RRCB Step SIX (6), yes 6 is Done! (and three baby quilts are bound!)

Finally found some time to bind three baby quilts on my Janome. I am improving with the zigzag and I am just glad these are done. This first one is most likely for my pregnant co-worker.

Here is a close up of the quilting and binding. I am not winning any awards, but it is functional and I am proud I did it myself. This quilt is for Downy Quiltz for Kids.

This third one is also for Downy Quiltz for Kids. They sent me these kits and I didn't get to them as fast as I would have liked, but now they are done and ready for two little ones to enjoy. Will get them mailed out this week. I realized after the fact that the binding I used was actually supposed to be an inner border. I was wondering why the binding was so narrow. But the binding was already attached and things were quilted, so no harm done I suppose.

Three baby quilts, YAY!

This morning I spent a few hours working on clue six of RRCB (I didn't realize it was clue six--have been calling it clue five for several posts, now fixed my other posts--so no wonder I felt like I was running in place! I made three more string blocks (12 to go!) Then after chilling in bed with my laptop waiting on my headache to go away we went and saw Harry Potter 7. It was good, we enjoyed it. Best part was there were only 8 of us in the theater! When we got home I powersewed for another hour or so and DJ helped with the trimming and ironing. So now I can happily say clue six is done and I am on clue 7! WHOOT WHOOT.

So here is my completed stack of the second half of clue six.

I can harldy wait to start getting the blocks into blocks. This is where all this hard work finally comes to fruition!
Update on mom, they are keeping her overnight again tonight since the infection she is one that she can't take oral antibiotics for. Hopefully tomorrow she will come home.

Quiltz for Kids--Two Almost Done

The only sewing I got to do today (before and after work) was quilting up these two Downy Quiltz for Kids. DJ helped with the thread cutting and trimming and I attached the binding.

I now have three quilts in line to be machine bound and one for hand binding. I need to set up my other machine and take my time again so that I improve on that!

I wish I had more time to work on RRCB, but since I have to pay the bills I have to work! It eats up way too much of my day!

DJ did mail out my Smith Mountain Morning Swap today so I am looking forward to getting my swap stuff back later on and that gives me an excuse not to get too much more done on SMM so I can focus on RRCB again!

Coming up Next...

Earlier today I decided to give machine binding a go (again) after reading Ros' tutorial. I am just not great at machine binding! I picked out several tries before finally be mostly satisfied. I am sure I am not doing it right...I have been having problems with my right thumb giving me pain when I hand bind and sometimes when I hand sew, use my old blackberry and even now when I sign. The pain seems to be getting worse and goes up into my wrist. So I needed another binding plan. DJ is binding her niece's quilt and I have two more here to do. I started out with my patriotic tablerunner (that has been waiting forever for me to quilt...finally got that done) and as I saidI am mostly satisfied with it. I will be looking for more tutorials to improve my method!








After work tonight DJ and I spray basted and pinned one of the Downy Quiltz for Kids quilts (I need to buy more batting to do the other one). I plan to quilt it tomorrow! I also dug out the other Amy's Passions BOM from 2010 and played with them on my design wall. I will make these into a quilt for my nephew Christopher who is currently serving in the Navy. I need to make one more block for it and I did a quick search online and discovered a free pattern for a Navy block at http://www.quilterscache.com/N/NavyStarBlock.html so I think I will make that one (it isn't the easiest block I have seen though!) and get this sashed.

Sorry the picture isn't great...I need to buy some sashing fabric since I don't have any cream or tan with red and blue in it that works. I have the background cream but it just looks too boring for me. I also found some cool Navy fabric for the backing so I may just be ordering that. The plan is to get this done and off to Ros with my mom and dad's Designer Mystery BOM so that both will be done in time for Christmas this year.

I measured the backing for that quilt and just need to sew one LOOOONG seam and it will be set to go.

A Fabulous Sewing Day!

Last night I quilted up Lily's twin size quilt...well that was after I figured out that the thread I bought wasn't liking my machine or vice versa. Luckily I went over to June's to wish her a happy birthday and bring her some birthday fun and she suggested a differnet thread and then borrowed me some...and she also let me use her walking foot. (It is awesome we have the same Viking Designer Diamond machine!) I have never used the walking foot before and I love it...it is on my list of things to buy. It made quilting this bigger quilt so much easier!

I actually quilted this little doggie quilt with the uncooperative thread, while trying to get it to work. It is okay, served the purpose of getting me comfortable with the walking foot.

Here you can see the back...don't look to closely, but I guess the dog it winds up with will be fine. My sister has two chiuauhuas and so does my mom..they are perfectly suited for my fun little quilts. Today I quilted this little doll quilt which has been waiting forever...and I found a binding in my pile and attached it. Did some hand sewing on it in the car on the way to lunch.

I made and attached the binding on Lily's quilt this morning and DJ has been hand binding it on and off all day. We plan to give it to Lily next weekend when we go to Yuma so she will be working on it all week. My thumb still isn't better...I thought it was from texting on my blackberry but apparently sewing and signing bother it too because I am losing my grip on my right thumb. So DJ said she would do that binding. I need to read a good tutorial on machine binding!

Yes that is Bug in DJ's lap!

This evening I did work a littl on the border for the quilt on the wall behind DJ. Have a way to go on that. I decided to whip up both of the Downy Quiltz for Kids tops that they sent me. They are precut and go really quickly. DJ did ironing and so they went even quicker!

I need to get more batting so I can get these pinned and quilted. All in all it was an awesome, fabulous sewing day. We watched a few movies and listened to alot of Lady Gaga while we sewed. I am happy, happy, happy.

Downey Quilts for Kids Done, Christmas Napkins and a Santa Applique (and a Giveaway!)

I quilted this little quilt on my new Viking Husquavarna Diamond machine! I need to post you pictures and talk about that soon, but it did a great job on this little quilt for Downey Quilts for Kids Project. The lable is blury, but I got it on there and hand sewed on the binding last night. I even washed it as they requested and it is all ready to go back to some deserving little boy!

At camp I started these little Christmas Tree napkins and finished them up at home where I had red and green thread! They look like trees, but when you open them up they are a napkin for Christmas time. Really fast, easy and cute. I will be making up some more of these.

At the last Make it and Take it we worked on these Santa Appliques. I had to do most of the applique at home but now he awaits quilting and eyes and binding and he will be all set! The teacher and a friend of hers made up the pattern. It is a bit fiddly to me (applique I am not so good with) but it really is adorable when done!

This is my 300th post and is time for a giveaway! I will put together some goodies (including fabric) to mail out to a commenter posts here who has already posted a comment to me somewhere in the last 300 posts! I want to reward my commenters, not find a zillion new commenters I guess. So tell me why you read my blog, or what you like about it in a comment to this post, and on Wednesday I will randomly draw one of you for the giveaway. If you have never commented go ahead and you are in for when I do another giveaway down the line! Smile ;)
Well, I am off to my friend June's to do some sewing and gabbing. I love my sewing friends!

A Donation Quilt to Downy Quilts for Kids

I requested a kit from Downy Quilts for Kids and got it a few days ago. The fabric was already cut (the four patches into strips which made it go fast) and I was able to whip this up yesterday and add borders today. If you are interested in a free kit (you mail it back after you quilt it) for a good cause go to http://www.quiltsforkids.org/volunteer/ and request a kit. Oh that is our oldest dog Otto who immidetely found the quilt on the floor despite being blind! They send the backing and cool label too...the only thing I had to supply was time, thread and batting. And of course postage to send it back...the whole time I was sewing I was thinking about how I hope this quilt comforts a young sick person and gets loved to pieces.

There has been a big plea for people to volunteer and so this is the way I choose to volunteer! I need to do another quilt of valor quilt too! Anyway this one is bright and happy and was a joy to piece!