Six across Six down

While not a crossword puzzle, this latest quilt top certainly had me puzzled at times.  I'm talking about my Pineapple Blossom by Bonnie K. Hunter.  I thought everything was going easy until I went to put sashing on one of the rows... hmm, second block is MUCH bigger than sashing.  Check sashing length, yep, that's right, tried a second block in that spot - same result... I don't know!  So I switched it from second position to first and now everything fits ( well, except that inch that hangs over the edge... I'll lop it off even with the rows on each side)...  Got it all stitched together... now to decide on borders - how many, how big, etc.  I have a little bit of the black & white cat fabric left and that might make a good thin inner border; will have to check to see what else I might have... and remember that the larger pieces are needed for backings.

 It's not exactly what I'd call beautiful, but I'm sure someone will enjoy cuddling up and keeping warm in it.

this was a minor problem - almost laughable... easy fix... next time PAY ATTENTION!!

Hubby has to go for a PET scan on Monday, so I guess housecleaning will have to wait another day... oh darn!  LOL  The test takes about two hours, so I think I'll go ahead and get another block for Vintage Tin ready to take with me; maybe I'll take my little dvd player and the movie I bought earlier this week... Beauty - apparently a new version of Beauty and the Beast... plus there are 9 other movies in the pack - like Father's Little Dividend, Made for Each Other, Royal Wedding with Fred Astaire and Jane Powell - OLD OLDIES, but worth it... especially when the pack was only $5 at Walmart.

Ok, time to kick back and relax for a few minutes before heading to bed....

TTYL

Finished Flimsy

JUST finished the final seam joining the top for the June Quilt along over at crazymomquilts.  It took me most of the day because I kept getting confused... like misplacing 10 string blocks and fearing that I had miscounted and not made enough - and making a third corner piece when I couldn't find the second one ( it was under completed rows).  My design wall wasn't quite big enough to lay all the rows out so that I could see them well and I ended up having to remove end triangles and turn or replace them several times.  But I did it!

It's not my prettiest quilt, but I think it will look fine and I'm sure it will help keep someone warm.  I have another charity quilt still laying across Mo'e's frame so I'll get that quilted first and then I can get to this one.

One more to go this week... it's the Pineapple Blossom..which is ready to sew into rows and then join the rows together... I might start tonight, so hopefully, I can finish tomorrow... oh yeah, I still have to make cornerstones for it - that won't take long.

Only two days left for this month and I'm not going to be working on my June UFO - what's left to do can wait until the next time it's number comes up, which, hopefully, won't be in July.

I'm going to work on the quilts until Sunday... then I'm going to put everything quilting related aside - at least in the daytime - while I take care of some things around here that need to be done ASAP.


Ok, that's it for tonight.  Hopefully tomorrow night I'll have another finished 'flimsy' to show :)

TTYL

What is lost must be found...

and I finally found it!!  Somehow it got underneath the plastic 'shoe box' that I keep my leftover bindings in.  Now it's back by my longarm (Mo'e) where it belongs.

This wouldn't have happened if I hadn't gotten the binding box out to sort through for smaller bits for the pineapple scrap quilt I'm working on.  I have 21 blocks done, but realize that I would really like to aim for 42 so that it will end up about 66" x 77"... Ok, I just went to Bonnie K. Hunter's website (www.quiltville.com)... the pattern will finish at 78.5"x 78.5" WITH sashing and borders  BUT only requires 36 blocks.  I'll go with that because I'm running low on scrap yellow fabrics that I can use for the centers and corners.

Before working on the Pineapple Blossom ( pineapple scrap quilt), I worked on the crazy mom quilts quilt a long... I'm not only caught up, I kinda jumped the gun and started assembling the blocks - that may not have been a good thing - we'll see when the new week's instructions come out.  I think I may have cut out cornerstone blocks that I don't need.

This doesn't sound like much, but it was... I actually accomplished a lot today and hope to get more done tomorrow.

Bedtime soon so

TTYL

Woo Hoo!!

I finally got the additional blocks done and attached to the charity quilt that was hanging on my design wall TOO LONG.  Backing has been pieced and binding made - now I just need to load it onto Mo'e.
Since I finished that, I went on to work on my other charity quilt that I'm doing as a quilt along with crazy mom quilts.  I did the string pieces a little differently than she did ( is doing); I use phone book pages for foundation piecing - it just works easier for me.  Tonight, I started trimming the string blocks from 5"x 9" roughly down to 4.5"x8.5" and took the green fabric that was left over from the previous charity quilt and it's backing to cut into 8.5" squares.. I need 12 total... got 4 of one fabric and 8 of the other.  Then I had to go digging for cornerstone fabric - ended up with blue and it's going to be several shades because I'm digging into my personal stash for the solids that I need.

Here's what I have so far... this is not the way they'll be when I'm done - I just wanted them up on the design wall where I could see them.

I have a feeling that there should be sashing between the blocks... I have to go back to her blog to check; I don't think they look right butted up to each other.

Ok, that's it for tonight... tomorrow, I'll probably trace the next block for my June UFO - only two left -- wheeee!!

TTYL

UFO and QAL updates

There's really not a lot to report... I've been working on both the UFO for this month ( Vintage Tin) and the QAL with crazymomquilts?
I didn't get the latest block for Vintage Tin traced out until Monday but I started right in on the embroidery and got a little bit done that night.  Tuesday night, I did a little more...

By the end of Wednesday night, I was able to say that it's half done.

Last night, I continued ...

and I only have this much left to do.

Hubby has an appointment with his cardiologist and then is scheduled for a CT scan this afternoon and I'm going to 'bite the bullet' ( I don't like taking things like this out of the house for fear of losing) and take it with me to work on while I wait.

Yesterday, I also finished the string blocks for the QAL.. infact, I have one extra.  I got all the papers removed from the backs but haven't started cutting the inner blocks because I wanted to add the two more blocks to the charity quilt that's hanging on my design wall first.

 Problem is, now I can't find the pattern!!!  I've started cleaning my sewing room in hopes that it will show up.. it can't have gone that far; I was just using it!

Hubby's yelling "ready to go?"  ( the appointment isn't until 1:15 and we don't need to leave for at least 10 minutes) so I guess I'd better end this now.

TTYL

Footnote:  It's now almost 11 pm... I finished the embroidery on the current block a few minutes ago... AND I found the MIA pattern.  After all the scouring and searching I did yesterday to no avail; today, I walk into the room this afternoon and there the pattern is - peaking out from underneath another pattern behind my sewing machine.  I started piecing, but had to quit when I realized that I'd given myself food poisoning this afternoon when I ate some REALLY OLD tortilla chips.

TTYL (again)

Finished!

Well, that block I've been working on is finished... I still have three to go.

Sometime between now and tomorrow night, I need to get the tracing done on the next block so that I can work on it while watching tv tomorrow night - not that I'm sure there's going to be anything on that I want to see... maybe Hallmark has a new release?

I went down to The Hen House today for the needed advice on my Amish with a Twist ll  BOM that I quit working on  I thought I had royally screwed up May's block.  Janice measured my blocks and they are fine ... a couple are a little off, but nothing that can't be fudged.  Whew!!   Now to find the time to get back to working on the remaining blocks and get the top together & quilted.  

I ALMOST made it out the door of THH without getting distracted by all the eye candy... ALMOST!  I slowed down by the sale display where the fabrics are reduced to $8 a yard and that was my mistake... I thought at first that I was safe and didn't see anything that 'spoke' to me, but then... this one didn't 'speak', it 'meowed'...

The colors are much brighter in person... anyway, I was going to buy 5 yds - enough for a backing if nothing else.  Well, there was only 6 yds left on the bolt and if I wanted to finish the bolt, I could get it for $6 a yard - well, who can't use an extra yard of fabric!  Especially when it's basically FREE...  

I have no idea what I will do with it... maybe I'll see what the repeat is - could be a OneBlockWonder if there's enough.

I can't remember if I told you that I sent my cousin's quilt off to her on Thursday... it arrived today, but I only know that because I had tracking on the package.  I'm dieing to hear SOMETHING from her.  Oh!... this is the quilt I'm talking about...

Most of the fabrics in the quilt are from the fabric stash that her late sister had accumulated before her death.  I did have to add some of my own here and there - mainly the background fabric and the backing.  I'm very proud of my quilting - Mo'e behaved himself very well while using Glide and MagnaGlide thread; they seem to make a very good team.  I really hated to part with this quilt once it was done... it was so pretty and snuggly ( 100% cotton batting by Hobbs).  I guess I'm going to have to get around and make myself one.  :)

Ok, time to fix some dinner here...

TTYL

The Power went out last night

so I wasn't able to blog before bedtime.  It was a pretty productive afternoon and evening.  In the afternoon, I quilted this

Just a basic large meander with Black Glide thread on top and Black MagnaGlide on the bottom.  Then it was on to binding and the label.  All in all, it took me about three hours ( the binding was already made and I grabbed a scrap of muslin for the label).

Then last night, before the power went out, I worked on the current Vintage Tin block.  Didn't quite finish it before the power went out - and didn't take a pic either... I'll do that tonight.

Tomorrow, it looks like I'll be working on a sample row for one of the local quilt shops Row by Row pattern.  I was in the shop today and she was telling me about having to change from one fabric supplier to another because she didn't have enough for the kits and to order from the one company would cost an outrageous amount.  Her mother suggested that she hire me to test the block instructions and make a sample out of the new fabrics;  I told her I'd be glad to do it - no pay necessary.  While there, I bought fabric for a future Christmas gift ( so I can't show you) and ordered a 32 oz bottle of MaryEllen's Best Press.  She had smaller bottles in stock, but they were the Linen scented and I prefer the Lavender.  I forgot to ask how long it will take to get it in.  :(  I'm pumping on fumes.

Ok, guess that's it for now... since I didn't sleep well last night due to thunderstorms, power outage, and a couple of wierd dreams, I think I'm going to go take a nap.

TTYL

Almost done

This is going a lot faster than I thought it would... I worked on it for two hours tonight while watching America's Got Talent and got quite a bit done.

Earlier today, I joined in with Amanda at http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2017/06/june-quilt-qal-week-2.html on this month's quilt a long.  I'm doing my strings a little differently because I used phone book pages so that I don't have to worry about the pieces curving.  Since I decided that I'd do the larger quilt, I need 100 strip blocks, which isn't as bad as it sounds - I whipped out 20 while listening to two movies this afternoon.   This will be another charity quilt and I think I'll be using the same green fabric that I used for the black, white & green one that I just finished ( well, it still needs to be quilted).

I've got LOTS of strings...

The top pic is strings that I plan on using next.  Behind them, you can kind of see the string blocks I've already made.  Bottom pic is the tub of strings that I have ... I have a feeling that I might be able to get at least one more string quilt out of it - I'd be fine if there wasn't, but another one won't hurt.

OK, bedtime for me

TTYL

Making progress

...slow but steady... the current block in progress is almost half done...

It's not a very good pic, but I was sitting down and didn't want to get up... I still have some tree folage to do towards the middle and then I can move on to the other half of the block.  That diagonal line running from lower right to upper left with a wavy line at the end is basting stitches that I'm cutting as they get in the way of my stitching.  You'll see some in the upper left corner, too... I clipped in between the two lines so that I could work on the tree and some of the foliage behind the barbecue building.

That's it, though... no other 'quilting' today.  Maybe I'll go clean up and run Mo'e tomorrow... or maybe not :).

TTYL

Little bit here, little bit there

While back to working on my Bonnie K. Hunter pineapple blocks, ( fuzzy pic and on point because I was too lazy to take one out and turn it)  got 5 more done for a total of 16 out of 30.

 I realized that I was cutting off some strips that would work in a log cabin... so, off I went to the World Wide Web and did a search for paper pieced 6" log cabin 'patterns'.  Of course, I found one ( not sure it's 6" but it will do) and immediately started working on one.

And in the process of all this sewing and cutting, I grabbed the pile of 2" squares that were under my acrylic table extension for my sewing machine for whatever reason and guess what I found....

Yep, the MIA tube of E6000... of course, I had quit looking and stopped at Walmart Thursday night to buy one of the cheapest super glues I could find - AND  I used it last night to glue the broken part of my vacuum cleaner ( tested it this morning and it's holding).

After I got home Thursday night, I started working on the latest piece of my June UFO challenge... worked on it again last night while watching tv.  This is what I have done so far.

I did just the front of the truck Thurs. night and did the building last night -  I just need to do the Barbecue sign on the roof and that part will be done... also have the back of the truck to do, too.... should be able to get both done while watching tv shows tomorrow night.  At this rate, it's going to take me a couple weeks to finish the entire piece... maybe I'll have to work on a little bit each night instead of just the nights that I know there are shows on that I want to watch.  If I don't, I'll still be doing the embroidery part when it comes to month two (which is my number 7) and I'll need a third month for the piecing and quilting.

Oh!  Speaking of quilting... I loaded a quilt yesterday - haven't started on it yet; just loaded - might work on it tomorrow... if all goes well, it should be just a one day job - large meandering.  This is the one I mentioned in an earlier blog... Lots of Dots #2 was what I was calling it because I couldn't remember it's real name... Bright Scrappy Throw.

Ok, off to play a few games before I call it a night

TTYL

Even shorter but just as sweet - well that was my intention

I just finished tracing the next block ( Barbecue) for my June UFO Challenge.  Guild meeting tonight so I doubt that I'll start the embroidery right away.  MAYBE tomorrow night.  This is a big one.... 30
x 15".. which will get trimmed down afterwards.  I'm just hoping that I didn't get the drawing/tracing too close to the left edge... I matched middles... guess I shouldn't have :(.  We'll see how it works out.  Wish me luck!

Still on a quest to find my tube of E6000; I've been looking for it for a couple of weeks now.. I need it to fix the hose on our vacuum cleaner and I don't want to go buy a new tube when I know that I have at least 1/2 a tube here SOMEPLACE.  The last time I used it was to make the grandkids ornaments ( did I mention this before?) last Nov/Dec.. I found the leftovers from that project - just not the glue.  I'm being kind of stubborn about it - I really want to find it without having to go buy a new tube first.  Obviously I don't use it that often; I can't remember when I bought it but would almost guess it was in the last century.  I already crawled under my sewing table to see if maybe Mr. Prissy knocked it down along with all the other stuff he moved to make room for himself and I crawled under the table that's in front of the fireplace in the family room ( that table is holding patterns and quilting 'stuff' and under it are the bins with my UFO's or I Want To Do's).  Some 'stuff' had fallen, but none of it was the glue.  I cleaned off my desk - well, I took the large pile of papers ( receipts for bills, dr reports, insurance 'stuff') and tossed them in a laundry basket to be sorted and dealt with at a later date ( like when I need the basket for laundry lol).  I guess I'll have to spend this weekend - and maybe a few more days after that - doing some serious cleaning.... or maybe I'll go buy a new tube of glue LOL.

Time to fix dinner before guild meeting...

TTYL

Short and Sweet

After finishing the current block for this month's UFO project, I opened the bin that houses all the fabrics and pattern for the project.  Counted the finished blocks... 1 2 3 4 5 oops!  5 was not completed... infact, it had a note pinned to it instructing me to do it over again.  There were/are some mistakes from when I was trying to trace it and apparently something moved and I ended up with lines that I shouldnt have.  I looked it over and decided "20-20 rule" applies ( if you can't see it from 20 feet away while riding a horse 20 mph, it's good).  So, tonight I finished the embroidery on block 5 and NOW I have 6 completed blocks.

Here's #5

and that is all that I accomplished today, which is ok.  I also went and got some groceries, postage stamps and hubby's phone 'fixed'.

Past my bedtime 

TTYL

Making progress

Done! and ready to quilt as soon as I get backing for it.  It's hard to tell what the black & white print is, so here's a close up...

I'm still thinking about coloring a random cat or two or more.  Tonight, while experimenting with my newer gel pens and Crayola Washable Markers, I got to thinking... what if I used one of those gel pens to color the cats.  When the quilt is warm, the colors won't show, but when the quilt is exposed to cold, the colors will reappear... ok, maybe not all of them should be colored this way... but maybe some.  I'll have to play around with some scraps before I can decide.


Ok, I'm back...I took about an hour and a half break from blogging to finish this up... two projects finished in one day... YAY!!  Well, the projects aren't completely finished, but I'm a step closer to finishing each one.

This is part of my June UFO challenge... the top 'license plate' was already done, but I've done the bottom in the past week while watching my tv programs.  Now I THINK I've got all the small blocks done - which leaves me with four large ones to trace, baste to muslin and then embroider.  I think the tracing takes the longest.. not my favorite thing.

Ok time to call it a night in blogland.  I'm off to catch up on a couple of games of Words with Friends with my niece and her oldest daughter.. and maybe one of my fb quilting acquaintances.

TTYL

One done... three to go... maybe

This certainly doesn't show up very well.... of course, all the 'stuff' behind it doesn't help.  It takes a while to get everything together, but once you do, it goes pretty fast.  I just have to sew the four outside edges onto the remaining three block centers and then I can put them all together into one quilt top.  I'm thinking about maybe coloring in a cat here and there - just to add a bit of POP.  We'll see after I get it all together and after I decide whether I should add another two blocks to make it longer or not - I probably will.  At this size, it'll only be good for laps or for babies... I'd like whoever receives to have the option of using it on an older child's bed.

And that's all I've done quilting wise today.... the dr's visit went GREAT... I've lost a couple of pounds... but more importantly, my total cholesterol is down about thirty points - I'm just barely over 200 now.  Doing the happy dance!

TTYL

Five days? Oh my!

It doesn't seem like it's been five days since I posted last, but that's what the calendar says and who am I to argue...

We received our new UFO numbers on the morning of June 1st, although, for some reason, I had trouble getting it.  Anyway, it's number 10 - one that I was kind of dreading as it's the embroidery part of my Vintage Tin quilt.  There are several blocks in it and I have most of the smaller ones done, which leaves me with four larger ones.  Last night, I worked on the current block for about three hours while watching my Sunday night tv program(s).

Whatever is done on the bottom 'license plate' is what I did last night.  I don't know if there's anything to watch/listen to tonight or not, but I know I'll be working away on this tomorrow night while watching America's Got Talent.

Also released on the first of the month was the new Caught Ya! BOM pattern... I wasn't going to let that 'collect dust'... Got it done right away.

I'm really beginning to hate those hooks... they can be so boring to applique' down.  The back hook on the bottom block is splotchy - supposed to be solid black like the rest... I had a problem with the glue that I was using to temporarily hold the pieces to the background while I stitched them down; it should wash away.  

Yesterday, I decided that since I'm going to be doing hand work on my UFO challenge this month, I needed something else on Mo'e and I pulled this out - the only top I have left that isn't on the UFO list and I pieced up the backing and even made the binding strips... I just need to load them on :)

I can't remember the name of the pattern; I'm just calling it "Lots of Dots 2" because it's the same pattern that I used to make my couch/nap quilt that is used almost daily.

I also started a new quilt top yesterday and it looks like it's going to be a quick one... only four large blocks, although I think I might add two more to make it longer.  Right now it's only supposed to measure something like 52" x 52"... if I add the two more, it will be closer to large lap/ twin size.   I still need to find backing for it, though.  It's a charity quilt made from fabrics that Dee had in her stash when she passed away and one that I've had on my 'to do' list for several months - well, my first choice of the black & white fabric had to be substituted with a second one since I was just a couple of inches short of having enough - but that's ok :).  The guild's sew-in is this weekend so I'll go down to see what's in the charity quilt fabric stash that Gloria has - I'm sure there's something in there that will work for backing.

The green isn't showing up as bright as it really is, but you get the idea and I'm sure once it's done and I get a pic of it outdoors, you'll be able to see it better. 

 That being said...  I think I've caught you all up on what I've been doing in the past five days and since I have a dr's appointment this afternoon, I'm going to head into my sewing room to see what I can get done on this quilt this morning.

ok TTYL :)