Catching Up -- Again

Two more pairs of blocks for the Garden Quilt(s) completed - well, as much as I could  at this point... still need a wee bit of embroidery on the cart blocks ( bird needs legs and there are some swirly thingies sticking out of the flowers that need to be embroidered).

 I can't remember if I posted this pic of "What's on Mo'e" or not.... I've done a couple more swipes across the tulip block, but that's about it other than burying threads in that block. I'm liking what I've done so far ( on second row), just really haven't had time to work on it since I've been focused on getting the Garden Quilt tops done; was hoping to have them completed by the end of this week, but that's not going to happen.

I want to get back to my Christmas quilting/sewing this coming weekend.  I still have the four dresses for the "greats" along with doll dresses to match - haven't even started yet beyond purchasing the patterns and fabrics.  Then, today, while at JoAnn's, I found a cute dachshaund dog pattern (stuffed dog) that I'm going to try and make to go with the pillows that I've already made for the step-son's Christmas.

I'm also still busy making the cute penquin tree ornaments for the greats & grands... I think I have 8 bodies done- most still need their eyes glued on.  I WILL get a pic taken -- One of these days  :).

Time to call it finished on here and go work on some more of the penquins - if I can stay awake.
Later Gaters!!

Still catching up

Infrognito is on the frame and I should be done with the quilting tomorrow... then comes hiding threads, adding label & binding.  I changed the design a little bit prior to putting it on Mo'e - appliqued "Give me a Kiss" ( with lips instead of the word Kiss) and then scattering four more pair of lips around the border.  Because of this, I'm also changing the name to Give Me A Kiss.  I'll post another pic once it's done.

It's not my best quilting job, but one of my best so far, I think.  I've ventured out into free motion and away from using acrylic templates... I'm still struggling at some elements and I think it shows, but in a FB message from Ricky Timms today, I received encouragement from his telling me to keep practicing - it will be worth it.  Mo'e doesn't always help either... there are a couple of spots where I really had to fight with him to get him to go where I wanted him to go and not to go where he wanted to.  Then he froze up on me at one point- I didn't think I was going to be able to get the wheel to turn... think it was because the bobbin didn't get locked in correctly.

Last night and early this morning, I worked on The Garden Quilt... pretty happy with the way they turned out.

The boots were supposed to be done in greens according to the pattern, but I really liked the purples.  The 'partner' to this block is the garden gloves, which were supposed to be done in the purples which I didn't really like.... so I'll switch them out and use the greens for the gloves.  Six blocks done - eight more to go.  My friend, Colette, who's also doing this quilt is going to be gone out of town for the next 10 days - I'm going to try and get all the blocks done and the tops together by the time she gets  back.... no particular reason - just a way for me to set a goal for myself.

Oh, and I don't think I shared the 'news' that I'm not making the table runner with all the curves for my oldest daughter after all.  It was mentioned on FB and she didn't even remember what it looked like - just that she thought it was pretty.... arghhhhh!!!!  I'm still going to make it, but I'll just keep it with my finished quilts for awhile - then maybe I'll find someone else who would like it.  I am grateful that I got the 'push' to try curves; this will give me so many more options of things to try/make.

Ordered another pattern yesterday --- like I need another  LOL.  Chubby Chicks from Black Mountain - how could I resist!?!?  For some reason, I really like making chicken themed quilts 

And, I started making paper pieced Bear Paw blocks in a small size out of scraps after seeing Bonnie Hunter doing it the other night; a great way to dwindle my scrap stash and they should make great doll quilts for Christmas gifts next year.

Ok, back to working on the grands & greats annual Christmas ornaments - still no pic but I'll get one taken eventually.

Let's Get Caught Up

I've been busy... apparently too busy to post updates :).  First off... Love Purple quilt is finally off the frame!!  I no longer love it, but that's ok because now it can go to Siren (local shelter for homeless people/families and for battered women and their children) for some child to curl up under and I'm sure they'll love it.  It's so soft and cuddly that I don't think any child will be able to resist it.

Above is the border that I couldn't seem to duplicate a second time, let alone 3 times.  So, I went with something else for the other three (see below).  I was at the point ( actually beyond the point) of ripping out the first border and redoing it again... nothing wrong with one border being different that the others.

Close up of some of the blocks

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OOPS!  I thought the quilt was complete in this pic... but the binding is missing.  Here's the binding in this next pic.  I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever see the end of the fabric I used for the binding.  Every time I think I'm using the last of it, I find more of it.  It's been used in three quilts that I can think of right off.  It wasn't the fabric I'd planned on using  for this quilt, but when it came  time to add the binding, of course, I couldn't find what I had selected and cut especially for the Love Purple until after I'd put this one on.

Now I have Ethel's batik quilt that will go to the VA hospital in Battle Creek next month on "Mo'e".  Here's a close up of the meandering in the blocks.

Here's the quilt on the frame. 

Close up of the border stitching... I have the exterior sides done... just need to finish the interior of the outer borders.  Then I have to do the inner border and the sashing which I hope to have done by Thursday so that I can hand it back to her for the binding.

This is my next project in the works.  It's Garden Quilt by Amy Bradley.  I'm doing two... one with pink background and one with white background.  The white background one will be mine - at least until I decide to pass it on; the pink one is for my granddaughter, Krista.

The shovel blocks are about 36" long... the next four blocks are about 7 1/2" square.

It's hard to tell but the 'water' coming out of the hose and the outlines around the pink print fabrics on the butterfly are done with Ricky Tim's Razzle Dazzle threads using 'bobbinwork'.

I'm not quite sure how I'm going to do the seeds on this block... I'm thinking french knots, but I'm not sure.  I maybe could use black beads???
Five blocks done - Nine more to go.

Oh, and I found what I'm going to make the grand(kid)s and great(grandkid)s for their annual Christmas ornament from me.  It's a cute felt penquin (http://www.bhg.com/christmas/crafts/make-christmas-ornaments-with-felt/#page=11)Some will be in the traditional/normal black & white, but since I don't have a lot of black felt on hand, I thought I'd do some in other colors...like pink or purple for some of the girls and a medium blue for some of the boys.

Infrognito Top done

Poor picture of the top with inner border complete.

I needed yellow for the outer borders, but had pretty much used up what I had in my stash.  There are a  couple larger pieces of yellow left, but not large enough for the borders without using both and I didn't want to do that.  So, my plan was to see if I could find some when I went to the quilt shop with my friend, Vicki, today.  

Best laid plans..... you know how that goes -  I woke up at 4 a.m. and didn't go back to sleep until about 7 - slept until 10:32 and I was supposed to meet Vicki at 10:30!  I gave her a call and told her to  go on without me... that I'd have to join her another day.  

Since I needed to go find somewhere to send a fax I thought I'd go down to the LQS to see what they had in yellow - but as I was pulling into the credit union, I remembered that I  had two  yards of yellow that I'd bought for my oldest daughter's table runner - and IF I use it on the table runner, I only need one yard at the most.  So when I got back home, I dug it out... and 

TAADAA!!

I really like how it came out :)

I was hoping to get the charity quilt done, but just got around this afternoon to ripping out quilting stitches on the quilt that's on the frame right now.  I really want to get it one finished before I take it off the frame... it's been on there since JUNE!!!  

 - that's what I'll be working on tomorrow and hopefully will get to the charity quilt on Monday or Tuesday.  It shouldn't take long to do since I've decided to do an all-over meandering pattern ( the charity quilt that is).

If I can find some backing, I'd like to get Infrognito quilted before the next guild meeting; I have batting and binding... just need to figure out what I want for the backing.  That reminds me, I have another pillow to make - this time for the VA.  Thank goodness that won't take long and I should be able to get it done before the meeting this week, too.

Getting closer to the end

Here's yesterday's Infrognito blocks:

and here are the ones I did today...

 not sure why but I got quite a few more done today than on previous days - and I was gone for an hour or so taking hubby to the dr..  They are certainly getting 'interesting'.   LOL  I just noticed that I took a pic of one of them twice.... hmm   but I counted and there are 16 complete... one of them must have been camera shy ( I know I didn't make two of that one).  Only three more to go then I can start stitching them together into rows & then the rows together... There is one other one that I forgot to take a pic of - there's an applique'd frog that will go onto a blank background square.  Get the rows together and then I can start piecing the checkboard type inner border, attach it and then on to the final outer border.  But all of this will have to wait a couple of days... I'm going to an art quilt show tomorrow and hubby has to go in for a CT scan on Wed. morning which is also 'errand running' day.  If I have any time between now and Thursday, I'll try and get the remaining frogs done.

Thursday, I hope to get into Lansing to pick up a HQ acrylic wave ruler and  a pattern from JoAnn's Fabrics so I probably won't have a lot of time before guild meeting to work on the frogs... and Friday, I'm planning on ripping out some quilting on the quilt that's on "Mo'e" in prep to finally finish it... I finally found what I want  to do on it (only took me TWO months!!  arghhh).  Hope to get it done over the weekend and then I can get that charity quilt done & back to the quilter so she can put the binding & label on it before Veteran's Day.

Once I get charity quilt done, I can get back to Infrognito... have a couple of other quilts waiting to get onto the frame,  too.... first up, the Christmas tree I made last week.  And somewhere in there, I have row by rows to make along with my oldest daughter's table runner and dresses for the four great granddaughters & their dolls.... all before Thanksgiving, I hope.  

Infrognito started

Ok, here's the start of the Infrognito blocks... I didn't get started on them when I said I was going to... got in the mood to work on something else first - which is part of the reason why it's taken me so long to get started on these.  The pattern calls for 19 of these blocks and one blank block with a frog applique'd onto it, then three borders... it only makes a crib size, though, so I just might keep making the blocks for a larger size.

What I worked on before starting these blocks was a Christmas gift for my step-son.  I mentioned in an earlier post how he asked for pillows to go with the quilt I made him for Christmas two years ago and how I wasn't sure I could find the same background fabric - but was able to & bought 4 yards 'just incase'; it was the border fabrics that I couldn't find this time and ended up settling on some homespun.

Then, because I still had about 3 yards of the background fabric left and for the fun of it, I made this pillowcase ( will buy pillow later)  The 'cuff' on the pillowcase is the same as the back of one of the throw pillows and similar to the back of the other one... both red plaids, just different.

He said he named his dog "Lucy" because he wanted to come home and yell "Luccyyy  I'mmm hommme" like Ricky Ricardo/Desi Arnez used to do on the I Love Lucy tv show. It's blank on the other side just incase he actually wants to lay his head on it.

Tomorrow, I hope to get a charity quilt onto "Mo'e" and giterdone and out of my house temporarily.  Then I can start on my older daughter's tablerunner :); I'm almost excited about doing it now that I know curves are not as scarey as I thought they would be.

Oh, and I found out that I wasn't the only one who's row by row with the Robin & eggs came out short.  One of my cousins (and fellow guild member) said that her's did, too.  I don't feel so bad now.

Yesterday, a friend and I took a quick trip over to the quilt shop in Portland.  I wanted to try and get some of the fabric that they used for the fence in their row by row kits.  I lucked out... bought one of the last scraps they had... and I'm not kidding when I say scraps.  This piece is MAYBE a fat eighth.
Enough for what I need, though.  I want to use it for the ark in my  2015 AQS Challenge  -- The Unicorn Quilt (wall hanging).  It won't take alot as the ark is to be off in the distance and so won't be very big. ----Something else I've got to get started on SOON.  It's due the beginning of March and I've got some things that I want to practice or experiment with before I actually try it on the quilt.

Til next time  Happy Quilting!!

Sept. 24th - couldn't come with a 'title'

Here's the next row by row I've done.  I thought it turned out great - until I put it up on  the wall with the previous ones I've done... see the difference?  :(

I did that row on Sunday.... last night, I started this....

and finished it today... I expected it to take a lot longer than it did - was surprised that it went so quickly.  I still need to tear the tissue paper pattern off the back and then it needs quilting and 'decorating' - I think I'm going to use crystals on it (already have them so might as well use them).  This will be our Christmas tree this year - and my annual Christmas quilt.

I think that while I'm still in the paper piecing mode and have all that green fabric out, I'll try a few blocks for the Infrognito quilt that I've been saying for years that I'm going to do.

That's it for this post... short and sweet!  :)