You there, Internets?

I am so sorry for the lack of posts, and if you are still checking this blog, you have patience! We've had some medical issues going on around here, and I just haven't had the time or desire to sew. Maybe after the dust clears from the holidays I'll get inspired.

I hope you and yours are having a wonderful holiday season.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

The reveal....

No, I've not been on Extreme Makeover! I never posted a picture of this quilt I made for my cousin's first granddaughter because she sometimes reads this blog. I wanted it to be a surprise. So now that the quilt has made its way to Texas (finally), here it is....

It was a mystery quilt from the Pocketful of Mysteries Yahoo list. The pastels were left from my grandson's quilt, and the background was from stash. (Hooray for me!) The three colors in the upper left corner don't look like that, and I really finished it and just didn't send the top!

Too clean....

OK, my "studio" is also my guest room. My daughter and her family were here for Thanksgiving and it had to be cleaned if they were going to find a place to sleep. Well, I can find nothing. Nothing. My favorite scissors? Put up so I won't lose them. Along with the fabric I need for binding and my leaf blocks and fabric. I know they'll show up, but how discouraging.

And boy do I have scraps to cut. (Yes, I even looked down by the scrap bin.)

Who has time....

to sew??? Good grief, has my Christmas panic set in! I can't believe how much I have left to buy. It's scary.

Quilting goal for the week:
Get baby quilt in the mail.
Figure out what I want to do for my downtime handwork...quilting? Put on a binding?

Notice I didn't say "do it"...I just said to figure it out. Hope you are feeling the creative juices more than I am.

As we crowded around our little table today here in the barn, I had thoughts of past Thanksgivings. They may not have looked exactly like this, but the feeling was the same. I loved being with all my aunts and uncles and cousins when I was a kid. As the grandkids whizzed by and the dogs barked, I found myself hoping that the kids would have memories that would make them feel as good as I do now when they are my age.

It was a wonderful day here, and all of our children and families were here to share it with us at one time or another. It doesn't get any better. (The food was great, too! We had an unexpected dish of turkey enchiladas from our son the chef that were wonderful!)
Don't you love the guy down in the right bottom corner? We're included!

While on our two week vacation in Hawaii, I got to see lots of Hawaiian quilting. These two quilts were owned by the museum that sponsored the trip we were on. The first is a beautiful example of Hawaiian quilting. It was the woman's first quilt, too.
This quilt won a contemporary quilt award at a show in Hawaii. On it is a picture of the restored sugar mill at the museum onn Molokai. It is a beautiful quilt.
There were several quilters on the tour, and our tour leader, in the blue shirt above, gathered all the books she could find on the island so we could buy them if we wanted them. I got one on traditional Hawaiin quilting.

Traveling

So I have been in Hawaii for the last couple of weeks. I saw one particularly beautiful quilt, not Hawaiian in style, but contemporary. I'll post a picture once I get the laundry done, Thanksgiving menu planned, and dogs washed.

Why no sewing has been getting done!

This is almost one of those "What I Did This Summer" essays we used to write in school. We went to south (way south) Texas for a wedding and good visit with family. No quilting was done. No fabric was shopped for. No guilt either!

Padre Island

Loading cows at Riata Cattle Company in Raymondville.

The happy couple.

Fall qpplique

Confession: I think applique is so very pretty, and I really don't know how to do it. I started this a couple of years ago just to try it, and I think it's 'ok', but certainly not good. It's all finished except the face on the cat and putting the back on, but it's gonna' be another year before it gets done. (Well, at least another year! I make no promises.) So one of my goals is to learn to applique to have some handwork to do while I watch tv. (Instead of playing stupid time-wasting games on the computer.)

Fall quilting

I'm almost recovered from the hayride, but will do round 2 this evening for a little while. Well, we've got the hay...why not!? So we will ride a little and roast some weiners and make more s'macos. Hooray!

Here is a picture of the fall quilt with the quilting. I actually bought coordinating fabric for the back, but then I made the quilt itself too long and the backing fabric wouldn't work. I went with a plain backing and decided to let the quilting show up by having it done in a reddish brown. I may work on the binding for it once I get these two 3 year olds settled down. They are exhausting this morning. I never thought I'd make them watch TV!

Hayride 2006

So the hayride was last night...I'm exhausted! It was a lot of fun and I thought I'd share a few pictures.

Here is the pumpking carving area early in the evening. We had 8 pumpkins carved and lit with candles. Their creators took them home.

This is my daughter-in-law giving her demonstration for making s'macos. She did a great job, and we had lots more s'macos than s'mores this year. To make a s'maco, take a flour tortilla and fold it in half. Spread peanut butter on one half, and then sprinkle milk chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows on top of the peanut butter. Fold up the tortilla and wrap it in foil. Place it in the coals of the fire until it's all gooey. Wonderful!
This was the first ride of the evening. After I took this, I jumped on beside my grandson, Peyton, in the red shirt.
On the quilting front, I gave the boat quilt to the mom-to-be when she came to the hayride. She really seemed to like it. I didn't get the label on. Bad, bad quilter.

Maple leaves

So the sewing room is packed up for a while for company and other business. We've been getting ready for the hayride. (bought 10 pumpkins and 70 hot dogs yesterday!) I haven't really been in the mood to sew much lately, but now that I can't, I really want to. Go figure. I did finish the binding on both quilts I had not completed last night. That feels good.

Here are a couple of pictures of the fabric I have been collecting for maple leaves. Right now I am making just one from each fabric, but may have to go back later and double up. I'm trying not to spend any money on fabric right now.

Here are some more of my finished leaves. I like the way some of the color and tones vary. I still don't have a creamy brown for the accent fabric.

Woodward Sid....

my daughter's Cabbage Patch doll, had a tiny little makeover. He has new velcro closing his jacket and pants. The old stuff was a little ragged after 26 or so years. He is ready to be loved by her son now. (Circle of life??) Now if I could just find his shoes.

Every post these days is about how I'm not getting any sewing done. Well, this is another one. Fall is my favorite time of year and a couple of years ago, I got the bright idea to have a hayride. It was fun. So before the night was over the next year's hayride was being planned, and it has 'sploded! This year we are expecting about 50 people. This is a picture of the first ride at last year's party. My poor husband.

We carve pumpkins, have a big campfire, roast weiners and marshmallows, and, of course, ride, ride, ride. My husband teases me about my ambitious plans, but he's the one who wants to get glow sticks so we can put jack-o-lanterns in trees.

On the sewing front, I am slowly making leaves for the Maple Leaf quilt. I really like doing them one at a time and thinking about each leaf as I do it. It's a nice change from speed piecing. I am really liking the fabrics I've picked out, too. I'm going to finish up a leaf this morning and then pack up the sewing area for out-of-town guests coming for the hayride. I have a busy fall planned until Thanksgiving, and I don't know how much sewing will get done.

I'm working on the binding for a baby quilt cause the little Momma' will be here for the hayride, and I'd like to give her the quilt then. And the fall charm quilt is back from the machine quilter. It looks really good. It just has a plain muslim backing, and the brown feathers look really pretty.

Much to do...I'm outta' here.

The reason I've not been sewing.....

So what little kid gets a week off for fall break? My oldest grandson! We took off for a little trip and went to Mammoth Cave. He is a cave lover now! We'll never hear the end of it!

And what did I do while there? Got out of the car....and my back was hurting. I swear, I did nothing but sit in the car and lift nothing heavier than a travel bingo game! Sheesh!

So this is the last glimpse of my littlest boy and his Mama as we left Charlotte. Did it make me sad or what? I dont' see him near enough!
On the quilting front, I am working on leaves. I have been collecting fat quarters for a long time in anticipation of this quilt, so I have some cool fabrics. I didn't even realize it at the time, but almost all of them have varied colors so there will shading whether I work on it or not. I've had lots of grandkids the last couple of days, so have only gotten 3 leaves done and one almost done. It's hard to sew and put ice on bumped heads at the same time.

And I was in Charlotte and didn't go to Mary Jo's. How's that for self-control?

Time to 'fess up

So I got the borders on my mystery quilt this morning, with only a little help from a little girl.





The confession part of this post is the new quilt I started. I was supposed to work on the medallion quilt, but I have not-so-neatly piled that baby up on a dresser out of the way. I've wanted to do a Maple Leaf for the longest time! I need 32 of these for the quilt pattern I posted a few days ago. I might get tired of these, but the different fabrics will keep it a little different. I'm not going to be chain stitching for hours.

So here is the Quiltaholics mystery I worked on this weekend. I have added 1 of 3 borders. It will have a light, a focus, and a light.

I didn't really listen to the fabric recommendations from the designer. I had seen this fabric at the store, and I wanted it. Wanted it!!!! So I got it. I can see that the middle design would have worked better brighter, but I loved the fabric. Wish I'd done a larger size. The quilt was in 3 sizes, and each had a different layout.

In the spirit of the new name of this blog, I will confess several silly mistakes...the worst was making 32 2.5 inch blocks in the wrong size. Didn't take long to fix it, but I was sure glad I had extra fabric. Bought it on purpose! Plus scraps....I luv me some scraps!

OK, Flori, masterpice may be stretching it, but I usually just get an all over quilting pattern, and I guess I didn't realize how following the quilting would make the difference. I may be spoiled from now on and want them all done this way.

In all spaces that had a lot of open space, there is a design. The blue had 3 blocks in each corner, and it looks really nice.

Each of the tri-rec (shudder, can't stand to mention them!) blocks are all quilted in a different pattern. It sure adds a lot of interest. All of the tri recs ( ugh) triangles, all million of them, are done 1/4 inch.

Most of the regular blocks are just 1/4 inch quilted or in the ditch. I'm really pleased with it. And the little boat quilt turned out real cute. It has a wave pattern.



Here is as far as I have gotten on the Mystery quilt. This is clue 1 and 2 for the small size.

Ooooooo, the excitement!

Quiltaholics Mystery Quilt starts today at 10:00. I'm ready!

On another note: remember the Quilt of Which We Do Not Speak? I don't think I told you, but the long-arm quilters loved it. Thought it was beautiful. I think it's in their job description to oooze over quilts, but I digress. I really think they liked this one 'cause Norma says, "Let me play with it. I'll make you like it." So, of course, I say, "And how much will this cost?" and she tells me just the basic like an all over pattern.

The quilt. Is. Beautiful. Patterns in all blanks spaces. All blocks different, some outlined. Beautiful. And I do love the backing fabric. Makes me wish I'd done a better job on the front.

Maybe I should name it Quilting Confessions???

Sigh

156+ rows made ready to assemble into 52 blocks. This is why I make samplers. I can't stand to do the same thing over and over. It's driving me crazy. I would work a few minutes, take a break. Work a few minutes, take a break.

Attention deficit.

Here are my quilt squares made from my t-shirts. High art, huh? Eventually I'll have enough to make a quilt, but right now I'm just happy that the bulk of those shirts has been cut down to a nice little pile! Some of them can be cut down to the same size, but it will be a job.


PS I thought I had a handle on the Follow Your Heart medallion quilt. Now I figured out that I don't have the last month's finishing directions, and when I turned the page of the instructions I do have, it's to make 52 blocks. 52!!!!! Sheesh. I think I'll change the name of this blog to "The Bumbling Quilter". Or maybe "Better Finished Than Perfect". Seriously.

I am sewing today and decided to take a picture of the medallion quilt. I completed the center. These pictures show where I am and where I'm headed with the quilt. I thought I was about finished with blocks, but, of course, organized my instructions and realized, oh no....I'm not. I think there are 3 or 4 different blocks to do. I won't get bored doing a bunch of the same thing!


I've tried to upload pictures of my t-shirt blocks. Blogger will not cooperate. Wish I had another site. Anyway, I tried to make the blocks bigger than I thought I'd need them, but no two are the same size. Electric Quilt is going to get a real workout when I get enough of them done.

I'll end with this bit of advice: Never sew in black knit pajamas.

Progress

Well. There hasn't been much. Progress, that is. I have puttered. I have cut some scraps. I've washed my mom's clothes that I want to put in a quilt someday. I'm going to try to get nerve to cut them up...it's so emotional and sad.

I've also washed T-shirts that I want to put in a quilt and I'm going to buy some interfacing this weekend and get some blocks cut. At least I'll get rid of the bulk of fabric of the shirts and just have a stack of different sized blocks.

I never realized I should be buying tshirts according to the design size! I have huge designs; I have tiny designs. I have many, many, pocket decorations and small designs from shirts that my husband got from work. I could do a whole quilt in just M&M designs, and as I wrote that a lightbulb went on over my head. I think I have 2 tshirt quilts....a travel one, and and M&M one.

Thank you, Internets, for making me think this through.

SO did I talk anyone else into doing the Quiltaholics mystery next weekend?

Have a fantastic weekend!

So I've tried all day to show you these pictures. Here is the fall quilt I've talked about. I need to piece the back and it's complete.

Here's a little better picture of the fabrics.

And this fabric....oh good grief...is the fabric for the new quilt that I wasn't even thinking about yesterday. It is for Deb's new Quiltaholics mystery quilt that will be the last weekend in September. It's already cut and ready to go. She just does good work, and I don't want to miss it. If you are interested, got to the project section and take the Mystery (duh) link from her page. (I also laid out 3 quilts I want to do. Now. )
(The left side is light, light green, not beige.)

Why oh why oh why....

can't I finish one quilt before I want to start another? Are you like that?

I worked today on the fall/Halloween quilt. I have to finish the final border. This is the very first quilt that I've ever done without washing the fabrics. I made it from 5 inch charms and I was afraid to wash them. I'm going to get it all done and then throw it in the machine on handwash with one of those color grabber things that I never knew existed until I read it on one of my Yahoo groups.

ANYWAY....I'm resting while Littlest Quilter naps in the sewing room, and I find this beautiful quilt. I just love it! I've always wanted to do a Maple Leaf quilt and this one has pizazz. I've even collected all the fabrics for the fall leaves. I will need to buy background, probably, and definitely will have to get the "sashing" fabric. Judy Laquidara gave directions to do this quilt working an hour a day. I don't know about that, but I think I'm going to have to do this one.

But the problem is that the beautiful medallion quilt needs me. It's calling to me. I keep telling it to just hush, and it ignores me. Maybe if I make a few blocks just to see how it looks I can go back to the medallion.

WAIT! That's another started but not finished project. ARGH. I'm hopeless.

(Picture tomorrow of the fall quilt when I get that last border on. Or day after if we go to story time at the library! Priorities!

It's home, it's home!

The laptop is home! However, I haven't had time to take any pictures! I will; I promise. It's just that I have a houseful of company this weekend. We are all in napping mode this morning as our little one kept us up late last night.

Anyway....I have been sewing quite a bit. I am really loving the plain, ole vanilla 5inch charm quilt I've been doing. For once, I have no issues with matching seams. OK, it's hard to have issues with plain square matching. I admit it! But it's really nice to just showcase the fabrics. I am afraid I won't have it quilted and back in time to have out during the Halloween season. We have a big hayride with friends and family coming from all around, and I'd like to have it done then. I should have it finished the next time I can get into the loft to sew, but the quilting might take a while.

I talked to my longarm quilter again about my problems last time with the backing not covering the front. I hope that solves the problem as I took 2 more quilts into her last week. One was the- quilt-we-will-not-speak-of.

I am going on no buying binge. I just gotta' stop buying more fabric when I have tons. I have whole projects in bags with patterns, ready to go, and I buy more fabric and start new quilts.

Goals:
Finish Fall charm quilt and get to quilter
Finish hand stitching binding on blue/yellow quilt
Work on medallion quilt. It's been so long it may take a while to even find my place!
Get out the hand quilting and get started. It's cool enough now to sit covered with a quilt.

Hope all is well with all of you! Check in when you can.

So...

still no laptop which means no new pictures. I am, however, using that 'sitting in front of the tv surfing time' into 'sitting in front of the tv sewing time'. I finished the baby quilt binding, am about half-way finished with the blue and yellow quilt binding, and made one of those funky fleece blankets for my son's birthday. He lost a really cool fleecy blanket he'd had since he was a little boy, so this is my effort to replace it for his 28th birthday (eek!). It's a striped, sorta' Navajo pattern in green, rust, and white, and the back is rust. I'd show you a picture, but...

In an effort to not bore anyone to tears, I am going to show you some pictures from the past. (Laptop sicker than thought...new motherboard, big $$) I retired from teaching to help with a precious little girl, my Gracie. I've been keeping her since 2 days before she started crawling (seriously!), and she has helped me sew from the very beginning. She is three now, and she has a little red basket filled with "fabicks" that she loves to play with and insist that I sew together. I was just thinking this morning that it's probably time to sew a doll quilt or somthing that she will have made herself. My daughter who's 30 still treasures the things she and her grandmother sewed together.

Helping me with a mystery quilt by quiltaholics.

My design wall is the floor. So is Gracie's!

I am still working on the Halloween quilt and ended up ordering the fabrics for multiple borders and backing from the same Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet line of fabrics by Moda. I haven't gotten to sew for a couple of days as we have been working trying to empty our house in town to get the darn thing sold. Real life gets in the way once more!

Happy quilting to all!

Goals

Well, I thought I'd posted the completed ship quilt, but, obviously, I didn't. I did take the pictures....how's that? I won't be posting them anytime soon as the laptop has gone on a little trip to get its fan replaced.

Anyway, here is what I'm focused on at this point:

* Finish about 5 hand stitches to complete binding on baby quilt
* Play with embroidery machine and get some kind of cute label for baby quilt
* Get fabric for backing of ship baby quilt. I know just what I want!
* Start hand sewing the binding on that blue and yellow sampler quilt that I posted
* Keep working on charm Halloween quilt

I bought 5" charms from the Moda Halloween fabric, Trick or Treat Smell My Feet. I really like it. It's "halloweeny" without being skulls and cats in hats. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.... Joy, get it?) I'm going to try to get 1 set of charms done a day, but we intend to work at the old house this weekend, so we'll see. I did get 1 set of blocks done today. This is just an extremely easy pattern. Just sew 'em up in "twosies" and "foursies" and then set them on point. I got the fabric from the Fat Quarter Shop. They always have good service. (No connection, just like them.)

Hope everyone has a happy Labor Day!

First of all, thanks

Thanks to you who wrote to me about 'that quilt which shall not be named'. I appreciate the support. I am just glad it is finished, and I'm gonna' get that sucker quilted and use it.

I've really been working on this medallion quilt from Downhome Quilters. I love it the name, Follow Your Heart. You can see where it's going from here to finish the middle, but then there is more to go. Go here to see the pattern. You know how you fall in love with a fabric? Well, those friendship stars that are gold was the fabric I loved. And it's the one I'm least happy with in this quilt. Not enough contrast, but I still think the quilt is going to be beautiful when it's finished.

So my daughter from NC was here this weekend, and we had a wonderful visit. She has a friend who is expecting her 2nd baby (in about 18 months!), a son. Well, I said to Holly, "Well, I won't have to make a quilt this time, I don't think. I gave her one last time." So Holly tells me how A. has this quilt on the wall of her daughter's room and how she just loves it. So, you guessed it. I'm making a quilt. If she appreciates, I'll make it.

This is the pattern I chose. It's easy and fast. I found it on the McCalls site. I may change it up a little...I'm thinking about not doing the narrow verticle sashing between the rows of boats, but I'll decide later.

I was starting to despair in the fabric store when I found this great light blue with a design that looks like waves. And I had to have the fish. So here are the ones that are finished. I have all the sail HST made and am trimming them down this evening. I would like to get it done pretty quickly. I have less than 3 months!
I'm using only stash for the sails. I wanted a variety, but I know already that the solid look (tone on tone) really look best. But I'm going to use up some of my left over I Spy squares. I am dedicated to using what I have as much as possible.

So that's it for me. I would have posted much sooner, but Blogger has been really tempermental. Thanks again to those of you who emailed me. I love hearing from folks. I hope you all are sewing up a storm and staying out of this heat!

So, here it is.

This is the quilt with multiple problems. Oh, the poor color choices! Oh, the clipped off points! Oh, those blankety blank tri-recs! But I think the quilt needed them, badly done or not.

It's not the pattern...in fact I really, really like the pattern! I take full responsibility for this quilt turning out so badly! If you are interested, it's the BOM at Quiltaholics.
I like this view of the quilt much better!

Iternets, we will Never. Speak of this. Again.

I really have been working.....

honest! I am almost finished hand sewing the binding on a baby quilt. I can't post the picture cause I think it's going to my cousin whose son and wife are having a girl baby! She might come read this, and I don't want her to see it yet. I've also decided I have to redo part of the "oh just let me get this ($*& thing finished" quilt. I can't stand it. I'll take a picture of it when it's finished, maybe later today. Maybe!

So here are some pictures of my friend-like-a-sister and the quilt she and her sister-in-law made. They took the all of Granny's handmade pieces that nobody else wanted because they were worn, stained, or torn. They just started snipping and cutting, and using antique lace, and came out with two beautiful quilts. These pictures are of the first one. She loved doing it, and I think we may go through some of my mom's stuff and do the same thing. I think it's a great idea, and I'm thrilled she'll help me get it done.

Right now Linda is working on a Tennessee themed quilt. I looked at her book and decided there were way too many templets for me to want do it right now. Linda does the most beautiful applique. Makes mine look extremely shabby. I love her anyway!

Burning question....

Do other people make a mess of a project now and then or am I the only one? Nobody ever talks about it!!

This morning has really made me live by my motto of "Better finished than perfect." What a mess this quilt is. I can't even list all the things that are wrong with it. I even thought about just stopping and putting it away, but I figured they'd find it after I died and I would just be mortified if they took it to someone to finish!

I kept thinking about my mom's quilts. Now that I piece, I see she made lots of mistakes. But we never noticed them! And we cherish them all, no matter what.

So, a mess or not, it will soon be finished. I need to put on one more row of tri-recs, and then finish it up with another gold border. And boy will I be glad when it's done!!! And I'll take it back to the same ole' longarm quilter cause I'd be ashamed to show it to anyone else!!

Update

FYI, I've been down the last 2 weeks with back pain. I don't see myself getting to do any sewing for a while. It's hard to do from bed. I'm feeling a little better today, but I just can't tell how long that will last. Hope all of you are being productive and getting some projects finished. More later... maybe much later!

And the complications continue...

So I decided the only way to want to sew was just to get up there and do it. I worked on the tri-recs border for the scrap quilt. And wouldn't you know it, they are about 1/2 inch too short on each end. I have no clue what I have done. I am going back through them and double checking seams, and that slowed me down.

I absolutely love Deb's designs from Quiltaholics, but I always have the tiniest bit of trouble. I think her definition of beginner, and my definition of beginner aren't the same! If you haven't checked out her designs, head over there. She is great!

I would take a picture of my latest disaster, I can't. I made a big mistake. I pulled weeds. For about 5 minutes. I have been in bed or on couch all day. My back is totally out of whack. I am going to have to break down and do something about it eventually, I guess.

All my good intentions.....sheesh.

The reason I'm getting nothing done.....

We have had a great few days.....and I miss having little Dennis here already. I am so lucky to have 3/4 of the kids here all the time.

Anyway, the real truth is that I've lost my drive. I go to the loft and just look at all the equipment. I putter arond, and I come back downstairs. And now Grace is napping up there, so I don't even have nap time to work.

If anyone reading has a trick to make me want to sew again, tell me! I used to be able to go up and if I stayed long enough, I'd get motivated. Not working these days.

Sigh.