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....

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....

SNOWBALL QUILT IS FINISHED!

Well as I promised here is the picture of my daughters snowball quilt all done....so glad too!.... All hand quilted...In the center of each snowball is a quilted heart 1 row up and 1 row down so it looks right from either way....the borders are quilted....had 6 needles going for this one...I am happy with it and I think she will be very happy with it also....

 

So being I an done with this one I am moving on....I went looking for a batt piece big enough for my blue quilt I want to finish....

 

oh what  a mess....and of course none were the right size....I considered piecing the batts but it seems none were the same weight....so that was out...I opened another batt to relax...I really want to get that blue quilt done with so I can move on to more....I want to get as much done as possible before going back to the girls gfg quilts to quilt...that will take a lot of my time the size they are....

 

I have to make up my mind today what I am making for the quilt meeting tomorrow...its our annual Christmas dinner meeting....whatever I make I have to get the 'fixins' yet so cant wait much longer...plus I have some errands to do while out...and mother nature is 'smokin' again....lol...its really foggy again today...suppose to get really cold by this evening though...

 

ok I have a lot to do today so I better get going on it....look for more pics this week...I have a little teaser later....more later....

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...

PICTURE OF FOOTBALL QUILT/MATCHING PILLOWCASES

Here is the picture of my grandsons quilt i finished and delivered....i am glad to have it done and gone....

and the pillowcases to match below

while quilting it i found i had quilted a couple huge wrinkles in the back....it took almost a day of ripping and smoothing and i finally got it ok....the back fabric was soft and easy to wrinkle....i am thinking maybe i could use spray starch on  the next back to see if that will help keep wrinkles at a minimum....i hope so....

i am having a lot of trouble with my left knee today...the arthritis has kicked up....i must have been up and down a lot the last few days and scooting my chair while sewing irritating my leg....i hope tylenol and my pain med will take the pain away enough for me to get to the store...got a few things i need that cant wait.....more later....

GRANDSON'S "FOOTBALL" QUILT

First i have to say what a wild and not so nice a week this past one was....the flooding in the midwest, here included, the explosions in Boston and Texas...it makes a person sit up and take notice what is going on around them...i know i am more alert of my surroundings...just hope this next week and beyond is more safe for all of us....

while sitting here drinking my coffee reading some of the blogs i thought i better get some pictures taken...so here is my grandsons quilt with the final red border on it...i made up all the black blocks as much fabric as i had...

i would have liked 1 more row on the sides but it didn't work out....then i ran out of red fabric...then my order came with red in it for another project and it worked for the quilt so added another border...it still isn't as big as i would have liked it...but he can wrap up in it anyway....

i got out his pillowcases that match it and you can see a closeup of the football print...

i had planned on giving all the grandkids pillowcases but some were dragging feet about what they wanted so i still hadn't given those i had done to them....this is going to work out well...he will have a quilt and cases to take with him when he goes off to college this fall...

the sun is out today and it looks like a really nice day so i think i will get out and shop a little...didn't go to the store other night as i planned so more groceries to get....getting tired of the same ole, same ole meals here so i think another good idea is to make out menus for this next week and follow them...i got out more in the winter than i thought so didn't use a lot of the stock i gathered for bad weather so i should use it now...

going to cut the backing ready to piece for grandsons quilt later today too and then wash the pieces...i would rather iron 2 smaller pieces than 1 big one...have to piece it anyway as the quilt is 50x 72 then i can pin ready for quilting....trying to get brave enough to machine this one....trying to do a bigger one each time till i get comfortable doing large quilts by machine...oh i wish i had a longarm!....

i was dreaming while relaxing last night....about building an oversized 1 car garage up close to the house and making it into a sewing studio....i could  do that there is enough room and with a few short steps from the house even...oh that would be so nice...my sewing room is small and its jam packed...i am sure you all know about that in your world too.....well off to do whatever....more later....



WORKING ON ANOTHER UFO AND THE GFG'S

I got out another ufo recently and started looking it over and decided to make it bigger at the request of my daughter....

when i am finished it will be bed size...it is a snowball quilt made with mostly floral calico prints that i have had forever it seems...so when i went to make it bigger i dug everywhere i might find the same pieces to use that are in the quilt...and luckily i found just what i needed...

i have to sew the side and the bottom onto the main part yet .

there are squares of this print in the quilt and i have just enough to make a good size border around...

when i ordered the backing i was crossing my fingers that it would be something i liked....the name was 'ivory crinkle texture' something so i was worried it really would be crinkled and not smooth but when i t came i was very happy...it was just a hint of patterned ivory and the texture was great and the color was close to the color of the center of the blocks...

daily working on the gfg quilts is taking time from the other quilts but i do have to keep working on them if i am to get them done...i did 6 more blocks ready to add to rows this week so far....when i get to ten more i will post a pic of them too...you will get pretty tired of hearing about those quilts before i get them done i am thinking lol.....something different next time...maybe....more later...