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....

STRINGS GET PRIORITY TODAY

I need to dig in my big clothes basket of blocks today for the bag of string blocks already made....2 reasons....I need to see how many I have and what direction to go and to find out what size they are...I forgot!...I didn't work on the strings earlier in the week like I thought I would...Now after working in the sewing room a little my scrap basket is really overflowing so I have to work up those scraps just to get them off my counter...

I wish I had a good idea how I wanted to use the 'string' blocks but at the moment I don't....the last quilt top I made with some of them was the center of a star so I don't want to do that again...I guess I need to do a little digging for ideas again....

The weather man says today could be the last cold blast for this season and by the first of next week we could be approaching 60 degrees....boy what a welcome that would be after all the below zero weather we had this winter...

I guess I better get going on something or I will get really lazy again...was that way first part of the week...maybe it was cabin fever lol....anyhow I don't need it lol...off to whatever.....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....

QUICK LINK TO GRANDMOTHERS FLOWER GARDEN QUILTS

For those of you that are linking to the posts involving my Grandmothers Flower Garden quilts I have added a quick link on the side bar for the flower garden assembly of those quilts....earlier I noticed that both posts that I made showing how I put them together were not together so I put them in the Label section of the side bar for easier location to use...I hope this helps those that would like to make these quilts the way I do.....

Also the link for all posts involving the flower garden quilts is still there under the assembly link....more later....

ANSWER ABOUT BAG CONSTRUCTION

This post is in answer to Trish at Love of Quilts....She would like the pattern for my huge bag....well Trish I hate to tell you but there is no written pattern...

I had 'brick' rectangles from all the gfg quilt strip ends so I just decided how big I wanted this bag and went from there...you can make the bricks any size as long as the measurement comes out the size you want for the bag....Along the way I decided I wanted a border at the top and the bottom for variety...I added the borders before it went to the machine to quilt...

I quilted all three layers together on the machine before putting together...the zig zagged the edges so they would not fray....nothing fancy I plan on using it to take to meetings so it will get rough use lol....the straps were made with interfacing 1 1/8 in wide and 22 inches long and the fabric covering them I think was about 4 inches wide by 22..turn under 1/4 inch on one long side and fold over to cover the other side of the fabric and stitch and then stitch a couple more rows for stability...

Add a facing to the top of the bag after you pin the straps in place either inside (hide the band) or outside to accent the bag...

Box the bottom  as deep as you want it on both side and finish seam.....that is as close as I can to  tell you how to make that bag....I have more scrap bags I am making with other quilt patterns and I probably wont write down instructions for them either....

I hope this helps...it was very easy to make...more later....

FINALLY A HUGE PROJECT BAG

It did snow over night under 3 inches of the white stuff....I know we haven't had it as hard as the east has but I am thoroughly fed up with winter....mainly because its been soooo cold that I didn't want to get out and upset my arthritis.....its been good for sewing though lol....

I have said this for a long time that I wanted a huge bag that was big enough to carry 2 big quilts in for carrying to meetings ...well I made one...I planned this one for size 24x28....I think it is big enough...I just hope my back can handle it when its full lol.....here is a picture of it....Its machine quilted and took  1 1/2 yards of fabric for lining....I got in the green stack for fabrics to fill in making the bricks as I seem to have a boat load of greens to pick from for some reason.... and I am not a green fabric person lol.....I do like teal color though lol.....

I was a very late sleeper today...I guess you could say I got caught up for a few days...the only thing that bothers me is getting to sleep tonight will be a problem....I have had 1 cup of coffee and a banana and I need that second cup and to get dressed and see what my day will be...I am just glad I can be warm and safe.....more later....

STRINGS ARE MAKING ME A LITTLE BUGGY

For the last two days I have been making 'string strips' for a border of one of my new quilts....

I haven't measured to see if I have enough made but it looks like I should have.....

I only worked out of my little basket that I keep close by to add anything under 1 1/2 inches wide...this picture doesn't show it overflowing...that is why I started making them this week...because the scraps weren't going in the basket anymore lol and I couldn't stand it...now the basket pretty much looks like the picture...almost empty....so glad I didn't have to get out the big box that has more scrap in it...that is always a huge mess if I get it out....

I will have more pics later more little stuff has been made and I have a quilt to show that you haven't seen yet ...it too needs borders ...in fact these strings is part of the border for it....

It turned off cold this week and I had to turn on the furnace...I didn't think I would keep it going but its cold outside and there is no sense of me freezing...my arthritis gives me enough trouble....

well I am off to bed its been a long long day and I am really tired.....till next time....more later....

THESE ARE WAITING FOR BORDERS

This is what I have been doing the last few days....

on 1 quilt I added the rest of the loose blocks to it...the hour glass one and I posted about the butterflies on my roses quilt...well its waiting for a border as is the hour glass one and my 'poe' quilt is also waiting for a border and then we come to the modern quilt with all the browns and oranges and reds....it too is waiting for a border if I put one on it....I have a lot of strips cut of the pieces of that quilt so might add thin border dark one and a piano keys of the leftovers....have to decide on that....as you can see I have been working up a storm....

With all that I got my back outta whack so am letting it rest for a couple days....it was warm in the sewing room so I had the fan on too and me in a cool draft is not a good idea...my arthritis really squawks at that....but then I could use a couple days off from sewing...the kitchen needs attention...

About the mess on the sewing table...well I am working on it...I have put blocks away that have bags already started and have cut squares and triangles of various scraps and I got the brainy idea for another quilt I could see in the scrap with the 1 1/2 strips ..

so I started a boomerang quilt....if no one in the family wants it I will probably look around for a charity to give it too later....with the help of my box of 2 inch strips I am sure I can find another 4 rows to complete the center....more on this later....

As you can tell I go from one to another without a second thought to taking pictures to record the events but eventually I get them taken...just know my blog is important and if anyone can get help reading it it makes it worth while....more later.....

ANOTHER NEW QUILT THIS TIME FROM A UFO

I needed something to do last night while watching the Emmys so I drug out my clothes basket of quilting blocks packaged up.....while rummaging through it I found a quilt I started years ago....

 

 

the more I worked on it the less I liked it....the blocks were just too big for the size the quilt was going to be.... and I just plain didn't like the layout...so I put it back and basically forgot about it till last night....

 

I sat there tearing this quilt apart trying to think of how I could use the triangle squares and 4 patches without tearing them apart too...well before I went to bed I thought of something....its a wonder I slept lol....so this morning I went in and started sewing a new block design using them....this is what I came up with.....

 

I must say I do like it better....I am going to call it 'Butterflies on my roses' quilt lol....I used to have rose bushes that color and the dark looks like butterflies lol....I have enough of all the colors to make a big quilt if I want so we will see just how this evolves but the scale of the blocks will be better I think than a huge 24 inch block.....

 

My basket of blocks????.....I had to get a bigger basket this time as the smaller one was overflowing ....

 

well I did sort it out and found some scrap material to use in my upcoming scrap quilts so that eliminated 2 bags in there ....trying to figure out how to use the bag of  odd blocks for things....ok time to figure out my supper now after all this....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......

DETAIL OF BORDERS ON MINI GRANDMOTHERS FLOWER GARDEN QUILT

I am almost done with the mini floral grandmothers flower garden quilt top....I finally have pictures to show you....I made sure I got some before I completely finished the top to show the border sequence I have been working on...

 

Those of you that have been following me may remember I am making several flower garden quilts for my family...here is the latest one

When I got toward the end of all the rows I thought it would look nicer to add a border around for a more finished look and this is the result...I don't have the closest end at the bottom of the picture finished but I have close ups of how I am doing the border...

In this picture 2 of the ends are tricky...the first thing was to make sure the back and forth of the design would be even...so that meant I had to add 1 white hex to fill in before I added the blue....on the right edge of picture a white hex has been added already...that made the see saw effect across the row...

In this picture you can see how I added the blue and the outer row of white...I sewed hexes together matching the see saw effect...I thought it would take me forever to do this but actually it went pretty fast...The points and 1/2 of the white hexes will be trimmed off to make straight when the binding goes on....

 

On the side rows all you do with them is fill in with a partial block which will make them even then sew hexes end to end with each other and sew to quilt....

 

When this part of the quilt is finished I will have to check the backside for Loopy-loops and take the basting out...then I can quilt....

 

Today I hope to get some more fabric washed and ironed to use right away in 2 small quilts and I want to make some mug rugs sometime this week....I am always doing something if not I get very bored lol.....more later....

ELABORATE QUILTING ON FINISHED QUILT

Sunday is suppose to be a day of rest but right now I am deciding whether to sew most of the day or leave and take a drive and eat dinner out somewhere...the weather is nice so far but the ever looming threat of rain is in the forecast...

I did wind up the camera this morning and took the picture of the finished quilt I did for my granddaughter...she wanted a scrap of fabric that had fairies on it made into a quilt...the picture is a little off color..that is robins egg blue....not lavender....

yeah it was a challenge considering I only had about a fat quarter to work with....so there were a lot of sashes and borders which meant a lot of  blank space to deal with...well I decided to get elaborate with my quilting....

I had a nice big feather border stencil but it had no nice corner with it so I tried designing one but I could not do it justice so I found a shell block stencil that worked really good I think...its the most elaborate hand quilting I have done in a long time...

Other sewing I have been doing is the flannel receiving blankets I told you about in last post...I did 3 of them...I haven't made up the rest of the leftover fabric but they will be lap pads I think...I will be sending them away to a family member soon along with some other things...

I have more to tell ya about but not right now..it was a very productive week and into the weekend so keep looking more is coming...I am lovin' this sewing streak!.....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 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....