Paper Doll Dress block almost finished

good evening, yesterday I almost finished the first block of this quilt for my youngest granddaughter.

It is a replication of one of her dresses. I still need to make two rick rack flowers and attach to the shoulders and it is finished.

I have another almost finished, need to make the skirt, add the embellishments, SRE Flowers, bows, and crown and attach to background and it will be finished.

Have material, photos of original dresses to convert to smaller replicas for a total of 6 blocks.

This is a fun quilt to make all the stitching is by hand.

My daughter showed me another dress that is embellshed with silk flowers unassembled and attched to the dress - really pretty dress. She will take photos for me to work from.

Gee where has June Gone

Seems yesterday was June 1st and here we are with the month almost half gone, in fact this year is almost half gone. When I was a child from January to December 25th was an eternity, and it seemed Dec would never come. Now I turn around and the year is half gone. Then a day from getting up to going to bed time was long, now it flys by.

Not sure if it is my age, the list of projects I want to finish and not enough time in the day to do what I want, or WHAT? Just know there is a difference to me in my observance of the speed that the days seem to fly by.

I now have several BOM quilts and a couple of full quilt kits that are pieced to make. I am still getting the blocks to one, have all for one, have a full kit being mailed to me on Fri and it's twin will ship to me in July. Those 4 quilts will take care of the quilts for 4 great grandchildren, only need to select 2 more for the other 2 - and I see no new GGchildren on the horizon. But those numbers are sure to change before I finish this project.

I've selected the quilts to make for my 4 children (the appliqued ones), since they are bed sized I plan to also make them a pieced on - the pattern etc yet to be determined. For the grandchildren, the quilts I've selected (all applique) are bed size or can be made bedsized with the addition of borders.

More organization

When you are collecting blocks (patterns and fabric) by the month for a number of quilt tops it can get confusing to say the least.



Some blocks like In Full Bloom, and several others use a lot of fabric and need a larger storage area. I started with plastic shoe boxes and that still works for some, but have moved to the next size plastic box (about the size of a double shoe box. I have 3 and need probably 4 more - a trip to the dollar store is in the near future.



Being at my granddaughter's house helping her at the moment makes my organization and storage a bit difficult. Her house isn't all that large (big enough for her family) and she really didn't have extra space for me. So I make do. Her boys should be starting prekinder and headstart in August and I hope to have my own place by then if not before.



I think for now I'll concentrate on one or two quilts at a time and just collect the others and store until I can get to them. Might make keeping things neater and tidy easier. I'm working on Vintage Valentine and Paper Doll Dresses at the moment and maybe should stay with them until finished - at least Vintage Valentine. The Paper Doll Dress quilt is for Madison and it is replicas of her dresses, so that may have to be put aside when I finish these 5 blocks until more dresses to choose from are available. Have 5 blocks finished on the first one and 5 started on the other - none finished yet.



Also, will work on the ring bearer's pillow for Krissie and Wesley's wedding- more of a keepsake as they won't be having a ring bearer in the ceremony as they are getting married in an adult resort on Antigua. At least that is my thoughts, could be wrong.

Organization

I need more of it, but I'm trying. Today feeling much better from the sinus infection, I went shopping.

Found a neat little file keeper with 8 large pocket each having a smaller pocket with fastener. Perfect for the 8 Bonnet Girl Quilt Patterns for the quilt I'm making.

Also picked up a 3-ring binder and a pkg of notebook paper. I like to keep a journal of sort for each pattern. I make a page (or more as needed) for each block. I list the fabric I have to be in what part of the pattern and attach a small piece. Then I list the parts of the pattern I need fabric for and sometimes indicate what I think would work, and take this with me shopping. I can then audition the pending purchase fabric against what I've already chosen. Since I can't remember shades of a color from home to the store this helps me in getting fabrics that I think look good together.

I am thinking of doing the block with the bonnet girl swinging on the front porch swing. Since these blocks are large 22x30" I'll only need 8 if I do them that size. Will see once this one is finished. Also, since the blocks are larger than the blocks I've been making most of it will be needle-turn applique. But I really think I'll do the fusible machine applique of the hands and smaller parts - that again will have to wait and see as I work on the block.

I got some great buys (I think) on fabric on Ebay they shipped yesterday and today. Will find out how great the buy when the fabric gets here. I've bought some before and was pleased with most of it.