Happy New Year!

Okay...I'm a little late.  Yes, it is the middle of January, but as the saying goes, "better late than never".  Right?

I've been working on a Block of the Month with Jo's Country Junction called "Quilt Square Quilt Along".  We will be using 3 different patterns from Lori Smith's designs, specifically Quilt Squares #1, Quilt Squares #4, and Quilt Squares #6.  Each month, Jo will select a block to make from one of these patterns.  This is the block for January.  I used my leftover Kansas Troubles fabrics.  The block measures 12" square. Why don't you hop on over to Jo's Country Junction and join the fun!

Finishing

I have been working on finishing up some of my UFO's.  I recently took a trip to my sister's house in Arizona, and made some progress on my slowly, but surely, dwindling pile of unfinished projects. 

 My sister owns a Gammill, so that made quilting the completed tops a breeze! 

 This was made from blocks from a BPF swap.

This UFO, entitled "Red Tidings" was made using scraps.  It measures 80" x 80".

In all, 10 UFO's were quilted, bound, and crossed off the "To Do" list!  Hooray!

"And I Made My First Block on the Sewing Machine!"

My little Sweet Pea was here for the past month, and what a fun time we had! She got to use my sewing machine for the first time...and at age 4, that's a pretty big deal! My little travel machine, a Janome Jem 760, is just perfect for her...especially since I can slow the speed way down for her to learn to sew. Her first block was a simple strippy block, and she LOVED the process of picking her strips and sewing them on. The blocks are 12-1/2" and she was able to make 2 that day (we were at a Project Linus sewing day, so her blocks will be made into a quilt for another child who needs a blanket). Her enthusiasm spilled over into the following days and weeks, where she daily asked to sew! She also enjoyed her first Shop Hop, where she eagerly collected new fabrics for future projects. I am so excited to have another quilter in the family! She also made her Mom and her soon-to-be Auntie Rachel custom potholders! She drew her art work on squares of muslin, and then was able to sew simple borders on the squares. They are so cute, don't you think!

Oh...and while my little Sweet Pea was here, she learned to use her scissors...to cut her own hair!! Not suppose to happen at Grandma's!! Her Mom will be taking her to the hairdressers for her first haircut.

I Love You Beary Much

Another UFO finished...well, almost...it's not quilted yet!! The bear blocks were some of the first blocks that I made when I started quilting. They are hand pieced 9" blocks, and have been sitting in a plastic bag for more than 13 years. I decide this week that it was time...time for these bears to be a quilt and bring joy to a child in need. There are 6 blocks, but only 4 made it into the top. The other 2 will be used on the back.

Blog Prizes

I recently won a prize from My Creative Corner's Blogiversary!! I was thrilled to receive in the mail this morning this lovely tatted cross for my Bible! How did Vicki know that I carry a very special tatted cross in my Bible...one my Grandma made for me when I was a child! It is one of my prized possessions!! So receiving this one was extra special, and will be at home in my Bible with the one from Grandma! Grandma's tatted cross is on the left with a red (my favorite color) ribbon through it, and the beautiful white one, on the right, is from Vicki!! This made my day!

Also in the envelope was loads of charms squares!They all have gold metallic thread in them, and will make for a pretty quilt!!

Thank you so much, Vicki!!

Finished Objects

I've been working away at my UFO's for the challenge I entered into in January. So far, I have completed 7 of the 15 named UFO's. The first one is called "Jolene Star" by Laundry Basket Quilts. It was from a kit of Civil War reproduction fabrics I had purchased from Backdoor Quilts while at the AQS show in Des Moines, IA last fall.

The second finish is tablerunner. It, too, was a kit I had purchased from Prairie Star Quilts while at the AQS show. The kit was actually a one star wallhanging, but there was enough fabric in this kit to make 3 stars! So I put them together to make a tablerunner for my long dining room table! This also was made with Civil War reproduction fabrics.

The third UFO completed is a homespun snowball quilt. Most of the blocks were acquired through an online swap many years ago. I added a few extra blocks to make it a usable size, and then added a piano key border.

It is a good feeling to have completed 7 of my UFOs. I may be able to complete one more before the challenge ends on June 30th.

Out of the Sawdust

Just returned from a very memorable retreat! This was the best retreat...the fellowship was fabulous, loads of laughter, and so many fun projects were made!

The first night of the retreat, a typical spring storm moved in, including thunder, lightening, rain, and straight-line winds. The winds moved in and out very quickly, but not before pushing a large maple tree onto my car! As demonstrated by the photo at left, the car was a total loss. I continually thank God that only the car was damaged and all human life was spared! Just 20 feet in another direction, and the tree could have fallen on the retreat center with all of us in it! My insurance company set me up with a rental car, and I was able to resume my time at retreat and them head home.


This is my new car! It's a PT Cruiser, and it is so much fun! (Yes, Jacob, it's an "old lady's car"!!! LOL!!) This baby will hold lots of quilting stuff for the next retreat! Ladies, I'm so ready...but I get the parking spot farthest away from the trees!!

For the Love of ME

...Mary Engelbreit, that is! This is one of my UFO's (not on the challenge list), and it is now a quilt top! This is just a panel that I put several borders on, and paper pieced the little pinwheel corner stones. Quilting to come soon, as I hope to give this as a gift to a friend.

Yesterday, my local quilt shop hosted a "Quilter's Rumble" at a local community center. This was an all day event for those of us who are Super Bowl widows or non-football enthusiasts. It was a time to sew on any project you wanted and share in some good fellowship. So, I brought my ME fabrics that I purchased several years ago, and started on my top. I finished up the last border this morning.

Red Roses from the Garden

This morning, I have been working on a very old UFO. (And this one happens to be on my UFO Challenge list! Yay!) This is one of my early quilting projects, and I had originally planned on making this quilt for my bed. But, I was still new to quilting, and I did not buy enough fabric, and, as you may have guessed, the fabric was no longer available (it was a WalMart find). So, I put it away for many years, and came across it several years ago. I almost scrap piled it!! I'm glad I didn't! I like the little quilt (it's lap size), and I'll be even happier when it is quilted, bound, and on my quilt rack!

Thanks, Jacob, for the "EV Settings" suggestion on my camera. I have been playing with it, and it has helped! I will need to play more, but at least I know there is a solution! This picture was taken with the new setting, and although one side of the picture is still dark, it is mostly due to the fact that the top is not laying flat and creating its own shadow.

Lessons From Mama - Block #3

Here is the January block from the "Lessons from Mama" BOM. The colors are pink and green (not the peach and brown that they look in the picture!!) This was a quick block to make...just a nine patch variation!

Does anyone have any tips for taking better pictures?? I sure am frustrated with how the colors turn out so dark when I take photos indoors. ~sigh~

Lessons From Mama - Block #2

Yesterday, I picked up the December kit for the "Lessons from Mama" BOM. I came straight home and cut out the pieces for the block. Then, this morning, I sewed them together...and it's done!! Yay! I'm really trying to complete each block when I receive the kit so that it will be complete at the end of the year. I'm implementing new habits!! So far, so good! The picture is dark (going to have to learn about lighting and taking pictures!!)...the color of the stars are a pretty cranberry-ish color. The block measures 18-1/2".

Helping Others

In addition to finishing up on some of my UFO's, I've been working on a few other projects for some good causes! The 30's reproduction quilt is for a friend that was just diagnosed with cancer. Our Tuesday quilting group wanted to wrap her in a great big hug, so we each made a block or two and put them together into a comfy quilt. A friend will be quilting it, and it should be around her shoulders soon!

The second quilt was made for a friend's Dad, who was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer. Again, our Tuesday quilting group decide to make a cozy quilt to comfort Dad while he lives out his last days, and to let our friend know that we were thinking about her and praying for her. The quilt is soooo much more prettier in person! It was made from fall colored flannels, and makes you just want to cuddle up with it! Another friend from the group quilted it and did an outstanding job...unfortunately, you cannot see it from the photo.

Lastly, the third photo is a quilt I made for our local chapter of Project Linus. The fabric came from an online ABC Swap. Each person picks a letter of the alphabet, chooses a fabric to represent that letter, and then cuts out 27 ten inch squares. In turn, each participant will receive 26 alphabetical squares, with the 27th set going to charity. The hostess picked Project Linus, and this is what I chose for the quilt top.

Pinwheels on Parade

I finished another UFO today!! Hooray!! The 10" red and white pinwheel blocks were from an online swap several years ago. I needed to make a few more to make this quilt the size I wanted. I picked up the pretty red border fabric on Friday at my new local quilt shop, Stitch-n-Tyme , and put it on this morning! The photo is dark, something I have trouble with when taking photos in the house, but the reds are so pretty! Did I mention that red is my favorite color? Can't wait to get this one quilted! I've been working on several other UFO's, so maybe I will get them completed, and photos posted here later!

Planning Ahead

I finished up 2 sets of blocks this weekend for an upcoming online Primitive Folk Art Applique swap I'm participating in. The first is from an embroidery pattern by The Country Cellar that I thought would be cute done in applique. The sunflower is from a quilt book I had.

The swap blocks are not due until next month, but I will have my granddaughter here for a week or so and will not have time to work on them once she is here. Then, my sister and I will be heading to Des Moines for the AQS show the beginning of October.

Working My Way To Cumberland

I'm ready for a little update on my "Cumberland" blocks. They are done, and laid out on a bed, for the finished effect. Too bad the picture is so dark. It really does look pretty. I just need to finish making the hst for the border, then I can sew this all together! Stay tuned...

Doing the Triangulation!

I'm working on another scrap quilt using my leftover Thimbleberries fabrics. The quilt is called "Cumberland" and is made entirely with 3" finished half square triangles (hst). Since I'm needing approximately 300 hst, I decided to use the Triangulation software to make the process faster and more accurate. You can get an idea of what the block will look like from the photo on the left. Just imagine it sewn together!!

Using My Noodles

I made this braid tablerunner over the weekend from a pattern I bought several years ago! I wanted to give it a try as it is a "quilt-as-you-go" style pattern. The borders were leftover fabrics from an apron swap I was in last fall, and the braids are from a 2.5" noodle swap I participated in from an online swap group! The "quilt-as-you-go" technique was easy and fun, but I did not like the looks of the finished quilting on the back of the runner. I used white muslin for the backing fabric, and I think a print fabric would have hid the quilting! Should I choose to make this again, I will know better!!

Sweet Sunshine

Just finished some sewing for the day! It's a cute quilt for ME!!! I think this will be a first! I made this from scraps from my Thimbleberries leftovers! That's right...this is a "freebie"! Just love it when I can get another quilt from my leftovers and cast offs. Sad part is, you cannot tell I used up any of my scraps! I used the "Sweet Sunshine" pattern from This & That patterns by Sherri K. Falls. The pattern is charm pack friendly, but I just cut nickel squares from my scrap drawer. The finished size is 60" x 60". Now, to get it quilted!!!

It's A Squishy Day!

It has rained so hard...and for so long...that the ground is soggy and squishy! We've already had 10" of rain in the past 2 days, with more on the way! Kinda makes for a gloomy day! That is until the mailman comes and leaves a "squishy" in the mailbox! I received a prize package in the mail, not only for having the messiest sewing room, but also for cleaning it up! As you can see, I received a fun Christmas charm pack and a pretty purple fat quarter!

As a result of cleaning up my sewing room, I was able to finish 1 UFO. This UFO was started several months ago for a retreat that I went to. We were exchanging mini quilts, and this is the second quilt that I made for the retreat. The first one is still a mini quilt top, and the third one I made was actually exchanged at the retreat! Why I made 3, I don't know...maybe I was feeling a little inadequate with my quilting skills (so many GREAT quilters at retreat and I didn't want someone to be disappointed). But this one will be used in my guest room, that has a 30's theme to it. The pineapple symbolizes hospitality, and says, "Welcome!". I hope my guests will truly feel welcome in my home!

Spring Cleaning

I've been cleaning my sewing room, thanks to a challenge put forth by one of the online swap groups that I belong to. I must admit, it was quite humbling posting a picture of my messy sewing room for all to see! But it was the truth! A big mess. I have spent the good part of the week cleaning it, putting things away, giving things away, throwing things out, dusting, and vacuuming. I even worked on 3 UFO's, finishing one of them!! The room feels quite a bit larger...amazing what de-cluttering your room can do!! Now to get busy and finish up my UFO pile! As you can see from the photo, it is overflowing! Also, I've included a photo of my finished quilt top basket. These gems are waiting to go to the quilter!