Sunday Update

I started working on the embroidery part of this "Truly Scrumptious" block of the month probably 2 summers ago. I was doing quite well on finishing them but for some reason everything came to a screeching halt, and all I had to finish was a tiny bit of embroidery on the last block.....I finally decided that enough was enough on the procrastinating, just git er done! So, I pulled out the block that needed the embroidery, finished it up and then put the border around the block. Why I procrastinate sometimes just blows my mind. So, now the rows are connected and ready for a border....I'm just not sure what type I want to put on it.

On another note, has anyone seen "Time Travelers Wife"?

I actually started to read the book but found it to be a little confusing so I stopped and figured I'd just see the movie when it comes out. Last night after sewing for a while I popped it in the DVR and sat back to watch. I was just as confused with the movie as I was with the book. Too much jumping around for me. Anyone else feel that way?

Peggy

Finished

I finished..... I had some fabric in my stash that I was going to use to back this top and when I pulled it out and saw how much I had I knew I could use it for the border too.

I had some nice purples but the solid purple is an odd color so nothing really went with it...this one, however, was perfect.

I will press the backing now and start the quilting tonight or tomorrow.

Peggy

More snow and a sneak peek

Yes folks, we had more snow this morning so we had a snow day AGAIN. It's 4:00 and as I look out the window i realize that if I hadn't lived thru the storm then I'd think someone was kidding with me. The sun is out, most of the snow is melted and it just looks like it's left over from a previous storm. I fear we'll be in school till June 30th if we get any more of the white stuff.

As I reported the other day, I have the one charity top done, washed, dried, and ready to mail but I want to send a nice little girly girly top along with it so after lunch today I started sewing up this quilt. The purple is a deeper color in person.....I don't know why the camera won't pick it up like it really is, but I guess I have to just settle for how it turns out...I'm not buying a new camera.

I still have to add a final border to it but I can't decide what fabric to use. I only had a few fat quarters of the larger square fabrics so I can't use any of them, but I do have a lot of the white with purple dots, and I have another piece of purple on purple.....maybe I should go thru my stash drawers and look for something else that might go with it......

What are you girls working on?

Start Your Engines

While watching tv the last 2 nights I finished the binding on this little quilt and last night before I went to bed I popped it into the wash, then this morning I popped it into the dryer while I made my morning tea. I am very happy with how it turned out and I just know that "Quilts for Kids" will appreciate it too. Downy Fabric Softener sent along a label so you had to put your first name on it and give the quilt a name, something I don't normally do...but it was easy to name it, "Start Your Engines" was very appropriate since the black fabric was the race cas and the border is racing flags. The backing fabric is this cute reddish orange stripe which was enough to back and bind it but I found the stripe in my stash and thought that looked better. I'm going to start a girlie quilt either tomorrow or Friday so I can send one that had the fabric provided by them and another that came from my stash.

I've gone out to a few blogs and I've seen where a few girls are doing this program too....It feels so good to make something for someone who otherwise would not have gotten a quilt.

So...who's going to get snowed in over the next few days? I'd like to get a day off from school but I don't want to have to dig us out or have school get out any later than it already is.

Peggy

Quilts for Kids

My last post was about the charity organization "Quilts for Kids" and how I was going to make a quilt for this worthwhile group. I went and donated a few dollars and noticed how you could assemble a top with fabrics donated by various shops/regular folks/fabric companies, so I signed up for that too. Now, I'm thinking to myself "did you bite off more than you can chew right now?" but I figured I'd manage even if it meant not sleeping :) I think I did that Wednesday night and would you believe I got the kit to do the assembly already? Those people work fast!

The kit comes with a pattern and all the parts already cut, all you have to do is assemble.

Here's a picture of the center of the top that I sewed together this afternoon. I got a kit for a boy with race cars on black.... I'm getting ready to add a thin lime green border around this and then a wider black border with race car flags on it!!! This is just a sneak peek...the next picture will be the finished product.

Peggy

Quilts for Kids

My daughter, who is not a sewer or quilter was watching tv this morning and on "The View" one of the actresses from Greys Anatomy was telling about being the spokeswoman for Downy and "Quilts for Kids". I was just checking out the site and thought that it sounds like a very worthwhile program so if you are so inclined to assemble a quilt either from your own stash or request a kit from them that this would be a great program...
http://www.quiltsforkids.org/volunteer/

Peggy

Internet down

I haven't had internet since the snow started on Tuesday....I'm jumping on here real quick hoping I can get this posted.
With luck I'm back posting soon.

Super Bowl Finish-UFO Challenge Project

I finished the Log Cabin top just now. I am thrilled with how it came out with the piano key border. It finished up to be 96 x 71 which a bit bigger than I thought it would but it will make a great top for any size bed or even over the back of a couch. I really thought it would scream "Christmas" once it was done but I'm surprised that it just has a nice warm feel to it without a holiday feel. I'm going to back it with a red on red print but have to wait till the end of the month to send it to the longarmer since she's got a wedding coming up next weekend.

So, not that I normally keep track of this kind of stuff but to assemble this top I cut up 30 fat quarters and a yard of the cream on cream first border. I have a small pile of the piano keys left over for another project some day.

Sunday Happenings

Hi everyone....
The snow stopped and the sun came out so I'm thinking I may not have a day off from work tomorrow. How sad is that? From now on, no snow on Friday into Saturday...I want a darn day off from work!!!
I had a nice comment on the start of my log cabin quilt "I think you blocks aged very well in the zip lock baggie, the quilt will be beautiful. How do you finish a quilt during the Super Bowl?
The what??????? Just kidding.... I will watch baseball, which I love, I will watch basketball if it's on and I'm sewing, but football? Uh...I don't think so..... My son played football freshman year in HS and I went to every home game they had.....BUT, I went with other mothers that didn't understand or like the game and we sat and talked the whole time. Don't even ask me scores or what went on on the field . I WILL watch Carrie Underwood sing the national anthem but then I'll switch to HGTV or FoodNetwork...
Stay tuned...I'll have the log cabin quilt finished in about an hour or so.

Log Cabins Assembled

I finally got the log cabin blocks assembled into a top this afternoon and then after dinner I added a 3-1/2 inch neutral border....then came the real work, getting into my stash and cutting up some strips to make a piano key border for it. I didn't want to have to repeat any fabrics on each side but I think I did use 2... Here's a picture with the first side border laying next to it tonight. I'm too tired to continue sewing so tomorrow I will start the assembly of the other 3 borders and then during the football game I can finish the top off. I cannot believe I held these blocks in a ziploc bag for close to 4 years and did nothing with them...

What do you think?

Peggy

Snow, snow, and more snow

Have the people on the east coast gotten tired of the snow yet? NOT ME!!! Only thing is I want it when I can get a day off from school, not on a Friday night!!! What good does snow benefit me if I can't get an extra sewing day in????This is a picture of my back deck from the family room. YOWZER!!! It's still coming down pretty hard and from what the news people are saying, it will continue for about 4 or 5 more hours....Allright, so I MIGHT get Monday off...ya think?

I will however get a little sewing done once I get off this computer and throw some clothes on so that's a good thing. Come on back for an afternoon or early evening update....

Peggy

Is this kit cute or what?

I saw this kit on the Fat Quarter Shop's website last week and resisted ordering it for about a whole minute but then I just couldn't resist. The kit not only comes with the SPRING FEVER charm pack, it comes with the white fabric, the blue print for the border, the pink binding and the whit print for BACKING!!! How many kits do you see that you fall in love with but when you add the backing it takes up your whole monthly budget? Well gals, this one has the backing included.... You need to head on over to the FQ Shop and order it...you will not be disappointed!!!

Now, some of you might say "I thought you were not shopping but trying to finish up what you had in the sewing room?" And I will tell you, I am working on my BPF Challeng projects. Of the 12 on my list, I am working on # 6. I totally finished the Fig Tree quilt, have it quilted, bound, and washed, the black/white/turquoise quilt is quilted and the binding is on, just needs tacking down, the snack quilt and the TB stars are both out to the quilters as we speak, the Christmas Brick Walk is 85% done, just needs a final border then it too can get quilted, and last but not least, my 26 Log Cabins are ready to be assembled. I decided on a simple setting for them last night and am going to start assembling the rows today.

I'm just going to set them in rows alternating the green and red blocks then depending on how big it finishes up, I'll either put 1 wide or 2 wide borders. I have no one in mind for it but I've decided that I'd assemble anything I have and have them all done "just in case".

Now, you don't have to email me and tell me that the last block in row 4 needs flipping, Michelle already took care of that. I flipped it AFTER I took the picture.

So, I'm off to get the assembly started.

Peggy

Feeling Better and a small project

I'm feeling much better than I did last week this time.

I didn't get a lot done this week but yesterday afternoon I found a small project kind of buried on my sewing counter and since it was a friend's project I thought I better get it done.

One of the girls that works in a different building than me asked me if I could sandwich and quilt a small crib quilt that she'd embroidered. It was really quite easy since the lines for quilting were already drawn on and they were all straight lines so I pinned like crazy and then did the quilting.

I didn't tack down the binding because Marilyn, the owner said she could do that herself. The backing is a cute green and white gingham check and with the leftover fabric I made binding. I'll deliver it off to her tomorrow. I hope she likes it!

Peggy

I have a finish for the 2010 Challenge

I've been sick for the last 3 days and believe me when I tell you, I haven't done much else except take cold meds, switch the tv channels and sleep. I've missed 2 days at work, which is totally unheard of for me and haven't been in my sewing room for 3 days!!! I made the decision this morning that I'd make the effort to shower, get dressed, strip the darn bed of the sick sheets and do something.

After lunch I felt good enough to go into my sewing room. Last week I was working on a bag of star blocks that were part of the Finish er Up Challenge with my friends at Backporch Friends.

I'd set the blocks in a simple sashing and cornerstone layout and had even gotten a neutral border around it when I got sick. Since the final border was already cut it was easy to just pin them on and sew em up this afternoon so here's the finished project. I've had these blocks in a baggie on the shelf for probably 5 years, and what's crazy is once I pulled them out and decided on a layout, they went together in about 2 days! It finished up to 84-1/2 X 67-1/2, which is a decent size top for throwing over a single bed.

Now to get it quilted and crossed off my list!

Now to go look at the list and see what I can work on next.

I WON!!!

I won a blog giveaway last week on Auntie's Quaint Quilts blog. 6 Heather Mulder fat quarters, a pair of embroidery scissors and a cute little measuring tape. Can you see the little tape measure? It's rolled and wrapped up like a little piece of candy. Christine also sent a postcard of The Big Penguin down there in Tasmania...

I love the fabrics abd scissors...thank you Christine.

Coins

I've only made 1 coin quilt but I really enjoyed making it so I've started collecting some brights and kiddie prints so I could make a few more. I wasn't in the mood to sit at the sewing machine tonight after dinner so I pulled out some of the fabrics, pressed them and started cutting.

It is absolutely amazing how many 2.5 X 5.5 inch coins you can get from a few fat quarters!!!

I have some dots, stripes, Laurel Burch animals, balloons, dogs, cats etc. and what is absolutely even more amazing is that I barely made a dent in the basket of fabrics that I've been collecting!!

Valentine Runner

I found a really cute runner pattern and fabrics at my local shop, Quilting Possibilities so I cut it out last night and got the majority of it sewn but I just couldn't finish so tonight after dinner I got the binding sewn on and I just spent an hour and tacked it down. Isn't it the cutest runner? I made it for my daughter's coffee table in her apt. It was really quite simple. You quilt as you go with the strips then you buttonhole stitch the 6 hearts and pop the binding on and voile...you have a super cute, super simple valentine decoration. Now to put my thinking cap on for St. Patricks Day!!!

Peggy

Snack Quilt Done

I finally finished assembling the last 5 rows of the Snack Quilt tonight and got the border on. I was going to add a 1-1/2 inch gold border first and then add the pretzel border but I couldn't find the "perfect" gold in my stash so I went without it. I think it looks good without it and frankly, it's big enough without it. Here's a picture of my snack quilt with a picture of Michelle's that she made early in 2009.

UFO Challenge 2010

Every year someone in one of the Yahoo quilt groups that I belong to runs a UFO Challenge. It's supposed to help you "finish em up". You can send the hostess only 15 projects, but they must be bags o blocks, a finished top that needs quilting and binding or in some sort of "in the process" condition. Heaven knows I have a lot of each so I joined again this year. I have 3 large quilts on the list, the snack quilt on the most previous post has to have the rows finished then assembled and borders put on, the black/white/turquoise quilt needs quilting and binding and the Fig Tree quilt needs quilting and binding soI will only have 12 projects on the list because on top of the 3 large quilts, I picked 3 bags of blocks projects that I have no idea what I'll do with them to begin with so I knew I should stick with 3 large quilts, 3 bags of blocks and then the other 6 smaller projects.

Here's a basket in my sewing room with 9 of the projects all folded up real nice with all their parts in ziploc baggies....These 4 pictures are some of the projects that are in the basket.

I really love doing these challenges because it gets me off my duff and into the challenge mode, something I need every once in a while.

Peggy

Can We PLEASE have another blizzard tonight?

Can we PLEASE?????? I don't want to go back to work tomorrow, I'm having too much fun :)

I don't think that's gonna happen so I guess I gotta set that darn alarm clock and head to bed at a decent hour tonight...that makes me sad :(

So, today I spent the early part of the day getting my youngest packed up and headed back to college and then I spent the rest of the afternoon cutting strips for a yellow brick road quilt. I'm using all different food fat quarters that I've had in my stash it seems like forever. Again, I have no clue who it will be for but I'm sure someone will snatch it up. I didn't have anyone in mind for the Thimbleberries flannel one I did a while back but when I was trying to figure out what to get my daughter's boyfriend for Christmas I thought he might like it so I wrapped it up and gave it to him. He LOVED it...kept walking around her apartment with it wrapped around him. It's always nice to give a gift that is well received!!!

Ok, so I better go clean up and get ready for work...See you all tomorrow.

Peggy

Here's the first 3 rows (not connected to one another, just made up)

The First Finish for 2010

YAY, I have my first finish for 2010 and it's still January 1st. I love these Fig Tree fabrics and love how this quilt finished up. I didn't get the backing for it at the time I got the kit so I had to order it, but I think it will be here tomorrow or Monday, then I can get it quilted and ready for the lucky recipient...whoever that might be.

Robin is doing this quarterly project as well and we've been cheering one another on, but she stopped for a few days to do a little list making of all her unfinished projects, but I think she'll get back to it today or tomorrow.

Do you quilters keep a list of UFO's, bags of blocks, block of the months, etc? I never used to but a few years ago Robin, Michelle, and I started to do it and we called it our OBSCENE INVENTORY LIST. I would not DARE show anyone what my list looks like because it's not only obscene, but it's embarrasing. Embarrasing because I am like one of those people on that show "HOARDERS"...every nook and cranny in my sewing room is filled with fabric, blocks, kits etc...
Anyhow, how's your obscene list look???
Peggy

Happy New Year!!

Happy New Year to EVERYONE!!! Since the 3 kids were all going out last night hubby and I went out to dinner, which was delish and then headed to the movies. It's always such a surprise to see just how many people actually do go to the movies on New Years Eve instead of partying. We saw "AVATAR", which was ok...Should have gone to Blind Side, which was my first choice but I left Al on line to purchase the tickets while I visited the ladies room so he picked. I am curious to see other people's reaction to the movie now.

We took the lights down from outside the house, took the ornies off the tree and I took some of the house decorations down, not all, just some. I'll finish putting the house back to normal tomorrow.

Sarah goes back to college Sunday morning so I'm wrapping up a load of her laundry and sewing, and making some nice progress on the CobbleStones quilt top. The bottom row is just placed next to the one above it right now but that will get sewn on soon. 2 more rows of lattice and 1 more row of blocks and the center part is done. It gets a thin border of a darker pinkish red next then a wide tan print border. I still don't have a person in mind for this one so it will just get quilted and set aside until the "right" person comes along.

Peggy

Cobblestones Update

Yeah, I'm moving slow on this but yesterday was one of those days where I got distracted at every turn. Here's a picture of the first 2 rows of this quilt. I really like how it looks so after I get a little New Years Eve cleanup done I'm going to go back in and assemble a few more rows.

So, what's everyone doing for tonight? Hubby and I are going to have dinner out and then go to a movie. We haven't decided on whether we're going to see Nine, Avatar, Sherlock Holmes, Up in the Air or The Blind Side. I like movies with a lot of music and dancing so I know I'd enjoy Nine. I think I'd be fine with seeing any one of the movies so once we eat we'll go to whichever one comes on next. How's that for scientific planning?

I hope everyone has a safe evening and a Happy 2010!

Peggy

Cobble Stones Update

Gotta love Christmas break from school. You can get up and move at your own pace and either clean, cook or sew. I did a little bit of everything today. I did some running around in the morning, made a BIG pot of spaghetti sauce with meatballs and sausage then after lunch i did laundry and sewed these 30 blocks. They are the Cobble Stone blocks that are the main part of the Fig Tree project I was working on yesterday. Now, I need to read the next step to see how to do the assembly. Stay tuned.......

What Have I Been Doing All Day???

You might ask what I've been doing all day....certainly not shopping/returning any gifts that's for sure!!! NO ONE in my house needs to do any exchanging this year YAHOO!!!

BUT, I have been sewing. It's nice to be working on a project that has no deadline....

I joined the Fat Quarter Shop's Fig Tree Club back around September I think. It's a 4 project club so I figured I could manage. I got the first kit a few weeks back but with the holidays I just could not even open the package...but I did the other day, and actually cut into it. This project is called "Cobble Stones". It looked like a fairly simple project but man o man, there is a lot of cutting and also a lot of line drawing. There are 120 4 inch blocks that need half square triangles on 2 corners. Here's about 1/4 of the blocks that I have done so far...........the fabrics on the left and the small 2 inch squares are all connector pieces and then there are 71 2 x 2-1/2 in pieces of all the printed fabrics that go with it too....as well as the rest of the 120 blocks. I still have a couple of hours of work to do on these blocks so stay tuned to my progress.

It's been raining like crazy here in New Jersey today so all the snow we got last weekend is virtually gone. School is closed so I'm off until January 4th so I will be sewing like crazy I hope...

Peggy

Could it be my birthday every day?

Could it? Could it??? I am having the absolute best day....Flowers from my hubby which are beautiful read and white tulips with candy canes mixed in, a platter of cookies from my neighbor Rose, who actually works with me, and some wonderful half yard pieces of fabric from my friend April, who I work with too....I also received soooo many emails and text messages wishing me a great day that it will be hard to wake up tomorrow and not have it be my birthday...so, for anyone out there that likes to give presents, I'm extending my birthday to the 23rd also :)

Here's a peek at April's fabric selection....

The 3 fabrics on the right are Heather Ross mermaids, fish and seahorses. The 2 on the left have selvages but are written in either chinese or japanese and have a "different" feel to them. The top fabric is orange and pink snails and the bottom looks like princess and the pea. Who knew that April was listening to all my ramblings while she sat so quietly in work by my desk? Not me!!! Thank you April!

OH, and in case you NEED to know, the fabrics were ordered from Fabricworm. She has a website and an etsy store. I may be emailing her to get info about those 2 cute fabrics on the left.

Peggy

An Early Birthday Present

I feel awful. I got this early birthday present last week but didn't post about it because my camera was not charged so here it is now...better late than never. Michelle made me the cutest pillow, sent a box o turtles (YUM) a fat quarter of donuts fabric and a tea infuser with the cutest purple dotted teacup as the handle.....The pillow matches my red chair perfectly don't you think?

Oh, and just so you know...the TURTLES were YUMMY!!!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Yes siree Bob, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in my house... I came home this afternoon and found two wonderful boxes on my kitchen counter from two of the bestest quilting sisters ever. I had the Bareroots pattern with the customary fabric and floss all packaged up in a cute handmade bag, a wooly ornie, candlemat, mug, M&M's and a tree ornie all from Michelle along with a cute Christmas card with her and her family on it. The next box was from Robin and lemme tell you, spoiled again...candle mat pattern with floss and woolfelt, ornie, candy, note cards, journal, candle warmer and a homemade scarf...

These girls really spoiled me......

Thank you girls............... PS: The scarf is for my birthday tomorrow....

I can't stop looking at all the goodies...I'm so blessed to have such wonderful friends.....

CRUNCH

My poor car got crunched this afternoon :( My daughter was on the Parkway when the girl in front of her stopped short because someone had cut her off. My grill and hood are a mess but I think the car is driveable. Neither girl was hurt, so that's a good thing but now comes the process of dealing with the car insurance company....YUCK!

Snow, snow and more snow

The darn snow would not stop....hubby said at 7am it was still snowing this morning so we have had 24 hours of straight snow... Here's a picture of our 18-20 inches out front. The kids have decided that this snowblower is not sufficient for Poppy, no siree bob, Father's Day is going to be bringing him something a little more substantial.

We never know when we'll get hit in NJ so we need to upgrade just a bit since our driveway holds 5 cars across and 2 deep.

Oh yeah, and the good news...School is closed tomorrow!!! YAY. I can finish shopping and get a little sewing done too.