Swooze's Quilts and Tall Tales

2012-02-19T23:50:00.006-06:00

Patchworktime's First Annual Retreat

When Judy announced she would be hosting a retreat I quickly signed up since it was just a little over three hours away. Then the fire happened and I felt too overwhelmed to attend. I wrote Judy and begged off.

When she posted about the closeness of the event date I felt saddened that I would miss it and knew I would regret not attending. I just happened to read a post of a quilter that was visiting the DFW area and and asked her where she was. She responded and asked if I was going to Judy's retreat. I told her no and my reasons why and talked about it probably being full. She encouraged me to ask.

I posted a comment on Judy's post about the event and simpy asked "Are you full". I got one of the fastest responses I think I ever saw that said "No. Can you come?" We exchanged a few emails and then I thought about it and talked with my BFF about it. She simply said GO! With all the stress over how things are NOT going with the house everyone involved felt it would be good for me to get my face out of the house business for a weekend.

I called and made my room reservation. I tried to scrounge up a roommate but did not succeed. I then began my plans for attending. I was up late Thursday night doing laundry and getting things ready. When my eyes popped open at 5 a.m. I thought "Why not?". I got up. Packed the car and was on the road by 5:30 arriving just before 9.

I registered for my room and climbed the stairs to the meeting room. This was my first ever quilt retreat so I was not sure what to expect. I walked into a room full of quilters and several husbands. There were 2 to a table. I walked to the back corner and found a lone quilter. Who other than Cheryl. The lady that encouraged me to attend!

I got the lay of the land and went to the car to get my supplies. I had my Orca Bay in a box in a carry on type bag along with all my tools. I also brought my friends Featherweight. I setup and began happily sewing.

There was plenty of good food, good conversation and new friendships. I sewed the entire weekend making wings for the red strip parts and then assembling the "crabs" from Orca Bay. That is all I did for all of Friday and Saturday until about 9 or 10 p.m. that night. I managed to assemble three full rows before bed. When I got up Sunday morning I decided that I could quickly and easily assemble the Ohio Star rows and that is just what I did before packing up and heading off from the retreat. I missed show and tell as all I had were pieces at that point but I was sure to pull others over to see what I had accomplished before packing it up!

2012-02-09T15:55:00.001-06:00

State of My Stash

I need some input. I had a house fire in January and all my sewing stuff is boxed up in my garage. I am trying to see the silver lining in this as I have been working to downsize some things and this appears to be the BIG shove to get me to accelerate the process.

I have yarn, cross stitch supplies and of course my quilting stash that the recovery company will not clean so it is left to me. Here is where I need your input. My plan is to clean all those things that I want to keep and move them into my sewing room or other storage. I was thinking I should only put things in the sewing room that I plan to make in the immediate future and then store the rest elsewhere. I live in Texas and have toyed with the idea of storing things in totes in my garage which is not air conditioned.

What experience do others have with storing fabric and yarn in a garage? Is there a compelling reason NOT to do this? What things should I take into consideration considering this stuff could be in my garage potentially for several years. Just think, I get to weigh (I am using the 4 yards per pound rule of thumb) all my stash and will have a really good idea how much I actually have. Is that a good thing or bad thing? I'll let you judge that one for yourselves.

Thanks for your ideas.

2012-02-08T00:54:00.004-06:00

A Fix Job

A coworker mentioned that she had received a quilt for her wedding. She told me that she had loved it to death and that it had a few loose seams. I told her that I would be happy to look at it to see if I could fix it. I imagined having to whip stitch a few places to help keep it together.

She brought it to me at the office and I opened it a little to take a peek. By all appearances it looked as though that was all it needed from the part I could see. Imagine my surprise when I opened it up to find that there were sections missing!

I mulled over in my mind how I was going to fix this thing. It certainly is a much larger job than I thought. I toyed with the idea of trying to whip stitch things in place. I even thought about moving sections from the edges into the center and replacing those pieces with new fabric. Then I gave myself a reality check. I knew I would not finish it if I tried to approach it in that manner.

I took pictures and showed them to my coworker. I told her it was in much worse condition than she described. I told her I wanted to remove the quilting. It is hand utility quilting. I then wanted to move patches from the edge into the center and put new pieces to replace those. She agreed to this approach. Now I will also have to quilt it again. Did I mention the backing needs repair too? It's ok. Another project to work on while I am away from my stash.

2012-01-31T13:28:00.005-06:00

No Sewing But Lots of Working

I spent the weekend cleaning out the house. The first two pictures are my sewing room. I have a few more things left to inventory and pack. There is no rhyme or reason to what is and isn't taken by the recovery company. My current plan is to get this finished Saturday afternoon.

This is the source of the fire. It started in the dryer and went up the wall to the ceiling and across into the kitchen. Luckily it did not spread further out into the house. Everything is covered in soot and smoke and was removed from the house for cleaning. Those things left behind are my responsibility to clean if I choose.

My son and I moved to an apartment today. Most of it will be setup by the time I get home from work. I doubt I will get to sew much this week but I sure am going to try!

2012-01-27T12:32:00.003-06:00

And She Sewed....

So my goal was to get to the halfway mark of making all the winged triangles I needed for the center blocks. I fell short by 10 or so. But what I really wanted to do was to make this little baby. Bonnie likened it to a crab. See the eyes? They are white. I love it. So many on Bonnie's yahoogroup had alignment issues or questions and I had to try it to see if I would face the same problem.

It isn't pressed yet so it is curling up a tad. I think it looks great. I was going to make as many of these as I had wings for but then decided to keep trucking on the wings. All the wings. Only about 200 to go. You know I am going to do something different don't you? LOL! Maybe finish off 4 blocks worth so I can make a little setting to see what it looks like. I am hopeless!

2012-01-26T11:00:00.004-06:00

Still Sewing

I sewed another three hours or so last night. I was adding triangles to HSTs to make wings. I am going to have a little giveaway. Can you guess how many wings I made in that three hour period? HSTs were already assembled and the triangles to be sewn on were already cut. I realize this is a bad picture. I added two triangles to each HST.

I am not sure what I will give away but will pull something together.

2012-01-25T08:19:00.002-06:00

Black and White
I completed my Ohio Stars for Bonnie Hunter's Orca Bay mystery. I skipped a step and have to go back to that. I have to add wings (triangles) to 350 HSTs.

Knowing how I work I will sew a few of these and work on another step repeating from the top. Have to break up the monotony somehow!

2012-01-23T09:24:00.004-06:00

Design Wall Monday - January 23, 2012

I have not sewn for myself since March of 2011. On New Year's Day we had a house fire that gutted my kitchen and my laundry room. My son and I took some clothes and a few other things to live with until we could move back into our house. This is not going to be for another 3 months at least according to my builder and the insurance company.

Just that morning I had decided that I was going to start sewing again and had even completed some mending. I had dug out a project that I was going to start working on again to see if I could get my quilty mojo going. Then the fire happened.

I noticed a lot of people on Bonnie Hunter's QuiltvilleChat yahoogroup mentioning that they had accidentally made too many parts while making her Orca Bay mystery quilt. I thought it would be fun to ask these folks if they would send me their spare parts so that I could try to cobble together a rainbow Orca Bay. That was how simple my plan was. No thought to where I would get a sewing machine or that fact that I didnt have any notions what so ever.

Bonnie put a message on her group asking to send me Orca bay parts. To date I have received over 25 packages of notions, FQs, scraps, yardage, Orca Bay pieces and parts and even what I lovingly call my Orca Bay in a box. Teresa from the QuiltvilleChat group decided that she did not want to finish her quilt. She had completed through step 4 of 8. She sent all the pieces plus some additional fabric. Between her box and the other packages I have been pulling strips and continued cutting for the mystery.

I have completed 7 of the light Ohio stars and only have 21 more of those to go. I have started assembling the pieces for the 28 dark Ohio stars as well. I can't wait to get back to sewing!

First Time Quilter

2011-10-26T00:31:00.001-06:00

I met with Cathy 5 times and we produced this. Her first quilt!

2011-09-28T07:55:00.004-06:00

How's This for a Hug?

My friends tirane and Mimi made this hug quilt for me to wrap in and comfort me over the passing of my husband. It is hard to believe it has been two months already.

If you look closely at the backing you will see the word friends quilted in amongst the pebble path to signify friends being there through the path of life and it's trials and tribulations.

The close up is to show you the daisy motif tirane used to quilt it. She knows I love daisies.

2011-09-27T17:29:00.003-06:00

Another Finish

I finished weaving in the loose ends a few weeks ago but failed to show the completed item. You can see the scalloped edging I added to it. The front and back do not look the same. It is because I only crocheted the blue in the front loop on one side. I love it!

2011-09-25T21:10:00.003-06:00

I sewed!!

The last thing I remember sewing was the binding on my Mother's quilt. Maybe I sewed a little on my denim and flannel blocks too. But with everything going on since March I know that my sewing machine and I have not been close.

My daughter asked me to make her a "Hello Kitty" fleece blanket. I told her go find the fleece and call me and I will buy it and make the blanket. She found it in record time and even came and got me to take me to buy it.

I had made a fleece blanket for my neighbor Kelly some time ago. Last year while she was helping me and took my son to the hospital for a stay (she stayed too) her blanket went missing. I called her and asked her to go look at fleece with us. She had a piece that her daughter Amanda had bought and needed a coordinating piece. She went with us and found what she was looking for.

That was last night. Kelly took all the fleece to her house and washed it and we had a sewing date today. 3 hours later we had the two blankets below and some big smiles. This effort will put a smile on my face too because I was pushed to find all my sewing paraphenalia in order to accomplish this mission. Now that I know where it is I can get sewing again for myself!

Mom said to update my blog

2011-09-23T23:18:00.001-06:00

So I did!!

2011-08-26T16:18:00.002-06:00

A Finish

I had started this little afghan when I first went to Monroe in 2009. I felt bored by it. Now I wonder if it was because I wasn't thrilled with the intended recipient at the time. When I picked it back up with no recipient in mind I worked at it with regularity until I totally finished it last night at my "yarn" guild.

Everyone asked me who it was for. I really had no idea. We then talked about the new baby that the owners of Scrumbious had. They had let us hold a party at their business even though we filled the place and potentially could have run others off. I had just written them a thank you note the night before when it dawned on me what a wonderful opportunity I had here. I wrapped it up and gifted this little afghan to them this afternoon and they seemed to really like it.

2011-08-01T17:42:00.002-06:00

I Buried My Husband Today

He was laid to rest at the DFW National Cemetery. The location is one that every time he and I drove past we commented on how beautiful the area was.

Rest in peace my dear Mark.

2011-07-27T06:40:00.001-06:00

It's Over

He quietly passed just before 7 last night. He had a gentle smile on his face and I imagine he saw his loved ones waiting on the other side.....

2011-07-25T20:45:00.003-06:00

Waiting is the Hardest Part

When we left the hospital on July 15th they said 6 months.

When the hospice nurse did her assessment on the 20th she said 3 weeks.

When we took him to inpatient hospice due to a fall on the 22nd they said let's see what happens over the weekend.

When the doctor saw him Sunday the 24th he said 24-48 hours.

Today a new doctor said Thursday.

Waiting is the hardest part.

2011-07-13T09:36:00.002-06:00

Where is She?

I have mixed emotions about sharing family health woes here on my blog. I am going to let you know what is going on so you understand why I have been away. I posted this on FB yesterday:

I forget that a lof of people dont know my husband's health situation. He was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 1990. It went untreated. By 1998 he was diagnosed with cirrhosis. Again it went untreated. He ultimately was on liver transplant list but broke the rules numerous times and was kicked off. He had surgery in May and his body couldn't take the anesthesia. His liver is failing......

My husband will be 53 Sunday so this is all too soon. We lost his younger brother, and only sibling, last year on New Year's Day due to long running health issues. I am concerned about my Father-in-law. I assured him that I will be there for him to take care of him.

So there it is. Feel free to ask questions. I don't mind.

2011-05-21T16:11:00.002-06:00

Denim and Flannel

I have started sewing my denim and flannel together. These are the jeans that I cut up several weeks ago. I decided to use a 3" square and strip to make this. I wanted a size that wouldn't have too many seams to keep it lighter. I also didn't want to use a huge size and just have big chunks of fabric globbed together either.

I am happy with this size. Let's see how I feel once I start sewing these blocks together!

2011-04-18T20:01:00.008-06:00

Deconstructing Jeans I have been saving jeans to make a flannel and denim quilt for some time. While I am separated from the projects I really want to be working on I decided to start cutting up the jeans so that I can start stripping them. I am going to make a log cabin from them. I just have to decide my strip width.

I bought these rag quilt snips some time ago at Michael's. I have been putting off this task as I was afraid I would have sore hands and fingers from cutting through the denim. It has been a breeze so far since these snips are super sharp!

2011-04-17T21:55:00.004-06:00

Sweeper Cloths Thanks Paula. I did mine all by machine with purchased flannel. I still get my green points by not having to use disposable pads. I made 16 out of 3 yards of flannel.

2011-04-08T22:51:00.007-06:00

Loom Knitting Socks

The striped "sample" is my needle knit sock that was given me by my friend. The autumn colored "sample" is a swatch that I knitted on my sock loom. I don't know about you but I think I have achieved success!

I bought the book "Loom Knitting Socks: A Beginner's Guide to Knitting Socks on a Loom" by Isela Phelps recently and read the technical part of the book. I am using a loom made by her husband in 2006 but just now got around to using it. These looms are sold on DA Looms but no longer by the Phelps.

There are 4 ways to make a knit stitch on the loom and my goal was to get the same gauge and look as my hand knitted socks. 3 of the 4 stitches look just like those in my sock but I definately have a preference as to ease of creation and the tension of the completed stitch. Now I just need to figure out how many pegs I need to get my size sock and I think I will embark on my first pair of loom knit socks!!

2011-04-06T18:28:00.003-06:00

April UFO Done Already!! Woohoo! I got lucky that I had brought this from LA with me. I am still going to be separated from my other quilty UFOs for awhile or I would be jumping into the next one! This was the UFO that Judy L at Patchworktimes drew for April for her UFO Challenge.

2011-04-05T21:21:00.007-06:00

Are You a Member of Ravelry?

I joined a little over 3 years ago. Up until this year I have been a light user. But this year I really started exploring the site. I have stashed all my sock yarn plus a few others. I have joined several groups. I have begun stashing my looming, knitting and crochet books. It has been a fun site to search and see how others are using yarns you have or how patterns that you plan to do one day turn out for others with their yarn choices. I even found a yarn I needed to finish that last shawl I just completed.

The thing that I have enjoyed the most is the people. I am an active member of three groups that meet in person. One group is in LA and the other two are in TX in my town. One of the latter groups decided to have a one year anniversary party. I have been the least active with this group but they reached out to me to encourage me to join them. I did and was given the party favor below. Isn't it adorable? One of the members made one for everyone that attended.

To see more pics of the event go here.

2011-04-04T16:41:00.002-06:00

A Knitty Finish!

It is not very wide. I am going to test drive it as is. Someone suggested I sew it into a shrug. I thought sewing it into a mobius would be another good option. We will see.

2011-04-04T15:04:00.005-06:00

Design Wall Monday This is my #4 UFO for Judy's UFO Challenge. Yes, that is right I am binding it! This is the third side so I hope to finish in the next day or so. This is Bloomer's by Anima's quilts. Go here to see what others have on their design wall.

2011-03-20T10:19:00.001-06:00

Mission Accomplished

Here is the center of my top minus the corners. Those will go on quickly. I will be able to get those on, the top trimmed and the borders added and mitered by the end of the month. Was a big job in a short time. Feels good!

2011-03-19T07:37:00.004-06:00

Friday Night Sew In and Stahbuster Retreat

I had to stay in LA for work this weekend. It worked out well for me as I have extra time to sew on my most challenging UFO. These two sections make up almost half the quilt. I have started assembling the other corner as well and have three rows together. That leaves just 8 more rows to assemble and attach to the rest.

I hope to get the center of the top together and trimmed and to cut out the borders before I leave for home. This will put me in a very good position to have a completed top this month which is my goal for Judy L's UFO Challenge.

Thanks for all the help Mom. I would have had a hard time making this much progress without you!

Are you sewing this weekend?

2011-03-14T21:48:00.001-06:00

Design Wall Monday

All 106 blocks are assembled. Yeah! Thanks Mom. I sewed and she trimmed and pressed. I have started assembling the rows. Looks like I will make my goal to have a completed top this month

2011-03-12T22:23:00.002-06:00

Mother is Here!!

My parents arrived yesterday. I expected them about an hour later so didn't finish everything I planned before they arrived. I had a pile of scraps that sit on the floor in my living room and Mom made me organize it. Well, I had started...she made me finish. My sewing area looks good. We went out to dinner afterwards, came back and went to be. We were all tired from driving to get here.

Today we got up and went out to breakfast then set out on lots of errands. When we finished those I started sewing while Mom cat napped on the balcony and Dad in the recliner in front of TV. After a little while Mom joined in. We just finished up for the night about 30 minutes ago. More ripping than sewing was our clue to stop.

If you remember a few posts back I showed a bunch of bits sewn together. Below is a block we finished. And even further below is progress we made on the rest of the bits. I have 4 block sets in this quilt. Our goal is to finish a set and then take a break and do something else. Repeat til they are all done. This is my #1 UFO from Judy L's challenge. I am feeling hopeful that I will get this topped!

2011-03-08T23:11:00.000-06:00

Hydrangea Shawl

Here is a better shot of the shawl

2011-03-07T21:09:00.004-06:00

Design Bag?

Here is what I sewed Friday night. Yup, just tossed into the top of my bag. Waiting to be trimmed and pressed. To see what others have on their design wall stop by Judy's.

2011-03-05T13:44:00.002-06:00

Friday Night Sew In

Last night was the sew in at the church with members from the Mesquite Quilt Guild and their friends. I took my bag of "Bloomers" parts with me (UFO #1) and started construction. I almost panicked because I did not have the pieces I needed for the first step. I knew I could do a lot of sewing without that part so for three hours I made the petals and leaves for the flowers.

Good news. I have sewed half of them. Bad news. I still have to press and trim them. So for a three hour investment I am on my way to making a dent in this quilt. Mom will be helping me later this month and it will go so much faster when she is here.

Here is my knitty project that I am working on. It is being knit on a Knifty Knitter long loom. I had to find another skein of yarn to complete it and was lucky to locate one on Ravelry that was sent on Wednesday and I had by Friday. It is a shawl for me.

2011-03-01T21:44:00.002-06:00

Judy L's UFO Challenge

UFO #10 was drawn for February. I pulled it out. I pressed it. I got the backing out. I started thinking about how to quilt it. I got a call that required me to leave LA and go back to Texas. There went any hope of finishing it. I will get it quilted this month!

UFO #1 was drawn for March. Go ahead and click on the link. I will wait here. You back? OK. While that pic is very pretty that is actually UFO #4 that is at the quilter now. Mine is a baggy of cut up little pieces. How lucky can I be? I threw that baggy in my luggage to bring back to TX. I have a sew in Friday night plus a slow work week (I am working from home). I am going to sew great guns on this. My goal is a top (and backing) for this month. Mom and Dad will be visiting me this month. Guess what Mom is going to be helping me do!

2011-02-22T11:38:00.005-06:00

What I Am Working On

This is my Matchstick Marimba. It is one of my UFOs that had only been cut. I was concerned that it would take a long time to piece it so decided to get a jump on it before it's number was drawn for Judy L's UFO challenge. What I am NOT working on is the UFO that Judy DID choose for this months challenge. I will work on that tonight now that I know this one will not take long to finish up.

This is my Hydrangea Shawl. I finished crocheting it last week. I wove in the ends last night and washed it. I had to soak it as I had a spot of something on there. I think it was dog slobber as my dog loved this yarn for some reason and would not leave it alone. I blocked it this a.m. and have the fan blowing on it. Can't wait to see how it looks tonight! I will probably fluff it in the dryer too.

2011-02-18T15:50:00.003-06:00

A VERY Grand Day!

Bonnie was in Louisiana recently. Of course I was in Texas at the time. Then I heard Bonnie was in Texas this week and I was as well. I checked all the spots she was speaking at and giving classes and decided to make a go of seeing her in Fort Worth.

You know how you build people up in your mind and then you are disappointed when you meet them sometimes? Bonnie was more than I could have hoped for. I moderate her yahoogroup and I am a regular commenter on her blog. When I said swooze she leapt out of her chair and gave me the biggest hug. A sincere hug at that! She asked me to join her and some other for lunch as well. I offered to be a quilt holder for her during her program. She happily accepted.

The Trinity Valley Quilters Guild had their program then it was Bonnie's turn to speak. She spoke about her Scrap User System and then invited the quilt holders and folders up. I enjoyed holding the quilts. Getting to feel and smell them. I could smell the wood fire that she has written about on her blog. I thought I saw a pet hair and thought about Oscar. I studied her quilting and the backs.Thinking of all her tutorials and stories from her blog. I felt priveleged to experience Bonnie's lecture in a way that many others would not.

I was not able to make the lunch since I have a couple people at home under the weather and they needed me. Alas I went and had my picture taken with Bonnie and pledged to see her when she came back to Texas. She promised we could have time to play then! I so look forward to it! Bonnie you are a WONDERFUL lady but we all already knew that!

2011-02-16T11:55:00.002-06:00

Hydrangea Shawl

I bought this yarn several years ago and started playing with it. I wanted the "confetti" pieces to be visible. It makes me think of a Hydrangea. I am almost done and will show a full size picture then.

2011-02-13T18:29:00.002-06:00

Guess What Came to Stay at My House!

Thanks Mare!!

2011-02-10T10:13:00.007-06:00

Busy Girl!

UFO #10 from Judy L's challenge. Just need to quilt and bind it.

Strip Stacks in primary colors. I have made one in these colors already. This one will have a purple border.

Matchstick Marimba. Piece parts are in progress. I have just a little more subcutting to do then I can get to the assembly.

Pot Holder front and back. I wanted a quick and easy project. I could never remember the instructions that the gal at the LQS gave me so I broke down and bought her $10 kit just for the instructions. It took longer to choose the fabric to put it together than to sew it together.

2011-02-05T15:56:00.002-06:00

My Version Of Organized

I am not a very organized person. I am one of those people that can stack things on a desk three feet high and know exactly where everything is. But as soon I as "organize" it everything is lost. If I work at and think on something long enough I can usually figure out how to organize it. This would take a really long time to get my sewing room in order. Trust me, I have been working on my kitchen for months now.

I want to get into my sewing room so that I can sew more when I am in TX. In order to do this I need to get things put away and get it organized. What I have decided to do now for starters is to group things and then to put it away, not necessarily neatly but away.

Part of this process was to come up with a plan of what I wanted to sew or crochet or whatever this year. I have added tabbed pages to my blog listing UFOs, PIGS and WHIMMS that I want to work on this year. These things will be left out, readily at hand. The rest is going to be grouped and tucked away the best that I know how. When I am putting away I will also be culling and coming up with my list for 2012.

Hey, it's a start!

2011-02-02T23:10:00.001-06:00

UFOs and PIGS

Jill of Ramblings of A Fabric and Yarn Obsessor asked what are the main reason(s) you put PIGS and UFOs to the side.

I started quilting in 1989 or so. About two or three years ago I finished all my UFOs. I was part of the Stashbuster challenge and worked and worked at them until they were all done. I didn’t have any UFOs for a year or so. I started making lots of new things. It seems that if I was making multiples and one was for me mine was set aside. I also made some things just because I wanted to try the pattern but didn’t have a recipient in mind. Most of these are topped but not quilted. I am not calling these UFOs at this point but we know they are. I have at least 12 items in this category.

I do have several items that I started with an intended recipient but travelled so much that I didn’t finish them. A time issue. I don’t think I have ever fallen out of like with something I have started and will eventually finish everything. I have 5 items in this category.

PIGS purely fall into the reason of not getting to them due to other time bound things taking precedence. I easily have 2 dozen in this category.

I assessed my accomplishments last year in the quilting category. I made 6 complete quilts from start to bound finish. I also made 2 aprons and 2 pillow cases. I made 6 tops that are in the flimsy stage. Using this information I hope to do the same or better this year. I made a list of items I really want to make this year in addition to participating in Judy L’s UFO challenge. When I get through those things I really want to make I will work on those PIGS.

2011-02-01T09:46:00.002-06:00

Judy L's UFO Challenge

Judy picked #10 for her UFO challenge. For me it is a Super Size 9 Patch that I made in 2008. Click on the link for the pattern. I will be quilting this one for the challenge.

2011-01-31T18:41:00.003-06:00

Other Crafting

One of my goals this year was to work on "other" crafts that I like to do. My friend Linda B was making this afghan and I just fell in love with it. It reminded me of a Mile a Minute afghan I had started but was not having much luck with. I was not getting my strips to come out to the same length even when all the row counts were a perfect match.

I ripped all those strips out and followed Linda's pattern. The result is below. I am working on the edging now and hope to finish it this week. This one is for ME!! Don't you love how the front and back have such a different look.

The front.

The back.

2011-01-30T21:09:00.003-06:00

Bloomers Topped

I bought this kit, actually two of them, last year in Louisiana. I took them to my mother's with the intention of sewing them both with her. Here is hers and mine is cut out. I just added the borders and pieced the backing. It is now waiting at the quilters.

I assumed it was a lap size and didn't really think much about it. But when I added the borders it came out to 68 x 90. I think that is a full! Now to work on mine.

2011-01-26T07:54:00.002-06:00

Baby BQ Bordered

I came up with a border that pleased my eye. Now to quilt it.

UFO #6 from Judy's Challenge is finished.

2011-01-23T22:16:00.006-06:00

Sew In Pics

UFO #6 topped with red borders.

Baby BQ - playing with border ideas.

Bloomers center. I added borders and have to finish mitering them. More pics when that is done.

2011-01-11T22:42:00.002-06:00

Is it Done?

I think asking the question answers it for me. I will probably add borders to get it as close to 45 x 60 as I can. I really do like it though.

2011-01-10T22:48:00.001-06:00

Progress on UFO #6

In between getting caught up on some work and recorded TV I made 2 more blocks. Just have to make 2 half blocks now.

2011-01-07T23:56:00.003-06:00

UFO #6

I thought I had left this in Louisiana. I had my sit and sew at the church tonight and while gathering for that I saw that I had it with me. In the project bag it goes.

I sewed on it for a few hours and finished three of the five whole blocks I need. I will also need two half blocks. Not too bad for a few hours sewing. When I made this pattern before I added borders to bring it up to 45 x 60. The pattern shows no borders and is 31 x 48 I think. Is that too small for a baby quilt?

I believe I have enough pieces cut to make three of these so that is my plan. I will top three of these then decide on a quilting plan.

2011-01-04T22:38:00.003-06:00

Planning for the Coming Year

I am interested in several crafts but don't seem to get around to them all. I know I don't make the best use of my time so I decided to lay out a plan of what I want to work on this year. Here is my list for the year.

Quilting

gavan t-shirt quilt
darcy t-shirt quilt
denim and flannel quilt
bust animal prints
mom's bloomers quilt
marks pool quilt
marks texas hold em quilt
marks asian quilt
baby bq
matchstick marimba
UFOs

Cross Stitch

needle rolls
bell pulls

Crocheting

striped afghan
hot pads
socks

Knitting

shawls
pot scrubbers

Tatting

anything

I will be using this list to help me organize. If it isn't on the list I will need to put it away, out of sight. If it is on the list I will make sure it is easily accessible. Wish me luck!

2011-01-01T21:34:00.002-06:00

Judy's UFO Challenge

She picked #6. This is a Strip Stack which I have made before but will be in primary colors. I have cut it out already. I am guessing I have enough cut for three tops but we will see. I will piece them all at the same time thereby working on 3 UFOs at once.

2010-12-31T21:08:00.003-06:00

Judy L's UFO Challenge

I was on the fence as to whether I would join or not. What the heck. I can drop out if I like but I can't beg in later. I don't have the right name on the 2nd UFO listed here but will correct it when I get the pattern in my hand.

Bring it on Judy!

Bloomers (mine)
matchstitch marimba
baby BQ
Bloomers (Mom's)
strip stacks primary
strip stacks primary
strip stacks primary
raising cane
hugs and kisses
super size 9 patch
super size 9 patch
super size 9 patch

I have multiples of some of these quilts as I made multiples. Good luck everyone!

2010-12-29T19:07:00.002-06:00

RATS!!

See that wire? That is the lead to my fuel injector. Any guesses as to what happened?

A RAT climbed up onto my engine and chewed that wire! The mechanic suggested I put poison on the engine block. A friend of mine recommended I not. If for some reason the rat ate the poison and my dogs got him they would die from the poison. I am wondering if I should set a trap under my car.

2010-12-28T19:01:00.003-06:00

Overwhelmed

I stepped into my sewing room and decided to start at the door and work my way around. I folded the fabric near the door and put it in a stack to be put away. I took a few items and flung them to the place in the room where their "relatives" reside. I looked up at the stack of cross stitch stuff and froze. Knowing how long it takes me to cross stitch an item I stopped my sorting. I was overwhelmed with how much stuff I have in just that one category!

I started writing my categories of things that I have in my room and then general categories under that such as thread, fabric, tools. I am hoping this will help me focus and find the right organizational tools for the job.

I will be putting my big girl panties on shortly and heading back in there to deal with it. Even if I make a small amount of progress in there I will be ahead of where I started the journey. This is already one big reality check for me!

2010-12-27T14:36:00.004-06:00

Reflection on the Year and a Mystery Quilt

I was honored to have Dorothy Young from A Pocket Full of Mysteries allow me to test her latest mystery. The final clue was revealed so now I can post my finished top. She did not offer border options so I have to decide how I will finish this.

I have spent the past week or so looking through my blog to see what I accomplished quilty wise. I live in two places and have found that when I am home in Texas I don't seem to accomplish as much with my quilting as I do in Louisiana.

Part of the problem is that my sewing room is very crowded and I don't really have the room to work in there. If I need to cut anything I have to shuffle, shuffle, shuffle. Otherwise I can do what I need to in there.

You may have noticed I recently picked up my crocheting again. This I spend a lot of time on when I am in Texas. My thoughts were that I would work on my quilting in LA and my crocheting in TX. As I write this I just think, just clean out your darn room! I do want to do that as well. I will be working on it this week.

As part of the cleaning process I wanted to see how many quilts I made so that I can arrange things in a way that allows me to have my planned projects for the year more accessible. This year I did the following:

completed 6 BQ throw size
completed Saratoga Lights - double size
made 4 baby tops - stacked strips and hugs and kisses
Pampered Pooch top
Bloomers top - lap size
4th of July wall hanging
made 4 fleece blankets - 3 baby and one twin size
2 aprons and 2 pillow cases
Added borders to and bound Mom's sampler quilt
Participated in a round robin

I can't decide if that is a lot or not. It definately is a guideline for the coming year. I already have a short list of things I want to do in the new year. I will have to finish creating that list so that I accomplish them. Anything beyond that will be bonus. I do know that I want to make smaller items this year and to try several tools that I have bought over the years and sit idle.

Have you thought about your goals for the new year?

2010-12-19T23:05:00.004-06:00

Thanks Uncle Bill and Aunt Gloria

The orange is for Bill and green for Gloria. These are thank you gifts for helping my parents over the past few years. I finished the binding on Bill's tonight and they will go in the mail tomorrow.

2010-12-14T08:44:00.002-06:00

Pillowcases Done

Remember this quilt? I like how these turned out.

2010-12-13T13:23:00.003-06:00

Yikes!!

While I was driving yesterday I noticed the silly band I was wearing had rolled up my arm. That indentation was quite deep. An hour later there wasn't much difference.

Three hours later.... Scary! Watch those kiddos!

2010-12-12T20:57:00.005-06:00

What I Asked For....What I Got

The first picture shows what I asked for and what was more recently done.

On my first attempt to get this I got what is shown below. The "tips" were placed in such a way that they appeared to start in the middle of my nail bed. I also asked for the white part to be much shorter. I want my nails to look nice but not call unnecessary attention.

I described in detail what I wanted and the gal acknowledged every word I said. It became very apparent that she did not speak much English and understood even less of it. She did ask me at the end if I was happy and I said no. She understood that but made no attempt to correct the issue.

I am not much for confrontation. I paid and I left. How would you handle this situation? Am I the only wimp out there??

2010-12-11T02:38:00.002-06:00

Need to Focus

I met a couple ladies Thursday night for an impromptu knit/crochet night. In the process of setting this up I found out there was a knit only group already scheduled. I popped over to see that group as well since I knew a few of them from the church sew ins I attend.

I have been playing with crocheting instead of:
- making DDs pillow cases
- making aprons
- binding Uncle's quilt

I will get back to these as soon as I finish my second hot pad 5 minutes) and get my packages ready for mailing in the morning. Yes my shopping is finished! I think.

2010-12-08T00:01:00.000-06:00

I Am Enjoying Hooking

I found this pattern on ravelry and thought I would try it out. I started it yesterday or maybe even today. It went very quickly. This will be gifted to a friend of mine for Christmas.

I like doing something in addition to quilting for a little added interest.

2010-12-07T13:02:00.004-06:00

One Down

I made this BQ for my Aunt. My Uncle's will be bound next. Just have the handwork left to do.

2010-12-02T13:42:00.002-06:00

More FAB 4

That last little post spurred me into action. That same night I finished the mystery I was testing. I also fringed the three fleece blankets. I rewarded myself with a little crochet time.

Last night I added the binding to one of the quilts and setup the machine to sew the other one tonight. I also altered some underwear to accomodate stoma bags for my dad. Those things cost over $25 to order online. I made him 3 pair for around $10!

I do have a few Christmas gifts I want to sew. Tonight I will add that binding and then I will begin working on the gifts. The recipients read my blog so I can't tell you any more about those gifties!

Are you using Fab 4?

2010-11-30T12:52:00.002-06:00

How's That Fab 4 Working Out?

You know....I have made a lot of progress on my afghan. But, no matter how many times I check my Fab 4 post from the other day I can't seem to find it on there. Hmmm.....

2010-11-27T15:01:00.002-06:00

Do You FAB 4?

This is a concept that I learned about on a yahoogroup called stashbuster. The idea is to list 4 items that you want to work on at any given time. You can finish all 4 and add 4 more or as you finish one add a new one. The options are limitless. What is limited is the number of projects you have to worry or think about at once.

When I find my mind or my hands jumping around to different things and no real focus I quickly jot down my fab 4. This helps me get done what needs getting done. You know I use this in my hobbies maybe I should use it in other areas of my life.

Here is my list:

- finish testing mystery quilt
- sew and fringe fleece blankets
- bind the 2 BQ quilts (we'll count that as two)

2010-11-26T22:48:00.000-06:00

Something A Little Different

2010-11-26T15:09:00.000-06:00

Bound

When dd woke up this a.m. she was covered with this.

2010-11-25T00:11:00.002-06:00

Binding

2010-11-19T23:38:00.002-06:00

Can You Chew All That You Bite Off?

I go to a local church that has a sew-in twice a month. The ladies there are mostly local guild members but some are invited guests of those ladies. I think this is the fourth month I have gone and I really enjoy the companionship.

I hoped to accomplish a lot. I took several projects with me. I wanted to:

- trim dd's quilt so that I can hand tack the binding on. Didn't do that.
- make the binding for my Aunt's quilt - DONE
- cut out a mystery quilt I am testing - DONE
- cut out and sew pieces for some underpants I am customizing for ostomy bags - cutting done
- cut and sew some fleece for baby blankets - got the cutting done

I had hoped to get a little more sewing done on some of these things but for 3 hours I think I accomplished a great deal!

I have this coming week off. Let's see what I can get done. My list includes sewing, cooking, decluttering and organizing tasks.

2010-10-19T21:06:00.002-06:00

Another Mom Story

See the backing of this quilt? In the picture it looks blue but it is actually purple. My mother asked me...."Now why did you put a BLUE backing on that quilt?" I said "Actually Mother, it's purple!" She didn't seem any more excited with that answer. We didn't go into discussion about it but I think she feels the backing should MATCH the front. I was having so much fun with these quilts why do something like match the back to the front??? I like the surprise element of it all. And I am hearing great stories about this quilt and the one her brother received as well. These quilts are loved and I didn't get a citation from the quilt police.

Mission accomplished!!

2010-10-06T03:56:00.002-06:00

My Inner Naughty Child

I should be binding mom's quilt. The binding is machine sewn on. I should be pulling fabrics for next quilts. I just don't want to. Wonder where this came from. I will just have to force myself to do something for a short period of time and I will get back in the swing of things.

2010-10-02T12:45:00.002-06:00

BQ Crazy

This one and the teal are now topped in the configuration shown. These are intended for Christmas gifts. Sorry for the poor picture quality. Cell phone pics.

2010-10-01T07:57:00.004-06:00

Another BQ and 500th Post

What do you think of the following layout? I am going to top it tonight so please give your input right away please.

This is my 500th post! Wow! How should I commemorate this?

2010-09-29T19:54:00.001-06:00

Binding Choice?

Rust to match the border? Gold for contrast?

2010-09-23T07:38:00.001-06:00

Another GO Giveaway

Want to win a GO? I think it would be fun to have one. Go here and enter for a chance to win!

2010-09-22T14:57:00.003-06:00

Finished BQ

I had topped this when I was in NY in May. I just finished binding it and gifted it to my friends daughter. She will be 10 next week. She was very excited about the quilt which warmed my heart. Her brother received the red one a few weeks ago for his birthday and is equally as thrilled.

2010-08-30T10:16:00.000-06:00

Another GO giveaway. Go Check it out!!

http://aquiltinglife.blogspot.com/2010/08/hexagons-and-go-giveaway.html

2010-08-22T12:49:00.001-06:00

GO Giveaway

Paulette over at Sweet P Quilting is having a Go Cutter giveaway. She's also doing some great tutorials on it. Go check her out. Click on her name above and it will take you to her blog.

2010-08-22T05:11:00.002-06:00

Stash Report - August 22, 2010

In spite of that 100 yard leap from the wagon I made earlier this year I do care about busting stash. I have moved several quilts along to the point of quilting and will need that fabric for backings soon.

I bought 1 yard last night for bindings to finish up two quilts I just got back from the quilter. I am still way in the red but enjoying getting some things done!

Check back with Judy L to see how everyone else is doing with their stash busting efforts.

2010-08-20T21:25:00.003-06:00

Sitting and Sewing

I sat and sewed with Babs. tirane and Nancy last weekend. I finished piecing these blocks and another set of 12 in animal prints. I also put together the center of a baby quilt (again same pattern show below).

Tonight my DD and I went to a sit and sew with Linda. Thanks for the reminder today Linda. It was great to meet you all and I look forward to attending future meetings. DD layed these blocks out that were started while we were in NY in July. I have the top sewn into two halves. Plan to finish this one very soon.

2010-06-29T21:56:00.005-06:00

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...or Send Me To a Fabric Sale

I received an e-mail from the Golden D'Or announcing their big 30% off pre-inventory sale. I had pretty much talked myself out of going then relented since I needed a lot of backings for already completed quilt tops. This first pic shows the 59.25 yards that I bought. Yes that number is correct....sadly. There are 5 backings in there. Then the Halloween fabric is destined for my charity stash. Enough of that fabric type now. Wow I have a lot! There are 4 pieces in there destined for my attempt to bust all my animal prints. 24 cuts in all.

After I left Golden D'Or with Babs I went to the Mesquite Quilt Show. 2 panels and 2.5 yards of yardage that coordinates with one if the panels. Just under 4 yards here. 4 cuts in all. Plus I got that cute little tote.

The next afternoon I made my Walmart run. I noted that I needed some black for a quilt I plan to make while at Mom's and I was just too lazy to look for any in my stash. My Walmart is discontinuing their fabric department. The one I frequent in Monroe has already done so. All fabric was marked 50% off. No black cotton. I decided to look for a backing I needed and found it. 37.5 yards in total. Most of these will be used to make QOVs. 10 cuts there.

Just over 100 yards. 38 cuts in all. I am going to avoid fabric stores like the plague for awhile! I sure did have fun though!

2010-06-21T08:30:00.003-06:00

Design Wall Monday

On my mission to bust my animal prints here are two more BQ's. I started making the teal one for my aunt and decided my uncle should have one too. Go to Judy's to see what is on everyone's design wall.

2010-06-16T19:59:00.004-06:00

Round Robin

I participated in another round robin. This one had one international participant. The base of the piece was to represent all the turmoil that my family has been going through. The embellishment was hope and coming out of that turmoil. How do you think they did?

2010-06-11T15:52:00.002-06:00

Fuzzy Driving

When you are driving down a black topped road you know how things look fuzzy from the heat rising from the road? It causes optical illusions. When I was driving back from Monroe I would swear I saw a plane up ahead rolling along on the road. I denied what I was seeing and hoped I could catch up to whatever it was that I did see.

Happily I did catch up. It was in fact an airplane. Just in tow not on it's own power.

2010-06-07T00:01:00.000-06:00

Design Wall Monday

I am working on busting my animal prints. I had this teal in my stash but lacked 1/2 yard to make another BQ. I ventured out to Hobby Lobby and was lucky to find this fabric still on the shelf almost 1.5 years later. I cut and sewed this all today. I do have to wash the new fabric I bought since the rest was prewashed.

I also cut up some brights and whites I had in my stash to make more Strip Stacks. I cut enough for two tops. And to top it all off I added the binding (final step) on a round robin I am participating in. Very productive weekend.

Head on over to Judy's to see what everyone else has on their design wall.

2010-06-06T21:54:00.004-06:00

Strip Stacks Topped

With the additon of some 30's repros and neutrals I turned that rejected backing into 3 45x60 quilts. They all look similar. Now to get a quilting plan together. When I decided to add a 2" neutral border I didn't think about those half blocks floating in mid air. I am probably not going to change it but will take it into consideration on the next set of these tops I make.

2010-05-29T18:22:00.002-06:00

My Sewing Group Met Today

I dropped Mom's civil war top off to be quilted. I didn't take a picture of it but my friend did. Maybe I can get the pic from her. I will definately photograph it when I pick it up. Mom did a great job!

Remember this project? Today I added the first border to this top and put together two more centers that look just like it. I will add borders as soon as I can and post pics. I will make a goal to have them ready for design wall Monday.

I gave my son his Saratoga Lights quilt for his 17th birthday yesterday. He smiled and hugged it. True appreciation. I will post a pic of the completed quilt tomorrow.

Please come back for the eye candy!

2010-05-24T00:01:00.000-06:00

Sewing Retreat with Mom

When I was at my folks last summer Mom and I went to a quilt store and got a free pattern for a flag wall hanging. It was to promote using Thangles. Mom bought a pack and split them with me then never did anything with them.

She and I have been sewing like crazy people for 4 days now. I asked her since it was my last day with her was there anything she wanted to do. She said she wanted to learn to use Thangles. I thought no problem. We stopped what we were doing and dug through her stash and pulled out scraps and yardage. I cut the strips for the Thangles and pinned them to the paper. She sewed them and subcut them.

While she sewed I decided to cut some of the other pieces. I don't think we intended to make the entire project but as you can see below that is exactly what we did. She will have to hand sew the binding on and sew and hanging sleeve to the back but all in all not bad for a few hours of work.

I will be going back and will have lots of memories of sewing with Mom this trip. See you back in Texas!

2010-05-23T21:12:00.007-06:00

Walking the Dog

When I first got to my folks my mother asked me to come look out the front door. This lady was walking her dogs. I thought...ok...what about it. She said wait and watch. The next thing I saw was someone tagging along.

The first time I saw him he was following on the road. Of course when I have the camera ready he decided to take a little more scenic route. Do you see him? Up by the porch? It was very entertaining to watch.

2010-05-20T18:04:00.002-06:00

Rows of Blooms

I am assembling rows now. Will press them all really well before final assembly. I want this done before I leave for home. I have a great shot I think!

2010-05-20T06:34:00.002-06:00

Bloomer's Progress

Here are the completed blocks for the quilt my mother and I are working on. We started assembling the top last night.

2010-05-13T17:07:00.003-06:00

Sewing in NY

I arrived in NY this past Monday and am staying at my parents house. I will be here for 2 weeks and hoped to get some sewing time in with Mom. I had cut these quilts out in Louisiana. I have sewed a little on them for the past three days and we topped them today. Thanks Mom!

These are the BQ pattern by Maple Island Quilts. They are gifts for my best friend's kids. They are not needed until the end of August and September but I plan to see my LAer the weekend after I return and want to get them in queue to avoid last minute rushing.

I am not adding borders and am thinking about making a scrappy binding from the animal prints. What do you think?

The red is for the boy.

The green is for the girl.

Doesn't my folk's backyard look pretty?

The animal prints came from my stash and I newly purchased the rest. Almost three yards out of my stash. I hope to find the backings in my stash as well.

2010-04-26T22:19:00.001-06:00

Happines Is...

Finding just enough pieces of fabric in my scrap bin to make the binding for my Saratoga Lights.

2010-04-05T20:02:00.004-06:00

Coping

I am leaning toward a coping strip aka innner border.

2010-04-04T20:53:00.003-06:00

Strip Stacks

Remember that bag of something I showed? That was a pieced backing that was made for a love quilt that the LAer rejected because it wasn't flat. She donated another and gave that one back to me. I have had it for at least 2 years now. In that time my scrap stash has grown and I have accumulated FQs with no real purpose in mind and no idea how I plan to use them.

I found this pattern at the Dallas show a few weeks ago and thought it would be perfect to use up scraps and FQs. I stripped down that backing and threw in some 30's FQs for additional variety and present to you a finished top. It finishes rather small at 31 x48. I will be adding borders to make it bigger. So far I have enough for 3 quilts of this size and there is enough for the borders as well. I consider my journey a sucess!

2010-04-04T08:38:00.004-06:00

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...not necessarily in that order

The bad. My friend noticed a turned block....then I noticed a second.....third...and fourth......

The ugly. Ripped those blocks out of the top....

The good. The top is done...again.....well just needs a bit of pressing.

2010-04-03T22:25:00.000-06:00

Transformation

How do you think we are coming along?

2010-04-02T15:04:00.002-06:00

Saratoga Lights is Topped

I finished the top. Thanks for another great pattern Judy Laquidara! I tried and tried to take a picture outside but the wind was not cooperating. That seems to happen a lot when I want to take pictures of my quilts.

Here is a close up. Everyone seems to think I used solids. This will be DS' birthday present this year.

2010-04-02T14:16:00.001-06:00

Special Project

Do you remember us?? She added friends!

2010-04-01T13:21:00.001-06:00

Quilters ADD and Stash Possibilities

Last weekend I was preparing to embark upon my venture into using my scraps and other cast offs to make a quilt. I readily go to the yardage in my stash to make something, usually resorting to a trip to the LQS because I don’t have that perfect match. I want to learn to make it work.

I went to my cutting board and cleared off a spot. I realized I needed to press the fabric and went to clear off the ironing board. In the process of doing that I spotted a pile of FQs and remembered that I had bought a box to put those in. I went and fetched that box and started loading the FQs into it. I decided to go through the stash cabinets to get more FQs.

While I was digging through there I found a piece of fabric I had been looking for. This also reminded me that there were two other pieces of fabric that I had been missing for close to 1.5 years. Back into the stash cabinets pulling FQs, finding asian prints that I wanted to put with the rest of my asian prints. I found one of the missing pieces of fabric. This spurred me to lift each pile on each shelf and go through it because I knew the other piece HAD to be in there somewhere even though I had been through this exercise before. I found it! I am so happy.

I look around and see that I have all these little stacks of things that I want to use soonish or pieces that I want to group with other pieces and so on and so forth. Because I have touched almost all my fabric again I remember what is in there and remember intended projects or remember a special piece of fabric I wanted to use one day once I found the perfect pattern. Now they are all fresh in my mind. My urge to go fabric shopping is suppressed because I have fresh projects at least in my mind. I have lots of STASH possibilities.

You can probably guess that I did not cut scraps nor cast offs. So this weekend I am preparing to embark upon my venture into using my scraps and other cast offs to make a quilt………