found on my sidebar.

Thanks for stopping by and do come again.

Karen, Tu-Na Quilts

Linking to:

I Wish You a Merry QAL Linky Party at SandyStar Designs

Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River

Let’s Bee Social at Sew Fresh Quilts

Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication

Wednesday Wait Loss at The Inquiring Quilter

WIPS at Silly Mama Quilts