Mrs Sew n' sew

Cheddar posies

2012-01-26T13:24:00.001-08:00

While I've been undecided about the setting fabric for Pink Lemonade I have been working on more blocks for this quilt. It is for my DD#1. I wouldn't have picked this color scheme but now that I've a few blocks made I love it!
I still need lots more blocks. She enjoys helping me choose fabric combinations for each block. The pattern in May/June 2011 Quiltmaker calls the pattern Rosy Posies so since mine are all cheddar I'm going to call it Cheddar Posies.

Happy Quilting!!

pink lemonade

2012-01-18T14:10:00.001-08:00

Monday night I finished making the blocks for Lori's doll quilt-along Pink Lemonade. They were fun little blocks/partial blocks to sew.

When I went to choose fabrics for this quilt I chose first this pretty bird print by Renee Nanneman for the setting squares. I love this print - I have a big piece of it and I thought with a bit of fussy cutting I could center the birds in the setting squares. I want to use this print but... I think the blocks look boring on it now that I have them all sewn.

So I thought I would explore options.

I tried yellow like Lori's quilt. I like it but I'm not sure where I could use a quilt with this much yellow.

I like this one too.

This one is my favorite but the print is too modern for the look I was going for.

Plain brown is just too dark.

I'm stuck in indecision now. Maybe I'll have to take a trip to the LQS ... :0) What do you think?

Happy Quilting!!

panel #1

2012-01-15T19:55:00.001-08:00

I finished the first panel for the Susan McCord Vine quilt-along. It took me 6 weeks to applique. I was actually surprised that it went that fast. It was so fun to work on I just couldn't stop!

A friend of mine suggested that I could make a collage to show all of the panel in a different way. It was fun to play around with the idea.

The program I used cropped the edges of the individual pictures but I think the overall effect is fun to look at. I'll have to play around with the program some more before I finish panel#2.

So with 12 more panels at 6 weeks each I should be able to finish this in 72 weeks. Or something like that... :0)

Happy Quilting!!

is it over yet?

2012-01-09T12:59:00.001-08:00

The last project I finished in 2011 was this little zippered pocket for DD#1's new Kobo. She reads unceasingly and brings a stack of books with her everywhere. Hopefully this little gadget will help. It was a fun little project to make and she helped pick the fabric for it as well. It sure had been a long time since I made anything with a zipper in it!

This little stack of blocks is for the Pink Lemonade doll quilt quilt-a-long that Lori is hosting. This is the 3rd one of her quilt-a-longs that I have participated in. It's a fun little project to start the year off with.

I am also back to working on my Bird of Paradise quilt. I drew the first of my own blocks and started appliqueing it on the weekend.

I finished my first panel of the trailing vines quilt. A friend suggested that I make a collage picture to show it as it is too long and skinny to take a good picture of. I need to get her to help me because I have no idea how to make a picture like that. Hopefully I can post about it in the next few days.

Happy Quilting!!

jingle bells, jingle bells...

2011-12-30T15:32:00.001-08:00

I made one more quilty gift for Christmas - placemats for my Sister-in-law. I used some Amy Butler fabric if you can believe it.
I was a bit unsure of myself sewing with these brights but I was pleased with the results. They should be a colorful addition to their kitchen.

We went to visit DH's sister's family farm to spend Christmas. There wasn't a lot of snow but enough for a sleigh ride in a one-horse open sleigh :0) The horse wore the jingle bells. The kids thought it was pretty special and you could hear them singing Jingle Bells from the far end of the field.

I took a picture when I was a passenger too but it wasn't very flattering of the horse :0)

Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

Happy Quilting!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T10:03:00.001-08:00

I wish you a very Merry Christmas!! It's an incredible event to celebrate!!

I managed to start and finish one more little project this week. DD#1 had a stocking made for her by her aunt. She liked it but it didn't match the stockings I have made for her brother and sisters. So, this week she and I made the blue stocking with the red mittens. She helped choose the fabrics and kept me company while I sewed. It was fun to work together :0) I still have one more to make for my DH. We use an old, very ugly stocking for him that we don't hang up at all. (just fill and put out on Christmas eve) Next year I'll get his made... then there will be 6.

This next project was a Christmas gift for a very good friend of mine. We belong to the same guild and always our guild does a secret 12 days of Christmas gift exchange. It was very hard to keep it a secret from her that I had her name. She makes amazingly lovely quilts so I was a bit afraid to make one for her. I decided to do something different - something round.

The pattern for the flying geese was in the July/August 2008 Quilters Newsletter Magazine. The applique I drew up myself. It was fun to work with these bright, happy colors.

I wanted to handquilt it for her but the paperpieced flying geese were a bit bulky and I also ran out of time. So, I just carefully stitched in the ditch and filled in the open area with a heart for friendship.

She called me this morning, after opening it. She was excited about it - that is a gift to me :0) To make something and have it be appreciated gives me great pleasure.

I hope you all find great pleasure in celebrating Jesus' birthday!

Happy Quilting!!

four sevenths

2011-12-17T13:46:00.000-08:00

I finished another branch on my vine. There are supposed to be 7 on this panel so I guess I am 4/7 ths finished :0)
I know Janet has mentioned that it is hard to photograph a panel. I would have to agree.

Christmas is so soon now. I hope I will be ready!

Happy Quilting!!

advice

2011-12-08T13:44:00.001-08:00

I am very grateful for all the advice people offered the last time I posted about this project. Janet pointed out that because this block is on point - a simple crosshatch would end up on the straight of grain. I would have NEVER thought of that. I decided to take her advice and go with straight lines 1/2 and 1/4 inches apart.
I showed it to DH and he remarked that it looked like a whole lot of work to him. To me it looks like a whole lot of fun! It hasn't come too far yet. I've been busy working on a couple Christmas presents and I can't post about them yet.

I had a stencil the right size for the corner triangles so I marked before I basted. It was marked lightly with pencil so I thought I better quilt them before it rubbed off.
I am still pondering what to quilt in the the pieced blocks. Part of me wishes they weren't there at all. I would like to design and quilt a wholecloth quilt one day. Just think of that whole big surface with no seams to quilt through... sigh... :0)
My trailing vine panel is progressing slowly - I'm almost halfway - lol. I love the silk thread for the pieced leaves - it's working very well.

I hope with all your holiday preparations you are finding a few minutes to sit and stitch!

Happy Quilting!!

vine quilt

2011-11-24T14:14:00.001-08:00

Here are my first few leaves sewn on my version of the Susan McCord vine quilt. This quilt is going to take a very looooong time to make. Thirteen panels, 89 inches long, filled with tiny leaves. It's lots of fun though and so very colorful.

I took the first few stitches in the airport waiting for my flight to Kelowna. My wonderful husband gave me the weekend "off" and I went for a visit to my parents. My brother was visiting from Toronto - it was a great weekend.
Once I started stitching on my first pieced leaf I realized I was going to have to do something different for thread. I couldn't find a thread color in my bag that would work for yellow and dark stripes in the same leaf. I talked my brother into going to the quilting store in Kelowna to pick up some silk thread. I had never used silk thread before and I am happy with how it is working. I know some people don't like using silk thread. I'm curious to know what you fellow quilters think about it.
Janet at Quiltsalott has done an amazing job of the pattern. Thanks Janet!!

Happy quilting!!

red and white project

2011-11-17T13:46:00.001-08:00

This is one of my other new projects. Inspired by the fabulous show in New York - this one is for a red and white challenge I am doing with my guild. I wasn't going to post about it - I thought it was supposed to be a surprise when it was finished. But there are no such restrictions on this challenge. Happily, now I can ask for advice! This is the center setting square. I had so much fun looking through books of antique quilts getting inspiration for drawing this quilting design. I had even more fun drawing it. After much erasing I was ready to transfer it. Now I am stalled - in indecision about what to quilt in the space around the feathered design and the pieced blocks. Any ideas?? At least I have a plan for the border :0)

Here is the whole quilt. I was trying to keep it fairly small - I need to be finished at the end of May. I found the block on Barbara Brackman's blog a few months ago - she did a whole post about this block with lovely antique examples of it. I don't remember what it is called. They were very fun blocks to piece with all my scrappy reds.

I am trying out wool batting for this project. As I spread out the batt so the wrinkles could relax my eyes were burning and I was sneezing but now that it is sandwiched it's not bothering me at all. It is Hobbs wool. I certainly notice it is very puffy, I'm curious to see what it will be like when it is all quilted. It is a dream to needle and I will enjoy the handquilting on this project very much.

I am also trying out solid Kona fabric - this one is Kona snow. I really like it. I never sew with solids, my whole stash is prints. I am trying out Moda Bella solid for my trailing vines quilt. I have a few leaves prepped and hope to have some progress to share next week. Do you have a favorite solid fabric?

Happy Quilting!!

a new project

2011-11-10T12:03:00.000-08:00

I have started a few new projects lately - yikes! Here is one of them. DD#1 knows that DD#2 getting a new quilt before she does is incorrect in the order of fairness. Not that I've finished the courthouse steps quilt yet :0) Anyway to keep everyone happy I have started a new quilt for DD#1.
She has chosen the color scheme and the pattern is from the May/June Quiltmaker magazine. So far it is all from my stash. I see that I might want to work in a little more variety of cheddar/golds and maybe some brighter yellows. I calculate that I will need 46 blocks so I'll be at this one for awhile! It's not my usual type of block. I don't like stitch and flip because of the waste. In this case I am stitching the cut off part into hst's and stuffing them in a ziplock bag. A blue and gold quilt with lots of tiny hst's is likely in my future :0)

Happy Quilting!!

back to Bird of Paradise

2011-11-03T12:46:00.000-07:00

I am back to working on my Bird of Paradise quilt. I'll call this block done although all the cherries still need their stems embroidered.
The pink tablecloth is perhaps not dark enough but when laid out with the other blocks I like it ok. (the tablecloth couldn't be red because I had to have red apples :0) This is the last block I plan to make from the pattern. Now I need to get out my paper, pencil and several erasers to get drawing!

courthouse steps top

2011-10-31T15:08:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments on my previous post! Your encouragement means a lot to me!
A few weeks ago my daughter and I went shopping for the border and backing fabrics for this quilt. I was sure I would get it together that week.... I finally got to it and here it is! (Most of it is showing :0) My very tall husband is standing on a chair and some of it still lays on the floor. It is a very long quilt. Hopefully this will help it stay tucked in at night - an important factor for the 10 year old who plans to sleep under it :0) I want to try free motion quilting this one. All of that length could be a bit of a challenge but there is no way I'm going to stitch this one in the ditch.

I love how warm it looks with all the gold and cheddar fabrics in it. These blocks were so fun to sew! I miss stealing away for a few minutes to sew up one more scrappy block. I really must start another scrappy project soon!

Happy Halloween!

4 block applique is finished

2011-10-14T14:35:00.001-07:00

I am very excited to have this quilt completed! I put the last stitches into the binding yesterday morning and then it was such a beautiful day I had to take it out into the backyard to photograph.

This quilt was inspired by an antique quilt in the collection of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln. I drew the pattern up myself and designed the borders. Lucy's blog Quilting with the Past was a big inspiration to me at the time I was designing it.

I finished the top about 3 years ago - I had only the cream background fabric I saved for the binding left. Maybe red would have made a more interesting choice for binding?

We've had such a gorgeous fall. I can't remember having flowers blooming this late into October before. Here the apple tree still has lots of fall color.

All the non-quilters I show this quilt to want to know what it is for and what I'm going to do with it. It is hard for them to understand that I made this quilt for the pure enjoyment of making it. It will likely reside here in my chair for the first while. Those non-quilters just don't "get it"!

It really is inexpensive entertainment if you consider all the hours I enjoyed appliqueing and quilting it.

I've added the button for Janet's Trailing Vines quiltalong to my sidebar. I'm looking forward to starting another long term project :0)

Happy Quilting!!

log cabin corners

2011-10-11T11:45:00.000-07:00

I have the setting triangles onto my applique block now. I need to put on the border yet. A friend of mine suggested that I should put a little bit of pink in the border to tie it together better. I think it is good advice so I will put a bit of applique on the border.
It's to be a gift - the recipient chose the blue print that frames the applique block. I plan to quilt this by hand and I want to get it basted so I can start the quilting. Over the weekend I finished quilting my 4 block applique quilt - yeah!! I still need to bind it - I'll post pictures soon! Already I am missing having a handquilting project :0)

The setting triangles were pieced onto big pieces of paper. The pattern for these is in AP&Q magazine April 2001. I've been wanting to try this for over 10 years and I finally did it!

Happy Quilting!!

signed and dated

2011-09-28T12:31:00.001-07:00

I'm getting so close to having this 4 block applique quilt finished. Last week, on the last stretch of border I had to commit to how I wanted to sign it. I wanted to explore some calligraphy books and find a really elegant J and O and perhaps make the numbers more exciting as well. However, in the end I decided that the space was small and so I kept it fairly simple. Next time I post about this quilt it will be finished!

My stars are growing as well. This really is the ultimate, portable take-a-long project for me. I should have ordered more quilt patis... :0)

Happy Quilting!!

more applique

2011-09-20T15:47:00.001-07:00

With the kids back to school things are every bit as busy around here as they were in the summer. All my big plans to have more time to sew - lol.
In the evenings I have carried on with this applique block. It's based on a pattern in the Dec 2002 AP&Q. It was meant to be machine appliqued and since I'm doing it by hand some of the shapes needed to be changed a bit. I want to do something different in the center - I had it started last night but then pulled it all off - back to the drawing board for me. I am, however, happy with it to this stage.
And I've been missing making Courthouse steps blocks. They were so fun to sew. These Album blocks are a little less fun but I'm happy to see the pile of blocks growing.

I did not get the borders on the Courthouse steps - I haven't even washed the fabric we picked out yet - too much other wash to do around here :0)

Happy Quilting!!

a quick finish

2011-09-10T22:11:00.001-07:00

This little quilt now is hanging on the wall in my front entryway. It was a quick finish :0) The pattern is Sweet Carolina - from AP&Q August 2011
When I finished the top I put it away - I was unsure of how to quilt it and I knew for certain I couldn't quilt it like the one in AP&Q. After a few weeks I could pull it out having forgotten how beautifully quilted it was in the magazine and quilt it "my way" (very simple - stitch in the ditch mostly)

I managed to get all the blocks assembled for my daughter's courthouse steps quilt. Today DD#2 and I went to the LQS to choose fabrics for borders/binding/backing. It was fun to do that together!! She chose pink (no surprise there) Hopefully I can get the borders on this week and take a picture to share.

Happy Quilting!!

new stuff

2011-09-05T14:57:00.001-07:00

I thought I'd give a peek of the applique project I am working on. I"m just taking a little break from my Bird of Paradise quilt to make a gift. I'm so glad I took pictures of it - I can see right away that the flower center fabrics need changing - maybe just reversing them would work. I love to use a digital camera to help with decision making. Now this is something I'm very excited about. My new thimble - Yahoo!! I first heard about these thimbles when Barb posted about them. Teresa posted about hers too. I told a friend who got 3 of them. Finally I ordered one myself. (Barb you should be getting a commission :0) It is so impossible to find a good thimble in my city - not enough hand quilters I guess. This thimble is a TJ Lane thimble. It has the best dimples!

This is a new handwork project I've started (because I needed a new project - lol) I've never liked piecing by hand. I've wanted to like it because it's so portable and my applique/hand quilting projects sometimes aren't. I hadn't tried English paper piecing because the idea of basting around little papers didn't seem like much fun.

Then I watched a Youtube video of someone using these Quilt Patis and I was sure I would like it. Only one backstitch on each corner to hold the fabric on the plastic template and they're ready. They are so easy to use and I am happy with the accuracy. I even stitched at the playground last night - I'm going to find all kinds of places to sew where I couldn't before. Do I sound excited?? :0)

Happy Quilting!!

end of summer

2011-08-28T21:10:00.000-07:00

It's nearing the end of summer - it's been wildly busy but good. The kids start back to school on Thursday. Will there be more time to sew...? Probably not but I like to think so :0)

I did manage to get eggs in the nest for this pair of blackbirds. I did a lot of the sewing of this block in the van while travelling. It sure passes the time pleasantly!
I'm taking a short break from this Bird of Paradise quilt to work on a different applique project. It's a small project so it'll be a short break.

At the sewing machine, I made it to block #180 of these courthouse steps blocks. They very quickly became these 4 block units. It was so fun to do this step I'm sorry the stack of single blocks is gone.

Now to get the them into rows and sewn together. Do you suppose I could get this quilt finished entirely before winter? :0)

Happy Quilting!!

laid out together

2011-08-18T13:34:00.001-07:00

That big ol' bird from the last post has been bugging me. It's not quite right. I thought if I laid him out with the other blocks I'd have a better idea if he was still going to bug me.
I laid him out with the other completed blocks. Right away I think he's too big and black - stands out too much.

But, if I mix in the almost completed block of blackbirds (they haven't laid their eggs yet :0) The blackness works okay although I think I need to mix a bit of black into a couple of the remaining blocks to keep it balanced.
I think the bird still bugs me - off to the drawing board again...

Happy Quilting!!

after much delay...

2011-08-15T14:53:00.001-07:00

There has been much procrastination over this Bird of Paradise block!
I started out with the tree trunk and leaves - no problems there. Then the tail was next - I was a bit terrified of the tail. The pattern says to piece the 18 feathers together first and then applique it. I didn't know how to do that so it sat around on the sewing table for a long while.
Finally I decided to just do it "my way" and used an overlay to place and applique each feather. I was so pleased with how the tail turned out I didn't want to wreck it by making an ugly bird. I really liked Lurline and Teresa's birds - much better than the pattern so I tried to draw mine like theirs. I drew this bird so many times and it continued to sit on my sewing table. Then I went fabric shopping looking for just the right fabric for the bird (as if I didn't have anything suitable in my stash - ha!)
Finally I cut out some fabric and just went for it. The second picture is the first attempt. The wing was too plain and the head crest just looked silly. Last night I swapped the wing fabric and I'm going to call it done. (except for some embroidery which I'm also procrastinating about in a BIG way)

I think I finished 2 other blocks while I procrastinated over this one. It's been months and I'm glad to move it to the finished pile!

Happy Quilting!!

new project

2011-08-02T16:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had a bit of a surprise to find a photo from my blog appear on Barbara Brackman's blog. I had been thinking about that bowl of cherries quilt because last week we were on vacation and spent a morning picking cherries with my Mom. I thought they were just gorgeous and they taste even better than they look :0)
I do want to make a bowl of cherries quilt one day.... But this week I started something else :0)

I have always liked this signature/chimney sweep block. Last year my husband and sister threw a birthday party for me and I thought it would be an excellent time to gather some signatures. They've been sitting in an envelope for a year and a half. Yesterday seemed like the perfect time to dig them out and get going!

So it works out perfectly - I have all the fun and excitement of starting a new project but technically I can still call it a ufo - lol.

Happy Quilting!

flowers

2011-07-22T12:43:00.000-07:00

There is still some stitching going on here in the evenings :0) I finished another block for my Bird of Paradise quilt.

It's block #12. I have to confess it's not my favorite but with 20 blocks in the quilt every block can't be a favorite.

My garden is starting bloom - roses, bellflowers and peonies. It makes me smile every time I look out the window :0)

Happy quilting!!

paper piecing

2011-07-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

I just love flowers on the deck in summer. It makes me wish it was summer all year :0)
I had a little gift to make last week. I hadn't done any paper piecing for a long while so this was a fun, quick project.

I popped it in the mail the next morning. Happy Birthday Mom!

And since I have so few quilting pictures I thought I'd include a couple from our recent family trip to Lethbridge, AB.

At the Japanese gardens with DD#1 and DD#2. I remember visiting here when I was about 11. It was just as I remembered it.

We went to the Birds of Prey Nature Centre as well. We all got to hold owls! Even DD#3 got to hold one - here a burrowing owl. It was so interesting to see these magnificent eagles, hawks and owls up close.
I just love summer... :0)

Happy Quilting!!

double lines

2011-06-29T13:25:00.001-07:00

I'm still working away at quilting my 4 block applique quilt. I basted this on July 1st last year never thinking it would take longer than a year to quilt. Those Bird of Paradise applique blocks have been a big distraction :0)
I decided to go with double parallel lines in the borders to try something new. They are 1/4" and 3/4" apart. I really like the texture that is created.

I decided to change the direction of the lines as I go around the corners. I got this idea from looking in books at the quilting of antique quilts. Here is the first corner. Together with the feathers it does make the corners a bit busy. Oh well - I'm learning :0)

The kids finished school for the summer yesterday. I suspect posts could be few for a couple months. I'm looking forward to a busy and fun summer!
Happy Quilting!!

dresser runner

2011-06-15T14:10:00.000-07:00

I got right back to working on ufo's again. This is a runner for my dresser that I started over a year ago. I got the center part and the end appliques finished and laid out the 3 pieces on my dresser to see how it looked. And somehow - I left it there - enjoying it in all it's unfinished glory for months - lol.
Finally this last week I did some simple machine quilting in the center and I echo quilted around the applique with my walking foot (LOTS of turns :0)

And now it can go back on my dresser so I can enjoy it - finished!

I started with a lovely pattern by Marcie of Patchalot Patterns. Now that I've finished my variation I want to make it again only this time make the actual pattern with all the borders and cornerstones :0)

Here it is back on my dresser. I'm sure it will do a great job of protecting the finish on the top of the dresser. At least that's what I'm going to tell my husband it's for :0)

I haven't forgotten about the giveaway. I'll get to it soon. I just have a rather busy week this week.
Happy Quilting!!

Sweet Carolina

2011-06-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

I took a break from working on ufo's and made this little top.
It's from AP&Q's latest magazine. Before my copy even arrived in the mail I knew I wanted to make it after seeing the picture on the blog Quilt Hollow. It sewed up pretty quick. My leaves ended up being the reverse of the pattern because I just did the applique by hand. A small mistake :0)

Happy Quilting!!

quilt show

2011-06-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

The quilt show was over a week ago and I finally have time to post some of my favorites from it. DD#2 and DD#1 accompanied me to the show. They've never come with me before and it was fun!
This one had cherry yo-yos :0)

This one was tiny and just gorgeous!!

These owls were fun - they had googly eyes sewn on :0)

I was pleased to find mine hanging in the bright sunshine. It was a beautiful day!

This one was hanging in a very prominent spot on the upper hotel balcony. Hand quilted and hand appliqued - I thought it was stunning!

I loved the fabrics in this one.

I thought the quilting was cool on this quilt - the full picture is below.

This next one was just lovely but it was hanging in a large tent and the lighting was poor. The chintz panels at the top and bottom were from Paris.

Another charming traditional quilt.
The show was wonderful - it never disappoints!!

The next day I had a big surprise!! I won the prize from a draw held at one of the guild tables.
The Big Hill Quilters put together a beautiful box full of goodies!!

This box is full of patterns, kits, notions, fabric, pincushions... WOW! I was amazed when I dug into it! I'll have to have a giveaway next week sometime to share some of it. I was completely blown away by their generosity.

Happy Quilting!!

deadlines work!

2011-05-25T13:47:00.001-07:00

I finished quilting and binding this just in time. It is Scrappy Star Quilt from Kathleen Tracey's book "Remembering Adelia". Every May there is a quilt show (not juried) at the Historic Park in my city and I always like to put something in. Last year I had 2 quilts one of which I finished up the night before I had to take it there. This year it was the same story.
To add a little stress - my sewing machine started skipping stitches and I could not finish up the quilting on it. A good friend of mine kindly let me finish quilting it on her machine. Mine was way overdue for servicing. Maybe I will learn from this lesson and not procrastinate taking it for service. I do sort of use it a lot - lol.

It's not heavily quilted. I did simple straight lines and in-the-ditch quilting for the center.

In the border I did free motion quilted feathers. I've been handquilting feathers on a different project and somehow it comes fairly easily to free motion quilt them on my machine. I`m not a very confident free motion quilter - I'm terrible at stippling or any other design I've tried. With all the repetition my brain must now be programed for feathers :0)
Happy Quilting!!

setting squares

2011-05-19T08:55:00.001-07:00

I had a lovely morning of sewing with my guild on Saturday. I pulled out these BOM blocks from awhile back and started making setting squares for them.
There are 16 BOM blocks in all (you can see them all here in this post) I only have 5 setting squares made so I just laid out a few to get an idea of how it looks.
I'm pretty sure I will set them on point but its fun to consider options :0)

It will be a pretty big quilt by the time I get it all together. Why do I let these projects sit so long in the closet??

Happy Quilting!!

I'm halfway!

2011-05-13T23:30:00.000-07:00

I finished my 10th block for my Bird of Paradise quilt. There are 20 blocks in all so I'm now halfway.
I didn't make any changes to this block - it was fun and easy to applique. (no bird feet :0)
Tomorrow my guild is having a sew day and I'm going for the whole morning. Yipee! I've dug out another ufo to work on. It almost feels like starting something new - lol.
Happy Quilting!!

it's been a while

2011-05-06T11:23:00.001-07:00

It has been a while since I last posted. Soccer season has begun and the evenings are very busy!
I did manage to get one of the feathered sprigs quilted and I am happy with how it fills the space.

Over Easter weekend, while we were away I was able to visit a Quilt Shop in Lacombe. I was so pleased to find this perfect backing fabric for my Bird of Paradise quilt.

I know I am several months away from even having the blocks finished but I couldn't pass it up. It was on sale :0) and check out the birds!

Happy Quilting!!

feathers - a work in progress

2011-04-19T14:39:00.001-07:00

I am back at quilting my 4 block applique quilt. I loved quilting the feathers on my 9 patch quilt so I want to include some in this quilt too.
I need lots of practice at drawing them!

This is the space I am trying to fill. In each corner there is this open space that happened as a result of not bringing the vine around the corner.

This branching feathered sprig is what I have come up with so far. I have not decided how I will mark this - probably draw the feathers individually which means all 4 corners will be a bit different. I do enjoy a bit of whimsy in the quilting as I look at antique quilts as much as I love the perfect gorgeous wreaths of feathers in the wide borders of Amish quilts. However it turns out - I'll have lots of fun doing it! :0)

I thought I'd include a picture of the quilted center. The crosshatching is complete and the borders are outlined. I just need to finish up the rather tedious in-the-ditch quilting of the hst border and I'll be on to the feathers :0)

Happy Quilting!!

one more bird block

2011-04-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

I finished another bird block for my Bird of Paradise quilt. This block was easy and fun to make. I have 9 blocks made now - I thought I'd lay them out for a look. They are in no particular order. I'd better tackle one of the more challenging blocks next - If I leave them all to the end... it won't be good :0)

I am having so much fun making this quilt!! Each block is so interesting and different.

I also finished the hand quilting project from the class I took. I want to make it into something - I'll have to think about it for awhile. Now I can get back to my 4 block applique quilt. I'm ready to start quilting the borders now - yeah!

Happy Quilting!!

spring break

2011-04-06T13:42:00.001-07:00

I haven't had a lot of time for sewing lately. We've had some company and the kids had a week off from school for spring break. It felt more like winter break some days - spring is slow in coming in Alberta. So this is what I was busy making one afternoon. The kids and I built this enormous snow fort in the school field nearby. We had lots of fun :0) I finally managed to take a hand quilting class. I was doing a few things wrong and have now learned a better way to quilt.

This is the project from the class - I've nearly finished it. Don't look too closely at the stitches :0) It will take some time and practice to get shorter stitches again. It is now so much easier on my hands - I love it!!

Happy Quilting!!

the bride

2011-03-22T10:59:00.001-07:00

I finished the applique on my Bride block for my Bird of Paradise quilt. This is definitely my favorite block so far - lots of pink :0) I plan to embroider a face onto her. I am currently procrastinating about the embroidery on all of these blocks.
I made a few changes to this block to personalise it - most noticably the hairstyle and color. DD#2 informed me that I do not have orange hair :0) This was the closest I could get to my color of red.
I used a new way to prep the cherries involving dimes, starch and aluminum foil. A friend from my guild had suggested it and I was happy with the results. There is always something new to learn!
Happy Quilting!!

star runner

2011-03-16T12:45:00.001-07:00

I've been working a bit on this table runner I obviously did not finish before Christmas. :0)
The first picture is before top stitching.

The second picture shows the block after the 3D points have been top stitched down into curves. I was surprised at how much fun it was to do this stitching.

Now that the blocks are ready I now need to decide how to set them. My friend Pauline suggested that I post the options and see what you all think. I thought that was an excellent idea. So here are my 3 possibilities.

#1 set straight - side by side

#2 set on point, overlapping - wide (these are just laid out on the folded background fabric - I actually do have enough green fabric :0)

#3 Set on point, overlapping - narrower with the blocks trimmed.

I'm interested to hear your opinions! :0) After taking the pictures I 'm leaning toward #3.

Thanks a bunch!
Happy Quilting!!

courthouse steps

2011-03-08T14:20:00.001-08:00

When I get a few minutes to sit down at my sewing machine (sometimes it is very few) I have continued to make these courthouse steps blocks and add them to the pile.
I hadn't laid them out in a long while so yesterday I thought I'd see how many I had.

Turns out I have 70 blocks! I really like them :0) There are enough for a lap quilt but as I enjoy making them - I will continue and see if I can get up to twin size. When we get a really cold night (just about every night lately) a couple of my kids are scouting about for extra quilts to put on their beds. A homemade quilt surely must be warmer than one from the store ... right? ;0)

Happy Quilting!!

something finished

2011-03-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't finished anything for awhile. Big projects, moving slowly mean finishes are few and far between . So, I'm happy to have this little project quilted and bound and ready for use.
It is very simple machine quilting. I'm not very brave and I like to quilt in the ditch. :0)

Red binding to finish it off. Thanks again Lori for another fun quiltalong!
Happy Quilting!!

WISP

2011-02-26T08:50:00.000-08:00

There hasn't been a lot to post about here in the last while. Everyday I make progress on something but progress is SLOW. I still want to contribute something to this quilting blog world that I enjoy so much so here is a peek at my current applique block-in-progress.
It is the Bride block for my Bird of Paradise block. As you can see there is no Bride yet ... :0)

Just because projects are progressing slowly doesn't mean I'm not dreaming about new ones - lol. I should stay away from my LQS. This fabric I bought yesterday is just delightful. It's "Home to Roost" by Renee Nanneman. I have a few different ideas running through my head as to what to do with it. If only I had more time to sew...

Books are a constant source of new ideas too. This is what I've been looking at lately. The Swedish Quilts book is from the library so it'll have to go back - it was very interesting. The Civil War Sewing Circle is sort of a late Christmas present - Kathleen Tracy puts together such lovely books.

I hope to have something finished to show next post.

Happy Quilting!!

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

I had to make a Valentine this year. I'm supposed to lead this little project tomorrow night at my guild.
A good friend of mine helped me out with the idea. Apparently this little heart basket is a Swedish Christmas ornament. When she was little she made them at Christmastime out of paper to hang on the Christmas tree. This one is made out of fabric. It's supposed to have goodies in it - I'll have to take care of that detail tomorrow :0)

I finished another block for my Bird of Paradise quilt. It's block #1 in the quilt. It's the only symmetrical block in the quilt which makes me wonder - Why? I'm starting the Bride block next. I'm quite excited - it's such a pretty block.

My daughters and I were busy baking today. Cookies were needed for school. My mom made cookies like these every year and so I do too :0)

I wish I could give one to each one of you. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Midnight stars

2011-02-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

We had a very cold, snowy weekend and I managed to make good progress on Lori's Quiltalong quilt.
I was delighted with these little stars. I think if I hadn't had the corner triangles made already I'd have been tempted to just make a quilt of these simple stars.

The stars quickly became these blocks.

Some setting squares and triangles and...

A finished little top. :0) Thanks Lori!! This was such a fun little project. These blocks are so cute - I just love them. I'm hoping I can find time to start quilting it this week yet.

Happy Quilting!!

I've been away

2011-01-27T13:24:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how long its been since I last posted! We went for a family holiday to Hawaii to escape some of our long winter. Lots of time went into getting ready to go and now after I have lots to catch up on. It was lovely and relaxing while we were there.
I worked on my applique blocks in the evenings. I finished up this block for my Bird of Paradise quilt.
I dramatically changed the birds. Following Susi's idea I made the "big pink pig birds" as she called them, into bluebirds. They look much more cheerful I think.

I laid out my first 6 blocks to see how they look so far. (They are in no particular order) These blocks are so fun to applique! I have a good start on the next block - block #1.

I am sadly way behind on Lori's Quiltalong. Here is what I have so far. Maybe this weekend I can catch up.

I found this book at the library to take along on my trip. I'm not a Mormon but I sure enjoyed this book. There are some wonderful antique quilts in it and with each quilt there are stories about the women who made them. Some of the stories are heartbreaking. I'm glad I didn't live in the 1800's!

I find myself drawn to the antique quilts with Trapunto in them. I'm going to look around and see if I can take a class and learn this technique. I still want to take a handquilting class too. So much to learn... at least I'm never bored. lol

Happy Quilting!!

top finished - on to the next one

2011-01-06T14:14:00.001-08:00

In anticipation of Lori's quiltalong starting today, I finished this top up last night.
Because I resized the blocks I also had to resize the borders. I think the proportion is okay. For me this quilt is all about the fabric. So much color and so much pattern :0)

I would like to quilt this by hand but at 34 inches square it will take some time away from the 4 block applique quilt I'm currently working on so I may just machine quilt it to get it done.

My DH spoiled me again at Christmas with this book. The pictures are fabulous!!

Happy Quilting!!

a gift given

2010-12-29T09:12:00.000-08:00

It was a very busy Christmas. A houseful of people for 6 days and lots of kids running around having fun. I've never hosted a major family holiday before and I'm happy it went well.
This little table topper kept me busy for a couple weeks in November. It was a gift for someone in my guild. So I can now post about it.
It looked so nice on my table with my gingerbread man it was tempting to keep it :0)

I decided I wanted to quilt it by hand. It was a fun little break from working on my 4 block applique quilt.

Maybe I'll make one for myself for next Christmas. I'll need to find more of that red stripe I used in the binding though - I just love that part.

Happy Quilting!!

A really good surprise!

2010-12-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

It's getting close to Christmas! I hope I'll be ready :0) This little guy was the first of my Christmas sewing this year. I made one for myself and a couple more to give away. A fun little project.
Last night I stitched on the last applique piece on this block. It now needs embroidery. Quite a bit of embroidery. I'm not sure about starting in on it but I'm worried that if I don't do some - I'll end up with 25 blocks all needing some embroidery which will overwhelm me and cause the project to become a ufo.

I made a couple changes again. I took out the butterfly and replaced it with a leaf. I changed the feet a bit to make them easier. I decided after much careful study of the original block (shown here) that the brown shape in the top left might be a hummingbird so I tried to draw it more like the original. These birds get a whole lot of embroidery on their heads yet. Do I need to put something on the back to stabilize the background fabric?

A few days ago I was mixing up a batch of sugar cookies for DD#1 to take to school for her class Christmas party. The doorbell rang and when I answered the door there was a package for me from Carrie. I was so surprised!!

She very thoughtfully included a little something for each of my kids - they were so happy. And what a lovely assortment of things for me - an ornament, some fabric, a charm pack cut into circles and 2 cookie cutters! What a cute little vintage gingerbread man cutter.

Within 10 minutes of the package arriving I was putting that little guy to good use :0) I needed 25 trees for school and there was just enough leftover dough for 4 little men. They are SO cute. Thanks Carrie for your marvelous surprise package - it made my day! However did she managed to get the postal system to so perfectly time a cross continent delivery??

Happy Quilting!!

crosshatching

2010-12-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

I've been quilting away on this applique quilt in the evenings. I finished the center going one way and now I am going back the other way. Progress is slow but it's still progress.
I know I will do something different in the borders. Something with feathers I think :0) I really enjoyed quilting the feathers on my 9 patch quilt. I'm not looking forward to quilting the hst border - it's thick with seams but will need something I think.

I got some excellent new books for my birthday on the weekend. My Mom and DH know what I like to read. There are some gorgeous, unusual quilts in the West Virginia book and I must be disciplined and not start any new projects until I finish a few. :0)
Happy Quilting!!

more Christmas sewing

2010-12-05T10:57:00.001-08:00

I finished my 4th block for my Bird of Paradise quilt.
This block was a lot of fun to stitch. I wanted a red urn so I decided to

put pears on the table instead of apples. I opted for an extra flower instead of a butterfly in the lower right corner. I do like butterflies - I'm not entirely sure why I'm leaving them out of this quilt, but I am.

I have been doing some sewing for Christmas too. My guild was making this table runner with a different method for curves that I hadn't tried before. I'm still at the piecing stage. I am changing the pattern and still have some setting decisions to make.

As you can (hopefully) see the flying geese units are 3 dimensional. In theory they get stitched down to make curves. Some of the seams are very bulky and I've been thankful for my Featherweight machine which sews over the bulk easily. I'll have to stick to it to get this project finished before Christmas. I would like to as I am hosting Christmas for my side of the family this year and it will be the first time we're really home for Christmas. So, I'm thinking I'd like a few more more decorations. There's still time yet... right?? :0)

Happy Quilting!!

arranging blocks

2010-11-24T20:06:00.001-08:00

I finished all 9 of these blocks already. This was the perfect project for those few minutes here and there when I can sit down at my machine.
Now that I can see all the blocks together the busy background ones don't bother me anymore.

Now I can have lots of fun deciding how to arrange them :0)
This 2nd picture was how I had planned to lay them out but now I'm leaning toward the top arrangement.
I suspect this project will push ahead of the small stack of "waiting to be quilted quilts" It's a fun, happy quilt and I want to finish it asap so I can start using it.

Happy Quilting!!

a lovely surprise

2010-11-17T13:38:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finished sewing these Crowfoot blocks together. I want this quilt for my bed so it needs some borders to make it bigger. This picture gives an idea of how it will look. Next I will start the pieced border. I hope to quilt this by hand so it could be a couple years before we're sleeping under it. :0)

This is the inspiration quilt. It's in Betsy Chutchian's book "Gone to Texas". It's such a lovely book!

I was so surprised when I looked in the mail today! Marcie sent me a copy of her 2010 Christmas pattern. I have made 2 of her Christmas patterns in previous years and just love them. Thanks so very much Marcie!! I won't be able to get this done in time for Christmas but maybe I'll make it up in spring colors. The seed catalog was in the mail today too so I'm dreaming of flowers and spring as I watch the snow come down...

Happy Quilting!!

Christmas sewing has begun

2010-11-05T14:27:00.000-07:00

I have started my Christmas sewing. Maybe this year I will have time to make all the things I have planned in my mind :0) I can't post that stuff though - at least not for awhile.
I've made a few more scrappy star blocks. I think some of my blue backgrounds are a bit too busy. I picked up a couple new medium blues today at the LQS. Some of these blocks may end up as orphans. They sure are fun to sew!

I finished my 3rd block for my Bird of Paradise quilt. I fussed and fussed over the nest on this block. After my third attempt I was satisfied. I looked back at the pictures I took of the nests and they really didn't look very different - lol.

Here are the 3 completed blocks together. I want to start another block but I'm going to be good and stick to Christmas sewing for now :0)

The ladies at my LQS very helpfully found me this egg fabric. I wanted slightly blue eggs so I used the Crested Lark eggs :0) I have no idea what a Crested Lark looks like. I want to use the Calandra Lark eggs in the next nest. We don't get a lot of larks at our bird feeder. Mostly chickadees, nuthatches and squirrels. :0)

Happy Quilting!!

too much new stuff

2010-10-26T14:17:00.001-07:00

Thanks for all your kind comments!! A couple friends helped me decide on one of the prints and now that both the "funny shapes" match, I am much happier with the block.I have not been very disciplined lately. I've started 3 new projects in the last week. I haven't got too far on any of them yet. I don't know how I'll ever get to the end of my ufo's if this is what I do. :0)

I have been wanting to make this scrappy blue quilt ever since I bought Kathleen Tracy's book "Remembering Adelia". I've had lots of fun rummaging through my stash choosing fabric. I have only one block made so far and I sized it down from 12 inches to 8 to make a smaller quilt.

I won a giveaway over at Megan's blog. She sent these 8 beautifully appliqued setting triangles and a stack of lovely blue fabrics to go with them. I don't know what I'll make with them yet - they will have to wait until after Christmas I think. Thanks Megan!

Happy Quilting!!

Bird of Paradise #2

2010-10-20T12:58:00.000-07:00

I have almost finished this second block for my Bird of Paradise quilt. There are a couple of white ovals to applique onto the red and white funny shapes. Are they are supposed to be seedpods, buds, flowers or leaves? I'm not sure which red print I like best (I sort of thought they should match) so I'm going to let it sit for a while before I do the last bit of appliqueing. Maybe I'll change them both and go with green like in the original quilt. I've started the next block - this one has a bird in it. I am really enjoying appliqueing these blocks. They are so different from what I've done before.

This pieced block is made by my DD#2. She's working from a bag of cut off triangles I had saved. I love what she's doing with them. She was a bit disappointed with the center pink triangle that "shrunk". I think it's charming and I really hope she keeps going with this project.

Happy Quilting!!

a little progress

2010-10-13T20:10:00.001-07:00

Here in Canada we celebrated Thanksgiving over the weekend. I was thankful to find some extra time to do some quilting. I quilted all around the first corner - 3 more to go!

I was also thankful that the lines came around the applique straight and I didn't have to "fudge it". I do see that I definitely will need to quilt something in the large red center. The lines are just under 3/4 of an inch apart and I'm still deciding whether I am going to cross them with more lines. Probably just the one direction is enough quilting for this type of batting but is it enough quilting for me...? :0)

I'm still making these blocks in between piecing other things. I laid them out today to see how big they've progressed to. I definitely need more - lots more!

And I can't resist a picture of the pansies still blooming away in a pot on my deck. The flowers are lasting so well this fall - I love it!

Happy Quilting!!

antique applique quilts

2010-10-06T13:43:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to have the opportunity to see up close 3 incredible antique applique quilts. We were allowed to take pictures and I only wish I could take better ones.
This first one is a Rose of Sharon quilt but my friend calls it the lobster claw quilt. It is blue, white and red - an interesting color combination for this pattern.
It has a wonderful scalloped border with stems of berries hanging down.

Does anyone else see a fried egg here? :0)

It was densely outline quilted but none of the applique pieces were quilted at all so it had large unquilted areas under the flower, leaves and scallops.

The next quilt I had seen as a black and white line drawing - even from that I knew I would love it but I was SO surprised by all the surprises in this quilt. I'm calling it the Bowls of Cherries quilt. It dates to 1840-1860.

The blocks were set together with piping - I had never seen that before. But it was the quilting that absolutely delighted me. It had so many different motifs. In the bottom corners on either side of the block were quilted maple leafs. This quilt comes from Ontario, Canada so those leaves are perfect!

Clamshell quilting was done in the sashing. It was interesting to see that the baskets were quilted with colored thread - yellow and green. I love the cheddar band.

Here is another one of the shapes used for filler in the border.

I really liked these circles quilted into the scalloped border than ran around 3 sides of the quilt.

The next quilt is a Whetstones and Chips quilt that was said to have come from Scotland. Dating to 1840 - it was a beautifully pieced and appliqued quilt.

It had triple rows of fine quilting with feathered wreaths everywhere.

I just loved the border design.

The yellow flower centers were fussy cut and reverse appliqued so that the flower in the yellow print wasn't visible.

The pieced blocks were circles appliqued onto the background fabric which was 2 lengths of cloth joined down the middle. There were some interesting repairs done to this quilt - if only the quilt could tell it's story...

I rambled a bit with this post - I just wanted to remember all the incredible details about these quilts. I hope you enjoyed them too!

Happy Quilting!!

Peahen block and a finish

2010-09-27T22:24:00.000-07:00

I finished my first block for the Civil War Bride Quilt/Bird of Paradise quilt. It's supposed to be a peahen - from my internet search (studying their feet mostly) I learned they are not really this colorful. Oh well - I like this block and am excited about starting the next one.
The feet were a real challenge. My first attempt at them was pretty bad. I redrew them, picked different fabric and tried again. Spreading out those toes helped a bit. I know it needs an eye and that head thingy (crest?) those are to be embroidered when I work up the courage to try that.

This was my first attempt at the feet. My 2 year old declared they look like hands. :0)

I was very happy to finish this quilt for India. Friday evening at 11pm I finished sewing on the binding and Saturday morning after breakfast I delivered it to the church. There's nothing like a deadline to get things finished up!

I did some very simple machine quilting.

I hope it brings some cheer and warmth to the child who receives it.
Happy Quilting!!

sunshine

2010-09-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

I finished 2 more Crowfoot blocks. One more and I'll have 25 made. They are so fun to make but I'm excited to be getting close to putting this top together.

We haven't seen much sunshine this week - it has been very rainy and overcast and I've been potty training my 2 year old so you know... I've had better weeks. So when Monica over at Diary of a Quilt Maven passed this award on to me it really made me smile. :0) Thanks Monica!

What a pretty blog button - I must figure out how to put it in my sidebar. I am supposed to choose 12 blogs to pass it along to but all my favorite, inspirational, quilty blogs are in my blogroll and I don't think I could choose only 12 of them.

I've had this book out from the library - WOW - what a great book!! So much inspiration! This book will get checked out on my card a lot.

I've been working on my first Civil War Bride block. It's taking awhile and I don't want to post it until it's done but I've been thinking about some blocks I want to design to replace some of the blocks in the pattern. I've been looking at applique quilts in this book and getting ideas. I think I'm going to give my bride a husband and 4 children (kind of like me only I guess it's been a few years since I've been a bride - lol) A couple of the kids could be sitting on a swing like in the center block below.

It was hard to get a clear picture of the block from the book - its a fabulously interesting quilt to look at - it must have been fun to applique. It's called The Burdick family Child's Centennial Album quilt.

I think there's lots of potential to personalize the "Bride" quilt and it will likely be an enjoyable project for years to come :0) Yeah it's going to take me years to applique all those leaves!

Happy Quilting!

2 tops done

2010-09-05T14:32:00.001-07:00

It has been a good weekend for finishing things (rainy) :0) On Friday evening I finished up with the border for my Corn and Beans quilt. I decided to leave the corners without the extra leaves. Valentina put in words what my DH sensed about the corners. "I like the fact that it visually rounds off the border keeping your eye looking toward the quilt" Thanks Valentina!

The deadline for finishing the quilts bound for India was moved up so I'm glad I was able to finish getting this top together yesterday. For the border I used up lots of little scraps leftover from making the blocks.

I pretty much used them all so I'll have to figure something out for the binding. Now I have a couple of weeks to quilt it.

And the weekend isn't over - there's still holiday Monday yet... :0)
Happy Quilting!!

new projects

2010-08-31T14:21:00.001-07:00

It was not my plan to start something new. Neither was it my plan to spend 4 days in the hospital with DD#1 (she had a nasty asthma attack that wouldn't resolve) While sitting in emergency for hours the first night I was just itching for something to sew. Both of my handwork projects are at the stage where they are too big to carry around so...
When my husband relieved me for a few hours to come home and shower ect... I grabbed a recent magazine, a stack of fabric and my handsewing bag before I went back. I decided to try hand piecing again. These stars are the result. I think I need a LOT more practice. :0)

Last night I had a chance to get back to this border applique project. This is the first corner appliqued. I can't decide whether it should have a couple more leaves under the corner flower. DH says not - which surprised me. He doesn't very often have opinions about my quilting projects. What do you think?

And after over a year of resisting - I succumbed and bought the pattern for this lovely quilt. Maybe I should have stopped following the blog - lol. Lizzie has already invited me to join the blog and I'm excited (and a bit intimidated) to be a part of that. As soon as I get the other 3 border corners finished I'm going to get started on it.

Happy Quilting!!

something so different even my kids noticed

2010-08-25T12:34:00.000-07:00

This is practically the oldest ufo I have. The colors are so not me that when DD#1 and #2 wandered into the sewing room they asked me if the blocks were even mine. :0)
I made 11 blocks of a BOM offered at a LQS about 7 years ago. We had recently moved from a different city and I hadn't made any new quilting friends yet and was missing my old guild. To start it cost $5 and if you brought your completed block to the next meeting your next block materials were free (which is why I only finished 11 - there was no reward for finishing block 12 - lol)
There are some women at my church who are making quilts to send to northern India. I thought I could make a cheerful little quilt for a child using some of these blocks.

I even managed to find the perfect backing fabric 40% off. There is NOTHING in my stash that goes with these fabrics.

This pink block made me laugh. When I made it I thought it was the ugliest block of the batch and the name...Devil's Claw... was just awful. However, it is the exact same block that I am making piles of now for a large quilt. Crowfoot sounds so much better than Devil's Claw. :0)

And I want to share a picture of my foxgloves now blooming profusely in the garden. I start them from seed every March and they will bloom through the light frosts until it gets really cold. In some places they are wild flowers but not in my part of Canada.

Happy Quilting!!

summer days

2010-08-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

The summer is slipping by so quickly. I am enjoying my garden. Earlier this summer we had a couple bad hail storms that spoiled many of the flowers. But not these :0) I love Hollyhocks!
Do you get in a panic if you are away from home and run out of handwork to do? :0) We were away for a few days last week and I took this applique project along to work on - it's border panel #3. I finished all the applique that I brought with me and had to just sit idle. My fingers were just itching to get home and sew.

I've got border panel #4 all ready to go now. After that I have the corners to figure out. Then, I have at least 2 other applique projects I want to get started on - I don't have time to sit there with idle hands!! lol

This last picture is of the lovely fabric I won in a giveaway over at Vicki and Jan's blog What a load of Scrap. The package took nearly 3 weeks to get here - I think half of Canada Post must have been on holidays. Thanks so much Vicki and Jan!

Happy Quilting!!

sewing with the kids

2010-08-08T12:56:00.001-07:00

There has been lots of sewing going on here this week - a lot of it has not been me. There have been some wild afternoons where 3 kids are all trying to sew at the same time (with the same machine) :0) I love that they are all interested but it would be a lot easier to manage one at a time!
So here is my 6 year old son's first quilt! He chose from a pile of 2 1/2 inch squares. He just loves to run the sewing machine and takes great pride in his ironing. At first glance it might look like a potholder but...

It's a quilt for a Zumbuddy. (soft stuffed toy)

DD#2 has discovered that I have lots of little leftover triangles :0) I of course meant to use them for something... someday... :0) She has BIG plans and wants to make a lap sized quilt with these. (the hst's finish at 1 1/4 inches) She's a determined 9 year old - I'm curious to see how many of these she makes.

DD#1 continues to work on her Irish chain quilt - she does not especially enjoy sewing but wants to have her little quilt finished.

And although the summer continues to be busy I find a few minutes everyday to sew. I've got 2 more Crowfoot blocks made and a growing pile of Courthouse steps blocks.

I'm making good progress quilting on my 4 block applique quilt. I'm still outlining the applique - I love to see the block pattern emerging on the back.

Happy Quilting!!

summer reading

2010-07-30T13:06:00.000-07:00

I finished the first 2 applique borders for my corn and beans quilt. Last night I sewed them onto the top and cut the top and bottom borders. I am not exactly sure how to go around the corners with the vine - I'm experimenting with it. Of course an organized person would likely have figured this out and drawn it out ahead of time. I guess I must like winging it :0)
My older daughters are doing a day camp at a historical park this week. Wednesday my younger 2 and I spent the day there too and I spied this quilt as we looked around. I'm not sure it's actually old - maybe a reproduction but it certainly is lovely! Handquilted too!

Then I had to acquire some summer reading :0) I'm enjoying them very much so far.

And for anyone who is interested - I added the followers gadget.

Happy Quilting!!

busy summer

2010-07-26T13:28:00.000-07:00

Summer is going by way too fast! Last week we spent 4 lazy days on the beach in Kelowna which was wonderful. I wish it was a longer season...

Before I went away I managed to get the short sashing strips sewn onto my Crowfoot blocks. I'm liking how it looks but ... What am I going to do with a 70 inch square quilt? So I guess I need 9 more blocks to make it queen sized :0) Didn't this just happen with another quilting project? lol
They are such fun blocks to make so I'm sure it will go quickly. I will have to start repeating the fabrics in the large squares though.

I am still happily making these Courthouse steps blocks. At some point this is supposed to become a leader/ender project.

My girls and I were invited to a "Secret Garden" party. Last year's theme was "Little House on the Prairie" and my very talented friend made little quilts for all of the girls. You can see them here. This year she made these adorable aprons. There were 9 in all and no 2 alike! My girls just love them and so do I.

Happy Quilting!!

couldn't stop myself...

2010-07-14T15:55:00.000-07:00

Not a whole lot of sewing going on around here. I've had company and we went camping. With only 1 more Crowfoot block left to make I couldn't stop myself from starting something new.
I think I was just tired of trimming flying geese and this little pile of 1 1/4 inch strips was calling my name. :0) I have no idea how many I will make - right now I'm just having fun!
Happy Quilting!!

New

2010-07-07T13:58:00.001-07:00

I finally found time to get my 4 block applique quilt basted! Yeah! I'm so very happy to have a new hand quilting project.
I also have a new hoop. It's a composite plastic 17" no-slip hoop. So far I really like it.

There is only one more new thing(s) that I need to really get going on this project - new calluses! I wore holes in my fingers the first time I worked on it. :0) I guess it's been too long since I last quilted by hand.

I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to do with the quilting - for now I am going to start with outlining the applique. I just LOVE this kind of quilting - it is SO much more relaxing than free motion quilting!

Happy Quilting!!

and there's a winner

2010-06-28T22:17:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all your great comments! I meant to post this morning but it was the first day the kids didn't have school and I was BUSY! It is going to be a great summer - there are so many fun things I want to do with my kids. :0)

This is a picture of my random number generator - lol
Comment # 38 came out of the bowl - it's LC of Elsie Quilts.
If you can send me your address I'll try to get to the post office later this week.
Happy Quilting!!

100th post giveaway

2010-06-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

When I started this blog it was my goal to post once a week. Now after nearly 2 years I have made it to 100 posts! So it must be time for a giveaway. :0) It sure has been a great (almost) 2 years!! Thanks to everyone who has commented and emailed making this whole experience of quilting even more enjoyable. So here it is - it's a kit for making the Schnibbles "Scratch" pattern. If you're interested in making it, leave me a comment before Monday June 28 when I'll draw a winner.

This is what I've been working on this week - I dug out a ufo that had been waiting a long time for some pieced borders and changed the plan. I saw a quilt in the July McCall's quilting magazine with flowers appliqued on a dark brown background and thought it might work for this quilt. It's been a challenge to applique on a dark background - not all the colors from the center of the quilt work on the dark brown. It's fun to applique and it will be a good take along project for summer trips.

What I really want to be working on is some hand quilting but it is REALLY hard to find a 3 hour block of time to baste something. Soon...I hope :0)

Happy Quilting!!!

more of what I'm working on

2010-06-12T21:00:00.001-07:00

Now that the machine quilting of the basket quilt is behind me I have time for piecing again. Yeah!
I just love making these blocks - they're so happy. I love that when I have 10 minutes I can pop into my sewing room and make some flying geese and then later do some trimming and before I know it another block is made. :0) I know I want to piece the top with sashing as shown, in the Gone to Texas book the quilt has alternate 12 inch blocks of blue fabric - a small change but one that necessitates figuring out yardage requirements (more math) I'm going to make 16 blocks for a larger quilt.

I've been working on this project again too. I had finished all the flower blocks awhile ago and now I'm piecing them into the big blocks. I have some decisions to make about sashing for this quilt. I think pieced sashing would be too busy. I like the look of the light colored carpet and may just do plain cream sashing. What do you think?

It was not my original intention to put the blocks together this way. You may remember this post where I tried the blocks a bunch of different ways. I was a bit worried about what the center intersection would look like as I hadn't been really careful about the width of the stems. They're not perfect but I think I can live with it.

People around here (not quilters) have been asking me what/who these 2 quilts are for - I tell them "for my entertainment" or "for the joy of making them" because I simply must be sewing something!

Happy quilting!!

something of my own

2010-06-07T11:11:00.000-07:00

I've posted other people's work the last few posts and so today I thought I'd post about something I'm working on.
I showed a sneak peak of this a couple weeks back. I plan to make pieced blocks to surround this pot of flowers to make it a wallhanging. I'm thinking log cabin blocks or maybe churn dash blocks.
The flower shapes are from a Lori Smith pattern. I drew the pot/vase to be a bit like one on the Civil War Bride quilt. (So far I am resisting starting that quilt)

Happy Quilting!!

Carrie Nelson's trunk show

2010-06-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

The same day as the quilt show I was able to go to a dinner and trunk show hosted by one of the LQS. The guest this year was Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. It was a lovely evening! She is an entertaining speaker and it was wonderful to see and examine closely her beautiful quilts.
I recognized many fabrics from my own stash. She must have good taste - lol.

There were many of her Schnibble quilts - it would be hard to choose a favorite.

I never tire of looking at Flying Geese. :0)

This quilt has such an interesting outer border that I had to buy the pattern.

I just love this color combination.

There were lots and lots more but I only know how to put 5 pictures in a post so that's it for today. All this posting is keeping me away from my sewing machine :0) I've got to go sew!

Happy Quilting!!

from the show

2010-06-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

As promised, today's pictures are from the quilt show that took place last weekend. These lovely quilts are not well photographed - the lighting in some of the buildings was not ideal for pictures but the quilts did not get snowed on this way. :0) I do hope we are finished with snow for this spring.
This quilt is fabulous! What a way to set sampler blocks!

This applique quilt is so pretty.

I liked the sunflowers mixed with the fall colors. This quilt was hand quilted - closer shot below.

I liked the setting for these scrappy stars. The quilting also suits this setting.

Ok - there's more. I'll try for tomorrow.

Happy Quilting!!

what a weekend!

2010-06-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

I had a very busy weekend! Even my Mom has told me I need to post about the quilt show on Saturday. The weather was so disappointing. Usually many of the quilts are displayed outside but this year it was snowing/raining all weekend so the quilts were all inside.
I started with looking at the antique quilts so I'll share those first.
This one was closely quilted with fans.

I adore this one. It's from the historic park's collection.

This one was hard to photograph but very wonderful.

I really liked the quilting on this one - a marvelous over all pattern! Here's a closer shot.

I will try to post more tomorrow. From the show and also from the dinner and trunk show I went to in the evening featuring Carrie Nelson of Miss Rosie's Quilt co. Her quilts were wonderful to see in person and she is an entertaining speaker.

Happy quilting!!

finished just in time

2010-05-25T20:03:00.000-07:00

Last night at 11pm I finished stitching down the binding on this basket quilt and this morning I dropped it off for the quilt show.
I asked my DD#3 if she liked her new quilt. She said "um hm, it cute" (she's 2) I had to smile at a response like that! Sometime this summer we'll move her from her crib to a bed.

It's mostly quilted in the ditch, which is not too exciting, so for the border I
decided to go for it and try free motion quilted feathers. They are a bit wonky and the stitch length is not exactly consistent but it was so fun to do! I'm not a very confident machine quilter - I prefer the pace and rhythm of hand quilting but I will be trying this out again.

I had a difficult time deciding what to quilt under the basket handles. I tried hand quilting flowers but they didn't look right. I tried free motion quilted flowers but that wasn't the look I wanted either. I left the space empty for now and I will revisit it when I get the quilt back next week. I used warm & natural batting so it probably doesn't have to be quilted. I'd be grateful for any suggestions.

Happy Quilting!!

a favorite sewing spot

2010-05-19T10:06:00.000-07:00

We went camping on the weekend. We had good weather for May! I made sure I had a bit of sewing with me so I could sit and stitch in my favorite spot on this lake.
It's a new applique project using shapes from a Lori Smith pattern. It's progressing quickly - I'll post it again soon.

And, I had to share one more antique quilt from the same exhibit as last post. I love red and white quilts and I love how densely quilted this is - wow that would take a lot of time!

What is also taking a lot of time (for me) is machine quilting my basket quilt! I have to have it done by next Tuesday - I hope I make it!

Happy Quilting!!

some lovely old quilts

2010-05-12T14:20:00.000-07:00

I was very happy to be able to see this exhibit of antique quilts - a free exhibit associated with Quilt Canada.
The quilts I found the most inspiring were too fragile to be hung and so they were layered on a bed. The volunteer who folded them back for us to see didn't fold them back very far but far enough to see how marvelous they were. :0) (The grey along the sides is a shadow not damage thank goodness)

I loved this basket one.

I marveled at the tiny pieces in this beauty.

This one was quite old. The colors are so vibrant and bright. I would have liked to study the fabrics in this one longer. Not to mention see the centre medalion.

This quilt had very nice quilting and I just love the background fabric.

I was inspired and I hope you are too!

Happy Quilting!!

some inspiration

2010-05-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

Last week my city hosted Quilt Canada. I was so pleased to see the number of quilts that had been quilted by hand. I'll share a couple of them with you.
This one was my absolute favorite! I wish I could have met this quilter - I'd have peppered her with questions. The next picture is the full quilt.

Sorry this one is sideways - I was focusing in on the quilting and didn't notice :0) I wonder what she used for batting - the quilting shows so beautifully. The applique is really lovely as well. I'm inspired to keep at it. One day maybe I'll be able to quilt like this...

This next one was mostly echo quilted as you can see. I've never tried it - I thought it was quite effective.

Here is the whole quilt. I could have spent a lot longer studying these wonderful quilts but I had my 2 youngest children with me and they are very busy! They were very good (with the help of a friend) and I was happy to be able to go.

There was an antique exhibit as well - I'll post some of those pictures next time.
Happy Quilting!!

a feathered finish

2010-05-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

I finished my 9-patch quilt!

After looking through my books of antique quilts, I decided that the border didn't need any extra quilting around the feathers. I really enjoyed quilting the feathered border and I will definitely do it again.

I also really liked the silk batting. It was very nice to quilt through and made it easier to make small stitches. It is very lightweight but warm. I haven't tried washing it yet and likely I won't until after the quilt comes back from the quilt show at the end of May. I still have one more quilt to finish machine quilting for the same show - deadlines!!!

So I think I will use the silk batting again. Hopefully this week I can thread baste my 4 block applique quilt and get started on that. Already I miss having something to quilt in front of the tv in the evenings. NBA playoffs means basketball is on nearly every night around here. :0)

Happy Quilting!!

museum quilts

2010-04-29T08:42:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I had the most exciting morning. I went with some friends on a "behind the scenes" tour at the museum and we got to see a good number of incredible antique quilts up close. I was disappointed that they would not allow photos - how am I going to remember all that I saw? All I can share with you is this postcard picture of one of the quilts we saw.
The quilt in the picture was so much more vibrant in real life. For me that was the best part about this tour. To see these quilts in books - photographed well - is wonderful, but to see them in person where you can ask questions, see the backside, and scrutinize the fabrics and the beautiful hand quilting is SO much better. It was a marvelous experience - and I hope to go again because there were many more quilts rolled up and wrapped in muslin that we didn't see.Here is a peek at my new leader and ender project. Next will come some hst's. :0)

And I whipped up a little pocket for my new cell phone. I resisted as long as I could but pay phones are disappearing and sometimes emergencies do happen.

Happy Quilting!!

new project

2010-04-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

I had a really great time at my guild retreat. Good friends, good food and lots and lots of sewing!

I was so pleased to finish all 12 of these blocks for my ufo. I don't think I'd ever have finished them at home. Retreat was the perfect place to work on them. However, it was a bit distracting...

and I made a cutting mistake which led to running out of background fabric - and so I had to piece a few squares to use for hst's. I don't think it will be too noticeable once it's quilted.

So on the last day with my ufo blocks all finished I just had to start something new. I just love the Crowfoot block from the cover of Betsy Chutchian's "Gone to Texas" book. I've seen this block dozens of times before but done in the lovely scrappy colors Betsy chose I couldn't resist.

My version turned out a little bit too busy I think - but I'm having too much fun to tone it down now. :0)
Happy Quilting!!

new books!

2010-04-15T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready to go on a quilting retreat and I'm just itching to start something new. I bought these 2 great books at Temecula Quilt Co and my head is full of new project ideas.
But I am resolved to be good and so I dug out a ufo I haven't done anything with in a long, long time. I posted about it here. I made a test block last night to see if I still remembered how to make this block. Only 11 more to go... :0)

I really have gone in a much scrappier direction since I started this quilt but I still love the fabric and I would like to finish it to use on my bed. A retreat ought to be just the place to work on it - with lots of lively conversation with friends to keep me from getting bored of making the same block in the same fabrics 11 more times. :0)

Happy Quilting!!

successful starching

2010-04-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

We've been away on a holiday to San Diego. We had a marvelous time - there's so much to do and see. We did have one rainy day and I knew just what to do with it :0)
A drive out to Temecula! I'd seen this shop in the 2009 APQ Quilt Sampler magazine and I knew I would love it.

There was just loads of inspiration everywhere I looked and I loved it all. We enjoyed driving around the countryside as well.

In the evenings I did some applique stitching. I am very happy with how my starch prepped leaves turned out. I was worried that they would look and feel stiff but they don't - not one bit. I starched the wing too - should I have attempted the bird shape? I just appliqued it my usual way.

I'm very excited to be going on a quilting retreat next weekend. I'm looking forward to all the time to sew with no interruptions.

Happy Quilting!!

trying something new

2010-03-31T08:08:00.000-07:00

It's spring break around here which makes for BUSY days ... and not a lot of sewing. DD#3 found a cozy spot in the sun to "cut" her toe nails. :0)

I found a tutorial for starch basting on Jane's blog sew create it and had been meaning to give it a try. I have been doing needle turn applique with freezer paper on the right side of the fabric for years. It was about time to at least try something new. I had to ask where to find spray starch - I've never starched anything in my life. Did I ever feel dumb when I found out where it could be bought - everywhere!! DD#2 thought she'd give me a hand.

After the first few - I am amazed to see that this might actually work - lol

Hopefully I can get these stitched down in the next few days to see what the finished product looks like.

Happy Quilting!!

Irish Chain

2010-03-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

My daughters have been sewing again. This book got it started. It's about a Canadian historic event that happened in Halifax. My DD#1 who is now 11 had it out from the library. She found in the back of the book there were instructions for making an Irish Chain quilt. My DD#2 who is 8 caught onto this as well and here is her doll quilt sized Irish chain quilt top.

DD#1 is typically more interested in reading than sewing so her quilt isn't as far along. :0)

As for me, I'm plugging along on the same few projects I've blogged about recently. I'm making progress and so far resisting the urge to start something new.

Happy Quilting!!

feathers

2010-03-15T13:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks for all the great comments on my last post! I decided to go with the last setting. I also decided with that setting the quilt needed to be square requiring 16 more blocks. I've 5 more made - 11 more to go. :0) I thought I'd post my progress with hand quilting feathers. I'm enjoying it very much and although the border really is too narrow for them I like how it looks so far. I'm nearly 1/2 way around the quilt.
I'm probably not quilting them right - I really would like to take a class sometime - learning this skill from a book is not ideal. I also need to figure out what to do with the unquilted parts - are they too big to leave unquilted? What could I quilt in them? I was sort of thinking straight lines/diagonal lines but I'm not sure how far apart. Maybe I could just extend the fans to go around the feathers? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!!
Happy Quilting!

playing with blocks

2010-03-05T20:49:00.001-08:00

I was laying awake last night thinking about how I was going set these blocks I've been making. The block is from Kathleen Tracy's book "Remembering Adelia". She stopped at 9 blocks for her quilt but I was having too much fun with them and continued making more. Always when I laid them out to look at I placed them like this.
I thought of a few other arrangements and so tonight, I tried them out.

This one would have sashing.

This one with all the color is the one I thought about last night. The things that keep me awake at night... lol

I've never laid the blocks out like this before but I do like it - obviously I'd need more blocks - oh and likely more fabric too :0)

I guess I'll have to think about this one a little more. Maybe next time I start a quilt I'll have a plan ...

Happy Quilting!!

basket quilt with borders

2010-03-01T14:20:00.000-08:00

Here is the finished basket quilt top. My very tall husband had to stand on a chair to get a picture :0) It measures 98 by 70 - a bit wider than I thought it would be (math is not one of my strengths) but better a bit big than too small.
So now I need to quilt it. It'll be pretty simple quilting - lots of straight lines so I can use my walking foot. Some hearts in the corners I think and maybe I'll quilt some flowers by hand in the baskets - I'll see how it goes.

I received this package in the mail yesterday from Taryn. It's the first giveaway I've ever won.
I love the fabrics - lots of great variety. They will be fun to work with :0)

Happy Quilting!!

dresser runner

2010-02-26T14:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a new project. It's supposed to be a very cute little square table topper with appliqued borders - a cute, new little pattern from Marcie over at http://www.patchalotpatterns.com/ . I got 16 hourglass blocks together and set it on my dresser to admire and... I liked it there. So I made another 16 hourglass units and I think I need about 8 more plus an appliqued border at each end.
It's kind of a new dresser and it just needed a splash of color - oh and if my husband asks - its to protect the wood and paint from getting scratched. :0)

Sorry this picture is a bit dark - its a cloudy day here.

This morning at the LQS I found this fabric in the sale section - its perfect for backing my basket quilt. I did get the borders onto the quilt and I think it all went well. The bias edges behaved just fine. I'll get my husband to hold it up for a picture this weekend - its big!

Happy Quilting!!

signed and dated

2010-02-17T13:50:00.001-08:00

On the weekend I finished quilting the fans in the center part of this quilt. In one setting block I decided to try quilting the year and my initials. I think I should have gone for all 3 initials JLO which would have filled the entire square but ... oh well. I like the idea putting labels on my quilts but the ones I've made are rather uninspiring and so mostly I don't. I've read my Quilts of Virginia book cover to cover (loved it!!) and some of the quilts in it are signed in this way. I thought it would be fun to try.

Can you make out the initials in this picture? lol It's on page 61 if you have the book. Anyway, now that the date is there I better get this quilt done in 2010! :0)
Happy Quilting!!

basket quilt progress

2010-02-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

I have all the blocks together now for this basket quilt for my DD#3. I love the pink and brown together. It gets a narrow brown border and a pink and brown piano key border after that.
I'm a bit nervous about adding the first border - the squares on all 4 edges will be trimmed making the entire edge on the bias. Sew the border on first and then trim I think is the key...but I'm still nervous about it. The pattern for this setting is in the May/June '09 Quiltmaker magazine - I used my own basket block.
Happy Quilting!!

a new project

2010-01-29T20:40:00.000-08:00

I do not need another new project but I just couldn't help it. I bought a Dresden plate ruler and I was just itching to try it out. I blame Kim Walus and her project on the Moda Bakeshop blog and KarenDianne for tempting me into this. :0)
It was very fun to see this come together so far. I wonder how big of a quilt this will grow into?
Happy Quilting!!

doll quilt

2010-01-23T14:08:00.001-08:00

Ta Da! I finished the doll quilt top.
It was a great new project for a new year! Thanks so much Lori for your excellent instructions. I'd like to quilt it by hand but there are so many seams and the pieces are small... so I'll put it off for a bit. I'm sure that will make the decision easier lol.
Now I must get back to my basket quilt. But I did just get a Dresden plate ruler that I haven't tried out yet... maybe I can do both :0)
Happy Quilting!!

a bit of this and that

2010-01-18T22:17:00.000-08:00

DS finished his pj top this morning. He was so proud of himself. :0) It was so fun to sew with him. We were working on the shirt hem and he stopped sewing, looks at me and says "I love you Mommy". Does it get any better than that? I wonder if he will want to sew again? Here he is with his Power Ranger mask.
I've finished sewing the doll quilt 16 patches. All that is left now is to sew the top together. This has been such a fun little project to start off 2010.

I sit down with this 9 patch quilt nearly every evening to quilt a fan. It's about 1/2 finished now. I'm starting to get excited about quilting the borders. I will try feathers if I can figure out how to mark them.

And to my absolute delight - in my mailbox this morning was a package from Carrie P. full of wonderful quilty things.

She said she was going to send me a button. :0) For someone I've never met in person she really knows what I like. There is a magazine, the bird button (which I just love) a generous handful of vintage buttons, cute pink rick rack wrapped around a wooden spool and a pretty fat quarter. What a lovely surprise!! I'm feeling very spoiled.

Happy Quilting!!

doll quilt blocks

2010-01-07T10:48:00.001-08:00

I've had lots of fun sewing these little doll quilt blocks. They are from the doll quilt quilt-a-long on Lori's blog. I sewed them on my Featherweight - I don't know why I don't use it more. I can't wait for the next installment of instructions!
I didn't use cheddar - I opted for red. I hadn't made a red, white and blue quilt for awhile and I love that color combination.

All the blocks from part 1.

Now maybe I should get back to the basket quilt I started last year for my youngest - she turns 2 in less than 2 weeks and I want it to be ready for when she moves into a real bed.

Happy Quilting!

boys can sew!

2010-01-04T14:25:00.001-08:00

Yesterday I taught my 5 year old son how to sew and it was marvelous! I've taught lots of kids to sew - I was a Home Ec teacher for a few years - and I taught my 2 older daughters. I just never expected to share sewing with my son. It was his idea and he liked it so much that today he finished his own pajama pants. He sure likes using the machine - the shirt is next! I don't know how long it will last but I'm loving it! :0)

2010 already!

2010-01-03T13:11:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe it's 2010 already. I think it will take me a couple months to get the zeros in the right place.
This little project I finished last night and just in time too. I gave it away this morning - a birthday gift for a friend. It's a journal cover for a little binder. Over the holidays we were away a lot so I made good progress handquilting on my 9 patch quilt. I was very pleased to receive some interesting quilt books for Christmas. These will fill my head with endless new project ideas. :0)

I also couldn't resist Lori's doll quilt quilt-a-long. I started my version yesterday and I hope to get the 1st 12 blocks finished soon. I also picked up a Dresden plate ruler that I'm eager to try out. A new year means new quilting projects right?? :0)

Happy Quilting!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-23T16:56:00.000-08:00

It's been pretty crazy around here the last week but all the preparations are pretty well done now - on to the good part... relax, enjoy and celebrate!
This is the last gift I put together - its a heart garland for my newest little neice. I'm not sure how well it turned out but its done! I'm not sure what my sister will do with it but she did want me to make it.
I have put a few stitches into this quilt in the last couple weeks - quilting these simple fans is SO FUN! I'm leaving the border unquilted for now. I might attempt feathers if I can get them to fit if not I'm thinking about a cable pattern. I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas!
Happy Quilting!!

me neither

2009-12-16T13:39:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I had a birthday - a big number I wasn't looking forward to. So, my husband and sister planned a birthday party for me. I hadn't had one in years - December is always such a busy month. It was a really wonderful party and my friends and family spoiled me terribly. This was a very fun little card from a friend. Inside it says "me neither" Can you relate?

This is cute too - I set it near my sewing machine - do you suppose it will remind me to check my bobbin more often so I don't run out?

These were more lovely gifts. My friends and family know me well ... :0)
There were gift certificates too - for my favorite Quilting store - those will be fun to spend in the New Year.

Happy Quilting!!

Christmas ornament with gun

2009-12-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy to have this little quilt finished. It's Marcie's free Christmas pattern from last year. Do you suppose I have time yet to make her great little pattern for this year? :0)
This next picture is the backing fabric I bought for my 9-patch quilt. I went to my LQS to buy backing fabric and to my delight - there was a sign on the door " Customer Appreciation Sale" All fabrics 30% off some even 40% off. Oh Happy Day! I usually shop for backing at the clearance table but not this time! I really like this beautiful red print.

Ok - so here is the ornament I referred to in the title. It's a chili pepper cowboy! My husband picked this Christmas tree ornament out - I guess he felt he needed something masculine along with all the pretty angels and snowflakes... Anyway my son just LOVES it and if anyone comes over he immediately ushers them over to see this amazing ornament. I find it rather amazing too but not in a good way.

Oh well - its a good lesson in compromise - I think... :0)

Happy Quilting!!