A Little Bit of This and That

Not the greatest pictures, but here is my nephew Christopher and his finance Christian (we call her Pickle) with his Quilt of Valor I made him. He was very impressed with the Navy backing fabric and seemed to really be glad to take a quilt to his apartment. He is currently stationed in San Diego with the Navy so his other quilts I have made him--well his mom won't release them to him yet!
Here is my (step) Dad with Mom looking on as they opened their quilt.
Mom checked out the label and was quite impressed (thanks again Ros). They went on and on for two days about how intricate the quilt was and were happy to have it. Not sure where they put it..I had hopes it would wind up on the guest bed (in the room we were in) but it didn't happen!
I finally decided to get the first border on Auntie's Anvil so I could see some progress on it!
Finally busted out my new sewing machine (my honey got me!). This one is really for travel sewing...it is nice and lightweight and I like it already. I tried it out and got it all set for Kathy to use tomorrow when we do the annual NYE mystery.

Yesterday I finally got the binding on DJ's nephew's Christmas quilt. We have two done and one to go...their box will obviously be late. DJ didn't decide til late that we should make them quilts and there just hasn't been time!
I just used scraps of binding in the colors of the quilt. I love how that looks.

I had my last sock class today but no new pictures yet. I learned how to do the ribbing and the surprisingly stretchy bind off. I can't wait to get the first one completely done, but too much sewing to do at the moment! I spent the rest of the day sewing......but that is another post!

I'm Drowning in Orca Bay!

I am drowning in Orca Bay! Bonnie decided to be nice to the Aussies and send along the next clue a day early when I hadn't really gotten to the last clue. Oy Vey! I did sneak in about two hours of sewing, cutting, pressing, ripping and organizing and just for the heck of it ONE triangle for clue five. So here is where things stand:

Clue one is still a little over half done (and I need them for step six so...). Clue Two and Three are DONE! Clue Four is over half done at 70/128. Clue Five has 1/350, smile though all the triangles are cut and all the hst's are ready to be sewn (I won't mention I sewed about ten of them together INCORRECTLY because in my mind I lay them out like Bonnie does and then upon further inspection I have turned the hst's the wrong way, close but not quite. Did manage to rip all that out and return to the stacks). For Clue Six all I have is a few neutral squares cut out. I

may bring the fabric with me to my mom's tomorrow in the hopes that in the few days we are there I might get a chance to cut all of the stuff for Clue Six. I am enjoying it and my hat is absolutely off to anyone who is managing to keep up. And for those of you doing two and keeping up--well you must only eat, sleep and sew! SMILE.

My younger two kids arrived on Wednesday night from Wisconsin (CJ is already here with me). So very good to see Hannah and Mac! It has been a wild few days already. I had to work yesterday then we went shopping for a bit and came home and I taught Hannah how to knit! She is working on her first dishcloth in purple of course.

Last night while we were doing that, DJ went to urgent care, then to the ER, then they kept her overnight. Finally got to come home today and they think she just has a skin infection but they were worried had infection in her abdomen and could need surgery! It was crazy, but I think they were just being cautious. We hope so anyway.

So this afternoon we made my Great Grandma Myrt's Cornflake Cookies and some Rollout Sugar Cookies (from a Tupperware recipe I got way back when) and we only frosted enough to sample. The rest are waiting for us to get another burst of energy. Those babies are labor intensive, lol. We also made dips to take to Mom's but I still need to make Vegetable Pizza. Lots of vege chopping in my future.

Oh, notice the tiny rolling pins? We actually used kid sized ones from our play-doh supplies until I found my rolling pin which hasn't seen the light of day in several years!

So the kids are keeping me busy as well as my sock knitting. I went to class on Wednesday (was supposed to be the last class...we started out with five gals, last week we had four and this week we had two...and neither of us are done so he agreed to meet with us again next week Friday!) and they were impressed with the improvement of my sock knitting and helped me get in the lifelines on this sock and such. Learned how to do the kitchner stitch (I think it is called) in which to close up the heel which I am going to finish soon. I am loving it now that I sort of get it.

It is farther than this already but haven't got a more current pic yet.

Here is the quilt label Ros made for me that I sewed on Mom and Dad's quilt. Can't wait to give it to them tomorrow! I also sewed Christopher's label on.

Designer Mystery BOM is Done :)

It has been a more than crazy week and I don't even know where the camera is (and I need to take it on the shop hop so I better get looking for it--the cord is right here though, sigh!). However, I have some pictures because Ros Atwood finished quilting my Designer Mystery BOM quilt which is for my parents for Christmas. She used a varigated rainbow type thread to quilt it and she says the pictures don't do it justice. I will get it from her tomorrow and I can't wait!

Here are some close up photos. I sure hope my parents love this quilt as much as I do. They already have a tabletopper I made them from this fabric and I may make some Christmas napkins from the leftovers if I find myself with time on my hands (dreaming!).

I love the fabrics in the quilt and really enjoyed making it even though I am usually not a huge fan of sampler type quilts. This one was lots of fun! I got my first swap from Santa Sack Swap 2 with some gifts...thanks Shannon, I will post pictures this weekend I promise!

Designer Mystery BOM Borders/Top is Done!

First here is a picture of my youngest, Mackenzie or Ethan as he prefers to be called (at graduation he had them announce his middle name as Ethan, though it is actually Alan) with his friend Angel heading to prom a month or so ago. Sorry for the delay, I don't always get the pictures in a timely manner. Not sure this pair is a matched set but they had fun so it is all good.




















Today both my morning class and my evening class (interpreting job) got cancelled just after I arrived at both...so in between and all around I sewed stars. Eight of them to be exact. The border was as much work as making another quilt top. This quilt is HUGE too. I have a hard time conceptualizing size sometimes. This is a giant.








I am not nuts to make pieced borders like this but I will say with all the measuring and planning they come out perfectly. I hope Ros has a month in which to quilt it, haha.

It was too big to get a good photo of in the house....the binding is made but I need to piece the backing and send it for quilting! Merry Christmas Mom and Dad!

Designer Mystery BOM Top without Borders is Done!

My friend Michelle (who also was my knitting and crochet teacher a few summers back) facebooked me and asked if I wanted two huge boxes of her fabric scraps. I love it when people clean up their sewing area and I get to play with all their leftovers! I felt like I had won the lottery.

I sorted through the two huge boxes and can use one overflowing box worth for quilting. Some of it was not cotton fabric so I think I will be redonating that, but the cotton stuff will be great cut into strips to stuff my bins. There were even several LARGE chunks that will be good for backings. A ton of muslin too. Thanks Michelle!

I had to buy this magazine..mainly for Bonnie's block, but I found several others I really like in there too!

I am hoping to make at least one "Winson Ways" block this weekend just for fun. I love it, love it, love it! Bonnie has really made me fall for small pieces and scrappy looking stuff!

DJ helped me cut up a bunch of kiddo prints to make my cousin Tara a baby quilt, and Kathy came over and helped cut the solids...one more solid to go and then I can get to sewing this quilt.

I had several days of migraines this week, and yesterday was the worst one I have had since I came to Arizona. There was puking involved and everything. I had to call in sick to work and put off my sewing plans too. Today I am feeling much much better and am happy to have lived to tell about it. Seriously the pain of a migraine is worse than childbirth!

So today I got home from work and after doing bill paying and general stuff I had to do I found time to complete the LAST block of the Designer Mystery BOM! This is block twelve "The Final Touch" designed by Sherri Falls of www.thisandthatpatterns.com and I really like this one. It went together quickly and though the top isn't centered right, I like it.

So I put the sashing on and attached it to the rest of the quilt!

I didn't get to the stars in the border as I had hoped, but they are cut and are next in line...sort of. LOL, I need to get to Tara's baby quilt since that needs to go to Wisconsin for her baby shower in June!

This is what the borders will look like :)

BOM Block 11 and Carolina Crossroads Top is DONE!

Disregard my crazy hairdo but check it out! I finally got the borders on my Carolina Crossroads quilt at June's today! We didn't get the best picture because the quilt is so big but I did a red inner border and a blue outer border...both scrappy. Tomorrow I will get better photos outside and blog them! Still thinking I should gift this one to my youngest son Mackenzie for his high school graduation in June, but this will be a hard one to part with!

I also completed block eleven of the Designer Mystery Block of the Month and put it in the row...so one more to go! This one is called "Block of Good Cheer" and the designer is Anne Sutton of www.bunnyhilldesigns.com

This quilt is really going to be stunning. Each block took me a few hours to make (and Kathy a half hour to cut!) and it really it is a bit more frogging around than I like but I am glad I did it anyway. It was challenging and I love the colors. It is coming together very nicely and I think my mother will love it.

Designer Mystery BOM is Beyond Caught Up!

This morning I was up early and got spaghetti sauce going, fresh green beans ready and even made muffins and coffee! Whipped up the dishes and started sewing way too early for me, strange! Now all of the blocks are in rows and the rows are sewn together. Only the last row awaits two more blocks which I don't have yet. Next I have to get the stars for the border cut and start sewing them so that the border will go on quickly by the time the last two blocks are done. I guess I could also piece the backing and make the binding while I wait. Feels good to finally be where I want to be on this quilt.

I also took some time to find some red strips (instead of creams and whites) for the small Carolina Crossroads border and to cut some blue strips for the larger blue CC border. Later on today if I get a chance I will piece them and maybe even attach them for another top finish! I am so close I can't stand it.

And I decided to make a quick pineapple block from blues since I didn't have one yet. Then I cut a bunch of my leftover lollipop fabric (not sure that is the name, I forget already!) into the right size pieces for future blocks. So it is barely noon here and I feel so accomplished today. I even went through the entire week's mail while waiting on the muffins to bake. I hate that chore, but there was a lovely suprise in the pile that I missed during the week somehow...my Quiltmaker magazine was in the stack!

Designer Mystery BOM is Caught Up!

Today I went to June's house (finally, it has been forever since we have sewed together!) and made twenty of these little sashing blocks. This is a sneak peak of what they look like with the Designer Mystery BOM blocks!

Then I worked on blocks 9 and 10 so I am finally caught up! Block Nine is called "Matching Ornaments" and is designed by Joanna Figueroa. Block Ten is called "All Tied Up with Pretty Red Tinsel" and is esigned by Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson.

After I got home I contined adding the sashing to rows one and three before dinner was ready and I stopped for the night. I am really liking how this is turning out. It has been labor intensive, but I know my mother will love it! So two more blocks to go and some stars in the border to make and this one will come all toghether!

A Couple of Blocks and AQG Show

Lately I have been waking up and finding myself unable to go back to sleep...this is really odd for me because I am SO not a morning person. So this morning I got up and did some work in the quilting studio. This little block was the result. This is block eight of the Designer Mystery BOM designed by Margot Lanuedoc called "Welcome to Our House" and I thought it was a little more challenging then some of them or at least as challenging. I like how it turned out though...slightly tipsy looking :).

About two weeks ago I finished block seven called "Warm Wollen Mitten" from the same BOM (I am still two behind, one arrived in the mail yesterday to light a fire under my touche) and this one was designed by Pam Buda. It is one of my favorites so far and was very doable!

Saturday Randy, DJ and I met up with BJ and two of her friends (Donna and one gal I can't recall her name, man I am getting old!). We didn't really get time to chat and get to know each other because we were moving through the show and we were separated through some of it but still it was nice to see BJ and meet some of her friends and introduce her to DJ. One of our favorite quilts from the show was this one:

Loved the colors in it and it was just so appealing! We saw several quilts from gals in my guild as well as many of the gals from my guild. I haven't been to any meetings in forever since I was working on Tuesday nights but now I may be able to make some of the meetings if I want since one of the classes I was doing is over. Sometimes my other job I work that night now though. I tend to want to stay in once I get home at night and have to be dragged out even though I enjoy going....strange! I miss Becky though and that is when I mostly got to see her.

I did purchase a few things. I absolutely couldn't resist this little kit that I really didn't need! It has directions and fabric to make two little wall hangings and a recipe too. I just really liked it and so I had to have it, nuts!
I am always on the lookout for cute baby fabric becasue I make a lot of baby quilts and DJ and I both fell in love with these ducks and umbrellas. I have other fabric that will work well with them so I am sure I will be making a baby quilt or two from this soon.

Here is DJ and Randy's back as they admire the quilts.

Here is BJ and her friends as they admire another quilt.

DJ and I loved all the rainbow quilts, of course. This one was a favorite!

It was nice to take the time to go even though June and Herve were unable to meet us due to a last minute glitch and Ros was out of town! Maybe next year we will all be together again!

NYE Mystery 2010, Designer Mystery BOM and Fabric Gifts

This is last month's Designer Mystery BOM Block Six "Hung by the Fire" designed by Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson of www.meandmysisterdesigns.com and it went together fairly well. I still have one more to go (it is in progress) and I am sure the next one will be arriving soon--don't even ask what step I am on on Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll (Two, haha) and yes I am still assembling the last block on Carolina Crossroads too. I am so far behind but I no longer think I am first! I work quite a bit next week so don't think I am catching up anytime soon. Oh well, there is always summer, right?

This gorgeous fabric was on my wish list for Christmas and I was lucky enough to get it! I love the colors and can hardly wait to bust it open! It is by Moda and is called Basic Grey Origins.

Kathy's fabric choices for Ann B. Smith's NYE Mystery 2010.

My fabric choices for the same mystery. You may notice that the circus fabric is the same one Kathy used in the last year mystery...I decided to go ahead and use it again this year because we have a hunk of it left and because we are doing crib size quilts this year. DJ will be joining us for the day and we will teach her some about sewing, ironing and mystery quilting so we didn't want to stress about keeping up and we didn't really need two more lap size quilts this year so crib size it is. Seems we can always come up with babies to give quilts to.

So yesterday we got everything cut and marked. Or Kathy cut it all cut and I got it all marked. We are all set for tomorrow. We even have our burgendy beef roast and crock pot all set and just about ready to go. It will make for a really nice New Year's as always.