Pinned, Trimmed, Ready Set Sew

I have had a busy week with work, but I did manage to get the Lake Forrest (pattern by McKenna Ryan) top finished. I got it laid out and layered this morning and pinned. I like to trim away a lot of the edges after I have it pinned so I can fit more in my sewing machine while quilting. I also like to keep a little section of what I trim away to make a mini quilt to practice on the fabric and batting before I start quilting the real thing, just to make sure the thread and quilt pattern I plan to use will work. It is a good warm up also before I begin quilting. McKenna Ryan quilts are machine appliqued and quilted at the same time by stitching with invisible thread about 1/8 inch inside all of the applique raw edges. My sewing room is ready, I put an extra table beside my machine to help hold the quilt and I am ready to go.

I also took a little time to work on a block of the Ladies of the Sea 9pattern by Sue Garman).

It is finished except for the hand embroidery of the the sail lines. I love this quilt and wish I could work on it more often, but I keep putting other commitments ahead of it. I have all of the blocks and the border fused and ready to machine applique. This is my first block I have completed the machine applique on but I have a little of the applique in the border completed. I am doing the border a little unconventionally I appliqued the mariner's compass onto the border corners. I also fused the red inner and outer borders and made them an applique element instead of piecing half square triangles. So far I am happy with the results.

It is a beautiful spring weekend here in the Midwest. I would like to get a couple climbing roses planted to grow on the back fence. Hmmm...quilting, gardening, blogging, no wonder the weekends fly by.

Happy Stitching all...

Cheri