Some Progress on Bindings and Such

Only have one picture to prove it, but I made bindings and attached them and have about half this first one hand sewed down. This is the Rural Jardin binding that matches the quilt.
I also did a scrappy binding for the yellow Flock of Trianges quilt and a scrappy binding for the Civil War Puddle Jumping Mystery Quilt.
The only other sewing that happened was that I finally finished up my Quilt History exchange blocks (15 total) for the December exchange. Rather happy to have that behind me.
I am pretty sure I am only going to do one more Amy's Passions block so that I can make one more quilt instead of two. I just am too frustrated for the small pieces in the blocks. I can do them if I do it as in Bonnie's mysteries where she tells you the size of the mini block. I can adjust so things come out right. However, when doing one random block I just can't always manage it. The last four I have just look hard to me. I have enjoyed the challenge up til now but just know I will get frustrated if I keep on.
I have been reading "Lonesome Dove" for my online bookgroup (BookiesToo) and am really enjoying the story. I also picked up the miniseries that Hallmark made of it and have watched a good bit of it but prefer to read the end before seeing it so am trying to hold off on the end!

Puddle Jump Mystery Quilted :)

Ros has done it again...guess my work kept her busy all day! I LOVE IT! Back to work, posting on my break, lol!

Puddle Jumping Mystery Solved!

I made do with the fabric I had so my outer border doesn't match the inner sashings, but I like it! Not sure who is getting this one yet....Ros--got another one for ya! SMILE! Thanks again to Lyn Brown for hosting this mystery. It was the first one of hers I have joined in on, but it will not be the last.

Another Binding Done and Puddle Jumping Mystery Clue Five in Progress

I have the sashing and cornerstones on the inside of the Puddle Jumping Mystery Quilt...I don't have enough of the brown and purple fabric for the outside borders so I have to decide what I will do to finish it off...and the rows aren't sewn together yet horozontally. I have enjoyed this mystery!

Also finally finished the binding on my flying geese cat and dog quilt. I am now all caught up on binding...until I see Ros again, lol.

I didn't get a picture I guess but I also got the half square triangles cut and pieced for my Broken Sugar Bowl blocks for Quilt History. They need trimming and then I have to get them into the blocks, but all the parts are done anyway.

Puddle Jumping Mystery Clue Four Done, a BOM Goes Wrong and Schnibble...

I think this is my LEAST FAVORITE block so far from Amy's Passions BOM! Ok..I like the block, I don't like how it came together for me..or didn't come together as the case may be. Serously things just didn't size right and for now it is set aside. I wish I could say I want to recut and try again, but today. i . don't!

I sewed the binding on Joy Luck Schnibble and used my barettes (and some of Gma Nan's I got) to hold it down for hand binding. I like this one more and more and am not sure I want to give it away!

AND Puddle Jumping Clue Four is done! I only had to unsew one block that I managed to turn around and sew (might have something to do with the fact that I was also watching Inside Austin or something like that on Netflix at the same time I was sewing) incorrectly. This is looking REALLY busy to me but there is one clue left so maybe there is sashing or something that mellows it out some. Can't hardly wait til tomorrow (I think it is) to find out! At least I am caught up on this. I love a mystery!

Puddle Jumping Mystery Clue Four in Progress

Made the binding for my Joy Luck Schnibble today...didn't get around to attaching it though! I spent alot of time working on the Puddle Jumping Mystery--clue four.

You might notice that at the top and bottom in the center there is an extra block hanging off...I got a little carried away on my sewing and had to unsew the ends off a whole section of blocks!

Here is what it will look like...just the middle and corners are together in the picture above and I managed to get them into three sections before giving it up and going down to ride my bike.

I really like how it is coming together! Should have these blocks together after a few more hours at the machine...I still have one Amy's Passions BOM for August to get done..so thinking I may start with that after work tomorrow...I have an early day due to a class cancellation so I should get some sewing in! Off to bed to read "Thunderstruck" or "The Shell Seekers" the two books I have in progress at the moment.

Go Pack Go!

Just had to show you the Packer tablecloth Grandma Nan must have been saving for a rainy day. It was brand new in the package. I decided that today is that rainy day and put it on my table, well yesterday. And the Packers won big time, so maybe it helped? Smile. And I couldn't resist putting up another photo of Short Story Schnibbles that I took outside today too.

I tried to make a photo collage of all twelve of my Schnibbles from this year to show you all, but can't recall how I did it before...best I could do was a slideshow which I added to my blog. If you know a quick easy way to do a collage to post on a blog I would love to hear about it!

Tonight I got the backing all set for the above quilt and the backing for my Atkinson Designs quilt that has been done for awhile but I was undecided about getting more fabric for borders...decided done is better than sitting here so I pieced a back from leftovers and a black nightshade fabric I got a week or two ago. I now have four to bring to Ros (five if you count the Quilt of Valor she said she would do and send on to Alycia for us).

I then cut out clue four of the Puddle Jump Mystery and pinned, and pinned and pinned so that I can sew away without thinking too hard tomorrow at June's with BJ and Ros. I also still have one of Amy's Passions blocks to do and the Designer Mystery BOM too. Packed them up in case I run out of stuff to sew. Better to have too much at June's than not enough, right? Now I need to go figure out what food I am bringing. I will be picking up a Bountiful Basket and meeting Kathy's sister to hit a Weight Watcher's meeting before sewing. I had a great week and rode the bike about every other day so I am off to a good start!

Puddle Jumping Mystery Clue Three Done and Another Win!

Clue three of the Puddle Jumping Mystery took me some time last night and a good bit of today to complete! I kept wandering off and doing other things and I watched way too much Wife Swap and Shark Week stuff while working on it, time well spent!

All marked and sewn and then cut.

It is sideways, but you can see the stack I have that needs trimming!

I used my little mat and a 3.5 inch ruler to easily trim and turn, trim and turn, repeat again and again until my index finger hurts from accidently pressing into the little hole on this ruler over and over!

And all of my half square triangles are trimmed...see that pile of trimmings? I did have to unsew and resew about a dozen of them because they were just a titch too small. I need to learn to sew on or in the line, not on the other side apparently!
I also had to show you this green and red fabric...it is so far my favorite in this civil war quilt. I just can't stop looking at the cute fabric...not sure what it is that makes me smile so but it does!

Then we get to my win! Melinda from melinful.blogspot.com sent me this adorable basket for her post 999! I love it! Many years ago I learned how to weave baskets and have made quite a few (before I was into quilting really) and still have a few. So I do know the work that goes into these beauties. Dawn at basketsbydawn.com made it and it is called a Cabinboy. I have already filled it up with stuff and then changed my mind and filled it up with different stuff. And now I am thinking I should put a portable project and supplies in it and put it in my living room instead of leaving it up here. Decisons, decisions! Thanks Melinda!

I think I am the world's luckiest blogger this week....two wins and I think I have another one coming still :)

Puddle Jumping Mystery Clue Two Done....

Becky suddenly had some free time this afternoon so she came over to join me sewing! It was nice to have her over here for a change! I finished up my Puddle Jumping Clue two nine patches....

Becky worked on finishing up a UFO/PUP she is doing for this year's Nimble Thimble's challenge. Jade could not resist giving it her seal of approval.

Then I got to sew my Designer Mystery Block of the month, block two..."Santa's Lucky Hat" this cute little Santa hat! It was rather putzy but I was gabbing and sewing (and talking to myself too) and got it done.

After Becky left I threw in meatloaf, potatoes and asperagus and went back to trim a bunch of these blocks and now have them sewed into rows of three. These are for my Quilt History homework...I haven't gone in the past two months but I have to bring in fifteen finished blocks in this pattern (I picked) from Eleanor Burnes' book. I think it is called Broken Sugar Bowl, will have to recheck it when I go back up. They have been supplying the fabric as we go and I need to get more...when these are together there will be eight blocks done but I am supposed to have a total of 15! Have more four patches done, but don't have enough of the various blue fabrics to complete the other block. At least this project is seeing some progress.

Couldn't resist showing you block one and two together :)
Off to serve and eat dinner and then maybe back to sewing...tomorrow June and I are meeting Ros and BJ for shopping and lunch. I can't wait!

Working on Step Two of Puddle Jumping Mystery and Game Night!

Game night at our house last night! We played Quelf, which gets us all laughing like crazy. Our favorite is the "roolz" cards in which we get a rule we must follow until we draw another rule...I had to move my game piece with my elbow for most of the game, Coleman had to clap and say abracadabra every time someone drew a card and Randy had to air drum when it was my turn! We also played Dutch Blitz (my favorite!) and Smartass (which I hate) and then when on to spades and euchere. It was a nice night and everyone was home and nephew Buck came over too!

After work today I was all excited to get up to the quilting studio and work on step two of the Puddle Jumping Mystery! I got going right away and since I now have a TV hooked up to a DVD player in there I watched my Netflix picks. I didn't quite get done though because there is no battery in the remote so I couldn't watch anything past the first episode on either DVD...grrr! Now I am downstairs watching one of them and blogging. Hope to get back up there and get this clue done before bed, but there is always tomorrow since I don't work. And a new battery is on my list!

So I have twenty done and the rest just need another row on them and they will be done too.

Puddle Jumping Mystery Clue One Done!

I almost forgot to show you all my new quarter inch foot I bought while on vacation. I like this one alot...the narrower foot lets me line the fabric up the way I like and it seems to be a good quarter inch without my having to move the needle. I can't tell you how many times I forgot to move the needle and after a few minutes of sewing I would realize it....grrr. I even had a note on my machine and I kept forgetting!

So tonight I had to pick my fabrics for the Puddle Jumping mystery BJ enticed me into! I decided to go with the civil war type fabric that I have been accumulating. It will be scrappy and maybe too scrappy but we shall see. I am tickled pink that I got to use the Windham Fabrics by Margo Krager that I got from her presentation a few months back.

The first step is to cut 1.5 inch strips of light and one of the darks. So that went quickly. Then I sewed them into little rail fences, ironed and cut them and viola...clue one is done! Next clue comes out July 20th if you want to join in! http://www.lynbrown.com/ if you want the info.

Earlier today I did get two of the four corners on all sixty of my blocks for my Joy Luck Schnibbles. I need to iron all these and then work on the other two corners. I go back to work tomorrow, but will try to sew before and after so this keeps coming along. It is so nice to be home and sewing again!

I also got some knitting done today while waiting at an appointment for my son. I ran out of the right color yarn on a dishcloth just a few rows from the end (I may have more upstairs) and just barely started another one before his name was finally called. We also made a healthy dinner tonight and are trying to get back on the let's lose a few pounds bandwagon. And now to motivate me further...my daughter just told me that she is engaged! She has been dating Jeremy for the past two or three years and they seem really happy together. His parents are still married (imagine that!) and he treats her well....we are happy for them both. They won't marry until next summer or the summer after...I kind of hope for the summer after because Jeremy will graduate from college just before that and Hannah will only have one more semester left before taking her CPA. I really prefer her to graduate before getting married....since I married at 18 and had no idea what I had gotten into and am forever aflicted since that whole experience!