Easy Street part 5 and Christmas finishes

 Easy Street step 5 was the easiest one so far.  It was nice to be able to finish that step, some table toppers and bind a quilt in one day.  The table toppers are gifts for the family.  The quilt is because I cut up too many 5 inch squares of Christmas fabric for the other Christmas quilts I made this year.  I decided to make a D9P with them.  The flowers are from a neighbor who arranged them herself.  She is so talented.  They look pretty in the center of the table, when it isn't being used to display my handiwork.

Easy Street - step 4

I am keeping up pretty well with the steps for Easy Street.  I have trouble getting those flying geese to be perfect.  I am also having problems with that green.  I got the paint chips to match the color up.  Sometimes my fabrics look like they match and other times they look way off.  I am not going to worry about it.  I am sure they will look fine in the quilt no matter what.  I am looking forward to the next step.  I can't figure out how things are going to go yet and don't have the time to play around.

Part three-Easy Street

The purple and blue blocks are part three of Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street.  I am thinking about making half as many more to either make this quilt larger or make a second, smaller quilt.

 

The above picture is from my quilt club's shop hop yesterday.  We went to some shops in Lancaster county.  This is Burkholder's, where they have a wonderful selection of fabric and rulers.  I was looking for a large 60 degree ruler on the internet and at Joann's without success, so I bought a little one and made due with it.  They had the large one here.  They also had many of the diamond rulers, twister rulers, etc.  I will have to check back here when I need to buy a specialty rule in the future.

One of the shops we visited was Obie's.  I read a comment by a reviewer who said there was so much fabric it was frightening.  This isn't the kind of shop you can browse through and find what you are looking for.  If you ask one of the owner's (I presume the ladies here were owners.) they know where everything is and if they have what you are looking for or not.  I think if they had less to sell, or more room, they would sell more.  Here are a couple of pictures.    The lighting wasn't this good in all the little nooks and crannies.  My camera really made it look like the lighting was good.  What an interesting place to visit.

Making progress

 I just finished my first Christmas tree skirt in time for Christmas!  Yeah!  This is for my daughter.  I am pretty pleased with how it turned out.  I did make a mistake cutting some of the triangles, but I am hoping when it is under the tree no one will notice.  I don't know if I will say anything or not.  I tend to have a big mouth and point out all the mistakes.  Maybe this time I will be able to keep my mouth shut!  Now I have to figure out a closing for it.  I am thinking of some fabric ties.  Do all skirts have to have some closing mechanism?

And here is step two of Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt.  If you are interested in making it, the first two steps weren't too bad and there weren't thousands of pieces, so there is still time to join in.  Click on the Easy Street button on the side of the blog if you are interested.  They are so much fun and always turn out beautiful.

November 2012

 I completed another quilt top like the one in the last post.  I have this one on the frame.  I have been having trouble with this one.  My pressure foot kept falling off so I got a new screw and that seems to be holding that on.  Then I wasn't paying attentions and hit one of my side clamps.  I must have a burr somewhere.  I keep sanding the foot and the plate but my thread keeps shredding.  I am not sure what else to do.  I have two or three quilts on the back of the frame that need to be bound.  I have 4 quilts that I have been working on on the design wall.  I have been busy, just not getting things finished.

 Here is the first step of Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street.  This is going to be such a fun quilt with the bright colors she has chosen for it.  Most of my quilt club is doing this one, which will make the process even more fun.

 We have two new additions to the family this month.  Here is Pugsley.  He is my son Kyle's family's puppy.  They adopted him yesterday.  He is 81/2 weeks old.  He is a pug/beagle mix from an Amish/mennonite family in Lancaster.  There were six puppies.  I had hoped that they got to meet the parents, but they didn't.  I hope he isn't from a puppy mill.  They are notorious for them in Lancaster.  He is only about 8 lbs but looks so much larger in his pictures.

And here is Emma.  She was adopted about a week ago from the SPCA.  She is about 8 months old and is a terrier mix of some kind.  She came to visit for Thanksgiving and was very well behaved until the kids went outside to play.  She nipped about half of them and had them in tears.  She was raised at the SPCA since she was tiny and was found abandoned.  I guess she didn't learn that kids aren't other puppies and not to bite!  She is very sweet.  Tiffany is her mom.

Sad news

Lisa, my grandchildren's other grandmother, lost her battle with breast cancer Sunday night.  She maintained her joyful, positive attitude to the end.  The last time I saw her was in August at my grandson's birthday party.  Life is so cruel sometimes.  She leaves behind two children in high school and my grandchildren's mother.  I am so thankful that my grand kids were able to know and love her.  

Getting ready for Christmas

This is a Christmas quilt I made using the Missouri Star Quilt Company Youtube tutorial.    Jenny showed a clever way to make the scrappy four patches with charm squares.  I had an election for which quilt to send to Christopher, and this one lost.  (See previous post.)
I wasn't loving this quilt too much until I finished quilting it.  It looks very different in person.  I wish my picture could capture that.  Good thing I like it now because I am making another one and they are Christmas gifts.  If I hadn't liked them they would probably have gone to the SPCA for the puppies to enjoy.

This is a Christmas table topper I made with a pattern I bought while on vacation.  It didn't turn out quite like I had planned.  I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing while cutting and didn't have enough fabric to cut more.  I wanted the striped fabric to be the large triangle on the outside with the light green dotty print the outside border.  Other than that it was easy and quick to make.  I am hoping to make a few more for presents.  It can be made larger and used for a tree skirt, which is also in the plans.  I didn't have a large 60 degree ruler, and having one of those would have made this even easier.  I quilted it with free hand swirls that went fast also and I like how they turned out.

Christopher's Miracle Journey

I met a young lad on Facebook via links from friends and family.  Christopher is fighting a rare disease that until recently there was no cure for.   Around Christmas this year he will undergo surgery that they hope will cure him.  I was so touched by this young man and his joyful spirit.  He has a brilliant smile on his face even as he endures painful therapy.

They are conducting fund raisers to help raise money to pay the costs of the surgery that are not covered by insurance.  I cannot go to any of the fundraisers since he lives so far from me.  I decided to do what I could. I made him a quilt.  I told them to do whatever they want to do with it-auction it, raffle it or even just keep it. If they use it to raise money I really hope that it brings in a decent amount.

Without further adieu here is the quilt that I made for him.

Finished after two years!

 I started this quilt two years ago for my daughter and her husband as a housewarming present.  It got put aside as other projects came along.  I finally finished it!  I didn't realize how big it was going to be-102 inches square.  I never thought I was going to finish it.  As a side note-we live in a HOA neighborhood.  Of course the problem neighbor of the neighborhood is our next door neighbor.  We had to put up a privacy fence due to them.  They have turned us in to the HOA because of the line on the deck my husband put up for me to hang my quilts so I can photograph them.

 We went to Rehoboth Beach for a mini vacation this month.  I knew I would miss sewing so I took my Featherweight with me.  As luck would have it, we had a rainy day that I took advantage of and pieced a baby quilt I had cut out.

 Here is the view from the balcony.  It was supposed to rain the previous day-so we did lots of indoor things that day-no rain.  This day was supposed to be nice and sunshiny-lots of rain.

 Here is the baby quilt top laid out on the bed.  I just quilted it so it will be bound some time soon.

We rode our bikes to the next town over when we thought it was done raining.  We moved the table and chairs outside to eat and down came the rain again.  We still had fun riding around.  The shore is the greatest place to ride bikes-no hills to deal with.  

Giveaway

Did you do the Moda Blog hop giveaway?  That is one that I really enjoyed-learning a little bit about the designer's home towns.

Here is another giveaway .  It is for May Chappell's star quilt pattern and some 5/8 yards of Amy Butler fabric.

Getting ready for Halloween

 Happy Halloween.  This is the second D9P Halloween quilt I made with this fabric.  My daughter was going to make this one, but she works FT, home schools and has to take my grandson to multiple therapists during the week, so try as she may, she just doesn't have time for a labor intensive hobby like quilting right now.  This is another WIP that I finished this year.  My 11th finished quilt and my 3rd WIP.  I am pretty pleased with that record!


Ryleigh and Braydon spent a weekend with me in August.  They wanted to sew, so they picked out fabric and made pillowcases.  Ryleigh gave up before hers was finished, but Brady sewed his completely with a little help by grandma.  They also picked out buttons that they liked from my large collection.

Orca Bay finished!

 Orca Bay is finished!  I wanted to be sure to get this finished before the next Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt begins.  I didn't like this quilt much until it was on the design wall.  Wow-it just sparkled!  I guess that is why I am a lowly quilt maker and not a designer.  Few of the pictures of Orca Bay that I have seen do this quilt justice, including mine!








I liked the red border I saw on one Orca Bay, but didn't want quite that much red, so I did a black binding with red piping.  I am pleased with that touch of red.














                                                                                                                                                                   
We celebrated Madison's third birthday today.  I gave her the quilt I made for her-but she was more interested in all the toys!

Here is a picture of Gobi when he helped me take a picture of a quilt.  He is now living in a new home.  He ended up being too rough for my little grand kids.  They loved him and wanted to play with him, but he thought they were rough and tough pups like he is.  The lady who took him had him for a while when I couldn't take him because I had Nala.  Her daughter fell in love with him and he will be living with her family now.  She knows his personality, so she knows what she is getting into!  We miss him.

On a very sad note, my grand kids other grandmother, the one with breast cancer, is losing her battle.  She went into hospice this week.  I am so grateful I made the breast cancer quilt for her last year.  I really thought she would beat this.  She has such an upbeat personality and is always so full of life.  It just doesn't seem possible that her time is ending here.  I don't know what to say to her, but I want to say goodbye.  How do you do that?  I am not close enough to visit her, but I want to send her a card, and maybe a mug rug to put on her bedside table.  I don't think I have a lot of time, so this will be my Sunday project.  

July 2012

  HH Here is an Eye Spy D9P quilt that I made for Oliver's birthday next month.  I am hoping that he enjoys looking at all the different animals, characters and objects.  I had one block of minky to add to the mix.

 Oliver turns four next month and is holding his own as far as the Alexander's Disease is concerned.  No seizures for a while.  He does have balance issues, so he is not real steady on his feet.

Elijah and Madison wanted to get in on the pictures with Gobi.  Gobi was posing better than the kids!

Here are Madison and Gobi with her birthday quilt.  She will be turning three next month.  I used It's a Hoot fabric and tried to copy Sue Dario's version.  I would have loved to copy her quilting too, but my skill sets are no where close.

Finally, Oliver's bag for his birthday.  He loves to get into my purse and explore all the pockets.  I used the same pattern for his tote bag and put in a wallet I made, eye glasses case and some keys. He can add his toys and carry them with him wherever he goes.

June 2012

I made a Carpenter's Star so I could participate in Judy Laquidara's feather tutorial.  I learned a lot, but I still have a lot to learn.  I appreciate even more the beautiful feathers and quilting others do.  My batting was too thick and  caused problems with my thread breaking and the quilt bunching.  Next time much thinner batting.  Here is my inspiration quilt for my colors.

I have trouble seeing.  I think my frame should be higher, but then that may cause problems with pantos.  I probably will be doing more pantos than free hand, so I am going to let things be.  That is unless I find information on how to improve my situation!

 Here is my Carpenter's Star on the frame, the next quilt in line is on the side of the frame and then the kaleidoscope quilt is on the design wall.  I am almost finished with the second quilt and hope to get the kaleidoscope on the frame tonight.  I am still toying with the idea of doing some freehand on it.  I just don't have enough confidence to just do it.  Maybe I will put a quilt on the frame that is waiting in my basket of UFO's and practice on it before trying the kaleidoscope.  I fell in love with Sue Dario's kaledoscope.  I cannot even dream of quilting like she does, but I could try something simple.

Some flowers from my garden:

Monthly post-for May

I think Gobi is here to stay.  We tried to take him to my mother's for weekend visitation and he was a bad boy.  :^(  My mother really misses him and he really loves her, but her condo is just too small and she is just not in good enough health.  He is a high energy boy who loves to run and jump.  There is no room for that in her tiny yard.  She is also not very good with taking him outside, so her house was too  unsanitary for him to live there.  Here he does great!  We got a wireless electric fence and Gobi has it all figured out.  We were hoping to trick him by putting up flags where we didn't want him to go-mainly to the front of the property, but he found out they were not real pretty quickly.  He loves being outside chasing bunnies, balls and birds.  My biggest concern is what will  happen when the baby birds leave their nests.  I am going to be vigilant and try to prevent any disasters.

I just added this picture to the Pets on Quilts show.

Here is my latest quilt finish.  It is an older Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt, Carolina Christmas, that I posted about previously.  It just didn't want to get finished.  I had another border on it and didn't like it.  I took the border off, took the top apart to see how I would like it with sashing.  I ended up liking it better without the sashing, so finally got around to putting it back together, adding Bonnie's pieced border, which was much nicer than mine, and started to quilt it.  I found one area that I hadn't sewn completely so that got hand sewn while on the frame.  Then my helper from above-Gobi-decided he was going to play with the batting while the quilt was on the frame.  

I was quilting it from one side and he was doing his thing on the other side.   There were a total of  two holes and the bottom piece was torn out.  I cut some batting and patched them and can't tell where the holes were now that the quilt is all quilted.  The final minor disaster was that I ran out of the thread I was quilting with.  I was using a pink variegated thread.  For about 1 square foot the thread isn't pink.  It isn't very noticeable.  

I decided to sew the binding on by hand.  It has been a long time since I did anything but machine binding.  I didn't mind the process like I used to, but I didn't love it either.

 Here are a couple of pictures of the flowers in my yard.  These are in the front of the house and I can see them while I am working.  My desk faces the front windows, and if I look between the computer monitors I can see the taller ones.  These are coreopsis, Johnny Jump ups and either Dawn or Sunset or something like that coneflower.  I love the coloring of the coneflower.  It is a little more orangish (made up work?) than the picture shows.

One more flower picture.  Here is the bouquet that my son surprised me with for Mother's day.  It was absolutely beautiful and lasted a long time, because they had a lot of buds in the arrangement.

Finally some recent photos of some of the grands.

Oliver-4

Elijah 5

Madison-2

Kamille-6

Ryleigh-4

Braydon-3

The two oldest grands-Hayley and Kole-didn't get their pics taken.  Maybe next time!

Goodbye until next time!