Design Wall Monday

This is actually a picture of what my bed looked like at 9:00 on Sunday night.  It does not look like that this morning.

Saturday morning I decided to take these blocks out of the drawer they had been in since 2010.  I bought the focus blocks in August of 2010 and immediately went to work on them.  I wrote several of my first blog posts about these blocks.   And as soon as I had the over three hundred 4" blocks done I promptly put them in a drawer. 

As of this morning I have this top over half way put together.  Everything above the sunflower block is sewn together.  Half of it is hanging off the side of the bed.  This quilt probably won't look good hanging up because there won't be the same amount of 4" blocks above, below and beside the focus blocks.  I am making this to fit on a queen bed.  Therefore, more is needed to hang off each side and the end.  We'll see.  I don't have a pattern other than what I am coming up with and so it is still a work in progress.  As a matter of fact I have still been making a few blocks.

Friday night I finished this baby quilt top.  I really like the way it turned out. 

Be sure to check out all of the great design wall posts at Patchwork Times .

Julie

Just Call Me Super Woman

Okay, maybe not super woman.  Maybe just over zealous woman.  For some reason I woke up at 5:30 this morning with way more energy than any one person should keep to themselves.  Yesterday, I finished the baby quilt top. So one would think it would be time to make a back for it.  Yes, that would be right.  But not what I did.  I don't like that part.  And at 5:30 I didn't want to think that hard.  So I pulled out a drawer that had not seen daylight for quite some time.  As a matter of fact I had to go back to the very beginnings of my blog to find out that I started this project in August of 2010.  Here is the first post I did on it.

And here is what the drawer looked like early this morning. That is my pattern on the notebook paper.  Just a few numbers and a basic drawing.

A few blocks laid out.  At four inches there are a lot to put on the wall.  After getting it to this point. I decided to break it into groups of 3 by 7. That worked with the overall layout of 21 across and down.

And as of now here is what is done.  With a little tearing out along the way. My mind is focusing on the dark corners of the block. So when I lay them out I'm not seeing some of the lights. And in these blocks some of the fabrics are used for both dark and light.  But I am determined not to obsess over the layout. That was the reason for buying so many different fabrics. 

I am forcing myself not to run to the fabric store to buy a different color to frame the big blocks. The color used is a dark green and it probably will work out just great. I just hope it does not wash out the focus blocks too much.  Click on a picture to biggie size them. It's much more impressive that way. 

I did take a break along the way.  After all a person has to eat. And tonight is dinner at Jesse's so I needed to make some cookies.  I guess that's why I'm feeling my super powers coming out.  All that, cookies, and I mopped the kitchen floor.

Now I'm ready for a nap.  And some Tylenol.

Julie

A Finished Top

Here is a picture of the finished quilt top.  It measures 46" square. It turned out great.  I'm sure it's easy to see, but I'll point out anyway, how the blocks are laid out in diagonal rows.  No reason why. That was just the way I saw it in my mind. 

This is a close up of the brown selected for the border. It was the first one I eliminated and then of course the one I used.  It just seemed more appropriate for a baby quilt.

Now the choice on how to quilt it and in what color.  My first thought was to just do diagonal criss/crossed lines.  But what color.  White? Brown?  Meander?  This is the part I don't like.

And it sounds like I finished just in time. The weather radio just went off for our area.  And the thunder is booming like crazy.  That means it's time to unplug the sewing machine.  The satellite already went out.  This TV is certainly no help in a storm.  Good thing for the weather radio and the internet. 

Happy sewing,

Julie

Here is a new project I have been working on.  I was beginning to think it was going to be done before I stopped long enough to write a post about it.  I started this on Sunday evening. There are twenty five 8" star blocks.

This picture is where I was trying to decide if I wanted to figure out some little blocks in the white areas between stars.  I nixed that idea.  BTW those little squares are black and I was thinking brown just didn't have any cut.  This is to be a quick project and so far it has been.  There are also three different browns pinned up along the left side.  I think this will have a small border of brown.  Right now I am leaning toward the darkest one in the middle.  It's either that one or the one on top.  I am thinking baby boy quilt.  We'll see.

Here is another picture with just a few blocks.  The fabric can be seen better here. I bought this fabric several years ago on a shop hop.  There is also a large scale floral that is from the same fabric family.  But if this is to be for a boy that excludes the flowers.

As of right now the top two rows have been sewn together and it is looking great. Maybe I'll get some more done before I wear out tonight.

Julie

April BOM

It's only the 21st of April and my BOMs are done, done and done. 

This is the block for lqs Overbrook Quilt Connection. Finally, one that is not so drab. Guess that's what a little purple will do for you. I took liberties with this block. The outside corners were supposed to be turned around and next the the red star and I really thought that the star would be lost with those lighter, orangy corners next to them.  Other than that it is made to specs.

This is the block for Quilter's Paradise in Baldwin City.  Another brightly colored block. I'm going to like this quilt. And since I have NEVER put together the blocks from previous BOM projects that is saying a lot about these colors.

This is the block for Quilting On The Square in Holton. These blocks will make a very bright quilt when they are put together.

Here is a link to the blocks I did last month just for easy access to see some of the others.  March BOM  and February BOM . Going back further and you're on your own.

And last but not least here are the 24 blocks that are available at Barristers' Block . I'm all caught up and impatiently waiting for the next group.  The blocks on the right side are the blocks I did last.  They are certainly brighter colors than the first blocks. It was getting a little dull for me so I put in more bright greens and yellows. I also plan to make more of the backgrounds darker colors.  Looking at the pictures it seems a little bland or light background to me so I will spruce them up a bit.

Happy Sewing

Julie

Scrappy Blocks

This is a block that I made for an internet friend.  I hope it works out for her. It measures 6 1/2" unfinished. If you look in the next picture it is the same pattern as the block in the top row on the right hand side. 

The block pattern was supposed to have just the center pieces measured to be a 6 1/2" block but I cut my pieces too small.  So instead of trashing it or adding it to an orphan block pile I decided to put a little border around it.  It seems to have worked out just fine.  Now if I can just sign my name to it without messing it up.

Here are some more of the blocks for the sew along on Barrister Block . I have done 8 more of the 6 1/2" blocks since I posted on Monday.  They are so much fun to make.  There are just two more to do to be all caught up.  Then what will I do?  The red and green one in the top row is definitely going to go on the back.  It will need to be remade in better colors if it's going to make the cut for the front.  The block on the bottom right is a little dark in the background but there may be more that dark so it might work out just fine.  Time will tell.

Happy Sewing

Julie

Liebster Blog Award

I am thrilled to say that Dar at  Dar's Patchwork Garden awarded me and my blog the Liebster Award.  I am honored that she selected my blog out of so many great possibilities. 

The Liebster Award is for bloggers that deserve to be recognized but have less than 200 followers.  The award comes with a few rules and here they are.

1. Post about your win on your blog.

2. Link back to the person/blog who presented you the award.

3. Copy and Paste the award to your blog.  (Why is this so hard for me?)

4. Present the award to 5 blogs that have less than 200 followers.

5. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

So without further ado...here are my nominees in alphabetical order by first name.

1. Alycia of  Alycia Quilts  For quite some time I have been visiting Alycia's blog to get a view of her tireless work for Quilts of Valor. Alycia collects the quilts from all over, posts pictures and stories on her blog, and then makes sure each quilt is given to a deserving person from the military.  There are always lots and lots of quilt pictures and inspiration on her blog.  Thank you Alycia.

2. Glen of Quilts and Dogs   Glen always has a great quilt project to share and of course great stories of her family and dogs too.  Recently she has been sharing her weight loss progress.  

3. Judy D of Gramma's Quilting Room  Technically I am not sure if Judy has under 200 followers but I know she and her blog are deserving of any award out there.  Judy has great quilt projects to share.  And terrific stories of her family and rural living.  Go check out her bees.  

4. Nann of With Strings Attached  Nann is always making something quilty that I wish I were making. She has loads of inspiration to share.  What a wonderful positive attitude she has.

5. Vicki of My Creative Corner  Vicki has great projects she is working on. Check out her Civil War Diary Quilt it's gorgeous.  She posts Happiness Projects. Which are positive and insightful.

I selected each of these women and their blogs because since I have been blogging each of them has had a positive influence on my quilting and therefore my life.  I "met" each of them through our Monday posts at Patchwork Times design wall.  Through that blog I have been able to share a little of their lives and they've shared in mine. 

I hope that you visit their blogs and that you see a little of what I've seen too.

Thank you again Dar.

Julie

On The Wall Today

It has been a long time since I've posted to Judy's Design Wall Monday.  Today I finally have something to show. 

   Saturday I decided that I would get started on the Barrister's Blocks Sow-A-Long . Randy started posting these blocks in February and I had intended to get started on them but just couldn't get motivated.  Well, I must be motivated now.  I started on these about 1:00 Saturday afternoon and this is how far I am.  Fourteen blocks.  That is a big Wow for me.  But I'm still not caught up.  So far I've made it through her March 20th post.  And she is posting every two weeks.  Plus she is giving bonus blocks off and on.  So I probably have another 8 or 9 to get caught up.  These blocks finish at 6".  I need to go back and read her posts from the beginning again so I'll know how many will be made all together.  Guess at this time I'm just sewing blocks to be sewing them.  I have been using scraps and trying not to get into my yard goods too much.  I don't know how long that will last but so far so good.  I'll let you check out her blog by using the link I gave at the top of the post. 
   I also started making bow tie blocks as my leader enders. These will finish at 3".  This is something that Bonnie Hunter started doing a few months ago.  I saw a layout that interested me so here I am following along again.

   Who knows, they might also end up making a good border for the 6" blocks I'm working on. 
   I do have a finish this week.  It is something I started on in November.  I was just shocked when I went back and found my first post about this mini quilt.  I had thought if I started something small it would be a quick finish.  Nope. 

 This finished at 31 1/2" x 20". Each block finished at 5".  I've been calling it my sore thumb quilt.  The block on the back left is not my favorite. And I think it stands out like a sore thumb.  Hence the name.

Have a great Monday. And be sure to check out all of the great design walls at Patchwork Times . 

Julie

Finally A Finish

This is a project I have been working on for quite some time. I really thought that if I made something small that it would be done quicker.  Nope, I just procrastinated my way through it too. 

I don't really care for the block that is at the back left side. But apparently not enough to make another one.  So that held me up on the finish. 

Then when I started quilting it everything went wrong. So I spent several days ripping all the quilting out.  I ended up just meandering all over it in a neutral thread.  I used an orange color for the binding. I think it will help it stand out from across the room.

This was made to fit the top of this blanket chest. The blanket chest was made by my son Jesse when he was in wood shop in high school.  And oddly enough, it is full of blankets and afghans.

Here is the way it will normally look, covered with the usual bedside fodder.
Those books include my first bible given to me by my parents in 1969. And my newest bible given to me by my daughter Jennifer about 8 years ago.  Also my favorite book that I have read over and over again. Which is To Kill A Mockingbird. That is always my go to book when I've run out of reading material.  The white radio is a weather radio. It usually scares the dickens out of me in the middle of the night.

My table topper ended up measuring 31 1/2" x 20". The blocks are 5" finished.  You can see more about it on a previous post here   and here .  I am happy to finally have finished it and am very pleased with the way it turned out.  Hard to believe that this has been a work in progress since November.

Happy Sewing

Julie

March B O M

Finally, I found my sewing machine again.  No it wasn't lost.  Just buried under the mound of mess I seem to have surrounding me these days.  Hopefully, I'll get back in the sewing mood.  I see it's been almost a month since I last posted.  And for some reason this morning my blog wouldn't come up in my list of favorites.  So I had to google it.  Too funny.  Guess I'll have to save it again.  I was beginning to think it had just disappeared because of lack of use. lol

Anyway, here are my March block of the months.

This is the one for Overbrook.  Yes, it is just as wonky as it appears. I did not want to use the template and thought I could do better.  Nope, I can't. Therefore the half square triangle blocks are too small.  But I do have left over fabric for the first time. 

This is the Baldwin City block.  Once again, I really like this fabric.  These blocks are going to look great together.  But yes, this one is wonky too. And I actually followed the directions.  Just not very well.

Here is Holton's block.  These always seem to go together nicely. Using the Recs Tool makes these blocks work so well.  I haven't even worked to square this one up yet.  It might just fit the way it is.

Off for another busy day.  I get to visit the Topeka Josten's plant today. They are having an Easter egg hunt for the employee's children.  My son works there as a computer tech.  So I get to see where he is happily employed.  Not very many people actually tell you they like their jobs. But he says it every time he talks about it.  FYI - Josten's is the company that probably made your high school ring and yearbook. 

Happy sewing,

Julie

Free Motion Quilting

I have several, okay more than several, seven or eight wonderful quilt tops just waiting for me to learn how to quilt some other way than meandering.  Not that meandering hasn't worked for me.  With some of my quilts like Roll Roll Cotton Bole meandering worked out great.  But for a quilt like Smith Mountain Morning it just isn't going to work.  So I have decided that I absolutely have to learn to free motion quilt in some additional patterns.  And that is where the blog Sew Cal Gal and their Free Motion Challenge got me somewhat motivated.  I have been following along since the beginning but I haven't put any of it into action, until today.

I have been up since 6:00 yes, even with the time change.  And since that time I have been watching instructional videos and reading lessons.  After several hours of that I thought it was time to waste some thread and fabric. So that's what I did.

The word pathetic comes to mind.  It's just a good thing that I have lots more cruddy fabric where that came from.  Because, as can be seen from the picture, I haven't even come close to making this feather pattern.  The feather design is a Diane Gaudynski design and can be found at the Sew Cal Gal site.

And these designs are  Patsy Thompson free downloads. I watched every video she had available this morning.  I think she is a good teacher with a lot of information to share.  I am just going to be a slow learner.

One day does not make a quilter.  Practice, practice, practice.  But right now at 12:45 pm all I can think of is rest, rest and a long nap.

Yes, it is a little humbling putting these horrible photos on here.  But this will let me see over time the improvements I make.  Or that meandering is what works for me.

Happy sewing,

Julie 

Presents

I wanted to shared a couple of things I got for my birthday. 

This is a mini quilt my sister Cathy made for me.  Isn't it perfect. She hit so many of the things I like about quilting. First of all it's rather scrappy. I especially love the neutrals she used.  She used blues which always work for me. And of course it's a Bonnie Hunter pattern, Midnight Flight.  But best of all it's a handmade gift from my sister.   I have just the place that has been dreaming of a quilt for its very own. 

And this little lovely is a vase my daughter Jennifer made for me.  Aren't I the lucky one.  This is never going to photograph well.  There are too many dark colors in it.  I think Jen said something about black and being 50.  I prefer to see it as very dark purple.  And as can be seen the inside is purple.

It was a great birthday. And since it was so nice I've decided not to celebrate any more.

Happy sewing.

Julie

50

Today I am  FIFTY. I'm not convinced that it is a good thing. 




But since there is nothing I can do about my age I plan to make the best of it.

I'm a Winner

I like to visit other blogs and when they are having giveaways I like to sign up.  Last week Jo Kramer at Jo's Country Junction was having a drawing for a new book Back to Charm School.  I, of course, didn't want to miss an opportunity for a new book - and guess what, I won!

Here it is.  Jo must have known how excited I was to get a new book so she was generous enough to send it priority mail.  Best of all, it seems to be a book I'll use.  Thanks Jo.

If you haven't ever visited Jo's blog Jo's Country Junction take this opportunity to go there.  She is always sharing a new pattern or recipe.  And take it from me her Amish Turtle Cake is fantastic.

Hope everyone has a great day.

Julie

February B.O.M.

Here is my February b.o.m. for Quilting on the Square in Holton.  I like this block. It will add a little color for some of the blocks that are more plain. Here is a  link to a view of the other blocks that go with this one.  Be sure to biggie size the pictures so the colors will show up better.

Julie

Beauty and the Beast

I have never really worked much with batiks before. But this year I am doing two b.o.m. projects using batiks. The one from Baldwin City I am enjoying mostly due to the colors.  And the blocks from Overbrook are challenging because of the colors. 
The blocks on the left are the ones from Baldwin. They use the bright batiks and Kona black. The blocks on the right are from Overbrook and I just can't figure out how these are going to end up looking anything but dull.

Here are some close up shots of the February blocks. 

What I should be saying is yippee two more blocks done.  I'm ready for March.

Happy sewing.

Julie

Happy Birthday Grace

It has been forever since I last did a post on here. I haven't been doing very much quilting.  I have, however, been doing some sewing. I've been making doll clothes for my sweet granddaughter Grace who is four today.



Here are some pictures of the clothes that were made.  Remember that these are all doll size.  However, they were super easy patterns to follow.

Since getting nothing but clothes for your birthday is boring a Barbie snuck into the bag too. But this year I draw the line at making Barbie clothes. Maybe next year since I already have a pattern.  I must say that the doll clothes were fun to make. I haven't made clothes that small in years.

Here is this years birthday postcard for Grace.  I saw the bird picture on the internet. I'm sorry I don't know who to give the credit to. I added a fourth leaf to the branch since so far I have shown something that has to do with her age. Last year it was three apples.  Here is a link to card number 3 .  This card sure looks a little wonky. I didn't notice that til now. Oh, well.

Happy Birthday to Grace.

Maybe I'll get back to quilting next week.

Julie

Orca Bay Show and Tell

Yes, I have shown this picture before.  Or at least one very much like it.  But I wanted to participate in the final Mystery Monday Link Up at Bonnie Hunter's blog.  This was a terrific mystery quilt. A ton of scrappy sewing with great directions.  It was so much fun to see everyone's progress along with all the different color selections.
My top has not made it past the flimsy stage. But it will.  This is the next top I plan to quilt. So hopefully I will quit procrastinating and get her done.
I'm sure like many others in internet/blogland I will patiently await the next mystery Bonnie shares with her faithful followers.

Happy sewing,

Julie