Some Finishes

 

Feelin’ good.  Got some projects finished.  Every project done takes a weight off my shoulders. It will be a long time before they feel weightless!  Hopefully I’m headed in that direction.

First finish:

Bonnie Hunter’s latest mystery “Grand Illusions”.  I’ve named my version “Karate Stars”  My lovely granddaughter, Lydia wanted in on the picture.

This is the back of the quilt.  I had a large piece of one of the blues I wanted to get out of my stash, so decided on a pieced back.  Also kept me from having so many left overs to cut up into usable pieces. I’m going to try to make it a habit to piece more backs, especially since I’m running out of large pieces to use for backs.

Next project done:

Not quite my style, but I wore it last night when I took Lydia to her ballet class.  I was so layered up due to the cold, that it didn’t show.  I bought this iron on chrystal motif several years ago to put on a T-shirt for my daughter.  She was into the skull and crossbones thing at the time, but not the bling.  So it never got done.  Came across it Saturday while looking for something else and decided to do something with it, just to be done with it. Another weight off my shoulders. If worse comes to worse, I can always donate it to Goodwill.  Maybe someone would come along that liked it.

Jammin’ jars.  A nice little Sunday afternoon project.  They just need to have fat quarters put in them and then two of them will be part of my Christmas in March gifts to friends.  We are just slow about getting our projects done for gift giving.  There is just too much else going on at the Holidays.  They were fun to do and am considering making them for Christmas for bee members, depending on what we decide to do for our Christmas exchange.  We have been doing fat quarters and this would be great packaging.

This week I’m working on finishing the M for Murder Mystery BOM.  

My Trip To The Grocery Store

 

Grocery shopping is definitely not my most favorite thing to do. But someone has to do it and that would be me. Everything went fine until I got to the check out and than the gripy old lady in me came out.  The nice check out girl hung my bottled cokes over the edge of the buggy.  Then the bag guy showed up to help. 1st mistake, he decides to take the bottles off the sides of the buggy and set them in the buggy where my groceries need to go.  That got him a dirty look from me.  Then he puts the bagged lettuce and spinach in the bottom of a cooler bag and then shrugs his shoulders and pushes the orange juice that I got out of the cooler aside.  I had to tell him I wanted the juice in that cooler bag, making him have to repack the bag putting the juice, milk, and canned biscuits in.  So he thinks he’s through.  I have to ask/tell him to put the lettuce and spinach in on top of the other stuff.  This just did not make me feel like a nice sweet person.  I have yet to figure out how to politely refuse the offer to carry my groceries out to my truck.  I can do that.  I have a nice buggy to push them out in.  When I get home I have to carry the bags into the house without assistance, so why do I need help with the easy part?!

On a happier note, I have been working on my block of the months  and mystery quilts.

The Pickleweeds Quilt Shop Saturday Sampler block 2. Done in time to go Saturday and get this months bock and start a BOM that they have going on.  It is a rather ambitious project.  Think there are at least 2 blocks every month and 40 flying geese to make.  I’ll know more Saturday.  It was the colors that hooked us.

July blocks for the Vice Versa BOM.  These are the last of the blocks, now just have to get around to getting them into a quilt top.  The second block is the  Jan. Vacation Time BOM block that Pat Sloan is doing for 2015.  I just printed out the Feb. block this morning. 

The Bonnie Hunter Grand Illusion mystery quilt is on the frame waiting for me to find time to quilt it.  I see it is still a mystery, all covered up.  I have a cat who likes to get on my quilts while on the frame. That freed up my design wall for the M is for Mystery BOM.

All the rows are put together, now to sew the rows into a top.  The bottom 2 rows are pinned together and waiting for me. Hope to make this next week’s project.

My poor design wall is falling apart.  I have more sheets of insulation to make a new one.  I’m just feel that is a project to procrastinate over for as long as possible.

New Year’s Resolutions and Word for the Year

 

New Year’s resolutions, I remember two of them, the usual, exercise and loose weight.  What were the rest of them?  I’m sure I have them wrote down somewhere incase I want to check to see if I’m accomplishing any of them.  I have been pretty good about getting on the tread mill so far, but no luck with loosing weight yet.  My word for the year is “focus”  I sure need to concentrate on that.  It is a good word for me, but “speed” would be an equally good one.  There is never enough hours in the day.  I’ve slowed down so much I only get about 1/3 done that I need/want to do. 

But I have accomplished a few things.  Keeping up with my blog hasn’t been one of them.  I’m still doing the Saturday Sampler from Tiny Stitches and enjoying it.

These are the blocks for October and December.  Seems I was so happy to have finished November and January blocks that I forgot to take pictures, but they are also finished. Now hints are being dropped for the new one starting in June.  Paisleys she says!  How mean I say!  I love paisleys, in fact I’m trying to finish up a quilt top that has paisley prints. No pictures though.  Anyway, starting a new SS in June wasn’t on our agenda, guess it is now.  We just started a new SS at Pickleweeds Quilt shop in Douglasville, an hours trip between the 2 shops. At least we can do both on the same Saturday. Unfortunately we have to leave at 7:00 a.m. to be to the first one by 8:00 a.m. in order to be back home in a timely manner.

This is the first block for Pickleweeds SS.  the 2nd block is done, but of course absent minded me didn’t take a picture, unless I forgot to down load it from my email. 

I have finished a few tops from last years SS, BOMs & Quilt A longs.

The first is Purple Sage which I’ve renamed Purple Haze,  The second one it Retro Kitchen, which I’m naming Grandma’s Kitchen. My granddaughter says that is me in the center block.  Guess the gray hair was the give-a-way. I did get one of them fancy designer Kitchen aid mixers.  Only mine is red. I’ve used it once so far.

This is the Globetrotting BOM. Haven’t decided on a name for it yet.  I’m planning to do Pat’s Vacation Time BOM for 2015. Think I’ve made the January block. 

I’m still working on several other 2014 projects.  Maybe I will complete them by July.

These are the Oct, Nov and Dec Aurifil Blocks. There is a really cute setting for these blocks, but will probably finish some of the easier ones first.

This is Delightful Stars with the first 3 borders on.  The blocks for the fourth border are pieced, just need to get them sewn together and on the quilt.

Right now I’m working on this:

The Grand Illusion Mystery by Bonnie Hunter, parts 2 & 3.   Actually I’m a lot farther along than this. In fact I’m working on the borders.  Borders seem to be my hang up. Have 3 quilt tops that all they need are borders.

Yes, we had a lovely Christmas at our daughter’s house this year!  So odd, but so nice not to have all the cooking and clean up to do.  We put up a live tree this year.  That was because dear daughter ran off with our artificial one.

 

We had to go buy an Angel for the tree top too. Again, ours seemed to be atop  another tree.  Lydia wanted the doll on top of their tree instead of the star her Mom was planning on.  Think I will get some more garland next year. This was a fir tree and I would like to get another if I’m in the mood this year.

We ( Jean, Nancy & I) went to Tiny Stitches Grand Re-opening (they moved to the building next door to the strip mall they were in).  These hot pads was one of the demos they were doing.  I made these for my daughter to use at Christmas. I also made more, 2 for me and 2 for Christine. They are easy enough to make.  I plan to make some for Thanksgiving. Well, I need to make placemats and a table runner too, for that matter.

Dora, Brittney & I went to Sam’s Club yesterday.  We don’t go often so it is an adventure.  Hope I got some good deals because I sure did some damage to the wallet. 

Slowly Making Progress

 

 

If I get any slower, I will be standing still.  Some days it seems like I’m doing that now.  I am seeing a little progress in getting caught up on my current sewing projects.  I’m glad to see some of them reaching a conclusion. 

The EVQG Mystery Top is completed.  Yeah!  I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out.  I did scrappy with a color scheme.  The pattern is  from the Nov. 2007 McCall’s Quick Quilts magazine.  I haven’t looked to see if I have that magazine or not.  Sure would like to see what the original quilt looked like.

All the Purple Sage blocks are made.

It will be an on-point setting.  I’m impatiently waiting on the finishing directions to be posted. I had hoped they would be ready today.  The blocks are on my design wall and I would like to finish the top before moving on to something else.  The last thing I want to do is take them down this close to the end, so my hands are tied as far as working on something else.  No room on the design wall for any other projects. 

 

The four patch blocks for the 2nd border on the Delightful stars top are all made. Just have to sew them together, but would like to but them on the design wall to try to get an even distribution of color.

Here it is with the 1st plain border.  I want to get the 4-patch border on before deciding what color to use for the other pieced border.  I’m not doing it scrappy.  That was just a little too much for my mind to grasp.  Just couldn’t see it turning out well.  I’ve really enjoyed this quilt a-long and hope Michelle will do another one next year. This is the 3rd one of her quilt a-longs that I have done.

 

Almost forgot to take a picture of the September Saturday Sampler block when I finished it this afternoon.

I’m ready to go get the October block.

Sewing Time

 

Finally finding time to sew.  I’m trying very hard to get caught up on all my current projects.  Making a little progress, but not enough.  I’m currently working on our guild mystery. have it put together and the first border on.

I have all four sides of the 2nd border pieced.  Maybe I can get them attached today.  This is turning out very nicely.  I’m glad I decided to participate. 

 

I decided to start another Saturday Sampler.  A group of us go down together to Tiny Stitches in Marietta. It is a lot of fun.  On the way home we stop at Dunkin Doughnuts and sit and chat. 

 

Here are the June and August blocks.  Can’t figure out why I didn’t take a picture of the July block. We had 3 choices for the color way, blue & yellow, red and Kaffe Fassett.   I decided to go with Kaffe.  Aarin, Jean and Nancy decided to do the blue and yellow.  All the choices are lovely. When we were down there on the 3rd Saturday, I couldn’t resist getting a couple of mug rug kits.

I think these are just adorable.  They are from Stitches of Love.

 

This is the second set of Scrap Busting blocks that Pat did.  I just do 5 each time.  I’m trying to use a color scheme so I can make a quilt using all the blocks, instead of a small lap quilt each time.

 

I’ve been working on some of my on-line BOMs and have gotten caught up on 2 of them.  Still 3 months behind on the rest.

This is the Aurifil blocks so far.  I guess it goes for the entire 12 months.

 

 

This is Pat Slone’s Globetrotting BOM.  All the blocks are made.  I’m just waiting on the finishing instructions.

 

I’m glad some of these projects are winding down.  I’m going to try not to get involved in so many next. year.  I’ve had my hands full trying to keep up with so many and not let them turn into UFOs.  I sure haven’t had much luck at working on my UFOs this year. I’m fighting to keep from acquiring any more.  Think I will have to be satisfied with that for this year.  Hopefully I will have better luck with finishing up more of my “old” projects next year. 

May BOMs Finished

 

Can’t say the same for my Quilt A Longs.  I’m behind on them and getting further behind by the minute.  I didn’t make it into my quilting studio for the past two days.  Today a lady is supposed to bring me a quilt to quilt for her and the Quilty Fun quilt is still on the frame. I’m waiting for more fabric for the “Never Enough Chocolate” quilt A Long and I’m two weeks behind on “Delightful Stars” because of issues with Comcast email.  It seems they have taken a dislike to the Quilting Gallery and won’t let the emails through.  I requested a change of email address for the emails to be delivered to and now have my missing patterns, but haven’t had time to even think about making them. 

Still deciding on fabrics, but getting close.  Think I will go with the fabrics in the blocks on the left, but waiting on another with black background to replace the one with the green in the blocks on the right.

 

This is clue (month) 5 of the M for Mystery.  I especially love the blue paisley fabric that came this month. I want to add some to my “paisley” stash.

 

After nine blocks I really am regretting some of my purple fabric choices.  That’s what comes from working from my stash and refusing to buy more fabric.  Use what is in my stash or forgo the project.  I’ve lighten up a little on that plan.  Although I still think it is a good way to operate. 

 

May Vise Versa blocks.  I so am loving this BOM.  It may be partially due to the colors I picked.

 

So far the May block is my favorite.  This is another scrappy project.  So far I’ve been able to dig through my scrap bin for fabrics. 

 

These plastic molded chairs sure have held up well.  Think I’ve had these for around 20 years.  The one Lydia is sitting in was here mother’s when she was little. 

Empty Basket

 

An empty basket!  Does that mean a project is finally finished?!  Yes it does.

This is what was in that basket.  I like baskets and I like using them to store my current and sometimes not so current projects in.  I also have project boxes.  They stack better than baskets. The quilt top that I finished was the 2012-2013 BOM, Sweet Dreams and Sunbeams, at http://www.persimmonquilts.com.  I just love this quilt.  Of course I had to make it bigger by adding an extra row of blocks at the top and bottom.  It is on my May To-Do list to be quilted.  I’d like to put it in the guild quilt show in October.

 

I made pillowcases to co-ordinate with my purple (eggplant) sheets.

 

I think they look nice on the bed. The quilt is one of the mysteries the Quilters’ World did.  Think it is the 3rd one.  They just have finished their 5th scrappy mystery.  I collected the clues, but haven’t done it.  Too many other projects in the works.  Besides, I still have the 1st and 4th mystery blocks to make into a quilt top. 

 

My oldest son brought me all these flowers yesterday and a planter.  I haven’t decided yet what to do with all of them. the hanging baskets will get hung on the front porch and some will be planted in the 2 planters that I have.  I would like to plant some along the edge of the walkway.

April BOMs

 

April has gotten off to a good start.  I’ve complete all but 4 of the BOMs that I’m involved in.  So far I am liking how they are turning out.

The April Purple Sage block from Persimmon Quilts.  Just the center part of the block changes each month.  I think there are 13 blocks all together. 

 

The April Delightful Stars block. This is a quilt along and a new block comes out every week with the exception of a couple of breaks.  So, it is a little more challenging to keep up with.

Michele, the designer of the Delightful Stars quilt, asked each participant of the quilt along to make her a friendship star.  Her is the one I made for her.  She plans to piece them all together for the back of her quilt.

 

Globetrotting with Pat Sloan.  San Juan is the April block. I feel like I should write the name of the city each block represents to help me remember.

 

Clue 3 of the EVGQ mystery is complete.  Still able to do this as my leaders and enders and keep up.  The next clue comes out the 3rd Tuesday. This is definitely a mystery to me.