UFOs

I hear a lot from others concerning UFOs and wanted to tell you about a way to get some done. I have wonderful friends and we decided to issue a challenge to each other about UFOs. At the beginning of the year we make a list of our UFOs and one of the group tracks the finished ones. In order to keep everyone "honest" the finished project must be shown at our monthly meetings. Whoever finishes the most, wins a prize at our Christmas party. So grab some friends, issue that challenge and get going!

Winter projects

Dang, it sure has been a nasty winter but at least I have had time to sew because it was too cold to do much else. I made oven mitts and pot holders for my sister and myself as you can see in the top photo. Pretty easy stuff. I have also finished two more cat wall hangings; Avocato and Eggplant Purr-mesan. They are just too cute. The blocks are Garden Patch Cats (TM) by Helene Knott for StoryQuilts.com I love working with batik fabrics so these were really fun.

Hope everyone's weather improves soon. Have fun and quilt a little.

Long time, no post

Occasionally life gets in the way of other things, one of which is quilting. We are finally in Florida where the weather is much colder than usual so I'm staying inside and sewing. I found these patterns for wall hangings that are cats that are shaped like vegetables and fruit Above is the Boscat which as we know is pear shaped. I also got two that are an avocado and an eggplant.

One of the challenge quilts for Project Linus Institute 2011 is to make a quilt using fabric provided plus more and the theme is Raining Cats and Dogs. I have the top pieced and will quilt it when we get back to Illinois.


This is the block that I'm going to use for my final nephew's quilt. I had hoped to get all the nieces and nephews done in 2010 but that didn't happen. I hope Dr. Jim likes it. I used reproduction shirting fabrics for the light portions and quilters tweed in brown for the dark portions.

And that, my friends is how it goes on the Gulf coast. The little Christmas tree is up, the presents have been sent and I'm trying my best to be good.

My Favorite Season

Ah, autumn, it just makes my heart happy. The warm days and cool nights, low humidity, colored leaves, mums blooming and all the rest make me smile. I love to sew with the doors and windows open.

My DH and I were gone for a few weeks as we went to Washingon state to see our son and granddaughter. I can't believe that she is growing up so quickly. She is 10 and it won't be long before she is taller than Grama. What a bundle of energy, too. She just never seems to sit down and she about wore us out.

On our way back home we stopped at Yellowstone National Park for a couple of days and then went by Windsor CO to see a dear friend and her husband. Of course, she and I had to visit a couple of quilt shops. Oh, by the way, if you ever get close to Helena, MT there is a wonderful Ben Franklin store there with really nice fabric plus a bead section and just about any other crafty thing that you might be interested in.

The quilt for my sister should be back from the machine quilting lady soon so I had to get the pillow shams done. I still need to make the label but it won't take too long to sew it on then I will be done. Yay.


Below is a bead (really?). My sister makes jewelery and I found this bead in WA that I am going to have her make into a necklace. She told me about Kazuri beads which are made by women in Kenya. Most of the women are single mothers and this is a way for them to earn money to support themselves and their children. If you would like to know more, just search on Kazuri. I'm hoping there might be a bead show close to us this winter.

Well, I guess I'll go see what quilting project I want to work on next. So hard to decide ;-)

Happy Birthday To Me!

What a nice birthday present my hubby got me. Actually, we had to replace the truck that he wrecked, so we got a van. It just happened to be my birthday and I sure do like the present. We no longer will go camping but that's okay. I don't mind motels and restaurants when we travel.


This is the quilt top that is the (almost) end product of the block I posted about last time. It looks a little dorky on my bed but that was the only place big enough to put it to take a photo.


I'm thinking that I need to get a few small projects done now but I may have to make one more big quilt because I keep looking at the fabric and trying to decide what I want to do with it. I sat down with my graph paper to start drafting some blocks but the two that I like best just don't want to play together. Back to the graph paper.

Have a great August! It will be time for the kiddies to go back to school before we know it.

Crazy month so far

I'm usually a pretty upbeat kind of gal, but July is apparently not my month. It started on the 2nd with my husband wrecking our truck which we used to pull our travel trailer. Since it was 14 years old we had dropped the insurance back to liability only. But it was still worth around $6000 and all we got was the salvage value - $1500. Okay, so we're dealing with that. Next we decide that we are not going to buy another truck so we have to sell the camper:-( Bummer! At least the people who bought it were very nice and I'm sure they will take good care of it. I'll miss it. On top of those things, my back has really been hurting so I went to the chiropractor, he took x-rays, and wouldn't you know, I'm getting old! Arthritis and degenerative discs are the problem so he is working on getting the pain levels down. Oh yeah, plus , my birthday is this month and I have a feeling no one is going to believe me when I tell them I'm 39 again! I've been doing a little quilting. Let me show you.

This is for Project Linus:
This is one for Scott Air Force Base Hospital.

This is fabric that I had in the stash for a while and finally decided to get it out and get going.

This is the block made with the fabrics above. Not sure yet about sashing strips but it's a start.

Well, I guess I'll go cut some more pieces for this. Have a great day.

Little britches and little dresses

I decided to make some little britches for boys to go with the little dresses for Africa. Then, a friend from my quilt guild dropped off 39 more little dresses and said there would be still more coming.
I'm just about done piecing the top for my sister's quilt then I have to do borders and it will be ready for machine quilting. Woo Hoo!!!

For My Sister

This is my latest big project and it is for my sweet sister. It is a double nine patch done is 30's reproduction fabrics with a different solid in the middle of the 3" nine patch blocks. Obviously, I am no where near done but at least it is almost half done. My quilt guild is asking the members to make comfort quilts to be taken to Scott Air Force base so I need to get going on that too. My Frayed Edges group made some blocks and donated some orphans so I need to put them together.Several years ago, I won these churn dash blocks in a drawing at guild so I finally got them put together. The quilt will be donated to Project Linus. I've been looking through my kits and UFOs to find more quick projects because I have a short attention span right now and have also been having a lot of back pain so I can't sit very long at a time. I tell you what, getting old is not for the faint of heart.

Still Working on UFOs

You would think that by now I would have made a bit more progress on UFOs but, no, I still have quite a way to go. I have two done that I had submitted to my Frayed Edges group and one new project that was the result of a class given by Cath Evans of Quilt In A Day. This first one I called "Crazy Mixed-up Crayon Kids". It started out as a panel of different body parts that were colored with crayons, cut apart and then mixed up and sewn back together. I think I'll give it to my church so they can hang it in the nursery. It's bright and cheerful and just plain fun!


This is the top for the quilt class with Cath Evans. The Hope of Hartford block is much easier than I thought it would be and the ribbon border was amazingly simple.


This last picture is my son's quilt (minus the borders and everything else). The blocks are from a drawing plus a bunch more.

I have two more UFOs ready to be set into rows and then the rows sewn together so I'd better get going. Need to oil Felicia Featherweight before I start. She gets thirsty.

Littlle Dresses for Africa

I found the neatest site for making dresses to send to Africa for the little girls who have very little of anything. The address is www.littledressesforafrica.org/blog/. There are very good instructions for making the dresses from lengths of fabric or pillowcases. Since I have a boat load of fabric, I'm using it. I made the one above using 1/4" elastic at the neckline and double fold bias tape at the arm holes and for the ties also. It goes together quickly and would be a great project for a group or guild. Why not give it a try.

Better late than never

Woo hoo!! I finally got all of the Patchabilities wall hangings done!! It has taken longer than I thought it would but persistence pays off. I can't believe they are complete (except for labels). We are going to be going back to Illinois in a couple of weeks so I needed to have these for my Frayed Edges challenge. I really haven't accomplished as much as I thought I would; let me see - these small wallhangings, a dozen cancer caps, 11 receiving blankets for Project Linus, 24 blocks for a quilt for my son, crocheted a couple of scarves (now that the weather is getting warm), 24 neck coolers for the troops that have to be finished at home and intend to make some pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer. If you don't know about this organization please go to: www.ConKerrCancer.org and see what they are all about.

working on UFOs

Well, my friends and I have issued a challenge to each other to see who can finish the most projects this year. I have gotten a few more done since I've been in FL this month. The one above is so cute, I had to do it first. The rest are for a future post. Since I have a limited amount of space in which to work, I brought small projects and am having a ball doing them. The patterns are from Patchabilities and, hopefully, your LQS carries them. I have a hanger for miniature quilts at home and now I will be able to change them out each season.

Will post more photos as I get the projects are finished.

Two more done

Well, well, I now have two more projects done for my Frayed Edges challenge. It sure makes me happy that I am finally getting some more UFOs finished. The top one is from a Carol Doak class which I took through my quilt guild and is called "Fire and Ice". The bottom one is a Christmas table topper that I made for a display at the quilt shop where I used to work. Wow, that one is pretty old! Right now I'm working on a quilt for Project Linus for their Camp COCO project. Camp COCO is a summer camp for children with cancer and the blankets need to have some kind of outdoor/camping theme. I really love doing this for them.
I need to get busy deciding what I'm taking to Florida to work on. I have a limited amount of space in the trunk of the car so I need to choose wisely. We were working at getting his mother's house cleaned out today. There is still a lot of stuff but we have it pretty much divided up. His sister in Missouri is getting a bit more than she planned, I think, because if we didn't know what to do with something we said "Give it to Lily";-)

I think it's about time to go to bed now. My back hurts from lifting boxes of "stuff". Adios

Long time absent

I've been absent from blogworld for a while. My mother-in-law was ill and in a nursing home and she has now passed away. It has been hard to deal with but she was in such pain, at least we know that she is in a much better place. God bless you, mom, we love you.

On a much lighter note, my Frayed Edges quilt group have challenged each other to see who can finish the most projects this year. This is a buck-a-block quilt from 2006. I had about half of the blocks done so I got myself together and did the rest of it. Really, it didn't take all that long because it is a kid size quilt.
This is an Irish chain that is even older, I think I made the top around 2004 and just had it stuck away in a drawer.


This little table runner is one that I have had in the same drawer, just not for as many years. Wow, it feel good to get these old things done finally but I still have so many to do. Maybe I'll win the prize for most UFOs finished.

Been a while

I guess it's been a while since I have posted but life gets in the way sometimes. Here is a not very good photo of the cruise ship that we were on last week. We had a great time and the food was WONDERFUL!! Our table mates were a really nice couple from Utah and by the end of the cruise we felt like we had known them forever. I do have to admit that the weather was a little hot and humid but we managed to deal with it.

This is the fairy house that my sister made for me. Isn't it adorable? She and her sweet husband have made several as gifts and they are just too cute.

Gotta go

Another Project Linus blanket

Our local Project Linus chapter has requested more blankets that are boy-oriented and I just happened to have this panel with tools so I cut it apart, put sashing and cornerstones, added a couple of borders and ta-da, it's a quilt. (Actually I also have this with a navy blue background.) I am in the process of quilting it and then I have to do the binding and it will be done. I also have some John Deere tractor fabric that I need to do something with, just have to find the right shade of green to go with it. Sounds like a good excuse for a shopping trip!

We will be leaving for Florida soon. We're just going to take the cruise and then come right back. With my MIL in the nursing home, we need to be around to check on her. Maybe we will be able to go back south for a while later on in the winter. Gosh, this will be only the second winter in 10 years that we haven't been someplace warm. Hmmm. Guess I need a winter coat. Oh darn, another shopping trip.

Well, I'm off to finish quilting the tool quilt.

Autumn quilt & little totes

The Autumn quilt is pieced and waiting to be quilted. I'll have my longarm lady do it when we get back in the spring. It turned out to be a bit larger than I thought at first but that's okay. At least it will cover the bed!

Here are a couple of little totes that I made for my sister and myself. They will be great for use on the cruise. The straps are long enough to fit over your head and you can carry just what you need (passport, seapass card and a credit card)(okay, maybe some cash). It has taken me a while to get around to posting again because my mother-in-law has been ill but she is doing much better now so I'm back to thinking about what to take to FL for the winter. I'm getting anxious.

Well, I'm off to sort a tote of fabric or two. Bye

Bus Trip Coming Up

My local quilt guild is sponsoring a bus trip to four shops in northern Illinois this Saturday and I can hardly wait to go. I think it is going to be really fun.

The quilt below is for Project Linus and the pattern comes from Fons and Porter's Easy Quilts Magazine, winter 2008 issue. I cut enough pieces for two tops so I'll put the other one together this winter.
This block is for an autumn quilt that I will probably do this winter, also. I made a sample block to make sure I liked my color choices and I think it will be fine. The block centers come from a panel that I cut apart and then I found some of the coordinating fabric so I got some of that too.
You may wonder what's up with the purple but several of the center squares have touches of purple in them (eggplant, grapes, etc.) and I thought the purple would make them pop. There is a border fabric that goes with this also and I cut it apart and will use the green/brown acorn part for sashing and the wider part for borders. I'm anxious to get several blocks done so I can get some idea what it will look like when finished.

IBOL Total

Okay, so the Iraqi Bundles of Love count is 3,443. If you figure around 8 - 9 lbs. per bundle then approximately 14 TONS (maybe more) of sewing, quilting and knitting supplies were sent to Iraq for the women to use in their co-ops and homes. All because Major Art LaFlamme and his wife, Kristin, thought it would be neat to ask some people to send a few boxes of items. This simple request was passed on and on and on and became a world-wide phenomenon. What impresses me most is the unbridled generosity shown by so many people to benefit total strangers. I'm really proud that I was able to be a part of this. Women rock!

Carol Doak was here!

My quilt guild hosted Carol Doak a couple of weeks ago and I took both classes that were offered. The first one was a miniature paper pieced quilt with houses, trees and stars from her book "300 Paper Pieced Quilt Blocks. I have it all done including the quilting. Hurray!!

The second class was "Fire and Ice" using the Iceland Star from her Mariner's Compass Stars Book. The top is done but the sandwiching and quilting is yet to be done.
This is not a Carol Doak pattern but it is paper pieced. This is Lotsa Pops, Quiltmaker Magazine's Project Linus pattern from Jan-Feb '09 ( I think). My cheap digital camera doesn't do too well because the dark fabric is purple, not blue, but you get the idea. This was the last top that I pieced this past winter. Now we are about 5 weeks away from leaving for Florida so I have to get my self together and decide which projects to take with me to work on this winter.