Month: May 2017

May One Monthly Goal Success

So, I managed to finish my one monthly goal for May.  Still don’t have plans for the border, but I’m rolling a couple of ideas around in my head.  I will get to it.

This piece was made from 4 mini charm packs by Monday called “Prints Charming”.  I did not really like it as it was up on the design board, but I like it a lot more now that it is all sewn together.  I will have to say they sewing these small pieces together, is a test of your piecing skills.

I had big plans to work on quilting this holiday weekend.  Did not turn out that way.  Had lot’s of plans that did not seem to work out.  Sleeping in would have been nice…LOL.  No chance of that happening.  Managed to burn each finger on my right hand this morning, making bacon.  Did not realize that the dish towel I grabbed to get the bacon out of the over was damp.  My choice was to drop hot bacon grease and bacon on the dogs at my feet wanting bacon, or to burn my fingers.  Easier for me to suffer than them.

Need to come up with my June Monthly Goal.  Have to be easy on myself because this RA medication is still kicking my butt.

On this Memorial Day, I honor all those that have lost their lives protecting us.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure Your Family

Advertisement

One of the Many Uses of Our Pool Table

You think it would be so we could play pool.  Nope.  It is really there so I can lay out quilts.  I went to Lowe’s and bought a board that fit perfectly on top. While it is not quite tall enough for me, it certainly beats trying to do it on the floor.  Then I would have dogs walking across it or laying on it.  Using the pool table just means the dogs are laying underneath it or at my feet.

This is totally a UFO, circa 1990’s.  But it has a bit of special meaning.  The second quilt I ever made was exactly the same.  This was from leftover fabric (obviously bought way too much).  It has special meaning, because I gave that quilt to my mother.  It was the first time she was ever impressed with something that I did.  Mom is not with us anymore, and I think one of my older sisters has the quilt.

I can tell that I did this quilt top a long time ago.  Still had not figured everything about quilting.  Totally ironed the seams like a rookie (open).  The sashing…”Good God” … horrible.  My use of a ruler was truly an issue back then.

I managed to fix it enough to get is square so I could quilt it.  I wanted to find the same thread I used on Mom’s, but could not find it anywhere.  It was a multi-color Sulky that was Black, Red and gold.  It really looked awesome of the quilt.  I wound up with a variegated black/gray.  It will have to do.

This is a simple quilt (basic 9 patch), so I will do simple quilting.  I will likely do a loopy meandering.

That is about the only thing I got done this weekend.  New Rheumatoid Arthritis drug, sort of kicked my butt on Saturday.  Crossing my fingers that this one works.  I am on Drug #4 in the last six months.  I do feel much better today though.  Just need to keep my immune system up since all these drugs kill your immune system.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure your Family

Ever heard of this one????

So, I wrote about this UFO before.  The black fabric was sort of falling apart.  It was very fragile.  I got lots of good advice on what to do.

So, I got the blocks and pieces out and decided that I would make a couple more blocks and I would try to gently quilt it.

Well, I could not sew the blocks together.  The black fabric was too fragile.  SO, I started to throw away all the black.  Right about the time I was getting ready to throw the blocks in the trash, I decided to see how fragile a whole block was.

Crazy thing….they are fine.  Strong as can be.

So, what is the difference?  I stored the pieces in Ziploc bags (actual Ziploc Brand).  It seems that the Ziploc bag affected the black fabric.  Anyone else ever heard of that?  The Batik fabric I had in the Ziplocs was fine.  Only seemed to affect the black fabric.

Please let me know your thoughts or if anything crazy like that has ever happened to you.

I have a lot of stuff stored in Ziploc bags.  Now I am scared.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure Your Family

An Awesome reason to have a Quilting Blog

Besides being with like minded people, there are awesome opportunities to strike up friendships with some of the most wonderful people.  I recently had the opportunity to email back and forth with Nanette Chopin Cook from Chopin-A Passionate Quilter.  She is so kind and wonderful.  Sometimes in life you can feel all alone and then someone like Nanette pops in and renews your Faith in People.  Nanette sent me the 2 beautiful books by Edyta Sitar.  They are gorgeous and have some awesome quilts.  I love scrap quilts and these 2 books are packed with them.  Such a wonderful and thoughtful thing to do.  Thank You Nanette.

20170514_122126_resizedSo, I did get some sewing done this weekend.  Made some pillow cases for the quilt guild.  Haley helped me with picking out the fabrics and ironing.

Mothers Day was wonderful.  I hope you all had a wonderful mother day too!

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure your Family

 

Sewing for Charity with help from the kids

So, since joining a Quilting guild, that does lots of charity work, On Friday night, I decided to work on a few of those items.

Since my 13 year old was in trouble, I decided that she was going to be my assistant.  At first she made a face at me and then I told her potentially wat the alternative could be (something crappy), so she quickly changed her mind.

I explained to her that we would be making these hearts for the local Hospice.  Once someone is hospice passes, they write a message on one side of the heart and then all the nurses that cared for that person sign the back.  A very sweet gesture at a difficult time.

So, I let Haley pick fabric out of the scrap basket.  Then I gave her a pattern and had her cut out the batting for the hearts.  Of course she informed me that she was not good at that and I told her that she would have to practice until she got it right.  Then, Miranda felt left out and joined the party.  She became the chief ironer.

They did not do too badly, there were a few rejects, but overall a success.

Since I am finally feeling a bit better, I also go to work on my one monthly goal project.  I totally need to get it off my design board so I can put something else up there.

My projects have expanded out of my sewing room and are not taking over other parts of the family room.  I have stolen the pool table and placed a board on top of it so I could use it as a work area.  I also put my design board in the pool room.  My shape cutter is sitting next to the bar with several plastic tubs of important stuff and then of course I store a couple of things in the corner of the kid’s family room.  Then there is the long table on the other side of the bar where I usually do my quilting.

I should probably real it in a bit before I have a full scale family revolt on my hands.

Happy sewing

Happy quilting

Treasure your Family

Even at my age, I continue to get surprised…

A friend/quilting friend (meaning she is both) asked me to go to a local quilt guild meeting with her.  Being that I had not really been out of the house in weeks, I decided I would go.

So, why was I surprised?  Well, maybe about 12 years ago, I attended a couple of quilt guild meetings.  I didn’t really like it.  It was very clickish and seemed very high school like with certain people only talking to other people, saving seats like we are 9 years old, and being super critical of others work..  Overall I did not find the folks friendly or helpful or interested in helping newbies assimilate.  So, I had a bit of a sour taste in my mouth regarding guilds.

But, I needed to get out of the house so I went.It was not the same group and I was pleasantly surprised at how friendly and helpful everyone was.  They were so very welcoming.

They do so much for charity, which I love.  They are doing pillowcase and hearts for hospice as well as many other charity events.

They had a speaker form the shelter that they make pillowcases for (the name escapes me at the moment).  She talked about how important having something that someone made was to the people in their shelters.  She clearly was very passionate about what she did.  It was awesome to hear her speak.  The photo in this post is of the two tables full of pillowcases they have already made.  However, many are needed.  I will get to work and make a few with the piles of fabric that I have.

So, I ended up joining the Crazy Quilters of Union County.  I am looking forward to participating in some of their charity work and hanging out with like minded people as I do here on my blog.

If you would like to see some of their work, they have a Facebook you can take a peek at.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure Your Family

One Monthly Goal for May….

I am still not quite 100% after getting pneumonia, however I did manage to go near my studio and determine what my May monthly Goal would be.  I am at about 70%.  Back to work, but by the time I get home, I am totally done.  It gets slightly better each day, but at this slow rate, Ugh….

So, my daughter Haley laid this out for me.  She sometimes like to think of her self as the “Designer”  These are from Mini charm packs.  I love them and usually use them for my English paper piecing, but I had multiple of the same ones.  So, I decided that I would make a smaller piece.  mostly because I want to try to make a scalloped border.  I have never done it before and bought one of those fancy scalloped border rulers.  I figured this would be the perfect thing to try it on.

My goal is to sew together all the little tiny pieces for the center.  I also need to get them off of my design wall so I can put something else up there.

I do have to admit, the One Monthly Goal does prevent me from being a total slacker or letting my quilting ADD take over.

 

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure your Family

And the winner of the give away is…….

Thanks to everyone that entered my charm pack contest.  I did the non nerd version of a drawing.  Basically put everyone’s name in a bowl and then drew out a name.

These beautiful charm packs go to one of my email followers.

Congratulations to Lynn Parker.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure your Family