GWENDIE'S QUILTS

The Princess is so happy!

2012-02-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

I recently entered a drawing at the Pink Fig blog (you can see the website here) and I was a winner! I won five (yes, FIVE!!!) of her darling patterns. Here are four I chose -

Are these seriously not the cutest things you've seen for a little girl? The Princess loves ruffles and layers and just look at all the girlyness in these patterns. I also received a skirt pattern (No. 4) but I still have to figure out how to do a photo mosaic with an odd number of photos so you can see it on her website. Chelsea also has pants patterns but the recent requests from The Princess have been for dresses and skirts so that's what I chose (plus the jacket/vest). The patterns have a range of sizes, from either 6-12 months to 10 in a pattern or 12 months to 10 so I can make her baby sister a matching outfit. The patterns are tissue, just like the big companies and will be really easy to work with. Thank you, Chelsea! It was such a wonderful surprise and I'm really looking forward to picking just the right fabrics to use.

Car quilt

2012-01-31T10:26:00.000-08:00

finished quilt

I have to tell you about when I gifted this quilt. It's for my grandson, The King, and I took it when I was going to babysit. When I got there, he was napping and DD was about to leave, so I showed it to her before he was up. His sister, The Princess, looked at it and said, "That was so sweet of you! He loves cars!" This from a three year old!!! She didn't ask about one for her - just said how much he'd love it. I was totally impressed.

I finished this quilt while I was waiting for Cherry Trees block 25 to be posted. The pattern is from Patchwork and Stitching (from Australia), Vol. 12, No. 6 and first I have to make a correction to the materials list in magazine if anyone else decides to make it. The blue behind the cars says 1/3 yard and I wish I'd read the directions before I bought the fabrics. First, take that blue and cut two 10 1/2" strips. Since 1/3 yard is only 12", it just doesn't work. I got five background pieces from the strip and found another blue in my stash for the sixth.

I did this on the machine, thinking it would be finished faster, but I really prefer my finished product when I do it by hand. I used a method I think I saw demonstrated by Eleanor Burns on her old show. I stitched a light weight fusible interfacing to the car shapes, glue facing the right side of the fabric, stitched around them, slashed the interfacing, and then turned right side out. I think fusible interfacing is softer and more flexible than two sided products and I have a finished edge. The picture is stitched and trimmed but not turned.

fabric right side

I cut out the section of fusible where the windows go and literally had to sleep on it to figure a way to fuse the edges of the windows. I used Wonder Under Light (but will have raw edges) and here it is again before the pieces were turned ---

fabric wrong side

I cut out the inside of the windows and then pressed the cars in place and stitched around the edges. The ladder on the fire truck was a challenge but it's intended to be a drag-around quilt for a two year old and used up so I didn't stress over it.

Oh - middle car on the right? The checkered one in the pictures? It's a cab - get it? Checkered cab???

The blocks are together!

2012-01-28T11:24:00.000-08:00

I have a hard time picking a project up after it's been sitting for a while and this is the first block of the (fill in any time period) I've ever done. There were months I had to force myself to do the next block and I quite often printed the patterns and then waited till I was between other projects. I've made I don't know how many quilts (I've been quilting for close to 40 years so that happens) but I finish one before I'm on to the next. Some of us are just like that! The floor is the only place any where near big enough to spread this out so you get to see a lot of the other things that live there. Thank my dog.

Now it's on to the borders. I have one side of the vine sewn on one of them, the leaves prepped for three of them, about half the cherries I need for all four of them, and I bought two 10' boards to use when I baste them. I think I'm set!

Cherry Tree block 25

2012-01-26T15:03:00.000-08:00

block 25 - last one

This is the last of the individual blocks. I'll trim them to size and stitch them together tomorrow. Last night, I cut out the freezer paper for the leaves on the three borders we've gotten so far. The last border will be posted Feb. 10th. Tonight, I'll work on berries. Lots and lots of berries. I have them all cut out but need to stitch the gathering threads and pull them up over the templates, then press them.

Schnibbles Full House

2012-01-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

I really planned to join in the Year of Schnibbles (hosted by Sinta at http://pinkpincushion.blogspot.com/ and and Sherri at http://www.aquiltinglife.com/) last year and just never did. No excuses. It just didn't happen. This year I have two resolutions - the first is to not buy any candy in January. (If I can get through one month, it's a good start. right?) The second is to join Another Year of Schnibbles and actually make them, not just look. Full House! by Carrie Nelson of Schnibbles fame is the first pattern and it's so cute! I made mine into a doll quilt for my grandchildren to use.

doll pillow

I also made a pillow because I really wanted to do more than two rows. The fabric is Simple Abundance by Bonnie and Camille. Last year (or the year before???), I won a charm pack of this fabric in a give away and the name Abundance just screamed Full House - houses full of love, full of family, full of whatever makes you happy.

Doll all snug in the cradle

Blog names

2012-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

When I started my blog, the name was a problem as all of the names I wanted (and still want) were already taken. What I really wanted was MaryMade, no other descriptors, no limiters, no numbers, just MaryMade. It was taken. As was Mary Made This, Mary Made That, Mary Made It, Look What Mary Made, and everything else I tried including a slew of titles without mention of Mary. So I settled on Gwendie's Quilts since my cat seems to think all my quilts are hers but most importantly because it was available. The problem, as I'm sure you've noticed, is I don't make only quilts. I sew. I seriously sew. I also knit, crochet, paint, bake, garden, and a lot of other things that give me enjoyment and I blog about all of them. If I only posted about quilts I make, there are times I'd have one a year. They take time since I hand applique (I admit I've machine appliqued two quilts) and almost always hand quilt.

There is one other name I could use that isn't taken but I'm a bit worried about just what type of reader, and so other links which are not at all what I want, I'd be attracting! So I'm not using it even though, to me, it's a very innocent name. Maybe I could have picked Gwendie's Person Did This but I don't like that name.

I just wanted to get this out there because I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's had a problem like this. I thought I'd explain how I got the name and to tell you why my quilt blog is about more than quilting. And ask - how did you pick your blog names, especially if your first pick was already in use???

Abigail's Christening Dress

2012-01-16T09:47:00.000-08:00

I spent last week working on the Christening dress for Abigail. I'd made one that her mother and both of my other daughters wore, and then The Princess wore it when she was baptized. Abigail was a month older, though, and that dress was too small. When First Daughter was married five years ago (before I had a blog) I made her wedding gown. It's all silk - lining, underlining, organza for interfacing, outer dress, the whole works. I bought a bolt of fabric (on a roll, not folded, but that's another post) and have some left so made Abagail's dress from that. I had just enough lace to put on the hem. I had about 3" left when I was finished but enough works. You can see the detail in the picture. The wedding gown has flowers on the back and I made one like that for the bodice of Abigail's gown.

The whole dress doesn't show in the collage so here's a longer view.

The ball gown

2012-01-03T12:53:00.000-08:00

Blogger is really playing with me today. It just doesn't seem to like me posting pictures. Well, I disagree!

This is the ball gown I made my granddaughter for Christmas and the reason I had to have a new machine. (Any excuse will do!)

On a hanger before being wrapped

Every one of those dots sparkles!

The Princess on Christmas

And when at a ball, you dance!

Doll got a matching dress and shoes plus a raincoat and hat
that apparently had to be worn together

Baby quilt

2012-01-02T09:56:00.000-08:00

Now that Christmas is over, I can post some of the projects I've finished. This is the quilt I made my newest grandchild, Abigail. The pattern is Lollipop Hill from Reets Rags to Stitches. Their pattens are mostly prim and, while I love prim, I wanted this to be a bright and cheerful quilt since it's for a baby. Abigail's mom, AKA DD#1, had to hear the whole time I was working on it, "I like the quilts I've made all the other kids but I think this is my favorite child's quilt EVER!" I think she heard it several times a day. It's hand appliqued and hand quilted.

It's hard to see the quilting in a picture but there's a path leading up the hill to the lollipops and they have spiral stitching to look like actual lollipops. I also put a ball with a star on it between the horses but that doesn't even really show when you're holding the quilt. Still, I like knowing it's there. Some of the fabrics were new, others from my stash. I buy brights sometimes but need a special quilt to use them and this one is definitely special to me!

Lollipop Hill

And a Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T10:31:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you, your families, and your friends have a wonderful New Year!

The pictures I'd intended to post this week are still in the camera. Haven't even gotten them downloaded yet.

That's my goal for the New Year - download pictures.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T10:54:00.000-08:00

With thanks to Dover for their ecards.

Almond Cake and Chai Tea

2011-12-19T09:24:00.000-08:00


Good

Better

Delicious!

Christmas ornaments

2011-12-11T10:36:00.000-08:00

Every year, I try to make a new ornament for my girls. I saw the directions for this over on Julia's blog and thought they'd be perfect this year. Obviously, I changed the colors. Also, the list of necessities doesn't give how many of each we need. I got a small bag of seed beads and it barely made two baubles so if you want to do more than two, buy a bigger bag. And there are twelve sections so that's handy to know, too. Julia showed 24 drops but I didn't have enough end beads so made 12 drops.

Obviously, the top photo is better. I don't have a tree so had to come up with a way to 'hang' them! The beading is the same pattern but I used different beads on the drops.

I also wanted to make some Spritz cookies. They just taste like Christmas to me! I have a press but the dough wouldn't stick to the parchment (or the cookie sheet) so I removed the die and piped out a log, wrapped it, and refrigerated it overnight, then I sliced and baked them this morning. They aren't as pretty but they taste just right - very yummy!

Little dress for . . .

2011-12-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Last year, my granddaughter was 2 1/2 and loved hearing the Christmas story. (Well, she still does but last year was the first time she understood it.) She loved it so much that she named her doll Baby Jesus and there was NO changing her mind. When she introduces you, she says, "This is Baby Jesus. She's very special to me," in that all one-word-way that children do. She's still her favorite.

I really thought the doll should have a nice Christmas dress so dug out the fabrics I'd gotten for doll clothes. If you look closely, you can see an old-fashioned Santa on the cotton. I've never sewn with gold lame' before. The biggest problem was pressing - the rest of the dress is cotton and the lame' melts. Yep, it does.

Cherry Tree blocks 21 - 24

2011-11-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

It took me a while to get the last two washed and pressed. The first picture was taken with a flash, the last two room light, so the backgrounds look very different but they're really the same as all the others.

The last one is in lighter colors than most of my other blocks so I'll use these fabrics again in #25 so they don't look too out of place and probably scatter them, even if sparingly, in the borders. I haven't started the borders yet but at least I'm caught up with the blocks.

Adventures in sewing machine shopping

2011-11-27T10:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry, no pictures yet. This is just the story of my adventures. I admit I'm a finicky shopper. And besides having a degree in Textiles and Clothing (so I know what I need and what I don't on the machine and why and how I want it to work), I used to sell sewing machines. Those are a really bad combination for a salesman.

If I actually told you about how I was treated by the Bernina dealer last Wednesday, you'd understand when I say I'd sew with my nose before I dealt with that place again! And, unfortunately, the machine is only as good as the dealer support. I called Bernina USA (if anyone needs the phone number, just ask) and they were VERY nice but can't really do anything themselves to fix the problem. She directed me to another dealer who, when I called to see if they could fix it, promptly told me 'Berninas are temperamental' and told me about his Brother machines.

Before I left to shop, I spent several hours online reading reviews of all the brands so I felt I had some additional information I'd need. Granted, I've never seen a 'C' review. It's either an A or an F but I thought that was better than nothing.

I went to the Pfaff dealer and, while I was there, I heard the salesman talking to a man and his wife who brought an embroidery machine in and asked about getting it fixed. His reply - "Well, perhaps you should just get a new one" and he sat them down at the most expensive machine on the floor. I left and went to look at the Brothers after hearing that. I ~~want~~ need to know I can get service if I need it.

At the Brother dealer, the machines seemed good enough but I just can't get the words 'Brother' and 'junk' out of my head. The machines really did seem to do a nice stitch but it's an old prejudice, even if it's not correct, and I know I'd never get it out of my mind and wouldn't have been happy. At both Pfaff and Brother, I asked to sew on the Janome that's somewhere around $2500 retail (but on Amazon it's $1499) and neither would let me near it. Perhaps their inflated price was the issue. And it also made me unhappy with their customer service. So not good! At the Brother dealer, I mentioned that the model I wanted to see had gotten really good reviews. He promptly told me that was on the small, less expensive machines we'd use for a class. Well, no it wasn't but he wouldn't say if he even had the machine I asked about.

Did you know Singer bought out Pfaff and Viking? I hadn't. And now both are made in either Taiwan or China. I don't remember which. I called the dealer to verify and was told that's correct. Apparently all the machines are made there.

Then I went to the Elna dealer. (He didn't carry Janome so no issue with that.) I asked which machine brand needed repairs the most and he didn't really want to say. When I told him I'm currently using a 40-year-old Kenmore, he said some of those were really good machines. My thought was - this is a good start! He never trash talked another brand and if I asked a question and he didn't know the answer, he said so. I'd much prefer that to making up something. They never tried to steer me to a more expensive machine than what I said I want. The only problem is the model I want isn't in stock.

I took all my little fabric pieces with me and stitched at each dealer. Then I compared the results side by side. There truly wasn't a difference that I could see. They all did a nice stitch and a good buttonhole. It all came down to the bells and whistles I wanted and the salesmen. The Pfaff has the built in walking foot which I liked but the stitch selector on my first choice uses a stylus on a tiny screen and wasn't something I'd want to use and I sew a lot. I don't sew quilt tops only. I make a lot of garments, too - some cotton, some silk, and I use upholstery fabric for other projects. The stitch selector and the salesman made me decide against that one. My old prejudices said no to the Brother and the machine I'd choose from their line was $1000 more than the Elna.

And I really like the Elna. The salesman offered me a very good price and then the shop owner lowered it!

So, the result is I don't get it for about a week but I can wait. The Bernina's been broken for over a month. When I get it and have it unpacked, I'll take a picture of my new baby. I feel like a little kid waiting for Christmas!

November 24

2011-11-24T09:22:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I'm very lucky - most of my family lives close. Even though I'm a widow (close to 16 years), I always remember today's date because it would have been my husband's birthday. But I'm still lucky because when I think of him, I have very happy thoughts. We were really happy together and I know I had something a lot of people only wish for. I'm very thankful that I didn't miss it!

I hope all of you in the USA have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that those of you outside the USA have a wonderful Thursday!

Progress on Abigail's quilt

2011-11-13T09:33:00.000-08:00

I meant to take a picture of the entire stack of fabrics I was using but that didn't happen because I kept adding. Every time I thought I had everything, I'd start sewing and then pull another one out of a different bin. I finally had to put away part of the mess or I wouldn't have been able to get to the table. These are some of the fabrics going in the quilt.


A few of the fabrics

I've never cut away the base fabric when I applique but this one was such a big section and I could see the background fabric too well so I gave it a try.


I hadn't trimmed the threads yet

There are eight uneven log cabin blocks, four for the top border and four for the bottom, all different fabrics except the pink with flowers in the center.

And this is why I keep some scraps I found in the bin. I think the piece was 5x5 (or else it was 4x4) but it's one of my favorites and this seems to be all that's left of it.

What's wrong with this picture?

2011-11-12T08:58:00.000-08:00

Day 20

The main thing wrong is this is where my Bernina lives. When it's home. It's been in the shop for almost three weeks and I really miss it. Did it have to pick this time of year to quit? Apparently, a board was bad. Or more than one because one has been replaced and it's still not working so another was ordered but has not arrived yet. This is the Kenmore that I got when my oldest daughter was an infant and luckily I've kept it cleaned and oiled. It has a little something that goes in the bobbin case and then does a one thread chain stitch which is wonderful for basting. Flat bed only, no free arm but I don't use that feature very often anyway. I didn't realize, though, how often I use my knee lift because I still find my knee going for it after three weeks. No needle up - needle down button. No needle threader. I feel like I'm living in the dark ages but at least I have a machine that sews. I didn't get out my Featherweight because I needed to zigzag and this one does do a very nice stitch. You can see the little flip light I keep behind it for extra light - I'm so glad I put that there!

One thing I did (that maybe I shouldn't have but it worked!) is use my Bernina bobbins because they were already threaded with the right colors and I only have three for this machine that I can find. I figured it was worth a try! I'm not recommending it to anyone else just in case it doesn't work in yours but I'm really glad it worked for this one.

Family Day

2011-11-10T08:16:00.000-08:00

I've been going to my daughter's to help with the children, cooking, and anything else she needs for several weeks now. She's sleep deprived and since she had a C-section, she's not to lift the older children for another two weeks so her in-laws and I have been taking turns helping out. Trying to think up activities for a toddler and a pre-schooler can be challenging! I decided it's time my granddaughter learns to sew so I made a trip to JoAnn's and got some plastic canvas and plastic needles. Be warned if you decide to do this that the blue plastic needles are just a smidge bigger than the holes in the plastic canvas and need a good tug to get them through. Luckily, she has a good grip! She said this will be a blanket for one of her dolls.

Sewing is serious work!

Her brother wanted to show me his Elmo socks but wouldn't pull his pants up enough to see the picture.

Aren't these great stripes?

And of course here's Abigail - one month today!

Baby sleeping - rarely seen!

Celebrate Hand Quilting

2011-10-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

Click on the Hand Quilting button and have a look at the blog post celebrating hand quilting. I've always liked hand quilting so much better than machine. I know, I know - there is some good machine quilting done these days but I prefer hand quilting - the process, the look, and the feel. Caron has a blog post where any of us with hand quilted pieces can put a link to our post for everyone else to enjoy, like Amy does for the online quilt festival. So, go have a peak at what's been posted and then add a link of your own.

Salinda Rupp quilt

2011-10-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

AKA Completely Insane and now I know why! I was looking back over my posts and couldn't believe how long it's been since I posted about a completed quilt.

I made this last winter and just realized I've never posted pictures. I started it in January and completely finished it in June. I left off the border that's in the book because I want the quilt to fit this bed and a border would have made the quilt too big.

One of the things I learned is I'm never going to make another quilt with blocks this small and with so many pieces in them because it makes the quilting so difficult. I hand quilt and stitching through five or more layers in the seams isn't a whole lot of fun. I did a narrow cable in the sashing with a little flower-like thing in the blue setting squares. The quilting in each block is different, depending on the design of the block. (Click on the photos for a better look.)

The blocks aren't set in any particular order so this doesn't exactly match the original but I did try to stay close to its colors. It was obvious that Ms. Rupp used scraps so I did, too. I kept a box on my cutting table and tossed in everything that was at least 3/4 inch wide. Some of the pieces really do finish at 1/4 inch!

Flower Basket quilt

2011-10-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

First the whole quilt ---

Flower Basket, Vintage

Quilting close up ---

Flower Basket, Vintage, close up

Notice the quilting lines aren't exactly evenly spaced. Synthia (no blog) met me at the show and pointed out this was probably so the maker wouldn't have to quilt through all the layers of seam allowance where the diamonds come together at the basket. Clever, yes?

Three pictures!

2011-10-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

The quilting is a fan design that goes through all layers of applique. I love the colors and the plaid that was used.


Carson's Neighborhood

I had a computer update waiting for me that I installed - maybe that was the only problem because these seem to have loaded without a problem. See the post directly below for a slideshow of the rest of the pictures.

Aurora Colony Quilt Show

2011-10-19T16:54:00.000-07:00

Another slideshow design by Smilebox

I just finished writing a nice long post about the quilt show, but Blogger ate it. Anyway, the show was fabulous! My favorite quilt was Wreath with Sunflower, Antique, near the beginning of the slide show. I loved the fabrics, the way they applique was done (I tried to get a close-up of the stitches) and the way it was quilted.

My goals for this show, besides just having a good time and enjoying it, were to get photos of all the quilts without using a flash and to get a picture of the tags on them to identify the makers. I think I may have put a few in the slide show twice so just ignore the duplicates.

The red and white blocks are part of a challenge which closes, I think, on Friday. Selected blocks will be displayed Sat and I think those are the blocks to be made into next year's raffle quilt.

Mary Doak was the featured quilter this year and she does awesome work! She had a whole cloth quilt that was spectacular but I think Carson's Neighborhood was my favorite of hers. It was happy and cheerful and made me smile every time I looked at it. She has a picture of her baby grandson in one window as well as something cute in each of the others. (I'm trying to add a couple of pictures to the body of this post but Blogger doesn't want to let me. I hope the slide show works!)

Meet Abigail

2011-10-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Born Monday, October 10, 8 lbs 13.6 oz (!), 21 inches long. Mom, baby, Dad, brother, and sister are all fine and excited for her to be here.

Help !!!

2011-10-12T08:25:00.001-07:00

I'm trying to add a photo to a post and I can't get back to this page to add more text - or to do anything else. This has never been a problem before. Anyone know what I can do? It's a really important picture!

How I spent my summer . . . .

2011-10-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

I can't really call it my summer vacation because there was no vacation involved! There are now renters in my rental house (they moved in last week - yay!) but it's still not finished. I had the gas company out last week to turn on service since the furnace is gas and the man said no. The furnace needs repairs. (Of course it does. It's been that kind of summer.) But the repair is really expensive and the furnace in there is 50 years old so I'm just getting a new one. I'm waiting for the contractor to call me with the date which should be tomorrow or the next day. At least it's not freezing here and the renters said it stays nice and cozy at night. After the wall is repaired, I think that should be it. I honestly think that house is in better shape than the one I live in so I shouldn't be getting many calls to fix things and that's good.

I haven't gotten any sewing at all done since I posted my last Cherry Tree blocks but, since the weather is cooler here now, I can use my sewing room again and can't wait to start. I'm going to pull fabrics this week for the posted blocks I haven't gotten done yet. My oldest daughter is having her baby Oct 10 (scheduled C-section) if she doesn't go into labor before then and I want them ready to take with me when I watch her children while she's in the hospital and then the first few weeks she's home. I may not get much done while I'm there, but why take a chance on the kids napping at the same time and me with nothing to sew? That would be bad!!! And I've picked the quilt pattern for new baby's quilt. I'm just waiting to find out boy or girl before I choose fabrics.

Do any of you have this book - Quilter's Academy, Vol 3? I also have Vols 1 and 2. My thought was no matter how long we quilt, there should be something new to learn and I enjoyed the first two. Honestly, I think they'd be good for beginners but I still enjoyed them. I have a question on this one, though. I emailed them when I got the book (when it first came out) and Harriet replied that she was busy and would give me an answer in a week or two. I waited a month and re-emailed. That was last April and I haven't heard back. If any of you have this book, can you please explain the measurements on p. 95 to me? They make no sense at all. I'm generally very good at math and quilting math makes sense to me but not this page. After this experience, I'm fairly certain I won't buy the rest of the series. I really much prefer to give good reviews but can't with this book.

And I want to thank all of you who emailed me over the summer. That was really nice, I enjoyed hearing from you, and is was something I didn't expect. Thank you!

MIA

2011-06-15T12:14:00.000-07:00

I've been MIA lately, at least from blogland. I have a small rental house which has been empty for the last couple of weeks. That means it's time to fix what tenants took or broke and do routine maintenance. I had to hire a couple of trades and am working around their schedules and the weather. Did you know painters want dry weather to paint outside? Amazing! There was a lot of damage and items, such as inside doors, blinds, and dry creek bridges (the short list), which are also MIA. Why would anyone remove an inside door? Or take a bridge? Luckily, I had a good security deposit but it won't cover nearly everything they damaged or took. So, while I'm waiting for the trades, I've been doing the work I can do myself.

That hasn't left much 'me time' so I'm behind on this month's Cherry Tree block, dusting, dishes, playing with fabric, and anything else that's fun. I'm hoping rental things are finished by the end of next week so life can get back to normal.

Beyond the Cherry Trees 19 and 20

2011-05-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

Block 19

block 20

Here are blocks 19 and 20. It's really hard to wait for the 10th each month for the next one. Just five more and then the border.

Quilt Turning

2011-05-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

Or is it called a bed turning? I can never remember. I finally got most of the guest room cleaned out and thought I'd photograph my older quilts before Nearly Insane. Since it's going to stay on the bed, I'm doing NI last and leaving it in place.

6-pointed Stars quilt

The bed belonged, as far back as I know, to my great-great-grandmother Caroline Garrell. I was told her son, my great-grandfather, was born in this bed in 1862.

I know when he was born so the year is correct! I don't know how long she'd had the bed at that time.

He was much older than my great-grandmother whom he married on March 22, 1900. I inherited the bedroom furniture when my great-grandmother died, just before my senior year of

high school. I really treasure it and still miss her. Besides the 3/4 bed (between twin and double in size), I have a Martha Washington table, a wig stand, and a marble-top dresser with jewelry drawers and a mirror. This was the furniture I used in my room until I got

married and then my daughters used it when they were big enough.

Now the story of this quilt. My great-grandparents had three children. My grandmother was the first, then a year later a boy, and, many years later, another girl, also named Caroline for her grandmother. This quilt was made for her husband by his mother. He was born in 1909 but I don't know much else about his family or exactly when the quilt was made.


From a slightly different angle

The pink print was used in several stars

This red print is deteriorating in most places it was used

Three of the stars to show fabrics. There are two background greens here.

Quilting from the back

If any of you can date the fabrics, I'd really appreciate a note. My great-aunt and uncle were married in the 1930's but I have no idea if he already had the quilt.

Winner, winner!

2011-05-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

Linda Collins of Quilts in the Barn had a give away for pin cushion patterns and I won one of them! She had four different patterns and mine is called Folky at Heart, perfect for me. She also sent wool to make it with - how great is that!!! It went together really easily and was a lot of fun to make.


Pattern and wool she sent

Pattern and finished pin cushion

I used yellow and green that I had but I really like what she sent. Thank you, Linda!!!

I finished my Nearly Insane quilt last week but haven't photographed it yet. I'm working on my guest room where it's going to live and need to finish that first. The weather has been beautiful here lately so I'm also working on getting my garden in. Rain is in the forecast for next week so I have to get that done while it's dry.

Meet Gwendie

2011-04-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Artists know the phrase, "Value does the work but color gets the credit." Gwendie thinks the saying could be said for cats and dogs since I've shared pictures of my dog but never of her. And she knows the quilts are hers because of my blog name.

Just having a cat nap

These are regular doll buggies. Gwendie's just a big girl.

I've been busy hand quilting my Nearly Insane quilt so there are no pictures to share yet. I'm even behind on my Barbara Brackman Civil War blocks but will catch up when the quilting is finished.

Nearly Insane and Beyone the Cherry Trees - 18

2011-03-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

I've been making blocks for my Nearly Insane quilt like I'm, well, nearly insane. Rather than one at a time, here's what I've finished so far. I think I have 51 blocks in this stack but there may be a few more. This seems like an obvious scrap quilt to me. Some of the pieces finish at 1/4" and some blocks look like leftovers that were cut down to finish at 6" - an example is a Lone Star that has the star tips lopped off.


Nearly Insane blocks

I also finished block 18 of Beyond the Cherry Trees ---

Block 18

This block has been up on the design board for over a week waiting for me to get the camera out. Sometimes that's the slowest part of blogging.

I've also been working on clothing for my granddaughter's 3rd birthday. That girl loves new dresses more than toys and since I also love to make them for her, well, we're a perfect fit! Pictures to follow . . . .

Through a wet windshield

2011-03-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

The skies were blue when I left the house about 2:30 yesterday but dumped the proverbial gully washer on me before I reached my destination. Same thing on my way home. Then I saw this! I had to stop for a red light so managed to dig in my purse for my iPhone. The end is on MY side of the hills! I felt like I'd really be able to find it if I tried. But I did that once before and the end kept moving farther away.

Karen Kay Buckley scissors

2011-03-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

If you read Elaine's blog, you remember she announced a give-away for a pair of these scissors back on Feb 7th. Did you see who won on this one? I'm a happy girl!!! This is what came in the mail ---

Let me just say they're everything Elaine said they'd be. Do you see how tiny that point is and how narrow the blades are? And they don't feel flimsy, either. The first thing I did was grab a scrap of fabric and they cut it like a sharp knife in warm butter. I sometimes need to clip just one of the fabrics in a seam and I had no trouble getting the point in to do this or to cut the fabric exactly where I wanted to, right up to the point. They really do gently grab the fabric! Besides being fabulous scissors, they have a little plastic point protector which I think is a really great idea. These scissors are, in a word, AWESOME!!! Thank you so much, Elaine! I love these.

Civil War blocks

2011-02-28T14:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a look at my version of the first nine blocks of Barbara Brackman's Civil War quilt. The most recent is the upper left. Let me just say that three doesn't go into nine evenly. I ended up using 1/16th inches to get it even close. Luckily, I have a ruler with those marks but it's only 4 1/2". I wish Omnigrid made one maybe 10" or 12" square with 1/16th inch marks on it.

I have several more blocks finished for my Nearly Insane quilt. Some of them are fairly easy, others - not so much, but I knew that going in! I don't get a chance to sew every day but, when I do, I usually can get two put together. I try to have several blocks prepped ahead of time and that's been a big help. There are some of the harder ones coming up so that will be slower but I don't have a deadline.

I also started a '30's style quilt. That makes four I'm working on at once - I never used to work on more than one at a time! I have to say, I'm really enjoying it.

More Nearly Insane

2011-02-15T17:27:00.000-08:00

Here are eight of the Nearly Insane blocks I've finished in the last couple of weeks. I've finished up to block 18 - upper left corner. I thought it was going to be the hardest but then I read ahead - maybe not!

There's something about this block I really like. I think part of it is the fabric. I don't usually use black and gray or white for blocks but I'm really happy with this combination.

How I spend my Fridays

2011-02-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

Smile for the camera!

You have to hold the tongue just so . . .


This glue is sticky stuff

Tah Dah!!!

We do an art project every week and this time we made a flower pot for her parents for Valentine's Day. Her brother is 14 months old and was too busy playing with his blocks to pose.

Midnight Stars

2011-02-03T10:34:00.000-08:00

Midnight Stars (thanks, Lori!) is finished - quilted, bound, and washed. I don't prewash unless I'm worried about a fabric (bleeding, crocking, etc) but I always wash after a quilt is finished. Yes, even applique. I like the look and it gets out whatever markings I've done. I'm not sure if you can see the binding well enough to tell what the fabric is. I used a deep red with blue flowers. I really looks good with the fabrics I used in the body of the quilt.


Midnight Stars finished

with some tools

Some of the things I used on this quilt are in this picture. I used the plastic top from a ricotta cheese container for the circle template. It was the exact size I wanted. I used Cebelia thread to quilt with. I think this is a crochet thread and I've always wanted to try it. Since this quilt isn't that big, it seemed like a good project to experiment. I'm glad I tried it but I won't use it again. See the pliers? I used those with every stitch. I can usually get the needle through with a wide rubber band but not this thread! The bent piece of metal is a Finger Protector (?) for my under hand I purchased at Quilt Expo in Portland several years ago. I'm lost without it. I looked at Quilt Expo last September but couldn't find them - I was going to get a spare. (I know I can get them online in an emergency.)

Since this is finished, I've been going through some of my old (like 25 or 30 years old) quilt books for another project. It's amazing how styles have changed.

Moving along . . .

2011-01-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

This week, I finished three Nearly Insane blocks. First, I want to show the difference in the pictures when I use the external flash on my camera - the real colors are somewhere in between. I think the bottom of the flash photo is closest to what my eye sees. I didn't aim the flash directly at the squares so that's most likely how I managed to get a slight shadow on the bottom.


Block 6 using a flash


Block 6 with a lamp


Block 7


Block 8

The inner HST's finish at 1/2", the outer at 3/4". The block really is flat - it's just hard to get it to stay that way with so much fabric in the seams, even with good pressing. It will be fine once I sew it to the sashing.

The other project I worked on was Midnight Stars.

Here it is, marked, basted, and ready to go. It's about finished so I'll post pictures of it later in the week.

The photography

2011-01-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

That's the part that keeps me from posting more often. I love taking pictures but don't have the appropriate setup for studio shots of quilts or blocks. In a word, the lighting is awful, even with a really good external flash. And I'm not good at getting my lens parallel with what I'm photographing.

That said, here's what I finished this week ---

Beyond the Cherry Trees, Block 16


BtCT Block 16

Now that this block is finished, I'm caught up again. I didn't count what I actually stitched, but my guess is 118 grapes. There were 120 on the pattern, I prepped them all, but ended up with two left in the bag. The pattern has 5/8" grapes but I use a Cricut machine to cut my circle templates. It doesn't cut 5/8" circles so I used 1/2" and 3/4" and that took up more room.

Midnight Stars - Lori's quilt-along

Midnight Stars pieces - not all of them, though

For some reason, I kept coming up short on the parts I added around the center blue squares. I know I know how to count so I had a hard time figuring out why. But I finally did. The instructions are for nine blocks (which I'd have known if I'd read them more carefully) and I was making 16 (like the picture she posted which is where I counted the squares), so each time we added a part, I had to make more. I should take time to actually read the first part of the directions next time! I took the first picture before we cut red squares to add to the flying geese.

Midnight Stars top

Here's my finished top. I'm not sure how I'm going to quilt it. I usually hand quilt but the pieced blocks finish at 5" so you can guess how dense they are. I'll either machine quilt and hope for the best or hand quilt and do just the setting squares.

Barbara Brackman's Civil War

Civil War block 4

I'm not crazy about T blocks so almost didn't make this one. Once I played with values, I decided it wasn't so bad!

Nearly Insane

These are blocks 4 and 5. Some of these centers are tiny (as in finishing at 1/2") so I'm hand piecing those. If it finishes at less than 1", I hand piece. I didn't on block 1 and the seams just got too thick in places. When I hand piece, there's a lot less thread added and it seems to make a difference.

If you've made it this far, that's it for last week. This blog is more to help me see what I get done than anything else but it's always really nice to get comments!

Progress

2011-01-17T10:43:00.000-08:00

I'm usually a 'work on one quilt at a time and finish it' kind of person so I don't know what's happened to me! I have pictures from three quilts I've made progress on (or started) and they don't include Beyond the Cherry Tree because I haven't finished stitching down the 112 cherries or even started the embroidery in block 16. I also have what I need to start an embroidery BOM quilt for my granddaughter. Once I start it, I'll post the link with the photos.

I've had the book Nearly Insane, AKA the Salinda Rupp quilt, for over seven years. As soon as I saw one, I loved it, knew I had to make it, and bought the book. The owner of my favorite shop at the time (she sold it and it's different now) had made it and brought it to a class. I couldn't make it out of the shop without the book! I've been looking at it ever since and thinking how hard it looks. I'm sure CJ and Lori got tired of me whining about it because they finished theirs so I'm sure they already know. This week I got my brave on and jumped in. My goal is to average one block a week finished. Some of them have close to 200 pieces in a block that finishes six inches. Others are easier and I can finish them more quickly. This is a project I can fit in during the day. This week, I finished the first three.

I also finished blocks two and three in the Civil War BOW Barbara Brackman is posting.

I cropped the photo of block 2 the same as the others

but for some reason, that photo doesn't show up. Just pretend, okay?

I wanted gold stars on a blue ground in the applique block. I enjoy applique and that didn't bother me at all but I chose the wrong fabric. I couldn't get sharp points on the stars. It may be just one block but I don't like it. I also don't like the block enough to redo it. The fabric is from my LQS, not a fabric/craft store, but the weave is very loose and the threads too coarse. I shouldn't have picked it - I know better. If I trimmed the fabric inside the points as close as I normally do, it raveled way too much so I ended up with way too much fabric/too many threads inside my points. I won't use this fabric for applique again and I may not use it for piecing. I'll have to try it in a sample and see if it holds together.

My last photo this week is of the pieces for the doll quilt, Midnight Stars, Lori is posting. I love doll quilts - they're easy to finish and easy to display.

This doesn't look like much but I'm ready for the next step.

New Year's goal

2011-01-10T14:01:00.000-08:00

Strike one. My only goal was to post at least once a week. Oh well. I've been working on quilt blocks instead.

These are my next four blocks for Beyond the Cherry Tree. I was officially caught up until the newest block was posted this morning. I'm also doing Barbara Brackman's Civil War block a week quilt (here). This is the week 1 block -

Week 2 is posted and I'll probably make it tomorrow. I have a large selection of fabrics I can use in the quilt and I'm looking forward to it.

Lori at Humble Quilts is posting a doll quilt-along for us. She calls it Midnight Stars. I don't really have anything photo-worthy for that one yet. I have a stack of HST's from step 1 and the pieces cut for step 2 but not sewn on yet. That's what I'm going to work on this afternoon. Once we get the center stars made (not posted yet), I should have more to share. I love making doll quilts and appreciate the trouble Lori's gone to for us.

Once I get caught up on the Civil War and Midnight Stars quilts, I'll start making circles for the next Cherry Tree block - 112 circles. At least I was caught up on that one so I have a month.

BtCT blocks 8, 9, and 10

2010-12-27T13:45:00.000-08:00

Block 9

Block 8

Block 10

I have no idea how to get these in the right order! I guess since we aren't making them in order it doesn't really matter. I'm not sure what I did with the picture of block 7 but you can see it on the group blog, here, along with blocks from other members. We're using a wide variety of fabrics and it's fun to see the differences. From the differences in the original blocks, I'd say the quilt was made by several people, even though we don't know for sure, so we can feel free to use different fabrics for each of our own blocks. (We could anyway since these are for us!) The pattern for block 10 had two stems per cherry but I prefer the look of just one.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas, is enjoying the holidays, and is managing to get some rest.

And tomorrow is . . .

2010-12-24T09:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone. I have no pictures to post today - just my best wishes for a safe, healthy, happy Christmas and holiday season and a very good new year for all of you, your families, and your friends!

Block 5 and baby hat

2010-12-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Block 5

Nate's new hat

My newest grandson, Nate, seems to need a new hat. Middle daughter, his mom, says he needs a hat that hasn't belonged to his cousin first and that it should be green so here is part of his Christmas gift. He's just seven weeks old so it's fairly small and didn't take long at all. For those of you who knit, you know K2P2 across 64 stitches on circular needles for 7 1/2" doesn't take very long, especially when you don't use baby yarn. The cast off happens over about five rows. And that's the pattern.

I always manage to get a stray thread in the block pictures somewhere. This time it's at the top right. The extension table for my Bernina is in so next on the list is to make a quilt from the top I completed a couple of weeks ago. Block 6 will have to wait.

Beyond the Cherry Tree, blocks 2, 3, and 4

2010-11-28T09:52:00.000-08:00

Block 2 and a really bad photo!

Block 3

Block 4

I'm continuing on my way with Beyond the Cherry Tree. I'm behind the others (check out the group blog or http://beyondthecherrytree.blogspot.com/) but I got a late start. There's some awesome work you can see there.

Has anyone bought the book The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt? It looks like another great quilt and maybe another quilt-along (???). Is anyone interested?

Beyond the Cherry Tree

2010-11-22T15:24:00.000-08:00

block 1

This is block one for the quilt. Even in the bad lighting, I can see a red halo around the flowers which surprises me. I've never had fabric from this designer run in the past. I'm hoping it comes out. (Well, of course I am!) If not, I'll redo the block. The rest of the reds are in the washing machine with Retayne as I type to avoid this in the rest of the quilt. I rinsed the block out which I don't usually do. I generally just wait till I'm finished and throw my quilts in the washer without a problem. I'm also not too sure how I like the embroidery. If I redo the block, I'll applique all the stems.

I finished the top to the Front Porch quilt I posted about, the post with pictures of the first two blocks. I've ordered the extension table for my Bernina so I can machine quilt more easily. I'll finish the quilt and take pictures after the table arrives.

Two new books

2010-11-19T08:54:00.000-08:00

These came in the mail Wednesday. I've wanted the Schnibbles book for some time and finally decided I need it. American Folk Art Quilts is absolutely my style. It's a picture book, not an instruction book, and I can't wait to duplicate some of the quilts inside.

For the life of me, Blogger logic eludes me. I can't get the photos on the same line, no matter what size I make them.

Primitive Thimble: A Quilt Shop, revisited

2010-11-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

This has been a really nice shop, a place I know I can find the reproduction and primitive fabrics I use. But the shop is closing. She may go to an on-line shop but I haven't yet heard if she's made that decision. I completely understand the need for her to close but, still, it's sad. I was going to make a trip there this week anyway but went Tuesday when I heard. These are the fabrics I got that day. The shirting is the only one in the group there wasn't enough of but that doesn't stop me with shirtings! I also got a Lori Smith pattern, Pieces of Time, that's a combination of pieced and applique blocks and lovely. It was nice to get a discount on everything but, even so, the reason made me sad.

First two blocks

2010-11-09T13:23:00.000-08:00


block #1


block #2

Granted, these are not the best pictures I've ever taken of my quilt blocks. They actually are flat but they certainly don't look it. I haven't used the good iron on them yet, the iron that has some weight to it. I use a really small, light, dry iron for pressing seams as I go. The second block went together much faster than the first but isn't that always the way?

I wanted to make a couple of the blocks before I cut out the fabric for all 16 just to make sure that the instructions were correct and that I could follow them. Yes to both.

A couple of things I have to remember for the rest of the blocks - when sections are sewn over-sized, don't forget to trim them or I'll have to take the entire block apart. And basting is underrated. It doesn't matter how accurately I think I can hold points coming together, baste anyway. Remembering both of these things before sewing is probably why the second block was so much quicker.

These are for The Front Porch Quilt from Fig Tree. The book is Fig Tree Quilts: Fresh Vintage Sewing (from your LQS or Amazon) and it has several good patterns. I bought the book and most of the fabric in June last year but wanted to finish the Circuit Rider before I started it.

I'm also going to start the Beyond the Cherry Trees BOM from Sentimental Stitches. (Me? Two at once?) I bought my background fabric yesterday and it's been through the washer and dryer. I usually wait till I finish a quilt to wash it, but I want this to be really easy to needle. Now it's dampened (the old fashioned way) and in a plastic bag to distribute the moisture. So, this afternoon, I get to iron 12 1/2 yards of fabric. Making these two blocks first was my reward, even if backwards.

Avoiding sun damage

2010-11-01T09:52:00.000-07:00

Ady asked in a comment if I'm afraid of sun damage and fading in my Circuit Rider quilt since it's over a window. The short answer is no but here's why. The quilt is hung on the side of the house that faces mostly north so the sun doesn't shine directly in that window. That little bit that you see in the picture is all there will be. Well, that and I live just outside Portland Oregon and we won't see the sun again until spring. There is also a set of blinds behind the quilt and, believe me, I know from having them closed in the summer that they block the sun! Also, if I ever get worried about it, I'll get some sun-blocking drapery lining and baste it to the back of the quilt. I put in a lot of hours on it and I'm not going to let something happen to it that I can avoid. This may not work for everyone but for this window it does.

I thought Ady asked a really good question, one I've never seen addressed in relation to quilts before, so I wanted to post my answer here rather than just in my private reply to her.

I need a book review

2010-10-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Do any of you have Encyclopedia of Designs for Quilting by Phyllis Miller? The Amazon link is this. I know some of you have a book on historical quilting designs and that's the one I'm looking for. If this isn't that book and you know which one I mean, please post a comment to let me know. I thought the book I'm after is somewhere around $60 and this one is much less so that's my reason for asking. Or, if you have this book and love it, I'd like to know that, too. I have a gift certificate that I want to use for it but I want to get the right book.

Thanks, everyone!

My Circuit Rider quilt

2010-10-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

It's finished - done and hung! It really feels good to finally get it up on the rod. I have it in front of a window that leaks cold air all winter and puts a good chill on my house. I've had small quilts draped over cafe' rods in the past but wanted one large quilt for a prettier effect. You can see in its lower right where the sun was hitting the window and this is why I wanted a solid backing. There is another very large window on the front of the room (this is on the side) that doesn't let in all that cold air so there's still quite a bit of natural light coming in. To say I'm happy with this quilt is an understatement! I'm also surprised at how quickly the quilting went, once I finally took that first stitch, especially with everything else going on.

If you look at my posts from last year, April to June 2009, you can see the progress on the blocks so I don't need to post all that again. I think I know what my next big quilt project will be - along with small, doll size quilts thrown in, but I still need one or two more fabrics. I guess I'll just have to hit the quilt shops. Bummer, right?

Simple Abundance

2010-10-21T12:39:00.000-07:00

Even though you can't see them, there are lots of colors in here

This just arrived from Mary Lou at cheaperthantherapyquilting (just click here). They're wonderful! Thank you so much, Mary Lou! It's hard to fan out a charm pack (or two or three) and fit it all in the frame. These are exactly the type of fabrics I love, absolutely LOVE, to quilt with and I had none of them. They're perfect for applique and I may even get brave and try something with flying geese. I'm going to look through my quilt books and pick out something special. The other photo is the wonderful card Mary Lou enclosed with the fabrics.

Thank you, Mary Lou!!!

What's new

2010-10-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

This is what's new here - Nathan James, weighed in at 7 lbs 8 oz and 22 inches. He was born last Tues, Oct 12, the same day as his oldest cousin - she turned 4 that day. Mom (my middle daughter) had problems when labor started but they're both doing well now. It took much longer than normal for things to go back to almost normal for her but the drs finally let them go home after many more days than usual. Trying to get a good shot without the flash in a fairly dark room turned out to be problematic as you can tell. It's not my sharpest picture but you can get a good idea of what he looks like - beautiful!

Check this out . . .

2010-10-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Look at this (http://cheaperthantherapyquilting.blogspot.com/) - now scroll down to the end of the Oct 16 post. She's making a Circuit Rider quilt and it's beautiful. But what I really want you to see is my name - I won a charm pack! I've been completely distracted this week - some reasons good and some quite worrisome (waiting to get pictures loaded to share) - and it really cheered me up to know that nice things happen when you aren't expecting them. I totally forgot she was having a drawing (what are the odds of winning?) and then got an email from her and saw this on her blog. I've always believed that God is watching out for us but this time He tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hey - you need something fun to happen to you." I'm thrilled to win!!! Mary Lou's blog is a lot of fun so stop by. And while you're there, have a look at her CR quilt. It's awesome.

And the worrisome part? It's okay now.

Collections

2010-10-04T10:12:00.000-07:00

my new thimble

Apparently, I collect thimbles. I don't collect pretty thimbles, but useful thimbles. And it's a good thing I do! I'm the type that, in the fabric store, thinks I should see if any of them fit. My fingers are short and it's hard to tell if they will be comfortable through the little hole in the card. So, I get them home and find they're either too long or too tight or too something else and throw them in my sewing box where they float to the bottom to wait for an emergency.

It's a good thing I do this because while I was quilting yesterday the needle went through the end of my thimble - not hard enough to stab me or to really hurt but hard enough for me to know there's a hole in my favorite thimble. It's not a pretty one, either. It's a bit too big and kind of digs in the outside of my finger so I put a small piece of moleskin on it. That made it fit perfectly and it was a joy to use.

Do any of you have a favorite kind of thimble you'll share with me? I have to find another one. Fast.

I've seen thimbles that look like they're made from silicon. Have any of you tried them and what do you think about them? I really don't want to spend the big bucks for a custom thimble because I also have a dog who likes to collect things and hide them from me. The more I use them, the more status it adds to her collection.

The next thing I'm going to collect is needle threaders, the kind I posted about here. I tend to put mine down while I'm sewing and not know where so I obviously need more than one.

On a more positive note, I started the hand quilting on my Circuit Rider quilt yesterday. I'm the type that, once a project is stalled, it's hard to get it going again so I'm really happy that I got this back out. This will be my big winter project but, by spring, it should be finished.

My basil harvest

2010-09-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I picked most of the basil from my garden (I left a little growing for whole leaves) to make pesto to freeze. Here's the pile I brought in --- quite a bunch!

It took close to two hours to strip the leaves. I couldn't just run my hands down the stems because of the buds and the side branches. I make the pesto without the cheese and less oil, then freeze it in ice cube trays. I add the cheese when I use it and add however much more oil it needs. That just depends on the amount of oil in the recipe I'm adding it to. I love it with pasta mixed with either fresh or sun dried tomatoes and crispy garlic bread.

New monkey, old cross stitch

2010-08-14T10:09:00.000-07:00

These are two more gifts for my newest grandchild. The shower is next weekend. The first is a monkey that matches his quilt. The pattern is from Melly and Me. He has big blue eyes with a nice red jelly bean in between. You have to look hard to figure out which spots his eyes are but they're there!

The cross stitch is something I made for this daughter and her younger sister when they were babies. She's the first of those two to have children so she gets it. I vacuumed it, unframed and washed it, reblocked it, then reframed it. I think it's on 18 or 20 count but I didn't check. Baby's name is going to start with N so I took a close up of that.

Making your mark

2010-08-06T15:12:00.000-07:00

My art teacher talks a lot about making our marks, that the mark we make with a brush is like our handwriting. We are all unique. I got to thinking about making my mark when I quilt. I know there are quilters whose work is unique. When I look at their quilts, I know either who made it or that someone made it in that style. But do we have individual "marks" when we hand quilt? Here's mine -

This is a utility quilt, meant to be used and laundered. It's for a baby to wrap up in when he's tiny and drag around when he grows, not to put away on the shelf. Because of that, I didn't try to make the tiniest stitches possible, just small enough so that his little fingers and toes won't catch on them. But when I think about it, that's the kind of quilt I normally make - one to be used. My stitches are generally even in size but not always straight. I don't use a hoop or frame and haven't for years. Sometimes I mark my lines, other times no. I marked my Circuit Rider quilt but not this one. If the lines are long, I mark them. When I look at the quilts I've made, I recognize my stitching.

Do you agree? Do we each have our own " quilt mark?"

Things I've never shown you . . .

2010-08-03T10:52:00.000-07:00

I was thinking that if I only posted when I completed a new quilt, it would be a long dry spell between. So, I'll be sharing some things I've done in the past. The first is a quilt hanging in my kitchen. I have no idea where I got the patterns for most of the older quilts I'll show. They're either packed away or given away. This one came from a shop that closed a few years back but it's a pattern I always enjoy seeing so it's hanging in the kitchen nook over a cabinet.

The daffodils are from my garden so it must have been spring.

Finished!

2010-08-01T09:01:00.000-07:00

New baby quilt is finished! It's square in a square with some circles and plain blocks thrown in for variety. I wasn't happy with the way the machine applique looked on the circles so I added some rickrack for both visual and textural interest. Babies like bright colors but middle daughter, AKA new mom to be, has been legally blind since she was born so I wanted this to have vibrant color for her, too.

The shower is this month (I can't believe it's already August!) and I was worried the weather might be a problem for hand quilting. So far, except for a week or so, we've had a fairly cool summer. Honestly, the last two weeks of July felt more like June.

Art is moving

2010-07-28T11:27:00.000-07:00

At least, art should be moving. Otherwise, why do it?

I decided to keep my quilting and painting separate in blogland so started Mary Loves to Paint. (Different types of art, different names.) I'll post some of my paintings over there and will post the photos I take each week on that site since they really have nothing to do with quilting. Stop by now and then and take a look!

Today, I went to . . .

2010-07-23T16:31:00.000-07:00

Lavender Valley lavender farm in Hood River with my painting class. This place is simply beautiful, especially if you're a fan of lavender and I definitely am. The smells were fantastic. One of the things I've enjoyed about this class is finding out about all the wonderful places in the area that I didn't know existed. The leader has us meet in a different spot each week and some of them are way off the beaten path but definitely worth the drive.

They also have several pear orchards ---

Today was a really nice day.

Lunch

2010-07-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have lunch with my friend, Christine LeFever, every month and we take turns picking the location. She lives just three blocks away and this is often the only time we manage to see each other. Sad, I know! This time, she chose Stone Cliff in Oregon City near Carver, on the hillside above the Clackamas River. It was used for some of the outdoor scenes in the Twilight movies from what I heard. These were our views as we ate ---

(I have no idea how to remove this big space)

And this is the front of the restaurant --

I had smoked salmon chowder and it was fabulous!

Lori Smith patterns

2010-07-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Anonymous posted a comment recently saying that Lori Smith was the designer of the small quilts on the wall in one of my pictures from Momma Made It. I knew it was an easy name but could I remember it while I was writing? Apparently not! This is also one of Lori's patterns, the one I made my granddaughter, Laura, for her first birthday in April last year.

I really can't remember if I posted a picture at the time or not. If I did, well, it's summer and this is a rerun. The background is actually a really pale yellow but I couldn't get it right in the picture. I normally hand quilt but this has a flannel back so I used the machine. I found some really fun fabrics for a birthday quilt, by Hallmark of all things, with cakes and candles and balloons and just fun.

New baby quilt

2010-07-03T08:59:00.000-07:00

Fabrics cut - I just can't get the pictures turned

My middle daughter is expecting their first baby in October and it's a boy!!! The first thing she said after "I'm pregnant" is "Baby gets a quilt, right?" I think they're going with the monkey theme from Babies-R-Us so the fabrics have to not clash with that green. The circle print in the top photo looks, to me, like snails with frogs but it turned out to be bicycles with flowers in the baskets. Oh well - baby won't know the difference and the colors are right. I love the fabric that looks like jelly beans. I had some fabrics left from the last grandson's quilt but most are just for this one and I used up just about everything I bought for it. That's a first.

I have most of the squares sewn now - 5 to go out of 63 - but weatherman says next week will be mid-90's. My sewing machine is in the very hot upstairs with no AC so it may be a while before I get the blocks joined. And the shower is in August so I have a deadline.

What I was going to show you is . . .

2010-06-27T08:22:00.000-07:00

What I've been working on for the past year:

But it seems that blogger doesn't want to upload the photos I want uploaded. Maybe it's because I've used three different cameras and they've duplicated numbers??? When I search in my photo program, though, I only find one.

This picture shows an area about six or so feet deep that goes the width of my front yard. It used to be grass but last summer my sil tilled it up for me. It's been nothing but grass (and dandelions) for close to 100 years so the dirt was pretty compacted. Then I put in the fence. This year, I pulled lots and lots of weeds, tilled, added compost, tilled again, and planted.

I still need to expand the area. You can see my mini-teepee for beans. Not nearly enough room!!! If everything grows, I'll have a lot of vegetables. I put this in front because my back yard is so shaded that veggies won't grow and my front yard gets lots of sun. Since I don't have sheep or goats, I don't really need lawn there. The other end is going to be perennial flowers with a few annuals here and there. Hopefully, I'll be able to post pictures of everything filled in.

Tongue in Cheek

2010-04-21T08:44:00.000-07:00

Have any of you seen the Tongue In Cheek blog? Today's post is about painting and choosing colors but it could just as easily apply to quilting and fabrics. She mostly talks about life in France as an American married to a French husband but today was about painting. One of the things I noticed was several paintings were the same scene but in different colors - just what we do with fabric. Take a look.

Momma Made It - A quilt shop

2010-04-20T08:02:00.001-07:00

I realized I said back in September that I'd post pictures from the other quilt shop I visited but never did. The shop used to be in an old house but is now in a strip mall. The ambiance isn't the same but she doesn't have to mow the lawn anymore.

I can't remember the name of the woman who made the little patterns for the quilts on the wall but I know I have them. I've used her designs in the past and really like them.

This quilt is on the wall behind the front door.

Don't you just love these blues?

I LOVE this pink fabric but she'd sold all of it by the time I was there. I have no idea how old it is. I think I'd probably have purchased the entire bolt if she'd still had some in stock.

Evan's quilt

2010-04-04T09:26:00.000-07:00

Finally - a picture of the baby quilt! I didn't take one of the back but it's mostly white, like the front, with stripes down the sides made from fabrics I used in the body of the quilt. A few of the stripes are pieced. The quilt is a bit bigger than 45" wide and probably between 5 and 6 feet long. I finished it last October, long before Evan was born on December 3rd. I truly love hand quilting and and this was intended to be a special quilt for him, and one he would use, so I quilted it by hand. My daughter and her husband decided not to find out if he was a boy or girl until he made his arrival, so no pink and very little blue in this one - even though I was pretty sure he was a boy.

I have my Circuit Rider quilt marked now but haven't begun the quilting. I had really intended to do that this winter but just never got it started. It's folded up and sitting on the back of the couch in my living room so that I don't forget. Maybe I'll get it started next fall. I have other quilts to make before then and don't want something that big draped over my lap in the summer.

Happy Easter everyone!

No pictures

2009-10-28T07:54:00.000-07:00

Again. I've been busy getting things finished and keep forgetting to take out the camera! (BAAAD Gwendie) I've been taking an art class that's so much fun I have a hard time believing it. I still have to find a place big enough to mark the Circuit Rider quilt - that's next on the list - and I have a feeling it will be on the floor with part of it folded up out of the way. It's definitely cool enough in the evening to sit under a big quilt while I work on it and I want to get it finished. If anyone has a suggestion about where to find a really big table-high surface, please let me know. The LQS's around here just have what I have at home.

Primitive Thimble - a quilt shop

2009-09-20T11:28:00.000-07:00

I believe in guilt free blogging. Summers are busy for everyone but I did try to read the blogs I usually follow even if I didn't comment. Enough said!

My friend Barb and I went to a couple of quilt shops in Washington yesterday that have moved. They'd been in very quaint buildings and are now in strip malls. I understand why they moved but the ambiance is certainly not the same for one of them, even though she still has wonderful fabrics.

Primitive Thimble came close. This is the shop that took over in the church in Battle Ground that Cottons had occupied and she's moved to Vancouver. I asked permission in both shops to take pictures for my blog, both graciously said yes, and here is the first --- Primitive Thimble. I'll post the other in a few days.

When I walked through the doors, I forgot we were in a strip mall. Really! And that's something that's hard to accomplish. They were having their grand re-opening. She had lots and lots of samples up and I couldn't get pictures of everything because there was just so much to see. There are lots of pre-made items - animals, pincushions, quilts for samples - and lots of gorgeous fabrics, including some wonderful wools. The shop is definitely primitive. I have the Fig Tree book with the 'porch quilt' pattern. She has the quilt up on the wall in prim fabrics and it's amazing how different it looks! I may have to make it more than once. The pincushion make-do at the end of the pictures is on an old door knob.

I had a hard time getting all the pictures where I want them. If you click on the slices of pictures on the right, they should open.

Moving right along

2009-08-15T09:40:00.001-07:00

Here is the next step on the baby quilt. I managed to get to the quilt shop yesterday to get the fabric for the borders. I had house guests last week and my garden has gotten most of my attention now that the weather is beautiful. Baby isn't due till the beginning of December so other things took priority. After I got home yesterday, I made a couple of summer tops for my daughter (DD#1). She bought some fabric and asked if I'd sew them up for her so the quilt took the back burner again.

'm not particularly happy with my computer monitor right now. (Okay - I'm not happy at all with it.) The image is hanging off the left side of the screen and there's not one of those draggy arrow thingies on the right to move it back where it goes. There's an arrow but it refuses to move the image. Oh well. I'll just have to give SIL by DD#2, the computer guru, a call I guess. He's probably going to say that since this monitor is most likely 20 or more years old, I should get myself one that works right!

On Monday, my mom and I went to see Julie and Julia. I love to cook, always loved Julia, and really enjoyed the movie. I don't go often so it was a nice treat.

Back to quilting

2009-08-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

This really isn't a jumbled pile of unorganized scraps ---

It's strips that have been sewn together and cut into triangles for the baby quilt. It's finally cooled off here enough so I can sew in the mornings. Pressing may have to wait but I'll give it a shot.

On a totally unrelated note, I can't find my good glasses. It certainly makes seeing harder. I have glasses from the dollar store all over the house but can't see distances with them on. I can usually see distances just fine so I just have to get used to flipping the cheapo glasses on and off.

I saw this posted on another blog and thought it was worth passing on. She's collecting fabric scraps to make quilts for preemies. My oldest daughter (the one expecting the baby) was a 33 week preemie so this is a project close to my heart. Check out her blog.

Remains of the job

2009-07-30T10:56:00.001-07:00

This was my office -

until two weeks ago. I've been furloughed.
It's supposed to last six weeks
but I don't expect to be called back that soon.
I've been planning to retire next July so
I'm looking at this as a trial run.

You can see the my helper's crate on the right.
She's usually loose in my little area but she goes to
her room when clients come in.

It doesn't look that messy from my chair. When I took the
picture, those were all things I was trying to get finished
before I left.

Hot weather treat

2009-07-29T12:07:00.000-07:00

It's going to be really, really hot here today and I don't have AC so decided to make myself a treat.

This

Plus this

Equals this ---

A really tasty, no fat, cool, mango sorbet

Just curious ---

2009-07-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

Do you have anything on your kitchen window sill?

Minnesota Blog Hop

2009-07-24T10:56:00.000-07:00

The prize I won on the Minnesota Blog Hop arrived late yesterday. Remember the old Ronco ads on TV - but wait! There's more! That's just how I felt. Whenever I thought there couldn't possibly be anything more, something else popped out. There's no way to fit pictures of each thing individually so I grouped them together.

First, everything

Next the books

And the patterns

I think I counted 15 patterns and six books. There were fat quarters of fabric, a new rotary cutter and ruler, and some of the patterns have fabric tucked inside them. The book Paintsticks on Fabric even has paint sticks and texture plates inside.

There's something from each of the ten designers ---

Gudrun from GE Designs
Heather from Anka's Treasures

Celine from Perkins Dry Good

Roseann from Rosebuds Cottage

Sherri from This 'N' That

Kari from New Leaf Stitches

Terry from Atkinson Designs

Shelly from Cedar Canyon Textiles

Jamie from Scrap-bags

Mary from Quilted Treasures

Gudrun was the organizer. I read she's planning another blog hop for November. Be sure to check her blog and join in. A huge thank you to each of the designers who participated and contributed to the prizes. You have no idea how excited I was when I saw my name posted as the grand prize winner and I feel so blessed to win such a wonderful box of goodies!

One of my older quilts

2009-07-21T10:55:00.000-07:00

It's been so hot here lately, there's not a lot of quilting going on so I thought I'd show you some of the quilts I made a while ago. This one hangs in my dining room and is an English wedding ring pattern. When I look at it, I really like it but I'd never pick that same plaid today to use in a quilt. It's strange that even though our taste changes, we still really like quilts we made in the past. I think I must have tea-dyed it but I don't remember if it was before or after I pieced it. The colors aren't true. My dining room walls are really a soft, pretty green but don't look like that here.

This quilt hangs in my dining room

Doll museum visit

2009-07-19T09:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I went to the Rosalie Whyel Doll Museum in Bellevue WA (sear Seattle) with my friend Christine LeFever and her husband Greg. What a wonderful place!!! Unfortunately, almost all of the dolls are on the second floor and no photography is allowed there. They have a huge (really huge) doll house on the main floor I got some pictures of -

This is the best angle I could get

Reflections were obviously a problem

See me taking the picture?

This is the only doll I got a picture of ---

And her description ---

I really wish I could have taken more pictures but no matter how much I pleaded, they didn't let me. Not all dolls are displayed at once so I'll have to go back someday. We had so much fun!!!

Viral videos, pt 2

2009-07-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

And here's the rest of the story, so far.

viral videos

2009-07-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Not quilt related ---

If you really like United Airlines, stop here. Otherwise, check out this video. Personally, aside from the problem, I think he's a fairly talented songwriter and the band sounded good!

Shameless plug

2009-07-07T12:56:00.001-07:00

I think most of us feel free to share when we receive bad service. I'm a believer in sharing when the service I get is good, too.

I saw a fabric I loved in Karen's Trumpet Flower quilt that she posted on April 30th.

See why I loved this fabric?

If you clicked on any of my CR blocks, you saw that I used a lot of a Blackbird sampler fabric in that quilt. Aside from loving Karen's entire quilt, I knew I was on a mission to find the fabric she'd used because I loved it. Unfortunately, it's an old print and not readily available.

Karen, wonderful quilty person that she is, tracked it down for me (I didn't know she was going to do this - isn't she nice?) and found it at Rusty Crow. I ordered it last Friday. She sent an email immediately acknowledging my order and within minutes (really - minutes!) sent another saying my order had shipped. I had it in my hands yesterday, Monday. Now realize this is even better because Sat was a holiday. Shipping was just $4 and the site says shipping on orders over $50 is free. It's obviously not pressed yet in the picture but I couldn't wait that long to tell you about this site. Her fabrics fit my style and I'll definitely shop there again.

Check the more recent posts on Karen's blog, too. She's also working on a Circuit Rider quilt but hers is for an auction. Start here and go back. She has a lot of pictures and her work is gorgeous!

Blog hopping

2009-07-06T14:53:00.001-07:00

No pictures this time.

Did any of you participate in the Minnesota blog hop that went on over the past two weeks? It was ten different designers from Minnesota and, each day, a different designer posted a project and told a little about herself. It was a lot of fun to see all the different ideas and there will be another themed blog hop in November. All who left a comment on each designer's blog on her special day were entered into a drawing for a grand prize and several had their own very nice prizes. Well, look here, at Gudrun's blog. Near the middle. I'm still in shock.

A few of my notes on basting big quilts

2009-07-05T13:50:00.001-07:00

You all know me well enough to know that 'a few notes' means pull up a chair, I'm gonna' talk!

After I watched Sharon Schamber's video on basting, I thought it looked like a really good idea so wanted to try it when I basted my Circuit Rider quilt. What I didn't really think about was that she demonstrated on a fairly small quilt and that the demo was 'basting for machine quilting.' No way was I going to starch my backing since I'll be hand quilting and I think that mattered for rolling it up. Still, I'd skip starching the back again. But the first problem I had was finding an area wide enough. The backing is 108" wide (9 feet) and the top is 7 feet square. Since the idea was to not have to crawl around on the floor, I decided to put my dining room and kitchen tables end to end. Let's just say, after doing it, I don't advise this!

tables end to end with backing

I couldn't leave them in the dining room and be able to open the back door to let the dog out. So, here they are in my front parlor. The door to the hallway is in the background. I have to get through that door to go upstairs where the bedrooms are or to get to the front door.

closer view of blocked door

My other problem with using two tables was they aren't the same height. They're off by about an inch and I couldn't find anything the right thickness to make them even. The kitchen table has, for lack of a better term, wings that come up to make the table bigger (and I needed the space) and they aren't level when raised so that was something else to work around. After the first day, I put books under the shorter table to see if it would help. Not a lot but it was better.

After watching the video twice, I didn't see a really good reason to spread the top out on the backing to roll them up. I skipped this step and spread out the backing, rolled it, then spread the top and rolled it. For me, this worked quite well and I'd do it this way again.

Next, when you're dealing with fabric that's 108" wide, you need a way to fasten it to the board. I found this out very quickly. (I'm 5'3" and my arms don't spread wide enough to hold both ends at once.) I had a new electric stapler so got it out. Personally, I thought this was a great idea! I even had the size staples listed on the box.

brand new, pretty red stapler

The staples didn't fit. I found the place to put them but they seem to be the wrong size. On to plan B - painters tape, which of course I couldn't find. I have three rolls of it. Somewhere. I did manage to find some drafting tape which is supposed to work just as well, and did, luckily.

taping the backing

One of the things Sharon said that I thought, well, that would be nice in a perfect world, is to be sure your boards are straight and not warped. I had no idea how right she was until I tried it with what I happened to have on hand. Do not use warped boards for this method. It just leads to frustration. I finally remembered I have some very long PVC pipes that are actually straight, so when I was about half way finished and ready to give up, I took the backing off the board and taped it to the PVC pipe. I took the top off the other board and just rolled it loosely without anything inside. This worked much better for me. Let me repeat. Do not use warped boards. You won't be happy if you do.

Here's my helper.

helper, napping

In the end, I did manage to baste the whole quilt. Next time, I'll be sure to use a board that's straight or use the PVC pipe because it worked fairly well. And next time, I'll probably spread the backing out on the floor to roll it up. Even though I was trying to avoid crawling around on the floor, with a quilt this size, it's really hard (okay, impossible) to spread things out flat on tables that are smaller than the quilt, even if they are level. I also have a table in the basement that's 4 x 8. Next time, I think I'll roll the backing and top up on the floor and use the table in the basement for the actual basting. It's covered with a project so I didn't do that this time, but I learned.

Circuit Rider top is finished!

2009-06-30T20:15:00.000-07:00

Done!

I finished my Circuit Rider quilt top. I don't have any place to hang it yet to show the whole top so took one picture of most of it on the floor and then others of sections.

This quilt top has been a lot of work but I'm really happy with the way it turned out. The applique is all hand stitched. I have it basted and will post those pictures and pictures of the process I used to baste it another day.

For now, it's going in the guest room and waiting for cooler weather. I hand quilt without a hoop and it's too warm in the summer to work on it.

Whole quilt

Lower left

Lower right

Upper right

Upper left

You probably won't believe this but . . .

2009-06-25T18:50:00.001-07:00

Last Thanksgiving, Homespun Hearth
had a drawing.
Any one who made a purchase
that month was entered in a drawing
for a
$100 gift certificate.

(drum roll, please)

I won!!!
. . . I was really surprised . . .
to put it mildly.

I still have a hard time believing it.

The thing is, with Christmas and some other
things going on, I forgot.

Until this week. Look at what I got!

The box, of course ...

I just put the order in Monday.
It came today - Thursday.
Talk about great service!!!

Look how cute they wrapped it ....

This was in the sweet fabric pouch ...
on the back of the card it says
Wish we could join you for some tea!
There's a tea bag
and a magnifier with a ruler on the side ...
how handy is that?

I got a yard of a Kaffe print to use in the hexagon quilt
in the magazine Janet sent me . . .
and two patterns from Renee Plains . . .
Little Bird Pinkeeps
and
Playing Dress Up

And two patterns from Anka's Treasures
The Birthday Collection
and
The Baby Collection

I saw these as samples at Hollyhill Quilt Shop
and loved them both

And I got
a Candy Kisses jelly roll and
The Caroler charm pack

I have a grandchild due at the beginning of December.
Won't the charm pack be great for a quilt
for a December baby?
Especially since the Baby Collection pattern
uses a charm pack.

I love the colors and fabrics in these.
I'll use the jelly roll for me.

I still can't believe how lucky I've been.
And I truly appreciate all of it.

A great big thank you
to
Homespun Hearth!!!

Did you ever have a week like this?

2009-06-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

I really hope you have! It's been a good week.

First, I won the Sizzlin' 60's book and received it in just two days! Yes - two days! DD#1 and her husband are expecting their second child and I think the cover quilt will be really nice for the baby. And I get to do some stash building since I mainly use reproductions and they like brights for babies.

The this arrived ---

Janet at quiltsalot sent it to me. That was just the nicest thing she could have done! I've admired (okay - lusted after) the quilt she has as her logo/header quilt (as have many others). She said the templates were on the magazine website but that she had an extra copy and offered to send it to me. This quilt will be another stash builder and I'm starting today, as soon as the shop opens.

I simply cannot get over how nice people really are, especially quilters. I often see requests for a specific fabric and many offers come in, willing to share stashes. But Janet really went above and beyond for me. There just aren't words to truly convey how much I appreciate what she did.

I guess it's pretty obvious that I'm excited about having this pattern.

If you've never visited Janet's blog, check it out. She makes beautiful quilts.

You have to see this!

2009-06-10T08:44:00.000-07:00

I try really hard to put a picture in each post, so forgive me for the lack of one now. But you have to see this! See the second name? That's me!!!!

When does a gadget become a necessity?

2009-06-07T07:47:00.000-07:00

Or: How Can I Live Without You?

I can't be the only one who's thought about this. I used to live quite happily without a microwave oven but don't even think of taking mine away now. I could list a lot of other things (indoor plumbing comes to mind fairly fast) but I won't bore you all with a list.

Instead, I'll tell you about this and why my hand is in this position ---

This is Clover's needle threader and let me say the most important thing first - it works! It really works. I won't lie and say it's perfect, but if I keep trying, it threads my needle. So far, it's worked on every needle I can fit in the slot. If it won't fit, chances are pretty good that the eye is big enough that I can see it and get the thread through on my own.

I've even threaded size 11 straw needles with this baby and the biggest problem I had was determining which end was the eye and which the point. I have no idea how it manages to turn the eye so whatever pulls the thread through goes through the eye, but I don't have to know. I only care if it works. The size 11 needles have sometimes taken several tries, but in the end, this necessity threaded the needle.

There are two things I've learned about it though. If it doesn't thread on the first try, pull the thread through a bit before your next go. It sometimes cuts the thread and sometimes snags it enough that it will break. If you give it a new spot to pull though, it's not a problem.

The second thing is the reason my hand is cupped over the top of the needle. On times that it doesn't thread, it sometimes shoots (flings?) the needle out of the needle slot. I now have one somewhere in my couch that even a good strong magnet hasn't found. If your hand is close enough over the needle, you can keep it in the slot.

If this ever breaks, I'll get another. I may even get another just in case. What if it broke after the store closed for the evening?

Borders

2009-06-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

EDIT: The border isn't inspired by Cherri Saffiote but by Cheri Ralston. That's what I get for not looking it up!

It's hard to tell from the photo, but my Circuit Rider quilt borders are prepped! I just finished. The border is my design but based on a quilt by Cherri Saffiote in American Patchwork and Quilting. Borders are pieced, lots of bias was made, flowers marked and cut, leaves marked and cut, circle centers for the flowers cut, gathered, and pressed, and now the bias is pressed and pinned in curves to the borders. Life has been hectic lately, not bad - just hectic, and it feels really good to get back to stitching the quilt.

Circuit Rider quilt blocks

2009-05-27T13:19:00.000-07:00

I decided that I needed 36 blocks for the size I wanted the quilt to finish. I'm also going to add a 6 inch appliqued border all around so it will be seven feet on each side. I have the blocks joined and the seams pressed. The border is pieced on two sides with fabrics I used in the squares and not pieced on the other two because that's how the fabric worked out. The bias is made for the border and the flowers are marked and cut. I have somewhere close to 90 leaves to mark and cut and, so far, five of those are done. Yeah, I have a few more leaves to go!

I debated about tossing the rose block and making something else but thought if the original makers liked it enough to use it five (!) times, I could use it once, so I put it at the bottom where a table will probably be in front of it. But I know it's there and I like the idea.

Most every block I stitched, I thought, 'this is my favorite,' and looking at them all lying on the parlor floor, I still think that. And they play well together which is always a good thing in a quilt.

Don't do this

2009-05-24T19:05:00.001-07:00

Ever. I was pressing the blocks for my quilt and decided I needed to reheat my tea. It looks like I didn't pay any attention to where I put the iron. Luckily, the plastic that stuck to the side of the iron came off easily. I was worried I'd ruined it and Rowentas aren't cheap. This was my favorite squirt bottle. The pump part works easier on this one than on my others so it's less work. I can only fill it half way now but at least it sort of works.

The tea was delicious.

Biscotti, part 2

2009-05-21T16:01:00.000-07:00

I figured out what I did wrong when I made the biscotti last time because I did it again. At least this time I realized before I shaped the logs. I doubled the recipe both times and I KNOW that two teaspoons doubled is four teaspoons, not four tablespoons. I already had the liquid in, so I added extra flour. Then I made a note in the margin to watch it next time! This batch is lemon almond and yummy.

The local produce market had lemons for an excellent price, so there's fresh juice and grated peel in the dough. I meant to make lemon sugar for the top but forgot, so that will be another time.

I finished the bag I started the other day and gave it to my friend Mary. She said she'll post the picture for me. I think I spent more time taking out seams on this bag than I have on any project I've ever made. One of the pattern pieces is upside down in the diagram and of course I followed the directions, so had to take off four pieces. I could use a new seam ripper. This one is bigger than I really like and about worn out.

Meet Ezra

2009-05-18T15:36:00.001-07:00

This is Ezra, a very nice window fixer man. My home is old (1888-ish which on the west coast is old) and most of the sash cords (otherwise known as the ropes that break and then the windows won't work) were broken. Ezra is the man who is replacing them. I asked if he minded if I took a picture for the blog and he graciously said it was fine. So, tomorrow when Ezra leaves, I'll have a mess to clean up but I'll also have windows that work and don't clunk me on the head when I open them. Or fall and then the glass breaks when I step away from them.

Ezra is why I'm not getting any quilting done today or tomorrow. There was no where I could sit to work on my applique so I decided to start a bag. These are the fabrics I'm using. The print is the main part, the plaid is the handle and top band. The colors don't look at all true on my monitor - it's more of a sagey blue and it looks all blue to me here.

I'm using Amy Butler's Birdie Sling bag pattern and this is the first of her patterns I've used. I'm anxious to actually get to the sewing part - I spent about three hours getting the prep done. (You can see the fusible interfacing sticking out on the trim.) I guess I didn't work three hours straight. I knew I had some fusible fleece in the studio which took a while to find and I got some baking in there, too, so I had to work around the baking.

Lucy's quilt

2009-05-16T08:44:00.000-07:00

My son had a second daughter on Christmas Eve. Knowing ahead of time that they were expecting a girl made it much easier to pick fabrics for her quilt. I had something else in mind entirely when I went to the fabric store . . . something bright . . . but when I saw these, I changed my mind. For some reason, when I took the picture, I didn't think to back up and get the whole thing in the view finder. I hand quilted it with hearts in the setting squares and diagonal lines through the striped blocks. I didn't think to take a picture of the back, either. I don't know where my brain was that day.

Title quilt

2009-05-14T18:34:00.000-07:00

Since one of you asked, this is the pattern I used for the quilt behind my blog name. It's Renee Plains # 106 - Blossom. I made the doll that's in the pattern, too, and have her sitting on it. This quilt was a pleasure to make. I loved the pattern, the fabrics, everything about it. I didn't see it on the Liberty Star website when I looked, but I'd think someone must have it available.