Design Wall Monday& Curve it Up QAL

Block 11 Drunkard's Path

16 inch block

 

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My stack 'n slash has been fun.  I think it's close to being done.

I started with 5 inch charms, alternating white and batiks.

They squared up to 3 3/4".  

 I made a second set of blocks and cut some white squares to fill in and separate them.

I made a 3rd set of blocks and cut some larger white strips and squares.

Two reasons for this: 

1. I really want the color to be spread out.

2.  I was trying to make it work without having to piece another set of blocks.

This is where it is now. 

I do believe I will make that last set of blocks.  If I add a border and sew these together now it will be a bit small for a baby quilt. 

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This weekend I needed a quick little something to go with a birthday gift card so I enlarged a bunny applique and made these two tea towels. 

One was for the birthday girl--one was for me!

and while I was digging around to find the perfect fabric for the bunnies I found this dog panel quilt all done except the binding. 

 

Imagine that! Me, not finishing the binding!!

The binding wasn't even made, what a slacker!

Now it is, sewn on and I'm half way around hand sewing it to the back.

It will be donation quilt for Quilt for Kids.  

January 8th

My house is almost un-decorated but that is another story.

At the beginning of 2012, I thought I had made  a very do-able goal list.  But as the year wound down I could not finish (quilt) the 3 tops that I have had on the list for the last two years now.  I'm bummed about this but hey that's how it goes!  

They are:

Chloe

Aster Manor
I can not find a picture of the completed top--yikes!

Jonquil & Stars

They are all big quilts full/queen size and I have the backing and batting ready too.

Chloe was loaded on Saturday.

I was back and forth over how to quilt it-always a dilemma! The thoughts of custom quilting it just makes me tired.  Of course I really wanted to do feathers on it but was thinking it was too busy.  Then I was making my bed later, um I still have my Christmas quilt on it.

I did all over feathers on it and it's a darn busy quilt and I love it.  Love the texture, love the feathers.  Decision made!

So now I just need to get started on the quilting.

My goal list is much smaller this year.

4 tops need quilted. The 3 above and Modern Misfits too.

I have 5 WIPS:

2 embroidery pieces – finish as pillows, frame etc.

Swirled Christmas tree wall quilt (applique)

Bunny Hill Designs BOM “Dresden Plate”

New York Beauty

Curve it Up Quilt Along (Blog) BoM

I did get my Christmas Swirls top fused.

I may save this for the quilt guild retreat. It might be a good little project to take along in case I get tired of one of the other things I'm working on.

For "NEW" projects this year I just have 

"use my Quick Curve Ruler." 

I've started making Urban Candy already. 

I have 10 blocks made.  It calls for 90.  

Making these modern quilt patterns is so far out of my norm and curves so out of my comfort zone that I shake my head over this change in me. A few years ago I would never have thought I would ever make a quilt like these.

So I start this year hopeful that I will finally finish up my UFO's and WIP.  I didn't even mention the 70+ block a day blocks that are still aging to perfection in a box under my cutting table (oh yes! I know exactly where they are) don't want to overwhelm myself. *wink*

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In other aspects of my life I need to

- get back into a routine; this creature of habit needs it ....badly. 

-continue my walking and good eating; got away from me a bit this holiday season

but I'm back in the saddle again.

-s.l.o.w. down  

I'm a fast person, I do everything fast. Not as warp speed fast as when I was younger but still pretty fast. I move fast, I talk fast, I eat fast, I get ticked off fast (but I also get over it fast)

 :)  

I'm starting to get a little tired.  

*****

fun times, fun times.

Life is good.

Design Wall Monday

These are the top and bottom rows for my Old St Nick top. The four corner blocks are up there also. They're already sewn together.

My plans for this week (besides hosting Thanksgiving dinner) is to get these 2 rows sewn together.
And machine finish the bindings on these 5 Quilts for Kids quilts.

And do some quilting too. Well, if I just get another top loaded I'll count that as good.

Paul went bear hunting.  Alas Whew! He didn't get one. While he was gone I cleaned and cooked and did yard work  (LYING!) sewed non stop almost!  (that's the TRUTH!)

I quilted and finished

18 x 36

And then I quilted and finished.

Check out other design walls at Judy's

Design Wall Monday and other stuff

My wall.

18 x 36

This is another Joined at the Hip door banner. The series is called "Hanging on a Star".

Until I made this one 

I didn't know there was a series of these banners!

 (help me)  

They seem to be just my kind of project. I also have this pattern. 

 I should have made it before the blessings one since I am having Thanksgiving guests and wouldn't that be so perfect on the door?  But I had already cut out the background fabric for the other one and since I really shouldn't be starting ONE MORE THING I just 'finished what was started, for once.
The picture is from their website and dang it but it looks so much better than the picture that came with the pattern, that I am now bummed that I didn't make it first.
 I think you know where this is going....

'Blessings' is waiting patiently for me to finish a quilt on HQ which I'm hoping to get  done today.

I spent all afternoon yesterday trimming hedges.

Oh cripes, do my arms hurt today!  So we'll see how much quilting I can do.  I'm pretty sure making dinner is out....

 j/k, j/k!  

 I really had fun with the new trimmer though. I was the first to use it as Paul was at camp.  I think I could really make big shrubs into little wee shrubs very quickly. It's almost mesmerizing how the branches just seem to melt off.  We have a huge hedge row in the backyard of forsythia.  They are in my sights next. But it's raining here so they get to be wild and crazy for a few more days.  

Old St Nick is progressing in little bits.  I forgot to take a picture but I have all the HST prepped.  That is unless I counted wrong, which is always a possibility.   I will try to get an updated picture later this week.

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!

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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

Well, I haven't done one of these in a long time.  Dare I hope life might be taking a turn towards normals ville?  Time will tell.

Design wall #1.

This is a baby quilt for a friend, Mary's, daughter, who is due in like 2 weeks.  I used to work with Mary and in e-mails she asked if I could make a quilt (of course). I sent a few pictures of other baby quilts I've made. 

I was leaning towards this one.

 We had lunch a few weeks ago. Her daughter didn't pick this pattern (oh drat!)

 All Squared Up which is from Quilt Sampler magazine Spring/Summer 2007 is the one she liked and she wanted it made in purples and greens. 

Of course, my first thought was 'holy crap that's gonna be weird' mainly because it's not a color combo I would use. HA!

 (sure I'll make you a quilt....a quilt I want to make in colors I like....)

am I the only one who thinks these things

The greens are yardage I bought, the purples are from an Island Batik jelly roll I just got on a whim last month; yeah for compulsive buying!

I intend to finish putting the outer border on today. I did get the inner purple border on last night. I have a lot of the green fabric leftover so I'm thinking I will use it to make a funky pieced backing for it.

My other design wall has my Bunny Hill BOM waiting for the fused border appliques to be blanket stitched, may or may not happen this week.  I'm not liking the idea of machine bl. stitching with the top all together, I'm thinking it's going to be awkward-only way to assemble tho' with the birds and stars going through all the borders like that.

REALLY like the colors in this one-right up my alley as they say.

Visit other design walls by checking out Judy's blog here.



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

I'm making slow progress

I'm making slow progress on the center medallion.  I fused all the pieces on this using Heat n Bond Lite. The long skinny curvy stems are regular bias tape pieces which I just pinned in place and then blanket stitched.  I have worked on them every evening and now have the green stems and leaves done and the first of the flowers done.

I've also pieced 4 block a days that are really blocks from last summers local Shop Hop quilt.  I replace what I consider 'dumb' block a day blocks from the calendar with these...hehehe.

Oh I like these.

And my 16/8 blocks are growing and out of control!  This is the final layout. I'm serious.-several family members will be smacking me if I dare to change or heaven forbid make the thing bigger. 

Design Wall Monday (Week 40)

I’m working on the Center Appliqué Medallion for Blog BOM from Shannon.

I’ll be machine appliquéing this:

My 1^st design wall still has the 16/8 blocks.  The 16” block in the lower left is a new one and now just need to make a bunch more 8” blocks

My 2^nd little wall has my block-a-days and the cut off appliqué one at the bottom is the 9^th Snowbound BOM block. 

Head on over to Judy's for more design walls!

It's so nice out

A beautiful day here in the 'burgh, 78 degrees and sunny.  I hadn't listened to the weather forecast so it was a lovely surprise!  
I actually fused the first 6 blocks for A Tisket, a Tasket BOM today and sat on the porch and cut them all out! I have a nice divet in my thumb from the scissors for my effort! 

I fused them and am real happy with my color/fabric choices. 

If you click on the picture and look at the bunny in the top far right block--I did not fussy cut that, but after I fused it, I thought it looked like an eye, right where his little eye should be!

I also got another FFF ready to stitch.  It's the April one, Stitching Annie.

The Pens are on tonight, so I will stitch while watching the game.

Also this morning before I did the baskets, I sewed 10 more OBW hexi's together, I only have 30 more to do.  woo-hoo!

Framed

I was able to get a nice 8x10 wall frame for the Easter sampler yesterday.  I had to go to a 2nd store for the frame for the applique piece.  I ended up with a 8x8 desk frame. I had to remove the 2" border strip but in this case, I think; less is more.