Before I forget....

I did put the fast finish triangles technique on the new jack's quilts.

Very fast and easy.  I normally sew a split sleeve on the back of my wall quilts so I can run a dowel through them and hang with a single nail in the wall; putting these little triangles in the corners of even those quilts in addition to the hanging sleeve would be helpful in keeping the corners from drooping and also save time. 

I just love that trick or treat backing fabric (got it as Jo Ann's).

I also started a 2nd The Witch Is In banner.  I don't know why I feel compelled to make a second small quilt from a pattern but it happens a lot. 

Anywho...after I fused the shoes to the background and was trying to get the hat pieces in place I couldn't figure out why it wasn't fitting.  

And then I realized I had fused the shoes 1 inch up from the edge of the bottom border instead of 1 inch up from the bottom edge of the background!  

So I had to cut down the hat and do a little re arranging (the black dot on the left below the word "is" will be a spider when I get to the blanket stitching.

(I removed the bottom border piece.)

It's a little wonky looking-her legs could be a little closer together but they were already fused so that was not possible.  For about 20 seconds I contemplated just pitching the whole thing into the trash.

I'm glad I didn't-I would have dug it out this morning anyway!

 Anyone who doesn't know how it really 'should' look would never know.  

And I still just love those shoes!

**********

In other news, I finally got the blanket stitching done on H.Whiskers.

Here is the proof!  

Now I just need to finish a huge customer quilt (100x110) and I will maybe take a day and quilt this for me.  

Design Wall Monday

My strings and stars top has the inner border on now.  I just chose a fabric from my 2.5 inch drawer and used that. And the 3 outer string borders I already had made are on too!  I need to piece the rest of the 4th string border and this will be a flimsy.

After looking at the 'leftovers' quilt for Kids blocks I had up in a previous post, I decided there was too much going on. 

So I pulled out the red blocks and a few others and cut the blue batik for the solid blocks and now I can get 2 more Quilts for Kids from the leftover blocks-much better use of my fabric and much nicer to look at.

This is looking like a really busy week (again).  I had way too many 'irons in the fire' so last week and this week will be more of getting that under control before my head spins off.

So I only need to hand sew the binding on these three:

Sorry about the glare.

The binding is done on the Corn Toss runner, last night at 11pm- tonight is guild so just got that finished.

I have a lot of quilting to do-it's the time of year.  

I am so thrilled with this.  

I want these shoes~!!!

Check out other design walls here.

OH MY GOSH!

This must only happen to me!! 

 OH MY Gosh

.Let me start at the beginning.

Last night I began paper piecing a little Halloween witch.  I have looked on-line for a picture and can't find one so look in this photo and you will see the pattern picture.  

See it up there in the right corner?

OK, so it took me (and I am NOT exaggerating, an hour+) to do that one little section that looks like the witch's hat -it's below the pattern picture in the photo above. 

I sewed backwards, I ripped out, I sewed correctly but instead of trimming off to 1/4" I forgot to fold back the just added piece and cut the whole thing off and was just left w/seam allowance.  I ripped it off and did it again.  I sewed a piece on correctly-going in the right direction (yeah) but then when I'd press it out I would only have a smidgen of a seam allowance at the outside of the block or where another piece would align. 

Have I completely lost you?  I know I've lost me.

So that picture above was how I left my sewing table last night.  

And no I did not sit and drink heavily the rest of the evening :). 

This morning was a new day, all fresh and lovely.  I have (had) a smile on my face.  The plan, which I thought was a dang good one, was to sew this sweet little block together and take pictures as I go so I could  post about it.  

This is the first seam I sewed. It is wrong. The orange should be on the left side.  I ripped it out.

Now it is correct. The orange piece (#1) is on the left and the black piece (#2) is on the right.

What I should tell you is I thought about this seriously... before I sewed it.  I was sure I was right-and was FLOORED when  it wasn't.

I think this picture is OK-just so proud I got it together.

 :)

And now for the big reveal~

TA DA!!  

...wait do you see it??? 

And I'm not talking about the fact that the edges aren't squared-I was just going to square it up as best I could.

Yes, is she an anorexic witch?....

 or could it be that the triangle piece under her hat (behind her arm) SHOULD BE BLACK!!!

Oh for goodness sake.  

I'm frustrated.  But not too badly. I KNOW I am directionally challenged and I'm actually amazed that it looks like a witch at all.

 So what to do, what to do...well I am going to un-sew some more and try to salvage this.  

I am not looking forward to it but I will try.  

BECAUSE:  

IT CAN'T BE THIS DIFFICULT!

I can not be this...what?

Slow, bad, dumb, challenged?  

I don't want to paper-piece a bed size quilt, I don't want to paper piece ever again.  But I want to finish this little project and be happy with it and be able to say. 

 "Yes, I can paper piece but it's not my cuppa tea."

I WANT to learn this technique.  But I want it to be easy!  

Aha, there it is.  

I don't want to be challenged today, am I in a rut? Am I too comfortable? Is that a bad thing or a good thing?  Hmmm, a lot to think, food for thought as they say

....hmmm.

And speaking of food, as I was getting ready to sew that little witchy-poo together, Libby called.  Would I be able to have lunch with her and her sweet little granddaughter and then travel to a quilt shop for a quick fabric fix? I most certainly would!

****************************

Here is a picture of the four (yep 4!) Quilts for Kids quilt pieces I cut out last night.  

Mindless sewing-it's a good thing.

  

But  a sewing challenge is good too. 

Thanks for listening. 

I'm going to have a little giveaway and no it will not be that little witch! :)

What's it going to be?

One of my little jack's quilts....a finished one tho' I promise!

Leave me a comment and I'll draw a name  on Saturday, if I remember. And if I forget, I'll do it on Sunday...

Fun times, fun times. Life is Good! 

Edit: Drawing is now closed. 

Progressing

and sort of stayed on task!

I have just finished the binding on my Evening Shadows quilt.

 Now for the hanging sleeve, dare I hope to get that on by tomorrow?

I did get distracted for about an hour yesterday with these.

finish size will be 9 x 12

I was looking through my binder of "quilt patterns that I've already made"-- looking for a baby quilt pattern that I made 2 or 3 years ago.  I want to make it again for a friend's soon to be new grand baby. As I was flipping through the pages, I started to pull out all the fall/Halloween ones.
And in the page protector with this little jack-o-lantern pattern was a bunch of orange and black pre-cut squares, just waiting for me to lay 'em out and sew 'em up. 

I think I've blogged about these little cuties before.
 I have a couple of them, 3 actually, I think, maybe 4. 
But I just love to make them at this time of year. 
I don't really like Halloween, which is why it's so weird to me that I just luv making these.
  
*****


on a completely NON quilting note--the stink bugs are trying to get in....!



I have the traps....

we will prevail....

they are freaking me out....










Fun times, fun times!  Life if Good!

I've been quilting my Civil War Medallion quilt with baptist fans. 

At the start, I was marking the arcs with chalk and a plastic template I have. After a few passes, I wondered if I could just do it without marks.  I found I was no more but no less consistent without marking and it went a lot faster. 

Last night I thought I would finish it.  Paul had gone out for a bike ride; he's off all week since his Mom's funeral on Monday, and Meghan was at school. 

Perfect!

But no, it wasn't to be.

I ran out of the So Fine thread (#407 Clay) I was using in the top.  I wasn't sure how much was on the spool when I started and sorta thought I might not have enough, but the further along I quilted the more likely it looked like I was going to make it....Nope. 

So I looked through all my threads and thought I had a good match, but ran out of steam and called it a night.  This morning when I started to stitch, Eegads! It's not a match or even close.  I ripped it out and will wait for another cone. 

The Western PA Shop Hop starts today.  Libby and I are going to hit a shop (or two if we're lucky) this evening and then the other 9 shops over Thursday and Friday. 

And miracle of miracles I actually have a list!!!!!

One of the shops carry Superior Threads so if they have what I need I'll be finishing this weekend, if not I'll have to order it and wait a few days.  I did toy with the idea of securing the unquilted area and unloading it and loading a smaller quilt that I could do in the mean time.  But since this quilt is 94 x 94 the thoughts of unloading and reloading...nah.

****

Since I couldn't quilt I had to sew!

I know, I know, it's a tough life ...

I cut out and fused the 6th block of Henrietta Whiskers yesterday.

I sure am enjoying this BOM.

I forgot to flip the applique pattern sheet when I was transferring to the fusible so my squirrels are jumping to the right instead of the left.  hee-hee.  It really doesn't matter, so why do I mention it???

*smile*

After blanket-stitching this block and taking a picture, I got out the other finished blocks to see how it looks.

and sewed the top two rows together. 

The bottom rows I prepped yesterday

too.





Last week I started to frog an old quilt that I made from leftover blocks from Little Quilts that I had made...l-o-n-g time ago.

I really like it but every time I look at it the quilting just glares as me.  It was my first attempt at something that size on my DSM and my first stippling.  I think I could live with the jerky stipples and all. But what drives me bonkers is the thread. I used a brown variegated! YUK.

It is taking me F-O-R-E-V-E-R to un sew this baby. 

What is amazing to me is that ANY machine quilting stitches ever come out of a quilt. The quilting on this is not real good, the tension is OK, sorta--trying to be nice to myself-I was just learning....the stitch length is all over the place.  You'd think I could just rip a couple inches grab the tail an zip pity do da pull a nice section out.  Not a chance!

~pick, pick, pick~ 

It makes me feel much better about my quilting now.  I don't think I will ever do something like this again.

(oh dang-"famous last words"  just popped into my head!)



Friday Finish(es)

"A Slice of Summer" (13 x 13) adaption of a Thimbleberries design

"Cute Coins" (17.5 x 22) From Remembering Adelia

 Libby's Brown Bear Quilt


********

Today a new customer is coming over; always a little nervous about a new person.  I don't know her or her piecing skills...a delicate matter, for sure.
And then there is deciding on what to quilt on a quilt.  I like to take my time and ponder it for a bit.  Not because I'm waiting for the quilting muse to strike;  but because it takes me a while to remember the different designs I can do.  (if I haven't quilted something for a while I tend to forget about it).   But customers usually either know what they want done, this can be good;  (whew!
 I don't have to think about that part) or bad; (oh my I don't think that's gonna look so good...).
In that case I will give my opinion and try to offer alternate, but in the end it's not my quilt so I won't push.
EDIT:  Lovely lady, her quilt is adorable.


 Have you seen The Whimpy Kid?  The 2nd movie is in theaters around here now but we rented the first one last week...cracked me up...they've got middle school down pat. 
I always refer to that age group as the "larvae" stage of kids--sorta gross and you're not sure what they're going to morph into.....ah memories.

Today, I'm going to Sam's Club! I know my life is just too glamorous! Actually, I got a flyer that this weekend is their open house.  Which means non-members can shop without paying an upcharge.  
I used to belong to Sam's club when our 2 boys (aka the eating machines) lived at home. 

***they (the eating machine boys) were here for dinner on Sunday, along with John's new girlfriend and I made lasagna...there was ONE piece left. Meghan said "wow, we haven't almost finished a lasagna since you two lived here!!! I was thinking the same thing.  Now I make lasagna and we get 3 more meals out of it, which is my kind of cooking anyway.***

Since I don't need to buy vast quantities of food, I let my membership lapse.  And anything I really want a bigger container of I can get at WalMart.
 I'm needing K- cups for my Kuerig and Sam's has the best price locally and even beats the online "coffeeforless" site, although they don't have the selection that coffeeforless has.
But hey I'm going to go browse around and pick up a few things besides coffe, I'm sure.


 I'm also thinking of getting the backing today for my CW Medallion top. When Libby and I were sewing on Tuesday, she suggested I enter it in a quilt show in June.  I said 'nah' I hadn't quilted it yet. But of course the seed was planted and now I'm thinking I'd like to enter it...maybe.  I've already decided to do baptist fans on it...
I'm hoping for a great day today-- it's sunny out. 
Meghan and Paul (they are weather bugs) informed me last night that it's suppose to start raining tonight and continue for the next week.  I can almost feel the sinus/migraine forming. 

Gulp.

another day

I finished this little quilt yesterday-free hand baptist fans (a little wonky) but I like it.

I just need to throw it in the wash to crinkle it up a bit.

The watermelon quilt requested by my SIL.  After I snapped this picture I remembered she wants it about 12x17 to fit a specific spot in her kitchen.  This is too wide so I'll need to re-do the borders.  It's from a pattern in At Home with Thimbleberrries by Lynette Jensen (link).  I've had the book for years.

***picture was lost in computer glitch I mean because of user error in other words. I lost the dang thing.***

So here's another one:

 

and the 4th block of Henrietta Whiskers is done.

I had cut out a bunch of 1.5 x 2.5 strips for a coin quilt from the book Remembering Adelia by Kathleen Tracy.  (I'll link later, my computer is doing background scans and going so slow I'm about to rip my hair out.  (breathe in...breathe out...patience the virtue I didn't get--bet the line was too long and I....never mind)

EDIT Here's the  link

I was going to do the coins L/E but couldn't stand it.  So I sewed them up.

Today, after a dental visit (joy; oh joy!) I'm picking up Libby and my SIL (another one not the watermelon one) and we're heading to a quilt shop to purchase our passports for June's Western PA shop hop.  If you get them today, they'll stamp it  "VIQ" Very Important Quilter--which will entitle the shop hopper to extra treats and such during shop hop.  We're not really concerned with that- but it's a great excuse to HAVE to go to a quilt shop (or 2) and out to lunch. 

My SIL is not a quilter, I'd love to bring her over to the dark  fun side of life, so we'll call  this is a 'covert' operation!  buwahahaha

Blogger's Quilt Festival Spring 2010

This will be my 2nd Quilt Festival!  I was a new blogger for last Fall's festival.  It was a blast and took a good couple of days, maybe a week, to visit all the quilts, but I think I saw them all.  I almost didn't enter because I was afraid of "Mr Linky"!!

I've been changing the living room furniture around so that means the quilts get changed too.

I brought this one out for a couple months.

It's a Little Quilts pattern.  It measures 31" x 43".  I made it in 2003.  It is one of the last quilts (if memory serves me correctly) that I hand quilted.  I have an emotional attachment to this quilt that I can't really explain.

All I know is that I l-o-v-e it! 

It could be that many of the fabrics are from when I first started quilting in 1989!  I recognize and remember them...(how is that possible--when I can't remember what I wear to church from week to week?) 

The center block, "bear paw", is one of my all-time favorite blocks, the fabrics are "my kind of colors".  I remember I almost used a plain border  because I didn't want to tackle the set in seams on the bow tie blocks, (I don't think I'd ever done set in seams by machine before). I guess I didn't have trouble with them,  or they wouldn't be there --patience is a virtue that I'm sadly lacking :)

And this is truly a scrap quilt, my favorite kind!  I used blocks leftover from other Little Quilts that I had made and all the fabrics were from my stash.

 

So that's my entry.

Enjoy the rest of the quilts in the festival.

Check them out here.