CAN A NEW BLOCK BE MADE?

I took this picture out of archives today..its an original I dreamed up one afternoon couple years ago with the size scraps I had.....now I am trying to make a new block with scraps I have using more different size squares and rectangles....can a person make a new block or have they all been made lol....Not wanting to get too involved with a defined quilt of sorts at this time ...I want something I can have fun with....I cant believe just how much small yardage I have...its prettly well stacked at the front of my work table...the goal is to use off those piles first but somehow they get bigger not smaller lol..

I laid awake for 2 hours last night trying to envision a block and when I found it useless I got up and machine quilted a small runner before going back to bed...

I've been kind of lazy so far today...I guess I am sleepy because of lack of sleep I got last night...got some laundry to do when I final get going....got binding to put on 2 small items now....I found some half finished potholders buried on the table too that I could work on....not to mention the big clothes basket of block bags I have to finish...and the list goes on.....more later.....

PASTEL BABY QUILT IS FINISHED

I finished the binding on the small baby quilt I machine quilted this week....again I was up late but I wanted to get it finished....I even got the label sewn in it and the irish chain quilt..

I love these pastel modern type quilts...they look so fresh in design and soft and sweet....its a pleasure to work on them....the picture shows it a little brighter than it really is...

I have a chore to do today that has been long overdue....My little ironing board that sits next to me when I am sewing needs a new cover...

I was going to fix it earlier in the week but could not find my electric staple gun....I thought it must be in the basement but rather than risk falling down the stairs I waited till help came along....Last night my son came and he found it in the basement...so now I am in business when I get to it...hopefully today...That little ironing board is becoming an antique lol....I made it in the 60's for use on vacations ..that was before motels thought to put ironing boards in the rooms....it has been many miles and ironed many miles of fabric...

MORE QUILTS IN PROGRESS

The fall festival is over for another year....the weather was great, a little cool but ok.....the crowd was a little thinner I think and looking not buying unless it was food....that was the busy places...according to one vendor people just seemed to be out for a stroll lol....but then I kind of expected this as I hear every day on the tv that the economy is still not the best....

Here at home at this very moment I have 3 quilts started on the back corner of my table....I think all three will be at least  double bed size....you will see more of them as I work on them but I had to package them up to keep it all together...that becomes a problem sometimes as limited as I am for space...

 

I got my order Saturday with the border fabric I am going to use with the floating boxes quilt...that should make it twin size....

its another one of those conversation thingys that my family most likely will comment on....its kind of a fun quilt so why not put a fun border on it....it might go to the nursing home to brighten up someones life...more on that later.....

 

All those medium and pastel fabrics I had out when working on the sherbet colors quilt I decided to make another one only prism design....

years ago I made one with pastel prints where the colors are with white as a background....it went to my nephew's family and I liked it so well that it stuck in my mind and I said one day I would do another....the colors I had out seemed the right choice for this one instead of the prints....more on this later too....ok I am editing this...I was looking over the blog and found I had a picture on the right of the last prism quilt with the prints....so you can see what one looks like done....

 

Life is back to normal for me now lol....my brain is working overtime as usual so maybe I will come up with some goodies .....more later.....

HERE IS THE 'SHERBET' QUILT

Well here it is....the 'sherbet' quilt all finished with hand quilting....it too will go to the fall festival...not sure it will sell, the public is hard to figure for sales but at least my work will be out there to show...

 

While the pastel and medium color fabrics were out all over the sewing room I decided to make another pastel quilt larger baby size this time....4 different color triangles around a  light beige square....I made one of those only with plain white center and calico print triangles around the outside...as I recall the blocks were smaller and on point...but it made a beautiful baby quilt....my nephew got that one for his new one years ago...its pictured on the right with the caption 'Nicoles Quilt'...anyway I made 19 blocks which will be 4 1/4 inches square....not very big but the quilt will be very colorful as is this one I am showing today...

 

I am on the outside border of my sons fish quilt, may work on it later today some....right now I have so many things going its hard to keep track of them....I have got to get some order to things or I wont get much done just running here and there....

 

the weather has been so nice I feel I better be outside and enjoying it so I guess I will get a few groceries sometime to day....I really need some good ideas for meals lately I have been fed up with food lol...no time to sit and look for recipes so will have to wing it ....just roam the grocery store looking for something good.....more later....

SHERBET QUILT IS ALMOST DONE!

i decided to start with something bright and cheery today...its clouding up so maybe it will rain some and cool down....as long as its hot i am contented to be inside where it is cool....i found these flowers in the garage along with some others and decided they might look nice on the deck even though they arent fresh....i have a bad habit of forgetting to water plants outside...my kids say i put them in 'dry dock' lol...

i am making progress on the 'sherbet' quilt...working on the border now...

got almost one side done last night and now the markings are gone for around the corner so will have to mark that and the next side...it moves pretty fast when i get started...i think it will be a 'striking' quilt when finished...i may put it up for sale at the festival but being its hand quilted i would price it higher....

i need to quit sewing for a bit and start putting fabric back in the cabinet...i have all the pastel and brights i used in the sherbet quilt still out and fabric from several of the runners too....2 piles on the machine arm makes it hard to sew and  piles behind the little ironing board makes it hard to press things and god forbid if i had to press a large piece of fabric....and i guess i will just have to gather all the scrap i have accumulated of late and just put in a bag for now as my scrap box is overflowing....i feel another string quilt coming on lol....

ok i either have to find something in the freezer for my supper or get out in the heat and go eat somewhere....i am leaning toward the latter lol....no cooking...its a good thing! lol....more later.....

STARTED A NEW QUILT

Today i started what i call a 'sherbet' quilt....well its not sherbet ice cream just a lot of colors you might find in sherbet...

I made one of these about 3 years ago and gave it away right away at a baby shower and it was a hit with all that saw it...i have posted here before....

well while back i started cutting strips and cutting big triangles after 2 strips were sewed together creating color combos...well last night about midnight i got started again and just kep puttin blocks together and i got enough done to make another baby quilt....

this past week i made another runner


it too is based on the scrappy quilts using various strips....i didn't have as many blues as i did the browns, oranges etc...

my granddaughter was here for a bit this afternoon and we kind of discussed our strategy for the fall festival sale we are planning on....it should be interesting to say the least....

i will have more pictures when i get the 'sherbet' quilt done...should be this week...just got to remember all i need a picture of......oh its fun to get old!!!!....more later!

PROGRESS IS MADE ON MODERN MAZE QUILT

Back when i was making the pastel 'maze' quilts i thought somewhere in time i would make one that was made with batiks with the same principle....so about a year ago i started drawing up a new pattern for one....you have seen the block in earlier posts and i have been working on it now and then....

i am almost done with the top...

i have been putting together sections in 9 square blocks (3x3) and have 2 more sections to go....i think i have enough 6 inch blocks to finish...then decide if it will be another row of 3 wider and longer....

here is a closeup of a 9 square section.

before i do that though i want to work on my grandsons quilt i started before my health problem....i have the back, gotta wash/iron it yet then sandwich and i can quilt....i hope i can do a good job on it on my little machine....then also quilt those pinwheel runners too....

yesterday i mostly spent in the kitchen trying to cook things that didn't have salt...that is one losing battle...i have doc appointment next wednesday so i thought cook reg but watch the salt very carefully and see if i am doing ok at the docs....i havent cooked with salt for years...my down fall is eating out!...i will have to get used to using unsalted products as i find them....i keep forgetting i can season them later with salt substitute....

a very good salt substitute is called "no salt"....i swear by it!

time for lunch so gotta run...more later....

SO MANY QUILTS -SO LITTLE TIME!!

Right now i have so many quilts going...i am beginning to feel bogged down....i know, its my own fault lol...but i can explain lol....

i have the snowball quilt you saw in last post but i was looking in the cabinet and found the fabric that was left from the pillowcases i made my grandson...i guess i havent taken a pic of those yet...

anyway i only had about 1 yard of the fabric left so i made blocks out of it alternating with red and blue to make it go farther....ran out of red and didn't think it was going to be big enough for him but i had ordered red for another project and it matched what i ran out of so after i wash it i can put the last border on it...will get pics when i get that border on....

then i got out the blocks of the modern quilt i have been working on all year now and then....

this is a pic i had in the archives but i have almost 70 blocks now and will make quite a few more before i decide just how big it will be....its going to be very striking in color....the pic dont do it justice....will try to get a better one later....

i have the backs for all the quilts now except the modern one so i can get going....and i also have 15 new blocks for the gfg quilts and will start again setting them in rows....

had a good after surgery checkup at the eye docs other day....i never went back for the check up when i was suppose to so he gave me a lecture lol....and i promised to go sooner than 5 years lol....i know i shouldn't take it lightly as i have had eye problems in the past and still have one that will go out of this world with me....

i got steel in my eye years ago and had to have rust scraped from the cornea dead center and it created a shadow that i see when i move my eyes and the new lens from cataract  surgery makes it more prominent to see...

rain, rain all week so i guess i will be sewing more maybe i can get caught up with the pics to show ya....more later....

FINISHED QUILT PICTURE AND STORY

I finally got the camera wound up today...i shouldn't wait so long to take the pics for the blog as i can forget things that i have done for a week when i skip around working on things....

the first one is the finished blue quilt with the detail picture of the quilting...it doesn't show up on the big pic of the whole quilt...i had bought the backing fabric about 2 years ago when i first started this quilt...

there is a story with this quilt....it started out as a 9 patch with white as the other color....after i got the quilt top finished i hated it....so i tore it up into blocks and packaged it up....then a couple years later i tore it up back to squares and started over adding the blue for 4 patches....it was a good idea because i think all the colors worked well.... 

my daughter was here last week and she held this quilt in her lap for a long time...i do think she wants it lol....she has had an interest in it from the beginning and she is a big lover of blue...lol

over the week end we got more snow...i dont think i have ever seen it snow for 3 days like it did this time....thank god it was almost a rain for part of it at times to keep the totals from accumulating more than it did....this morning i went out and shoveled off my back walk before anyone walked on it making it easier to shovel....now the sun is out so it should melt some today....got to make a trip to town to pick up meds this week so trying to get the snow out of my way so i dont fall...

today i had dinner brought in so i am about to go enjoy it...i made a big bowl of potato salad yesterday to have as something quick to go along with my meal to make cooking easier this week while i am sewing....good idea i think!...

i will have more things to talk about tomorrow or the next day depending on how busy i get....lately i am busier than usual or extra slow lol...see you later with more....

SOME PROJECTS GETTING NEW HOME

I thought maybe i should come in and post now as i gotta get some groceries and run errands, then wrap my granddaughters birthday present....

Her present is the quilt i made and i made her a pillow complete with pillow form like the quilt also....

then there is the pillow form and pillow like the table runner she wanted too...she already has the runner...

its a small one that she says works over the arm of her sofa so the pillow to match should look good there too...i dont think she will need more pillows for awhile lol....she already bought  some in the colors of the quilt above....both pillows measure 18 inches square so they are good size ones....

Maybe i will get to do a little other sewing later today....i have projects sittin all over right now....its finish time i think before i start anything new....i would like to get the rest of the blocks made for the 'stringy stars' quilt i am working on....i am liking it quite well...no pics yet.....lol...dragging my feet on that....and of course i would like to get the quilting done that i started before my quilt foot broke....so lots of things i should be doing....so i guess i better get going....more later....

MY GRANDDAUGHTERS MODERN QUILT

I finally got the camera going and took a picture of my granddaughters quilt all done....it has been a year in the making...i kept putting it aside for other projects through the year and last month i made up my mind to get it done...here it is....

but you know there is always something right behind it ready to be done and i have quite a selection to pick from lol...

its a toss up between the color study quilt i call 'MAZE TO NOWHERE'...cant remember now if it is no. 1 or 2....this one has a green border...the other one that is done has a blue border (in the first pic)....both are pictured below...they are alike except for the borders....a case of making too many blocks lol...

this is my own block that i designed and it is a very easy block to sew ...the seams dont meet so you dont have to deal with bulk there and it goes fast ...it does take a lot of variety of colors though...it took me a long time before i got what i wanted to use gathered up but it gave me time to figure out just what kind of block i was going to make...

and the other quilt to be quilted is this one...

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i would like to get it done too...i have the back for it that i want to use but dragging my feet on what to quilt in the light space....i love feathers and i think i have a stencil that will work....i will hand quilt i think as i am not good enough to do feathers on machine and i would like to give this one away as a gift later....more on my dilemma later lol

for right now i am nursing a back ache...i aggrivated an old injury last week carrying something i shouldn't have and now i suffer for it....and believe me winter weather isn't helping...but our weather could be worse and i am glad so far that the snow is north of us but soon i think we will have some....then i will have plenty of time to sew just hope my back settles down by then...

well lunch is coming  later this morning so i dont have to cook.... i better get dressed and i could use more coffee to get woke up...happy sewing....more later....

GRAND D. QUILT AND HAND QUILTING THOUGHTS

This is my granddaughters quilt i am working on right now...i took it out of the frame to relax it a bit so it wouldn't get those ring marks on it and i wanted to see how the stencil is working that i am using to hand quilt it....

This quilt is inching along ok without mishaps so far...i hope i dont jinx it by mentioning that lol....my hands started cramping last night while quilting but i have been working on it now 3 days straight so i think they need a rest...

Here is a closeup of the detail of the quilting in the inner border...it is working just fine....when planning a quilted border i usually pick something that doesn't fit lol...but this one popped out at me when i began to think about quilting it....i didn't want a lot of 'fru-fru' for this one as it is very contempory...i was even thinking of drawing boxes here and there freehand but didn't think i could be consistent enough....

THOUGHTS ON HAND QUILTING

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When i was first beginning this adventure of quilting was back in the 60's when i was accumulating lots of fabrics from sewing for my 2 girls....i had a huge box of scrap...my neighbor, an avid sewer encouraged me to make a quilt...so with her guidance i ventured into this world....i bet i picked her brain at least twice a week after that...lol

I learned a lot from her and from what i am told it was bred into me, as my grandmother was next to being a pro at quilting selling her quilts thoughout the county...she passed on when i was 5 so didn't get to know her long....i do have a big box of her quilting things though my aunt and mother passed onto me that i get out and go through now and then...

one of my early thoughts of hand quilting as you had to make sure the design was continueous without breaks all around the quilt...and another thought back then was no line shal cross another....so that played a role in getting me started...i was afraid i would make a mistake and they wouldn't fit right....now i am not afraid to be adventurous...lol...those thoughts came about from the older ladies at the time...when rules were strict and rigid about sewing...boy am i glad that changed lol....it has opened the door for  many new products and ideas for the sewer and quilter....

I will never be an expert quilter but i can do 18 stitches to an inch...now that is counting the top and bottom stitches...i am told that is how you count them...most of the time i average about 15....which i think it still ok...at least they dont look galloping along lol...

i have been teaching myself to machine quilt...not really good at it so i will stick to a lot of hand quilting along with learning new things so i am sure i will be adding little thoughts on hand quilting as i go along.....more later....

SHERBET COLORS QUILT

i made this quilt a few years ago for my grand niece when she was expecting a baby....i have liked it really well and almost kept it as i ran out of a lot of the colors especially the blue border which i think is very striking and i wasn't sure i could ever make another close to the same colors again....

its a basic hour glass block with all colors combos without matching when its put together hence the prism effect....the picture shows them pretty good but the colors are more striking in person as i remember....cut two strips at least 1-1/2 inches, i think i used 2 inch strips...use triangle to cut and use both sides of the fabric making a positive and negitive and use both in the quilt for contrast....

well while i was ironing my new fabric yesterday i thought about this quilt and wondered if i had enough pastels to make another to put in my cabinet for my future GGChildren if they come to be....i looked up the picture again in my photo album i keep and again on line to see if i still had a record of it....

i recently found a blue that is almost the color though it has a hint of purple here and there in the fabric but i think it will be ok....i would like to be as bold as the one in the picture....i have yet to round up all the pastel solids or blends to make it ....i am sure it will be different from the picture because some of the blends i liked are no longer available...i already tried  reordering those lol....Hoffman watercolors really stood out in the quilt but they have discontinued several of them i used....but i will keep looking because one day soon i will be making another one similar to the sherbet colors above and i think bigger....it was so much fun to make!.....more later.....

HEXES AND HOUR GLASS

this morning i am having trouble getting started with my day....when i loaded a bobbin in my machine i noticed my bobbin box had a lot of bobbins that only had a few feet on them....so that told me to get out the hexes and use those few feet of thread for basting my hexes for the gfg quilt

i need to start adding the white ones around more blocks like the picture so i can add them to make a row and it will take a lot of white ones....i seem to be always running low on those....if i start working on this quilt again i wont be able to put it down....and i have a lot more things i need to work on too....

i quit and now not feeling very well...not sure why but i am going to try to sew and forget my 'ails'...my back is also bothering me so that could stop my sewing cause it probably hurts from all the sewing i have done lately....

 

more later....