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Stash Report Week #3 & 4...

2012-02-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

January 22 - February 4, 2012

Not much change this week. Most recently I finished the top for La Maison. I used 2.5 yards for this little quilt.

La Maison Quilt Top

I had really hoped to have it quilted by now, but several things have gotten in the way. Most notably, I came up with what I now realize is an insane quilting plan that will literally take me forever. OK, that's a slight exaggeration. I thought that quilting a stone walkway in the cream sashing would set off the 'garden' part of the quilt. My intention is to do this in the center of the quilt as well as each corner. I started with one of the corners...

Quilting a cobblestone path

The quilting isn't particularly challenging, just very, very time consuming. It took me 45 minutes to do the first block - which is only about 6" big.

One corner down, 3 more to go

It's exactly the look I was going for, so I know once I'm done, I'll be so pleased I spent the extra time on it. Until then, I'll probably dream about quilting stones in my dreams. So far, I've finished all of the corners and am now working on the center.

Backside of the quilt

I also have big plans for the rest of the quilting. I just need to make sure I have enough energy after finishing this portion to continue working on it. Realistically I don't expect to finish this one for several weeks now.

I sure hope Mr. Quilting Bug lets me hang it in the sun room when I'm done! That's the only place in the house where it could possibly go and I don't want to fold this one away in a closet after this much effort. It will easily take me more than twice as long to quilt it as it did to piece it, but I keep reminding myself that it will be worth it!

So...
Purchased-this-week: 0 yards
Used-this-week: 2.5 yards
Purchased-to-date: 4.75 yards
Used-to-date: 16.25 yards
Net used: 11.5 yards

As usual, Sam has been keeping me company while I'm quilting. She's such a good egg.

Sam napping in the sewing room

Until later...

“The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.”

Proverbs 21:5 (ESV)

Blessed sunshine...

2012-01-30T20:17:00.000-05:00

It's been unseasonably warm here in North Carolina this winter. Today's temperatures were almost 60 degrees and we should hit 70 by Wednesday. The pets have been taking advantage of the bright spots of sunshine in the house to do some sunbathing (aka napping).

Sam in the sun room.

Jack in the sun room.

David in the living room.
(It's hard to tell, but he's also in a spot of sunshine.)

Gabriel in the bedroom.

Moses is the only one who didn't follow along. She'd much rather have her privacy than bask in the sun. She loves napping behind this little pillow.

Moses in the bedroom.

I hope your enjoying some nice weather wherever you are!

Until later...

“You will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.”

Psalm 16:11 (NLT)

La Maison...

2012-01-29T20:09:00.000-05:00

Guess what? It's done. And just in time. At least the top is. I've been working hard on my Full House quilt for AYOS (Another Year of Schnibbles). I had also hoped to have it quilted by the end of the month. I spent a couple of hours stitching in the ditch, but the free motion work I want to do is going to take longer than a couple of days. I'm calling mine La Maison, which means 'home' in French. (Or at least that's what Google Translate told me.)

La Maison Quilt Top

I used 2 charm packs of Pom Pom de Paris to make the houses and gardens and a mystery background fabric I had in my stash. I had a yard of it and figured that would be enough. When all was said and done, I only had a few scraps left over. It was very, very close.

Leftover background fabric

I had to result to some pretty creative cutting to make it work. I made all of the houses just as Carrie details in the pattern. Then I deviated from the rest of the pattern and made a bunch of 4 patches for the center. I was picturing a garden with pathways around the different parts.

The quilt turned out to be 41" square, which I'm hoping will be perfect to hand in my sun room. All in all, it was an easy and fun pattern to make. I can't wait to see what they pick for February!

Until later...

“Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.”

1 John 4:7 (NLT)

Moving along...

2012-01-26T20:45:00.000-05:00

After a wonderful nap today, I found a few spare cycles to spend in my sewing room. I managed to finish my Full Houses top, but will have to share it in another post. As usual, I had lots of company with me in there, but unfortunately, I wasn't paying them much attention. When I turned around, I saw this...

Moses on a quilt

I keep the door shut when I'm not in there for exactly this reason. They always seem to think a quilt on the frame makes a perfect hammock. However, they stretch it out and misalign the leaders. I think I'd better get busy and quilt this, so I can take it off. No telling how wonky it might end up being now.

In other household news, we've had a bunch of squirrels come looking for food lately, so we've been putting black sunflower seeds out on the deck for them. The cats are loving watching them from the sun room...

Jack, Moses and David

They have fun watching the squirrels and I have fun watching them! It's a win, win.

Until later...

The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me.

Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #2 & 3...

2012-01-23T10:11:00.001-05:00

January 8 - 21, 2012

This will be short and sweet. I bought the backing for Winter Wonderland about a week ago. It's been pieced and is ready for quilting.

Backing Fabric for Winter Wonderland - 4.75 yards

I haven't finished anything, but I'm pretty close to completing the Full House top (no progress on quilting anything though). It needs to be done by January 31st, so not much time left.

So...
Purchased-this-week: 4.75 yards
Used-this-week: 0 yards
Purchased-to-date: 4.75 yards
Used-to-date: 13.75 yards
Net used: 9 yards

I was feeling rather unproductive until I read today's Scripture. It was a nice and necessary reminder of God's priorities. I know the quilting will still be there whenever other things are no longer the focus of my attention.

Until later...

Our people must learn to do good by meeting the urgent needs of others; then they will not be unproductive.

Titus 3:14 (NLT)

Caution - Construction Work Ahead...

2012-01-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

Construction has continued on my little village. I've now completed 20 of these houses. I have a layout in mind for them, but have to see if I have enough fabric left over to pull it off.

I used Pom Pom de Paris and I'm liking the flowery reds, yellows and pinks (not my usual style). I've still got another 11 days to finish this one and hope to continue working on it tomorrow.

Until later...

But may all who search for you be filled with joy and gladness in you. May those who love your salvation repeatedly shout, "The Lord is great!"

Psalm 40:16 (NLT)

Catching up...

2012-01-18T21:30:00.000-05:00

Until I started this post, I had no idea it's been so long since I last blogged. It's been crazy busy around here lately and I've also been out of town for a few days. I don't see it slowing down much either in the near future.

I haven't been doing a lot of quilting lately (certainly not finishing any projects), but I have made some forward progress on a few things. Mostly making backings and basting quilts. I've been meaning to baste 45 and Life to Go for over a month now and I finally buckled down last week to do it. I had to move most of the furniture in my quilt room out of the way in order to have enough floor space. I pinned the backing easily enough, but when I laid out the batting I discovered a problem...

When I purchased the batting, I thought the package said it was 120" square. Even though I prewashed it, I didn't think it was possible for it to shrink this much. When I looked again, I saw that it was 102" x 120". The quilt itself is 109" square, so this just wasn't going to work. Fortunately I had another package of batting that was the right size that I could use. After a couple of hours, I had it together...

45 and Life to Go Quilt - now basted

You'll notice there aren't any pins in it. That's because I used 505 basting spray instead...

This stuff is great! I was a little nervous to use it on such a large quilt because I've never tried it on such a big project. It took a little more than a can to baste all the layers together. I also felt like I'd been sniffing glue when I was done and my nostrils wanted to stick together. However, by morning, everything was back to normal.

And speaking of basting quilts, I also used the spray to baste this little Valentine's Day quilt. I used a layer of cotton batting and a layer of wool. I'm hoping the extra layers will give it a lot of definition once it's quilted. I still want to finish this one and have it on the wall before February 14th. (Just under 4 weeks to get it done.)

Here's My Heart

This past weekend, I also managed to piece the backing for Winter Wonderland using the label I made for it earlier...

Backing for Winter Wonderland

I know that I won't get around to quilting this one for at least several months (although I want to do it this year), so I've layered the backing, batting and quilt on a hanger. Whenever I find the time to quilt it, it's all ready for me to pull out of the closet and either load it on the frame or baste it for use with my regular sewing machine.

Backing, batting and quilt - ready to be quilted

I've also finally started on my Full House quilt for the Another Year of Schnibbles challenge. (You can read more about it here and here.) I'm using Pom Pom de Paris for mine and changing up the pattern a little bit. The houses are going together pretty quickly, but the only picture I have to share right now are of the roofs.

Full House Roofs

This one has to be done by January 31st, so it's high up on my to-do list.

On a non-quilting front, I caught David on the scratching post the other day. I think it's the first time in 2 years he's paid any attention to it.

David on the scratching post

I think Jack got a little jealous though and had to hone in on the action...

David and Jack

I do have a stash report I need to do and hope to be able to show some houses as well, so hopefully I won't be gone so long this time. Although with everything going on around here, I'm really finding it a struggle to find time to blog. Hopefully your days are a little quieter wherever you are!

Until later...

The Lord will work out his plans for my life - for your faithful love, O Lord endures forever. Don't abandon me, for you made me.

Psalm 138:8 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #1 - A New Beginning...

2012-01-08T19:51:00.000-05:00

January 1 - 7, 2011

After hemming and hawing last year about continuing with my stash reports, I've decided to keep going. I like looking at the numbers (especially when they're positive) and I think they help to restrain me from buying fabric (sometimes). So here's to a new year!

I tried so hard to finish the Winter Wonderland top last year, but missed it by a couple of days. On the positive side, that means I get to count the fabric used today. It's difficult to calculate exactly, because the pattern intends for you to have leftovers, but my best guess is I used 13.75 yards for the top, label and binding...

Winter Wonderland Top and Label

I know I won't get around to quilting this for at least a few months, but I am hoping to find the backing fabric for it this week. I like to prepare it along with the batting and hang everything together in my closet. That way when I want to quilt it, everything is ready to go!

So...
Purchased-this-week: 0 yards
Used-this-week: 13.75 yards
Purchased-to-date: 0 yards
Used-to-date: 13.75 yards
Net used: 13.75

Not a bad start to the reporting. I have several projects on my immediate priority list. I'd like to finish them all in January, but realize that's completely unrealistic. Unless I gave up sleeping and eating and everything else.

I need to make a sewing hussif for a friend. It's to be a surprise though, so no pictures.
I want to quilt this JoAnn's BOM for my brother-in-law.

I want to baste and quilt my 45 and Life to Go quilt.

I need to quilt Here's My Heart. I want to hang it for Valentine's Day so hope to get to this one quickly.

I'm joining in on Another Year of Schnibbles this year. The pattern for January is Full House. I've got the pattern and think I'm going to use Pom Pom de Paris for it. This quilt has to be done by the end of the month.

Last but not least, I want to finish appliqueing blocks #11 and #12 of Ladies of the Sea.

So those are my goals for the forseeable future. They should keep me pretty busy I think. Hopefully, your new year is off to a great start as well!

Until later...

Let them praise your great and awesome name. Your name is holy!

Psalm 99:3 (NLT)

Take #6?

2012-01-07T13:47:00.000-05:00

My Christmas present came in the mail a couple of days ago. I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival. It's a new iron, a Digital Velocity V100. I consider myself sort of a connoisseur of irons. This is at least my 6th new iron since I've started quilting (which was only 7 or 8 years ago). It's not that I've picked bad irons. I've actually bought some wonderful (and expensive) irons over the years. At one point I had an Oliso iron; you know the one that raises and lowers automatically. It was a pretty good iron. Nice steam and easy to use. It lasted about a year.

Most recently I've been using a Rowenta iron (made in Germany). It's been a great iron as well. It's has awesome steam capabilities and is a very, very heavy iron. Some people might not like that feature, but I personally love the extra weight. Between that and the steam, I find my seams lie flatter and my quilting is just overall better. Again this one lasted almost a year before it too started to leak.

I understand that leaking or spitting is a common complaint among iron owners. I've been careful to use the right kind of water (purified in this case) and to care for it as the directions state. In my case, it's not the manufacturers fault that mine start leaking. Actually, this is the real culprit...

David on my sewing machine

He's a 22 lb behemoth who has repeatedly knocked over my ironing board (and hence my iron). Of course, I can't place all the blame on him. Some of it belongs to this one...

Jack

As well as this one...

Moses

The only one I can't blame is Sam and that's because she can't jump that high. My Rowenta still works pretty well, but I can only fill it a third full or it starts pouring water out on my fabric. So I'm constantly filling it. It also doesn't seem to stay as hot as it used to. I considered buying another Rowenta, but read some awesome reviews about the Digital Velocity irons from here and here.

I wouldn't have considered buying another expensive iron if it weren't for the new ironing board I have. My dear husband built it for me for my last birthday. In the 7 months I've had it, the cats haven't even come close to knocking it over. This baby is as steady as a rock.

My 'New' Ironing Board

I'm so confident that it's solved my problem that I've invested in what I hope will be my final iron (or at least for many, many years to come).

Digital Velocity V100 Iron

I bought my iron from Kelly Jackson at I Have A Notion. I have to stop for a moment and just say what amazing customer service she has. She matched a cheaper price I found elsewhere, shipped it immediately and included several extras in the package. She's just an all around pleasure to deal with!

So back to the iron... I carefully read the instructions before using it. I knew ahead of time that this one recommended using distilled water (something they say not to use in a Rowenta), so I bought a couple of jugs in preparation. This iron holds 1.8 cups of water, so much more than any other iron I've ever had.

Water jug for the iron

I didn't have anything in particular to work on, so I made a label for a quilt. I have to say it was a pleasure to iron with. My points came out really sharp in no small part due to the pressing.

Winter Wonderland Label

Overall, I'm very impressed with it. Although not as heavy as my Rowenta, it has enough weight to press seams flat. It also generates a lot of steam and I love that I didn't have to refill it even once. Time will tell how it holds up, but so far I'm very happy with my investment.

Until later...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)

And it's done!

2012-01-06T21:19:00.000-05:00

This is such an exciting finish for me and technically it's not even done! I've finally put the last stitch in my Winter Wonderland quilt top. Last I left it, I needed to make 34 HST units. I cut all of the fabrics I needed, but before sewing them I decided I needed to organize the remaining fabrics first.

Leftover fabrics from Winter Wonderland

Don't they look so pretty bundled together? I probably have enough to make another small quilt with them and I have just the one in mind. After cleaning my mess up, I got down to the business of making those HST's. I used triangle paper to make the 3" finished units and they went together lickity split!

Sewing the HST's

It was only after I starting cutting them apart that I realized I had made twice as many as I needed. Duh! But as you'll see later, I managed to find a use for a lot of them. Here are all 64 blocks...

Final blocks needed for this quilt

Now I could start assembling the borders. There are 34 blocks in the borders as well as the HST's. I'm so glad I labeled each block as I made it with it's placement. Otherwise, it would have taken me forever to figure out where they went.

Assembling the borders

Everything fit together so well with this one. That isn't always the case. It didn't take too long to finish assembling it. This quilt is 64" x 71". Looking back through my previous posts, I think I started working on it in early September 2010. So has definitely taken a while, but I think it was totally worth all the time and effort!

Winter Wonderland Quilt Top

One of my goals is to get it quilted before another year passes. I have no idea how to quilt it yet, but am open to suggestions?

Closeup of the stitching

As for some of the leftover HST's, I was able to use them in the label. I also had an extra embroidered block that I put in the middle...

Label for Winter Wonderland

The label finishes at 15" square, so it's a large one. Once I have the quilt quilted, I'll add all the information to the block. I've already made the binding for this quilt as well, so all I need to do is find a backing fabric.

Sam kept me company while I finished this one up. She's probably my best sewing companion as she's content to take a nap while I work. Doesn't she perfectly match the quilt she's lying on?

I love her many poses...

Until later...

Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)

2011 - A wrap up...

2012-01-02T15:18:00.000-05:00

I thought it would be a great idea to do a post detailing the things I accomplished (quilting wise) in 2011. I did one last year and it was so nice to see pictures of everything together. I finished 35 projects - 27 completely and 8 tops. That's much more than I would have thought. So here's my year in review...

Stargazing, Nestled in the Branches, Table Topper and Hootville

Twisted Rope, Pincushion, Rope Bowl, Pillowcases

Roll-up Shades, Ironing Board, Star Crossed and Man Cave

Hodgepodge, Grace, Connections and Baby Blocks

Dilly Dallying Around, Around the Block, Orange Sherbert and Holly Jolly

More Pillowcases, Harmony, Winter Wonderland and Splash

Note: Winter Wonderland wasn't done at this point. I just needed a 4th picture. Although as of last night, the top is done. Yeah!

I also finished 4 projects for the group I'm in called 'The Twelve of Us'.

Quilted Greeting Cards, Star Bright, Under the Sea and Peonies

The following are quilt tops that I've finished this year. Most of them don't have names yet though.

And finally, I finished all of the applique blocks for my Baltimore Halloween quilt. It's taken me almost 3 years to get to this point. I'm hoping to get the top completed the first quarter of this year and have it quilted by Halloween.

All 13 applique blocks for Baltimore Halloween

So that's my year in review. I'm not expecting to be as productive- numbers wise - this year. My goal is to get some quilts made for our bed (king-size) and those will take a lot longer to make. But above all, I really just want to enjoy the process from beginning to end!

Until later...

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun.

2 Cor. 5:17 (NLT)

Last Stash Report of 2011!

2012-01-01T00:26:00.000-05:00

December 11 - 31, 2011

Not a lot of sewing or buying has been happening over here. I'm sure a lot of you can relate. Preparations for Christmas took over most of my time and it was more important to spend time with loved ones than to complete projects. I had hoped to finish the Winter Wonderland top this year, but didn't quite make it. Another couple of hours on it tomorrow should see it done though.

I was so excited to see the Fat Quarter Shop's annual 12 Days of Christmas sale again this year. Looking back at last year, I see that I bought a ton of Jelly Rolls then. Although they had some wonderful deals this year too, it wasn't really on fabric that I was wanting. In the end I only bought 2 pieces of fabric - 6 yards of the Jovial Black Grunge by Basic Grey and 5.5 yards of the blue Reindeer Games by Sandy Gervais...

5.5 yards of Reindeer Games and 6 yards of Jovial

So my totals for the end of the year are...
Purchased-this-week: 11.5 yards
Used-this-week: 0 yards
Purchased-to-date: 407.75 yards
Used-to-date: 513 yards
Net used: 105.25

I was looking back at my quilting goals for this year. (I posted them here the same time last year.) I had hoped to purchase less than 150 yards of fabric for the whole year. Hmmm. I didn't do a very good job on that one. In fact, I bought about 90 yards more than last year and used 13 yards less.

I'd also hoped to concentrate almost exclusively on my UFO's. I did an OK job on that one. I did get a lot of tops quilted and ended up completing 27 projects this year - 10 of them UFOs. And finally, I made a number of prayer quilts and charity quilts during the year (which was another goal).

As for 2012, I'm planning on the following:

Continue with my stash report. I'd like to whittle my purchase number down, but I'm not going to commit to a specific number.
Finish at least 2 quilts for our king-size bed. (I have about 6 planned though and one top waiting to be quilted.)
Whenever the need arises, drop everything and make a prayer quilt. It's important to have priorities and God's calling is the highest. (A repeat from last year.)
Make several more quilts and/or pillowcases for charities.
Participate in Another Year of Schnibbles. I've missed out on this the last couple of years, but plan to play along in 2012. (I already have enough Charm Packs to do the whole year!)

So those are my goals for this new year, how about you?

Until later...

How great is our Lord! His power is absolute! His understanding is beyond comprehension!

Psalm 147:5 (NLT)

Almost done...

2011-12-26T19:52:00.000-05:00

Still plugging away on the Winter Wonderland blocks. I've finally finished the last 4 star blocks...

6" Blocks 14 & E - Double X

9" Block C - Star of Hope

6" Block 8 - Maple Star

This means I'm now done with all of the star blocks! Woohoo! There are 34 blocks - a combination of 6", 9" & 12" blocks made using 6 different fabric combinations. Fortunately I've labeled each one with a sticker so I already know where each one goes in the quilt...

All of the Winter Wonderland pieced blocks

Now I need to make several dozen HST's and then I can assemble the borders. I'm still hopeful that I can finish the top before the new year. That's my goal anyway. (I work better when I set goals.)

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas day. I spent the last few days visiting with family and so enjoyed myself.

Until later...

“[T]he Son of God came so we could recognize and understand the truth of God—what a gift!—and we are living in the Truth itself, in God’s Son, Jesus Christ. This Jesus is both True God and Real Life.”

1 John 5:20 (MSG)

A little bit of handwork...

2011-12-22T20:52:00.000-05:00

Probably like most couples, Mr. Quilting Bug and I enjoy watching some TV at night. And with the invention of the DVR/Tivo, it's so much more enjoyable! We've become so used to the convenience that it's hard to remember back when we had to sit through commercials or plan our evening around the start time of a show. Our current favorites right now are Parks and Recreation, Big Bang Theory, Person of Interest and Once Upon a Time. We're really enjoying each of these shows. I'll also admit that we watch Survivor almost every season too. How awesome is it that over the last 3 or 4 seasons God is mentioned more and more often! I think the contestants prayed to Jesus in every episode this past season.

However, I'm one of those people who can't just sit and watch TV. I have to be doing something else at the same time. Usually, I work on my hand applique then. I've been working on the next couple Ladies of the Sea blocks (#11 & #12). (You can see the other blocks I've stitched so far here.) So far, I've managed to finish the outer wreaths on both blocks and have started appliqueing the ships that go in the center...

We've ordered seasons 3 and 4 of the Big Bang Theory and they should come in tomorrow. I've already seen them, but Mr. Quilting Bug hasn't. I expect we'll do a marathon session of the series tomorrow night and I hope to make some good progress on the ships then. I'd love to finish both of these blocks by the end of the year, but will have to spend a lot of time appliqueing for that to happen. Each of these 16" blocks usually takes me about a month to complete.

I'm sure everyone out there is busy with last minute preparations for Christmas, but I hope you're also finding time to laugh and relax and enjoy those people around you!

Until later...

“Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all your ways will be established.”

Proverbs 4:26 (HCSB)

The Story of Sam

2011-12-18T19:58:00.000-05:00

Once upon a time, there was a cat named Sam. She was a sweet kitty with a good disposition and she was the apple of her mother's eye. She loved to run, jump and play with the other kitties in the household. She also loved to eat. Over the years, she went from being slightly chubby to overweight and finally obese. As she put on the weight, it became difficult for her to do the things she used to do. She stopped jumping up on furniture and playing with her sisters. Her mother had tried putting her on diets before without much success, but when it became hard for Sam to even walk, her mom decided something had to be done.

So Sam went on a strict diet. Her mom was determined that Sam would lose the extra weight. Unfortunately, Sam didn't agree with this plan and fought every step of the way. She went from being a happy kitty to a mean, grumpy and cantankerous one. She kept her mom up all night begging for food and even biting her when she didn't get any. Her mom fought for every single ounce of weight that Sam lost and it was a difficult and frustrating battle. In desperation, Sam's mom finally resorted to putting her on medicine. This made a tremendous difference in Sam's mood. She became the sweet, lovable and adorable kitty she used to be. Best of all, the weight started to melt off her. Sam could now run and jump and play like she used to and all her sisters were happy to wrestle with her again. And they all lived happily ever after (hopefully)...

It was an arduous and difficult journey, but you've finally reached your goal! After 14 months of dieting, you've gone from a record high of 18.1 pounds to a svelte and healthy 13.7 pounds.

Before and after pictures of Sam

We're praying you can keep the weight off for good!

Until later...

So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

Galatians 6:9 (NLT)

Almost there...

2011-12-17T23:15:00.000-05:00

I've been continuing to plug away on my Winter Wonderland blocks and now have several more to share. The first is a 6" Cut the Corners block.

6" Block D - Cut the Corners

This was also the last block in this combination. Unfortunately I ran out of the background fabric for it and had to substitute another, but it's really close to the original. Here are the 5 blocks in this fabric grouping together...

Fabric Group #5

I also made 3 more blocks using the last fabric selection. There's a 6", 9" and another 9" Cut the Corners blocks.

Cut the Corners Blocks #3, 18 and 23

Here's all 3 of them together...

Winter Wonderland Blocks

I'm hoping to finish the final 4 blocks in the next few days and start putting the top together. As things look, I may actually have the top done this year! Yippee!

While I was sewing today, Moses kept me company. She found a nice cozy spot on top of a quilt and proceeded to give herself a very long and thorough bath...

Moses taking a bath

I know this can be a very busy and stressful time of the year, but I pray that all of you are finding time to rest and relax. Personally I find myself much more at peace when I stop and think about why I celebrate Christmas. But if you're struggling for any reason, be it financial, physical or emotional, please know I'd be glad to pray for you. Just send me an email.

Until later...

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again - rejoice!

Philippians 4:4 (NLT)

A couple more blocks...

2011-12-12T21:16:00.000-05:00

I'm still working on my Winter Wonderland blocks and I have a couple more to share. (It's pretty much the only sewing I'm doing right now.) This first one is a 6" Maple Star block...

6" Block #16 - Maple Star

The second block is a 9" Martha Washington Star block. I really like the look of this one.

9" Block #20 - Martha Washington Star

I only have another 8 blocks and some HST's to make before I'm ready to assemble this top. I get excited when a project is so close to being completed! At least the top is close. The quilting of it will be a completely different matter.

Sam is still doing well. I'm keeping her away from salt, although it's been difficult. Whenever I eat potato chips (a guilty pleasure), she practically assaults me trying to get to them! But mostly she's just laying around - as cats usually do...

Until later...

“Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it.”

Romans 12:9a (MSG)

Stash Report Week #49...

2011-12-10T21:02:00.000-05:00

December 3 - 10, 2011

I've skipped the last couple of Stash Reports, but only because I had absolutely nothing to report. I didn't buy any fabric or do much sewing. However, this week saw a nice package from the Fat Quarter Shop come in. I had a gift certificate from my quilt bee (love you ladies!) and some Christmas money from my parents (love you too!) that I used to buy some fabric I'd been wanting. And get this, it was all on sale!

First, I bought 12 yards of this Jovial fabric to use as the backing for 2 quilts. I already had all the fabric I needed for the quilts except for the backing. I sure hope I can actually get these made in time for next Christmas, because I obviously missed the boat on this one...

Jovial fabric to use for backings

I also picked up some fabric that I need for my Baltimore Halloween and Over the River and through the Woods quilts. I only needed 1.5 yards for the Halloween quilt to use in the border. I knew I'd used a Moda Marble in the rest of the quilt, but didn't know exactly which one. So I guessed! And fortunately, I was right (love when that happens). I also bought 1.25 yards of Primitive Muslin Pie Crust to use for the background for the embroideries on the second quilt. I love the slightly mottled look to this line.

Moda Marbles Sweet Off White and Primitive Muslin Pie Crust

That's all the fabric I bought, but I have to show this pattern I picked up. I've been eyeing it for a while, but resisted buying it until I saw it on sale. This is another Crabapple Hill Pattern.

New Crabapple Hill Pattern

I know I'm not going to start on it for at least 6 months, but it's definitely one I want to make!

As for what I used, it's not much. I've been working on my Winter Wonderland blocks, but won't count the fabric until the top is done. Other than that, I made a few quilt blocks to donate which maybe used a quarter yard...

Donated Kansas Troubles Blocks

So...
Purchased-this-week: 14.75 yards
Used-this-week: .25 yards
Purchased-to-date: 396.25 yards
Used-to-date: 513 yards
Net used: 116.75 yards

In case you didn't know, the Fat Quarter Shop is starting their 12 Days of Christmas sale on Monday. I have some Christmas money that I've set aside especially for this sale. There are several fabric lines I have my eye on (American Banner Rose, Panier de Fleurs, Rounneries Deux) and I'm hoping some of them go on sale!

A sleepy Gabriel

Until later....

Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it.

1 Peter 3:15 (NLT)

More Winter Wonderings...

2011-12-09T22:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not spending a lot of time quilting lately, but I did carve out a few hours today to iron some freshly washed fabric (more on that in tomorrow's Stash Report) and to make a few more Winter Wonderland blocks. This first block finishes at 6" and has 37 pieces. The HST's are only an inch in size.

6" Block A - Double X

That was the 5th and last block using this fabric combination. Here are all of them together...

Fabric Combination #4

I'm actually using a total of 6 fabric groupings to make the 34 blocks for this quilt. (FYI - I know the pattern calls for far fewer blocks, but I've changed it up a bit.) I need to make 5 blocks out of the 5th fabric combination. I started with a 9" version of the Double X block.

9" Block #5 - Double X

I am so careful to make sure all my stripes go in the same direction and in this grouping, there are actually 2 prints that I have to watch out for. Although they're both plaids, they're still directional.

I also made a 9" version of the Cut the Corners block.

9" Block #12 - Cut the Corners

I was able to cut out and sew all of the HST's together on the next block before I ran out of both time and steam. I'm enjoying working on all of these blocks; however, working with so many homespun fabrics makes me hesitant to use them in another quilt. They're beautiful, but they're also challenging to sew with because they really love to stretch. I'm being careful and going slower than usual in an attempt to make them behave. I know it's going to be worth it in the end though; I love how this quilt is turning out!

Here's a sweet picture of Moses in her favorite napping spot. In case you can't tell, it's between the pillows on our bed. With the throw pillow in front, it makes a nice protective hiding spot for her. Sometimes, she even crawls under the covers there for some additional privacy!

Moses, napping in bed

Until later...

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)

More sewing time...

2011-12-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

Yippee! I managed to spend some more time today quilting. I'm actually having a bit of a rough recovery right now from my recent surgery and really benefited from the distraction that sewing provided.

Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs is collecting blocks to send to Jeaneane after she lost her home in a tornado earlier this year. (You can read all about it here.) I've been meaning to make a few blocks for her and the deadline is fast approaching. Her favorite designer is apparently Kansas Troubles and I just happened to have a Charm Pack of it in my stash. With it, I was able to make 3 different 8" blocks...

Sawtooth 4 Patch

Hovering Hawks

Your basic 16 Patch

Once I finished with the blocks for Jeaneane, I found I still had enough time to make another Winter Wonderland block. This one finishes at 6" and is called Cut the Corners...

6" Block #24 - Cut the Corners

Although this block has 33 pieces in it, it went together rather quickly. This brings my total number of blocks to 21. I only have 13 more stars to make (and a gazillion HSTs) before I can start assembling this quilt. I'm hopeful that I'll get a chance to make a few more this week.

For those of you who are wondering, I'm actually recovering just fine from my surgery. (I had a hysterectomy about 2 weeks ago.) I've just had a minor setback. Being such an active person, I'm finding the enforced downtime a little challenging. However, as Christians we are called to patient endurance and I figure this is a necessary refining of my spirit. Thanks again for all your prayers!

Until later...

"I know all the things you do. I have seen your love, your faith, your service, and your patient endurance. And I can see your constant improvement in all these things.

Revelation 2:19 (NLT)

Forward momentum...

2011-12-05T01:15:00.001-05:00

I'm having some trouble sleeping tonight and thought this would be a good opportunity to write a post. I've been having trouble finding the time (and interest) lately, but hopefully that's finally changing.

On Friday, I set aside some time to quilt and made a few more blocks for my Winter Wonderland quilt. I finished half of the blocks for this quilt back in August, but haven't had a chance to work on it since then. These first 2 blocks are your basic Pinwheels and finish at 6"...

6" Blocks #6 & 9 - Pinwheel

I planned the cutting of the background fabric to make sure the stripes all go in the same direction. (For some reason, if they go any which way, it bugs me.) The background fabric in these blocks is a homespun, which is a bit more challenging to sew with. It likes to stretch and distort on me, but as long as I'm careful, I can usually make it behave.

I also made another 9" block called Martha Washington's Star. It's basically another Pinwheel surrounded by Flying Geese.

9" Block #17 - Martha Washington Star

That brings the total number of blocks done to an even 20. I have another 14 to make using several different fabric combinations. I already have 2 of them cut out; I just need to find the time to sit down and sew them. Hopefully soon though!

On a personal note, I was wondering (for those of you who have indoor pets), do you find them napping in your bed all the time? Especially with the colder weather, mine seem to congregate there for most of the day. Just curious if this is the norm or if mine are particularly spoiled? They do love the sunshine that comes in these windows most of the day.

Jack, Sam, Moses and Gabriel napping in bed

Until later...

With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation!

Isaiah 12:3 (NLT)

Thank you for your prayers...

2011-12-03T22:58:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for our cat Sam.

Sam at the scratching post

We got her test results back today and things are looking better. She's slightly dehydrated and a number of her levels are high - including extremely high salt levels (Sodium and Chloride). We're to get her to drink more water (not quite sure how to do that) and to cut back on her salt intake. I'll admit to occasionally giving her potato chip crumbs because she loves salt, so I'm going to stop doing that as of now. We're also checking into the salt levels in her food and treats, although it's a little difficult to tell.

She also has elevated Triglycerides (fats), so we're to avoid fatty foods. But considering her diet is made up of prescription diet food, some Crispies treats and the occasional potato chip or toast crumb, I'm not sure why her cholesterol is high? Bottom line, any of these can cause a water imbalance in the brain and a seizure-like episode. This is a much better diagnosis than the alternative (which was a brain tumor).

And since the one seizure, she's been pretty normal. I even managed to video her lounging around on the scratching post...

Again, thank you for your prayers. She's only 11 and we're hoping to have her around for many more years to come.

Until later...

He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Psalm 147:3 (NLT)

A Prayer Request...

2011-12-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

For those of you who pray, would you please add my cat Sam to your prayer list? She had a seizure the other day and is waiting on some test results. I'm praying everything comes back fine and she never has another one, but would appreciate your prayers as well.

Sam

Until later...

The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Psalm 28:7 (NLT)

A sewing day...

2011-11-30T20:36:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to get together with a good friend for a day of sewing and fellowship. To be honest, we did a lot more of the latter than the former. I had a bunch of small tasks I was hoping to complete and my friend was trying to finish the smocking on a dress. She makes a gown whenever someone she knows is expecting a baby. I've never tried smocking, but she does beautiful work...

Smocking along the top and sleeves

I had hoped to piece the backing for this king-size quilt and to load another one on the frame. I've never had so much trouble sewing a backing together before. It's a pretty simple process - cut 3 pieces of fabric and sew them together along the long sides. It must have taken me 2 hours to finish it, because for some reason, I was all klutzy about it.

Loading another quilt on the frame took just as long too. First, I thought the backing fabric wasn't large enough, so I add a piece to it. However, when I finally got it loaded, I discovered it was the right size to begin with - I just couldn't add correctly! By the end of the day, I did manage to get it to the point where I can start quilting on it. This one is intended to be a gift for my brother-in-law for Christmas...

Another quilt loaded on the frame

Other than a small amount of handwork at night, I haven't had a chance to do any other quilting for the last 2 weeks. This is mainly because I had some minor surgery a week ago and the recovery has severely limited my ability to do anything other than rest.

I remember thinking before the surgery how much I would enjoy being able to rest and relax while I was recovering. However, for someone who is always on the go, I'm finding the enforced downtime to be more difficult than I anticipated. Hopefully this won't last too long and things can get back to normal!

Some members of the family are really enjoying the downtime and having me home all day...

Jack, Gabriel and Sam (in the background)

Until later...

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the Lord because he is good to me.

Psalm 13:5-6 (NLT)

Finally...

2011-11-21T21:21:00.000-05:00

I'm finally sitting down to write a post about the quilt I've been working on since October 8th. Not only do I want to write about it so I can look back years later, but also because there are several tips that might be helpful for anyone else deciding to make this same quilt. The pattern is 45 and Life to Go by Lisa Bongean and can be found at Primitive Gatherings. I bought a kit from them that also uses fabrics designed by Lisa Bongean. (She's multitalented!)

Pattern and kit from Primitive Gatherings

There were things that I really liked about this pattern, but also a couple I didn't. Let's start with the positive. There are 5 steps to this quilt and she explains each of them very clearly and includes plenty of piecing diagrams.

It's a bit different from most of the patterns I've used, because she has you cut the fabric and sew it at each step instead of doing all your cutting up front. I found it refreshing to do it that way. For example, Step 1 had you cutting strips out of all your fabrics to make a total of 45 - 25 patches. To be honest, this was the first time I've made anything bigger than a 16-patch, but it was easy...

Stack of 25-patches

Step 2 had you make a bunch of Flying Geese units. Although normally I would make mine over-size and then cut them down, I was a little nervous about running out of fabric (more about that later), so I used her directions. It's a neat way to make them and still fairly accurate, but nothing is as precise as cutting them down (IMO). Here's a quick little slide show of how to do it. (I believe this is called the No Waste Method of making Flying Geese.)

Place 2 squares on top of a larger square and sew 1/4" on either side of the center line.

Cut apart down the center line.

Press the triangles up.

Add another square to the opposite corner and sew 1/4" on either side of the center line.

Again, cut down the center line.

Press the triangle open and ta da, you have your Flying Goose!

I like that this method results in 4 Flying Geese. Between Step 2 and 3 in the pattern, I needed to make 180 of them and they went together pretty quickly. Then by pairing the Flying Geese with the 25-patches and a few squares, I ended up with the star blocks that make up half the quilt. There are 40 of the dark ones and 5 of the light...

The final 2 steps were to make HST's and QST's. After all those star blocks, these just flew together lickety split! And finally, here are all the blocks for the quilt, just waiting to be arranged...

On a side note, all of my star blocks ended up 1/8" smaller than they were supposed to be, so I had to cut down all of my HST's and QST's too. Fortunately, it didn't take long, but that's why my quilt is 109" square rather then the 110" in the pattern. (It's also why I always like to make my Flying Geese larger and then cut them down.)

By now you're probably tired of reading and would like to see the finished quilt top, huh? OK, here it is lying on my bed...

45 and Life to Go Quilt Top

I really do need to think of a new name for this. Any suggestions?

As I mentioned at the beginning of this incredibly long post, there were a couple of problems with this pattern too. I loved that she broke the cutting and sewing into steps, but the ordering was a little problematic (and I even tried to plan ahead). Step 1 has you cutting a bunch of strips (which was no problem). However, steps 2 & 3 have you cut a bunch of small squares, and steps 4 & 5 have you cut a bunch of large squares. But with no cutting diagram, by the time you get to the last couple of steps, you might not have enough fabric to get all of your large squares. In fact, I ran short one 10 & 7/8" square, but fortunately I had a FQ bundle of the same fabric I could steal it from. If I hadn't been concerned about this happening and readjusted my cutting order, I might have been short even more! I just don't know.

So for anyone reading this who plans to make this quilt, I suggest you switch up the steps. Do Step 1 first, followed by Step 5, Step 4, Step 2 and finally Step 3. You might have enough fabric if you follow this order.

Another note, I had plenty of the light color fabric left, it was just the black ones that were the issue. You could also make sure you have another quarter yard of each dark fabric and you'll probably be just fine too. She does say on her pattern that she assumes your fabric has 44" of useable width, but really, how often do you see that? I even used her fabrics and didn't have that available.

So ultimately, would I make this quilt again? Absolutely! I love the pattern and it went together beautifully. And if I do make it again, I'll just make sure I change my cutting/sewing order and have a little bit of extra fabric on hand. Also, I'll probably make my Flying Geese larger and cut them down.

And if you made it to the end of this incredibly long post, thank you for sticking around. I'm very, very impressed with your stick-to-it-iveness! Your reward is a picture of my cat Jack on top of a pile of fabric...

Until later...

Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Philippians 4-6 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #44 - 46...

2011-11-19T12:54:00.001-05:00

October 29 - November 18, 2011

I've gotten behind on these reports again, but that's OK 'cause not much has happened. I finally ordered the backing for 3 quilts. It's 2 bolts of Little Gatherings or the equivalent of 18 yards...

Backing for 3 Quilts

It took a while to wash and press that much fabric. I really appreciated having such a wide ironing board (that my wonderful husband made for me) while I was doing it. Fortunately the cats were off napping somewhere as well!

Pressing the backing fabric

And I finished the quilt top (that I've been meaning to blog about for weeks now and one day I'll finally get around to it) that also uses the same fabric line. The top is ~109" square and used 16 yards of fabric...

45 and Life to Go quilt top

Please excuse the bad picture. I laid it on my bed and the sun was doing funny things that day.

So...
Purchased-this-week: 18 yards
Used-this-week: 16 yards
Purchased-to-date: 381.5 yards
Used-to-date: 512.75 yards
Net used: 131.25 yards

Until later....

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

1 John 4:12 (NLT)

A quick stop...

2011-11-15T20:35:00.001-05:00

Hi guys! For weeks, I've been meaning to tell you all about the quilt I've been working on lately. In fact, just today I finished piecing the top. It's 109" square, so it's a big one. However, I'm just too tired to write about it tonight. So for now I'm going to share a few pictures of one of my furbabies. This is Moses...

Moses taking a nap

If you're having a little trouble making her out, she's the lump in the bed. Her 'thing' is to crawl underneath the covers to sleep during the day. At night, she likes to stake out a spot on top of me. Here's a slightly better angle...

Another picture of Moses snoozing

She must think she's invisible under there. When she's not sleeping (which is most of the time), she enjoys watching the birds and squirrels out the back door.

Moses after some TV time

She kept coming closer while I was snapping pictures until I ended up with this...

Moses - a closeup

She's such an incredibly sweet, highly neurotic cat and I just adore her!

Until later... (hopefully that means soon)

“Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”

Ephesians 5:2 (NIV)

A quick note...

2011-11-03T20:49:00.000-04:00

Hi guys! Sorry for my absence lately, but I've been taken over with a project right now. Nothing sewing related, but it's been consuming most of my time and will probably continue to do so for the next week.

I have managed to finish all the blocks for the 45 and Life to Go quilt. As soon as I can find time, I'll be back with pictures. I'm really pleased with how it's coming along.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share a group photo. My cats have recently become wickedly addicted to a new cat treat called Crispies. They gather around me like moths to a flame whenever I pull out the bag.

Sam, Jack, Moses and David

I hope you're all doing well and having a blessed and peaceful week!

Until later...

“Do not be fooled. Bad companions ruin good character.”

1 Corinthians 15:33 (TEV)

Under the Sea...

2011-10-30T10:47:00.002-04:00

I'm excited to report that I've finished another quilt! This latest one also happens to be my very first Schnibbles quilt. I've been wanting to make one for a while, but it always seemed like other things had precedence. The pattern for this one is called Cindy Lou Who.

"Under the Sea" Schnibbles Quilt

Although this was my first, it won't be my last. I have several other Schnibbles patterns that I look forward to making. I found Carrie Nelson's instructions to be clear and easy to understand. These patterns are also Charm Pack friendly quilts. I used 2 Charm Packs of Odyssea by MoMo along with some Kona White to make the center of this quilt. In fact, I had enough charm squares left over to make a label and a little pouch bag...

"Under the Sea" Label

Storage Pouch made with leftover charm squares

I spray basted this quilt with a (new to me) temporary basting spray that I got from JoAnn's. (Sorry, but I can't recall the name.) It's only supposed to hold for 2-5 days before disappearing, but I found that it wasn't quite strong enough. While doing some straight stitching, the fabric shifted in a couple of places and I had to take it out and re-do it. Live and learn though! From now on I'll stick with my 505 Spray for such tasks. I also used my trusty painter's tape to mark straight lines...

Marking quilting lines with painter's tape

Because the fabric has a nautical theme, I used my embroidery machine to quilt anchors and such on it. I ended up re-hooping the quilt 34 times to get all the embroidery on it, but I think it really fits with the fabrics...

Hooping the quilt for embroidery

Embroidering in the border

Quilting from the backside

I'm estimating that it took me twice as long to quilt this as it did to piece it, but now that it's done, I think it was worth it. That's usually the case for me. I generally enjoy piecing more than quilting, but I'm always happy when I put forth the effort to really finish a quilt.

Closeup of the quilting

Another closeup of the quilting

So, here are the stats for this quilt:

Size: 32" square
Fabrics: 2 Charm Packs of Odyssea, Kona Cotton White, Batiks from my stash for the border, backing and binding
Batting: Warm &White
Thread: Aurifil (piecing and quilting), Invisible Thread for some quilting
Pattern: Cindy Lou Who by Carrie Nelson
Quilting: Stitched in the ditch, cross-hatching and embroidery (34 times)
Started: October 11, 2011
Completed: October 27, 2011
Recipient: Nicki Lee from The Twelve of Us

I'm glad to have finished this little quilt and am really pleased with how it turned out. It's fun to work on a project that doesn't take a tremendous amount of time and is quick to put together. Now back to working on that king-size quilt! (Also fun, but a bit more time consuming!)

I managed to take this rare picture of Gabriel and David napping together. Aren't they adorable?

Gabriel and David - napping in the sun

Until later...

A generous man will prosper and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)

Stash Report Week #43...

2011-10-29T22:46:00.000-04:00

October 22- 28, 2011

This was another week in which I purchased no fabric. I probably won't be able to say the same next week though, because I need to order the backing fabric for one of my quilts.

I also didn't use much this week, although I do have a couple of small finishes. First, I used 1.25 yards for the backing and binding on this Schnibbles quilt. I'll share more about it in my next post.

"Under the Sea" Schnibbles Quilt

I also made this cute little pouch using the tutorial from Pretty By Hand. From start to finish, it took me about 2 hours to cut and sew. I've stuffed it full of candy and it will be a gift for someone. In fact, I'm considering making a few more for Christmas as they go together so quickly.

Little storage pouch

So...
Purchased-this-week: 0 yards
Used-this-week: 1.5 yards
Purchased-to-date: 363.5 yards
Used-to-date: 496.75 yards
Net used: 133.25 yards

Now that I've finished the Schnibbles quilt, I'm back to working on the 45 and Life To Go quilt. I'm optimistic that I'll finish the top within the next week. I've also got another fall quilt I'd like to get quilted before winter's here and another quilt that I need to load on the frame. Busy as usual! Hopefully you get to spend some time this next week doing something you enjoy - whether it's quilting or something completely different!

Until later...

The heartfelt counsel of a friend is as sweet as perfume and incense.

Proverbs 27:9 (NLT)

A glimpse of applique...

2011-10-25T21:58:00.000-04:00

Every time I post pictures of my latest applique block or project, people ask me what method I use to stitch them. I completely understand the impulse; I'm always curious as well. Perhaps there's a new technique out there I haven't tried that will be faster and more accurate. In the search for that elusive method, I've tried all of them - or at least all of those I've heard about - and the Back-Basting Hand Applique method is my preferred one. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you can go here and here to see some of the blocks I've stitched.)

In an effort to assuage your curiosity, I took a few pictures of the steps. This is not a tutorial, but just a glimpse into how it's done. If you're interested in learning more, let me know and I could put together a tutorial, or you can always do a search on the internet.

Note: To do this kind of applique, I use two different types of thread and needles. I use a regular needle and sewing thread (50 wt.) to do the basting. I use the tiny needle (John James Size 11 Between) and YLI Silk Thread (100 wt) to do the needleturn. You can see the difference here in sizes. I also double up the sewing thread so it's even thicker when basting...

2 Types of Needles and Thread

The first step is to trace the reverse of your pattern on the back side of your fabric. Here's the Baltimore Halloween block traced out before I started any stitching...

The outline of my block traced on the wrong side of the fabric

For Back-Basting Applique, you baste each of your pieces in place first. The idea is that your basting stitches will act to mark your fabric. When you remove the stitches, your fabric naturally wants to turn under where the stitches were. It's sort of like folding a piece of perforated paper. It's just naturally wants to fold along the perforation.

The fabric I'm using for the leaf is pinned to the front of my block and I make sure it covers all around the piece I'm appliqueing. You can just barely see the shadow of the green fabric I'm using around the outside edges of the leaf.

Fabric pinned in place and ready for basting

Then I baste directly on the drawn line using my double thickness of thread. The end of this leaf is under another leaf, so I just extend my basting stitches there...

First leaf basted in place

Here's what it looks like from the right side of my block...

Leaf basted in place from the right side

I then cut around the piece leaving my seam allowance. I also clip into the curves where necessary...

Basted, cut and clipped leaf - ready to applique

Starting from one end, I begin removing a few of the basting stitches and turning under the seam allowance. It turns under very easily at this point because it's been 'trained' by the basting thread.

Starting to needleturn...

I continue to make my way around the leaf, removing a few basting stitches and sewing down the edge...

Until I finally reach the end...

You'll notice that the very end of the leaf isn't turned under. That's because it falls underneath another piece and won't be visible when this block is done. Here's a picture of the back of the leaf. You can see how closely I was able to follow the drawn line...

Backside of the leaf

That's why I like this method so much. It does take longer than traditional needleturn, but it's also a lot more accurate for me.

Hopefully this gave you enough of a glimpse to see if you'd ever be interested in trying it. As in most things, there's more than one way to applique and I know for some, this won't be it. But for others, who knows...

For a little comedic relief, check out these pictures of David. I'd swear that belly is growing day by day.

Until later...

Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.

Psalm 25:5 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #42...

2011-10-22T20:50:00.000-04:00

October 15 - 21, 2011

Not too much longer left in the year. Only another 10 weeks and we'll be ringing in 2012! I have lots more I hope to finish though, so I hope it doesn't come too fast.

This week's stash report is really short. I didn't buy any fabric and the only thing I finished is the final Baltimore Halloween block. It used about a yard.

Baltimore Halloween Block #13

So...
Purchased-this-week: 0 yards
Used-this-week: 1 yards
Purchased-to-date: 363.5 yards
Used-to-date: 495.25 yards
Net used: 131.75 yards

My goal this week is to continue working on 45 and Life to Go and to quilt a small wallhanging. I only spent 5 hours in my sewing room this past week, but I'm hoping I'll get a chance to spend more time in there the next week.

Until later...

Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

Psalm 103:2 (NLT)

Woo hoo!

2011-10-22T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm doing a little happy dance right now! You should see me getting jiggy with it. On second thought, it's better that you don't. (Trust me on this one!)

The reason I'm so excited is that I've finally finished the last block for my Baltimore Halloween quilt. I've been working on this quilt for almost 3 years, so this is huge!

Baltimore Halloween - Block #13

It's a busy block, isn't it? It finishes at 20" square and has 165 pieces in it - including 15 acorns. I mention the acorns, because appliqueing down their caps was (for me) the most challenging part.

Some of the multitude of acorns

I was so excited when I finished appliqueing all the pieces down, that I stayed up late so I could also finish the hand embroidery. Fortunately, there wasn't too much of it. I had to add some details to the ghosts and the spider...

Embroidered face on the ghost

Spider with his spots, eyes and legs

The next step to this quilt is to assemble all 13 blocks together, add 3 borders and then applique another 20 bats on the borders. I don't have quite enough of one of the fabrics, so I'm going to have to make a small shopping trip before I can continue on this. In the meantime, I've prepped the next Ladies of the Sea block and will start working on that. Each ship generally takes me about a month to applique (so this is another long term project).

But in the meantime, here are some more pictures of the finished block...

I've had a number of people ask me what method I use to do my applique. I used the Back-Basting Hand Applique method for all of these blocks. I find it's more accurate for me, even though it does take slightly longer. I took some pictures to illustrate how I do it (for those who are curious) and I'll share them in the next couple of days. There are also some great tutorials out there if you do a search.

Until later...

Fire goes out without wood, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.

Proverbs 26:20, NLT

Stash Report Week #37 - 41...

2011-10-18T11:50:00.001-04:00

September 10 - October 14, 2011

I am so behind on my stash reports. To catch up, to this one covers the last 5 weeks. Hopefully I can keep all the numbers straight!.

First off, I purchased some Hometown fabric to make a table runner for my sunroom. I believe there's a total of 3.25 yards here - including the backing fabric. I'm going to use a slightly modified version of the Pathways and Crossroads Quilt Pattern to make it.

Hometown Fabrics for Sunroom Runner

I also bought 7 yards of Just Wing It by MoMo to use for borders, backing and binding. This should be enough fabric, along with a Layer Cake I received for my birthday, to make a nice sized quilt. And best of all, the yardage was on clearance for half off!

Just Wing It Layer Cake and Yardage

Since I saw the quilt 45 and Life to Go earlier this year, I've been imagining it on our bed. I purchased the pattern and kit from Primitive Gatherings. The kit includes 16.5 yards for the 110" square version. That's a lot of fabric, but the quilt is going together beautifully so far. (I'll share my progress in a future post.)

45 and Life to Go Quilt Kit

The rest of my purchases were from the 2011 Stash Dash. I bought a FQ Bundle of Little Gatherings and a Charm Pack of Primitive Muslin - both made by Primitive Gatherings. There's 10.75 yards between the 2 of them.

Little Gatherings and Primitive Muslin

I also bought a Layer Cake and Jelly Roll of Panier de Fleurs by French General. This shop was having an amazing sale on pre-cuts that day (in case you couldn't tell). That's another 5.5 yards.

Panier de Fleurs Layer Cake and Jelly Roll

And finally, I bought 2 yards of assorted Christmas prints. I believe three of them are from Jovial and I'm not certain about the last.

Christmas Fabric

Doesn't it sound like all I've been doing is shopping the last 5 weeks? Would you be surprised to learn that all of it entered my stash in less than a week? I actually haven't purchased even a scrap of fabric in more than 4 weeks now. With all that's come in, I couldn't possibly need any more!

In the last 5 weeks, I've also managed to complete 3 quilts and 2 quilt tops. I've already done posts on the finished quilts, so I'll just add a picture and link for those...

Orange Sherbert - I used 4 yards for the Backing/Binding

Harmony - I used 5 yards for the Backing/Binding

Splash - I used 4.5 yards for the Backing/Binding

I'm in the process of quilting this Dresden Plate Table Runner. It's slow going though because I'm using my walking foot and there's a lot of twisting and turning of the quilt.

Festivities - I used 2.75 yards for the top

I finished piecing this last quilt at the retreat I just attended. I'm hoping for a quick turn around on this one...

Cindy Lou Who - I used 2 yards for the top

So...
Purchased-this-week: 45 yards
Used-this-week: 18.25 yards
Purchased-to-date: 363.5 yards
Used-to-date: 494.25 yards
Net used: 130.75 yards

For no particular reason (other than I think she's adorable), here's a picture of Jack on the her binkie...

Jack

Until later...

“Do your own work well, and then you will have something to be proud of. But don’t compare yourself with others.”

Galatians 6:4 (CEV)

I'm back...

2011-10-16T21:38:00.000-04:00

I'm back from 5 days/4 nights in beautiful Williamsburg, Va where I exercised very little, slept even less, enjoyed some wonderful company and home-cooked meals and sewed, sewed, sewed! I so enjoyed myself and spending time with such talented and nice ladies.

It's going to take me some time to organize my pictures, write blog posts and most of all continue working on my quilts, but I wanted to share a few pictures of one of the projects worked on there. The pattern is called Weaver Fever by Jackie Robinson and 4 of the ladies (not me) were adventurous enough to attempt it. Each quilt has 9 different fabrics, 12 different strip sets and a gazillion 1.5" strips. In every case, it resulted in a gorgeous quilt. (Or it will. None of these quilts is quite finished yet. )

Verna's Blue/Green Weaver Fever

Carolyn's Blue/Yellow/Red Weaver Fever

Tamah's Blue/Green/White Weaver Fever

Last but not least is Kathy's quilt. She made all her strip sets, but only one block. She wanted to make sure she understood the process, but then went on to work on number of other projects.

Kathy's Blue/Green Weaver Fever

I think these quilts are beautiful in the pictures, but they truly look even better in person.

I hope to be back in the next couple of days with some pictures of what I accomplished last week, as well as a very belated stash report.

Until later...

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

Colossians 3:2 (NLT)

Splash...

2011-10-09T20:44:00.000-04:00

This is a last minute finish before I leave for a quilting retreat tomorrow (yeah for me!). The pattern is from a Debbie Caffrey mystery that my quilt bee did 2 or 3 years ago. I remember picking fabrics that were out of my comfort zone because I wanted to try something a little different. And I loved how the top turned out when I was finished.

Splash - Formerly known as H2O

The quilting of this top though has been an exercise in frustration. I picked a bubble pantograph for it that I thought would be perfect to go with the fabrics in the top. However, I never considered how difficult it is to quilt a perfect circle - let alone 1,000 of them!

Double Bubble Pantograph by Urban Elementz

I had to force myself to quilt each row. But I'd tell myself that if I made one pass, then I could work on something else for a while. Little by little, it got quilted. And with practice, my circles got a little less oval-like and more round, but they're by no means perfect.

I'll also admit, now that it's off the frame and done, the quilting looks better than I was expecting. From a galloping horse, it looks down right good!

I printed out a simple label for this one, fused it to the back and stitched around it with invisible thread. I do believe it's important to label all your quilts, but I was just ready to be done with this one.

Label for the back of the quilt.

So, here are the stats for this quilt:

Size: 59" x 73"
Fabrics: all of them are from JoAnn's
Batting: Warm &White
Thread: Guterman (piecing), Superior Threads White for quilting
Pattern: Debbie Caffrey mystery
Quilting: Double Bubble from Urban Elementz (13 passes, 5 bobbins)
Started: 2008?
Completed: October 9, 2011
Recipient: Holding on to it for now

So this is another of the long standing UFO's that I've finally finished. Next to go on the frame will be a JoAnn's BOM that I finished making in June of 2009!

I'm off all this week on a quilting retreat in Williamsburg so I definitely won't be posting until I get back. But I hope all of you out there have a wonderful and really blessed week!

Until later...

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.

Ephesians 3:16–17 (NIV)

Sam's Diet Update (#12)...

2011-10-07T22:22:00.000-04:00

It's been months since I've last posted about Sam's diet. Mainly because she'd been holding pretty steady - up a couple of ounces, down a couple. However, a month or two ago, she starting taking Prozac. She went on it - not because of her weight - but because she was really cranky, mean, cantankerous and was having some bathroom issues. Since she's been on it, she's sweet, charming and a delight to be around! She's also back to purring all the time.

My (now) sweet girl Sam

As an added bonus, she's also lost another half pound. I've even been giving her special treats every morning. It's a fairly new product called Crispies. It's like kitty crack or something and all my cats have become addicted to it.

Purina Friskies Crispies Cat Treats

So Sam's stats are now...

Starting Weight - 18.1 lbs
Last Weigh-in - 14.6 lbs
Current Weight - 14.1 lbs
Net loss - 0.5 lbs
Total Weight Lost - 4 lbs!!!

Way to go Sam!

Until later...

Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives.

Galatians 5:25 (NLT)

Trick or Treat...

2011-10-06T22:12:00.000-04:00

I've been working on this quilt for almost 3 years now. The pattern is Baltimore Halloween by P3 Designs.

Cover photo for Baltimore Halloween pattern

During that time I've shared each of the blocks as I've worked on them. I'm currently appliqueing the last block in the quilt - the large one in the middle. My goal was to have the top completed by this Halloween, but I can tell now that's not going to happen. Although I might finish this block by then, I won't have a chance to start working on the border until later.

There are 165 pieces in this block and when I snapped this picture, I only had 77 left to do...

88 pieces done, 77 left to stitch

Most of the pieces that are left though are smaller and a bit quicker to stitch. In fact, I managed to complete another 14 tonight (so now I'm down to 63). There's a lot of candy corn and other candy to finish, along with some acorns and a couple of pumpkins.

I'm so excited to see this top put together. The border has appliqued bats along all 4 sides, so I know those will take a bit of time to prep and stitch down. But the bulk of it's done and surely by next Halloween I'll have it quilted and hanging on the wall in time for the 5 Trick-or-Treaters we get each year!

Until later...

Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life. Ecclesiastes 7:14 (NLT)

Just dropping in...

2011-10-04T21:15:00.000-04:00

This is just another quick post to say I'm still here - alive and well. Truthfully, Mr. Quilting Bug and I are still recovering from the renovations of our Master Bedroom. I spent 6 hours yesterday applying energy saving window film to all of the windows in there and I hope not to step on another ladder for at least a month! On the positive side, I haven't had to do any lunges for at least a week.

Current state of the bedroom

I'm not sure if it's because of the new paint color or that we don't have window coverings up yet or because of the furniture arrangement, but the bedroom feels twice as big as it used to. Which is nice, because it used to feel kind of cluttered. Now it feels huge!

Because of all the time spent on the renovation, I haven't done any quilting for over a week (except for a small bit of hand applique at night). Last I left it, I had trapuntoed the Dresden Plates on this table runner and just started quilting them...

Backside of the Festivities Table Runner

I'm going on a quilt retreat next week to Williamsburg where I hope to finish quilting this and work on a quilt for our bed. My blogging will probably continue to be sporadic as I have a bunch of household tasks that have piled up and I'm also trying to get ready for the retreat. But hopefully things will return to something more approaching normal after I return!

I think all the pets would prefer for us not to put up any type of window coverings. They're all enjoying the large spots of sunshine they let in...

Gabriel napping in the sunshine

Until later...

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.

1 Peter 5:7 (NLT)

Getting there...

2011-09-30T10:19:00.001-04:00

Words can not adequately express how whipped Mr. Quilting Bug and I are right now. We have been working almost non-stop on renovating our Master Bedroom and Closet.

This is what our closet looked like 2 weeks ago...

Master Closet

When Mr. Quilting Bug remodeled our bathroom last year, he moved the closet. He also made it smaller than our previous one. I was OK with that as long as we got a closet system for it. I read in The Family Handyman magazine (great magazine by the way) that a closet system will give you 3 times more storage than your standard hanging racks. We designed and ordered it from Easy Closets. They shipped it for free and it arrived in 20 different boxes. It took Mr. Quilting Bug over 2 hours just to inventory the pieces! But after a couple of days of assembly, painting, baseboards and molding, this is what our closet looks like now...

New Master Closet

We fit all of our summer and winter clothes in there along with the towels and bedding. In fact, most of the storage bins are still empty, so we have plenty of space to grow into.

After that was completed, we started on the Master Bedroom. So far, it has required the following:

6 hours of sanding the walls - to get rid of the Venetian Plaster we previously had on them.
5 hours of washing down all the walls, ceiling and furniture - to get rid of the plaster dust.
2 coats of paint on the ceiling, walls, windows, doors and all the trim.

We managed to finish with the painting late yesterday. The timing was perfect, because we are both too sore and tired to do any more work at all! Seriously, we both hit a wall of exhaustion and pain. If I climbed a ladder once, I climbed it 100 times. Although it was kind of backbreaking, we found we worked really well together. We also came to a few conclusions over the course of it all...

If we ever want to repaint this room, we will hire someone else to do it.
If we ever build another house, no ceiling will be taller than 10 feet. (The ceiling in the bedroom is about 14 feet high.)
If we ever build another house, we will pay extra to have two full coats of paint put on every wall, ceiling, window, door and other trim.
Our next vacation will be another staycation, but we will not do any home improvement projects. Instead we'll relax, eat well, go to the bookstore, movies, etc.

First, here's a picture of the room before we repainted...

Master Bedroom before repainting

Here's the room when we started painting the walls. Initially, we weren't sure about the color (even though we'd gone through 7 samples to choose!) It just didn't look the same when it went up. In fact, you can see it looks like 2 different paint colors side by side but they're actually the exact same color...

Questioning the paint choice

However, we decided to continue with it and the end result is exactly what we hoped for. It's so much lighter and brighter than it used to be...

Newly repainted Master Bedroom

We still have a few things left to do in here, but they don't require much effort on our part. As I type this, the carpet installers are installing new carpet in both the bedroom and closet. Tomorrow, our new mattress will be delivered. We bought it from The Original Mattress Factory and it's supposedly the softest mattress they sell. It's also a latex mattress, which is supposed to be more resistant to dust mites and such. In any case, I can't wait to sleep on it. As I'm feeling now, I may never get back up!

On Monday, I'm planning to install the energy efficient window film, just as I've done for most of the rest of the house. It keeps it warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer. Also, next week, we're hoping the new Roman Shades we ordered will come in. And finally, we have some chairs on order from Lazy Boy that are expected to arrive in early November.

The only other thing to finish the room off will be a new quilt for the bed. This one's all on me. I have the fabric and the pattern, but just haven't started yet. I'm going on a quilt retreat in a week and plan to devote most of my time and energy to working on this. The pattern is 45 And Life To Go by Lisa Bongean and the fabric is Little Gatherings also designed by her. The quilt finishes at 110" square.

45 And Life To Go

So that's a recap of my life lately. I'm hoping to get back to quilting next week. I'm in the process of quilting a couple of quilts and would like to finish them before the retreat. However, my neck and back are going to have to recover some before I can work on anything.

As usual, David was a great helper during this project. Just after I finished painting the window sills, he snuck into the room and jumped up on them. I tried to get him off, but only succeeded in scaring him. He then ran across all of the furniture in the room and out into the hall. Although I managed to clean most of it up, I discovered that I missed a couple of spots in the bottom of a drawer. From now on, whenever I look it at, I'll think of him...

David's footprints in the bottom of the drawer

Until later...

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

Romans 12:12 (NLT)

'Shrooms...

2011-09-22T14:40:00.015-04:00

This year has been a bumper crop for mushrooms in our yard. Not that we're trying to grow any or would ever consider eating these, but we've been fascinated by how many there are and their mutant sizes. This one reminds me of a golf ball on a tee or perhaps Epcot center...

Just beside it is this long legged beauty. Doesn't it stand out against the trees in the background?

Does anyone know what the stuff dripping from the front mushroom is? It looks like the thing is melting...

Finally, here's a shot to give you the proper perspective on their size. That's my size 7.5 foot in the picture...

Until later...

A peaceful heart leads to a healthy body; jealousy is like cancer in the bones.

Proverbs 14:30 (NLT)

Checking in...

2011-09-21T22:27:00.000-04:00

Not a lot of quilting going on here right now. Mr. Quilting Bug is on vacation and we're in the process of renovating the master bedroom and closet.

Installing a new closet system

Does anyone else out there use all of their vacations for home improvement projects? I really can't remember the last time we actually went on vacation together. Of course, we enjoy these types of projects and staycations in general. Plus, with 5 pets, it's just easier all around to be at home.

The cats are really enjoying all of the activity. Especially the drawers full of clothes lying on the bed. Jack is in the drawer and you can just see David sleeping in the background...

Our little helpers

I've managed to snatch a few moments here and there to work on some quilty things. I loaded another quilt on the frame. I'm tentatively calling this one H20. It's a Debbie Caffrey mystery quilt from a couple/few years ago...

Current quilt in progress

And I finished all of the Dresden Plates for a Christmas Table Topper. I'm calling this one Festvities...

Festivities Table Topper

Thanks to some good advice, I used invisible thread and a small blanket stitch to attach the Dresden Plates to the background...

Blanket Stitch around the edges

It's at this point (when the top is done) that I start debating myself concerning how to quilt it. On one hand, I'd like to do something simple and move on to the next project. On the other hand, I plan to use this for years and years and am considering something more elaborate (like trapunto and feathers). It will take a lot longer, but once it's done, I'll probably be glad I spent the extra time on it. What about you? How do you decide how to quilt something?

In any case, I have some time to think about it. I need to finish organizing the closet tomorrow and then we have to get started sanding the bedroom walls. Yep, that's right, I said sanding. About 8 or 9 years ago we put Venetian Plaster in the bedroom. Now that we want to get rid of it, it means all of the walls have to be sanded smooth before we can paint. And after 7 different paint samples, we've finally decided on the paint color. Wish us luck!

Until later...

Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

Proverbs 4:23 (NLT)

My big boy...

2011-09-18T13:47:00.002-04:00

David has lived with us for a little over 2 years now, but I still find myself caught off guard sometimes by his size. Compared to my other 3 cats, he's a really big boy!

David on the loveseat

But for all his size, he's also very sweet and can be fairly timid. I'm so grateful he joined our family!

Until later...

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

Hebrews 10:23 (NLT)

Harmony...

2011-09-17T20:43:00.000-04:00

I've finished another quilt! This was probably my oldest UFO to date. It was a Strip Club project offered by my local quilt store in 2006 (I think). It's been in a flimsy stage for at least a few years and I've just finally quilted and bound it.

Harmony

I really like this quilt, so I'm surprised it's taken me so long to finish it. To be honest, I was intimidated by my quilting frame for the longest time, so I made lots of tops but didn't quilt them. However, with practice, I feel much more comfortable doing pantographs and am slowly making my way through the stack of UFOs. (Plenty still to go though!)

Harmony on the frame

After loading it on the frame, I managed to quilt it in just a few days. I generally make one or two passes at a time and then take a break and work on something else. Before you know it, another quilt is done...

Harmony

I tried a new pantograph on this one called Funky Feathers from Urban Elementz. I'll definitely use it again.

Funky Feathers from Urban Elementz

Because this quilt was made so long ago, I couldn't find any leftover fabric to use to make a label. Instead, the quilt label is part of The Word for All Occasions Fabric Panel by Block Party Studios.

Harmony Quilt Label

So, here are the stats for this quilt:

Size: 68" square
Fabrics: Cinnamon Stars by Fig Tree Quilts; not sure about the background
Batting: Warm &White
Thread: Guterman (piecing), Superior Threads Variegated for quilting
Pattern: Star Struck by Cozy Quilts
Quilting: Funky Feathers from Urban Elementz (17 passes, 5 bobbins)
Started: 2006?
Completed: September 16, 2011
Recipient: Keeping this one

Whenever I work on a quilt, I usually have one or more helpers. For this quilt, it was Moses...

Moses on the quilt

She was particularly helpful when I tried to square the quilt and put on the binding...

Until later...

Shout to the LORD, all the earth; break out in praise and sing for joy!

Psalms 98:4 (NLT)

Orange Sherbert...

2011-09-11T22:04:00.000-04:00

One down and about 50 more to go (only a slight exaggeration). I have a closet full of quilt tops that have been waiting patiently for me to someday get around to quilting them. This week, I managed to finish one of them. I'm calling it Orange Sherbert.

Orange Sherbert

I considered calling it The Tropics, but I plan on using this quilt to cuddle under during the cold winter months and I was afraid that name would make me long for summer too much. Besides, I have pleasant associations with Orange Sherbert. Yum!

I tried a new pantograph on this quilt. It's a 5" panto called Dusty Miller - Petite by Urban Elementz.

Dusty Miller - Petite by Urban Elementz

It took a little more time to quilt each row than most of the pantographs I've used in the past, but I really like the design and would use it again. However, because I used a thread color that matches so well, it's almost impossible to make out the design on the quilt. Not a problem though because I know it's there and think it's beautiful!

Back of Orange Sherbert

Here are the stats for this quilt:

Size: 52" x 59"
Fabrics: Batiks from Love 2 Quilt
Batting: Warm & Natural
Thread: Aurifil (piecing and quilting)
Pattern: Bali Boxes (out of print)
Quilting: Dusty Miller - Petite Pantograph (15 passes and 4 bobbins)
Started: October 2009
Completed: September 11, 2011
Recipient: Me - to curl up in during the coming winter!

As I was finishing the binding on this quilt, Gabriel tried to tempt me to play with her toy, "Plubber". I put her off until I was done, but then we took her outside to play with the laser. That's hands down her favorite game...

Gabriel and Plubber

Until later...

Those who know your name trust in you, for you, O Lord, do not abandon those who search for you.

Psalm 9:10 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #36...

2011-09-10T22:57:00.000-04:00

September 3 - 9, 2011

Lots of stuff to report again this week! A few more purchases and lots more going out.

Let's start this time with what was added. First was the remaining Jovial fabric I had been waiting for. This was the last of what I need for 3 quilts I have planned. I'm hoping to finish them all in time for Christmas this year, but considering one is a king-size quilt, time will tell.

New Jovial Fabrics

From the top, there is half a yard of the Red Poinsettia, half a yard of the Red Grunge, 4.5 yards of the Black print and 2.75 yards of the Black Grunge. (I have to admit that I've loved this Grunge fabric in every color it's been produced. ) That's a total of 8.25 yards.

I also bought 2 Charm Packs this week. The first is American Banner Rose by Minick & Simpson. I'm considering making my Farmer's Wife quilt using this fabric line and wanted a sampling of it to see if I liked it. The answer is yes! I think it would make a gorgeous patriotic version of this quilt. Of course, yardage isn't available yet, so I'll have to wait a bit to get started. The other Charm Pack is Hometown by Sweetwater. The colors match my sunroom and I've been wanting to make a table runner in there forever. This fabric is perfect for it and I already have the quilt designed!

2 New Charm Packs

Finally, I received a squishy in the mail last week that I didn't order. I was at a complete loss to explain it's presence. After asking around, I found out that a friend of mine sent it to me to cheer me up during my recent illness. Thank you Thearica! That was really very sweet of you and the fabrics are just beautiful. There's a total of 1.25 yards here.

Surprise Squishy in the Mail

So that's a respectable amount of fabric that came in this week. Fortunately, I used a lot more than that this time! Early in the week I finished this table topper, Holly Jolly, and used 1.25 yards for the backing and binding. I mailed it to my sister and her children to use come Christmas. I think they were completely surprised to get a Christmas package in September.

Holly Jolly

I gave away 8.5 yards of novelty prints to a friend to give to the Girl Scouts. They're making little bags for the Beads of Courage Project. And I used 32.5 yards for the pillowcases I made. I washed and dried them today and dropped them off at my local quilt store. You can check here to see if there's a donation spot near you (in case you want to make some as well). These will go to children fighting cancer. (Ugh, those 3 words should never go together!)

Pillowcases

(I've also decided to add in the fabric I donated earlier this year. It did leave my stash, so to more accurately reflect what's come in and gone out, I'm retroactively including it. Plus, it makes my numbers look so much better!)

So...
Purchased-this-week: 11 yards
Used-this-week: 42.25 yards
Purchased-to-date: 318.5 yards
Used-to-date: 476 yards
Net used: 157.5 yards

I recently bought some storage bins for use in our bedroom. I didn't have them home for more than 5 minutes before they were occupied...

Moses - making herself at home

Until later...

God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.

Ephesians 2:10 (NCV)

Tidings of Comfort and Joy...

2011-09-10T00:09:00.000-04:00

There's just something about the thought of a child suffering (whether from illness or homelessness or tragedy or for any reason really) that can bring a person to their knees. I'm no different. And although it's impossible to make a quilt for each and every one of them, I do try to make at least a few each year. I've also been trying for the last couple of years to make pillowcases to donate as well. In the same amount of time (or less) than it takes to make a quilt, it's possible to make a lot more pillowcases and reach a larger number of children.

Moses - on the pillowcases

This past week, I've been busy working on the most recent batch. I've had the fabrics set aside for a while now, mostly novelty and animals prints. Out of these fabrics, 31 pillowcases were born.

Moses again...

I used a very simple pillowcase pattern that I found some time ago. When you make these pillowcases, they do ask that you finish all of the seams. I'm fortunate enough to own a serger. Although it doesn't get much use anymore, it's still perfect for overlocking the edges on things, like these pillowcases. It's so much quicker (and easier) than doing a French Seam!

Moses - still on the pillowcases

After I wash and dry them tomorrow (I need to get all the cat hair off!), I'll drop them by my local quilt store, Quilts Like Crazy. They're still a drop off point for the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. Hopefully from there, they'll find their way into the arms of some child who could really use some comfort right now.

Until later...

Be careful! Don't make the mistake of thinking that little children are unimportant! I tell you that they have angels who are always with my Father in heaven.

Matthew 18:10 (NCV)

Ongoing Projects...

2011-09-08T21:58:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I posted about my current project list. In fact, since last time, I've actually managed to finish most of what I was working on. So I've made a new list. I'm hoping I can finish most of these in the next couple of weeks. That might be too ambitious, but time will tell.

1. Orange Sherbert - I'm about halfway done quilting this right now. It will be my TV watching quilt when the cooler weather comes. I'm using a new pantograph that's a bit more intensive than those I've done in the past, but I'm really liking the design. (Completed 9/11/11.)

Quilting Orange Sherbert

2. Pillowcases - I've been wanting to make more pillowcases to donate for a while now. I even had all the fabric set aside. I'm actually hoping to finish these tomorrow. They go together really quickly with my serger. (Completed 9/9/11.)

Some pillowcases ready to sew

3. Cindy Lou Who - This is a Schnibbles quilt I'm making using Odyssea (an older fabric line). The pieces are all cut and arranged, I just need to start sewing! I'm looking forward to putting this one together... (Completed 10/27/11.)

Cindy Lou Who Schnibbles Quilt

4. Dresden Plate Table Topper - This table topper requires 3 large Dresden Plates (plus another for the label). I've made one and have the pieces ordered for the rest of them. I'm still not sure how I'm going to attach them to my background, so all suggestions are welcome!

Dresden Plate Table Topper

5. Dresden Plate Wall Hanging - The table topper above uses the light fabrics from Nature's Gift by Deb Strain, while the wall hanging I have planned uses the darks. This will hang in my kitchen come Christmas (assuming it's done). It has 4 full Dresden Plates on the front (plus one for the label) and 8 half Dresden Plates in the border. Again, all the pieces have been put in order and are just waiting for me to find the time to sew them together...

Dresden Plate Wall Hanging

6. Winter Wonderland - The center of this quilt is done and I'm still working on the star blocks in the border. I have half of them made and would really like to finish the other half so I can lay it out. My mom's version turned out so gorgeous that I can't wait to put mine together...

Winter Wonderland Star Blocks

So I'm wondering, am I the only one who works on so many projects at the same time? I hope not. And truthfully, these aren't all of them. I have a couple more in the design stage and I'm waiting on a king size quilt kit to come in the mail. Oh, and we've decided to start our bedroom renovation in a couple of weeks, so I've been meeting with carpet guys and shutter people and buying furniture as well.

Hmm, I think I'm getting tired now so I'll stop and head off to bed. But before I go, I wanted to show this picture of David I took tonight. I was trying to iron some fabric I just washed and he absolutely wouldn't get off. In fact, he ended up biting me - which I will not tolerate - so he found himself on the floor and subsequently chased out of the room by the dog.

David on the fabric I was trying to iron!

Until later...

The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work.

1 Corinthians 3:8 (NLT)

Vet visits...

2011-09-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

We are very fortunate to have found a vet that comes out to our house. With 5 pets, it just makes things so much easier. Last month, all of them were due for their yearly exams and shots. I wasn't supposed to bend over or pick things up at the time, so it was up to Mr. Quilting Bug to corral each of the cats and put them in their carriers before the vet arrived.

Moses, Jack, Sam and David

If you have pets, you can imagine how not happy they were to be trussed up like this. But they all got a good report from the vet and hopefully won't need to see her again until next August!

Until later...

“Be made new in the attitude of your minds.”

Ephesians 4:23 (NIV)

Holly Jolly...

2011-09-05T00:02:00.001-04:00

Do you know there are only 111 days until Christmas? With our weather turning a little cooler here and the days getting shorter, it's not hard for me to believe. Although I have lots and lots of Christmas themed quilts still planned for this year, I finished my first today. I'm calling this little quilt Holly Jolly.

Holly Jolly

This one is intended as a gift for someone. I figure they can hang it on a wall or use it as a table topper. It's a good size for either at 31" square. The bright colors don't match my house, but I still find it very bright and cheerful. The fabric is Ready Set Snow by Me and My Sisters Designs.

I did a lot of different quilting on this one. First, I spray basted it using 505 Temporary Spray Adhesive and quilted in the ditch around all of the octagons and in the borders. I then embroidered snowflakes in each of the octagons using my embroidery machine. What a quick way to fill in those blank spaces!

Embroidered Snow Flakes

I made loops in the outer border and filled in some of the other empty spaces with your basic stippling.

Loop de loops and Stppling

Finally, I did some straight line stitching in the inner border and through the middle of the bow ties. I used the blue painter's tape as a guideline for stitching.

Painter's tape marks the stitching lines

I find this tape is a must have in my sewing room. In fact, I'm almost out and need to put it on my grocery list. As with most of my quilts nowadays, I made a custom label for the back out of scraps of fabric...

Label for Holly Jolly

In case you're wondering, those are David's belly and feet in that picture. I just finished up the quilting tonight and he tried to help me as much as possible. In fact, he decided to take a bath on top of my sewing machine while I was sewing on the binding.

David taking a bath on top of my sewing machine

He also attempted to help me with the picture taking...

David helping again

So, the stats for this quilt are:

Size: 31" square
Fabrics: Ready Set Snow yardage and charm pack, Kona Cotton White for background
Batting: Warm &White
Thread: Aurifil 50 wt
Pattern: Charlotte from 3 Times the Charm by Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson
Quilting: Straight line, Free Motion and Embroidery
Completed: September 4, 2011
Recipient: My sister and her children

Three final notes on this quilt:

I spray basted it before I got sick. I didn't get around to quilting it for about 3 weeks, but the spray held. I was pleasantly surprised and it didn't gum up my needle at all.
I spent extra time on quilting this one and I'm so glad I did. I think the quilting really makes it pop and was definitely worth it. I need to keep that in mind for the next project.
I highly recommend the book this pattern came from. 3 Times the Charm has 7 different patterns and shows each of them made up in 3 different fabric combinations. Also, each quilt only requires a single charm pack and a small amount of yardage to make!

Until later...

Those who listen to instruction will prosper; those who trust the Lord will be joyful.

Proverbs 16:20 (NLT)

How old do you feel?

2011-09-04T09:12:00.000-04:00

Over the years I've learned that almost every one feels like they're 18 - on the inside. Until something on the outside reminds us that's not the case. This week, I've had 2 incidents that made me think about my age.

Last week I had an eye appointment with a new optometrist. After the exam, he told me that my distance vision had improved some. He then went on to explain that it wasn't uncommon for it to get a little better in people of a certain age and that I could expect my near vision to start going down hill within the next 5 years. I should mention that this optometrist was probably 10 years younger than me. I left the office feeling a bit decrepit...

Bananas Foster by The Pioneer Woman

The second incident happened a couple of days ago. I found a new recipe for Bananas Foster on The Pioneer Woman's website. The recipe calls for Dark Rum so I headed to my local ABC Store to purchase a bottle. As I was checking out, the clerk carded me! I showed him my license and said "I'm sure I look old enough to buy alcohol." He replied, "Yeah, but you don't look 37 (my real age). 25 maybe, but not 37." I had a smile on my face the rest of the day. Of course, now I recall that he was a gentlemen of a certain age and perhaps his near vision isn't what it used to be...

P.S. I made the Bananas Foster last night and it was delicious!

Until later...

But I am trusting you, O Lord, saying, "You are my God!"

Psalm 31:14 (NLT)

Stash Report Week #33, 34, & 35...

2011-09-03T21:49:00.004-04:00

August 13 - September 2, 2011

Wow! 3 weeks of stash reporting in one post. It's a doozy for sure. I don't even know if I'll be able to remember everything. It's a problem when you're too sick to sew, but not too sick to press a few buttons here and there. The internet makes it way too easy to buy fabric - even while incapacitated in bed.

Let's see what I can remember...

I bought a good bit of Jovial recently. I have a king-size quilt, lap size throw and wall hanging all planned out of this fabric line - so of course, it requires a good bit of yardage. Truthfully, I'm still waiting on the last bit of it to arrive in the mail, but here's what I bought so far...

First batch of Jovial fabric

Starting from the bottom, there's 2.25 yards of the black, 2 yards of the red and 1.25 yards of the green.

More Jovial Fabric

Again from the bottom, there's 1 yd of the black, 1 yd of the red, .75 yds of the circles, .75 yds of the presents and 1.25 yards of the green on top.

I also bought .75 yards of this Countdown to Christmas stripe to use as the binding on my Starry Eyed quilt.

Countdown to Christmas Red Stripe

During one of my weak moments online, I happened to see that Lisa from Stashmaster was selling some of her stash. She had a bunch of Charm Packs for sale at a ridiculously low price. So before I knew it, I sent her an email and purchased all of them. Yep, you heard me right. She had 21 left at the time and I bought every one of them. Aren't they beautiful?

21 Different Charm Packs

When she sent the package, not only did it contain all those little Charm Packs, she also included this Moda Candy Bar...

Extra Goody from Lisa

It contains 4 different packs of Candy Bars. In case you're not familiar with them, they're like half of a Charm Pack. Instead of 5" squares, they contain 2.5" x 5" rectangles along with a project sheet. I've always been tempted to buy one, but had thus far resisted. So I was tinkled pink to get it in the mail. (I was also having a rough day when it arrived and the package helped perk me up.)

I had to pull out my calculator to figure this up, but it looks like 28.25 yards total came in the last 3 weeks. Boy, that really makes me wish I'd included all the fabric I gave away earlier this year in my stash report. Without it, it's highly unlikely I'll make it back into the black. Hmm, I wonder if it's too late to slip it in?

As for what I used, I finished several projects, but they were small and didn't account for a great deal of fabric. First, I finished the quilt Around the Block. I used 4 yards for the back and binding.

Around the Block

Then I completed the Stained Glass Quilt Peonies. I figure I used about 3 yards for the entire thing. It's difficult to really tell with all the leading in it.

Peonies

So...
Purchased-this-week: 28.25 yards
Used-this-week: 7 yards
Purchased-to-date: 307.5 yards
Used-to-date: 133.75 yards
Net used: -173.75 yards

We recently put out a humming bird feeder because Mr. Quilting Bug likes to watch the little creatures. Of course, so do I! They're so tiny and amazing. Our cat Jack is fascinated by them as well and was waiting for one to come feed...

Jack and the Hummingbird Feeder

Until later...

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 (NRSV)

Peonies...

2011-09-02T20:16:00.000-04:00

(I've mentioned before that I'm part of an online group called The Twelve of Us. Every 6 weeks or so, one of the members picks a new technique for each of us to try. We make something following the guidelines and mail our attempts to another member.)

The most recent challenge was to make a Stained Glass Fabric Project. I'm calling my little quilt, Peonies, for obvious reasons...

Peonies - 21.5" x 27"

I have to say that I really enjoyed working on this quilt. It's the first time I've tried this technique, but I definitely see myself doing it again in the future. Also, all of the fabrics in this came from my stash. In fact, the pink in the Peonies is fabric I hand dyed a couple of years ago.

Closeup of a Peony

If you've never tried this before, the technique is pretty straight forward. I got my pattern from an old stained glass book I have. (In a previous life, I used to make real stained glass pieces.) I enlarged it to the size I wanted and traced it on to a piece of muslin slightly bigger then I wanted the finished piece...

Muslin Background

I traced the reverse of each piece of the pattern on to fusible webbing. (I used Heat N Bond Lite.) Then I fused them to the back of my fabrics.

Fabric pieces with fusible on the back

Each piece was then fused to the muslin background...

Pieces fused to the background

Probably the most time consuming part of this project was adding the lead lines. You can make your own leading using a bias tape maker, fusible bias tape and bias strips of black fabric, but it is much, much easier to use the pre-made stuff. I attempted to make my own and ended up throwing it all in the garbage (a couple of hours and a few burnt fingers later). Fortunately, JoAnn's sells the pre-made bias binding and better yet, you can use your coupons for it!

I used lots of pins to hold each piece in place before I ironed it down.

Pinning the bias tape in place

Another slightly tricky part of this is that every piece of leading should lie under another piece. In other words, no unfinished ends should be visible. So there's a definite order to putting this stuff down. However, if you pay attention, you can figure it out.

All of the leading is in place, but before quilting

To quilt it, I sewed on either side of each and every piece of leading. I used my walking foot and a size 70 needle. Someone else suggested using a double needle, but I didn't try that and don't know if it would be easier or not. It's something to consider next time.

Back of Peonies

The stats for this quilt are:

Size: 21.5" x 27"
Fabrics: From my stash - including the hand-dyed pinks
Batting: Warm &White
Thread: Aurifil 50 wt
Pattern: House Tours II by Judy Miller (a stained glass pattern book)
Quilting: Straight line
Completed: August 30, 2011
Recipient: Karen A. from The Twelve of Us

Peonies

Now that Sam has started taking Prozac, she's started sleeping with her toes splayed out. It's weird, but cute...

Sam, taking a nap

Until later...

...let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him...

Hebrews 10:22 (NLT)

Around the Block...

2011-09-01T21:42:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'm finally back (hopefully for good). My gallbladder is doing some better and I'm not having it taken out right now. I'll just have to see if I have any more attacks in the future...

Before I got sick, I was close to finishing a few projects. I've since managed to complete 2 of them and a third is close behind. Just today, I finished putting the binding on a quilt I'm planning to donate. It's already been washed and is now packed up with some others and ready to go in tomorrow's mail. I'm calling this quilt Around the Block.

Around the Block

It's the third quilt I've made using this pattern and Dilly Dally fabric. Hopefully the child that gets it finds it bright and cheerful. I tried out another pantograph on it as well. This one is called Stars and Ivy (I think).

Stars and Ivy Pantograph

To go along with the quilting, I made a coordinating label for the back. In the past, I've left the label until the very end and then it was just something I threw on there. I'm trying to be better about that and also to put it on before the quilt is quilted so it can't be removed.

Closeup of the quilt's label

On the one hand, I'm glad to have finished these quilts and to send them off to their new homes. On the other hand, I really enjoyed working on them and will have to make a few more in the near future. Although my next charity project will be making some more pillowcases for the Million Pillowcase Challenge. I would imagine they must have had that many donated already but I expect there will always be a need (unfortunately).

The stats for this quilt are:

Size: 48"x 60"
Fabrics: Dilly Dally and Kona Cotton White for the top, Spring Fever for the backing and binding
Batting: Warm &White
Thread: Aurifil (piecing), Superior Threads White #401 for quilting
Pattern: Spice Cakes by Pieces from My Heart
Quilting: Stars and Ivy from the book Quilting Dot to Dot (18 passes, 3 bobbins)
Completed: September 1, 2011
Recipient: To be donated

All Around the Block

Moses kept me company while I was finishing this quilt today...

Moses, My Sewing Companion

Until later...

But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me.

Psalm 13:5 (NLT)

Look at this beauty...

2011-08-21T14:43:00.000-04:00

Mom's Winter Wonderland Top

It's not mine. Although I could wish it was. My mom finished her Winter Wonderland top and brought it up to show me. I think it's just gorgeous!

Mine is languishing away right now. I've finished half the star blocks and the center of the quilt, but I'm having some gallbladder issues (I think) and so no sewing for me. Actually, I'm not doing much of anything except lying around in bed or on the sofa. Mr. Quilting Bug is being an angel and fetching me whatever I need, but I so want to get back to normal. The pet hair around the place is driving me batty, but I figure God is using it's presence to build up my patience (not my strongest virtue). He's also using the laundry for the same purpose right now.

In any case, I did manage to catch David at just the right moment today. (Sorry the picture's so dark.)

David, mid-bath

I don't expect to be blogging much in the near future, but as soon as I feel up to snuff, I'll be back!

Until later...

I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry.

Psalm 40:1 (NLT )

Stash Report Week #32...

2011-08-15T21:41:00.000-04:00

August 6 - 12, 2011

Please excuse my lack of blogging lately. It's been crazy busy and I've been feeling under the weather to boot. And although I'm working on a bunch of stuff, I'm finishing practically nothing (as evidenced by this stash report).

OK, so this report is my easiest one yet. Nothing in and nothing out. How's that for simple? But rather than end on that note, I thought I'd share a little bit of what I'm working on...

1. Quilting the last charity quilt Around the Block. I've got to get this finished this week and off in the mail.

Around the Block

2. Quilt Holly Jolly. Another one I need to finish ASAP (or before the temporary adhesive that's holding the layers together dissolves!)

Holly Jolly

3. Working on a small Stained Glass quilt for the group The Twelve of Us. I'm supposed to mail this out by Wednesday, but haven't finished the leading yet. I predict I'm going to be a day or two late on this one. (No picture because it's supposed to be a surprise!)
4. Finishing up a birthday gift for someone (so again no pictures on this one either).
5. Appliqueing the final block for Baltimore Halloween. One piece down, 164 left to go!

Baltimore Halloween

6. Designed a bed, lap and wall quilt using Jovial by Basic Grey. Going to a couple of quilt stores on Wednesday and needed to know how much fabric to buy for these Christmas quilts.
7. Finally, I'm making absolutely no progress on my Winter Wonderland blocks right now. But I'm eager to get back to them as soon as I can!

So that's my quilting life right now, what's happening in yours?

Until later...

This is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are quite small and won’t last very long, but they will produce for us an immeasurably great glory that will last forever! So we don’t look at the trouble we can see right now; rather, we look forward to what we have not yet seen. For the troubles we see will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NLT)

More Winter Wonderland Blocks...

2011-08-11T19:52:00.000-04:00

Are you getting bored seeing these blocks? I hope not 'cause I've got more to share. Today's blocks bring me to the halfway point on piecing these stars. 17 done - 17 more to go. So without further ado, here's the latest sampling...

9" Blocks #15 & 21 - Star of Hope

6" Block # J - Martha Washington Star

6" Blocks # 2 & 11 - Star of Hope

If the last 2 appear to look like the first 2, it's because they are. Just a different size. There are only 6 different types of pieced blocks, but the sizes vary from 6" to 9" to 12". Here are the last 5 all together...

Latest Winter Wonderland Blocks

I'm afraid I have to take a short break on making these now. I have a few other projects with deadlines looming that I really must get to. But you can bet I'll get back to them as soon as I can. I can't wait to see the whole quilt together and it's really not that far away!

I took this picture of Sam the other day on top of Connections. It never occurred to me that she has all the same colors until I saw it.

Sam on the quilt Connections

Until later...

“Whoever is faithful in small matters will be faithful in large ones; whoever is dishonest in small matters will be dishonest in large ones.”

Luke 16:10 (GNT)

And the Wonderland continues...

2011-08-09T21:06:00.000-04:00

I've been working on more blocks for my Winter Wonderland quilt (and having so much fun!) I've moved onto the second fabric combination and made 5 more blocks.

9" Block #10 - Martha Washington Star

6" Blocks #4, 22, H & F - Pinwheel

Here's all 5 of them together...

Most Recent Winter Wonderland Blocks

I've now finished a total of 12 of the blocks for this quilt. Only another 22 or so to go!

My vacation comes to an end tomorrow and I'll be returning home. I know one girl who will be happy to get back. Although she loves visiting my family, she's had a rough trip this time. She's had 4 baths and thrown up 7 times in the space of a week. Doesn't she look pitiful?

An ailing Gabriel

Until later...

“In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33 (NIV)

More Winter Wonderland Blocks...

2011-08-08T22:21:00.000-04:00

First off, why is it I have so much more time to blog when I'm on vacation? You'd think I'd be off doing vacationy things. However, my vacation is coming to an end soon so things will get back to normal.

I've been slowly working on more pieced blocks for Winter Wonderland. I've finished 5 more since last time...

12" Block #13 - Star of Hope

12" Block #19 - Double X

6" Block G - Cut the Corners

6" Blocks B & I - Maple Star

The first 7 blocks were made using just 3 fabrics, but the other 27 will use different combinations. Hopefully it will give me the controlled scrappy look I'm going for.

Latest Winter Wonderland Blocks

For the first time in about 9 years, Sam has joined me traveling. (It's a long story.) I was a little nervous about how she'd adapt, but I think she's having a blast!

Sam in vacation mode

Until later...

“I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love ….”

Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)

24 Hours in the Life of A Quilt...

2011-08-07T09:53:00.000-04:00

Moses - Friday, 11:13 PM

Sam - Saturday, 11:27 AM

Jack - Saturday, 6:53 PM

Moses - Saturday, 10:01 PM

If I believed in reincarnation, I'd want to come back as a quilt.

Until later...

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 (NLT)