Chicken Buffet blocks Done

Well, almost done... I finished doing the applique'... now I just need to add the names to each block and trim each block down ( I cut them bigger than needed just incase).
Here are the last three...

and here's my first attempt at adding a block name...  

It's kind of hard to read, but this is the best that I came up with.  I had to figure this out because I didn't use the fabrics recommended in the pattern ( 4 batik blocks sewn together into a block) which were lighter colored and the letter stitching might have shown up better.  It would help, too, if I could get the machine to stitch bigger, but it doesn't and I just have to deal with it.  Also, I'm sure that at some point I had figured out how to do more than one word, but I can't remember how and I'm not finding it in the instruction book - so my words are running together with only a capital letter to distinguish when the second word starts.  And this might not work when I get to longer names... like Chicken Chow Mein or Chicken Cacciatore.  Tomorrow, I think I'll try using a bright green thread to see how that works... I only tried yellow and red knowing that most of my other threads just wouldn't stand out against the black background.

The next step will be to decide what to use for sashing... again, I won't be able to go by pattern directions.  I do have some black fabric that has like 'fireworks' of bright colors shooting all over it - I think I'll get that out and see how it looks with the chickens.  It doesn't 'sound' good, but it just might work.

Ok, and before I forget... I got my fabric postcard from the exchange  that was hosted by Elm Street Quilts.  I tried taking a photo of it earlier but it was too dark... 

 Well, the color didn't pick up very well .. they are actually bright beautiful blues and yellows

Ok, now I've never tried hashtagging before so I'm not sure this is going to work....

#krislovesfabric

and if it doesn't work, I'm going to try this, too.... http://krislovesfabric.blogspot.com

                                                Thank you, Kris... I LOVE it :)  btw do you know that we're almost neighbors??  only about two hours away :)

Now, I've got to get mine out in the mail... Oh, and tomorrow is a new month so new Rainbow Scrap Challenge color will be announced and the next block for the Gnomes for the Holidays will be released, too.  Time to get busy ... lol

TTYL

OOPSIE DAISY

As I finished this block today

I counted my remaining background blocks and counted four;  I counted the pattern pages I had left and only counted three... what the heck!?!?  Did I cut too many backgrounds or did I miss a pattern page?  I started turning pages from the above block's page back towards the first block... did that one, and that one, and that one, and .... OOPS!  Here's the one I somehow passed over.

It's done now... need to add jewels to the crown, but that will wait until quilting is done.

It was afternoon by the time I finished the second block... too late for a nap and too early for dinner ... so I started another project ( I could have worked on the next Chicken Buffet block, but I didn't)...

I worked on this instead... I've been wanting to do it, but was a little nervous - actually more than a little nervous - the kit was expensive and I didn't want to screw it up.

Three cheers!!  It wasn't as hard as I was afraid it was going to be - I didn't need to be exactly perfect in each step; there was room to 'fudge' if needed ( and I needed).

and here it is!  My own personal tuffet pincushion.  I LOVE IT!!

I'm still waiting for the E6000 to dry so I can make sure that everything is going to stay where I want it to ( we're talking about the gathered fabric) before I cut the ends of the string.  

I could probably paint the legs.. and I might just do that.  They're not glued in - yet - so it shouldn't take too much to take them back out, paint them & put them back in ( with glue this time).

Tomorrow, I go back for a follow up at the pain clinic - maybe they'll see how bad my left leg is and move my treatment appointment up to a sooner date.  One can hope :)

After my appointment, I'm stopping at friend Vicki's to get a look at the UFO's that she collected from Annette's condo when Annette had to go to assisted living & give up the condo.  She said some are tops just waiting to be quilted - which I can do, and there are supposed to be some projects that she started but didn't quite finish; I'm hoping to get some guild members to sign up to finish them up so they can be donated as a charity 'gift'.

Guess that's all for today...

TTYL

Saturday & Sunday

There wasn't a lot of sewing going on yesterday since we took the trip to Kzoo... what should have been a couple of hours ended up being much longer because we couldn't find a way to get to my brother in law's home because of barricades due to flooding.  After 1/2 an hour of trying every way we could think of and that my bil could figure out, we ended up pulling over into the parking lot of a donut shop and waited for my husband's niece to come guide us.  Because it took so long, she didn't have time to stay and visit with us and I was disappointed about that but understood.  Bil had to guide us back out of town, too - even then, we almost got lost again because he told me to take the u turn ( Michigan left) and go straight when he turned... luckily, we figured it out pretty quick.  Hubby having dementia didn't help any, trust me.  The Kzoo he grew up in isn't the same one that we were in yesterday.

Once we got back home and had a light dinner, I managed to get some sewing done.  Just one block of the Chicken Buffet - but better than none.

These are so much fun - I think I'm going to miss doing them when I get to the end - only five more to go.

At the last guild meeting, Judy gave me a bag of fabrics that she said was big pieces - like yardage - and that there wasn't anything she had to go with them.  I started going through them today and found great fabrics right off.  There are some gorgeous pinks in yardage, and some in fat quarter to half yard size.  I decided to get right to work on them... grabbing the pieces that were 1/2 yd or less.  Forty 9 patch blocks later....

I think I'm going to set them on point and use some of  the other pink yardage for triangles.  There are a couple of pretty pink flower prints that I think would be cute with these.  Not sure how big this is going to end up, I'm really hoping for something bigger than a baby quilt, but we'll have to wait and see - I might have enough pink here to do borders to make it bigger.  Of course, all of this involves math which I'm lousy at.  :(

This week, I hope to get my footstool pincushion done... I haven't even started - just read the instructions a couple of times; I haven't even decided on colors to use.  Not sure what else I'll do - what I SHOULD do is get another quilt loaded onto Mo'e - I still have a few tops waiting their turn.

TTYL

Friday night catch up

I haven't blogged in a couple of days because there wasn't a whole lot to 'talk' about.  Wednesday was grocery shopping/pay bills day so there wasn't much of anything else accomplished that day. 

Yesterday, I started working on the postcard for the exchange I signed up for at http://www.elmstreetquilts.com.  Once we signed up, we were matched up with someone else in either our country or a foreign country according to our choice.  We also had to give a 'key' word.  I can't remember what I gave, but I'd guess it would be 'sunshine'; the person who's name I got gave the 'key' word of Happy.  I can't tell anything else about my 'partner' until after March 17.  I can show the card I made, though :)

The snowman was cut out of fabric and was adhered to fusible.  Once I machine stitched the 'snow piles' and wind, I fused him on then outline stitched him with black while adding his arms.  The scarf was just drawn on.

On the Spring side, the bumble bee body was cut out of yellow fabric, his head was drawn on with pen.. the wings were made with Angelina fibers.. then the wings and head were outlined with black thread stitching and I scribbled in the black parts of the body; the lady bug was done pretty much the same way.  I drew the flower stem and leaves with pen and then stitched like I did the snowman and also the sun.  Oh, and the flower was a button that I cut the shank off from - and I close zigzag stitched around the edges twice.  Silly me ended up having to glue the card back on after doing the edges.... will have to remember to use fabric next time ( I used card stock this time).

To use the 'key' word "Happy", I wrote on the other side of the post card... I'm Happy that winter is almost over and that Spring is almost here. 

After I finished that, I got started ( finally) on my first BOM for the Gnome for the Holidays.  I already had the fusible pieces cut out so only needed to fuse them onto the background and then stitched down.  I had thought I could work on it some after guild meeting last night, but when I stopped at Walmart to get cat food on the way home, I hurt my knee ( just walking) and didn't feel like doing much of anything when I did get home.

This morning, my knee was still hurting, but I had put a soft brace on it last night so it was feeling a little better ( key word little).  Since I couldn't do much that would require standing or walking, I decided it was a good time to get caught up on the Gnome block and whatever else was close to my machine.

Needs pressing, but it's done - and I like it.

I don't know what's going on but I'm having trouble loading the next photo... blogger keeps wanting to post up way up at the beginning of today's blog.

There!  Finally!  Block 5 out of 12

and Block 6 -- halfway there!

Tomorrow, we're going to go over to Kalamazoo to visit with his brother & sister in law and pick up Girl Scout cookies from his niece's younger daughter.    I bought us each a box last weekend, but just about everyone knows that one box is not enough.  I ordered two for him and two for myself from the great niece, but told her mom tonight that if I can get another four more boxes (two more for each of us), I'd love it.  

If we get home in time and I'm feeling up to it, I'll try and get another Chicken Buffet block or two done.  As long as my knee is feeling this way, I'm not going to even attempt working with Mo'e.

TTYL

Just a quick note

I was busy today... started and finished two blocks for Chicken Buffet...

and traced several more blocks onto the paper back fusible.

I also finally got started on the first BOM of the Gnomes for Christmas... gnomes and trees are cut out and ready to apply to a background.... as soon as I find something I want to use for it.  Looks like I'll have to break down and buy some... I'm thinking an off white or solid cream; I have some- just not enough.  No pics yet either... will take one once I actually get a block completed.

That's it...
TTYL

Frustration Quilt Completed!

After I called Gall this morning and found out that neither the manager nor head service tech were in today, I left a message but then went to working on Mo'e myself to see what I could find.
 First, I did some practice stitching.... that's when this happened....

 So, I started taking bits and pieces off from him... and trying to turn the flywheel while looking under the needle.  The first thing I noticed was that the needle was bent - AGAIN -... took it out, took the foot off, took the plate off... oh wait... took the plate off first - that's when I saw that the needle was hitting the bobbin 'hook'.  THEN I took the needle out and the foot off.  Kept turning the flywheel - saw a tiny bit of thread but then lost sight of it.  Got hubby to turn the flywheel so that I could focus on the bobbin hook... and finally found THIS

I got that little bugger out, reinstalled everything and tested Mo'e again... this time with no problem.  I tried several stitches - circles, loops, straight stitch... it's all fine now.   Called Cindy at Gall's back and told her that we ( hubby and I) fixed the problem. 

I went back into my sewing room and finished putting the binding and label onto the 'frustration' quilt and corrected a few of Mo'e's mistakes with my domestic...  It's a charity quilt, I don't care that it's not perfect... it will still help keep someone warm.

But I didn't do any more on Mo'e today - back and legs were bothering me  this afternoon and I had a bit of a sinus headache ( it's raining here) so I just took a nap and generally did nothing until after dinner tonight.

Then I went into my sewing room and 'whipped' this up....

This is the second of twelve and I think they're coming out so stinkin' cute!  

and that's it for tonight....

take care and I'll cya later :)

My frustration quilt

before quilting

I originally pieced this quilt back in Sept, but I didn't square up the blocks and so, when I got to the last block on the last row, it was smaller than the rest... significantly smaller.  I started tearing it apart to resize the blocks... and the rows sat there waiting for me to finish taking them apart until Friday night.

I took them to the Saturday sew in at the library and squared them up ( trimming off quite a bit because at this point in time, I just wanted them done).  After getting them squared up, I managed to get the blocks back into rows and the rows into a quilt top.  The lattice doesn't match up, but, like I said, I just wanted to get it done.

Today, I loaded it onto Mo'e and started quilting.... not sure what happened but let's just say this was the most frustrated I've been in a long time... I broke a needle, then bent two more needles before breaking another needle.  The Glide thread that I've come to love and rely on was shredding somewhere on top .... I cleaned, I adjusted needles, I switched cones of thread, checked the thread path... found a small piece of thread in the bobbin case and thought that was the problem, .... nope, found the tip of one of the needles - probably the second one that broke and thought that might have been the problem... nope, the only other thing I can think of is that I loosened the tension on the bobbin so that the bobbin stands upright in my palm - which is looser than the tech guy set it at when he was here on Friday.

I finally managed to get the quilting done, but have noticed a couple of spots where I'll have to re-stitch because of 'loose' stitches.  The binding is part way on - I was just too tired to continue on and I thought there would be movie or Alaskan the last frontier episode coming on at 9.

I will be calling Gall's tomorrow morning... something's not right and I need it fixed NOW. 

Wish me luck!

TTFN

One top finished - another one started

After I posted last night, I went back into the sewing room and decided to make another puppy block... a smaller size than the one I did last month.  I probably shouldn't have even started it last night considering it was late ( 10 pm); first 'oops' was cutting white for the background... that's not what I used on last month's block.  Oh well, this will be one of those "one of these blocks is not like the others" blocks.  I had a little trouble getting the block together... sewing wrong block on wrong place.. edges not matching up.. etc etc...  Two hours later... he was done.

Today, I hadn't planned on doing any sewing - I wanted to get some housework done in prep for service call tomorrow.  Well, I certainly can't be expected to do housework as soon as I get up... I mean, I need breakfast and to take my meds and, more time for my body to actually wake up ( brain needs more time, too).  Anyway, I grabbed a bin/tub that had a couple of related projects that I've been wanting to do for a LONG time....
 Here's the first block completed except for his/her eyes.  Those leaves on the carrots and celery about drove me nutz... so TINY... no way was I going to try and buttonhole stitch them... I just used a tiny straight stitch - not perfect but pretty darned close considering.

One done and Eleven to go

And I STILL haven't started on my Gnomes for the Holidays BOM.  At the rate I'm going, March's block will be here before I do get going on them.  Part of my 'hold up' is that I haven't decided on what colors I'm going to use - for the background and for the gnomes.  I had thought sky blue background, but decided that wasn't what I really wanted.  I guess I need to figure out background before I try and decide on the trees & gnomes.  I saw where one person used a blue print for her trees - it looked really sharp!  

Got sidetracked here by a phone call .... bedtime

TTYL

Happy Valentine's Day

Hubby and I 'celebrated' with Pizza Hut home delivery.  I was pretty tired from sewing most of the day and decided that I didn't feel like getting cleaned up to go out to eat and I didn't get up in time this morning to get the ribs in the slow cooker like I had planned to do so having pizza delivered sounded like a win-win for me.

I started a new quilt top yesterday... these are two of the first blocks to be finished.

There were twelve more waiting for me when I finally got up this morning ( it was a little after 9 so not all THAT late).

About the time that I finished the appliquing, my phone rang.... it's Wednesday - my friend, Marnie, USUALLY calls me on Wednesdays. - yep, it was her.  So I chatted with her while I stitched away assembling blocks together.

There was a little bit of confusion and grumblin' because I thought there was one more extra block that I expected - the directions called for 35 blocks, but since I was cutting two layers at a time, I ended up with 36. -  Once I look at the pattern layout again, I realized what was going on.... I did only have the one extra block.

I think this is about the time that we got off the phone so that I could concentrate on what I was doing.

Flight Pattern...designed by Debbie Grifka  www.eschhousequilts.com

A little 'unsmooth' but it's hanging over a lot of things - like a ladder, one end of the freezer, a bookshelf, stuff stacked on the top of the bookshelf... and other quilt tops in progress on the design wall.

Marnie wants me to put eyes on the birds -she also wants me to finish it and ship it to her... lol.... neither one is going to happen.

I'm kind of proud of this project... it was something I've wanted to do for a couple of years but never gave it any priority on my list(s).  When the blue fabric that was purchased for the Beach ball dresden plate was put aside because I realized that I didn't like that pattern, aha!  It will work for the Flight Pattern quilt.  The birds and faux piping were made from scraps... admittedly the off white was a rather large scrap, but it was left from another project so it was technically a scrap.  I'm going to TRY and find something in my stash for the backing.  I already have blue Glide thread but will have to use either my black or cream - or white magna glides.  I was willing to purchase magna glides in a color to match the blue I have on the spool, but my favorite supplier doesn't carry it.   That's ok... no need to spend money then, right?

That was it for me today ( and yesterday).  Tomorrow, it's housework so that I can go play with the guild gals at the sew-in Friday morning and come home after lunch to be here when the service guy gets here to take care of Mo'e.

TTYL

Busy morning

The new scrap bins are in their new home.... they joined the 'old' bins some of which need to be sorted through to weed out actual scraps from the smaller amounts of 'yardage' ( like 1/3 of a yard as an example).

But now I have to sort through the fabrics that were stashed on that top shelf and find them new homes.  Two of them were used today... one completely but only a part of the second one.

The pink print was used up... the pink with ladybugs still has a couple pieces left to use on one or two more doll quilts.  It's kind of a fun way to weed out some odds and ends of 'aged' fabrics and bits & pieces of leftover batting.  The quilting on the ladybug doll quilt took F O R E V E R and two full bobbins of thread ... forever meaning about an hour.  Who knew something so small would take so long?  It's not like I was snail sewing; that's so not me!  I had 'the pedal to the medal' for most of the time... actually, I unplugged the pedal and let 'Marie' go for it and did end up slowing her down a little bit - my arms couldn't keep up with her speed. 

Spent part of the rest of this afternoon doing  laundry :(.... sigh... stinky, boring job but someone's gotta do it and I don't trust hubby to run the washer or dryer ( kind of like he doesn't trust himself to run the dishwasher).

Getting anxious to start new projects... have TWO on my mind.... but still need to clear some more room... still have bits & pieces of batting and some charm square packets that need to be wrangled/corralled to some place than right under my feet ( or elbows).

Ok, got laundry to fold... oh boy!...

TTYL

Sorta slow Sunday

Not a lot was accomplished today; just one of 'those' days.

I did load and quilt this this morning...

took me the time it takes to play two cds.  Then, about as much time trimming and adding label & binding.  I found a couple tiny 'oopsies' but nothing that would ban me from AQS for the remainder of my lifetime.  OH yeah, it's a charity quilt that I tried hard NOT to do as 'custom' so there's lots of meandering and I also used rulers to make baseballs, marbles, a golf ball, basketballs, footballs and a golf club along with the meandering.


After finishing, I found that the backing fabric that I trimmed off was enough to use as backing on that doll quilt top that I had to leave as just a top last night... and there was even enough for the binding.

Theme wise, they don't really go together but purple/lavender, green and yellow all go together so it works for me.

Oh yeah, and AFTER I had finished the two projects, I found these....

strips that I had cut and set aside to use for the binding on the charity quilt.  Oh well...  I'll stick them in the bin with other 2.5" strips that will eventually go together as a 1600 quilt.  It's apt to be one UGLY quilt, but it will keep someone warm/cozy and, hopefully, the backing will be more pleasing to the eye.  :)

Still trying to clear off that top shelf in my sewing room closet... I think the next thing to work on to use up some of that fabric is to do Edyta Sitar's Mountain Top.  I've done one before but it was eventually sent to my younger daughter who lives in Wyoming ( the state, not the city) as a Christmas gift.  It's not set in stone - but I have to decide on something SOON.  I'm tired of tripping over those new scrap bins and my sewing room is getting VERY claustrophobic!!

Oh (again)... and I'm trying my first ever Paczki.  I've heard and wondered about them for years... when I made a pre-storm run to Walmart this afternoon, there was a display of them right there calling to me... Buy Me!  Take me home with you!.. A 1/2 dozen raspberry filled ones is what I decided we'd try.  I'd take a pic but my phone/camera is across the room and I don't feel like getting up to go get it ( back pain again today :( ).   Too late now - I ate the WHOLE THING.  lol   It was good... like a bismark without icing on top.

The service tech is coming on Friday to work on Mo'e... yay!

Now I'm just rambling... 

TTYL

It's Quicky time again

It's after 11 pm and Buddy is whining that it's bedtime so this is going to be quick, short and sweet.... I started and finished 4 doll quilts today and started and completed another top for a doll quilt.

Here's two with part of the top one turned over so that you can see the backing - blue & white seersucker.

Here's number 3

Actually, this was the first one I did today

and here's the completed top.. waiting for backing.

This pretty much cleans out my 'collection' of baby themed fabrics along with some precuts blocks that were just annoying me.

TTYL

Friday Finishes

 These two were finished yesterday but it was too cloudy/dark by the time I needed hubby to hold them up for pics - had to wait until today.

This doll quilt and matching pillow were a printed panel set that I found in one of my scrap bins.  I had to provide a backing for the quilt - just used a fat quarter of a nice muslin.  I'm still looking for my fiberfill stuffing for the pillow... I KNOW I just saw it recently...just don't remember where.

I stitched these up this afternoon after I finished this quilt....

My Fractured Rectangles

After making the doll quilt & pillow, I decided that I really needed to clean out my batting scrap stash... lots and LOTS of scraps... some from quilts I've done and some that were donated to me by other quilters ( most probably only my cousin, Cathy).  Earlier, I had my choice for batting on the Fractured Rectangle quilt... either cut about 20" off from one side of a twin size batt ( and I only have two left) or take scraps and piece them together - which is what I did and when I realized that I really need to get rid of the skinny pieces.  I mean, some weren't even an inch wide - so why was I keeping them.    And there was a large plastic bag of odds & ends of strips - like the super skinny and some wider but maybe wonky... that's in the trash pile but I'm second guessing myself and wondering if it can be used for something else.  I don't think I kept any that wasn't wide enough or in good enough shape to use on a swiffer.  I thought about chopping some up and stuffing that doll pillow with it, but I don't want to chop anything THAT small and I think it would still be lumpy - I don't want that!

Oh well, I'll figure it out - but if anyone has any ideas what to do with it, please speak up and SOON - before hubby takes the bag and puts it in the dumpster.

Have another quilt top ready to load onto Mo'e...

can't remember the name of the pattern, but it used up a charm pack that I'd had wayyyy too long.  And I'm able to use up some of the golf print (that I bought too much of for a project a couple years ago) for the backing and probably the binding, too.

Not sure I'll get it loaded yet tonight, but should be able to tomorrow morning and it shouldn't take long to quilt - I just want to do an edge to edge ( something I find easy to say but usually not as easy to do - I like custom lol).

I got sidetracked when I went to take pics of the quilt top and the backing fabric.... and I loaded the backing fabric onto Mo'e... now, all I need is to add the batting - and decide on thread color.  I have a lot more choices for the top thread; only three colors of the magnaGlides... green or yellow would be nice for the backing but I don't have it.

Oh well, that's it for me tonight.... Buddy is growlin' for attention - or something.

TTYL

Oh.... and I linked up with crazymomquilts@blogspot.com for Finish It Up Friday

Guess that wasn't all for tonight after all.... I made these, too...

 Will give info on them in tomorrow's post... Buddy really wants to go to bed NOW. 

Another Quicky

It's been a long day and both Buddy and I are ready to hit the bed.  I finished two projects today and a third one should be done in the morning ( barring losing power from snowstorm).  Unfortunately, I didn't get pics of the two completed quilts...one is the 'tool' quilt that I finished quilting last week? but couldn't get to my work surface to trim it so that I could get the binding on.... and the second one was actually the first one finished today... Welcome to my World.. it's the one I started yesterday.  I did some of the quilting on Mo'e ( the LA) and some on Marie ( one of my domestic machines).  It's not prize winning, but I like it and I've entered it in our guild's quilt show next month.

Ok, trying to keep this short.... here's a couple of pics of the quilt I was working on tonight... only two rows left and then the border.  It's late and hubby has gone to bed ( on the other side of the wall from Mo'e) and I'm tired.  It can wait til morning.

I'm using Glide light gray ( looks more like silver) on top and magna Glide bobbin ( black).  I can see glimpses of black on top and silver on the bottom but it's so little that I think once the quilt is off the frame and maybe washed & dried, each thread will go back to the side it belongs on.  Like the Jamaicans say " No worries".

Stay safe and warm!
TTYL