Valentines blanket done

OK, so I gave DD a heart pillow and this fleece blanket.  So spoiled is she, she says, why doesn't it have my initial on it.  LOL  I thought about embroidering one, but didn't find one large enough, so I did this machine applique.  I don't like the fusible on fleece, so I zigzagged it a number of times around the edges and then stitched close to the zigzag and then again about 1/4" from that stitching.  It should last, and she has her Valentines Day blanket.  LOL

I do think I am still procrastinating about doing something with this other quilt.  Maybe I will focus soon.

Purse is done!

This is my DIP Dream in Process.  I have to snowball all those tiny corners.  If you look above the yellow square in the middle, you will see where I am.  I am going up the column. then, I have 6 more columns to go.  At that point I can once again take the 4 columns off on the left and chain stitch the rest to it.  That will be a happy day!  This is an old UFO.

 I wish I knew why this photo went sideways.  I never understand it.  LOL 

Finally the purse that didn't want to be made is done.  So, the saga goes.  I couldn't find the fusible fleece.  Then, I sewed the strips on the wrong side of it.  LOL  Then, I forgot to put the snaps on before ironing it and fusing the backing to the strips.  Then I sewed the pockets in upside down.  Then I twisted the strap.  Then the strap was too short and I had to piece the webbing.  It doesn't like to be pieced, so I covered it with fabric and really stitched it down lots of times.  Finally the purse is done and DD likes it.  It is a bit larger than the blue one so she should be able to fit all her books into it and lots of other things.  LOL

Stash Report

Well, I got away from doing the stash report for some reason.  Maybe because January was a buying month.  LOL

Used this Week: 4.35 yards


Used year to Date: 39.3 yards

Added this Week: 0 yards

Added Year to Date: 24 yards

Net Used for 2013: 15.39 yards

Remembering Robin Strobel

This was posted on a group I belong to.  Remembering Robin Strobel

Quote On December 18, 2012, the Martingale family lost our dear friend and colleague, Robin Strobel. A quiet, unassuming woman, Robin clearly had a backbone of steel. Otherwise, she could not have waged a 10-year battle against a rare form of cancer that left her body shattered but her spirit strong. end quote

They are giving away e patterns from Robin.  I've used some of her patterns before and absolutely love her work.  I wish I could have met her.  From all the testimonials about who she was, she will be greatly missed.

Sewing day

Spent today with my friend Lorena and I finished the center of the black, white and red quilt

 Because I had extra blocks.  I don't like square quilts, I decided to take off the end row and make table runners.  One will fit on the kitchen table, and the other on the table in the living room

I still need to quilt them all, and put borders on the big quilt

I told you we lost Aunti Elizabeth and I couldn't find a photo.  Here she is with a niece and one of her sisters, Ruth.  Aunti Elizabeth will be missed.

A Thread of Scarlet

My good friend Lorena has opened up a blog - a Thread of Scarlet and is starting to do tutorials on different projects she is doing.
Go check her out.

tiring week

OK, I said I'd post photos at some time.  I am too embarrassed to show you the before photos.  You can see some of the mess, but it was horrible before.  This is my long arm with my design wall at the far end.  That tessellations quilt is a never ending project.  LOL  I have my roll of batting sitting out because I have too much stuff under the long arm.  :(  Lana's batting is over by the design wall too.  The cutting table is on the front left, and will always need help.

 This is looking from beside the design wall.  Those plastic bins are my scraps and they are color coded to allow me to find the right pieces when I need it.  Most of the drawers are full, so that means I really need to use up more of the scraps and not worry about the yardage in the cabinets.  My cutting table is on the right front in this photo.  The milk crates have the batting I just went through.  I really need to figure out more projects to use them up.  The bigger pieces of batting are on the floor behind the cutting table.  I imagine they will be used up fairly quickly.

 This is the Magix Stax swap I was in.  I don't really like my bright fabrics together, but I imagine mixed with others it will be fine.  I didn't do as many as I thought I would because life got in the way and if I don't get them mailed quickly, they will end up being late.  It will make a small quilt for the BAMC group.

 I did finish the road quilt.  It is on my Cyberquilters UFO listing, so that is a help, plus it is able to go to Angel Cover Ministries folks so a little boy can play with his matchbox cars on it.  I quilted around the roads and around the buildings.  I followed some of the trees too.  it was fun to quilt.  I used only stuff in my stash.  Those half square triangles were going to be thrown away by someone and I rescued them.  Don't they go well?  So, please don't through good stuff away, pass it on to those that will work with it.

I do have a strange double knit quilt that Lana gave me in her excess fabric boxes.  She thinks I can use it more, so she passes it on.  So, I take it and try to use it.  LOL  This next one will be shown when I get the binding on it.  I have no idea how to find a homeless shelter to pass this on to.  It will be really warm.

One more finish

Well, I have had this almost done forever!  Finally I decided to just do the handwork and have the Ipod cover for my DS.  He wanted something to hold the Ipod while he was working in the yard.  Feels good to get it done.

Headache Day

Well, yesterday was the day Lana came over to start quilting her Mystery quilt.  It is turning out so nicely.

I actually cleaned up some of my batting area while she was quilting and trying to figure out how to get these extra pieces of batting so I can actually use them.  If they happened to be the same sizes, it would make it so much easier!

So, does anyone have a good use of poly batting.  I seem to have scraps and larger pieces of it when I was quilting for a group that required that and the sheets for backings.  I've since moved on to other worthy organizations.

I was so hoping I'd have a good sewing day today. DD is home ill and I now have a headache that is hard to ignore.

I do have some batting to sew together to quilt the road quilt.  That should be easy, right?

Late, but an update

Had our small quilt group this weekend, and I didn't get a photo of the twister shamrock that Wanda was doing. 

Lana is working on 2 of these quilts. This is not the original pattern, because the sashing blocks were made by her Mom to the size in the pattern and they were the wrong size, so Lana used the pieces and put this quilt together with what she had.  Then, she found a second kit that her Mom adjusted the pattern and made the setting blocks the right size.  So, she is going to make that quilt and then give them to her parents.  They will be the same colors, but different setting.  :)

Judy finished sewing her teal and brown quilt together.  I love this quilt and the colors.  makes me want to make a simple quilt in these colors for my bed.

this was my disaster of the twister.  I didn't have the right tool, but I made it work.  I now have the right tool to work with.  I think I will make this into a pillow today, since Valentines day is in a couple of days.  LOL

Because I need to practice, I started this BOM, Pixie Garden, in applique.  I really need to work on my curves more.  I think it is because I am not doing it every day.  I find if I do a little every day that I can keep the curves smoother.  But, now I need to put the sashing on the block to set it right.

My project is an old UFO.  It was a block swap in black and white.  I set it with sashing in multiple reds.  I didn't have enough red for all of the sashing, so they are also scrappy.  I only got part of it sewn together, so I'll post a photo when I actually unpack it. 

Had to go with DH to a doctors appointment that took forever yesterday.  Results were not so good, but it might get him back on track, and maybe the rest of us will be able to benefit from the diabetic way of eating.

Operation Homefront - TX

an internet friend, Karen, sent this to me.  It looks like a very worthwhile cause. 

Please visit my most recent post, kaholly, to see how, as a Texas quilter, you can help Operation Homefront - TX with a little project of theirs! And be sure to share this info with your TX quilting friends!! Thanks, karen

sad day

DH's Aunti Elizabeth died today at 92 years young.  She was a beautiful woman, both inside and out.  She was so welcoming to me when I came into the family.  Always so very positive and willing to help people.
She will be missed by so many people.

Humble experience

I spent the morning learning about the High Risk Pregnancy Unit that I donate quilts to.  They love the size I make (less than 44" squares) and I learned that Threads of Love donates many items to them.  I'm going to need to go and see if we can get involved in that organization.  What amazing work they do.  I enjoy the quilting and the donations that I can give to different places.  This might be my new donation site.

Today is wash day -- DD decided to hold lots of clothing all week long. :(

I have some sorting to do in my studio and to figure out what I'm going to work on at my small group.

It's a yucky day, so I think I might be just find staying inside.

I just needed a photo, so added this one of my kids.  LOL

Very little going on

I wanted to try this twister pattern.  The problem, the pattern I used said lil twister, which I have, but she meant itty bitty twister.  :(  So, I got my pieces sewn together and they were too small.  so, I had it all together, it was at night and I didn't have another option.  So, I made a template the 2.25" size and tried to cut these.  The problem is I could also cut the template with the rotary cutter.  :(  It took forever to get this cut out and pieced together.  I've ordered the other size to try it again.

 I did finish the UFO #10 from Liz's UFO challenge.  Cute little quilt that will be delivered to Lisa today to go to the High Risk Pregnancy unit.

Not really great here at home, so life has not allowed me in the studio.  :(

Headache day

Well, it has NOT been a great day.  The cedar pollen count must be up.  I have a headache.  Between being overly tired from the weekend and Girl Scout cookie booths, cedar and everything else, I am not doing great.  I decided to put on the new Chrome plated Thread guide from Donita Reeve to see if it made a difference.  It does.  The thread broke once when it wrapped around the tension guide.  Why it did that, who knows.  LOL 

So, I quilted by tropical blocks quilt.  This is a small quilt, but I actually like the way it went together.  I used the extra pieces from the parrot quilt and all of these blocks.  This will be my UFO #10 from Liz's list.  So, tomorrow at the doctor, I will work on this binding.  It should be done tomorrow. : )

 

This shows the detail of the swirls

.

 OK, so one of my dream quilts is the Lone Star quilt.  I am playing with the fabrics I have to see if these will work for the star of the quilt, and then I need to figure out what color the background should be.  The dark blue would be the center, and the green would be the middle of the star with the the colors working their way out again.  I almost would like more of the dark green and less of the lime green.  Still working through the process.

Road quilt top

 

This is the road quilt panel I've had with these HST started for a few years.  It took very little time to actually finish sewing the HST together and put them on the quilt.  It is less than 44 inches, so I can use a width of fabric.  I'll have to load it with the long side on the zippers to be able to quilt it right, but it is ready with backing to quilt.

That makes 2 UFO quilts I can quilt this week and get the binding on.  I still have another of these panels and almost enough HST.  So, the next one will need to have some creative spacing on the HST.

I think these will make great floor quilts for a little boy that likes matchbox cars.  :)  I'm thinking to donate to Angel Cover Ministries.

Small Quilt Group

Today was my parent's 62nd anniversary.  After lunch I went to meet with my small quilt group and got a few things done.  I made the Basket-weave block for Lynne in her civil war type of fabrics

 

I made my floral basket-weave block with sunflower fabric.  Couldn't add more green because it was a 2 color block.  I like the way it came out.

 Lana was working on 4 patches from charm packs.  She will be setting them on point with a beautiful red between the 4 patches. 

 I had these tropical swap blocks that were hanging on my curtains for a long time.  I was trying to make things too difficult.  I kept thinking I needed to make another block, but then what kind to make?  When I found the orange and lime green leftover parts from my parrot quilt, I thought they would go well.  Then, a design challenge came to make sure I had enough of the orange fabric.  Then, I added another lime green and put it so it framed the center block.  I think it turned out OK.  I will back it in purple and bind it in purple and this will be another SAMMC High Risk Pregnancy clinic quilt.

 Wanda is working on this quilt that Judy gave us books for.  This will be a wall hanging for her living room.  all she now needs is to put the setting pieces in.  Beautiful.

 Judy is working on this quilt.  I'm not sure the name, but she has 4 rows sewn together and has a few more to go.  I absolutely LOVE these colors!!!  I'd chose them for my room.

 I do have the train quilt that has 2 of the 4 sides with borders on it.  I don't have that photo yet.  Maybe I will be able to get the other 2 sides on tonight and show you that in a bit.