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

Variety

I have been playing with the bonus red and white 1/2 square blocks.  They will finish at 2" each.  These have been my leaders/enders for my last two projects. And every once in a while I just sew through a stack of them so there are more of them to play with.
Here are a few of the different layouts I've tried.  And goodness knows there are a lot more block possibilities than this.

Aren't they great. I just love how red those reds are.  This just may lead me to start a red/white sampler quilt. But first I have to get done with what is roaming around in my head.

Happy sewing.

Julie

Bonus Triangles

While I was making my Orca Bay top I was using these red and white and the blue and white bonus triangles as my leader/enders.  They measure 2 1/2" after being trimmed down.  There are 102 of the red and about as many of the blue.

The entire time I was sewing them I just kept thinking about doing more flying geese.  Then I laid a few out in the pinwheel design and now I think that is the way I am going to have to go.  There aren't enough to make much of anything. But the lucky thing is I still have over 3 yards of the background fabric.

These bonus triangles are from this quilt.

I made this top several years ago.  I had to flip through several of my notebooks to find the pattern I used.  What surprised me is that it is a Bonnie Hunter pattern called Fourth of July .  You can find the pattern for free on her blog.  This was made long before I was a daily follower of Bonnie's blog.  I remember searching for scrap quilts using red/white/blue and this is what I came up with.  I never would have guessed that a few years later I would have made so many of her patterns.  Someday when I learn to do something besides straight line and meandering this will get quilted.   It needs something a little more special in the white areas. So in the mean time it has stayed folded up on my quilt rack.  I had to move 4 other tops before I got down to this one.  Guess I better learn how to quilt.

Happy Sewing

Julie

Here are my five inch blocks with what was to be their sashing.  Yes, WAS is the word I used.  After getting off of here I am going to tear this all out and hope that the blocks survive the process.  I absolutely love the look of it.  It couldn't be scrappier.  But it couldn't be more of a disaster.

When seen up close it is apparent that I needed to spend more time making sure that I was getting an accurate seam allowance.  Can you see the puckers?  I can.  And hopefully, I will learn a very valuable and time consuming lesson to take more time and pay attention.

 I thought I could stretch, tug or pull this into submission.  Nope it's not going to work.  This can't be pressed out.  Trust me, I tried.  So this evening when I should be working on the border I will be ripping ALL of this out.

Does anyone need a few hundred 1/2 square blocks that are ALMOST 1" each?

Julie 

Orca Bay Happy Dance

Click on the picture to see a larger picture.

It's done.  The top that is.  This is my version of Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt Orca Bay.  Another great mystery from Bonnie. It was a fun pattern from start to finish. Of course she included more string blocks.  But this time I was ready to make them. After all this wasn't my first Bonnie mystery quilt. Here is my version of Roll Roll Cotton Bole which was my first effort at string blocks.

Anyway, this is it.  A back has been chosen for it.  So now it's down to the quilting.

Happy sewing.

Julie

Block of the Month

Here is what I have been working on this afternoon.  It is the December block of the month for the spiky/peaky Kansas colors blocks from Quilting on the Square in Holton.

And here are all that are done to date.  These are actually going to end up looking quite nice. Could not have proved that by me when we first started making them.  That might be because the yellow one on the lower left was the first and it is very plain.  These blocks are on a dark blue and not black background.  I am still not imagining any settings for them.  But there are still five to go so plenty of time.

 Well off to work on my Orca Bay borders. One done. Three to go.

Happy Sewing

Julie

On The Wall

Well, I'm still working on Orca Bay and it looks done from this angle but it still needs the border put on. There will be time for that this week.  I love the way the yellow/orange turned out with the blue.  Not too much of any one color to overwhelm the other.  However, I must say that I love the red versions too. This may be one time that I might be a little disappointed that I veered from the original version that used red.

                                    Here is a close up of a couple of the blocks. 

I plan to have the top done by this coming Saturday. I hope to take it to show and tell at the LQS in Holton. This is another one of Bonnie's quilts with a big "Wow Factor" so I do expect a few ohhh's and ahhh's.

There was no sewing for me on Sunday.  We had a birthday party for my mother. She turns 81 today. Not everyone was able to make it but we turned it into a great day of food and card games anyway.  Happy Birthday Mom!

In the midst of her presents I was given one of my own.  I had asked for a mailbox for Christmas and was given a terrific white one.  I know, it's a weird present to ask for. But it beats a toaster every time.  Unless, of course you need a toaster. Anyway, back to the mailbox.  My white box turned into a work of art.  DS Jesse and DIL Victoria decided to take pictures of quilts and put them on the box.  Then it occurred to them to use pictures of quilts I have given to them and put them on the box.  So here are pictures of each side of my new mailbox.

This is the side that will show the most. 
Starting from the top left:
Bugs in a Snowball - 2008
Pinwheel Daisies - 2008?
Angels for Grace - 2008
Pinwheel Daisies alternate block.
Bottom row:
Churn Dash - maker unknown
Christmas Trees 2011
Pinwheel - maker unknown
Blue Sampler - 2007?

This side will be next to another mailbox so it won't be very visible.    Top row: 
First three blocks - maker unknown
Blue Sampler - 2007
Angels for Grace - 2008
Christmas Trees alternate block - 2011
Blue Sampler - 2007
Random block - maker unknown.

Thanks to whoever made all of those random blocks. They helped turn my new mailbox in to one of the most unique mailboxes in town.  And a huge thank you to Jesse and Victoria for making such a fun project.

Be sure to visit all of the great design walls at Patchwork Times and to see the Orca Bay updates at Quiltville .

Have a great day.

Julie

On The Wall

Like many other people this morning, I have my Orca Bay quilt laid out and ready to be sewn into rows. 

It took several hours and much searching of those tiny pictures to get this one laid into rows.  It is such a busy quilt with all of those string blocks.  But I don't think I would change a thing.  This is one quilt where I did not worry too much about fabric placement.  The main thing I worked with was the yellow centers.  There are two of each fabric.  One in the dark block and one in the light. So I did attempt to keep the two apart.

Here is a close up of the two rows I have together as of this morning.  This is the first quilt where those dancing cats appear. That is a fabric I filched from my mother.  She contributed several of the blacks that appear in this quilt. 

Well, as soon as this is posted I can get back at it.  So I'm off.

Be sure to check out all of the design walls at Patchwork Times  and of course the home of Orca Bay Quiltville .

Have a great day.

Julie

A New Year 2012

Happy New Year.

Hopefully, everyone had a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve. I choose to spend it at home sewing.  So yes, it was a good night for me.  I finished up all of the components of the Orca Bay mystery.  This morning when I woke up I had planned to work on my 5" blocks which can be seen here .  That was while I was still under the impression I had one more day until the final Orca Bay part was revealed.  I was wrong.  Today is the day.  Therefore, I will spend the morning laying out all of these blocks.

So off I go.  And yes, this is what I call fun. 

Julie