Turning over a new leaf, Maybe

I'm going to try and I mean really try to blog at least one day of the week. So here's to trying to catch up. My dear hubby is taking over my edge to edge quilting. Since I work outside the home and he is now on limited days at work he's been learning. No learning is over and he's taken it over. With him being here 80/90 % of the time he can offer an edge to edge at a reasonable price in just a couple week turn around. This gives me more time to piece, sew, cut or blog.  So here's what I've been doing.

These shoes,I couldn't resist. I had gotten a high heel shoe pantograph for the long arm and I knew I wanted some fancy high heels to go with it. Lo and behold I was on a shop hop and there they were. This will go to my step daughter when it's all said and done.

 These cute Sun Bonnet Sues were from a swap in 2006. I finally set them  January 2014 at a retreat. I wish I could show the swappers m my quilt but I haven't been on my Yahoo  in years. When they changed their format I got lost.

Then I'm working on this applique project. The outer blocks were made 4 years ago add a buck a  (I think) at the local quilt shop. I had enough of the purples to make a couple extra blocks. I also on a shop hop found a bolt of the black on sale. Oh not the whole bolt but enough. So now I'm dabbling in designing the center motif. I'll leave it add a surprise se as to what the finish product may look like.

 Then I'm working on cutting strips for a swap at a retreat.

That's my today!

My Last Finishes of 2013

I know I am running behind but here are the last of my finishes for last year.

 This is a Challenge quilt I call, Friendship Flowers. The challenge was we all traded and swapped Navy fabric. We then were given the friendship Star and Jacob Ladder Block, we had to use each of the blocks and some of the Navy. You could add any other color and other blocks if you wanted. This is what I came up with.

 This is a quilt from 2010/11. It started as a row x row. I was wanting a chain type quilt and was going to join this row x row so decided it would be nice to combine the two. I got on my EQ and designed this one up. After this came back home I added a row to the bottom then another to the side so it would be bigger. I call this What To Call It. Usually when I quilt one up a name will come to me if it has spoken to me yet, but nothing ever came to me for a name. Some day I will get this pattern out on here. Finding time is hard. Between working full time and part tine, husband and house I stay busy and of course have to be lazy some.

This is Scrappy Blooms, of course this is From Four to Nine Block or disappearing 4-patch block. Maybe it has a few other names I know the original block name is something else but since we now make it this magical way I don't even know that name either. I did club demos on this so this was one of the samples I had. I was out of the background fabric and still wanted it bigger so I added the applique border. Even tho the background is different I am hoping that you don't really see that but look at the stunning applique work. LOL This my first attempt of adding applique without a pattern to let me know where to put it. And boy did I learn. I could go on for days on the mistakes I made figuring this out but instead I'll just say don't get to close, but I think I covered up the learning curves.

This is Veggie Whirls a 4-Patch Stack n Whack. I have to say that this is probably the easiest way to learn the method of Stack n Whack. The 4-patch is so much easier than the Hexie kaleidoscope. Not knowing  much about the method I just pulled out some old fabric from the 70's. It was some cool looking fabric and I couldn't resist.  I Love the way it turned out and have other stack n whack fabrics in mind.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Wahoo time to go drool on some eye candy. Thanks Amy sew much for hosting this and wow thanks to those sponsors. For new ones out there Follow the link and you will find many many different quilt shows via the net. There are several different categories and each one has its' own link. And you can vote for your favorite. So after spending the day looking at all the lovely quilts on display I decided that I would join in. But what category. Well since we can enter two I picked out two that mean oh sew much to me, and they each could go in a couple categories, so I flipped a coin and my first entry is Spring Blooms and is entered into the

professionally quilted category.
This Triple Irish Chain was quilted by me, I own a Gammill Classic hand guided no stitch regulator. I sometimes feel so old school. lol. This quilt was a guild raffle quilt that I won!. How lucky can that be! I am so glad I bought the tickets. That is one thing about quilting for others, sometimes we put so much of ourselves in the quilts that it is sew sew hard to give them back never to be seen again.

The flowers and leaves were hand appliqued.

Something different in this Irish chain is the continuous green squares in the background pieces. I don't think I have ever seen a chain quite like this one. Oh once again I am so glad I bought those tickets!

Notice how all the leaves are just set at random! I really think it helps with the scappiness. Oh OH it could have went into 3 categories. Should I go back and flip again. Nope leave it where it is. I think I actually have all the links right. lol so I better just leave well enough alone.


Be sure to check out all the other categories here.



Thanks for stopping by and taking a peek. I hope you enjoy the eye candy out there and be sure to pick your favorite and vote for it.

Row xRow

last Fri night I worked on a Row x Row that was due on Monday, Yes I know I shouldn't leave things for the last minute. But if I got things done in advance it would take all the fun out of it. Well here is my row on the bottom.

She asked us not to sew her rows together so I rearranged them the way I thought they should go of course now I an anxious to see how she sets them together. She talked about putting strips of black sashing in between the rows. First I don't think it needs it and then if I did sash it I think I would use purple as that is the main color. Bu then we all know that everyone has opinions right or wrong. Like I said I can't wait to see what she does with it.




With this row x row done I am now just in two. I had two row x rows in this swap so it is nice that I have two out of the way and can now focus on some other things. Please Lord don't let me start up on another one. Let me be strong to say no.





Carol's T-Shirt quilt, She does such a wonderful job on these.
















I am recovering from surgery and finding I can spend a little more time in the sewing room but still like to recline back in the La-z-boy. With that I have been working on my applique.

I got the top border done and now working on the bottom border, BUT not knowing what the heck I was doing I didn't leave the vine long enough to hang off and join to the top piece so I had to piece it well of course no matter how many times I measured when I sewed it together the seams don't quite match and of course it looks hideous, so I am toying with what to put there. Over this one I have little flowers all the same color. But I didn't go with that you will just have to wait to see what I did go with. Yes I learned what not to do and hopefully if I try something like this again I will remember this lesson. Doubt it, I seem to have a hard head when it comes to these sort of things.
I have so many other pics but they are on the camera so I guess I better go get them.
Bye for now

Busy Busy

I have been busy,or shall I say lazy. Take your pick. I spent two weeks glued to the TV with the Olympics. I have so much respect for all the atheletes. It is such devotion and dedication to give up so much to persue that gold medal. Hats off to all of them. But while I was watching them I managed to work on some hand applique. I got it back out on the Friday night sew in and just stitched away. I have been so close to being done on this I could taste it but thenjust when I thought I was done I found I had skipped the cat on the middle row. This pattern is the Disappearing 9-patch. Looks different! I decided to put the four corners together and my first thought was to do some wonderful quilting in the blank spaces. Then I got to thinking that this would be a great time to practice my needle turn applique. I Still need lots more practice too. I have yet to embroider the noses and eyes on them but atleast I feel I have made some headway with it.

Here is the club quilt all put together. I still need to have it quilted by this Thursday. It turned out better than I thought or not what I thought. A friend came up with this idea of the gingham checked star sashing. She was going to put this one together while I put another one together, but as we all know things happen and I found myself doing them both. Each member of our club has made a block with everyone using a bit of the sashing fabric as a focus. When I first staarted this I thought it was way to busy. But when you stand back and look at it, it tells me that it is just one of those samplers. I hope everyone in club is pleased with it, whether or not I get it quilted could be another story.

This my row for Janets Row by row that we are doing at  club. She is doing a red white and blue them of each row being a different block. I chose the Spinner (Brave World) (It has other names too) block. I love the look of this block the way it moves. Blocks showing movement have been my favorite but I have to admit I am seeing the beauty in those blocks that form chains too.

These blocks are for a swap and the patter is called Trail to Treadleonia. This block is just one fourth of the Spinner block. Here is the same block but the small square is replaced with a 9-patch., I also made the large triangle corne into two pieces. These are very close to the same shade of burgandy. I had never even heard of the tradleonia's when I did this one. I had always loved the Spinner block (from Judy Hopkins, Around the Block book) and always thought that varying it would be cool. Here is another way to set the same block. This one is with the 9-patch corners too, but the large corner triangle is all one piece. this pile will make a cool scrappy one when everything is said and done.
I have more done but time is running short so till tomorrow. Sew On