Sewing up a Garden!

 I finished up the Garden Party flowers and then all the Green Chain Blocks and triangles.  So thrilled to finally be getting these blocks done!

 Started putting the blocks together.  I did not lay them all out but am trying to mix up colors as I go.

Stash kitty is out in the background and captured her on it the quilt below.  Garden Party is growing!

 Half the blocks are together and the other half is barely started.  Crazy work week ahead so doubt much progress will be made until next weekend, but super thrilled to think this will be done before the next Quiltville mystery starts!  Bonnie has posted the yardage and colors for En Provence!  I have been playing on Pinterest and Design Seeds trying to choose my palette.  When this is done I will pull fabrics!

I lost .6 this week...so have had a loss for the past seven weeks.  That is great for me at this stage of the game. I am going to hit it hard again this week and try to keep to my pound a week so I can get to onederland!

The Garden Party Continues and The Pumpkin Party Begins!

 Last weekend I made more Garden Party blocks and cut more. 

 I have all the blocks cut now and about 22 to go of the flower blocks.  I did not take any pictures of this weekends though.  I am going to sew at Barb's tomorrow so they are all packed up to sew there.

 

Bonnie's new book is out so I had to get it and her new ruler and playing cards.  Now to get it spiral bound.  So excited to have this new book in my hands.  The next picture is from Quiltville.blogspot.com. I took a screenshot of Bonnie's tablerunner and decided to just see what I could make without a pattern.  First time for everything! 

I started by sewing orange strings together and trimming them up.  The one pumpkin was made from the trimmings of all the other pumpkins.

 My first happy pumpkin.  These blocks just made me smile all night!

 It all went together amazingly well since I was just eyeballing what Bonnie did and making a smaller version of it.

 The green stripy fabric is not attached.  I like the checkered border on two sides and may just put more black around it all and do the binding in the lime spiders.  Gonna sleep on it.

It was nice to get in some sewing time.  I had a migraine all weekend but triptan made the weekend bearable for the most part.
I am almost back to my 111.2 down too.  I set a goal to lose one pound a week time mid December so that I can get to ONEderland by Christmas.  I have managed to lose five pounds in five weeks since I wrote that on paper. Every time I want to eat something I remind myself I want to see that pound gone more than I want whatever it is I am trying to eat.  It really seems to be motivating me again.  YAY! 

Allietare is Done!

 I  learned alot on this scalloped border for Allietare!  I did not do the binding on the bias (despite really trying to follow the directions!) and so that led to some issues.  I wound up attaching the second half of the binding by hand.  It has more gathers in it than it is supposed to, but I am happy with how it came out.  I am now ready for Bonnie to tell us what the next mystery is!

 Love our colors inspired by the beach and copper mugs!  I also love that mine is different from the zillion other Allietare's out there!

Since I seem to have become an early to bed early to rise girl I am making the most of that by doing some sewing in the mornings where I can.  Here is today's work.  More blocks for Garden Party!  I have 66 done and 34 to go on this block and then to make more of the other block!

Weekend Fun and Garden Party Comes Out to Play!

Last weekend Kathy and I went to the Winefest in Sedona.  It was fun and we found a few sweet wines that we liked and a winery that is in Scottsdale that we want to visit.  We were not so impressed that we will go again, but it was fun to get away.  Coleman is back home and that has added to our stress as always.  He is my adult child with many labels.  The older he gets the more difficult he seems.  He thinks he knows it all and we cannot tell him anything.  He has changed alot in the past year or so he was away.  Partly due to his wife's influence (he has left her) and partly due to not being on all his medication.  He is working and wants to work which is one positive change.  He works for a temp service which seems to work out well since he is really smart and is a hard worker (when he wants to be) but due to his communication difficulties people often tire of dealing with him. He is high functioning autistic, though I believe he has an organic brain disorder from when he stopped breathing during a nap at 18 months old.  He has never been right or typical since.  Raising him has shaped my life but the last month finds me wondering how I can keep at it.  To add to the fun he is diabetic.  (I have two uncles, my mom, and two cousins who are also diabetic--runs very strongly in our family.  My great grandma Myrt had a sister who died from diabetes at age nine back before insulin).  

So getting away to Winefest was necessary.  We even did a little exploring/hiking after.My knee is not back to normal so I am not hiking seriously. I think I am afraid to try and discover I can't with this knee.  I had gained a few pounds after hurting my knee six weeks ago or so. I just cannot do the elliptical or even walk alot.  The only exercise I am getting is Pilates and since I had a cold (and Patty does not like germs at her house) I had to skip it for about ten days.  ACK!  Anyways now I have written down a lofty smart goal (lose a pound a week every week until Christmas) and I am really trying to go after it again.  I lost one pound two weeks ago and 1.4 last week.  I am still up around three pounds but it is going in the right direction again.  My eating is great, I just need more exercise!

We stayed at Suli and Diegos' last weekend and hung out with Ollie and the twins (Blake and Alice).  Ben was with his dad so he was not there.  We gave the twins baths and tried to be helpful. I do not know how Suli does it, but she does.

 

This past weekend I pulled out Garden Party from a year ago!  This one was from the Quiltville Cruise a year ago this week.  I have not sewed a stitch on it since I packed it up on the cruise.  It has been such a busy year and I have always had this thing or that thing to finish first.  Now that I am all caught up on the must do items I can get back to it.

 So this past Saturday I made a few blocks and cut for more.

And Sunday I did yet more. 

I decided to have a little wine on Sunday and the next thing you know I had sewed a whole stack of little squares incorrectly! I skipped the step where I am supposed to mach the fabric and went right to the contrasting fabric. I then unsewed them and and the await me.

In total I have 53 blocks like this made, and 47 to go. 

I enjoyed cutting up some of the two be put away bin of fabric to get more variety in my strips.  I have missed sewing and cannot wait to get back in there!

Hold on to Your Hat, I Sewed Again!

 Last weekend I whipped up two pillowcases for Coleman.  He took his with him and when he returned a week ago (he left his wife--long story but for the best) he brought almost nothing back with him.  I had some twin sheets and we got him a new twin bed, but the pillowcases mysteriously disappeared so made him some fun ones. 

 I had kitted up a few cats a long time ago for Christmas gifts for my daughter and my son Mac's fiance.  Pattern is from Lori Holt.  So I finally worked on them last weekend and then finished them up today.

 Kathy finally finished up Grand Illusion which was Coleman's wedding quilt...it never was sent to Wisconsin since it was not done.  Kathy put the last of the binding on it right after Coleman got back here so now he has a new divorce quilt.

 Last weekend I spent a few hours tracing out and attaching the scalloped binding for Allietare.  I had to do quite a bit of easing since I neglected to do the binding out of the bias.  Oops.  It may be the last scalloped binding I attempt!  Today I tried to machine bind the top half but had to rip out the two short sections I tried.  I then decided to hand bind it though on the front.  I did one long side today and have made a goal of doing one side per week so this will be done long before the next mystery starts!

Bonnie announced the next leader/ender challenge--Hourglasses.  I was not sure that I really wanted to jump onboard with a new project because I have plenty of wips to work on, however I saw these cute placemats and thought I should at least make a set of four or six.  So I will be prepping for the leaders and enders soon!
Packers won today (and so did the Patriots) so we are happy here. 

A Whole Lot of Sewing and Quilting

 Gotta love a holiday weekend for getting in some sewing time!  I made up a spare Simple Gifts quilt top.  And quilted and bound the previous two.  These are for my co-worker Kelly's soon to be born twin grand-daughters.  Ellie and Luna.

 Here is a pic of those two and the one for Kathy's nephew Wyatt.  Will be mailing that off to Massachusetts soon.

The one below is for my co-worker Amy's little boy, Zack. I will see her this coming Saturday so done in the nick of time.

 I finally made and attached a binding on the butterfly tablerunner from several years ago.  I took an applique class...hated it and it just sat forever. Barb quilted it for me It will be gifted to someone, just not sure who yet.  Funny I do not even think it is cute anymore.  HAHA!

 I have NEVER fallen behind on a BOM until this year.  Life has just been so crazy and we have been out of town alot.  That with trying to exercise everyday (not at the moment as my knee is jacked) there just is not time.  So here are all the months...and would you believe yesterday was pick up day and we forgot.  Oy.  So September's isn't done because I don't have it.

 All of the blocks so far.  This will be a Quilt of Valor. 

Meeting the Twins, Sedona and Five Baby Quilt Flimsies!

 We finally met the twins!  They are already four months old.  We got to see Ollie too! These guys are my honorary nephews and niece.  Their older half brother is my nephew Ben (he was with his dad for the weekend) but we love his ex and her husband and all the kids.  You may remember I made the twins quilts..one with foxes and one with racoons.  We went to lunch at the Cowboy Club in Sedona where their daddy is the executive chef.  We had a great lunch and did a little shopping while juggling babies.

Everyone took several turns! 

Today I was on a mission!  I am behind by five baby quilts.  I have not sewn all summer..in fact this is the longest sewing break I have had since I became addicted to quilting.  It was so nice to be in there all day long and get this quilt tops knocked out! 

The first two are "Simple Gifts" by Weeks Ringle.  Seriously a go to quicky pattern for me.  I love it.  A coworker of mine's daughter is having twins.  They were not even planning on one and need all the help they can get.  I have never met her daughter, but Kelly (my coworker) is salt of the earth.  A fabulous lady who I love working with who is generous to a fault.  Not long after my issues with my gallbladder she made us a lasagna dinner that was so good.  She is just sweet, so I am paying it forward to her grandbabies.  They are both girls but this was the fabric I had onhand that I liked so there ya go.

This one is for Kathy's nephew Wyatt.  He is already three months old!  I pieced it and Kathy quilted it and got it almost all the way bound today.  Thanks to my quilting friend Tiffany for the fabric (and already cut squares) donation she gave me when she made room for her new baby!  With my time crunch it came in handy!

Another coworker of mine, Amy had a baby boy a few months ago too.  I will be seeing her in two weeks and so hopefully will have this one done to give to her.  I am sure she already has a quilt or two but one can always use one more, right!

The last baby quilt I needed to make is for Randy's most recent grandbaby-Lily.  I did not realize I didn't send one and then when he went to visit months ago I planned to send one with him....and forgot.  On top of that I don't have any in the cabinet (usually I have a few waiting!) so I needed to get one together for her.  Her five siblings already have one--and the oldest (now 13) is the quilt that started my addiction to quilting!  Anyways I wanted to do a larger one for her since she isn't a baby anymore and I suddenly realized the Nimble Thimbles mystery I had been working on until I didn't get the last clue (and then when I did, I had no time to sew was just waiting to be assembled.  I had to make the setting triangles and put it all together but viola, it is a top.  It needs serious ironing but it is together! 

So five baby quilts are flimsies and with any luck will be quilts in the next two weeks!