Finally

I finished my little shamrock twister.

(12 x 12)

I think it's so cute.  

I've started the blanket stitching on my Winter Scraps that I posted about last.

But I'm reading the Hunger Games trilogy.  I read the first book and got over 1/2 way through the 2nd book yesterday...uh yes that's about all I did.  

what I've been up to...

Winter Scraps...just need to stitch the appliques down. I already quilted the background.   The colors are a little washed out.  

On my one design wall is 

Shamrock Twister. It is together but not quite done. 

It measures about 9 inches and I think I will add another small border around it to get it a little bigger.

Underneath that is a bunny embroidery w/hsq that I'm making into a pillow.  

It's quilted too but I still have to make the envelope backing.  I'm going to bind it like a quilt.  It's 20 inches square..I think.  It's the project for my guild's March Newbies class but I have to work that day so I thought I'd just get it done now.

The 9-Patch quilt is a memory quilt I agreed to make for someone.  

I finished a couple baby quilts for Libby.

They're both with panels and are just so dang cute.

Oh and I'm in the 12 step program for Pinterest addiction.

Sheesh!

fun times, fun times-Life is Good.

My new Purse

I bought the fabric last June during the local Shop Hop.

This is The Margo bag from Lazy Girl Designs.

The first one I've made.   

I've been making my own version of their 

Towne purse and City bag, combining what I liked best from both patterns into one, for the last couple years and several purses.

It was time for a change.

taking a walk and birds

I've been wanting to do this for a while but would forget to take my camera. 

Today I remembered.

I leave my house and walk about 1/10 of a mile up the road I live on, which has a lot of traffic, to this dead end street.

I start at the stop sign. It's too my left out of this picture.  

(if I back up for a wider shot I'd risk being run over.)

I walk up this little hill and then down a dip.

 Where you can't see the road in this picture, it starts going up again.

up, up to the top of the hill where it levels off for about 50 yards 

and then down, down, down to where the pavement ends.

There is a house on the right at the end of the road and I wave at the front window.

The lady who lives there told me to.  She told me that she sees me walking every day but I never look her way-just straight ahead.  (Ha!)  She said to just wave, even though we both know I can't see into her living room from where I am.  

So I do.

She told me to do  this a few months ago, when I came down the hill and found her shoveling her driveway after we had a few inches of snow.  I  offered to help her-I love to shovel snow, but she said no it helps keeps her young.  

She's in her 80's!

This is the view of the woods and valley across from her house.

If I stand there, and wait, I will hear it.

Nothing.

It's wonderful.

Then a car or truck goes by on the road over the hill back there and ruins it.
I'm not in a secluded quiet place,  like where I grew up...I'm in suburbia.
A little sheltered piece of it but suburbia for sure.

Then back up the hill I go to the beginning. 

8/10th of a mile for each lap.

I do four.

Three if my schedule is crazy and I haven't planned well enough.

Five if I have time, it's not freezing or I ate something really good bad the day before.

I only stop for these.

I have a thing for these birds. I don't remember seeing them ever growing up. 

And I grew up in the country and rode horses in the woods year round with my dad.  We saw lots a wildlife-could get really close to deer before they'd spook. Well, as long as me or my sister weren't yakking away about something.  I loved to talk to my horse, Velvet, she was the best listener. :)

So I always thought woodpeckers were rare.  And the first time I saw a Pileated

woodpecker I was thrilled.  

Sometimes  Hairy or Downy woodpeckers come to up to the back deck and the bird feeder w/suet.  But they are so quick I can't get my camera in time.  I see and hear them on almost every walk and it just makes me smile.

*****

OH
Lest I forget.
Happy Valentine's Day.

so darn cute

(12 x12)

and so darn done!

Oops I did it again!

I started another project.

Very small.

Valentine theme (timely and appropriate).

Took longer than I thought.

yes that's an Itty bitty twister uses 2.5 in squares to start finish 1 inch.

Crazy.

Cute.

(12 x 12)

now to get it quilted and displayed for this Valentine's Day.

*********

Now before I started on the baby hearts, I insisted that I finish piecing the Scrappy Happy blocks.

I really don't like this quilt.  Just keeping it honest.

Perhaps I should re-name it "Barfy Happy"...

"Happy Chaos"...

"OMG take the leftover strips AWAY from her"...

perhaps this will teach me to not deviate from the list.

Perhaps.

*******

 And a few finish pictures:

Small Treasures.  It's hanging in the entryway.

(23 x 36)


and TA-DA!

(12 x 18)

Oh I smile every time I look at this!  Twenty years in the making. Yessiree it is hanging up and will stay up for a while.  It's not the greatest  1st rug every made but it's mine and I LOVE it.  His beard was hooked with roving which I was nervous about but it was really easy to do and looks great.

I have two ideas in the back of my little mind for my next hooking project but I really want to get a lap frame for future rugs.  

*******

And finally my dog picture of the week.

(please do notice the dog beds complete w/their own personal quilts)

"Who's house/couch is it anyway?"  OR  "Rise of the Planet of the Dogs?"


Oh these puppies crack me up.


Fun times, fun times. Life is Good.

Spring Table runner

or a wall quilt.

 I put those triangle corners on the back in case I want to hang this.

(22 x 46) 

close up of the quilting, swirl echos done small.

 Bottom Line in bobbin, So Fine in top until it ran out about halfway through- YIKES!  

I don't think there is anyway to estimate how much is left on a partial spool, especially with the finer threads.  It seems anytime I'm sure I'm going to run out and have a back up spool ready. I have enough and don't need the back up.

But when, like yesterday, I looked at the spool and thought 'yah, I'll  have enough....' I don't.  

Luckily, I had a cone of a Connecting Threads Essential Pro and it matched amazingly well.  

****

I'm half done with the diagonal lines (3/4 inch apart) on the Small Treasures quilt. It is taking for.e.v.e.r.  I timed myself and it was 3 hours marking and sewing the lines-just straight lines amazing.

I should finish that tomorrow and will post a finish picture.

and while on the subject (sorta) of time.  I timed how long it took me to hand stitch the binding to the Spring runner above.  One solid hour! I sat at the table and didn't watch TV or have a bathroom break or anything.  

I think that's a long time.  

I'm timing stuff because I've had a few requests for custom quilts-made from start to finish.  I'm not sure I want to do this.  So I'm trying to figure out how long it takes and how much I'd have to charge to make it worth it to me.

I have a feeling it will be more $ than most would be willing to pay.

But I want to be able to say,

 "Do you see this runner? It took me 1 hour to sew the binding to the back.