Gnome Quilts for the Loveseats are Done :)

 I got in the Spring cleaning mode this past weekend in anticipation of my best friend from high school coming to visit in a few weeks!  We rearranged the living room and dusted, mopped, in and around and behind and below everything.  I am sure new dust and doghair is already forming but it still needed to be done!  You can see my bike there in a new spot and I am still getting on it--now for 30 mintues, but not regularily enough.  Will try to reapply myself!

Barb  quilted my gnome quilts and I got them bound over the weekend too.  I didn't do much for sewing, did some cutting and bound these two quilts and that was it.  I also cleaned the kitchen and fridge which needed it. 

 Now you can see the quilts on the loveseats.  It was time for some newer small quilts..we wash them every week because with five dogs...ugh!  Anyways the two I have been using have seen better days!

The other thing I have been doing lately is reading.  Just finished this one last night, and have read several books that inspired Downton Abbey as well.  I also finally finished Bag of Bones by Stephen King which I was listening to forever--not as scary or as good as his usual tales, but I like to listen to books while I sew since I seem to never make enough time to read! 

Progress on a Few Things...

I have been working on my hand sewn hexis diligently the past week or so.  I am really enjoying it again.  So nice to have it to take along in the car.  I have added another long row since the last picture but haven't taken a new one yet.  

 In other news, Barb is on a roll quilting up a few quilts for me.  Above is my gnome couch quilt and below is Kelsey's Easy Street!

 It is hard to see the quilting on that but here is the back.

 Kathy and I went up to Mom's for Tiffany's baby shower.  We stopped off at Jacki's and dropped off a few pink blocks for a special project she has going.  Kathy did her BOM with a white background and I did an extra one of my Talkin Turkey.  We love these blocks!  Now the color is orange, so we have to get to it!

We then got the food ready for the shower and wrapped gifts, copied off games and sharpened pencils, etc. Then today we set and had Tiffany's baby shower.  It all went really well and I think the baby will be just about set!  We gave Tiffany the baby quilt and a few kids books about adoption.  I am a book freak!  Tiffany's best friend was giving her an evening party/shower tonight too.  Kathy and I were too tuckered out to even try to do that so we met up with Suli (my brother's ex and Ben's mom) and I gifted her her baby quilt too.  Both these little guys are boys and will be less than a month apart if all goes as planned.  Ben will finally be a big brother in both houses!

Whirlwind Weekend!

 Yesterday Kathy and I met up with BJ and Ros and Jacki and went to 35th Ave for the first BOM meeting.  This is our first time doing this!  The bad picture above is what the quilt will look like after one year.  We paid 10 bucks to join and as long as we finish each block before the time of the next month's meeting we get the supplies for it free.  We did upgrade to the larger size and to using black as the background so we had to buy NINE yards (each) of black fabric, but we had a 50 percent off coupon and so we got our Kona black cheap!  This was our first bolt purchase ever!

 Here is what it looked like in white, I didn't get the picture before she folded it back up.

 This is block number one..it goes in the center.  This is the sample block, lol, I haven't done mine yet!  HA!

After that we went to the PHXMQG meeting and heard what our new chairs have planned for the year.  Lots of awesome ideas and it was hard to pick what to join and what to pass on!  I signed up for a mug rug swap and for the Pile of Fabric Skillbuilder BOM (but I seriously don't think I will make all of those and I don't plan to make the quilt anyways..I may do some of them and turn it into other smaller projects, not sure yet).  More on the meeting later.  

Then after I got home, Barb came over and I finished up piecing my Streak of Sunshine quilt and then made another one that is very similar.  Barb worked on knitting up a hat that DJ had left on the peg thing since I didn't really know how to do it.  She also wound bobbins and we gabbed the night away.  It was fun!

 I am pretty sure the one with the cat will be for Sam and Tif's baby.  Though I had dinner with Tif and she told me they are thinking of decorating the nursery with monkeys...lol that is okay I can make and gift them two!

 The one with the yellow will find its way to another little boy, not sure who yet. 

 Oh and I finally picked out the Schnibbles Summer Day quilt for my cousin Jamie's baby girl who is due soon.  Will get this in the mail this week.

 So today Kathy and I got up early and drove north to sew with BJ and Jacki.  Here is BJ with her first project of the day.  She also worked on her NYE Mystery and on Easy Street too, I think.  We turned Bonnie on QuiltCam and listened it too!

Kathy worked on putting together our Old Tobacco Road.  It is a bit of a bear because it goes together in rows not in blocks and she wasn't used to that, but with a little help from me and BJ here and there she got a good chunk of it done.

 Jacki was working on a game case for her grandson that was labor intensive and when she finished that she kept on with her Easy Street.  It is looking great!  She didn't get enough contrast in her four patches, but we decided it looks GREAT anyways...it is almost like she tweaked the design a bit and hers is more unique!

 I cut and pieced my second braid in a day quilt...so I will have a semi matching pair or couch quilts.  These protect the seats from dog hair--ie I wash them often and change them out just seconds before people come to my house :)  I didn't pay any attention to which direction the braids were going in this one as I did the first one (center one is different in the first one, this one the one on the right is) but it gives them personality I guess.

So after an all day sewing session, we went to my Mom and Dad's where we celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary with a pot of Boiled Dinner.   My sister and brother didn't come, but my brother's fiance and Kathy and I did and it was a nice night!

Tomorrow I am off work and I will be in my sewing room--but I am sleeping in first!  I plan to piece a back for the Gnome Braid in a Day above, Easy Street and Cheddar Bow Ties.  Also need to choose a pattern for my cousin Kai who just got married!

Kathy's Easy Street is a Flimsy!

Blogger didn't want me to upload any pictures today but I switched over to html and outsmarted it so I could get some pictures in my post!  So without further ado (is that spelled right, lol) here is Kathy's EASY STREET!  As I have mentioned on here before, this is for her sister Kelly and hubby Bob.  It will match their bedroom.  This is Kathy's first Bonnie Hunter quilt that she has done ENTIRELY by herself!  I did take out and flip around one little tiny backwards block (set in seams she wasn't ready for!) but other than that she managed it all on her own and splendidly!  Love the colors--nice job hon!

And here is my Braid in a Day Gnome Style out in the sun.  This quilt is really CUTE close up but in pictures it just doesn't look too good.  Maybe it will look better after it is quilted. 

I have 45 minutes left to go at work, but Kathy sent me these pictures so I could blog on break (using my time wisely, lol!)  Here is Picnic all bound and ready to show off at PHXMQG tomorrow!  I can't wait to see what the chairs will be offering for activities this year...and we are meeting up with BJ, Ros and Jacki tomorrow for black bag day at 35th Ave too...then sewing on Sunday!  I am already ready for my three day weekend.

Last night I found out my brother and his fiance will be getting a baby boy to adopt!  Baby is due the end of March so I started working on a Streak of Sunshine baby boy cowboy quilt.  Of course I cut two while I was at it, one is almost done--the top anyways.  Will get those done this weekend.  Next up I really need to pick a quilt to make for my cousin Kai who just got married!  

Easy Street, Picnic and Gnome Braid in a Day!

 Here is my God-Daughter Kelsey's Easy Street Quilt!  Her favorite color is purple, so I mixed up Bonnie's border colors, and I went scrappy so I could use up the fabrics I had leftover but here it is!

 I went to Barb's today and sewed for awhile (and then we all went and saw Life of Pi) and I picked up Picnic!  Barb sewed modern looking shapes (it is called lattice work) on it that sort of look like airplanes but aren't.  I need to take pictures when I get the binding on and of the back (there is a Denyse Schmidt cheater on the back) but I am in love with this one!  I am keeping it!

 Barb and I decided to whip up an Eleanor Burns "Braid in a Day" so Barb shared her pattern with me--and ruler.  It didn't take long at all to make this lap sized gnome quilt.  I didn't put the final border on it because it is large enough for my couch seat without it.  I need to replace my two couch quilts--my other two have seen better days!  The dogs are constantly on the couches and these quilts catch the dog hair and are easily cleaned and make me smile.  I may have to make another to match..I have enough fabric left for a semi matching pair.

 Here is Barb's in progress.  No gnomes for her.  She took a break from Easy Street to do something different with me...too fun!

 I will get a  better picture but here is Braid in a Day--Gnome Style!

Kathy is finished with her Easy Street--well Sans Borders!