Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Lots of snow outside means lots of time inside to get a few things done. Here are three. 


First is another charity for Basically Babies. "Monkeying around with a Giraffe" is just a simple panel. The dark binding set it off. I quilted it with a panto called "Amour" with big swirly hearts.






This "Blue-Green Blends" uses the same panto. It is a lap quilt size and still, I have more blue scraps. They must multiply in the night when I'm not looking!

The color in this photo is way off. It is very blue and green, a tiny bit of red in one narrow border. But too cold outside to take the picture in daylight.

 

 

Last one is a fun project a quilter friend challenged our bee group to try. I didn't like it until the binding went on. Now it is done, no clue what to do with it, but fun to look at!  

No name for LS-Colors other than it is a bit of a description, LS meaning long stitch. This fabric called my name in a store that was not in business very long. Very crabby owner, but she did know how to pick attractive merchandise.




Thursday, December 5, 2024

Slow with looking at comments :-(

 Just realized I've not checked for posts for a looooong time. So sorry to those whose posts are legit. However, I do not post business advertisements, links to other non-related blogs or pages, and the occasional post advertising immorality. 

I made a batch of blocks out of leftovers from the last two quilts. They will go into a scrappy one when there are enough of the right colors, etc. Had only a few tiny pieces left that will be used for leader/enders. It feels good to put them to use. Scottish me. No photo until they are part of a top...


Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Finally

 After putting fabrics in neat order and moving furniture a tad, I have two quilts done... not too exciting. One is from a panel and the other from some charm squares. The first is "Animal Adventures" and I used a panto called "Animal Crackers" to quilt it.

I was going to call the other one "Found in a Strawberry Patch" but that could offend, so called it "Sweet as a Berry." It is ditch quilted on my Bernina, so that was relaxing.

Both will go to a local group called "Basically Babies" who supply a year's layette for new babes in needy families. This is a huge undertaking -- more than 800 families receiving them this year. 

BB does a lot of work to make sure the items all match and are not just a hodge-podge of things baby's need. I'm not certain all the layettes get quilts but I'll do what I can and our Guild will pass them along.

I have a large box of fabrics to make little quilts like these, and the plan is to empty the box, then get on with larger pieces... and get more of those scraps used up.  

Our new home still needs some pictures hung, etc. but I made a couple dozen muffins today, and "normal life" seems not too far away. Also 'normal weather' keeps me at home. We had several inches of snow last week with very cold temps, then it warmed up, started to melt, and freezing rain today made the streets too much for any ambitions to go out. So I can sew... 😊 

 

 

 

 

Monday, November 18, 2024

Progress?

This week, my studio started to look like a work space instead of a dumping ground. Here is a photo.

How long the fabrics will stay nicely folded is one question. The three cabinets across the front hide the project boxes etc. and the tables that are in behind that hold my two sewing machines. The longarm is on the left wall with walking space around it. This space is going to work. I'm already working on a small project (a gift) so cannot show it yet. It feels good to have this much in order. My study is another room, full but not finished, and it has a huge closet. We are setting up another room as a library retreat with a TV and book shelves, and it is still a messy place, but the rest of the house is in pretty good order. Thanks to Pinterest, I found a schedule or two that are helping us keep track and stay on track. Hubby is still working at home, has a back injury too, so most of this task is mine.

Stay tuned... sorting quilts is next. I've too many and the citizens who live in this complex of retirement care plus individual bungalows might like some. Also smaller ones for folks in wheel chairs. This is sometime down the to-do list...
 

Monday, October 28, 2024

Nada

🙏🙃  No quilts, nothing to post. We moved to a new home and in the middle of that went to Mexico for a week with some of our family. Most of the old house is here in the new one, waiting to find a new spot or to be given away. 

We were astonished at how many quilts were hiding etc. and are now draped over stair railings. Since we are close to an assisted living complex, my prayer is to find suitable homes for many of them. Not enough walls or beds in this one!

Hopefully, next time will have some show of "I found my fabric" -- at least the longarm is set up and I know where the sewing machines are hiding. Busy, busy. 



Sunday, September 22, 2024

Never tried this before...


Been quilting since 1994 and made over 300 quiltd, but never tried this before. Thanks to a few online videos, it was not as hard as it looks... no applique required. 

Only don't look too close to the inner circle. That was a pieced job I made up. The first two rounds are sloppy, but the outer ring worked well. Now I know how to inset a circle in a square. This square is 9.25" and the circles is just under 7"

Never too old to learn... or to play with scraps!

 

Thursday, September 12, 2024

Once a month?

 Posting once a month is better than never? Not really. I've been cleaning up green and blue scraps and it seems to take forever. Last week I pulled a Jean Wells book on color from my art books. How it got there is a mystery, but it was a huge encouragement as I was sewing very similar blocks that she illustrated in her book. 

Besides that, TQS featured a guest who makes simple blocks for her "pantry" and uses them when a need comes. Alex Anderson said she'd never seen that before, but I was into my third week of doing the same thing. Do we have a common muse in the quilting world? Don't know, but it kept me at it to realize I'm not a mere ditzy old lady.

Here are some pictures with some of the pantry thrown on a chair and in a box, plus three of the many bird blocks that are too fun to make to just quit. Also, the strips are in a quilt which is still on the design wall waiting for me to sew on the borders. It is made entirely of scraps and will have some fish quilted on it.