Quick post

Since hubby has his procedure tomorrow, I know I won't get any quilting done let alone have anything to post so here's part of what I did today.

 I got to working on it this morning and had it hanging on our front door by noon. 

Then, I spent most of the next eight hours working on those tamale blocks...

All but the top five blocks are appliqued... the remaining will have to wait until probably Thursday and then I'll have to finish cutting the sashing strips before I can assemble the top.

take care...
ttyl....

Oh Glorious Monday

The weather is beautiful and not too cold... felt good to go outside, even if it was for my final post op check up on my eyes.  Just before I left for my appointment, I got a message that the lqs was having a sale... well, what better reward than to go take advantage of the sale and pick up some fabrics that I need to start/finish some more projects.... I bought four yards ( which I thought would be enough) for my oldest Wyoming grandson's quilt  (scrappy stars) and another four yards for the background of his younger brother's ( skateboards) along with another four yards of another fabric 'just because I liked it'... it's a dark gray with some movement to it.  Then I headed over to the batiks to get the yellow and dark green that I need for this cute turtle quilt I'll be making.

After I stopped at Walmart to pick up a couple of things - like new, smaller belt for hubby and some liquid he has to drink either tomorrow night or Wednesday before his procedure, then I had to stop at the credit union to get my new debit card activated - I'd tried it myself over the weekend but gave the wrong numbers when prompted.

Got home and realized that I need another 3/4 of yard for the older Wyoming grandson's quilt... at $5 a yard, I figured it would be smart to go ahead and buy two yards - just in case.

Ok, over the weekend, I finished cutting out and fusing down the flowers...

 But I just didn't feel like sewing yesterday... so I started cutting the sashing that goes around each block... and then, while I still had some scrap fabrics out, I decided to start on these placemats....  which went pretty quickly.  They are ready to lay out and press onto background fabric (that I already have) and then I can stitch them down at the same time I'm doing the flowers.  I thought that I might make a couple of sets of them and donate one set to the church for their fall bazaar.  We'll have to see, though, because I'm trying to stick to what I already have in fabrics/battings.... I could POSSIBLY run out of one or the other before I can get a second set done.  It could happen.... well, I could run out of what I'd want to use for the hats and scarves.

 And then there's this....  I still have the red snowflake banner hanging on our front door and want/need to replace it with something... this isn't all that big and shouldn't take a whole lot of time to do.  I just need to get at it.

And amidst all this quilting 'stuff', I've been slightly bitten by the Spring Cleaning Bug... who let it in my house!?!?!?  I can't say I've done a whole lot, but some stuff is getting done... including putting a coat rack together so that I could hang my quilt tops, etc while they are waiting to be quilted... no, don't ask me how many!  Just accept that there's more than one and less than fifty. 

Ok, I guess I'd better get to doing SOMETHING... 

take care....

ttyl.....

Friday Finish Up ....

Well, actually, the finish was yesterday...

This photo will be as good as it gets because the quilt top is HUGE... it would take two tall people to hold it up so that I could take a better photo.  I haven't measured it since adding the borders on... I'm going to guess it's close to 100" x 100".  It was supposed to finish at 98" x 107" but I eliminated a couple of strips that would have made it longer and doing that should have made it more square... it might be 98" x 98" - that's close to 100"... close enough for me anyway.

Today, I pulled out a fairly new UFO... I was working on it here and there so it was actually a WIP (work in progress) that hadn't seen daylight this year.

This is the pattern....

and these are the seven that I already had done....

I sat down and traced onto paperback fusible web then rough cut them out both outside and inside the traced lines ( I don't think I cut out the insides on the first seven; they're stiff).

Used only from my scraps... there might be a small dent in the bin now lol.  Hope to finish cutting the pieces out and get them fused onto their backgrounds this weekend, then I'll machine stitch them down when I get a chance this coming week - with dr. appt. for me on Monday and medical procedure for hubby on Wednesday, it might take up next week, too.  We'll see.

Feels good to see bins getting emptied out (or in the case of this project, a pizza box - whatever works).  

Ok, back to cutting until bedtime...

take care....

ttyl....

Monday - a day or two later

I wasn't going to post until today when I was planning on reporting another quilt top finish... but it didn't happen.  I'm close, but today was grocery shopping day and it was raining which just made my knees feel even worse.  I did a little bit of stitching before we went to get groceries, but all I did was add  cornerstones to one end of two different border strips.

Here is as far as I've gotten -- oh wait!  that doesn't show the inner border that I added... I guess I didn't take another pic after sewing that on.

Can you see the 'piano keys' in the upper and lower borders? Yeah, well, I'm not doing them... I like the quilt just the way it is and so I'm not adding them nor the second magenta border that frames them in.  It will make the quilt a little shorter, but that's fine... It's supposed to finish at 98" x 107" I think... if it finishes up square, I'll be happy.  

I need to order thread and prewound bobbins but I want to decide on a backing first so that I'll know what color I need for the bobbins... right now, my plan is Glide Blueberry for the top, but I don't think there's a Blueberry bobbin so I'll have to figure out something else... maybe Navy or even Black.

Since the pattern is called Amish With A Twist, I seriously considered getting a REALLY bright print thinking that could be the "twist" but now, I don't know.  I do know that hubby really likes this one so it won't be leaving our house.

Car has to go in for oil change tomorrow afternoon - maybe I can get the borders on before I go.  Am starting to 'itch' to work on something new(er).  A guild friend cut out a bazillion pieces for a dresden plate quilt then decided that she didn't want to do it and offered it up... well, I LIKE dresden plates so I grabbed it... I pulled the 'kit' out of my fabric stash room the other day and am seriously considering doing it next.

Ok... starting to ramble...

take care....

ttyl ....

Monday - a few hours early

Since hubby has an appointment for a stress test that will likely take all afternoon, there won't be any time for sewing - except for hand stitching MAYBE.

At our guild's quilt show yesterday, I took hand sewing to do... those bright colored kitty cat mug rugs that I was adding big stitches to.  Got most of them done, but forgot to make sure I had all the floss I needed - and so I couldn't finish the rest of the blocks.  Oh well, that leaves me something to do tomorrow afternoon.

Today, I was determined to get as much done of the Amish with a Twist III blocks as I could; I'd really like to get the top done this month... and I might just make it - because...

here are blocks the months of 6-9 :)

The only thing left is block 10, which is finishing... but first, I want to go back and look at previous months because I'm not seeing a pattern for the applique' flowers that are an option for the mid sections of the quilt.  I may not want to do them, but I want to check things out just in case I do.

that's it for tonight....  I'm beat!  Those three blocks were a lot of mental work and my brain is tired lol

take care...

ttyl.... maybe Wed. :)

Short and Sweet

I pulled out the Amish with a Twist tote/tub... and found out that this is #3 apparently -when all this time I thought it was #2.  Oh well,  I can't always be perfect  lol

  I found that I only had 4 blocks and then the final BOM, which is the finishing, binding, etc.

This is month 6 and I was tickled at how easily it came together... I have points everywhere there is supposed to be points!!... 16.5" square - or it's supposed to be... I didn't measure.. why press my luck?

Dang!  I just noticed the center... I guess I'd better go back and double check that I did it right.... brb....

Ok I'm back... and I did it right WHEW!!

Tomorrow is the funeral for my quilting friend, Annette, so I don't know if I'll get any sewing done or not... then Saturday is the guild quilt show and sew in at the library and I'm going but only taking handwork.  Soooo, I may not get back to the Amish with a twist (AWT) until Sunday... and hubby has a stress test Monday afternoon so that day's shot.  But I said I wanted to get this quilt top done this month and I'm sure going to try my best... 

take care....

ttyl...

One of these days I'm going to have to do SOMETHING with that polar bear/penguin panel  lol

Cross this one off my Bucket List

First, let me show this one.... the top is done, label and binding are made and it's now waiting it's turn to be quilted ( maybe next year? lol)

Ok, now for the one to be crossed off my bucket list....

I have been wanting to do a tumbling block quilt for AGES but, for one reason or another, I've never gotten around to it until now.  weallsew.com hosted a quilt-along and it featured colossal sized tumbling blocks.  I did something similar last year with a colossal sized star block - it was probably also from weallsew.com.

This was my first time working with equilateral triangles of ANY size ( that I can remember) and it was easier than I thought it would be.  I did learn, though, that it's not a good idea to cut two layers at the same time... somehow it messes things up and I had to do some trimming on some blocks and had to remake a couple of others... mainly the white background because that's where I 'got smart' and was cutting two layers at the same time.

Oh yeah, and then there was this one.... I obviously wasn't paying attention when I stitched the ones in the middle together...  Hello, "Jack" (the ripper) my old friend.

Then, I finally got to the last row and I think that's when I told friend, Katie, that I was going to get this top done and I wasn't coming out of my room until it was... that if she didn't hear from me by tomorrow night, to send in the search dogs.

No need for the dogs... It's done, including the label ( you can see it in the lower left hand corner temporarily pinned to the quilt top).  No binding made yet, because I haven't decided if I want to use white or to maybe stick in another color - like bright green :).  We'll see what I come up with for the backing and then maybe decide on the binding.

First thing in the morning, hubby has an appt. with his cardiologist and I think it's going to be a long one... he's due for a stress test along with ekg and other 'stuff'.  Guess I'll take some handwork with me to keep me busy...

I know what I want to work on next but I think that since it's a 'new' project, it will have to wait a little longer.  I want to get back to working on my Amish with a Twist II that's been waiting for three? years.  I think I'm half way done with the blocks, so, hopefully it won't take me long.  THEN I can start something new!!

Bedtime here... HAVE to be up early to take hubby to his appt.

take care...
ttyl later...

Birds on a wire completed

Well, the top is done...

 See the 'Oops!' in the flower stem ?.... sigh...  needs to be fixed

there! all fixed... that wasn't as hard as I thought it would be....

 and before adding the outer borders I had one bird left so I stuck him on a flower stem and appliqued him down.  There are lots of flowers and stems left over too, but I didn't want to overcrowd the 'garden'... the stems were tossed into the trash and the flowers, along with extra border blocks, are saved for another project/day.

Then, while I had bits and pieces of various fabrics still out from the Bird on a Wire quilt and a bit of newsprint fabric, I started making these.... Trust me, those flowers are not as simple as they look... I had two that I decided I couldn't use and had to make others to replace them and there are still two with a little bit of raw edge showing - oh well... it's a wall hanging, I don't think anyone is going to put their nose right up to it to 'smell the flowers'.

Nine blocks are all that's required... the pattern calls for quilt as you go, but I didn't want to do that.  The flower heads were sewn onto batting then you place a circle of fabric face down on the front of the flower and stitch all the way around.. cut a slit in the back and then turn it right side out before sewing down to the background fabric. 

That much I did... which makes the flowers kind of  'pop' and I kind of wish I had done the same for the leaves.  I thought about using fancy stitches over each of these seams, but decided that would be too much and could take away some of the 'puffiness'.

The sashing and the outer border will be made with white polka dots on black  fabric.... Here's a pic of all the blocks without the sashing or borders - I'll get to them tomorrow afternoon.

Kind of hard to see them with the polar bear and penguin print behind... I really need to get to working on that quilt.  LATER.

Past bedtime... I'm surprised that Buddy isn't nagging at me.. lol

take care....

ttyl....

Birds on a wire...continued

I had to take hubby to another dr. appointment today and we stopped for lunch then at Gall's to find out where my snowman pattern is ( it was sitting right on the counter waiting to be stamped and mailed) then hubby wanted to go to Barnes & Noble because he had a gift card that was burning a hole in his pocket lol.

By the time we got home, I didn't feel much like sewing.... after sitting for a bit, I wandered into my sewing room "just because"... I ended up fusing or gluing down the first section of the flowers and then sewing them down... that was the fun part.  I used some of my regular stitches ( straight stitch, tiny zigzag and double buttonhole) but also tried some fancier stitches AND I got into my tiny stash of fancy threads.... used all three colors of the Razzle Dazzle plus one shiny blue thread ( probably poly).

Here it is completed.  It's not easy getting those stems where they 'should' be and some of the flower patterns don't match the flowers in the pattern photo, but I'm trying to do what I can.  I know that I've added some extra centers - just because I could and I wanted to try my set of Karen Kay Buckley's perfect circles - WOW  they are GREAT!!

Anyway, almost bedtime ... I'm in a hurry tonight because in the book I'm reading, the young husband dies from heart failure just days before their second wedding anniversary ( and I THINK she's pregnant but doesn't know it yet).  I want to go find out more of the story.

take care....
ttyl.....

Birds on a wire

I'm getting there... s l o w l y but surely. 

  I can't remember if I shared a pic of the project or not.... if not, here it is.

I spent yesterday finishing up the flowers and starting on the nine patches for the borders... flowers are done - nine patches are half way done.. I've 20 out of the 40 needed. Today was the day to fuse and applique the birds down (after I made about 18 of the 9 patches).

I didn't take a photo but I temporarily glued the first couple of stems on... then it was dinnertime and I wanted to quit anyway.  I'm trying to figure out how to do this easily.  The flowers are mainly on paper back fusible so I don't think I want to try and glue them onto the background - same for the leaves.  I also don't have a large space to lay this down flat so I can place and then fuse everything down - just my ordinary ironing board.  I think if I lay it lengthwise onto my ironing board, I should be able to do one half of the flowers at a time... we'll see when I get a chance to get back into my sewing room.... it may be Friday since hubby has dr. appointment late tomorrow morning and while we're in the area, I'm going to stop at Gall to check on my pattern... it's been two weeks - I should have had it by now.... anyway, back to the birds... we'll see how I feel once we get back home.

take care.....

ttyl...........

Got talked right into it....

I wasn't going to join in on the Rainbow Scrap Challenge this year.  But yesterday, I found this pattern and knew that I had to do it.  Doing some quick math ( not my strong point but I used the calculator on my phone) and figured out that I need to make 4.5 blocks a month for a year to do this quilt.  I'll do the applique' pieces as we go along.

 March's color ( green) was released in the last day or so and I already knew that January's color was Red and February's was Yellow.  I made fifteen blocks today... five of each color....using scrap muslin as the center block.  Here are the Green ones.

And while I was cutting the 3" blocks for the nine patches, I took what was left and cut 2 1/2" blocks... if there were 'strings' left, they went over to a separate pile and anything smaller went right into the trash.  I HATE tossing the stuff out, but it's silly to keep it with the idea of using it sometime in the future.

 Then, once the nine patches were done, I still felt like sewing so I grabbed some more of the three colors and dug through them looking for strips...  and managed to make nine 'blocks'.  They're sewn onto  full sheets of telephone book pages ( about 7 1/2" tall x about 6" wide).

I haven't torn the papers off from the backs or squared them off yet... I'm still playing with ideas of how I want to cut them.  I know I have some that are already cut at 6 1/2" square, but I'm thinking I might want to try some half square triangle blocks with solid fabric on one half and strings on the other.  I have a copy of Bonnie Hunter's String Fling ( I think that's what it's called) and I may let my fingers do some walking through the pages for ideas.... but not for awhile - I've got plenty to do right now.

Yesterday, I worked on my Bird on a Wire quilt.  I had gone down to the LQS on Friday to see if she had some newsprint themed fabric other than what I had purchased there in the past ( with Grandparents, etc in the headlines).  Hubby was in the car waiting while I went in... so I was kind of in a hurry and forgot to use my gift card that I received for Christmas.... I found one that I thought I would have preferred if it had had a white background instead of tan/light brown, but I bought it anyway and I'm glad I did... it looks so good behind the black birds and some of the other colors that I'm using for the flowers and leaves.

Then yesterday, I remembered where the newsprint fabric was that I had intended to use for this project.  Sigh!!   A couple of months ago, I ordered about four yards of 108" wide newsprint fabric from MSQC.  It's still in the box - unopened!!  Major 'senior' moment there.  That's ok, though, since I really like what I bought at the LQS and I can use the 108" wide for the backing on my black and white dresden plate quilt WHEN I get around to making it - hopefully sometime this year.

My plan for this month is to finish the Bird on a Wire quilt top.. and the Autumn quilt that's still on Mo'e and to get at least some of the blocks done for my Amish with a Twist quilt top.

And now it's almost time for bed...

take care...
ttyl....