Saturday, September 3, 2016

My Week in Review 9-3-2016

This was a hodgepodge week for me--ever have one of those?!
















First off--I took Baby in for her cleaning and tune up. I try to get her in once a year but since I haven't been sewing as frequently--I let it slide until 18 months. I just want to ensure that Baby runs as smoothly as possible for as long as possible. So I pulled Little Brother out of his hiding spot and set him up in Baby's cabinet. Not a great fit but workable...

I discovered this owl panel so I sewed up a leaf border surround with some stash and ta-da...a fall wall hanging. I quilted it with the Trailing Vine pantograph in orange, of course!

















My friends are getting married next Saturday and as a tradition I make and gift a Christmas Tree skirt. I found a pattern I like that uses the Wedge Ruler. So I ordered the ruler and book from Philip's Fiber Arts. The pattern was found on a quilting board--with no cutting instructions.

















So I went to the stash and pulled a few Christmas fabrics and went to work with a preliminary pattern. I didn't want to cut into the gift fabrics until I *knew* what cuts to make... I did discover that my white 1 fabric didn't have enough contrast with the main green---a good lesson to learn!

The owl panel also had a few owls to use as appliqué. Instead, I sewed them together with some background for a second wall hanging.

Saturday, August 27, 2016

WIP 8.27.2016

After a hectic week, I finally sat down at Baby and sewed the final border onto my 4 Patch Posie quilt. I always like to include a bit of the original fabric somewhere---either on the front or back!







This one is moving to the UFO pile as I have a wedding present to make. And the wedding is in TWO.WEEKS.  Yikes...

pattern credit: 4 Patch Posie

approximate size: 66 x 88

Linking up with:

Sarah at Confessions of A Fabric Addict 

and

Pam at Mama Spark's World

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

WIP Wednesday 8.17.2016

Today I worked on pre-sashing my 4 Patch Posey blocks.

Next up: sewing into the flimsy.

Pattern credit: Stacked 4 Patch Posey









Linking up with:

Pam at Mama Sparks' World

Friday, August 12, 2016

Whoop! Whoop! 8.12.2016

I finished the binding on my Floral quilt this week.

Pattern inspiration: Jodi Robinson's Let's Keep It Simple

(You will need to scroll to the last quilt in this post)

















I quilted it down with butterflies--to go with the garden theme.

Panto credit: Angel Wings

Here is the back. It's a pieced I dyed this summer and added a little bit to bring to size.

I'll be sad when summer is over and I won't be able to dye fabric as frequently....






Linking up with:

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Thursday, August 11, 2016

WIP Thursday 8.11.2016

Yesterday was a late start at work so I decided to get a start on my next quilt: a Stacked Four Patch Posie quilt. An hour before my shift started, I received a call from my boss saying there was a scheduling error and did I want the day off??? OF.COURSE.YES!!!

Here are the efforts from my sewing yesterday! I completed all of the blocks I wanted to make!

This is the original fabric.












Pattern credit: Stacked Four Patch Posie. This is just one place to purchase the pattern--I'm not sure where I brought mine but it was many moons ago....


Friday, August 5, 2016

Whoop! Whoop! 8.5.2016

I finished the binding on this Star Lasagna quilt.

This was an experiment in totally floating the top...it did not work for me as the top bowed quite a bit. I ended up trimming off the last lasagna row to even things up.

Pattern credit: Bonnie Hunter's Simply Strippy with a row of stars.

I backed this quilt with a pieced of fabric that I had dyed last summer.

This will be a donation quilt but not really sure where to send it.

It measures about 45 x 60 -- so a toddler size quilt.







Linking up with:

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Wednesday, August 3, 2016

WIP Wednesday 8.3.2016

Yea! I had today off work so I promised myself that I would spend some time sewing!

So....I went to the sewing room and quilted down my scrappy floral quilt. I blogged about it here.

















This quilt is inspired by:

Keep it Simple by Jodi Robinson - you will need to scroll to the last picture on the post.

Quilting:

Angel Wings by: Jodi Bemish, which can be found here -- one of many places it is available for purchase.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Whoop! Whoop! 6.24.2016

Whoop! Whoop!

I finished sewing down the binding of my star quilt.

This one finishes at about 45 x 60.

Pattern inspiration:  Keep It Simple by Jodi Robinson, you'll need to scroll through to the bottom of this post.

Here is the back that I dyed. I was going for a night sky, cosmos kinda look.  :)

I also finished my floral quilt to a flimsy.

This one finishes at about 70 x 80.

Pattern inspiration: Keep It Simple by Jodi Robinson, ditto on the scrolling. LOL.



Linking up with:

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

and

Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Design Wall 6.21.2016

I decided to pull out my floral scraps and cut them into 5" squares. Then I remember long ago, I was making floral disappearing nine patch quilts and I found a slew of florals already cut into 5" squares - score!

I am using Jodi Robinson's Keep It Simple as my pattern inspiration, you will need to scroll to the bottom of the post to see her quilt. This is the star quilt I made last year.

First I made the floral panels.


I then added a green border around the panels.

Later in the week, I hope to add the background to complete the quilt to a flimsy....








Linking up with:

Judy at Patchwork Times

and

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun than Housework

Friday, June 17, 2016

Whoop! Whoop! 6.17.2016

I finished my brother's Crown Royal quilt!

I don't know why I dragged this one out so long...

almost 18 months!

...because, in the end, it was really a straight forward quilt to make. Oh yeah, after I washed and de-boned his Crown Royal bags.

I quilted it down with Halcyon panto.

I wanted something a little curvy and I already owned...

During the summer months, I like to take advantage of the warmer weather and dye my own backs. I was a little worried on this color combination because purple plus yellow make brown.



I also needed to add a bit to bring it up to size. I am happy that I had just enough to quilt it!

I'm linking up today with:

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Friday, June 10, 2016

Whoop! Whoop! 6.10.2016

This past Thursday was the end of an era for me!

It was the last meeting of my day guild for the year and after 8 years of attending, I have decided not to re-join this guild. It just seems with work that I was missing more than I was attending and I wasn't participating in any of the guild activities. :(  This guild has become popular, mainly because it meets during the day.  I'm sure there is another quilter in our area that will fully enjoy all my day guild has to offer!

I did receive an email last week that the Cancer Recovery Bag supply was low - so I searched the stash and found some fabric to make a few!

Thank You Lake Country Guild for welcoming to my new town eight years ago --- it was a FUN time!







Linking up with:

Sarah at Confessions of a Fabic Addict 

Tuesday, June 7, 2016

May 2016 Update

In May, I worked on a promised quilt.

Last May, my brother asked if I would make him a quilt from his Crown Royal bags. We settled on a design and he said that it was okay to put this project on the back burner.  I'm afraid the flames just about fanned out!

Here it is as a flimsy.

It is now loaded on the frame awaiting a quilting design decision and thread color.

This just about brings me up-to-date. I did quilt down two charity quilts but their binding awaits...

Monday, June 6, 2016

April 2016 Update

My sewing in April consisted of deciding on a pattern for a work friend. I was very grateful for all the help he has given me in my transition back into the work force.

The only thing I really got from him when I was quizzing him is that his favorite colors are orange and green but I really didn't want to make a crumb quilt right now...

I knew that I wanted to add either white or black...

I do believe that he is either first or second generation USA Indian, so I looked up the Indian flag and

IT.ALL.FELL.INTO.PLACE!

I love it when that happens!

I choose to use the Missouri Star No Waste method for half square triangles, found here.

I decided on an off center setting.

The pantograph is Bubbles.

Here is the back. I added more half square triangles to a piece of fabric that I iced dyed.

Sunday, June 5, 2016

March 2016 Update

March started out on a sad note for our family. Our Daisy dog grew a cancerous tumor in her mouth. It was with great sorrow that we decided as a family that is was time to let go of her. The tumor was affecting her eating and drinking but yet she had moments where she didn't seem affected by it at all.

She lived 13 years and 8 months.


I was also commissioned to create a T-shirt Memory quilt for a member of The Milwaukee Admirals Booster Club Crew whose husband was a avid fan and passed away in 2014. She had donated almost all his Admiral's memorabilia to the Crew to auction off to raise funds for our group. The T-shirt quilt was given to her as a 'Thank You' gift.


It proved to be a bit of a challenge as there were six t-shirts total - two of which had images on the front and back. I was to only use the shirts given and not add any other images.

This was like putting a puzzle together for me. I had to think long and hard on a setting.

This is my favorite block!

Saturday, June 4, 2016

February 2016 Update

February was slower in the sewing room.

I made a quilt for a friend's birthday - she's a die hard Chicago Blackhawk fan!

It's the Walkabout pattern with the Curly Hearts panto.

and SHE. LOVED. IT.

ps. I think now that the finished quilt photos must be on my phone....

Friday, June 3, 2016

January 2016 Update

January  was a slower month at work and a much more productive in the sewing room.

I finished a quilt for a friend whose husband died in November 2015. ummm...wonder where the finished quilt photo is?!

The pattern is Belle Wave, found here. I was trying for a gradient in purple as purple is both my friend's and her late husband's fabric color - but the lights were just too blend-y. It is also a wee bit short - miscalculated the length. I think the shortest one in her family is about 5'2" and I do believe he is in 5th grade!!


My sister-in-law's sister asks me to make her a dog theme quilt. So I found a fun dog print, a couple accent fabric and the Walk-About pattern, found here. This was really a fun pattern and worked up really quick! The bonus triangles are huge! I've made this quilt a few times since and I can totally *see* the bonus triangles being their own quilt.

I quilted it down with Curly Hearts.


In January, I also pieced a QOV using the Strip Tube Ruler, found here.

This one is waiting for quilting and binding.

Monday, May 30, 2016

December 2015 Happenings...

Work ramped up for the Holidays!

First time in a lot of years that I didn't make any hand crafted items as gifts.

...sad face...

Memorial Day 2016

Memorial Day

The Call of Duty
A call to duty is sent out
and the strong and the brave reply.
They do it for love of country,
So there's never a need to ask why.


They leave behind all that they love,
Their families, their homes and their lives,
Because to preserve these precious things
Is the goal for which each soldier strives.



So God bless our troops,
The courageous women and men,
Who fight to make sure
The bells of freedom peal again.

Sunday, May 29, 2016

November 2015 Happenings

November saw a few QOV's quilted down and The Good Old Hockey Game pieced and quilted.

This one was from the Oconomowoc Quilter's Guild.

I also quilted down two of my own QOV's since I had the Baptist Fan panto on the table.

Quilt A.

Quilt B.

This quilt is based on Mary's Chevron Rail Fence.

Note to self: each block takes two - 2.5 inch strips of each color.

The baptist fan panto, found here.


I also pieced and quilted The Good Ole Hockey Game but I can't seem to find the quilted picture. This is the picture before quilting.

Saturday, May 28, 2016

Missing In Action...

Well...I took a nine month break from blogging. I really hadn't planned on NOT blogging but somehow the days turned into weeks that turned into months. ...sigh...

In September 2015, I started a part time job at this local box store.


Here I am, behind a cart from earlier today -- thanks to my friend who took my picture and sent it to me --

Yes I am a Sample Lady at Costco. I love to talk and this gives me an opportunity to talk to people from different walks of life. Most shifts last six hours -- 4 days a week and one four hour shift -- once a week for a total of 28 hours maximum.







I've been sewing and quilting here and there when the mood strikes and I'm home. Over the next few days -- it is my goal to bring y'all up-to-date on the sewing/quilting front...until then, my friends...