Binding time...

I would have it much further along but

 OF COURSE the fabric I bought for the backing was the end of the bolt. 

Four yards, just what I needed. 

whew.  

And then I pieced it and realized.  

IT"S DIRECTIONAL!

I need another yard.

I went to another Jo Ann's yesterday....they had it.  

It's all good.

It was worth the extra day's wait to quilt it-having the words running sideways on the back would have bugged me to no end.

I 'believe' I'm pretty happy and will be even happier probably tomorrow sometime...

Seventy-three (I think)

Or Why I haven't started quilting yet today....

 I posted this morning and  Mary said this at the end of her comment:

"Surely you are getting near the end of your stash of block-a-day blocks?"

I think she's asked me this before and others too and I always think  that I need to get the box

box where the Bl-a-days live

 out and take a picture, count and gag in horror refresh my memory at how many I DO have left.

So I replied that I would get my camera and go see and if I didn't get distracted I'd try to write a little post about it.

After taking all these pictures

(notice the little note beside the pile of CW 12" blocks) I counted them all and the total is 77. 

Well instead of putting them away I started to think to myself "OH my gawd, I am never going to make a quilt with this, this this (pulling blocks out and tossing them).  For a moment I almost just put them all away but then I started to sew. No use having blocks that are weird in size or looks take up space in my room or my head.  

I found a drawer with leftover backing and orphans from previous quilts.  

As I was sewing these together I also sewed the little block-a-day quilt together that I posted about this morning. I moved it and the little Christmas 9-patch to the 2nd design wall.

Because now the big wall has this on it.

And this is why the post title is seventy-three--in all this sewing I used 4 blocks... I know there are more than 4 blocks on the wall but some of them were already in the reject drawer to they didn't get counted in the green box. 

**don't be alarmed...I know what I'm doing**

hahaha

So now it's past lunch time, I'm hungry, no quilting yet but I feel good because I wanted to get my Strings & Stars quilt done this month.  

I didn't have backing for it. 

 I do now.

Oh and I forgot to put it in the last post, because I was just kidding up there, I really don't KNOW WHAT I"M DOING MOST OF THE TIME!!!!

I finally got a box that would hold the 6 Quilts for Kids quilts that I made and they are on their way.  

I'm pretty sure I've made 11 this year.  The goal was 12 (one a month) not sure if I will get that twelfth one done, we'll see.

OK time for lunch!

I'm almost caught up

I've been quilting away

and soon hope to be able

 to load one of my own...

but not yet.

******

This quilt needed the borders redone and is now ready to load. It was hand pieced by a grandma who passed away 6 years ago. It will be a surprise Christmas gift for someone.  There is some fullness in the blocks but I think it will be OK; just having the borders on straight and square has helped tremendously.
It's been a good learning experience for me and am sure will continue today as I quilt it.

In the picture below, the blocks on the right are a little Christmas quilt I'm piecing for the heck of it

 *wink*

and the blocks on the left are from my 2010 block-a-days. I think they are the 9" blocks. I un-sewed one or two (?) and resewed to get this layout-that center star block with the 9-patch center is a 6.5" block.

 I have no idea where this is going, but one day last week  I was so tired of quilting and just wanted to piece something

 but didn't want to start anything...

really,

 but I did-

two things actually.

fun times, fun times.  

Life is good.

A Flimsy!

64 x 80

I LOVE this! 

The borders went on so stinkin' smoothly I was stunned. 

I haven't been this excited about a quilt in a long time...hmmm

going to have to think about that and why..

It's now waiting patiently for quilting.

********

I'm about as ready for Thanksgiving as I can get. 

Everything else has to be done tomorrow morning.

OH WAIT!  I forgot to dust, dang it.  I hate dusting. 

Tonight Meghan and I are going to the Pens game!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

fun times- fun times! Life is Good.

amen

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.

Ole' St. Nick

Old St Nick progress (64 x 80-when done)

Here's a 'hot off the memory card' picture!

I finished all the machine blanket stitching-those pine trees are huge-the two bigger trees are 15 inches and that's just the green part. They are 28 inches from tip top to bottom of the trunk!  I did take the background apart, in half basically along one of the rows, to make it easier to manipulate while doing the stitching.  It's sewn back together now.

And for anyone who might be wondering, yes I forgot to flip the templates when I was marking the fusible so my Santa it looking to the east rather than the west.
His coat and hat are flannel and I just love it.

I still need to piece 26 or is it 22 hst's? oh crap I can't remember but I think I have the correct number of Thangles pulled.
I do remember the number 168; which is the total HST needed for those scrumptious borders! I'm hoping to have this done in the first week of December.  

The racks of thread there need to find a home on a wall but since walls down  in deconstruction land seem to keep moving/changing/disappearing, they're hanging out along the design wall for now- in my way but I'm trying to work on my patience  just deal with it.

Paul spent last evening tearing out part of the old back wall to move the gas line for the fireplace.
Once again I'm so glad he never finished the drywall on that back wall even with my gentle urging to do so nagging.  Unscrewing it from the studs was nearly mess free as opposed to the dreaded Saws-All  and the tons of white powdery dust which is has become, once again, my nemesis.

*****

quilting continues...

....fun times, fun times. Life is good.