Saturday in the Quilting Studio!

 Big dipper was made a few days ago, but this morning I made Jewel Box and then

 the paper pieced Kaleidoscope.  I wish I would have switched the light fabrics with the corners, but it is done so all good!

 Here are all the red blocks, so unless Angela sneaks in another one, I think red is done.  Looking forward to the next color as always!

 I also finally got around to the July Ooh Rah!  Quilt of Valor block.  I am happy to say I was able to trim up a bunch of hst blocks that were hanging out forever waiting to find a home!  I changed up the block because I didn't want to applique the cute x on the center block...so I just used a print for the center and I also went with red and blue instead of two shades of blue.  I think this block would be awesome as a Packer quilt with green and gold too!  So far I think this is my favorite block!

 I am still knitting dishcloths for Christmas presents...here is the one I finished up on Friday night!

Now to figure out what to sew next!
I am still going strong on eating right and exercising twice daily!  I have lost a total of 48 pounds now.  This past week was a great week (the week before not so much) and I am happy that I have stuck with it for almost six months.  Just the rest of my life to go! :)

This is me working out!

Red Rides again!

I finished off the red lozenges for July, 57 more to add to my total.  Linking up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

Here is Wonky Goose Star for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge Sampler.  I decided to go ahead and use one of my little churn dash blocks for the center.  Not sure I love it, but it is made.

Here is flock in red, this one was fun and easy.  I am now all caught up on my sampler blocks!

Also made another Wild and Goosey block--am now caught up on trying to get one done per week.  I am really happy to be making progress on this quilt, it is still tiny!

Here is what I have so far...looks bigger than it is in person!

Hodge Podge and Red!

 I made the backing and a matching pillowcase for Lexi to go with her Purple Heaven Quilt this morning.  I also drooled over this modern BOM coming up soon.  I am so tempted to order the kit and make this, though I need to play with the fabric I have!

 I did make a few lozenge leaders and enders in red so I can link up with the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!

 I made another Wild and Goosey block (I think I am one behind still on my goal of one a week--hoping to get that in this weekend!  Funny how little goals like that really do help move a project along!)

 Kathy took my quilt out to take pictures for me.  She cut off the borders, didn't take the pictures on the rocks, etc.  I give her credit for trying since it is 110 out there and really bright so she couldn't even see the pictures on her phone but I will be doing this again later today or tomorrow.  I have been sewing in my pj's all day and I need to work out before I shower and at this rate the sun may be down by the time I am decent!

Two Flimsy's Together!

 Randy got back from visiting Rachel (my honorary daughter) in Norway.  He took her a few books from me for baby Leon and some handmade dishcloths and a candle for Rachel.  In turn, they sent home some Indian food (chicken mahkani--delicious in a box, why oh why don't we have it here in the USA?) and some fabric.  They discovered if they go to the secondhand store they can find fabric for semi decent prices (everything in Norway is EXPENSIVE to use Americans).  So I got a pillow case, a curtain and two large chunks of fabric.  Really nice Winnie the Pooh stuff!  The other sort of looks like a toile.  All of it will wind up used again.

 It has been a crazy week and both Kathy and I finally got a chance to come up and sew the borders on our flimsies at about 9 PM tonight!  We will take better pictures outside tomorrow but here are the indoor photos.  Kathy's is above and is for her great nephew Noah who is eight and lives in New York.  He needs a big boy quilt so this is it.  Kathy is planning to quilt it herself--it will be the first big quilt she tries to do on the domestic machine, but Noah will not mind if it isn't perfect!

 Meanwhile, I had to take off the border I hastily put on the other day (pin, always pin!).  I had forgotten that I didn't quite make this as large as Bonnie's but I made my borders the same size as Bonnie's.  So um, ya some unsewing and resewing was going on tonight.  I will say that somehow three of the four sides perfectly fit my borders but the first one which I unsewed needed about a half inch extra fabric to make it all come together.  I am over the moon that it is finally made (started this one at Bonnie's My Blue Heaven workshop in Tuscon in February!) and Lexi is happy with it too.

 Here are the backing fabrics.  Will get that together tomorrow and get it bagged up for Ros when she gets back to town.  I know she will put the final amazing finishing touches on it!

I am so looking forward to two days of sewing!  I need to get started on my Santa Swap Sack partner's sack and gifts.  They need to be mailed around Thanksgiving and it will be here before I know it!  I have a list of cool things I can make but if you have any fab suggestions (or links to tutorials) on stuff you would love if you were my swapper comment them to me please!

Sunday Sewing

 Still a block behind on my make a wild and goosey each week goal, but here is one more.  I am sewing on the Viking Husqvarna machine and it isn't nuts for paper piecing (or I don't know how to set it so it is) so I made it through one block before doing some quilting studio cleaning.

 After serious dusting, wiping, sweeping and lunch I decided I really needed to get to cutting out the purples for my final border on My Blue/Purple Heaven quilt.  I had some already cut and it took forever to get those sewn together so I took Bonnie's advice and cut with the fabric right sides together (in a stack of four fabrics) and they went through the machine so much faster when I didn't have to stop and match up triangles first!

 So here is the stack of some ironed, some not (none trimmed) and hopefully they total the 86 blocks I need for the pieced borders.  I hope to get that done this week or next weekend, then I can whip up the backing and binding and get this one off to Ros for quilting!

I have really enjoyed lots of sewing time this weekend, now I need to get on my elliptical and treadmill and get some steps in--it is 4 PM and I have 243.  Sewing does not burn calories!

Traditions BOM--Thorn of Crowns

 Here is my 35th Ave. "Traditions" BOM called Thorn of Crowns.  This went together pretty quickly and now I have seven done.

Seeing Some Red Blocks!

 I have been working a secret project for the small quilt exchange coming up fast...today I basted and quilted it (but cannot show you pictures yet!) so while I was at the basting I basted this quilt from way back when.  Might get to quilting it this weekend too!

 Then I got to some red blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  Here is donut and below is hashtag.  Really fun and easy blocks!

 The first five red blocks and a few lozenges done so far...I need to get to more of them so I can keep up!

As always, I am a tad late to the link up (so not a morning person!) but linking up with SoScrappy!

Everything but Sewing!

My Mom and Dad moved again (I know, right)!  They bought a gorgeous house about a mile from the last one. This one still needs a pool, but otherwise it is perfect for them.

Mom has already unpacked and moved in, doesn't take us long...pictures are hung and most boxes are already unpacked!

I love the kitchen, especially their fridge!  Kathy put in a new icemaker for them (thanks Youtube) and they were overjoyed.  Whenever we go visit (they are about an hour from us) they have a list of things for Kathy to fix! 

This house will be great for our next Christmas--much more space than the previous house which was large, but the living room set up wasn't great and had actual seating for about four. 

Even the front door is gorgeous.  Papa DeLos' boat is hanging--this boat used to live above my grandparents' fireplace in Eau Claire and now it is happily at home here. 

The living room and kitchen are on the other side of the doorway and wall.  There are bedrooms off a hallway off the kitchen and the master is on the other side of this room, the other way with TWO huge walk in closets.  Dad is happy he finally has a closet in his bedroom! 

I didn't take pictures of the bedrooms and offices yet since they aren't all situated yet.  They took us out to dinner at Olive Garden (soup, salad and sangria for me!) as a thank you for all we did to help them move. 

Kathy won me a few t shirts from Just My Size...yay, I have a few old ones I can toss and replace with these! 

Not the best picture, but we stopped off at SAS for a few good fabric finds!  Only spent 20 bucks and got all this!  Really fun stuff!

Happy Fourth of July--Red, Red and Red!

 Today I spent several hours organizing all of my red scraps by size and then cutting my red lozenges!  I will be linking up with SoScrappy's RSC Challenge later today!

 I sewed up Nonsense for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge--I did not have enough of the background fabric so I did what Bonnie would do and just grabbed another.  Looks fine to me!

 Here is Stripes, super easy...my kind of block!

 I sewed up a few more tiny churn dashes.  Found this nice red while organizing my scraps and reds!

 Becky came over and it was fun to catch up and sew...the other weekend she had to cancel and it seems like it has been forever!

 Also sewed up Starz which was really fun and I know I have a pattern for a larger one somewhere, now I am not afraid to make it!

 Here is Becky's sweet little doll quilt top she made today.