Stretching

Today was a long quiet day at home. I quilted borders on a quilt for Mom (no picture) then decided I better get to work on the Birthday Swap block for Helen. I was unsure about the fabrics I bought, as they didn't exactly fit her color choices. So I found a few in my stash to add to the group and sent a picture to see if she thought they'd fit in. Meanwhile I did some looking at African art to find some inspiration. This was way outside my usual comfortable box. In the end I decided to use some of the fabrics, not use one and send it to Helen along with the block I did do. Her guidelines were African or African feeling fabrics:brown, orangey brown, blue, green and some black. Block size divisible by 2", at least 10", doesn't need to be square, and has to include applique of any type. I decided to do an African Mask with a pieced, mitered frame aroungd the block. I'm pleased with how it turned out and I sure hope Helen likes it. My new machine does a nice satin stitch. I've not worked with mitering much in the past, and haven't done much applique, so it was a good thing to try some unfamiliar techniques.

Time Flies!

I haven't posted in a while. I attended the OKC WInter quilt show, and won a fat quarter pack as a doorprize. Nice! But better than that, I bought a new sewing machine. Itwas an impulse buy, but the price was too good to pass up. Denny agreed, and I am now the owner of a Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 85 with a Fab-U-Motion fabric mover system with stitch regulator. This machine has a 10" throat space and will be great for quilting. 137 stitches, 4 alphabets and lots of nice features. I only picked it u Wednesday afternoon, and we left Friday morning to visit Houston family, but I did get to play with the new machine a bit. I sewed 9 lotto blocks....the 1/4" stitch is dead on and they came out pefectly sized.



And then I pulled out a charity quilt that has been waiting to be quilted for a few years. I set up the fab-u-motion and did" scribble" quilting to get used to it...different designs on each block. There will be a learning curve to get good on this , but the stitch regulation worked well and the stitching looked good front and back.

January 3, 2009

New Year's day was a lazy day around here. Church in the morning and lunch out. Then home and Denny and the kids went to find some firewood. I stayed home and did computer stuff. Printed out lists for Sunshine Lotto and QBL so I can try to do some blocks each month. Later in the evening I decided to make crumb blocks for a while....20 blocks didn't even begin to make a dent in the scrap drawer I need to set a deadline and sew crumb blocks everyday until then and then throw away the scraps that are left (I'm talking about the small stuff here...) .


After sewing 20 crumb blocks I pulled out my stash of crumb blocks (lots!) and played with laying some out. Then I had a flash of inspiration for a setting with the sashing strips looking interwoven. I tried it using some solid strips I had in the drawer but it didn't really work with so many colors of strips. It was late so I put it all away.

Friday I decided to make QBL Lotto blocks...the block is Amish Diamonds from The Quilter's Cache. Fabric choices this month: solids. Now I don't use solids much, and I don't buy fabric specifically for Lotto playing...it has to come from my stash. I was surprised to find as many solids as I did. I cut components from each color and then did mix'n'match to make the blocks.

In the process I found I had enought of 3 fabrics to use with crumb blocks. After finishing the 12 Lotto blocks i set to work. I statred out thinking I'd do a 5x5 block layout, but changed it to 5x6. It took a bit of pondering but I finally figured out how to do the construction and spent a few hours on it.I really like how it turned out.



Ihave a busy week coming up. I volunteered to help hang quilts for the OKC Winter quilt show. Hanging is all day Wednesday and the show runs Thursday through Saturday. The Alzheimer's: Forgetting Piece By Piece display will be at the show and on Thursday I will be taking Mom and my friend Donna to the show. I will probably go at least one other day...I want to find some embellishments for the jacket I'll be making soon. Now I need to get busy. It is a beautiful day outside and I want to hang laundry out to dry. And I want to do some more cleaning out and sewing in the sewing room.

New Year's Eve

I spent yesterday and today quilting Denny's log cabin quilt, trying to finish it in time to meet the 3 UFO challenge deadline....and I did! Yippee!!! it turned out nice and he likes it.

After Christmas

It is after Christmas and I spent Friday and Saturday sewing. I needed to get a wedding present quilted first. The top was done before Christmas and the wedding was on the 27th. Here's the finished product. Gift was given this morning and was appreciated.
After getting that done I decided to catch up on a few things. First the block I need to send for the Birthday Block Swap for December. Terri Sent yellow background fabric and requested yellow and blue blocks. I used the Green Mountain Star pattern that was the November block for the Scrap Quilting Forum's Participants Mystery Quilt.
Then I did the December block for the PMQ...Martha Washington Star:
I feel almost caught up on things. My sewing room was somewhat cleaned up before Christmas, because the kids needed to hide Denny's present (large, roll around toolbox) in the closet, which necessitated having a path clear and room in the closet. So I cleaned up some. I still need to do a major reorganization of fabric and sewing supplies. I have several clothing projects I'd like to do (PJ's for the boys I didn't get done for Christmas). But next thing I need to do is get my log Cabin Quilt for Denny quilted....by the 31st for the 3 UFO Challenge deadline. I did finish the quilt for Serenity for Christmas:
The kit came with 12 blocks to embroider, but I realized that would not be done by Christmas , so I went with the blocks I had done, framed them with 1930's repro solid colors, and the 4 patch 1930's repro's I swapped this fall. I think it turned out cute, and Serenity and Jackie both seemed to like it when They unwrapped it.

Where I'm At

Here is what I presently have done on Jamie's NYB graduation quilt.
I've already told him it won't be done in time (graduation party December 20). Now I need to decide if I should set it aside for a while and work on other things (Serenity's quilt, wedding present for John and Debbie, sewing clothes for RoseE). I think I have to leave it on the design wall or it will become a long term UFO. Maybe I can manage a few blocks a week. There are 24 blocks left to go and then borders.... End of the school year would be a reasonable goal for being done (Why'd he have to graduate in December anyway? LOL)

Catching up again...

It seems that's all I do! Anyway after going to Houston for IQF and then immediately to New Jersey the babysit and help Krsti getting ready to move, I have spent a lot of time catching up around the house. And right before I went to Houston, "Jannie's Wedding Rings" came back from the quilter...so I had to get that binding on and stitched down by hand....and I forgot to get a picture of the final product. They took it home on Thanksgiving, and werefighting over it (LOL). Jamie will be leaving for a job in January and Annie won't be able to move until the end of the schoolyear as she is a teacher. The job is with Haliburton, in Burns Flats, OK, but they's probably live in Weatherford.

Kristi and the boys flew in on Monday evening before Thanksgiving, and we had a nice visit. Victor drove up on Wednesday. The older kids banished me and the little ones from the house on Wednesday, as is the recent tradition. They baked 9 pies (4 pumpkin, 2 cherry, 2 apple, and a chocolate pecan) and cleaned up the house. Kristi and I took the kids to the OKC Zoo (free admission!). It was a lovely day. the only bad part of the day was Ginger had to stay home because she was sick. Here's a picture of the kids: RoseE (DD), Tony(DGS), Ski(DGS), Johnny(DS), and Gianni(DGS) down below.
Thanksgiving day, has got to be the calmest holiday ever. The house was neat, dinner was ready easily, and it was an altogether pleasant day! Friday we played games and I did a bit of laundry. Saturday morning K&V and the boys left, Denny took the kids to town. The boys went to friend's house, the girls went to visit Jamie and Annie,and Mimi had to go back to St. Greg's and to work. Then Deny had to go back to town to pick everyone up. They arrived home around 6 pm. Meanwhile I had the whole day and the whole house to myself. I did do 3 loads of laundry and also hung Mom's bedding out on my clothesline, but the rest of the day I spent catching up on quilty things. First I needed to make a block for a quilt for the outgoing guild president. Then I needed to get the November birthday swap block done. I thought I had the needed fabric (red, orange and purpole batiks) bu found that my batiks are not those colors....and me home without a car. hat to do? Easy! Walk across the drive to Mom's house and raid her extensive stash. I knew she had batiks and hoped she'd fill in the missing colors. She did, and I designed and made the block below. Margaret had requested 8" New York Beauty blocks with flying geese included in one arc.


After getting that done, I decided to get caught up with my blocks for the scrap quilting forum Participants Mystery Quilt. I hadn't done either October or November's blocks. I did get them done.
After getting these done I cleaned up a bit , sewing some crumb blocks. I've been doing those occasionally, either as leader/ender pieces or just to do some mindless sewing, and stashing the blocks in a drawer....I counted yesterday and I have about 90 blocks now.

I need to get back to work on Jamie's graduation quilt (NYB) and also get Serenity's quilt done (2 blocks left to embroider). Hopefully I'll get it done for Cristmas, but if not,maybe her 1st birthday (Jan. 7). And Denny told me last week John and Debbie are getting married Dec. 27, and a quilt would be a good gift since , combining 2 households they don't need anything.....I think I'll use the set of log cabin blocks that I was going to use for Denny!

Fruitful day!

What I accomplished today: 4 loads of laundry, a clean kitchen sink, 10,000steps walking, gave 5 haircuts, and made 2 more NYB blocks for Jamie's graduation quilt. So here are what's done so far:

I think I may need to find a few additional fabrics....probably a few more teal blues and greens and maybe some rusty oranges. Picking which fabrics to use together and which block style are the hardest part for me. The paper piecig is easy for me, and the curves are improving as I go along...practice makes perfect?

September 13, 2008

When did I blog last? Too long ago.
I have Jannie's wedding rings ready to take to Hubert Madole to quilt, just as soon as I get the batting. I ordered Warm and Natural from Overstock.com and it is supposed to arrive Monday.



I joined the 3 UFO challenge which ended Agust 31. I completed Jannie's Wedding rings top, a Quilt for Laurie G. and finally quilted my Scotty Dogs (and gave it to Katy).






























In addition I made a mini quilt for a swap. machine pieced, hand quilted, my own design. Blocks are 2.25". I sent it to Karen G. and she loves it!

I joine the UFO Challenge again, end date 12-31-2008. This time I'm really ambitious....or maybe a little crazy? I listed as my UFO's quilting my log cabin swap blocks (make into a quilt for Denny for Christmas). the OKC Winter Quilt Show challenge fabric (design, make and enter a quilt this time instead of just buyiong the challenge fabric and not using it!), and get Jamie's graduation quilt done before his December graduation. I promised him a New York Beauty quilt when he graduates college, and started collecting fabrics when he started college seminary 5 years ago. SO this week I pulled out the fabric collected and the Karen Stone NYB pattern book and got started. The first 4 of 36 blocks are done!

Before we started homeschool back up on Sept 2, I did a big push to finish some swaps and lotto blocks I wanted to do just for fun....now my sewing time is a bit more limited.

Ginger is beginning 1st grade this year, a year ahead of her age, but she wants to do it and is not having any problem grasping the concepts, so we are going ahead with it...Math, Reading, and religion. The rest of the kids just picked up where we left off at the beginning of the summer, and the first two weeks have gone pretty good. After we get used to the routine I may add some more activities for the older kids.

Katy started an additional job, and opted to wait to go to college until she can get some money together, and figure out what she wants to study.
Mimi is back at St. Gregory's. They had auditions for the fall production of Neil Simon's "Rumors", and she did not get cast in a role, but has been assigned to be stage manager, which means she has to attend every rehearsal!
Nick and Jackie moved to Virginia, and are getting settled in. I hear Serenity is getting big, but am waiting to see up to date pictures.
And speaking of pictures, Jamie and Annie gave us 2 cd's worth of wedding pictures, which I haven't found time to look at yet, let alone pick some out to share in albums.

The morning and my alone time are almost over and I haven't made it to the sewing machine yet....time to get off the computer!!

They're Married!

Jamie and Annie have been married for just over 2 weeks. The wedding was June 20. I didn't get their quilt finished, but it's ready for the borders.

I did make Ginger's flower girl dress and basket, and the ring bearer pillow. Here Ginger is posing before the wedding.


And here is a pic of Denny and I with Jamie, prior to the Wedding Mass.
Here is Annie before the ceremony. She was a beautiful bride!

And Johnny waiting for picture taking after the wedding.

Now that the wedding is past, and we have been on vacation, I have nothing on my calendar for a while. I intend to spend a lot of time sewing...Quilts and clothes. I am signed up for a couple of swaps and I need to get the borders on Jannie's wedding rings. And I want to start making some more clothes for myself.