February Sewing So Far!

My Lupine and Laughter quilt top is a flimsy.  I like how this one turned out in my colors.  Different from any others I have done for sure.  

I decided since I made Hazel an H is for Happy doll quilt that I should make an I one for Indigo.  I had to "design" the I myself and it is not quite as good as the H's, but it works.  I do love how the quilting came out and I did that myself too.  Since I was gifting it to Indie for Valentine's Day I decided I better make something for Hazel too.  She gets a little tooth fairy pillow.  She loved it.

Then yesterday I decided to whip up some Frozen sleeping bags to put on the Frozen beds that Kathy 3D printed for them a few weeks ago.  Cannot wait for them to see them tomorrow.  I made mini Olaf pillows too, but not picture yet.

Speaking of 3D printing--Kathy has been making me game inserts like they are going out of style!  I had her make me this cool phone holder for my sewing room too.  

My other favorite thing she has printed me is this!  I update how many books I read whenever I remember.  I am at 22 now so need to get in there and update it!

                                    

I finally tied and bound the most recent Eye Spy baby quilt too.

I decided to make Hope Takes Flight 

for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilt for 2026.  Mine may be all butterflies and not so much background, or I may wind up with two of them....no idea yet.  I had a batik charm pack so I started with that and then just added from my batiks.  I have not used them in forever and was contemplating getting rid of them.  Linking up with Angela at SoScrappy.

Attic Stars (Debbie Montgomery quilt from 2021) is finally quilting by Lora and bound by me.  This will be for Kathy's niece Megan and her soon to be new hubby Christopher for their wedding in September.  

Krista (one of my booktubers) has started doing a once a month "Maker Monday" where we get together on the computer and do something crafty while we gab.  I whipped up an entire knitted washcloth last Monday.  Hopefully I will continue to do this each month as they make good gifts!

 

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!

Wild and Goosey Weekend!

 I didn't do much sewing...but I did get in two wild and goosey blocks! 

 LOVE, love, love it still.  I know I have to make lots more of these blocks before I really have enough for a quilt but they are fun!  I didn't get out Hawaii Sunset because I was more in a reading mood this past weekend.  In a week or two I read all of Hugh Howley's series (Wool, Shift, Dust) and did some knitting with Becky on my Craftsy sock.  The top of sock one is now done and it just awaits the heel!

 I knitting an entire dishcloth while watching the Packers beat the Redskins!  GO PACK GO!  Last night I continued work on my embroidery for a special post in October too.  Can't remember if I am allowed to show a picture so I will hold off for now.

Projects for the Car :)

So here are the projects I settled on for the car ride to Texas and then on to Wisconsin!  I will be doing hand quilting, embroidery, hand sewn hexies, knitting and reading.  So with any luck the ride will go by in a flash!  We have several stops planned which should make it fun too.

We are leaving Wednesday night so I am scheduling this post to come out then.  I plan to update the blog but it may be more about who I am seeing than the usual craft, quilting, knitting stuff :)

Binding Marathon at My House!

 I made this giant pillow for my nephew Ben a few weeks ago and I finally hand sewed the opening closed today.  I also finished up several Tribbles that I had knitted the past week.  I have suddenly been making one every other day at work between calls!  Building up my Christmas stockpile.

 Kathy and I had a little binding marathon today.  We got six quilts back from Joanne and I bound Jordan's NYE Mystery quilt.

 Our Lil' Twister Christmas tree wallhanging got bound too.

 Also bound was this quilt for Aunt Jenny.  You may recall I got this with all of it cut and some of it sewn from a fabric thrift sale.  I also cut lots of the extra fabric into strips (leftover from the backings of the six I got back) and loaded them into the right colored drawers.

 Kathy bound her sister Kelly's quilt which was her Easy Street quilt as well as Jonathon's NYE Mystery quilt (which is the same pattern at his twin Jordan's) too.  We then made labels for all of them and my cousin Kai's quilt and ironed them on.  So far I have sewn two labels...tomorrow we will take pictures outside in the AZ sun and then they can be mailed off to their new homes!  Oh, I have the binding on the Halloween quilt (label too) but didn't finish attaching it yet.

I did get in a tiny bit of piecing too...sewed up the yellow spools so I can link up to Angela's Rainbow BOM!  Oh and I made my sister another Crown Royal tissue holder because she lost her purse and lost the last one!
Oh I almost forgot, lost 8 pounds in the first week of my 90 day challenge.  Seems like it has been way longer!

I've Got the Blues :(

 I have the blues over this Talkin' Turkey block...ummm, got so excited putting it together I didn't follow Bonnie's pattern on the nine patch!  My colors are in the wrong place...GRR!  So guess I will either live with it or make another.  Time will tell.  That was all the sewing I got done today.  I did a volunteer interpreting gig this morning and was tuckered out after that.  Sewed this block and  then cleaned and cooked Egg Brunch (Grandma Char's recipe) which sits overnight and bakes in the morning.  I am so excited my mom, dad, sister, nephew, brother, sister in law are coming HERE.  In almost five years that I have been here they have only been here like three times.  We always get together up north, but I thought since my folks just moved and brother and his wife just adopted a baby we should do it at my house.  It is my mother's day gift to them...well that and african violets and handmade lotion too!

 Finally buried the ends on three dishcloths..whoot whoot!

Also laid out the Jack in the Box blocks to see how things are looking...not bad!  Hooking up with Angela's Rainbow BOM!

Sunday Sewing Day :)

Today Kathy and I went over to Megan's to show her how to do clue one of Bonnie's Easy Street Mystery. It is her first mystery!  Ayla wanted to be crafty too so I let her work on knitting my dishcloth.  I taught her mom a year or two ago and she taught Ayla.  Funny how easy it is for the younger set!  She took right to it with the wrap to make the hole and all!  

  

Working on twosies that quickly became foursies!  Kathy helped with the ironing and some of the cutting too.

While Megan (below) worked on her four patches for Easy Street, I worked on light and dark four patches for Tobacco Road.  That is the only mystery of Bonnie's that I haven't done, so I figured I would just do it at my leisure.  I pulled my two inch strips and just went for scrappy lights and darks.  Kathy had already made 18 of the four patches, now we have what we need for the whole quilt.  

Megan decided to do half of Bonnie's amounts and make a smaller quilt for her first mystery so she was well into that when we left to watch the Packer game.  Don't even ask how that went, it isn't over yet, but it isn't looking good!  Despite that I made two Packer green and gold Moth in the Window blocks while watching the game.  Bonnie posted about her Moth in the Window http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-moths-have-flown-coop.html and even mentioned misplacing the block I sent her (I know it will turn up with others she has put in the perfect place, lol!) and that got me motivated to add to my blocks.

 So after those two, I had seven.  I wanted more!

 I did four more.  Pretty happy with how they are coming out even though I was set up downstairs and using my mini iron which really doesn't get hot enough for these homespun fabrics.  Thinking I should dig out my Dad's leftover plaid shirts and see if any of them would work in here too!

Well I better get busy with my handsewn hexie...I haven't started it yet and the game is 3/4's over.  Then I better get some prepping in for teaching this week.  Back to work tomorrow!

Olympic Progress-Not Really!

 Well I was accused of ruining a mystery on a new group I recently joined because I posted my blocks and someone thought I was guessing at the layout.  I had forgotten to take pictures like these two so I just used the ones I had put on my blog not even thinking that I could be revealing a layout.  I meant no harm, but had my feelings hurt by those who seemed to think I was out to ruin their fun on purpose.  PLEASE.  I felt like telling them my recent life story.  My heart has been broken several times in the last few months and I am doing all I can to just put one stitch in front of the other.  I am not my usual sharp self and just wasn't thinking at all when I posted the pics.  But knowing my story doesn't really matter to the masses and some people just look for something to be pissy about I apologized and let it go.  I was so excited to find the group and have a more fun way to make my Quilts of Valor donation quilts--I love mysteries but now I will finish up this mystery and quietly take my fabric and go home.  Sigh.

 We have been watching a lot of the Olympics and I did some knitting last night while the USA's girls gymnastics team was winning!

 I also unpicked my bow tie cheddary challenge and then today I took in some seams, did some trimming and made it fit.  I noticed that some of the previous row was also a little bigger and I hadn't see it before.  I am over it.  It looks better and so too bad if it isn't perfect.  My perfectionist tendencies are leaving me, my give a damn is busted.  I am happy with this one and really should do one more row on it to see if it is big enough.

This morning, I also did some fast quilting on this little dolly quilt and have put it on our ottoman for a doggy quilt.  It will serve its purpose.

Quilt of Valor Mystery--Star Path Clue Two Done

We decided to paint my A to match the bookcase.  I love it.  It is already hanging in my quilting studio!  

 We watched five hours of "Quest for the Bay" a PBS show on Hulu after some dud movies.  I then came up and put in the first season of Downton Abbey and whipped up clue two for the Quilt of Valor mystery I am doing.  It was an easy clue and Star Path is on its way.
My friend Becky sent me a picture (and I borrow this one from her facebook) because in addition to the little quilt hanging she made here last weekend she whipped up an Auntie's Anvil!  It looks great and I had to add the picture of mine so I could see them side by side.

 Looks like hers is bigger which puts a cool design in it like a big star.  Becky is so talented!  She said she might make another small one so I might have to dig that pattern out and do it too!

 Oh while watching five hours of PBS I knitted up this entire dishcloth.  It isn't done in this picture, but it is now.  I was happy to hear via facebook that my daughter was also knitting a dishcloth in Wisconsin.  Love it!