Sewing and Beyond with Mary Anne Ciccotelli

Things are moving right along. I haven’t done much with it the past week, until yesterday, then I started pumping out things again. I am hoping to have this quilt ready to start quilting in February. I think that I can make it especially since Emily and Autumn have agreed to make the remaining Easy Pieces blocks. I hope to mail them out today to them. Jennie has also agreed to make four hummingbird blocks. So, with Autumn making a few of the blocks there will be 4 Generations (5 quilters) that actually work on the construction of the quilt. Prairie will have her part also because her cute little foot prints are on it.

Last week as I was working on creating this progress report for the things I have left to complete for the Generations Unite quilt I realized that I only needed 20 border units embroidered instead of 25. Wow, I gained almost 10 hours there to work on something else. Anyway, here is a copy of my progress report.

I really do like the embroidered border. I think it finishes off the quilt top very nicely.

While in Utah I was able to cut all the pieces for the Easy Pieces blocks and Hummingbird blocks. I need 40 more hummingbird blocks. Jennie said that she would make four, so that leaves 38. I figure that if I make 4 a day, then I will be on schedule to have this quilt ready to start quilting in February.

On Dec. 24 Tom and I went to run some errands. While we were gone Emiy was really sneaky and pieced 50 of th Easy Piece blocks for me for my 50th Birthday/Christmas present.

I trimmed the blocks when I got home. I love them all laying together.

And, in case you were wondering, the dark won.

Here are three of the actualy blocks for the back (or other side) of the quilt.

Here I am working on designing the border embroidery design.

Now to design the corner.

Here are the two templates laid out on the quilt top.

Here I have transferred some of the border design to the quilt top.

Saturday we drove out to Tom’s sister’s home in New Jersey. It is about 1 1/2 hours away. Just a enough time to do one section. I got an opportunity to work on this while at her home and also on the way home. So, just 23 more to go.

I will have to keep at this if I want to be able to start quilting February.

Here is the quilt top on the bed.

I think I am going to put this quilt on the bed in the small spare bedroom (after I paint it).

On Sunday I continued to work on the border. I now have four sections completed and one corner unit. Just 21 sections left and 3 corners. I have not worked on my section for today,

I had better get busy!

Yesterday I was working with the hummingbird blocks (which have been reduced to 2 1/2″ blocks) and the Easy Pieces blocks for the back of The Generations Unite. I want to get the pieces cut out to take to Utah with me next week. Who knows I might have some extra time after I complete my “To Do” list that the girls have for me.

Anyway – I am trying to decide if I like the lighter color around the hand block or the darker color. I can see pros and cons with each.

What do you think?

( FYI – I don’t have this many blocks made. I just know how to manipulate the block I do have made in Word – that is why there are no foot prints in the center of any of the blocks.)

Remember the cute little footprint from a blocks I made a few months ago?

This week-end was the semi-annual general conference for the church. For the women there are two sessions on Saturday and two sessions on Sunday (the men have an additional Preisthood session on Saturday). To keep my hands busy (and to stay awak alot easier) I try and have some handwork to work on. I thought I had lost my bag that had my handwork for The Generations Unite project. (I did not want to think this was possible becaue it contained 3 pieced blocks that had all the embrodiery work completed on and a 4th block that was about 3/4 the way completed. I have looked everywhere to no avail. I am just glad that I had heeded the prompting and taken out the block of my mother’s so it didn’t get lost. This bag also contained my little light I use when I am working in a place that I need more lighting – which I would for the conference sessions because Tom and I go to the church and watch in the chapel. They usually have all the lights out except for a few dim lights – not enough for my nearly 50 year old eyes to work in. On Thursday I order a new Mighty Brite light from Amazon.

At the Saturday morning session (12-2pm our time) I worked on completing a couple of the secondary designs that are being formed when piecing the blocks together.

As I worked on completing this design it was an amazing experience. As my stitches touched my mother’s (who passed away almost 8 years ago) stitches and they worked together to create one design. I really did feel the generations uniting in this project.

Here is a view of the completed secondary design with some of my pieced blocks showing along with my mother’s embrodiery blocks.

Also – time for a happy dance. This morning I moved a box in prepations to take some things to the Salvation Army that Emily doesn’t want anymore and there was my lost bag. I found the blocks that I thought were lost. What a great amount of time I just saved. I can’t wait to finish sewing the top together – but other things HAVE to been done first.