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....
You might have noticed that i haven't posted for a bit but i have been a busy gal...if you quilt then you know you have leftover fabric and odd blocks from other projects well i am not different lol....i was getting too many little bags in my clothes basket of blocks so i started looking through them and found several that would make good small items for giving 'just because'...so i started working on them a couple weeks ago and came up with a lot of goodies....too many for one picture....
I never seem to have trouble giving potholders away or the little mug rugs...so i end up making a lot of them...I still have more in the works but my machine is giving some trouble so not too eager to keep going on them at the moment till i get it back in good condition...its easier on my nerves lol....It hasn't taken down the amount of bags in that clothes basket though i still have way too many in there...
Today its supply day so gotta get out of the house for that and maybe a late lunch....have to see what happens....more later....
Remember when i said i was working on another grandmothers flower garden quilt this time for me????...Well i am and its no.7...mine is beige background and all the others are white background...mine is also the small flower...i like them the best to work on...
I have seeen soo many ways to put one othese quilts together from gluing the basting (always wondered what happened it you didn't wash it out)..i baste mine by hand...some use papers if you read my blog you know i dont use papers and it works perfectly fine...i would recommend this method for any to use and you will have good results...
As i sit and work on this quilt i wonder if the pioneers made theirs without papers too...back then they were lucky to have a newspaper to read....there wasn't paper till the paper mills started up...i have a old quilt mag that says to take the template hold it next to the fabric and cut around it adding a 1/4 inch as you go and that is your hex to start...i suppose they cut up their old dresses and passed them around so each person at the quilting bee has some...I guess we will never know for sure..
Any way if you are interested in making one and haven't started with some other method...give mine a try if you have the time to devote to making it...
Well its getting late so its off to bed for now...more later....
Today i am going to answer Celia's comment...that is a good idea using a flannel back table cloth for a design wall but i dont have a wall that i can devote to that...
i still lay out blocks on the floor to check where they should go but i cant lay out a quilt top on the floor to sandwich and pin so i butt 2 tables together and lay them out there....but i have a health condition with my back that makes that hard to do without a lot of stops to let the back spasms stop....in fact i dont have floor space large enough to lay out a quilt top either....
i just need a nice big studio lol.....if i was younger i would not hesitate to have an addition onto the house but at my age i doubt i would get much use out of it for the money it would take to build it....
I am happy to see all comments on my blog...then i know people do read it and makes it worthwhile for me to write it...glad to see love of quilts comments too...glad you are back commenting i missed them when you stopped....
Today i am going to see if i can get my driving test over with....been too worried about it and its not going to stop till i get it done....just hope i pass.....another thing you have to do when you get to 75...ugh....
Have a great hump day everyone....keep on sewing....more later....
This week has been mostly cleaning time around here...when i am sewing no cleaning gets done except for the kitchen and some laundry...i shouldn't tell anyone that i suppose but true ....i am sure most sewing people have the same problem if you dont have a family you have to take care of...
I have a lot of health problems that affect everything i try to do and cleaning is one big one....in order to scrub the kitchen and bath floors it required me to stop and rest my back several times before completing the task...this isn't like me...i used to be kind of a whirlwind with all those things getting a lot done in one day...now i am lucky to get done what i do....
Memorial weekend is here and i have had past thoughts about what our family used to do...we had good friends and we always got together on this and other holidays for family outings together....now i am the only one of the adults still living except for their kids and mine....somewhat sad to miss all those good times we had all together...my kids will be busy doing their thing this holiday and i am going to try to get a quilt laid out...if not i will be sewing i am sure ..maybe leave for a little while for a lunch somewhere over the weekend.....more later....
I can post this now that it has been delivered...i made this runner with a quilter friend in mind when i started...i had been tinkering around with some stars with triangle blocks squares leftover from the big star quilt...then i made some other stars the same size maybe to have a big quilt someday with all them in it...Well when working on this runner it was looking a little plain so i decided to hand quilt in the white with blue thread...and after all that i thought it needed more so hence the stripe binding....Not too bad but i would have liked star binding better but no luck....
Today i have been working on another small quilt for charity...2 inch squares around a 5 inch center square...i have a lot of solid colors that i can get the centers from and a lot of 2 inch squares to pick for the rest...i think i will need 35 blocks then i can put together...i might machine quilt this one before i send....we will see later......that is all for now...will be a quiet holiday here that is ok...time for sewing?????.....more later...
I have been working on a UFO that i started back in 1980...not sure why i quit working on it but i think its because i had trouble appliquing it to the white background...It was my first attempt at applique and i didn't do a very good job...BUT i decided to finished anyway...It was a good item to practice my hand quilting on it... and what it would look like if you couldn't get all the design where you wanted it...Its 28 inches square so not a lot of room...i had all the pieces there to finish it but had to find a binding color as i dont have any of the fabrics left in my stash...Not sure i will be making a wedding ring quilt in the future...but then i never say never...
It hasn't been a very good week..one trouble after another...first the main sewer pipe was plugged and had plumbers out to work on it....was very inconvenient for couple days....then hot water in shower wouldn't work all the rest of rooms did...finally got that unplugged...was an air lock....and last but crazy...the crockpot couldn't cook a chicken in 6 hours at 300 degrees...
Today i left to maybe change all the bad karma that is floating around here...maybe it went out the door when i left....well i hope so....so its time for me to get going on something being i have basically goofed off today...more later.....
Today i thought i would give you a couple hints for those who are interested in making the Grandmothers Flower Garden quilts, either the large ones or the small flowers...I was asked while back if i had any easy tips...i am not sure they are easy but they might make the work easier...
1. A good formula for planning a Grandmothers Quilt (small flower) is: Pick out at least 7 colors from the color wheel, such as purple, pink, green, blue, orange, brown and a mixed one that doesn't have a definite color plan (like multi color flower)...then the next part is out of EACH color category get at least 5 different prints...and the next part is out of EACH of those 5 make at least 5 blocks each...you should have about 175 blocks when finished...that is enough for a good size quilt...this is helpful when trying to see if you have enough fabric...
2.If you have started a quilt and have trouble getting in the right spot for adding the end block...start with the block in second or third where those blocks would be and work back to the first one...Its much easier to do that than to try to rip out without tearing up your block...i know from experience.
3. If you are following my method of this quilt...you will be repeating row 1 and 2 throughout...so trying to figure out how big to make the length take the amount of blocks in these two rows and x by how many times you want to repeat and then add the last row extra to balance the quilt so it looks the same as the first row (the longer row)....
I hope these tips help...i have done things so automatic that i dont think of them as tips but i guess they are if you are getting started...this quilt isn't hard but if you dont want to devote the time to make it you may never finish it as it does take a lot of time....let me know if they help...more later...
I made this little table topper last week out of a 3 inch strip i had that i got from a scrap bag a lady brought to the quilt meeting last month...it made 7 little pinwheels and was so pretty i couldnt see burying it in the middle of a quilt so i had to make something to show them off...i just kept building the block then laid it out and this is what i came up with using all but one block...I had a stencil i wanted to try out hand quilting before i put it on a big quilt, the verdict is out on it so far....I took the topper to my daughters mothers day hoping she would like it...these are the colors she likes....She Did!...she is pretty picky about what she wants so not always easy to please her lol...
My stencil order came so now i have new ones to play with...more sizes which will be helpful...i see one already that i plan to use very soon...
Today i made a couple mug rugs, the binding to sew down tonight while watching tv...my machine was acting up terrible but i finally got it going ok...but i made a few mistakes here and there till i got it to work...it seems it wants the thread to be in the spindle on top of machine not the horizontal one...now maybe i wont have trouble for awhile....hope not i have a lot i want to do and dont need the stress....well its time to get back at it so till next time....more later.....
I got this quilt put together today except for the border....it will be 80x100 when finished...being it was 8 inch blocks it went togther alot faster than the little pinwheel blocks i have been working with..I have been collecting purples, magentas, teal, and other batiks since i bought the 9 patch fabric a year ago...i saw this quilt when i looked at that fabric lol...i dont have floor space to lay it completely out so the couch had to do....
I had been looking through my stencils this last month and using a few here and there or parts of them...i have a good collection but a person gets tired of using the same ones over and over so i got an order together and hope it comes this week....the ones shown are some that i used this past week...i needed some inbetween 4 and 7 inches...when i first bought them those were the sizes i thought i would need...now i seem to need all sizes....i guess i am doing more quilting these days...
I have a couple more things to show but have to wait till the person get them cause they may read this blog and i want it to be a suprise for them lol...so will post pics of them later....for now that is it....more later....
Playing last week included working up different star blocks to see what sizes i get using various strips and squares...and yes i wrote information on the block so i would be able to see at a glance if i had close to the size on my messy sewing table...i did the same with pinwheel blocks...before i could never remember what sizes i had started for a quilt then had to remeasure and hope it was right so now maybe i will be more organized.....
By double stitching my hst's for my aqua/purple/blue star quilt i am gaining small star blocks (the red one in pic)...so there will be another quilt...i couldn't bear to throw away all those smaller hst's cut from those big blocks at the price of batiks these days...i found a pinwheel block size the same as those start blocks so i think maybe it might be a quilt one day....
I still have golds and oranges to wash up and iron....those i have a plan for so would like to get at them and then i will have most of the fabric done...its been laying around too long and i could be using it...there are some really pretty fabrics out there that i am itching to get my hands on lol.....
Well i am off to Pinterest to get a dose of 'Quilt Med' to get me started today while i finish my coffee...after seeing all the quilts on there i get inspired to do more sewing....its amazing what a picture will do lol.... more later....
I guess today i have been reflecting on my life....where i have been, where i am now, and what the future holds....i hope i am around for many years even though disease and arthritis keeps trying to keep me from doing the things i like...
Why am i thinking today?....This is the third anniversary of my heart attack....3 years ago i thought it was my last day on earth...But after being in the hospital for a week and going through a gazillion pills and tests they finally found the right combo to get me back into life again....
I will never be like i was in my 40's though i wish i had the energy i had then.... but everyone has been good and not caused me any undo stress to make things worse and my daughter reminds me when i think about taking a custom order for something not to do it because of the stress of dealing with the public...been there did that....
So here i am doing things i like within reason like quilting and sewing things that appeal to me...i have a roof over my head and food in the frig and clothes on my back....life is good.....more later....
Last week i dug into my big basket of blocks again...its always a treat to see what i find in there....i bag blocks and toss them in there for future use ....the bag i dug out was blocks i had started about a year earlier....and i have been gathering more fabrics for the stars...i had ordered the print for the 9 patches a long time ago and i think the right background fabric...its a very pale blue gray which blends great with all the fabrics i am using...i have a lot of purples, blue-greens, orchids and others i hope will blend...the bright one in the foreground of the picture is magenta...might be too bright ...i know its going to take a lot of colors....I remeasured the background fabric again and re-calculated to make sure i would have enough of it for a good size quilt....i cant get more i dont think so it will be as big as i can...
I have 5 quilt tops sitting out right now waiting for borders ...i have to get those done so they can be hung till i sandwich and quilt....i need a crew working for me lol....
I have been thinking about Christmas this year already....if i get in gear i think the kids will get a quilt as a bonus this year...one of my daughters spied one that she would like so that gave me the idea considering it might take till Christmas to get them all hand-quilted...at least the tops are all made except for the borders....a big plus...
Well i want to get back to the stars and find some more colors in my stash to use....i need 50 more stars and 9 patches...it will be awhile before they are done.....more later....
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.....
I have been on a roll this past month with hand quilting with a little blip this past week with a bummed up finger for a couple days....I had fabric leftover from my sons fish quilt i made couple years ago and i didn't know what i was going to do with the 2 yards taking up space in the cabinet so i made a quilt for a boy that will i think become my step great grandson one day...he adores my son and loves fishing as much as my son does...i hand quilted it and had just enough fabric to make the twin size quilt....
The next quilt i have had for about a year and there is another one about the same size waiting for its turn to be quilted also....this one is an oversized baby quilt i hand quilted after i got done with the fish quilt....it too is leftover fabric some from my grandsons football quilt back.....the border on this one is light blue not white as the picture shows....its a simple one with just alternating bricks but very striking....
I was cleaning off the chair that i had piled sewing stuff on and found a table topper ....i dont remember making it but i finished it also....gotta get new batteries for the camera then i can take more pics....by then i might have more to show....i hope to keep the momentum going with all this quilting....more later.....
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....
