Progress on Scratch

I have been happily sewing away on Scratch...Have two more of the red/four patch rows to go...should not take too long now! It is going to be good sized! I am so used to the little Schnibbles that even knowing this was the "big" version I didn't quite visualize the size of it. The only thing I changed up so far was that I did the triangles in several reds instead of in just one. I also kept the reds out of the bar rows...the outer border will be solid red and that should bring it all together!

Early Birthdays and More...

This is me and my favorite sister--Tina! Her birthday is just three days before mine (every year darn it!) and I am two years older. Mom took us (and Coleman) out to lunch to Garcia's yesterday to celebrate.

Today I have been working a bit on my Schnibbles Times Two "Scratch" which is what I showed you a post ago and asked you to guess on. I will not have it done and quilted in time for the contest, but I am enjoying making it anyway. The fabric is absolutely lovely and the pattern goes together easily. One row down so far (and all the four patches made).

Here is mom and Coleman across the booth from us.

Here is mom getting her birthday quilt (her birthday is the end of August) a little early. Also wanted to show you a close up of this State Fair Schnibbles...the first one I have given away!

The other day Angela (soscrappy) and I got to commenting about how handy Crystal Light containers are for various things and after dinner (steak with a rub on it) I realized my empty rub can with see through lid would be PERFECT for the clippies I use to help with binding! I love that I can see through it...I also added a little packet to absorb humidity so that they won't rust down the road.

I plan to buy more of this rub for the containers! Smile.

Can You Guess What I am Working on Now?

Here is a sneak peek at the quilt Kathy cut for me tonight...I worked on a bunch of four patches (and in fact did about twice as many as I needed...) happily while watching Big Love on disc tonight. Can you guess what I am finally working on? Are you scratching your head mystified? Should be more of this project coming soon...it is one I have put off and put off due to lack of time and now time has finally availed itself to me!

State Fair is Bound :)

State fair is all labeled and bound. I took this picture yesterday morning (see my shadow) and when I tried to get another one sans shadow the batteries died! I need to recharge them because I wanted to get a close up of the quilting too. Guess that will come later!

A Few Things I have been Up to....

A leftovers tablerunner..not quilted or anything but just didn't want these scraps to go to waste. It is on the tiny dresser in my bedroom.

Some of this was the leftover backing from my Betsy Nest Schnibble. Waste not, want not.

I also made Kathy two little bags from Patriot fabric. Once I remembered how to do the zipper correctly they went really fast!

It isn't finished yet (blocks are laid out but not glued) but isn't my very own "barn quilt" fabulous? We are going to hang it in the backyard somewhere since I don't think the HOA would appreciate it if I hung it on the garage. I love it! Ok, off to shower and get ready for work....

Sprucing up the Quilting Studio

Last night I decided to spruce up the quilting studio...I took everything off my bulletin board, added some fabric and replaced the stuff I still wanted to look at. I should have taken before pictures, but I am sure you can imagine!

I made a few pillowcases out of fabric Tif gave me for Christmas last year. Most likely they will wind up Christmas gifts for some young boys on my list.

I went through all of my quilting books and have a stack to donate and room for more again. I love books and so I buy them without always really planning to make anything out of them. I figure if it inspires me that is fine, but after awhile I just feel like "stuff" I am not using weighs me down. Hopefully someone else will love when I getting rid of!

I also go crazy organizing and refolding my fabric. Becky gave me this great idea to use one of my larger rulers to make my fabric fold in a more uniform way and now I am addicted to it!

You can see some of it here, and more of it here.

There is another whole stack behind this one and I have smaller pieces in drawers as well as my strips drawers. I always tell people I don't have much of a stash, but I am now rethinking that. I have the biggest stash I have ever had. And true to form, I want to find things to use it up in because I feel like it is wasted just sitting here. I can't stop smiling looking at all this neat fabric. Hmm, what to do next?

State Fair Getting Bound and Shhh a Birthday Gift for Kathy

Today I met June, BJ and Roslyn for lunch and got back my State Fair Schnibbles all quilted. I also dropped off my Joy Luck to be quilted. The quilting on this one is awesome, she used a gorgeous varigated thread and I am thrilled to death with it. I made and added a label and the binding...it is all hairpinned in place for handsewing later on.

Several months ago we bought Kathy an IPod Touch for her birthday (which is Aug. 3rd) and she says she doesn't want anything else and really with the summer budget that is fine. However I like to have a few things for her to unwrap anyway so I got it in my head to suprise her with an IPod Touch case made out of scraps of Patriot fabric.

You can see from this picture I made THREE of them at least part way before getting it right! I found a pattern awhile back on madebypetchy.blogspot.com but genius that I am I failed to notice the CM measurements and so did them in inches. There is quite a bit of difference in 24 CM versus 24 inches in case you weren't aware. Haha. I kept thinking boy this must fold down because it is awfully big. So then I cut another in CM and thought WOW this is small (sort of having a Goldilocks kind of day) and since Kathy has her IPod with her at work I decided to look up the size measurements online. Low and behold I was following a tutorial for a Nano and and a Touch so HAHA again, too small. Eventually I figured out that a 14 by 5 inch would fold into about what I wanted and viola...

an IPod Touch case for Kathy!

It is nothing fancy though it took me a few hours all told...(and I am watching "Girl with a Pearl Earring" as well) but now she has that to open. Also at the battery store I found a little apple core thingy that is to keep your Ipod cords wound around and such so I picked that up (1.99) so now she has two things to open!

My Nimble Thimbles PUP for This Year

I missed the meeting where we shared our finished PUPs, but Becky shared mine for me and everyone picked another PUP to do for next July. I only have this one so it was an easy choice to pick. I did each of these four Bargello Seasons quilt in an online class at Quilt University back when I was in Wisconsin! The reason it hasn't been put together is because I seriously struggle with the Math to make it into four equal parts to be in one quilt. So here is where I challenge those of you who are skilled at Math or at EQ to help me out!
Here are the measurements: Spring is 28.5 inches by 22.5 inches, Summer is 33.5 by 18.5 inches, Fall is 35 by 18.25 inches and Winter is 27 by 21 inches. There is a coordinating fabric (of a different color) in each of these pieces and I have extra that I could border each in a different color as well as the darker green coordinate that could sash them together after they are bordered to the same size. I am open to suggestions, if I can't get this figured out I am just going to make them into separate wall hangings, but I really would like it in one quilt!

Thanks in advance to any of you gals who are willing to help me out...if you ever need any Englishy help, call on me!

Broken Sugar Bowl Quilt Histor Progress

Last night I kept on sewing and though they don't photograph real well, these eight blocks turned out smashingly! I have the four patches all done for the other seven blocks but I need to get more of the dark blue fabric to finish them up. Will be on the lookout today since I am off to pick up June and meet BJ and Ros!

Puddle Jumping Mystery Clue Two Done....

Becky suddenly had some free time this afternoon so she came over to join me sewing! It was nice to have her over here for a change! I finished up my Puddle Jumping Clue two nine patches....

Becky worked on finishing up a UFO/PUP she is doing for this year's Nimble Thimble's challenge. Jade could not resist giving it her seal of approval.

Then I got to sew my Designer Mystery Block of the month, block two..."Santa's Lucky Hat" this cute little Santa hat! It was rather putzy but I was gabbing and sewing (and talking to myself too) and got it done.

After Becky left I threw in meatloaf, potatoes and asperagus and went back to trim a bunch of these blocks and now have them sewed into rows of three. These are for my Quilt History homework...I haven't gone in the past two months but I have to bring in fifteen finished blocks in this pattern (I picked) from Eleanor Burnes' book. I think it is called Broken Sugar Bowl, will have to recheck it when I go back up. They have been supplying the fabric as we go and I need to get more...when these are together there will be eight blocks done but I am supposed to have a total of 15! Have more four patches done, but don't have enough of the various blue fabrics to complete the other block. At least this project is seeing some progress.

Couldn't resist showing you block one and two together :)
Off to serve and eat dinner and then maybe back to sewing...tomorrow June and I are meeting Ros and BJ for shopping and lunch. I can't wait!

Working on Step Two of Puddle Jumping Mystery and Game Night!

Game night at our house last night! We played Quelf, which gets us all laughing like crazy. Our favorite is the "roolz" cards in which we get a rule we must follow until we draw another rule...I had to move my game piece with my elbow for most of the game, Coleman had to clap and say abracadabra every time someone drew a card and Randy had to air drum when it was my turn! We also played Dutch Blitz (my favorite!) and Smartass (which I hate) and then when on to spades and euchere. It was a nice night and everyone was home and nephew Buck came over too!

After work today I was all excited to get up to the quilting studio and work on step two of the Puddle Jumping Mystery! I got going right away and since I now have a TV hooked up to a DVD player in there I watched my Netflix picks. I didn't quite get done though because there is no battery in the remote so I couldn't watch anything past the first episode on either DVD...grrr! Now I am downstairs watching one of them and blogging. Hope to get back up there and get this clue done before bed, but there is always tomorrow since I don't work. And a new battery is on my list!

So I have twenty done and the rest just need another row on them and they will be done too.

Carolina Crossroads Clue Three is Done...:)

Did a bit of sewing today and finished off clue three of Carolina Crossroads. I have about 15 extra actually...that is what happens when I get going and going!

Here is everything I have done so far for this mystery. I can't wait to see it all come together!

A Packer Apron and Carolina Crossroads Step Three in Progress

I love these cute little nine patches...and it is a good thing because there are 80 total in this step alone! I have forty done so far and quite a few more subcut and ready to sew....still need more strips through to get to eighty.

Pinning them in tens because I always seem to lose count otherwise.

Before I started that however, I decided to make my daughter Hannah this reversible Packer/Norway looking apron. It is for her for Christmas. I have got quite a start on Christmas already!

She is a huge Packer fan (as am I) so I know she will love it. This Packer fabric was my grandmother's....she made tons of hot pads on year for Christmas and I got lots of remnants which I have been happily using up!
And Kathy has been painting my rainbow wild goose chase blocks....looking colorful!

Taking a break from sewing and watching some crime TV....hope to get back up there in a bit though :)

Another Schnibble Goes on Parade Soon :)

Here is Kathy working on my wild goose chase barn sign in rainbow colors. And here is Coleman watching Avatar--which he loved!

After my workshop today I gabbed on the phone with June for awhile (okay for hours, we had lots to catch up on) and I did a little cleaning while talking. Then I went to work on my Joy Luck Schnibbles. I had a bit of a time getting the row edges just so with the the white strips in between (which btw I almost forgot to add). Then when I got to the outer border I didn't quite get that right either. I am not taking it out to fix it, from a galloping horse I am sure it looks magnificent. I like how this one comes out in the end, but I made a mental note that I don't want to make it again.

I am not good with the little tiny triangles on these little snowballs so it was tough to get them all the same size and then my quarter inch is a bit narrow so nothing measured as it should (new foot, sigh). Anyway Otto (our oldest and blind dog) decided to check it out for me and give his seal of approval!

I am happy to have this one done...but sad there is only one more month of Schnibbles left to go!

Joy Luck Schnibbles is Coming Along...

All of the border strips for Joy Luck are sewn together and trimmed since this picture...

The past few days I have gotten in a bit of sewing and have the edges on all the sort of snowball blocks. Tonight I came home from work and got to ironing and sewing and got all these blocks into rows. My rows need some trimming up before I attach them and then I need to finish the borders.

I should have rotated this picture but you get the idea...rows aren't sewn together yet. I have a professional workshop to go to all day tomorrow, but when I get home I hope to get this little top together.

I also have my 12 Days of Christmas block two all cut out.

Remember the barn block we saw in Colorado? Kathy and Coleman decided to make me a smaller version of the wild goose chase in a rainbow of colors. Here it is all traced out and they have cut it out since and bought the paint...they forgot the background color of the paint but I am excited to have this little birthday gift...we will hang it in the backyard! I am a lucky girl!

While I was blogging here Kathy brought over the first painted goose so here it is! I can't wait to see it.

Tonight is movie night at our house so I have set aside the sewing (will be knitting though) and we are watching Avatar. Coleman hasn't seen it yet and he is a huge fan. After that we have a few movies from netflix so we may get to watch one of those. Hope to be posting tomorrow night with a done little Joy Luck Schnibbles!