Mini-project

I'm starting a new little project for a silent auction at Ashley's college. It is my FIRST miniature project! Here is the preliminary design from EQ5- each block is 1 inch, entire "quilt" is 10 inches.

This is how it is turning out... I have all the itsy-bitsy blocks made (but one!) and the top two rows put together.

Baby Quilt finished!

Sorry, you only get a small preview (in the blog title!) of the flower garden baby quilt! I want to keep the whole thing a surprise til my DEAR daughter has her little one! It shouldn't be long now! We are all praying for a safe delivery and healthy Mom and baby! THANK YOU LORD!

"Tag, you're it!"

I recently got tagged for a "me-me" so here goes...

1. I love bar-b-que, and dark chocolate, not in any particular order... it is good that we live a long way from Massey’s Bar-B-Que in Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Buckingham Smokehouse, in Nixa, Missouri; and Good Wood in Boise, ID! We won't even talk about See's Candy!

2. I can’t tell left from right, or East from West. When visiting family in Nebraska, where directions are given “go 5 miles north, then turn west.” I get even MORE confused than if they had said to go straight then turn left... is it possible to be MORE confused???

3. I am O.C. about quilting, door-locking, and driving, but laid-back about most other things...

4. My tastes in music are VERY eclectic; I am right now in a Blue-grass phase! Sorry kids!

5. I “scrunch” my mouth to be able to write neatly. Otherwise it turns into chicken-scratches.

6. Phobias: heights and going to the dentist.

7. In spite of all these things, God loved me so much that He sent His Beloved Son Jesus to be punished and die on the cross of Calvary. When I acknowledged that He did this in my place because of my sins, He forgave me, and adopted me into His forever family. It sure isn’t because of ANYTHING I did or didn’t do, it is ALL because of His grace! WOW!

Grandma's Quilt!!

I was so DELIGHTED to find out my grandma was a quilter! My dear sister just sent me a quilt that Grandma made! I had to share a couple of pictures with you! Isn't it PRETTY!!!! (hand pieced and hand quilted!!!)

Update - Baby Projects!

Ragged flannel quilt - finished May 21st - loved those pastel plaid homespun/flannels!








Shell stitch afghan - finished May 21st - this project just flew along! It is very lacey and girlie




GFG or honeycomb quilt, done with 30's fabric is coming along nicely! So far I have 27 flowers in the quilt, with 41 more sewn together awaiting their muslin hexagons. The layout is a total of 10 rows, alternating with 8 flowers and then 9 flowers. My mind is still trying to decide how to do on the binding, but I guess that is a LONG way down the road!

New Baby Quilt Project

I am enjoying my new project of a small hexagon quilt. I'm not sure it can be called a "Grandmother's Flower Garden" since it usually has two circles of hexagons for each flower. This is the first time I've tried English Paper Piecing and it is delightful. Thanks She-Meows for the encouragement... and more hexagons!!

Hand quilting

I can't believe spring is almost here, and I didn't get to do any hand quilting during the cold. I want to work hard this summer and have a top or two ready to quilt next winter! This picture is of a whole-cloth quilt I hand quilted several years ago, but found that I missed the variety of the colors in the patchwork. (Top side is dark blue, backing is white.) Maybe putting something up on my blog will help my lack of creativity these days. Is anyone else having trouble with this?

Ice and Snow!

It is rare, but today it is COLD in Mexico and just after we got home from work this afternoon, it began snowing, nice big flakes, and it is continuing to come down. A nice evening to snuggle under a quilt while you hand quilt!!! (Now, if only I had a project to that point!) The road is now completely white... BRRR!

Stash Challenge

Here it is! My quilting stash... clockwise beginning at left is 1. muslin stash; 2. box of fat quarters, yardage pieces, lots of strips, and a few orphan blocks; 3. my dj fabric box; 4. 1823 sampler project; 5. Scrap project "Dishrag soup"; 6. Siggy project for students.

Not pictured (yet) are my DJ blocks and 2 small "gift bags" of scraps divided into darks and lights.

This was a fun challenge, thanks Shemeows! P. S. I just noticed, this is a pretty cool way to divide fabric in a bin into lights and darks! I see that log cabin quilt that has been rolling around in my brain beginning to come together!

YUMMY flannels!

These flannels just arrived in the mail! What a wonderful selection for a baby quilt! (Our latest news is that our DD is expecting her first baby, our first grandchild!) DH is complaining about being married to a grandma! I am ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED! My brain wanders from baby quilts to knitting tiny baby goodies! What a wonderful blessing from the Lord!!!

sewing woes

I guess I got in a hurry, so decided to paper piece a triangle today. I've learned several lessons: 1. you can't paper piece checks; 2. don't spill coffee on the ironing board, then iron a completed block over the spot where the coffee spilled, even if you've cleaned it up WELL; 3. Coffee comes out by pouring boiling water thru the fabric at a distance of about 12 inches. 4. Boiling water does pre-shrink a block!

I really do think that hand-piecing might have been less stressful!

Quick Quilt Therapy

I wish the colors showed better, but this quick little quilt turned out to be a fun one. I'm calling it a "leftover" quilt rather than a scrap quilt. The creams and burgundy came from a wedding quilt I finished last spring. I bought the greens for a different project and then changed my mind. (I still have a couple of yards of 3 different green fabrics waiting for inspiration.)

It is pin basted and ready to be machine quilted... didn't I just say I'd be hand quilting from now on?? ... just one more, I promise! I'm making this for a friend at church, and want her to be able to enjoy it while the weather is still cold!

FINISHED!

This quilt is about 3 weeks late, but being a lap-sized quilt, machine pieced and quilted... It is gratefully done! I had quite a time with dried out marking pens, breaking needles, thread shredding, and my machine.

I have learned several lessons,

1. Don't start a "timed" project without new marking pens.

2. Remember to buy extra sewing machine needles (and don't loose the ones you just bought!)

3. Start early and HAND quilt!

Regardless, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Dad and Mom!!! SIXTY years is AMAZING!!!

I LOVE YOU!

Joy in finishing a project!

I should be in sewing, but just wanted to play for a minute. I have the two short edges to bind on the anniversary quilt, so hope to get that finished today.

I have been noticing many putting things they're thankful for on each of their posts, so here goes!

GRATITUDES
1. That my DH wakes up the hot water heater so I can have a warm shower on these cold mornings! Thanks honey!!
2. For internet telephone so I can yack with my family!!
3. For the great feeling when a project is nearing completion. "The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul " Proverbs 13:19a

Just for fun!

:: E L I N O R ::
You are Elinor Dashwood of Sense & Sensibility! You are practical, circumspect, and discreet. Though you are tremendously sensible and allow your head to rule, you have a deep, emotional side that few people often see.

Group of New Quilters

My new quilters are making AWESOME progress! We've sewn, unsewn, and resewn, but our little snowmen are turning out so CUTE! Congratulations you guys!

P.S. Notice the nice sharp points on these triangles. This is the VERY FIRST hand piecing (or ANY piecing I should say) done by Libni! Way to go Libni!

Anniversary project ready to quilt

I just had to add a picture to show the progress on the Anniversary quilt. Today I quilted the sashing and 2 of the blocks.

They had a wonderful Anniversary party at their church last night, with a nice dinner as well as lots of cards and presents. Oh how I wish I could have been there with them.

Anniversary quilt

The marking is DONE! I am running late (which is my usual state of affairs!)
This quilt is a small gift for my parents' 60th wedding anniversary!
My first plans were to make a queen sized quilt, but the longer I worked on the blocks, the smaller the quilt became. I had a terrible time with these babies! I have several orphan blocks that just didn't pass the test! I finally made them with larger sized triangles on the edges and used a 12 1/2 inch square to have them all be the same size. It definitely won't pass if quilt police see it, but turned out pretty anyway! NOW on to the quilting!

Families and quilts

Families are like quilts,
lives pieced together,
stitched with smiles and tears,
colored by memories and bound with love.

Prayer is what truly stitches families together! It has been awesome to pray as I work on my quilts, thinking of the person who will receive the quilt. I made this quilt several years ago for my sister in Brazil, and although we are FAR apart, love truly stitches our hearts together!