Tag: baby quilt

I could have waited a year…but I didn’t

Sometimes, life gets in the way of life. That is the only thing I can say. It has been nearly a year since I have written a blog post. There are a host of reasons. I haven’t stopped quilting. I don’t think I would ever stop doing that. It is likely the only thing that keeps me sane.

This quilt top was made during the guild retreat. It was a lovely retreat back in March. Much fun was had by all. It is a lovely design by GE Quilt designs named KIRA. Looks complex but super simple.

This was a wintery table runner I did. I liked this, except for the end where there are 2 od the same snowflakes together. Poor planning on my part there. I did the sections separately. Did not work out as planned. Oops. Still pretty though.

This is my Kite quilt. It came out cute. It has some shirt 3d kite tales. The back has grey fleece, so super soft. This was just me entertaining myself. Nothing special and I did not have anyone in mind when I make it.

I finished this quilt that I started so long ago and gave it to my sister for her 70th birthday. I had actually hand sewn a few of these blocks together

My quilting Godmother, Nanette sent me a few orphan blocks (purple and white) along with a half yard of the purple and I made as many additional as I could. This will be a donation quilt to one of the Guilds charities. I hope to get it on the long arm this week. On the list, but we will see.

There are many other things that I have done. As I find picture I will share.

The Non-Quilting stuff

It’s been a year. If you don’t want to read this nonsense, feel free to stop and move on. A very wise person tells me to write stuff down. So, I am. Not sure if I am supposed to share it or not, but some I will, some I won’t.

So many changes this year. I spent a long time recovering from spinal surgery only to learn there are quite a few things I will never recover from. I added another auto immune disease to my list of stuff that totally sucks. I turned sixty. Not a whole lot different from 59, honestly. I said goodbye to a 10 year relationship that I should have said goodbye to 9 years and 10 months ago, but I didn’t. More on that later.

I am a widow, twice and honestly it totally sucks. Once was bad enough, but come on, twice. The second time, he was my person. the one you read about in the romance novels. The one you think only exists in fairy tales. It can’t be real. That kind of thing. He was someone that looked at me, not the outside, but me. To him I was the most beautiful woman on the planet. Well, that is how he made me feel anyway. He did not see what I saw when I looked in the mirror.

So now what? I read dark mafia romance novels and dream of him. No, he was not in the mafia, but all these books talk of tall, chiseled men with tattoos, which he was. Funny, I never found tattoos even remotely attractive and used to get mad at him every time he got another one and now, I find it extremely attractive. Odd. It is all very confusing to me. I want him back. I miss him. It makes for sad days and nights for sure. More quilting is needed.

Happy sewing

Happy Quilting

Ho hum.

Making up for lost time and the Zebra incident

Three blog posts in one month.  Wow.   I am honestly shocked at myself.  Trying to keep positive and attempt to do the things I love.  I have been told by my Significant other that I need to make an effort to go over to my happy place.  He tells me it makes a difference in me (or my level of grouchiness).  I am making efforts to try and do that.  Sometimes it is hard.

It seems like every day there is a new surprise.  For the last few days I have been having sleeping issues.  I wake up around 4 or so and off in the distance I can see light peeking over the horizon and I can not get back to sleep.  It gets lighter and lighter outside and I lie awake trying to shield myself from daylight.  Then I am tired later and want to do nothing.  Kev’s Suggestion:  “Cover the Window”.  Me,  “This might be only temporary.   I am, not sure I should do that”.  Kev,” OK, continue not sleeping.  Your choice”.  I hate when he makes sense.

The Whimsical Quilt – So, I finished this quilt recently.  It has cute whimsical animals.  I did not want to cut up some of these fabrics and lose the costumed animals.  It came out OK. 

It has fleece on the back.  I love fleece and minky on the back of baby/toddler quilts.  It makes them so soft.  I have no plans for this quilt, it was just something to do.  Mind you I have loads of projects half done or sort of started, but still pick up new things.  At least I finished this one!  Hurray for me.

What else am I working on – Of course, I have started new things.  I am working on a happy Baby quilt.  Nanette sent me the pattern and she is also working on one.  Hers will be perfect of course.  Everything she does is perfect.  Pictures to come later.  I am also making a Yellowstone Quilt.  For those of you that watch the Yellowstone series, it is the one that Beth is wrapped up in sitting on the front porch.  Simple nine-patch set on point.  Pictures to come later.

The Zebra Incident – I live on a state route.  Driving down the road one day, I travel a lot,  in the pasture with some horses, I see a zebra.  Like a real Zebra.  I do a Double take and laugh to myself.   I call my daughter at school and tell her about the zebra.  She has that tone.  That, you have lost your mind tone.  So, later, when I get home, I tell Kev about the Zebra on Route 245.  He rolls his eyes at me and gives me that “You are insane” look.  He says to me,” There is not a Zebra on 245.”  I argue, of course, but eventually, let it go and start to wonder if I have lost my mind.

A couple of days ago, I’m driving down the road with my daughter in the car and there he is.  I stop the car, backed up, while my daughter is yelling at me and made her photograph the said zebra, that no one believes exists.  I then proceeded to text everyone.  I win.  There is a zebra on 245 and I have not lost my mind. 

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

What’s Going on here?

So, I have been working on this baby quilt. I love the cute whimsical fabric. I have the top finished. I hope to get it on the longarm this weekend. That is the plan anyway. It is set on point and a decent size for a baby quilt.

So, I have been working on a couple of other things. I am dredging up some half-done projects to try and get them completed. I am an ADQ – attention deficit quilter. Meaning I have to go from project to project. Some of them I am not sure why I did not finish them, others I know why. Hated them. There are a couple unfinished tops that I need to finish but refuse because I don’t like the method. Stitch and flip. ARGH. Not sure why this one bothers me so much. I am going to try and make a plan to get one block a month completed on that one. It would be easy to not finish it all, but I set out to make it for someone and I have bought all kinds of special fabric, so I need to get over it and get it done.

I drug one out a couple of days ago that was circs late 1990’s. Not sure why I did not finish it. Maybe it just got lost in the shuffle. Surprisingly, it appears that I had all the pieces. I now have all the blocks done and will get them together and put on the borders. Hoping to knock that out tonight. We’ll see.

I have had the orange nightmare quilt on my design wall for quite some time 1.5 years. Going to take it down, finish some other half-done projects and maybe get back to it. But, I need the design wall. I know I have at least one more where all the blocks are done. They are just sitting in a box.

I was photobombed by Ruger. He is our little tiny (8lb) Jack Russel. I often refer to him as “Tiny Dog”. He rules the roost here. Pushes the other dogs around (even my 80 lb lab). He is the only boy, so all the girls are his, including me and my daughter. He is very needy these days because Haley is away at school. He was my late husband’s dog. Haley is now his person. He feels it necessary to sit on me a lot. He does not take up much space, so not a problem.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

The struggle is real

I managed to finish something. It is just a baby quilt. My friend Lynn gave me this fabric. It was simple and easy to put together. I quilted this on my domestic, since I am not really able to use my longarm at the moment. I am out of practice, but it is a simple meandering so no big deal. I used a holiday blanket I got for the back. It is super soft, which I love. I did not have a need for this quilt when I made it, so I will just set it aside for the right moment.

The Struggle – So, my most recent visit to the doctor was not a pleasant one. I was told not to expect much more that what I already have. Be grateful I am walking. Most people with your spinal injury never walk again. Ugh. Took that to heart. I am no where near where I was less than a year ago. I can walk about 500 ft. before my legs want to give out. I can stand a few minutes before I need to sit down. I am still attending physical therapy and they claim that my strength has gotten better. I have zero stamina.

This affects my life in every way imaginable. I cant do things with the family that I would like to do. I can’t do the things I would like to do. I do manage to sew, but stick to small pieces because they are easier to manage. Not as heavy to try to push through a domestic machine and well, the long arm…that involves standing and some strength. I waited years to have one. Have not had it long, but cannot currently use it. It is heart breaking to me.

Let’s not mention that I have had continual ear infections, all kinds of stomach problems, and a racing heart since I have had this surgery. Of course, nothing is related to the surgery itself, so they say. Test after test after test, which tells us nothing.

So, my mental happy place is my sewing room. I do force myself to go in there. I do try and work on things. It is not the way it used to be. I am hoping this is not my new normal, but I just don’t know.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Moving right along…

The Easter Table topper.

What do I like about this table topper – I like the shape. I always like interesting/different shapes. I love my decorated eggs and my colorful peeps.

What do I not like about this table topper – The thread I chose. I love variegated thread, not on this. When I look at the light teal and dark teal (flower looking pieces), they do not line up correctly. The pattern I used looked perfect, but I futzed with it for quite some time to get it to lay right and I still don’t like it. Since this piece is for my table I will have to tolerate the things I don’t like. I would have to make another and see if it came out better before I would give this to someone. Still sort of cute.

I don’t follow directions well – I am sure I am ot the only one. I was looking for something Easter and did not find a lot of patterns. I found this on the Bernina website. It had a lot of embroidery on it which I clearly had no intention of doing. I have two machines that do it and I never do. My 1st late husband and I had a commercial embroidery business, therefore I no longer want to do it and after having commercial machines, find doing it on a one needle sewing machine annoying. So, I basically used the pattern for the shape and the eggs and then went off and did my own thing.

Bambi – Christmas quilt – Off the design wall and being pin basted. I am using a blanket I got for Christmas on the back. It is super soft and very pretty. I think it will be best used on the back of this quilt. I may quilt this on my domestic since I currently have something on my longarm, that is begging to be done. I am finally doing things quilty.

News from the world of Lori – So Doctors have finally figured out what is wrong with me, hopefully. Apparently, my neck has severe arthritis to the point that I do not have spinal fluid surrounding my spinal cord in a decent sized area. So, on February 5th, I will get it fixed. There really is no option, I could wind up paralyzed if I choose not to do it. So, do it we will. Such is life. Yes, I am totally freaked out by it.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Baby Quilts, my favorite

For as long as I remember, I have loved making baby things. I think it may be because both my older sisters had a baby when I was about 17. I spent every moment I could with the boys and as a teenager, most of my extra money. I wanted them to have everything, especially things their parents did not want them to have. Both of these boys are getting close to 40 years old, but I still love them both dearly today. I also made them many things. My niece and nephew had some awesome Halloween costumes. One year I made my nephew a dinosaur costume. The tale was so long and big they tied a roller skate to it so he would knot drag a hole in it. I did make my own daughter costumes (as long as she let me). She was an adorable witch and a pink poodle at one point.

About the Quilt top – I was visiting my friend Lynn and she was telling/showing me that she joined one of those monthly quilt subscriptions. She showed me everything that she had received. The fabric for the holiday baby quilt was in one her boxes and she said she would not use it, so she gave it to me. Thanks Lynn. I am not sure she knows of my affinity to make baby things, but it was perfect. It was also something simple for me to actually get done. The panel came with a charm pack. I added the green and used every piece in the fat quarter pack.

Monthly Subscriptions – I have looked at many of them over time. I had a difficult time finding one that I thought was a good value and have things I could use. So, when Lynn told me about he Creative Notions one, I decided to investigate. She had been doing it for a few months and showed me what she had gotten. Fabric, patterns, notions and cute quilter stuff (which I kind of like). The cost was $45.00 including shipping. So, I figured I would give it a try. If I don’t like it, I could cancel.

I got my first one. It seems like a good value. The makers planner is awesome. It has plastic sleeves for fabric samples, places to draw, planning pages. There is an entire section on abbreviations measurements. Mostly everything you would want to know. I really like it. I am hoping that I use it. While I make my living planning and implementing large scale IT projects, I find my personal life is not that organized. Maybe this will help. The fat quarter pack is so pretty. I will certainly use it. It came with a pattern and the first directions for a quilt along they are doing. I have not read everything, but will work on that. In case anyone is interested in trying, it is from Creative Notions.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

OMG Finish!

We certainly live in some crazy times.  Fortunately, I am still employed.  Actually, I still go to the office a couple of days a week.  There are not many of us, so we are a good distance apart.  Honda is considered an essential business.  I don’t mind.

I also missed the deadline to post my finish because I really have no idea what the date is or day of the week.  Everything runs together.   Maybe next month.

You would think that being trapped at home would mean more quilting.  But nooooooo.  I find it hard to get motivated.  Every time the news channel comes on I become glued to the TV.  Not sure why there is no good news.

My poor daughter had to spend her “Sweet Sixteen” in quarantine.

About the One monthly Goal Quilt …I love babies so sometimes I just make baby quilts for no reason.  The colors are a bit odd, but they do sort of go together.  No plans for this one.  It will go to the done stack.20200330_140931

For the quilting, I used my heart ruler.  It really took no time at all.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Stay safe and away from every one

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One Monthly Goal…And we’re back

I have not done One Monthly Goal in a while.  Pretty sure it has been a year.  Sort of stopped doing a lot after my sister died.  I did not stop sewing or quilting, I just could not deal with deadlines.

I think it will help me get things done.  It always has in the past, so I am back.  My One Monthly Goal for March 2020 is to completely finish this baby quilt.  It is currently partially quilted and has been this way for several weeks.  I walk by it a lot and totally ignore it.  So, we will finish quilting and get it bound for my goal.20200303_122925

More Pillowcases

I will add 11 more to my donations, bringing my total to 34.  WooHoo.  I like having something I can put together in a few minutes.

Happy Sewing, Happy Quilting

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I learned something new

So, I have acquired quite a few fat quarter packs that have five fat quarters.  I wanted to figure out something to do with these.   If you only have on fat quarter pack of the same design you could be limited to what you can do.  I do love babies so I decide that I needed to find a pattern that was friendly to these 5 fat quarter bundles.  Baby quilts it is.

I could not find any pattern that was suitable or that I liked, so I made my own.  I really liked the dog fabric, so I wanted to make sure that I could showcase the dog prints.  I had a few issues with the size of things, so this is not perfect, but the next one, I will have just right.  I don’t have any fancy quilting software, so I was just drawing on paper.  It was super simple to make and with the 5 fat quarter pack and a yard of solid, I made a cute baby quilt.  I sort of like it.

20190618_191938I quilted dog bones into the quilt with my homemade dog bone ruler and put dog fleece20190618_191900 on the back.  I like fleece on the back because it is very forgiving.  However, I find it much harder for some unknown reason to quilt.  My shoulders are killing me after quilting when there is fleece on the back.

 

So, what did I learn?  I managed to sew the 20190618_192631binding on by machine entirely.  Never did it before.  Watched a couple of video’s.  For a first time, it is not too bad.  I don’t mind the hand binding on the back, but for some things, I think sewing it on is acceptable and I have to tell you that I have never had better looking corners. ever.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

What did I do this weekend?

I know you are all dying to know.  LOL. I made this baby quilt top.  I have some fat quarter packs that I have received as gifts and was trying to find a good way to use them.  I still have a few things to work out, but overall came out kind of cute.  I guess I find anything with dog fabric kind of cute though.  Good way to use five fat quarters.  I made a few mistakes in piece sizes because I forgot to properly account for seam allowance, but I think I have it figured out now.

I made the mistake of not putting all the pieces on the design board, so I have some fabrics together that I don’t like, but I will not make that mistake next time.

So, the Connecting Threads warehouse was this past weekend, in Columbus, Ohio.  SO I went, almost didn’t but then on my way home from something else, decided to check it out.  Glad I did and also glad I went in the afternoon.  Apparently there was a 2 hour wait to get in the building when they opened.  I am not patient and would not have waited for 2 hours to get in the building which was a warehouse with no air conditioning.  I don’t black Friday shop either.  I want/need nothing that bad.

There was still plenty of stuff for me.  I bought 18 yards of fabric @ $2.50/yd.  Pretty good.  I did have to stand in line for abut 30 minutes though.  I was a hot mess.  Next time, I make Haley go stand line immediately while I shop.  She tried to get me to go to the car and she would wait in line, but I toughed it out.

First picture is what I bought.  Second picture is the warehouse.  The fabric is on rolls, and there are rolls and rolls.  The third picture is the line which wrapped around the aisle of the warehouse and up another.  They also sold yarn there, lots of yarn.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting