Busy Busy Busy

My lack of blogging is not a sign that I haven't been doing anything... on the contrary.

I finally got around to taking pics of the two charity quilts I finished earlier this month.

and here's the baby quilt that I finished quilting last night - and got the binding and label on today.

I've also been working on the large block for the Vintage Tin quilt and should have it done tonight.  If I do, then I'll take a pic and post it tomorrow ( if I don't add it to this post before I go to bed tonight).

I also started another quilt... this will be a Christmas present for my oldest grandson who loves white tigers... I couldn't believe how lucky I was to find this panel at the quilt show last weekend. 

 Not having a lot of fun doing the paw print blocks, though... they may end up being only on the sides instead of all the way around - we'll see.  It's not that they're hard; they're not.. it's pretty simple paper piecing... just that it takes about an hour to do each block and then realizing just how many I'll need.  It WILL be worth it, though - just wish I could see the look on his face when he gets it.

There's other stuff going on (quiltwise) but I'm not ready to share - just yet.

TTYL

Scrappy Cat Catch Up

I didn't realize it had been five days since I posted last... it's been busy here... doctor appointment, power outage for about 14 hours and fitting sewing in where I could, including working on the current Vintage Tin block.

  Yesterday, while at the CalCo Quilt Guild Quilt Show, I hit their 'yard sale' and found some real treasures - including a white tiger panel with fabric to go with it ($6.00!!!)!!  I'm so excited; I've been wanting to make a white tiger quilt for my oldest grandson for years.  I'll need to go down to one of the local quilt shops to find some more fabrics to go with it so I'll be able to make it big enough.  I also bought another fabric kit for what looks like tools; it says there's a panel included - I haven't checked it out yet.  There was also a couple of motorcycle panels/fabrics that I picked up.. along with some misc. patterns - a couple Amy Bradley and one with a moose standing in a clearing.. think there was one more but I don't recall right off.
After the show, I stopped at The Marshall House Quilt Shop.  I was looking for Riley Blake fabric for a pixilated yellow rose quilt, but didn't find it and didn't feel like trying to match colors with my palette.  I found a cute panel that will be used for a future project ( secret for now) and then I went to the clearance section to see if I could find some fabric for the backing for the cat quilt.  I was looking for pink, but didn't see anything that I really liked -

found this, though and it will work for the backing.

Today, I finished the blocks for the cat crib quilt, stitched the blocks into rows and then the rows together... then added the borders.  The pattern calls for half circles in between the borders... ummm, not gonna happen - at least this time.

The backing is loaded onto the frame.. I pieced batting pieces together and then laid it on the backing and basted it down; then on the top went and basted that down as well.  Picked out thread colors - Glide Cream for the borders and backgrounds - not sure if I'm going to stitch over the cats or not, but if I do, I'm considering either a varigated pink/orange or a solid pink ( neither of which are Glide threads).
 I took two smallish pieces and sliced them up for binding... two strips bright pink and then one strip pale pink, two strips bright, etc.  These were the two largest of what's left (which isn't much) of the pinks I pulled out of my stash.  I think there's still a little bit left in the bin, but just small pieces of odds and ends.

I also thought I had a great idea on what to do with these...

they were a decoration in the basket of fat quarters that I won a few years ago when George Cicilliano (sp) and his wife came to give a lecture and teach a class for our guild ( I only attended the lecture).  I thought if they were 3/4" wide, I could sew them together and make a doll quilt for the Christmas Kiddies Program.  Thinking if I was really ambitious, I could sew them into three or four strips and then crosscut and make blocks.. well, by the third strip, I realized that they are not all the same size... some aren't even cut the same width... the third one was narrow at one end and maybe 3/4" at the other end... I think I'll just toss them; no reason for them to stay around collecting dust.  Just seems a shame :(.

Ok, bedtime....

TTYL

Happy 4th of July

We didn't do anything here to celebrate - just stayed in and stayed cool.

I did do some sewing, though.

I actually started this last night... had just hand sewing of the binding around the 'pocket' to do tonight.  It's for my oldest daughter for her birthday later this month - she's going to Israel in September and I know she doesn't carry a purse - thought this would work to carry a few things ( it hangs around the neck).  It's a free pattern that Shabby Fabrics demos on youtube.

Before I got around to the hand stitching, I cut and added the remainder of the black and white cat fabric as a small border to the Pineapple Blossom quilt top.... sounds easy peasy, right?  Well, almost....first I had to trim off that one block that just didn't want to 'play well with the others'...

Then I was able to add the borders...

but this happened in the process....

just about an inch from the end of the seam and I'm out of bobbin thread.  Oh well, it didn't take much to wind a new bobbin full of thread.

After that, I had an idea... I have two scrappy cat quilt patterns... I didn't check but I'm pretty sure that they are by the same designer..just one is for crib size and the other is larger.

A couple of days ago, I found out that the little neighbor girl is now a big sister.  Hubby and Buddy came home to tell me that they got to see her.  

Anyway, since I've been wanting to try the scrappy cat pattern, I now have a reason to.... new baby needs a new quilt.  I grabbed a bunch of pink fabrics and then realized that I was going to need to go buy white fabric for the background ( I already have plans for the whites I have here)... then I thought, well, since I'm using 'scraps' for the cats themselves, why not go scrappy with the backgrounds and use the neutrals that I have.  

Here's the first cat - minus the matching border that goes around it - I haven't added that yet.  

Yesterday, while hubby was have his PET scan done, I managed to get some work done on the Vintage Tin block.  No pics... maybe next time I work on it, I'll take some.

I also haven't taken pics of the two finished charity quilts... the weather was nice today, but I didn't feel like getting dressed to go outside to take the pics.  I have to get dressed tomorrow so will take the pics then IF the weather co-operates.

OH  I almost forgot... I also made my daughter a fabric postcard for her birthday.  My first time trying this...  I think it came out ok...

ok  that's it for tonight.... I'm going to sit back and 'chill' until bedtime ( which is about 1/2 hr. away)... 

TTYL

Done, Done and Done

This is the string quilt that I was working on recently... it's DONE... quilting, binding AND label.  I haven't taken a full pic of it yet because the weather has been wet and I can't lay it out on the ground.

I also finished the black & white cat print with green sashing/borders.  It was great until I got to the outside borders... they refused to lay flat and  bunched up in places.. I finally got tired of fighting them with spray starch, etc and just worked with it.  Hopefully some of the fullness will shrink out when it's been washed.  Quilting done, binding and label on.  I did learn how to add backing fabric on while the quilt is still on the frame...  I don't know why I did it, but I turned the top of the backing too many times and ended up short at the bottom - grabbed a scrap piece of fabric that I'd just taken off the frame that was the remainder of the backing for the previous quilt... it doesn't match the rest of the backing, but at this point, I don't care - I'm really mad at that quilt anyway.  I'll take a pic of this one, too, when the weather permits.

For my third done today, I traced the longest block for the Vintage Tin UFO.  Yes, it was June's UFO, but hubby's PET scan tomorrow is supposed to take about two hours so I need something to do while I'm waiting.

Gave myself another scare while getting the fabric and pattern ready for tracing... I was double checking to make sure that I only have this block and the largish center block left to do.  Checked off the finished blocks as I matched them up to the picture but when I got to the center block - no finished block, no pattern and no pre-cut fabric for that particular block ( something I had done for ALL of the blocks).  I went through the bin again and again... no block, no pattern.  Something told me to go look under my design wall... that it just MIGHT have been left there the last time I was tracing a block.  Sure enough, there they were - both the pattern and the fabric that the pattern needs to be traced on to.  They are back in the bin now and will stay there until I finish the oil can block.

I still have the Bonnie K. Hunter Pineapple Blossom quilt top waiting... I think I'm going to add the rest of the b&w cat print fabric as a narrow border and then maybe look for something for a little wider border and something for the backing.

Oh!  Almost forgot... the new number was drawn for this month's UFO... #1 which is my Daisy Dance

- top is done  ( has been done for YEARS) and I have the batting and the backing... will need to get some white Kona cotton for the binding.  I can't wait to get started on this FINALLY... but it's going to wait til later in the month - I want to be sure that Mo'e and I are on the same wave length when I do start.
p.s.  that pink peeking out from the bottom is NOT part of the quilt on top; I don't remember which one it is... I may have to do some investigating :).

Ok, almost bedtime... eating now so that I can take my evening pills.

TTYL

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