Winter has come!

This week we got lots of snow, which was a really nice change...for awhile.  Note the snow on the picnic bench and barbeque--roughly NINE inches.  You can see the leaves are still on many of our trees--the temperature was in the 70's just last week.

Bryna (yes, our new puppy finally has a name!) enjoys the snow, but not the cold weather so much--it's currently 14 degrees, and going to go lower tonight.  We took this photo after our walk in the snow today.  She's growing so fast.  When we brought her home about a month ago, she was almost 6 lbs.  Yesterday at the vet, she was 20 lbs.  Seems she takes after me!

 

In between shoveling snow, walking with Bryna, and watching Bryna, I've managed to finish a couple things.  After working on it a couple of years--seems like forever--I finally finished the bottom panel of the Roseville Album. 

 

 

The trees seemed to take forever.  I wish I had used a darker fabric for the one on the left, but it is done and done is good!  Strangely enough, the darker tree stitched so much easier than the lighter one, and I really do like the fabric and the way it looks for the tree.  But it did cause one near crisis. 

 

Somehow the panel got damp (maybe from sitting near a condensing glass of ice water), and the fabric in the tree on the right side bled onto the background about an inch out throughout the tree area.  This happened at the point when the panel was 90% done, just a few circles and birds to go.   I just about had a heart attack seeing that. 

 

 

This is the fabric--it's a Brandon Mably called Green Clover Dots (I think).  Since I prewash everything, it wasn't a good surprise.  Luckily, when I soaked the panel, it all washed out.  But, I would recommend you prewash that fabric if you have it--mine is going to get prewashed an extra time! 

 

And, tonight my husband watched Bryna, my daughter was gone, and I got to sew uninterrupted (pure heaven).  I was able to do the finishing machine applique on Quilt Doodle Doodle's BOM for October.  I had finished stitching the pieces last month, but forgot about the light's string.  Since then, I've been mulling over how I wanted to add it. 

 

 

I had thought about embroidering it on, but I really wanted it to show up against the blue, so I went with a narrow bias strip instead, using a narrow black and white stripe that I had left from another quilt's binding. (Cut just slightly over 1/4 inch)

 

 

That's likely all I will get finished for awhile.  My daughter is home for 3 more weeks--such a rare treat, I want to enjoy every moment I can with her!  (When I can pry her away from Bryna that is--they've been having a grand time together--I'm going to have to be sure she doesn't pack her up in her suitcase!) 

 

Happy stitching--and Happy Thanksgiving if I don't post again before then!

A Roseville Update

This someone is sleeping now, so I have a minute (or two) to catch the blog up.  She still is unnamed, but we're getting closer. (I hope).  Since she ignores most commands, a name doesn't seem to be a problem.

In the prior post, I forgot to show the back of the quilts (they are they same on both):

 

 And--FINALLY--I finished, washed and ironed a panel of the Roseville Album.  I was waiting to finish another block to do them together, but at the rate I am going, decided to make this my "project" for the day (or maybe month?).

 

 

And a couple close ups:

 

 

 

 

I am close to being finished with the bottom panel too, but have a few more pieces to add when/if I can squeeze in a little applique time.  I'm also trying to get a chance to sew some binding on a quilt I need to finish by the end of the month. 

 

Unfortunately, someone thinks quilts are fun to chew/pull on.  Seems her toys are all boring now.  And since she's up now and exploring and eating every leaf, twig, and worm she can find outside, I've gotta go!

 

Happy Stitching!

 

The New Normal

When you have one of these around, not much quilting gets done.  It's hard to turn down a face like this.

Fortunately she still takes a lot of naps, and I've been able to finish the binding on two quilts, and sew a sleeve on each of them. 

 

The sun and wind didn't cooperate for my photo (and naptime is short), so here's a picture of one of them inside (they are identical).

 

 

And I finished one more King George circle (finally!)

 

 

You know that feeling when you have eaten too much for dinner and had dessert too?  This is what the dog version of that looks like.  Thank goodness some of that belly is gone today, and her food is being strictly measured.  She apparently knows no limits. (she used to leave food and stop when she was full)

 

 

At least for that moment, she slept like a baby.  At 2:00 am, not so much.

 

Happy quilting--hope you get to sew more than I have!

Can you have too much Red?

Not much quilting being done.  I started a new project this past Saturday:

My favorite Red

She's a sweetie, but keeps me on the move.  So far she is still known as Red.  And you can see that she likes batiks.  (It's an old hair scrunchy I made 20 years ago, but she loves it!) 

So if I'm missing online, you know why.  I have managed to squeeze in a little machine binding--one done, two in process, and one to go.  Maybe photos this weekend?  I can hope.  With Red's help, it will be hard!

Happy quilting!

My New Favorite Color is Red

I don't have much to show, but I have been sewing--a bit anyway.  Last week I took five tops to be quilted.  Don't be impressed by the number five.  Four are baby quilts, and most of them were already finished, just waiting for their day of quilting.

Since you've seen a couple of them in prior posts, and I won't show them again until they are completely done, but here's one of the few photos I took of two of them (only one photo because they're identical quilts).  It was at the point of choosing the borders.  I eventually decided the black was too severe for a baby, and went with an orange fabric, but got distracted at this point (back in February 2012), so it's nice to finally have them put together, and almost done.

The fifth quilt is a full size quilt I made around 1993, but never finished.  (Do you sense a theme?)  It is a quilt from the book, Star Gazing by Jackie Robinson, called Star SA-lute  I thought I bought a backing for it back then, but when I measured the piece that I had saved for all those years, it was much, much too small.  So a hunt for a back that would match entailed.  Note to self:  Buy a back when your colors are still available! 

I thought rust would be easy to find.  Not so much.  The fabric I decided to use really doesn't match it, but it looks like it does and was on sale--I didn't take a photo, so you'll have to wait for that "excitement". :)

I snapped this photo quickly without even unfolding the top all the way--I was just excited to get it finished.  Note to self:  When taking a quilt to be quilted that's been stored away for many years, look at it--on BOTH sides! 

When I got to the quilter, and took it out, we looked at it.  This is what we both saw at the same time:

 

See a little problem in that block near the bottom center?  So the top came back home to be fixed.  When I brought it home, I unfolded it to find the problem block, and low and behold, look what else I saw on that same side:

 

 

One block had the wrong background color.  How did I miss that?  And that jogged a memory.  When I put this top together, I came up short one of the outer blocks.  Note to Self:  Don't assume you miscut or miscounted.  Look!

 

Fortunately I'd saved the leftovers in with the top, so I could put together the correct blocks.  It didn't go smoothly.  My first try:

 

 

Notice how the left row is turned upside down from how it should be.  (it looks like it isn't square, but it is)   Note to self:  Don't sew with a migraine.  

 

All is fixed now, and the top is ready to be quilted--I hope!  

 

And, our big news (saving the best for last) is that we are adopting a new family member!  

 

 

For now we are calling her "Red" because of her collar color.  I hope Red likes to patiently watch me quilt.  I'm guessing the odds of that are slim.  She'll get to come home in a week or two.  Meanwhile, we're busy puppy proofing our lives!  If the photo is any indication, she may be named Shark.

 

Happy quilting!

All Caught Up!

After a long day yesterday--maybe even a bit of early this morning--I am all caught up on the BOM!  Hooray!  Hooray!

Here's June's block:

 

I was going to put all the blocks together to see how they looke, but I think I'll save that for next month.  Maybe that will inspire me to keep up!  And, hopefully by then my design board will be clear.  (Those pesky pyramids are still on it!) 

 

Have a good week!  Happy Stitching!

September's BOM

I'm beginning to catch up!  Just finished September's block for the Quilt Doodle 2014 BOM quilt.

 

And I also finished the block for July this week too! 

 

 

Only one more to go to be all caught up!  Once that is done, I can clear the mess off the tables and work on a VERY old project.  I've run out of storing room, so I guess I have to finish a few WIP's!Hope you're having a good weekend!

 

August's BOM

In the prior post, I carefully forgot to mention how I have fallen behind on the wintery BOM.  I kept up through May, but then just stopped.  I don't remember why.  But this week I finished the block for August, so I'm only behind by two (until Labor Day)!   Maybe they'll have to be block of the week for a little bit.

Here's August's block--the candy pieces on top.  The stars are from April. 

 

The strips are so long it's hard to photograph them, but they continue to share the wall nicely with the Pyramids.

 

 

It'll be fun IF I can get this finished by Christmas time--also a miracle!  Next Christmas is more realistic.  But you never know.

 

Happy Stitching!

So Long Summer

It looks like I haven't accomplished anything since May.  Can that be right?  Where has the summer gone? 

I was looking through my summer clothes today in anticipation of a couple little trips, and realized I have one pair of capris I haven't even worn this summer.  What am I saving them for?   It's so unlikely that they'll even fit next year!  (Bet you can guess in which way)

It's just like I save those "special" fabrics, that I love too much to cut.  Does that means I make all my quilts with second rate fabrics?  Definitely food for thought.  I'm trying to use more of my favorite fabrics instead of just storing them to show up in my estate sale someday.  Even if they are just used on a back, it's better to have a pretty back than a pretty fabric in the closet.  So my current goal is to cut and use the prettiest fabrics.  I can always buy more fabric--and another pair of capris.

Ok, so back to the summer.  In no particular order, we spent a week on the Oregon coast, and had a wonderful time with both kids for part of the time.  I love the time we spend there--a definite recharge!

The beach is always wonderful, and the flowers were spectacular.

Look at all the caterpillars on the yellow flowers.

 

I did do some quilting too!  I finished a quilt I call Reach for the Stars, for my new great-nephew, born just last week, and it's packed up and ready to mail tomorrow.  It was put together using the same method as the Sparkle Punch Quilt Along.



It has the most luscious minkie backing.  I would love a cuddle quilt of minkie (just in case you'd like to make me one!)  Wouldn't that be the most luxurious thing?  Has anyone tried a bed size minkie quilt?

I also finished 3 more tops and backs that are ready for the quilter.  Two are baby sized, and packed up to go, and the one below is more of a  large toddler size.  It just got away from me--was having so much fun playing with the fabrics.  It is a scaled down version of the Turn by Turn quilt I made earlier this year.  In looking for a photo of it, I guess it rained so much this spring I never took a finished one.  Maybe I can do them both together when this one is done.  I do love putting Kaffe's together.  May as well put Kaffe quilts together too.

 

All I can show you of the other two is the binding which is ready and waiting.  Hopefully there will be enough for both of them--they're virtually identical--maybe for twins? :)  I just happened to have enough leftovers to make it work.

And, lest you think I completely avoided it, I did begin to work on the Pyramid quilt again...mostly putting the pieces that had fallen (been knocked off by someone careless--me) back up on the design wall.  Not much sewing, but hey, it's a start.  I had thought about doing something different in one section, but I finally decided to save that for the back, so can move forward now.  Decision points always seem to stop me until I resolve the issue--sometimes it takes years to get back to it.  Lately, it is easier because I tend to forget what the problem was!

Hope you've had a nice summer.  Happy stitching!

May's BOM

Finished with May's block!   The block is part of a BOM designed by Cindy at Quilt Doodle Doodles, which you can read about here.

May's Block

As you can see, I still have a little "problem" with some triangles which are refusing to leave the design wall unless I stitch them together. 

 

 

Meanwhile, I've been doing a bit of applique on the Roseville, which is aggravating my shoulder.  Nothing very exciting to show yet, but I'm making some slow progress on two of the panels--trying to get it all glue basted, and I've finished stitching both the trees (from hell) on the bottom panel. Hooray for that!    

 

 

The trees aren't that bad, but they did take me about 2 years from start to finish--although I can't honestly say I worked on them much during that time period. :)  I'm also not thrilled with the fabric I chose for the tree on the left (you can see above the cow)  Guess I should have figured out sooner that it's too light.  Oh well--I'm not going to redo it!  

 

Happy Stitching,

A Little BOM Progress

Not much sewing has been going on here, but at least I'm caught up on the Quilt Doodle Doodles BOM.  It's been the perfect amount of sewing to do each month and very nice having something to just sew that doesn't require too much thought or decision making.

March's Block

 

April's Block

Blocks Together

So far I'm liking how the blocks look together.  And yes, the pyramids quilt is still on the design board--no progress at all.
Happy Quilting!

Shining stars, but no triangles

As you all know, I've been struggling with my pink and green triangles.  I finally decided to work on them a couple weeks ago.  But before doing them, I decided to clean up the sewing room (and pick up all the triangles that have fallen off the design wall).

But wouldn't you know it, when cleaning, I came across a group of fabric I had pulled for a baby quilt.  The baby ended up being a girl, so I went with the more girlish stack of fabrics, and this group was left behind.

Before I knew what was happening, these fabrics were cut up.  And while I was cutting those, I might as well cut a few more for another quilt I had planned to make, right?  And then I could put the fabrics all away and have a clean place for my triangle construction, right?  Well, no.

You know I started sewing the pieces.  Just for the one group of fabrics.  A little sewing wouldn't hurt--just to make sure I didn't need to cut more before I put the fabrics away, right?  The stars felt like an antidote to the green and pink.  A cleansing of the palate, or palette, so to speak.  Sure to get me ready for the triangles, right?  Well no again.

The stars are assembled, but I think I will do some sort of border with the leftover pieces.  We'll see.  I really enjoyed working with these colors.  I'm calling this one Shine--as in let your star shine.   You can see my tax return bins on the edge of the next photo.  I'm still trying to organize our financial records/paperwork  (35 years makes a real mess!)

I started on the other quilt I cut this weekend too.  No photos of that because the camera has decided to go on strike.  And no triangle sewing so far....  I may need an intervention.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

When it rains...

When it snows, it's only right to make snowmen.  What do you sew when it is grey and drab and rains (pours) all the time?  Well plaid blocks, of course.

I've spent much of the last week making a few more blocks from the Just Takes Two BOM from a year or two ago.  My method is to look through the remaining undone blocks and pick the easiest ones--which isn't a good method as they get harder and harder.  I still have quite a few more to go. 

I'm also trying to use up pre-cut squares I have left from earlier plaid projects.  Definitely forces the blocks to be a bit mixed up, which I like, and blends well with my lack of precision when putting the blocks together, as a couple didn't end up being the right size. 

 

I think there may have been a correction done after I printed out the instructions that I didn't pay attention to (and I apparently can't read), so I've created slightly new blocks.  I figure they will fit together (or not) when I get them all done, and if not, I'll just use a few fill strips or blocks. 

 

 

The basket block is one example--I just sized it up to the next size and will trim off the extra when the time comes.  And the block to its lower right is another example.  They were supposed to be 3 of the little blocks, but since each ended up exactly 1/2 inch too small, I made a 4th and stitched them all together. I may eventually just create a few more blocks of my own.   And note to self:  Measure, READ, and check the math before you cut and sew them.  Duh.  

 

After a week of plaid, though, I'm ready to move on to some sunshine (yes, I'm trying to be hopeful).  And, no, I still haven't done anything about those bothersome pyramids...  Maybe it's their turn this week?  Doubtful.  I've something new I'd like to start.  ;)   

  Hope you are staying warm--Happy Stitching & Happy President's Day!