Terry's Treasures

Dresden top done

2012-01-27T13:11:00.000-05:00

Well here it is...my finished Dresden plate top. I'm so happy I made this but I'm also glad I decided to just do six blocks instead of the 12 the quilt along called for. I'll be using the same blue for the backing and binding that I used for the sashing. So that's what I'm off to work on next! :0)

I must be nuts! LOL

2012-01-24T14:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a little something I made up with my Dresden plate scraps. The whole thing is only about 17 by 22 inches, and those center strips are just a half inch wide. Next time the scraps are going into the trash! LOL

Time for hand sewing

2012-01-23T15:43:00.000-05:00

I've done all the machine sewing I can for the moment on my Dresden plate blocks. All six are sewn together, and I have the middle circles ready to sew on too. But I ended up having only enough white for three of the blocks. So it's off to the fabric store I go to find something that will work for the other three blocks. The blue fabric in the middle is what I'll be using for the sashing and the backing. These are just some scraps I had...I ordered more today.

Objects of Desire quilt done :0)

2012-01-21T13:23:00.000-05:00

Even with the broken bobbin to deal with yesterday, I got quite a lot done. I did free motion quilting on my Objects of Desire quilt, then got the binding made and attached. So here we have finish number three for January. I really like that I pieced the back on this one, which helped to use up some leftover blocks. I just did lots of loops all over this quilt. I need a lot more free motion practice, but it works for now.

It's a Dresden!

2012-01-21T10:25:00.000-05:00

Well, almost. This part of the quilt along is only to sew together the blades, and I have the first one done now. I'm going to use the solid fabrics from the charm pack as the centers for these, so I've laid one behind this Dresden to see how it will look. I don't have enough of this white fabric for the background, so I think I'll need to make a trip to the fabric store soon. Right now it's back to the sewing machine to work on the next one.

What a mess!

2012-01-20T13:09:00.000-05:00

Is anyone out there any good at untangling thread? I was winding a bobbin and it was almost full when suddenly I saw this. The bobbin broke right in half! I've never had this happen before. It's always something around here! LOL

Join us making houses

2012-01-20T09:04:00.000-05:00

Since Jane and I started making our house blocks, we've had a couple more people join us. So I've added a link to the pattern on my sidebar, as well as a list of people making the house blocks. If anyone else would like to join us, just let me know and I'll add you to the list. January's house color is red, and February will be orange.

Lovely Dresdens

2012-01-17T19:06:00.000-05:00

A little while ago I saw on the Bunny Hill blog about her Scrappy Plate Club. I've always wanted to make some Dresden plates...I even had the Dresden plate tool I needed. So I thought that maybe now was the time to finally jump right in. I decided to make my quilt smaller, so I got out two charm packs and started cutting and this is what I ended up with. OK...I admit that this isn't all that lovely yet, and it really doesn't look much like a Dresden plate either. But the fabric is Lovely by Sandy Gervais for Moda and this (and five more like it) will become Dresden plates eventually. I can't wait to start sewing these together! :0)

Stitched house blocks

2012-01-14T19:39:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I had one of these to show you. This is the third block out of nine I have to do. I'm stitching on the fourth one now.

And here are the first three all together.

A long time coming

2012-01-14T10:01:00.000-05:00

A while back, I was going through some fabric I had stored in the basement, and I found a quilt top. It was nothing fancy...just some cheater panels that had been sewn together to make a top. When I bought the fabric, I just loved it, but that was back in...are you ready for this...1992!! At least that's the date on the selvage of the fabric! I seem to remember it got sewed together sometime before 1999, but then it got forgotten. So after I found it, I sent if off to Joanne and this week I got the binding on it. So it's another finish for January. It's just a little small for my king size bed, but it would be perfect on a queen or a double.

Here is a closeup of the beautiful quilting Joanne did. (Photo borrowed from Joanne)

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen

2012-01-13T06:38:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading this book, and I had to share it with you. If you're a Jane Austen fan, you'll love it. And even if you're not, it's a very good story. I highly recommend it!

Scrappy HST quilt

2012-01-12T07:24:00.000-05:00

I'm so happy to be able to tell you that my scrappy HST quilt is finished! Thank you Joanne for the beautiful quilting on it! :0)

Building houses

2012-01-10T13:37:00.000-05:00

I've always wanted to make a house quilt. And while there are lots of little houses being built all over blogland at the moment, none of them seemed right for me. So my friend Jane and I decided to have our own little quilt-along. I found a simple house pattern online (you can find it here) and we got started. At the moment the plan is to do two blocks a month, and this month the color was red. So here are the first two blocks of my house quilt. They were so easy, I keep wondering why I waited so long to do this! LOL

Objects of Desire progress

2012-01-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been a bit quiet on my blog the past week. I was attacked by a lovely stomach bug, and didn't do too much of anything until today. Thankfully I finally feel like I'm on the mend, so of course the first thing I did was get back to my sewing! Here is the completed top using my Objects of Desire layer cake. It's about 45 inches square.

And I had five blocks that I didn't use on the front, so I put them together as part of the back, along with three orphan blocks leftover from my Frolicing Pinwheels quilt. The only problem is, I don't have a piece of batting big enough to put this one together. So it will have to wait a few days.

I've started on a new project with a friend of mine. Hopefully I'll have something to show you from that in a day or two.

First finish

2012-01-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

Here it is...my first finish for 2012. Unfortunately it's not a quilty finish though. I got this jigsaw puzzle for Christmas, and Emily and I decided to start it on New Year's eve. We got the border done that night, and worked on it on and off yesterday and today. Now it's all done, so I can get back to my sewing! :0)

What a year!

2011-12-30T21:29:00.001-05:00

It seems like the time goes by faster every year. But at least when I look back at my list of finishes for this year, I know where some of that time went. I had a total of 70 finishes in 2011, and while some of those were smaller projects such as pincushions, several of them were big quilts too. It was a good sewing year for me, and I can only hope that 2012 will be just as good, or maybe even better!

So to end this year, I want to thank you all for reading my blog and leaving me such wonderful comments. They really do mean a lot to me. May you all have lots of sewing time in the coming year, along with good health and lots of laughter and happiness. Happy New Year!! :0)

SSCS Swap gift from Peg

2011-12-27T09:41:00.000-05:00

I was thrilled beyond words Christmas morning when I opened up my SSCS swap gift from Peg! She spoiled me rotten! First of all, she made me this beautiful bag!

But that's not all...she also included all these lovely gifts too!

Thanks so much Peg for being such a generous swap partner. And thanks to Chookyblue for organizing this great swap again this year! :0)

Merry Christmas

2011-12-22T11:17:00.000-05:00

Christmas is quickly sneaking up on us, and before it gets here I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the new year. May 2012 bring you all joy and laughter and love. And thank you all so much for being wonderful blog friends! You've made my life brighter and better just by being you! :0)

Christmas gifts revealed

2011-12-18T19:33:00.000-05:00

We had our family Christmas today, so I can finally show you two more things I finished a month ago. The first one was made for my mom and dad, and the second for my brother and sister-in-law and niece. Thank goodness my family loves handmade gifts! :0)

Pineapple pincushion

2011-12-16T20:49:00.000-05:00

I showed you all a tiny sneak peek of this last month. It was a gift for a friend of mine and now that it's reached its new home, I can show the whole thing to you! This was really fun and easy to make. The pineapple is wool and the pincushion itself is flannel. I have two more reveals but they'll have to wait until after Sunday.

A finish and a start

2011-12-15T18:50:00.000-05:00

First off, here is my finished Birdie Stitches quilt. I just love it and I only wish I had a wall big enough to hang it on. I think I might just have to rearrange some things to make a space for it. I definitely don't want to just fold this one up and put it on a shelf or in a basket.

And here is the start of my next project. I have about half of the blocks done for this one. The way you cut the layer cake, you actually end up with a charm pack of the fabric left. So there will be another little quilt out of these same fabrics once this one is done. I'm using Objects of Desire by Sandy Gervais. Her fabric is just so bright and fun! :0)

And while this isn't a sewing finish, I just had to share it anyway. I made this photo collage for our neighbors who raise pygmy goats. We took it over to them today and they loved it! It's always so nice when someone really appreciates what you do for them!

Sidetracked again

2011-12-12T20:51:00.000-05:00

First of all, I did get the borders on my birdie quilt. And today I got it pin basted and ready for quilting. But it wasn't the best day and I decided that maybe I ought to just wait until tomorrow to work on it. So what did I do? I started sorting through a stack of patterns and I found this one! It's from the Moda Bake Shop and it's called the Boxed In Quilt. It's made with a layer cake, which I just happened to have. I just barely got started on the cutting tonight, but I'm really looking forward to making this one! :0)

First finish for December

2011-12-07T19:36:00.000-05:00

Here it is...my first finish for December. I'm happy to tell you that the shop hop table topper is done! I put it on my kitchen table to photograph it and it sure looks good there! Too bad it would get filthy if I left it there. So it will just have to hang out in my sewing corner until I find the proper home for it. The second picture shows the quilting. I just did an X in each block, which ended up making a zig-zag diamond pattern on the back.

The last birdie

2011-12-07T11:16:00.000-05:00

I've just finished the December block of my Birdie Stitches project. I did change this one a bit. I used a different tree and only one bird instead of two.

And here are all my blocks together. Now it's time to decide on borders.

My SSCS Swap gift is here!

2011-12-05T16:04:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting rather impatiently for my SSCS swap gift to arrive. I knew it would be coming from someone overseas so I knew it would take a while to get here. But I always worry about packages going missing when they have to make such a long journey. Today my worrying and wondering came to an end when I found this lovely parcel in my mailbox! And I was even more excited when I saw it was from my good friend Peg!

And here are my lovely gifts. One to open now and one to put under the tree until Christmas day.

I opened the smaller one and found not only this adorable Santa ornament, but also this beautiful little snowman wall hanging! Thanks so much Peg! I just love them and I can't wait to open the other gift from you. I know it's going to be wonderful! :0)

Shop hop quilt

2011-12-03T11:40:00.000-05:00

In October 2008, I went on my very first (and last) shop hop. I bought the kit for each block at each quilt shop, with the intention of going home, making the blocks, and making my quilt. As you can probably imagine, that never happened. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago. I decided to pull out these block kits and get them made up. Well, once I really looked at the blocks, I decided I didn't like them enough to put all the time into making them. So I pulled out all the fabric from the kits and put on my thinking cap. I started cutting the bits of fabric and this is what I came up with. I always say simple is good and I think this simple layout was perfect for the fabric I had to use. And as soon as I can find backing and batting for this, it will be another project done off my to-do list! :0)

And then there were two

2011-11-30T10:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I managed to finish the second village stitchery and even got it made into a block. So here are the first two together. I think I'm going to like this quilt a lot! :0)

Stitching a Village

2011-11-29T09:58:00.000-05:00

I've had this pattern sitting around for a while now, and I finally got around to starting on it. It's Little Patchwork Village from Rosalie Quinlan, and there are nine little buildings to stitch. I have the first one done and made into a block and the second one is almost done too. Stitching these in one color is making them go so much quicker! And they're just so cute! :0)

Merry Christmas!

2011-11-25T21:54:00.000-05:00

OK...I know it's a bit early for that. After all, here in the US we just celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday. But it's become a tradition in our house to put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. So that's just what we did today. Every year the tree has colored lights on it, because that's what John, Brian and Emily prefer. This year I put white lights on it because that's what I prefer. And I LOVE it! Trust me...it looks wonderful at night. Tomorrow we'll tackle the outside lights! :0)

At long last

2011-11-22T18:24:00.000-05:00

OK...it really hasn't been all that long, but it seems like it. Anyway, the embroidered quilt is done! Now I can get back to one (or more) of my own projects! :0)

Busy, busy

2011-11-22T07:47:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in almost a week, because all I was doing was sewing this quilt top together. It's a king size so it took a while. But the top is done now and I'm in the process of tying it. Hopefully I can finish that today and get the binding done so I can move on to some new projects. These are the blocks John's aunt embroidered.

On Saturday, Emily and I went to a new quilt shop. Well, it's in a new location and now it's only 10 minutes from home! I was a very good girl and only bought two pieces of fabric. The first one is this lovely Kathy Schmitz panel. I plan to cut these blocks apart and put some sort of pieced blocks between them.

The second piece of fabric I got was this lovely alphabet print. I knew it was just what I needed to go with...

...this! An adorable alphabet panel I bought some time ago. How amazing to find the matching print now! I think I'm going to cut these apart too, and maybe just use alternating blocks of the alphabet print with the panel blocks. Time will tell! :0)

And I have another old/new project to show you too. But that will have to wait until next time! :0)

Embroidered Heart Pillow

2011-11-16T16:00:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year I made a quilt for John's aunt. She embroidered the blocks and I made them into a quilt. She then decided to make a quilt (or rather to have me make a quilt) for a neighbor of hers who was getting married. She just brought the embroidered blocks to me a week or so ago, so I thought I'd get busy on them. This was an extra block, so I made it into a pillow and added the heart applique in the middle. Now I need to get back to working on the quilt.

Charming HST top

2011-11-14T13:36:00.000-05:00

Remember this lovely pile of charm squares? It's only about a month and a half later and they've become...

...this! My HST quilt top is done! I'd love to say this is the end of the scraps I had to use up, but I'm afraid I still have a tub full of strips. So I'll be seeing a lot of these scraps one more time. It just won't be any time soon! LOL

Four candle mats done

2011-11-12T20:06:00.000-05:00

I got busy yesterday and got the four candle mats finished. They're just simple nine patch blocks made with charm squares of Adoring by Sandy Gervais. Now I can focus on my HST quilt top. It's just over half done now. I hope to finish it off tomorrow. :0)

Four for November

2011-11-10T19:06:00.000-05:00

Today I started working on four little candle mats, and decided to make matching pincushions to go with them. Since the pincushions were quicker to make, they're already done. Now I just have to get busy on the candle mats.

I've also been making progress on my HST quilt. I finally have all the blocks sewn into rows. Next on that project will be pressing and trimming the rows. Then I can sew the rows together and that quilt top will be done! So much to do, so little time. LOL

Almost there! :0)

2011-11-08T09:14:00.000-05:00

I'm happy to tell you that my November birdie block is done! And it's attached to the October block. That means as soon as the December block comes out and I get it all stitched, this little quilt will be ready for borders! I'm so glad I decided to put this one together as I went along. It will make the finishing go much quicker and easier!

You'll notice that my block isn't the same as the one everybody else is stitching. Once again I made a few changes to mine. I used a different turkey and added some corn stalks to balance the block out a bit. I can hardly wait for the December block now! :0)

Sunshine

2011-11-05T17:42:00.000-04:00

I looked out on the deck this afternoon and saw Kitty having a nap under the butterfly bush. Somebody knows how to make the most of a sunny November afternoon! LOL

And for those of you who have asked where I got my blog books done, you can go here and then click on Blog To Print and it will take you through the steps to make your own book.

Sneak Peeks

2011-11-04T10:35:00.000-04:00

There has been lots of sewing going on here, although I can only show you a few tiny sneak peeks since these are gifts. I won't be able to reveal the complete projects until after Christmas.

And I've been doing a bit of blog housecleaning recently. I finally got around to ordering a blog book for my first year of blogging, and once that arrived I ordered the second. Now when I have time I can get the third one done as well and then I'll be caught up.

I also redecorated my blog yesterday. I tried to find something seasonal that I liked, but I nothing seemed right. So for now there are bright, pretty flowers blooming here. If only that was true for my garden too! LOL Have a great weekend everyone! :0)

More fall color

2011-11-01T21:17:00.000-04:00

Late this afternoon I happened to look out the front window, and the maple tree was ablaze with color! The sun was on the far side of it and many of the leaves were backlit and looked almost like stained glass. So I grabbed my camera and went out to try to capture the beauty of it. Here's some of what I ended up with.

And this is the one maple tree in the back yard. The rest are almost bare now.

Kitty just sat there waiting for me to finish so I could sit a bit with him. It really was such a lovely fall day! :0)

Off the sewing table

2011-10-31T13:02:00.000-04:00

Many years ago, I found these cute little faces at some craft store. They've sat around for longer than I can remember, but no more! Today I glued them to some yo-yo's that I had, then I added magnets to the back. And now I have some pretty magnets on my fridge! And it's one more project off my sewing table! :0)

Outside my window

2011-10-28T09:32:00.000-04:00

One of the things I like most about where my computer sits, is that when I look up, I can see the maple tree in the front yard. This time of year the view is especially nice!

It's actually rather foggy here this morning, so the pictures aren't the best, but you get the idea.

And even though this one came out blurry, I posted it because I rather like it! It's kind of artsy!

Enjoy your day, whatever you're doing! And have a great weekend! :0)

Balloons...done! :0)

2011-10-25T20:44:00.000-04:00

I know it's been a while...I do get sidetracked easily...but the hot air balloon wall hanging is done! And it's labeled and it's on the wall! I quilted clouds in the sky on this. I think they came out OK considering it's only my second attempt at free motion quilting. I just need more practice! Special thanks to Emily for holding my quilt for me. Gotta love her green nails! :0)

Spool ornaments

2011-10-24T14:33:00.000-04:00

I've wanted to make some Christmas ornaments using wooden spools for a while now, and I've finally done it! They're simple but cute, and I think they're going to look great on our Christmas tree! Now back to my sewing! :0)

October birdie and a finish

2011-10-19T19:14:00.000-04:00

I've had the stitching done on my October birdie block for a while now. Tonight I finally had time to lay out the pieces to go with it and get it sewed up. Now I just have to wait until November 1 for the next block. Only two more blocks to go and this one will be done! I've really enjoyed stitching these birdies every month! :0)

And here is my completed Lil' Twister table topper. It didn't come out the way I had planned, but I really like it anyway. It was nice to be sewing with some Christmas fabrics for a change too. I think I may pull out some more Christmas things to work on in the next few weeks. It's going to be nice having some quilty Christmas goodies to decorate with this year!

Weekend sewing

2011-10-17T21:50:00.000-04:00

On Sunday Emily and I managed to get the HST blocks all laid out. I got the first six rows sewn, but then I had to stack the blocks up for the rest of the rows because I had to get them off the floor. I just hope I get them put together right when I get back to sewing on them. All the rows are labeled, so as long as I don't get a strong wind blowing through my sewing corner, it should be OK! LOL

And here are a few little treasures Emily made for me. She's so creative! :0)

Progress is good

2011-10-15T12:00:00.001-04:00

We've made good progress on the HSTs! Here is what we have laid out so far. Now the design wall (table cloth) will have to come down and be laid on the living room floor because I need to add another row to each side and three more rows to the top.

I've also made another twister table topper. I pulled out my tub of Christmas fabric for this one. Lesson learned here too...don't use too busy a print or you lose your windmills in the busyness. Maybe I could pretend that I did it on purpose so you really have to look closely to see the windmills! LOL Oh well...I still like it and I hope the windmills show up more once I quilt it.

Half Square Triangles

2011-10-14T11:29:00.000-04:00

I finally got my HSTs all pressed yesterday. So last night Emily and I started laying them out on the design wall. My original plan was to lay them out like this...

But after a while, Emily started changing them around and came up with this...

Later I got to thinking about all the different ways you can lay out HSTs, and while I liked both the other layouts, I changed things around to this...

And Emily and I both agreed this was the way to go. So now we've taken down all the HSTs and have started over with this layout. My design wall isn't very big, so we're going to have to overlap the blocks to get them all to fit. I'm not sure when I'll have time to start sewing on these, but getting them laid out will be good enough for now! :0)

PIF from Jane

2011-10-12T10:11:00.000-04:00

A while back I had signed up for a PIF with Jane. Yesterday I got a package from her in the mail, and this is what she sent. A lovely mug rug, a tissue cover with tissues, a box of tea, and a wonderful bit of chocolate! The mug rug even has a spot for a teabag and spoon! How cool is that? Thanks so much Jane! :0)

So now it's my turn again. I'm looking for three lovely bloggers to sign up to do my PIF. Within a year (probably much sooner) you'll receive a handmade gift from me. Then you have to post the PIF on your blog and pass it on to three more people. If you'd like to take part, just leave a comment on this post letting me know. Thanks! :0)

Scrappy Irish Chain

2011-10-10T18:10:00.000-04:00

I first posted on my blog that I wanted to do a scrappy Irish chain quilt back on September 25, 2008, the month after I started my blog. Two years later I finally got started on it, and now a year after that it's finished. I got the binding sewn on today and it's had a good wash and dry. I laid it across my bed to take a picture of it and now I'm wishing I had made it big enough for my bed! Guess I'll just have to make another one someday! LOL

Fall flowers

2011-10-08T13:25:00.000-04:00

Emily wanted to make some button flowers, and today was the day. She had seen some that were just buttons, then I saw some on a blog that had felt flowers cut out and added behind the buttons. So we made some of each...one pot for me and the little jar full for her! :0)

You can find instructions for some lovely flowers made this way on the Red Brolly blog here.

Flimsy balloons

2011-10-06T14:52:00.000-04:00

Well I've finally done it. After approximately 30 years, these balloons are done and made into a flimsy. When I first pulled these balloons out a few months ago, I had big plans to add more balloons to them. But this week I decided it was better to finish them off the way they were than to drag the project out and keep it as a UFO even longer. So I used colored pencils to finish the cardinal on the Ohio balloon, and I embroidered the flowers on the blue balloon. I also added a strip of Moda twill tape to the balloon on the bottom right, as well as some ricrac. Then today I machine appliqued the balloons to the background, and now I have a flimsy! I hope to do some free motion quilting on this one, but I need to practice first. I can't believe this one is so close to a finish after all these years. See...there's always hope for your old UFOs!! :0)

The end of Fresh Flowers

2011-10-05T10:06:00.000-04:00

As so often goes, I got a bit off track recently and ended up creating two beautiful little table toppers in the process! Here is my finished Lil Twister pinwheels quilt. Not sure if this will end up on the wall or a table, but it sure does brighten up wherever it's at!

Here is an even smaller one I made with some HSTs I had sewn up months ago. It's nice to have these made into something now. And something so pretty too!

And here you can see the backing on both of these. Every bit of the backing and binding came from my stash.

A while back, Allie posted a photo of her slippers, and lo and behold I have the same ones! So Allie...this picture is for you! :0)

Busy day

2011-10-04T08:51:00.000-04:00

Many of you have asked for more information on the Lil' Twister tool. If you go to Jackie's blog to this post, you can see the tool and how to use it. She explains it all much better than I ever could!

I also wanted to show you a picture of what I need to get working on soon. I got my Scrappy Irish Chain quilt back from Joanne so I need to get the binding on it this week if I can (photo from Joanne). I'm still not sure if I like the front or back better on this one! The quilting is just beautiful! Thanks Joanne! :0)

Today I hope to get the binding on my pinwheels. And I found some HSTs from the same fabric that I think I'll just sew together into a table topper or something. After that maybe I can get back to my charms square/HST project. Have a great day, whatever you're doing! :0)

This and that

2011-10-03T12:24:00.000-04:00

Just a quick progress update here. I have the borders on my pinwheels and I have it basted and ready to quilt. That's next on my list. But I took a few minutes this morning to take care of a little project that needed doing. I didn't think to take a before picture, but my mouse pad was getting really worn and ugly. It was still in good shape, but it looked bad. I was going to buy a new one when I remembered seeing somewhere how to put fabric on it. I got out my fusible and found this great orange dot scrap, and away I went. A few minutes later it was done and now I have the best looking mouse pad around! I love it! :0)

I mentioned that while I was in Amish country, I had bought my Lil' Twister tool. Well, I also bought a few other things. This cute little bird came home with me. I'll add him to my ever growing pincushion collection.

This adorable chicken potholder just had to come home with me too! I'm pretty sure this one will be for decoration only, and at the moment it's not even hanging in the kitchen! It's hanging in my sewing corner! LOL

I got sidetracked

2011-10-02T16:00:00.000-04:00

First of all, let me say that I did get all my HSTs sewn the other day. They're just waiting for me to get them cut apart and pressed. But I got a bit sidetracked today. I went to Amish Country yesterday and came home with a Lil' Twister tool. I've seen lots of really cool quilts made with this, so when I saw it I finally gave in and bought it. This morning I pulled out some charms and laid them out and sewed them up. Then came the hard part...cutting them apart again to make the pinwheels. It wasn't hard to do the cutting...the tool made it easy. But it was hard to cut into what to me looked like a perfectly good little table topper. Here's what it looked like before I cut into it...

And here are the new blocks waiting to be sewn together. It does make a cool looking quilt, so I think I may do a few more of these. Christmas is coming you know! :0)

A charming stack of fabric

2011-09-29T14:29:00.000-04:00

A while back I cut up all my odds and ends scraps into charm squares, 2-1/2 inch squares and strips. The little squares I used up on my Irish chain quilt. And I've been trying to use up the charms but they were just such an odd mix of prints that I could never really decide how to use them. Then today it hit me. I'm making them into HSTs! I had a layer cake of white fabric so I cut that into charms, then paired the white charms with print charms. I'm hoping once I get these all sewn up that they'll make a wonderful scrappy quilt! For now I'm just happy to look at this lovely pile of charms, all marked and ready to sew! :0)

Two more finishes

2011-09-27T12:56:00.000-04:00

It seems like September has been a good sewing month for me! And to prove it, here are two more projects all finished up. First is the flower quilt. It's been washed and dried and is now ready to head off to its new home. I love the striped binding on this one.

And here's the stitchery sampler, finally bound and ready to hang. Now if only I could find the hanger I want to display it on! I know it's somewhere in the basement...guess I'd better start looking for it! This may take a while! LOL

Ready for binding

2011-09-26T08:48:00.000-04:00

It's taken me a few days, but the flower wall quilt is ready for binding! I sewed the stems and leaves on by machine, but when it came to the flowers I just wasn't happy with how it was coming out. So I did them all by hand. I got the quilting done yesterday and today I hope to get the binding made and attached.

I've also started stitching on the first of my hot air balloons. It feels good to be working on that project now. Finishes are wonderful but progress is good too! Have a great week everyone! :0)

A pressing situation

2011-09-21T13:22:00.000-04:00

When I set up my sewing corner, I was thrilled to find this little pressing board to use. There was just enough room to the right of it to sit my iron. But now I have another little cupboard to the right for my iron. And since I have more space on the shelf, I decided it was time for a bigger pressing board. So today I went from this...

...to this! And let me tell you I just LOVE it! It's wonderful to have a bigger pressing surface! And all it took was a piece of plywood, some insulated batting, and a pillow case! :0)

Spools and butterflies

2011-09-20T21:10:00.000-04:00

I actually have had this spool quilt done for a few days, but today I finally got it washed and dried and now it's an official finish! I do love this one! I just have to find a place for it so I can enjoy it! :0)

And while I was out on the deck getting a picture of my quilt, I also took a few pictures of the butterflies. They won't be around much longer so I have to enjoy them while they're still here!

I also found a praying mantis on the deck railing. He was about five inches long, but I love this closeup of him. He looks like he was staring right at me! He's kind of creepy and kind of cool at the same time! LOL

A little bit of everything

2011-09-18T09:57:00.000-04:00

I have actually been sewing the past few days, but nothing got finished so I have nothing to show you. I recently came across a stack and whack quilt pattern that was perfect for a couple of layer cakes I had. I started on that and have six blocks done. I think it's going to be my leader and ender project for a while. Then I had another idea. This one has been on my mind for a while now, and it just seemed like the time was right to get it started. Emily has helped me with the flower placement, and now it's time to baste the stems and iron on the flowers and leaves so I can get to work on sewing them all down. Then there will be more piecing around the outside of this I think. Who knows...I tend to figure these things out as I go along! LOL

Have a wonderful Sunday! :0)

Thank you Kaaren! :0)

2011-09-13T10:04:00.001-04:00

Many of you know Kaaren and her wonderful free patterns. A while back I asked her if I could combine a couple of her patterns into one and she said yes. So this is what I ended up with. Most of the motifs on here are hers, but a few are not. Now I just need to decide what to do with it.

Me and my shadow

2011-09-09T19:11:00.000-04:00

Late this afternoon I decided to take a picture of my little spools quilt top. It was laying in the sunshine coming through the front window, and as I went over to the table I saw the shadows being made by the pins in my pincushion. I just thought it was so cool that I had to share! I think I may have gotten a bit carried away taking photos! LOL

And finally one of the top itself, without the pincushion! :0)

Purple and Green Quilt Done! :0)

2011-09-08T16:49:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I was able to quilt and bind the little purple and green quilt that Emily helped me with. Today it got a wash and dry and now it's another finish! And it has found a home on Emily's bedroom wall. :0)

Don't you just love those mismatched socks? Seems that's all the rage with teenage girls right now! LOL And in this second picture you can see the green I used on the back. It was another bit of fabric from my stash. Once I pieced it, it was just the right size for the backing! I literally didn't have half an inch extra of it!

Today I've been working on the little spools shop sample that I bought back in April. I added one border, then a pieced border, and now I'm on the last border. After that I'll get it basted and ready for quilting. I'm using up lots of fabric odds and ends on this one, and that's a good thing. The only down side to that is the fact that some of the stuff I'm using up wasn't big enough, so the last border on this one had to be pieced. I don't think it will matter once it's all done, and it's worth it to be using up a bit more of my stash.

Birdie Stitches Block 9

2011-09-06T14:20:00.000-04:00

I've been stitching on and off the last couple of days, and I've managed to get my September birdie block done. Today I got it attached to the other blocks in that row, and have added that row to the other two. Now I just need to wait until October 1 to do the next one! :0)

The end of the leftovers

2011-09-04T18:20:00.000-04:00

Well, it's the end of the leftovers Julie sent me! LOL I started sewing the remaining jelly roll strips into little four patches yesterday. I wasn't thrilled with how they looked laid out together, so I started cutting the rest of the strip leftovers into a whole bunch of little 2-1/2 inch squares. I staggered the four patches and let Emily fill in the open spaces with the squares I had cut. She did a great job, but I still had one four patch and some more squares left over. So this morning I added a row on the top and on one side and I started sewing. Emily volunteered to be my assistant, and while I sewed, she pressed seams for me. A while later we had a little quilt top! I've found backing and batting for it so I'll probably get it basted and quilted tomorrow. There are still a few little squares left, but they've gone into the tub for 2-1/2 inch squares and I'll use them on my butterfly garden blocks.

Not My UFO

2011-09-02T17:24:00.000-04:00

Last November I saw on Julie's blog that she was giving away four blocks and the rest of the jelly roll that she had used for the Jelly Roll Quilt Along. She said she knew she'd never use them, and thought someone else might want to make the rest of the quilt. And I ended up being the lucky recipient! Once I got the blocks and fabric, I just tucked them away and really hadn't given them much thought. For some reason the other day, they came to mind so I dug them out and started working. But instead of making a quilt, I made four separate table toppers! Here you can see the blocks Julie sent me before (picture from Julie's blog)...

And after...here are the table toppers all done. I just added borders, and then used more strips for the bindings. They really are so much prettier in person than the photo shows. Now they just need a wash and dry and they'll be perfect! Unfortunately I wasn't able to use up all the strips from the jelly roll, so I'll be making one more project with these fabrics. That's next on my list! :0)

Baby gifts

2011-09-01T09:48:00.000-04:00

John's niece is expecting her first little one in November. I just found out the baby shower is this month, so I thought I'd better get busy! They don't know if it's a boy or girl yet, so I went with more neutral colors. I had the yellow flannel (on the left) in my stash and wanted to use it for the backing, so I bought the cute animal print and the yellow on the right for the top.

I cut out squares and put them all together and got this! And then I used the leftover flannel to make a matching blanket. This quilt is so soft and snuggly! It makes me want to make a flannel quilt for myself! :0)

My weekend

2011-08-29T11:00:00.000-04:00

I got some lovely mail this weekend! This was a surprise sent to me by my good friend Jane. She had gone on holiday and got me these pretty coasters while she was away. She sent them along with this beautiful cross stitch card! Thanks so much Jane for thinking of me and making my day! :0)

On Saturday I went over to the neighbor's and she was trying to put together a chicken coop. It came in pieces so she thought it would go together in about an hour. Let's just say it took us most of the afternoon to finish, but we got it done. And since it's really only big enough for two chickens (she has seven) it became a bunny hutch. Apparently the bunnies are diggers because they had escaped from the hutch this morning. LOL

I have a baby quilt to make next if I can ever get the fabric sorted out. Hopefully I'll have some progress on it to show you soon! :0)

Sewing the day away

2011-08-25T15:37:00.000-04:00

I managed to stay at home today and got back to some sewing. I have three things actually to show you. First off is a tablerunner. The coin part of this was already together and came in the box of scraps I recently bought. It also had the white on the sides. I added the white on the ends and then the borders and now it's done!

Then I made this little ladybug pincushion. I used the leftover scraps from the little candle mat I made a while back.

And finally I made this table topper. The 3-D pinwheel block was also in with the scraps I bought. I just happened to have these pretty fabrics that went perfectly with it. This is supposed to be a gift but I may end up keeping it. Time will tell. ;0)

I got sidetracked

2011-08-24T21:14:00.000-04:00

I had plans to get more sewing done today. But I got sidetracked...by a little newborn pygmy goat. I went over to the neighbor's to see the new arrival and ended up spending most of the rest of the day there. Momma goat was having some issues so I stayed to offer moral support. It all turned out fine in the end and after supper mom and baby were both doing well. Hopefully tomorrow I can get back to my sewing! :0)

One more pincushion

2011-08-23T15:14:00.000-04:00

I had a few more squares left over from my mini-quilt, so naturally I made a matching pincushion! These colors just make me smile! :0)

Blue and green mini-quilt

2011-08-23T11:15:00.000-04:00

A while back I bought a box of fabric and scraps from Piece N Quilt. In it I found a strip of little pieced blue and green squares. I loved the fabric and decided to take the strip apart and make a mini-quilt from the pieces. And this is what I ended up with. The blue and green squares in the middle are what I started with and the other bits are all from my stash. This mini finished at 9 by 11 inches. I just love it! :0)

New on the wall

2011-08-20T18:22:00.000-04:00

I decided that the next project I wanted to work on would be easier if I could put it up on my design wall. But I had my birdie blocks on my design wall. So today I started sewing and I have the first two rows all sewn together! I also have the third row started and all the sashing rows are done too. The sashing is scrappy because I'm using up what I have. And the borders (when I get to them) will be scrappy too.

And now on my design wall are these balloons. I hand sewed them over 25 years ago, back when I was crewing for a hot air balloon. These represent balloons that were actually flying back then. They all still need some work before they're finished, and they all need baskets of course. I'm going to make more balloons in different sizes too as time allows. I think I'm going to try to make the grass into a hill so it's not so boring. Only problem is I don't sew curves! Guess I'll figure that one out as I go along! LOL

It's a flimsy! :0)

2011-08-19T18:01:00.000-04:00

After a couple of days of sewing on and off, I finally have my scrappy Irish chain top DONE!! I just have to find backing fabric for it (hopefully in my stash) and then I can get it sent off to Joanne for quilting! Now, what should I work on next? Decisions, decisions! LOL

Something new on my blog

2011-08-18T20:40:00.000-04:00

I just found out tonight that for some reason, I wasn't getting updates in my Google reader when my one friend posted on her blog. I thought she just wasn't posting! I have no idea what's going on, but I've decided to add a new thing to my blog. Right under my profile you can now subscribe to my blog updates via email. I think I'm going to suggest to her that she do the same thing. Now I'm wondering if I've been missing the updates for other blogs too! Guess I'll have to do some checking on that one.

And in quilty news, I have the blocks of my Irish chain sewn into rows. Tomorrow the rows go together and then I can get it sent off for quilting! I'm so excited to be so close to this one being done! :0)

Wool Pincushion

2011-08-18T13:48:00.000-04:00

I needed to make a quick birthday gift for a friend, so I pulled out my tub of wool and this was the result. I thought it came out OK considering I didn't have a pattern to go by! :0)

Getting closer! :0)

2011-08-15T12:45:00.000-04:00

I've been making good progress on my scrappy Irish chain blocks. So good in fact that they're done! This morning Emily and I got them all laid out so now they're ready to sew together. Hopefully I can get started on that tomorrow.

And since I'm almost done with my Irish chain quilt top, I thought it was only fair that I get to start on another project. This is the beginning of my Butterfly Garden by Leanne Beasley. I've wanted to make this since the first time I saw it, and now I'm finally doing it. As you can see, this one is going to be scrappy too! Here are the first three mini-blocks. I've still got the stitching to do on them, but it's a start! :0)

Spiderwebs

2011-08-12T12:51:00.000-04:00

We woke to a bit of a foggy morning today. And when I looked out the kitchen window, I saw these beautiful works of art. Just think of all the times we can walk right by something and not even see it. Then when we least expect it, there it is! Enjoy your day! :0)