Christmas Gift

Just framed for Christmas a note DH got from our second son for his birthday. This son has been a drill seargent, and also has helped run the program over his 20+ years in the Army Reserves. The note reads:

Dad, Thank you for teaching me to be a good father and person in general. I have taken what you gave me and passed it on to my children. I can easily say I'm proud of them. I see many examples of kids raised wrong, without a sense of responsibility or duty. You gave me those characteristics and enabled me to be successful in life.

When I think of all the people I've trained, I know they take a bit of me and incorporate into their lives; so they also get a bit of you and your lessons. I'd like to think lives have been saved because of it.

It's almost Christmas

Can't believe it is almost Christmas. Have to put aside my quilting to get all the baking done. 10 banana/pumpkin/cranberry nut breads to make as well as some cookies. The marathon starts tomorow. Got the top done for the baby quilt. Just need to do the backing and bind it. I think I will use a green for the binding. The Pokey Little Puppy book should be arriving in the mail today or tomorrow to go along with the quilt.

When the baking is done, I will start on a lap quilt for a friend who is veteran and is now in a wheel chair due to Parkinson's. My list of projects never gets any shorter.

December Projects

Finished my bag for the Winter months. It has 2 internal pockets, 2 outside pockets one each front and back and a pocket on each side. Lots of room. It also has a flap that closes the top. Don't you just love the Cardinal fabric.

I've finished one placemat except for the binding. I will do that when they are all completed. I think the fabrics I chose give them a very classy look. She likes teal, and these are lighter shades of it than I gave her last year.

Yeah!! It's Done

The quilt top is finally done. Have 5 projects to finish in the next 3 - 4 months and then I can work on the backing for it.

First, I'm going to make a bag for Christmas, and then 6 placemats for my hairdresser for Christmas. Then I will start on the baby quilts.

Once again, I can't get far enough away from the quilt to get the whole thing in, but you get the idea.

Angels Among Us

I took a paper piecing class at quiltuniversity.com  I liked the angel that was the project. I have finished mine and am quite pleased with it. I just might make her a part of the backing for all my quilts from now on. It would make a nice signature piece, possibly using fabrics from the front of each quilt for the background and her gown. What do you think?

Next step

The quilt is on it's final round. Just have corners to do. 24 more blocks and then I can start on my other projects.

Once this is done, I have a patriot quilt to do as well as 3 baby blankets and some table placemats. Most to be done before Christmas. After Christmas I can start doing the backing for this quilt. I am really happy with the way this quilt is taking shape.

Round 1 done

Yeah!!! Done with this round and ready to move onto the next one. I have a friend who doesn't quilt and doesn't want to learn because she just likes projects that she can get done quickly. To me a great deal of joy is lost if all we want to do is finish and don't take joy and pride in the process. Generally I can give things I have spent a great deal of time on without a qualm because for me it is all about the process.

I can't get far enough away to get the whole thing in on the camera, but this gives a good idea of how it is going.

October already?

I can't believe this year will be coming to a close in 3 short months. Where did the time go.

Yesterday I dropped off my Cathedral Window quilt 'X marks the spot' for a local quilt show. This was my first project. You know the saying about 'stepping in where angels fear to tread'. That is me sometimes. It is entirely hand pieced. The background is a blue batik. I'll have to take a close up of it so you can see the individual blocks when I get it back.
Making good progress on nieces quilt. Will post an updated picture of it sometime soon.

Progress

The center is done. Now to do the first round. There will be 2 rounds and then the corners. I was only going to finish the center blocks today, but couldn't resist doing one of the blocks for the next round.
There are 40 blocks in the center, and the first round will have 44 blocks.

 This round has the darker fabric from the center and the next darker color in it. I am going to hate giving this one up.

Moving right along

Did you ever have that book you can't put down? That is what this quilt is turning into for me. Even when I only plan on doing nothing on it I find myself doing at least one block. I have now reached the half way point of the quilt's center. Paper piecing takes longer to do, but is much more exacting. It takes me approximately 5 hours to do 4 blocks. It is going to be worth it.

 

Another start

I finally got started on my Niece's quilt. There are 26 pieces to each block, and 196 7" blocks in the quilt. I will definitely need to stay on schedule to get it done in time. I need to do at least 2 blocks a day to finish by the end of the year.
I am paper piecing it, and love the way it is looking with the 4 blocks I have done so far. I enjoy paper piecing, but when I do it I wish I had a machine that cut the threads for me.

There will be 4 graduations of color from the 2 lightest fabrics to the darkest. This arrangement will be the very center of the quilt.

Another day another block

These are the next 2 blocks in the Craftsy BOM. The red and green are Christmas fabrics.

The quilt for my room is done and at the quilt shop to be picked up by the LAQ next week. Anxious to see what she does with it. I've never used this lady before, but I liked the samples she showed.
I need to pick up the background fabric for my niece's quilt, and then I can start on that.

 

9-Patch without cutting squares

Saw this great idea. It can, of course, be adjusted to the size you want. In this case I started with 8" squares of fabric. I used a dark thread so it could be seen more easily.

With the fabric placed right sides together, sew a 1/4" seam down each side. Cut a 2.5" piece from each side, and cut 2.5" piece from the center. Press the 2 seamed pieces open to the dark fabric. The fabric from the center will be added to each strip to make 3 strip pieces.

Since you pressed seams to the dark, they will nest together as shown above. Again, sew down the sides like before and cut 2.5" strips as before.

Again, press to the dark on the 2 seamed pieces and add the center piece to each block.

Press seam and you now have 2 perfect 9-patch blocks without cutting any individual squares. I hope my directions are clear.

BOM

I decided to do the free BOM that craftsy.com has. If I do one month's blocks each week I'll catch up before too long. It should only take one day to do them. These are the 2 blocks for January. As you can see, it will be very scrappy. I like the idea of each block being 2 shades of the same basic color. What do you think?

Curtains

I made a curtain for the lower part of our bathroom/utility room window. They will only be used when we are entertaining outside as our house is isolated from the surrounding homes. I love being able to look out that window when I am in there doing laundry. I used a blue batik and they looked good for a really quick project.

Almost done

The backing for my quilt is done except for the borders. Will probably get that done next week. The quilt has 3 different center blocks that I added 3 corners to so the centers were on point. The center blocks were from a mystery quilt that I started and didn't finish. Got sidetracked and then didn't remember which one I was doing. Now I am using them in a different way.
Next I will start working on niece's quilt. I've already started on the blocks for the back of her quilt. They also were from a mystery quilt (same one? don't know. LOL).

Finally Done

Finally got the top of my quilt done. Now to get the backing pieced. I can only spend limited time in the sewing room right now when it is hot. No air flow in the room unless there is a good breeze. A couple more months and the temps will be better. Would be nice if we could get the ceiling fan in before then, but other things need to be done that are more important.

Now onto the backing and my niece's quilt. I will alternate between the two.

Ballonfest Weekend

This was the Michigan Challenge Balloonfest this weekend. It was a little too windy Friday night, so only a few chose to launch. Saturday was beautiful. Hot, but not too hot and all the balloons went up. The air was very still, so they just kind of hung there. Some went down in the next field over as they didn't catch and good air. The picture below is an area of the field where some of the balloons were laid out waiting to be filled with air.

Unfortunately it was either too windy or there were storms in the surrounding area. They didn't fly Sunday night. So that is it until next year. We will occasionally see one or two up in the air during the summer months. Such fun.

Some of our family made it out to spend some time with us. Youngest grandson was thrilled with the snakeskin (shed) and the small animal skull I had found for him.

Finally

I finally have finished emptying boxes in the living room area. What a difference.
And...drum roll please... I finally have a wall I can hang a quilt on. This one is my cathedral window called 'X Marks the Spot. The great thing is the X isn't really visible except through the camera's eye. Just looking at it, you have to know what you are looking for to see it. Even though the X looks like it has dark fabrics, They are really a fabric with red flowers close together. I have wanted a place to hang quilts for a long time.

Progress FINALLY

Finally got more work done on this quilt. Need to make some flying geese pieces for a border around the center before I can attach the corners. I'm really loving how it is coming. If I can get it completed in the next 2 weeks and get the backing done by the end of June (dreaming aren't I), then I can get it off to the quilters and start on my next project.

Mystery tree

When this tree started blooming it looked a little like pussywillows, but it quickly changed from the grey white fuzz to a soft spikey golden color with green under it. No idea what the tree is. The one below is the original look and the pic on the right is how it looks now.

Design Wall

Well, my design wall is finally asembled. It is wonderful to be able to put a whole quilt design up on it. Have to do over 100 flying geese to finish this one. All in good time since I don't have a lot of it right now.

Corners

These are 2 of the 4 corners for my quilt. Next over 100 flying geese. They will have to wait until the move is over and we are settled in. Now for some serious packing.
The painting should be done today and then we can start our final clean up of the house before we move stuff in, hang shower rods, etc.
These corners were a problem. I kept having to undo my stitching because I was trying to do the log cabin strips on more than 2 sides.

My Quilt Center

Got the center block done. There a couple mistakes, but I will be the only one who knows what they are. Still a ways to go to finish it, but progress all the same.

It has been really warm and rainy last night and today. So glad it isn't snow. We would have been buried.

More Blocks

Two more blocks done for my quilt. One more block and the center of the quilt will be ready to be put together. This part of the quilt will be on point. After that will be the corners and borders. It is coming together quite quickly, but progress will slow once we start moving into the house. I hope to have it ready for the long arm quilter by the end of February, but we will see. So much to do and so little time as always.

Batik Quilt

Blocks 5 and 6 are now done.
It has been a busy week getting things in order for making a decision on the new house and running many errands. If all goes well, we should close on it a week from Monday. Then things will get really busy and I won't have much time for quilting.

Fortunately, though on the cold side, we have had very little snow. Hopefully we won't get a bunch later this month.

A New Year

Happy New Year. It is a mild start for us. The weather is in the low 50's, but we do have colder weather coming our way. Went out to dinner last night,  came home and did some sewing and tv viewing before going to bed early. Finished the 4th block of my quilt today.

Since we have a lot going on tomorrow, I probably won't get much if anything done on it then. The blocks are coming together nicely. I am anxious to get to the point where I start assembling them.