Friday, September 14, 2012

Busy Hands!

I've been working away on my Comfort & Joy quilt because I'd like to have it completed in time for the holiday season...this year.  *wink*  

I first saw this quilt on Anne's blog and when she invited her readers to join her in making it at the leisurely pace of one block a month, I decided to take the plunge in...albeit somewhat late.  

I fell in love with the quilt and instead of making mine using the raw edge applique technique as the designers did, I decided use mainly wool applique with some brushed cottons thrown in for good measure.

I wanted mine to look more "primitive" so I chose to use a variety of traditional homespun fabrics in non-traditional colors.  As usual, I also changed up and added a few new elements so mine is not quite the same as the original.

My friend Alice will do the custom quilting and after she performs her magic, I will be adding some additional embellishments before it is completely finished. 


When I applique wool shapes on cotton fabric, I use a product called Steam-a-Seam 2 which is a fusible web that I find works best with the weight and density of wool.  One of the downsides of using any fusible web is that it can leave a sticky residue on the face plate of your iron which can be a pain to remove.

The last time I received my Keepsake Quilting catalog, I decided to bite the bullet and ordered a product called "Iron Clean", pictured below.

This stuff is magic and is so easy to use and with great results!  Each package comes with several reusable sheets that you just run the surface of your hot iron across and virtually instantly, all the glue residue instantly disappears.

Why did I take so long to order it?

If you've ever had the same problem with sticky residue on your iron after using any kind of fusible web, then this product is a definite "must have".   




We bought the fluffy liner below to provide some comfort for Ollie when he sleeps in his crate at night.  But because it's been so hot this summer, we decided not to use it until it got a little cooler.  

With the arrival of the cooler weather, we decided to give it a try.  One day last week, Mr. Painted Quilt placed it on the kitchen floor just to see what Ollie would do.  

He took to it instantly and it is now his favorite "kitchen" bed.


Sure beats sleeping on a wooden floor!
He even shares it with Frankie...sort of.


Move over Ollie.  There's room for both of us!
And now that my Comfort & Joy flimsy is complete, it'll be full steam ahead with my next project...Red Brolly's The Wish quilt!


64 comments:

  1. Wow, your comfort and joy quilt looks awesome! I'm really wishing I had joined in on this one at the beginning. Hope to see it IRL at an upcoming guild meeting.

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  2. Your quilt is lovely and it will be all finished for Christmas. You are so organized. Good for you! I love the picture of Frankie and Ollie. They are good company for each other. Have a great weekend!

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  3. Kaaren I love how you changed up your quilt.

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  4. The quilt is delightful and so are the animals.

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  5. Simply gorgeous, Kaaren. You have been busy!!
    kaholly

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  6. That picture of Ollie and Frankie reminded me of the family pets when I was a teenager. Our cat would lie on the dog (minature daschund) like Frankie. The cat would pin the dog down and wash him. The dog would lie there shivering and looking worried (in typical daschund style lol).

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  7. Love your quilt, wish i had got on this and done the block of the month. Ollie is so cute, glad she like her new bed. Have a great week in !!

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  8. Love your quilt, the fabrics and colors are great. It looks like Frankie is in control of little Ollie. I'm sure that will change in the near future. Have a great weekend.

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  9. Oops! I forgot to say how great your quilt looks! Thank you for the tip about Iron Clean. I'll be looking for it or similar in the shops. It'll stop a lot of elbow grease!

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  10. Your quilt is beautiful, wonderful piece for Christmas. I just love the photo of Ollie and kitty, that is so cute.

    My guy got worse, but the new meds are perking him up. I just want what life he has left to be good days, so glad that meds are working.


    Debbie

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  11. How cute is that!!!
    Your Comfort and Joy quilt is gorgeous...and should bring you lots of comfort and joy THIS YEAR!!
    Take care!
    P

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  12. Love your quilt, love your critters and wish I had some of your energy!!!

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  13. A beautiful quilt and treasure. Of course, the Ollie/Frankie pictures are wonderful. Judy C

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  14. I love the beautiful primitive quilt. I'm into primitives also, and I just love it. I'm working on a Civil Ware reproduction fabric queen-size quilt right now for our spare bedroom. I plan on doing prims in there as well as re-decorating the spare bathroom in prims as well. I'm doing the star and crows in the bath. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Ollie is so darn cute. What an adorable little guy! Best Wishes to you, Kaaren.

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  15. I love the primitive quilt. But that picture of Ollie and Frankie sharing the bed is priceless. He is just too cute for his own good..Keep sharing the photos of him,

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  16. Such a cute picture of Frankie and Ollie. It looks like they get along so well! And your quilt is wonderful - it looks like it will be finished for Christmas!

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  17. Your comfort and joy is lovely. The mix of cotton and wool is great.

    It is also great that Frankie and Ollie are making nice with each other.

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  18. Oh Kaaren....you did an oustanding job on your beautiful quilt. It is fantastic. You get to it...and do it! Your little baby is cuter than ever and Frankie loves the baby, too!

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  19. That picture of Frankie and Ollie ... adorable!!!
    The quilt is really wonderful.

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  20. Love your version of Comfort and Joy! It is wonderful! I'm glad to see that Ollie is being properly pampered...not that there was ever any doubt!!

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  21. Wow, you go girl! Your quilt is looking fabulous. Are you still going to play along with us and post the individual blocks? I just prepped the last 2 blocks today. Loving this quilt.

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  22. That is a wonderful quilt, Kaaren!!! I love it! And oh Ollie and Frankie are too adorable for words....

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  23. Awww my heart melts everytime I see a picture of Olli :) I showed my hubby his picture and he is ready for another WESTIE LOL

    Love the two of them laying together, how sweet!

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  24. Love your Comfort and Joy quilt top...
    Love seeing the photos of Ollie and Frankie...
    The Red Brolly Christmas Wish is gorgeous...

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  25. Your quilt is fabulous! Amazing mixture of wools and homespuns that has made your quilt a " primitive " work of art! Can't wait to see it with the magic added!

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  26. OMG, Kaaren, it's beautiful. You've had very busy hands.

    Mr Ollie and Frankie have certainly become good friends - I love it.

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  27. Love this quilt--you have made a beautiful interpretation of it!
    Ollie and his roommate look very cosy together. : )
    Thanks for the heads-up on the iron cleaning product. Since DD #1 lives 10 minutes from Keepsake Quilting, I'll have to have her pick some up for me.

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  28. Beautful quilt and beutiful pets :)
    I too use this iron cloths and LOVE them.

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  29. Beautiful quilt, and beautiful Ollie too!

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  30. Your comfort and joy quilt is just beautiful. It looks so cosy and will be perfect for the 'season of...' Frankie and Ollie look like they are good friends. There's nothing like pets to bring a smile to your face. Thank you for the tip about iron cleaner. I will check if I can get it here. Blessings B.

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  31. your quilt looks very special,just beautiful,susi

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  32. Ollie and Frankie steal the whole post! lol! :-) So dang cute! Your comfort & joy quilt looks fabulous all together! Congrats on finishing!

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  33. Your comfort and joy quilt is beautiful. I'm always impressed by the amount of time and patience that goes into the work. Ollie and Frankie look so cute, I'll be showing my daughter your photo of them when she's home, she'll love it.
    Have a lovely weekend.
    Ali x

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  34. what a beautiful quilt, can't wait to see that one finished!

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  35. What a gorgeous quilt! Glad to know that SaS2 works with cotton and wool. It's my go-to fusible (I bought a whole box of it last year.) I'm going to try those iron cleaner sheets - thanks for the tip! Lilly has the same little white bed - Ollie is so cute all curled up in his bed. It's very nice of him to share an inch with Frankie - LOL!

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  36. Love this quilt. It looks wonderful and you will be able to enjoy it this holiday season.I'll have to put this pattern on my wish list. Love that Ollie and Frankie get along like buds.

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  37. Hi Kaaren,

    Love your Comfort and Joy quilt and your changes and additions.

    Ollie is sure growing and looks like he loves Frankie.
    How is your rug hooking going.
    Have a great weekend.

    Dianne

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  38. Your quilt has the perfect Christmas glow. Wow, it will turn out even better quilted and all.

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  39. While your quilt is truly lovely, my favourite is the picture of Frankie and Ollie. Too sweet.

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  40. Great looking quilt! I love your kitty and puppy dog love picture....grin.

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  41. Oh you are so talented and I just love visiting your blog! :)
    Raggedystitches
    Louise xx

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  42. The quilt is just beautiful. I can't wait to see it all quilted.

    I am sure that Ollie is "thrilled" to be sharing that comfy bed. LOL

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  43. How very beautiful.
    I just love it.
    I so love the photo of Ollie and Frankie too.
    Sweet Friends.
    Have a wonderful weekend.
    Hugs
    Trace


    www.grannytracescrapsandsquares.com

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  44. Love the quilt and I think your method of making it is great. I like the use of wool on it. I have used Steam-a-Seam 2 Lite in the past many times. I found out that Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser also removes that sticky residue. About the wool pieces ... do you have the fusible on the back of the entire piece or do you "window" cut it so that it is only about 1/4" around the outer edge? I wondered if the applique pieces might get a bit stiff if put on the whole piece. I've never tried it on wool. Oh, and the photo of Frankie with his arm around Ollie .... too cute! Nice that they are buddies!

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  45. The quilt looks lovely, Kaaren. Glad to see Ollie and Frankie like the new bed :) Happy crafting, Jenny

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  46. You went on top speed making Comfort and Joy. Good prim fabric choices.

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  47. That is the sweetest picture! Just love it! Also love the quilt.

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  48. awww the pic of Frankie and Ollie are so cute. Our cat and dog would never get that close.

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  49. Lovin' your new quilt! BTW - I just read on someone's blog today that a dampened Mr. Clean Magic Eraser cleans up a yucky iron also!

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  50. Your personal touches to Comfort & Joy are wonderful, Kaaren! Don't you just love that Iron cleaner? I used to use some that came in a tube, but this is much easier and works just as well! Looks like Frankie is so happy to have another brother!
    Cheers!

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  51. Another way to clean the glue residue from irons that is practically free is this: take a used dryer sheet, preferably unscented, and place it between a sheet of regular printer paper, folded in half. Then put this "sandwich" on the edge of your ironing surface and pull the iron firmly down over the edge. A few firms passes and the glue will be gone, like magic. I learned this trick last week at a workshop from a friend who had learned it from a workshop she'd taken last spring. Try it! It works!

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  52. love it .. its pretty

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  53. Love love the picture of Ollie and Frankie; seems like they've been life-long friends.
    Before long Ollie will be experiencing his first snow; if he's anything like our dog with the first snow storm, you'll be laughing out loud!

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  54. Your quilt looks lovely - can't wait to see it with all it's bells and whistles. Love the photo of Ollie and Frankie!

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  55. To words, Kaaren..." Beautiful Quilt"!!!

    Cute and cozy picture of Ollie and Frankie!

    :) Carolyn

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  56. thanks for the product tip that sounds nicer than what I am using
    I am really loving wool appliques on cotton-can't wait to make a quilt doing that-I love wools

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  57. Gorgeous quilt!! And thanks for the iron cleaning tip!! Give Ollie a big kiss from me and tell Frankie to get his own bed!

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  58. Love your comfort and joy quilt - it looks perfect for the holiday season!

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  59. received your emails, but i can't reply. for some reason, they just won't send. grrr. i'll keep trying. have fun shopping!

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  60. received your emails, but i can't reply. for some reason, they just won't send. grrr. i'll keep trying. have fun shopping!

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  61. Your Comfort and Joy looks so lovely, well done.
    Thank you for sharing that recipe for the roasted tomato sauce. We are just preparing to plant our tomatoes and I will definitely try that recipe. I will try it with store bought tomatoes because I won't be able to wait so long.

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  62. Wow ! I love this quilt, so country !
    And also love Frankie & Ollie ! So cute !
    Hugs from France, Kaaren !
    Sylvie

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