MORE SECTIONS TO 1-2-3

Today i started sewing the small block to the bigger square to make a bigger block and i needed 2 each of those by 9 rows to add to one of the sections posted in pic.... i got those done and i also had to do the same to the smaller section...when i was going to put the 2 sections together i started questioning myself....so i laid it out on the couch and found i was ok but i am going to add a safety pin to each section where they are to be joined as i still have 5 rows of blocks to add to the smaller section for length...if i move them i will surely mix them up ...the pins will till me where to match seams....

I had to quit because of my back and it was getting late for supper....i had some leftover bbq chicken leg and thigh and i fixed a bowl of salad and called it supper...it filled me up.....its getting late and i have been messing with sites for quilt ideas and now i am very tired....more later

MAKING BLOCKS FROM MY CUT SCRAP

 Today i worked my limit in the sewing room sewing some of my scrap cut piles into blocks....when put together they will look similar to this quilt top.

Actually i am working on 2 quilts with the same pattern only  one will be bigger size block....When i get the tops done they will go to Quilts Beyond Borders....quilts for kids and teens all over the world....i thought it best to work the scrap piles up rather than chase them around the sewing room again....i straightened more up also before i left....i can see the cutting mat now lol....i am enjoying sewing again but i dont like that i cant go beyond a couple hours while there.....but my back will not let me so i will have to be satisfied....so rest time for now.....supper is easy tonight....hamburger, potato casserole and salad.....now i need some decaf and  relax time.....more later

SODA BOTTLE CHALLENGE DONE

Today when I was suppose to be doing other things I worked on an online challenge...we were to use the colors in the Squirt soda bottle to make something quilty....

My daughter liked the little basket I made while back so I asked her if she would like one if I made it...her answer was yes she would use it for scrapbooking...that was my clue on how big to make it...I even had all the scrap fabric on my table stacks to use....The basket is 3 inches tall and is 7 inches square...the corner pockets are just right for scissors or pencils...

There are 100 squares in that little thing though it doesn't look like it....I could have made it easier though if not a color challenge by using just 2 colors and making the basket...the colors are a little off...the peach looks pink and the yellow looks white... if you are checking the squirt label lol....when I first heard the colors I thought what am I going to do....but I think the basket is very colorful so I am happy with it....

We had our quilt meet yesterday and it was really a good one in spite of our sweltering heat...all but 2 were there....lots of show and tell and a big variety of things...

I have not a thing planned for my supper tonight...got hamburger out of freezer but don't think its going to thaw in time....maybe good night for breakfast...bacon, eggs and fried potatoes....that really sounds good to me....

Been working here and there on flower garden quilt but not much to show at the moment....some days too hot to sew other ones I'm too lazy lol....but I have to get qulting I am so behind....stay cool (or warm)....more later....

PINWHEELS & PATCHES READY FOR BORDERS

I have this quilt top put together this far as of yesterday...to the left of the picture are the reds i might want to use...all have to be washed and ironed from the stack of new fabric...and i am waiting on 1 more red in an order which i think i will use...for the first narrow border....the background fabric will be the last big border....it will be plain enough for good hand quilting to show up....Not sure when i will get to it to quilt...i have a big project coming to do that might take me all summer....more on this later....

The last time i straighted up my leftover stacks i made a few potholders from leftover blocks and borders from the stacks and strips ....i have a few more odd blocks i should do that with....not enough of them to put in a quilt or a runner...good way to use them up...i also made a couple mug rugs just using some of the strips i had laying on the table not really matching up anything....i will be giving them to a friend later in the week....sometimes putting things together at random works better than hours of planning....as did these mug rugs....

I irratated my bad leg using the leg lever on my sewing machine so much so yesterday i was out of commission giving into the pain and just resting....i think i slep most of the day and yes most of the night....i didn't know i was so tired....i should be caught up for awhile i would think....today my leg still hurts but i have to make a trip to the store for some groceries have to's....hope it goes well....more later.....

CONTINUING SQUARE IN SQUARE BLOCKS

Here is a quilt i made years ago from some small square in square blocks, all pastel for my nephews baby...i always liked it but was tedious to work on...so here we go with another one like it only scrap....

After digging in the box of triangles yesterday and sorting them into proper stacks i found some little ones that were cut from 1 1/2 in strips...today i worked on them and it took a 2 1/2in square to make the square in square block that will measure 2 3/4 inches when finished...THAT IS TINY!...well today i made 24 of those little blocks so far...i have almost a full box of 1 1/2 inch strips i can keep adding to make a bigger quilt but it will take a lot...

The pinwheel blocks i was going to make kind of went by the wayside for now...the triangles for them are in a bag put in the clothes basket of blocks for now...that will be another day but there is quite a stack of them also...i guess block making never ends as long as i have ideas in my head...lol...

Got errands to run this afternoon before the rain starts so i better got going....more later.....

FROM STRINGS TO THIS---

On Sunday after sewing all those string blocks i decided to make a top out of some of them....This will go to an orphanage...I'm just sending the top....I don't machine quilt really good as i am basically a hand quilter so i think they could do a better job....

I have enough string blocks for 1/2 of another childs quilt...if i get ambitious and work on more blocks i could have another one for the ladies...I do have another quilt top almost ready to put together in the scrap basket pattern from using leaders and enders method of making blocks....those go so fast...

I am up early today as i have errands to do later and the fact is i didn't sleep all night....wide awake...if this keeps up i think i will see about a sleep study....its getting terrible....

Well i better be on my way...lots to do today....more later....

SCRAPPY COSMETIC BAG

Its Tuesday and its raining today...good day to sit and sew lol....I worked on more blocks till lunch time...

More last week end sewing was this big cosmetic bag....I have plans for it which I cant discuss in case someone is reading this lol...

This morning I worked on my daughters quilt which is the same pattern as the bag but bigger squares...it was made mostly with leader and enders...it went together so fast I hardly realized I had a quilt ready...maybe I will get to the border for it today...she wants a dark red border which will work fine I found out after laying it out...there is a lot of red in it so it should compliment it ok...

Yesterday I machine quilted the sections for another market bag...this one I really like its different...hope the picture will do it justice ...

I have a bunch of 1 yard reds that I need to wash up and put away so maybe that will be this afternoons job....we will see....more later....

ANOTHER BAG, ANOTHER DAY

Yesterday I finished a bag I had started about a month ago....I had decisions to make with finishing it so I just let it sit...I got tired of looking at it so I just did what I thought would be fine and it was....these blocks I used on it were small I like the effect but I don't like working with them so not sure I will use this size again...I plan on keeping this one for myself... bag size is 16x15 ....I made a 8 inch square bottom in it..i think it will hold a casserole or covered container for meetings...

Today the weather is so lousy I think probably I will spend it sewing or doing laundry or a little of both...of course I have more fabric I could wash/iron too....so I guess I will just dive in and do whatever...

I would like to finish my daughters quilt top today...it is made with the same scrappy pattern as the above bag but bigger blocks which went together fast and is good for leader and ender blocks...

Ok enough said today...got to get to work time is a-wastin'....more later....

9 PATCH/SNOWBALL QUILT IS FINISHED

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter....we had a small family gathering...it was nice for doing a lot of visiting which is hard when everyone is so busy these days....

This morning I finally wound up the camera and took a pic of the finished 9 patch/snowball quilt...it was such a joy working on this one....of late I haven't had time to just sit and hand quilt....hopefully I will be doing more of it...one of them will be that little green/aqua scrap quilt...its about the same size as this one 40 inches square...nice size to finish in a few days....

I think the guys took care of my sewage problem...at least I hope so....that is one problem I never want to see again in my lifetime lol.....when I was young problems didn't seem as big as they do now that age has taken over....I can understand my mother in her late years now lol....

Got errands to run this afternoon so I guess I better get my list of things ready...odds and ends at the grocery store for potato salad to go with the leftovers I brought home from my daughters easter sunday....more later.....

PICTURE OF NEW LITTLE QUILT

This afternoon while out running errands I went in search of camera batteries...I had overlooked them and finally asked a clerk about stocking them...they weren't where I thought they would be...was so glad to see that they still had them....As you can see this is my little quilt....the pattern that spoke to me lol...its a simple 9 patch and snowball pattern but what makes it striking is the different solid colors....I am liking this one a lot....
I haven't taken anymore pictures yet...have to try to remember which of those I haven't got pics of.....

I have been working on so many small things trying to use up some of the scrap I have on my table that I go from one to the next not thinking about pictures...just getting them done lol.....

Its going to be rainy here for a couple days so maybe I will get pictures taken and maybe my photo album up to date along with finishing this little quilt...cant wait for that...anxious to see it final....more later....

SCRAPPY THINGS MADE TO GIVE AWAY JUST BECAUSE

As I have posted the last 2 weeks I have been working with my scraps....some have been made into bags, some into quilts, and some are like these....

one of a kind small mug rugs, little mats, potholders, etc....

A year ago I took a bunch of things like these to my daughter who has a business and she used most of them for gifts for her customers and some she kept....and it helped my scrap situation last year lol....

Well now I am making the ones in the picture and adding to them weekly for my other daughter to take to where she works to give to the ladies there as a gift and again will get rid of some of the scrap I have this year....

I have so many quilt tops to finish and a lot of them are scrappy I thought it would be nice to just give some items away....who knows maybe it will bring customers my way some day....

I didn't get the quilting done that I wanted to do yesterday but instead I spent the day in the kitchen making veggie soup and doing dishes as I dirtied them....the soup was a really good one this time or else I was ready to eat soup lol....at least I wont have to cook for a few days...nice roast beef sandwiches from the soup meat too...cant beat that.....more later....

SOME SMALL SCRAPPY THINGS DONE

I did get a couple little things machine quilted yesterday...nothing glamorous , some mug rugs

I intend to give away as a gift later this month to a friend...I gave her one I was experimenting with long time ago and she said she used it all the time...so I think its time I made her a new one and some extra lol....

 and  I made a bigger snack mat and a potholder....all were from that messy scrap pile on my sewing table with a couple extra colors added....I had some off  size oblong pieces that were too small for other blocks so I put them end to end for the snack mat and potholder...turned out ok....I might use up some of the other colors too...

Lately I have been on the lookout for some small items to make for Christmas....I am not doing too well in that department....more on this later....

My granddaughter was here yesterday and she had opinions on the baby quilts I am making...most of the time we agree on things but yesterday she made me rethink color so I changed my mind about a border on one of them...more on this later too.....

Today my thoughts are on tomorrow...our quilt meeting is then and I am going to take the Grandmothers flower garden quilt for show and tell as well as the last three quilts I made...I don't think I showed them yet either....while at the meeting I will be working on taking out the basting and looking over the back of the Grandmothers Garden quilt for loopy loops and hexes that might be sewn too loose....don't want the seams to spread when stretched in the hoop....

Well its about time I got to work for today....its moving fast and I am soooo slow soooo more later......

MORE ON MY CHALLENGE SCRAPPY QUILT

The holiday weekend is over and I spent most of it sewing on the challenge quilt..here it sits in 4 panels so far....I debated on how big to make it but have decided on twin size...here is a pic of the top so far....

I had to order fabric for the borders and the back as I never seem to have the bigger yardages on hand...the smaller border will be a deep red and the bigger outside border will be a blue like some of them in the quilt top....this quilt will be about 65x75 when finished....

I think I am going to machine quilt this one....I don't think all those seams and me would get along hand quilting....I must say this quilt is turning out better than I thought it would but I had enough variety to make it a pretty one....

Today is half over already...I seem to be staying up later at night but then I cant get started in the morning so I have to try to change that as I am losing time lol....today though I want to get out my daughters quilt and add the 2 rows on side and bottom...

 then wash up the back that I purchased about 6 months ago for it....with those 2 extra rows I hope I have enough yardage to use what I planned for the back...not sure there will be a border on this one...will have to measure again to be sure....this quilt is the 'sister' to the one I made for my other daughter...other one was blues and reds...this one is softer in color with more greens, pinks and lavenders..

Got more pictures to take and if I wind up the machine I might do some more machine quilting while I wait for the fabric to come....I got really behind from being in hosp. and recouping....so now its try to catch up time.....more later....

MAKING A NEW 'CHALLENGE QUILT'

Finally I am posting....I have been busy with stuff here at home trying to get caught up with stuff I need to do that I haven't taken time to post much....

This past week I had a water line break in the basement...thank god I was home or I would have had a flood down there....a lot of water sprayed all over as it is....plumber will have to come back to fix...he didn't have time that day to do the repair...I am glad he didn't have to have the water shut off all over the house just the line to the downstairs sink....

I have been working on string strips again trying not to let the scrap stuff get to far ahead of me....and I started a new quilt of stars and 9 patch...the original pattern for the block is in Quilters Cache....I made it for a challenge while back...here is that one in archives...I love this pattern....

 

 

Speaking of challenges I joined another challenge of sorts....the online quilt group I belong to posted a pattern for a 'scrap basket' quilt....and I am going great guns on it right now....here are some of the panels I have put together so far....I need 25 in all...

 

I have to put it aside today at least till I get the flowers fixed for the cemetery...Memorial day crept up on me again this year....I guess because I was raised with the holiday being the 30th weekend not before that ....so confusing sometimes lol...

 

My 'Dewey' blocks are put aside for the time being....and I dug out the 4 patches I had and putting a ivory triangle around each side to put them on point for a good size quilt....I have about half the blocks done for that....

 

I need to take more pics...I finally finished the small childs quilt I was hand quilting....don't know why I didn't finish before only took me 2 hrs to finish quilting and couple more to bind....grrr...lol....

 

Well this catches me up for now and just maybe I can get the camera wound up again sometime this week...I know there is more to show....

SNOWBALL QUILT IS LOOKING GOOD

The snowball quilt is coming along really well so far....I got it laid out Friday night...I had to take a lot of breaks because of my back...but I got to sit down to pin it which was a plus but toward the end the muscle spasms really kicked in but I kept at it....after they settled down I quilted for about 4 hours....Saturday and Sunday I quilted all day...so that was a total of 20 hours...Today I have quilted for 4 more hours ...taking a break for awhile....I took this picture a little bit ago.....

 

After spreading the quilt out I see I am about 2/3 the way finished with the center...you cant really see but there is an outline of a heart quilted in red in each of the white spaces...

 

I was going to use a leaf on the white border quilted in red but have decided it needed a heart something instead....so I am playing around with making a heart connected with ribbon along the  border all the way around....more on that later....

 

I think my daughter will be surprised at this quilt....this should fit into her 'primitive' décor that she likes....

 

My other daughter likes the other snowball quilt that I started last year and have 2 more rows vertically and horizontally to add....

 

she wants it and says she likes her sisters quilt but she wants navy blue on hers lol...I forgot just how big it is at the moment so I don't know yet if there will be a big border...this quilt doesn't have the reds the other one does and is showing greens and blues, softer colors....it makes each of the quilts quite different from each other....more about this one later.....

 

Today has to be laundry day...running out of clothes being I have been sewing so much....work beckons ugh!....more later...

SNOWBALL QUILT READY FOR BORDERS

Today my thoughts are back on the snowball quilt I am working on....the center is done and now deciding on borders, how many and what width....so far it looks like there will be a 2 inch inner red border and then finish off with the wider 4 inch outer ivory border like the snowballs....

I was trying to figure out what kind of design I was going use on the outer border which would have decided the width and gave up drawing one but while thumbing through old quilt mags I found a leaf that is just perfect....

I can quilt it end to end and with a little jump make it continuous which will be a big help and its a 1 needle one...not only that but it is the width of the block so no big problems spacing....still have to decide on the corner though....maybe a leaf diagonally placed....

I have pretty much decided on quilting in red this time....the back will be just a shade darker than the snowballs (couldn't get the same color for the back)....I guess you would have to say I will be doing red work quilting instead of embroidery lol.....it will show up on the back well too....there will be a red quilted heart in each of the snowballs too...and diagonal quilting on both sides where the corners met the snowballs...it will show up like an on point box around the hearts....

Earlier I thought about using 4 patches for one of the borders but most of the ones I have made are not all 4 different...

they are mostly co ordinated or done with white etc and just not right I don't think so back in the bag they will go for another quilt.....

I have finally made I think all the decisions for this quilt unless something goes wrong and I think it will make a great gift....I am liking it already and it might be hard to give it up when the time comes.....more later.....

MAKING SNOWBALLS BUT THERE IS NO SNOW

Yes I am making snowballs today but its raining not snowing lol....as I mentioned in previous posts I am making a snowball quilt as a Christmas present and will hand quilt it so its get down to business and get the top done so I can get on with the quilting....

 

The 9 patches have been done and I started on the snowballs earlier in the week and between last night and today I have them ready for putting together....in the picture is the quilt so far in various stages....I used 1075 -2 inch squares in this quilt so far....I just might use up all my little squares lol....I could even possibly have enough 4 patches to use as a border....more on this later....

 

When I leave my blog I will go back to the sewing machine and start putting this quilt in rows and maybe be ready for a border later today or tomorrow....

 

I put a few together to see what it is beginning to look like....the ivory 'snowballs' will be ok I think as she does not like things to look 'too new'...I worry about the squares looking a little too bright but will have to see after it is put together....

 

I made her this small quilt for display in her old cabinet while back and the colors were bright but the background was dull and she thought it was ok....

 

I got the batt out today to relax on the couch, no pun intended lol but I don't have anywhere else to stretch one out...I thought about  fixing some mounting  things in a double doorway but the batt might get ripped as people would move it to go through the doorway....so will let things be the way they are..that is all the info I have about this quilt so far but more to come later....

 

The prism quilt???? its on the sidelines till I get the snowball top done and in the quilting frame then I can work on it when I get tired of  snowballs lol....

 

So I need to find some lunch now and then get back to sewing...more later...

2 FINISHES

I

the fold back part is the pretty back ....i found this fabric and knew i had to use it as the back....it goes with the quilt so good..i may have quilted it too close i think...another ufo off my list...

this is the very last quilt made with the old courthouse step blocks i made a very long time ago...this was one of the first blocks i made when i really got into quilting big time....i must have made a thousand of them cause i sure have  made a lot of small quilts with them....guess i should have made a big bed quilt from them...but i thought i had them all done then found more...

here is the 'mini square' quilt i showed in another post all done now with a dark ruby red binding....it will go to my daughter as i mentioned before..

Well its off to quilt on the blue quilt...and hang up the 3rd load i have in the dryer....and make sense of my day....more later....