Behind on the Blogging!

I am behind on the blogging!  I have been sewing so let's catch you up!  I made seven of these paper pieced books from Etsy for my Up to No Good Book Club group members.  This fabric reminds me of "The Luminaries" which was one of the first books I read with the group.  

                                        

I also sewed up the second to last Log Cabin Love block awhile back.  One to go.

Here are all the blocks so far.  Linking up with Angela!

I finished an Eye Spy quilt and got it tied and bound and off to Norway.  This is for my honorary daughter's baby boy #3.

I also made a stack of simple bags which is a favorite pattern of mine.  Some of these may be gifts for next year since I went a bit crazy making them with no one in mind!

I quilted and bound both of the Butterfly Bush quilts.  One is for Lily and one is for Hazel at my house since I gave one of the H quilts to Harper (my best friend's granddaughter).

                                        

For Thanksgiving we went to my daughter's house.  It happened to be my youngest son Jay's birthday as well.  The year he was born was a few days before Thanksgiving and I cooked soon after getting home from the hospital.  I about fell over at the table and barely ate.  My hubby offered to clean up and put everything away--he did and put the leftover wine gravy down the garbage disposal.  I was hormonal and cried and cried.  Anyway, he was at the Thanksgiving (been an ex for 22 years now) and we reminisced about this--I think he forgot about it!

Hard to believe my baby is thirty!  

On black Friday I was lucky enough to sew with Barb, Becky, Dr. Kathy, and BJ!  I love this group of ladies and our tradition of Bonnie mystery quilting!

Here is Clue One of Chilhowie.  I never even showed a fabric pull as I literally decided to do Packer colors and brown the day the clue came out.  I am still working on clue two.

Barb sent me a good sized box of fabrics too!  Many of them will be going into a New Year's mystery quilt which I have already cut too.

In that box were some blocks and rows so I whipped them into this pretty little quilt.

I also tried my hand at making some book sleeves. One of these is for me and one is for Becky.  I will be making more soon.

 

Hand Sewn Hexies with Bonnie :)

Bonnie Hunter was on QuiltCam tonight..and since I had had one of those days I hung out and hand sewed with her and she cheered me.  She was having a frustrating night with her UStream and yet bore it with humor and grace and reminded me that I just need to smile and enjoy the moment and quilt.
I am happy this hexi quilt has been growing lately after a long stretch of nothing..funny how things go in cycles  like that.

Slow Stitching Sunday and Orange :)

 It never fails..if I try to get a picture of a quilt one of the animals (or several of them!) lays down on it before I can even snap a photo!  So here are the updated hexi photos along with Princess Stitch Kitty.  I sewed another row or so today and I cut and prepped some more too.  Linking up with Kathy for some Slow Sunday Stitching!

 I did dusting and cleaning of my sewing room today (about every six months I do the shelves and window and WHEW is it dirty!) so more putzing around more than anything.  I did manage to sew up the Em block for the Skillbuilder BOM.  We could turn the blocks in whatever way suited us and I liked the X better than the other layout.  I had a heck of a time getting this block to come up to the right size.  Bias sewing is not my friend!

 I also added to the orange spools in keeping with the Rainbow BOM.  It is really helping me get some of these done now that I am focused on a certain color and not just doing one or two a month, lol.  When I get the color of the month done I try to do some blue because I seem to have the most of blue!

Linking up with Angela's Rainbow BOM for Scrappy Saturday-ORANGE you glad I did?

Hand Sewing Hexies--and Because Bonnie Said So!

I didn't do much sewing on Sunday...I watched Bonnie on QuiltCam and prepped hexies..some of which were later hand sewn into this growing Hexi quilt.  I am aiming for a lap size quilt at this point...I just looked  back and this one has been in progress since October 2010.  I am not sure why I go gangbusters on it for a bit then put it away and sort of forget about it for a bit.  At the PXHMQG meeting for February Jona gave us some scraps and two of them were Denyse Schmidt fabrics and have worked there way into here since I didn't have those two...they are the heavier fabric not cottons, but I already had a few of those in here anyway and I like them.
Speaking of QuiltCam...Bonnie said that everyone should have a string quilt, a crumb quilt and a hand sewn quilt going.  I have Talkin' Turkey for strings, this hexi quilt for hand sewing...so that leaves me with a need for a crumb quilt.  I asked Bonnie where to start and she recommended Maverick Stars which is a free pattern on Quiltville. So I think I need to start another project--Bonnie says so!  SMILE.  Anyone else lacking a crumb project who needs to join me?

Maverick Stars picture borrowed from Quiltville.com

 

Fountain Hills :)

 Today my spool parts from Suebee arrived!  I have already sewn up a few.  She included a cute little sewing machine part too.  I have to find something fun to put that in!

 Yesterday Kathy and I met my mom to do the craft show at Fountain Hills.  We made a stop on the way and I found the golden calf.  I sure hope this means my luck is changing and this year will be better than the last year!  We looked like tourists taking our picture..I had to explain to one guy walking by giving us a crazy look that we were from Wisconsin (we love cows, what can we say!).  My daughter Hannah is now collecting those cool little cows and this made me think of her which always makes me smile!

 Here is the fountain in Fountain Hills.  It was a spectacular day to be out and about and the view was so relaxing.  There was great music too!  I bought a few little things and enjoyed walking and walking and walking, til I could walk no more with my mom!

 Today Kathy and I sewed up our 35th Ave. BOM blocks.  This month there are four of them.  Kathy didn't take a picture of hers yet.  These didn't want to all line up like they are supposed to and I wasn't overly thrilled with the, but they don't look too bad from a distance.

Tonight we watch Argo at home and I did a lot of hand sewing on my hexies.  I added a row in both directions.  This has been one heck of a long term project...I remember sewing on it in so many places, the memories...the day we waiting a zillion years for Hannah and Mac to jump from a plane (the weather didn't want to cooperate) I got a lot done on this too!  I am almost out of cut fabric for this, so I will cut some more and keep on keeping on.
I also finally got the label on baby Oliver's quilt and a bag to put it in and baby Colton's too.  :)

Progress on My Hexies :)

I promised a photo of my handsewn hexies so here it is! I haven't decided for sure but I think I will keep going and make it bigger...there is a cool hexie bag project in Stitch magazine I am tempted to try to make so I could look into the size for that...decisions, decisons. I was too busy with Pride weekend to even sew my BOM...and of course I work like crazy the next two days but might get a chance to do something with it on Wednesday, keeping my fingers crossed for that. Happy five months to DJ and I. We celebrated by stopping at the Spaghetti Factory for dinner after Pride tonight. Rode the light rail both days and it is on the way, so that was nice. It is a long time favorite restaurant of mine and her second time being there. We were the only people in the place 45 minutes before closing, so that was nice! Well, better get to bed, I work bright and early tomorrow!

My Hexies for the Great Hexagon Quilt-Along

Awhile back I decided I enjoy hand piecing now and again and Ilove having a to go kind of project to work on when I get time somewhere unexpectedly. So I went to http://www.paperpieces.com/ and picked out the size of hexies I wanted to work with and then spent some time getting the hexies all glued to the paper. That was tons of fun and I randomly threw them down and took this picture before they were sewed.
I also gave a package of these hexies to June, BJ and Ros in the hopes it would entice them to sew along. I think BJ has one going though her method is different than mine. Not sure but Ros may have started one too....today I went to June's and worked on mine for awhile and coincidently she was working on hers. Here is a pic of her stacks...she is working with a smaller size and is making sweet flowers!



I have had a few hours to work on it here and there and I wanted to show you how it is coming along. I worked on it one day at work when I had an unexpected free hour and also took it with me to the Modern Quilt Guild's meeting a few weeks ago. Several of the gals wanted to know how I did it and they even asked me to show them how sometime. Since then at least one of them started her own hexie project with teeny tiny hexies that look like soup crackers!


I am loving it!

Dogs, Hexagons and Scratch, Oh My!

First off I want to say that awhile back I joined the facebook verison of the Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild though I couldn't make the first meeting in April. I am very excited for the next meeting which is next Saturday! We are to bring our favorite quilt....I think Double Delight will need to come with me, though it isn't modern...so maybe I better bring Flock of Triangles...I need to work on the binding anyway!

This is what I was up to after work today. I started these little one and a half inch hexagons the other night and found them to be addicting! None of these are sewn together but I have them all glued to the Paper Pieces papers so I can start hand sewing them. You may have noticed that they are all made from Denyse Schmidt fabrics. I had some of her Flea Market Fancy and I bought both colorways of Hope Valley. I loved them all so much I didn't want to use them. I saw some inspiration in the form of squares with Denyse Schmidt's fabrics on Red Pepper Quilts (sorry I can't get my cut and paste to work in blogger lately but if you google it you will find it) and finally cut in. I only wish I had the other colorways of Flea Market Fancy too--not to mention Katie Jump Rope!

I also secretly whipped up this pincushion that I purchased on the shop hop for Kathy. It is really my first time doing this and it was fun though I don't think it looks like the original...SMILE. Kathy if you peak and see this I won't post future gifts here ahead of time :)

I also finished binding Scratch and was bummed the sun had set (yes, even the Arizona sun does set) so I will get better pictures in the sunshine tomorrow. I need to package this one up for my cousin who just got married but I am struggling to part with it at the moment!

And more views of the hexagons....this was before I had made from Hope Valley.

One sad note...this is Otto and we had to put him down this past week. He has been disabled and blind for a long time. When I met Kathy she already had Otto (and Joe, our black lab) and when she moved from AZ to WI the four of us squished in her little truck for the trip. Otto was quite bewildered the whole time but he and I bonded because of the pottie breaks. He had to be lifted in and out of the back of the truck and soon learned that "step"meant to jump up or down. Kathy did not think he would make the trip.

He made the trip and then learned how to go up and down stairs as well. He had to use them to get on and off our porch to pottie and also to come up to sleep in our room. He amazed us. He was a great comfort to me when I had to put down my Daisy in Wisconsin....he had such personality...fighting with the vaccuum and broom or any other thing that made noise. He was always "saving me" from it. He made the trip from WI back to AZ a little over two years ago...and learned another house layout and a split staircase even though he couldn't see. Then close to a year ago he stopped coming upstairs and started losing weight. We finally put him down on Monday and it has been a rough week for us. We still have four dogs and a cat, but our lives were the better for having this disabled dog and all his personality in it. We will miss you Otto Tato.

An Amy's Passions Block and some Handwork

Kathy cut my three April Amy's Passions blocks (except what I need to cut with the Tri Recs rulers) and I whipped this one up and the four patches for another one. This is is called Housewife. It turned out pretty good! I am working on my ironing skills so as to make things come out nicer in the end. Pressing but not pulling.

I also picked up our two quilted NYE mystery quilts from this last NYE. I trimmed them both the other night and added the binding by machine and last night while watching "Inglourious Bastards" I working on the handbinding on this one...it has a bit to go.

On the way to Disney I put these little hexagons together too. I thought I would make a doll baby quilt for Ayla for Christmas. Loving that little birdie! Earlier today I repotted my indoor plant and put two new ones in the planters outside. I will get a picture of it later on but it is an Oleandar is supposedly doesn't need a ton of water so it might live a bit longer than the last two things we planted in that pot. Turned on the AC today (and it works!) because it was already in the 80's in the house, or at least it felt like it! Off to see Kathy's nephew.

What I've Been Working On

Yesterday I picked lemons, oranges, tangarines, and key limes (though they aren't really green for some reason they were falling off the tree ripe) so I wanted to show you that. I guess fertilizing them paid off because we have lots more fruit this year!

The other day I sewed these pieces together for my Schnibble Roundabout border...they will be cut in half. That is as far as I have gotten on this Schnibble so far.

I have also been occasionally working on this little Moda Bake Shop handsewing project when I get time. The top is almost sewn together. I have really enjoyed this and may have to start keeping some kind of hand sewing with me at all times! The fabrics are just so cute!

I should also mention that last night I got a little crazy and ordered LOTS of fabric (at least for me, lots of fabric) and I can't wait to get my hands on it! It is that new line with the umbrellas and rain drops by Riley Blake and Denyse Schmidt's new Meadow Hope Valley and Prairie Hope Valley...sometimes you just gotta!

NYE Presewing Step Done and a Look at the Hexagon Hand Sewn Quilt

I worked on this hexagon hand sewn (paper pieced) quilt at my mom and stepdad's house on Christmas Day. We watched several movies and I relaxingly sewed. It was fun...I will make it a little bigger and add some ends, but it will be a mini type quilt.

I worked for several days, several hours at a time to get all of the NYE Mystery quilt half square triangles sewn, ironed, then worst of all trimmed to size. Kathy is trimming her own (colors in picture are hers) and she is not quite done. I may have to help out with them tomorrow, but I am really tired of hsts! I think next time I am going to try triangles on a roll type thing that I just got from Becky!

Amy at http://skattebo-skattebo.blogspot.com/ is planning a fun BOM for 2010 with several options and I think I am joining in...that may make me in with four BOM's! Think 2010 is the year of the Block of the Month for me! I need to compare all my options and really decide which ones I want to do, but I like the idea of sewing along with Amy! Come join us!