A Simple Quilt is Coming Along

My daughter Hannah is a junior in college majoring in accounting and is currently taking a summer class in China. She is the beautiful blonde in the center back row in white. This is the only picture I have seen so far as they don't always have the bandwith to post photos but they are blogging and it has been fun to follow along!

Got crazy at JoAnn's. I wanted a gnome so bad and he was 50 percent off so he is now snoozing out my front door!

I also managed to find another Densyse Schmidt fabric that I didn't already have! I pulled up the picture on my blog to see if I had it and it didn't look like it, and voila I didn't have it already! This pic doesn't have my green dots in in, but I have that one too.

I bought these two fabrics for backing...the dog paws will go on Seth's quilt that Kathy made last NYE day and the fish will go on the back of Koi's "Simple Quilt".
And here is the Simple Quilt. I didn't make it as big as the pattern but I have more blocks done. It just was getting too big for a baby quilt! I need to either quilt or tie it this week too. And the bonus is I have enough cut to make two more this size!

My parents are moving down to New River this weekend....into my sister's house actually. My sister is moving into two of the bedrooms that are joined (office and bedroom for her) and staying for the summer. Partly for financial reasons and partly to help mom through the radiation. My mom found out she has stage three ductile breast cancer. She opted not to do the chemo. So nothing like trying to help the family pack, clean, move and unpack. DJ and I came up a few weekends ago to help and again today. We haven't stopped moving! I just showered and wanted to blog and check my email. So tomorrow is another big day.

But....Sunday afternoon I am sewing with June!

Simple Quilt Coming Along

I did some sewing again today before work. I mangaged to get the green and blue triangles on all forty of the blocks and these six I snuck the other two colors on so I could sew what they would look like. Easy Peasy as one of the blog gals I read always says.

I also did a bit of sewing on the first step of the stars for my Designer Mystery BOM borders. Making bonus half square triangles while I am at it, and ironing them as I go this time! Hoping to get more sewing in tomorrow morning too.

Potpourri of Projects!

Tada the binding is all done on this NYE mystery quilt designed by Ann B. Smith. DJ's sister Samantha will be getting this for her soon to be born baby.

I was in the mood to finish up some of the many things that were building up as WIP...they were small but it was nice to get some of them done. I added some fleece (from Michelle) to the back of this doggie quilt and it is in our room for Bug now. I also finished the quilting on one I was using that never got completly quilted!

I added a final row to this Eye Spy that I started at Quilt Camp. A few of the added squares were from little pieced Michelle gave me too. I really love this one little orange square with cowboys on it! I cut up extras and added them to the Eye Spy squares and hexies I have cut too. We then backed this with corderoy type fabric that I bought online by accident...thought I was getting cotton! I have blue just like it. I don't have hardly any batting so I didn't add any. It is like a heavy blanket and will do just fine. DJ is tying this quilt while I type (YAY!).

I also added the backing to this doggie quilt and quilted it. I think my sister will be getting this one for her birthday for her chihuauas. (backing from Michelle!)

I added backing to this doggie quilt too though I haven't quilted it yet. That is what I did on Saturday! Then we went to the Diamondbacks vs. Twins game for the first time!

Today we did a whirlwind of grocery shopping...we have learned to "ad match" to make things easier. Anyway we can to save a buck. We have taken to labeling all the food so Coleman doesn't eat it all in five minutes. (I am serious.) Then we made Jimmy Deans and Biscotti. Finally I was free to get some sewing in...we have a birthday party next weekend to go to for Tommie (one of our Deaf friends) and we decided to make her a bag from this book.

I have made this bag several times before and am always pleased with it. My bias tape maker is a HUGE help in making the handles. (in case you aren't tired of hearing it, the plaid fabric is from Michelle!)

We were going to make two, but we cut one piece two extra and decided to just go ahead and make four. I now have three Christmas gifts ready to go! I love that feeling!

Tomorrow Kathy is supposed to come over to do some more cutting and I might get to sew before work, life is good.

Designer Mystery BOM Top without Borders is Done!

My friend Michelle (who also was my knitting and crochet teacher a few summers back) facebooked me and asked if I wanted two huge boxes of her fabric scraps. I love it when people clean up their sewing area and I get to play with all their leftovers! I felt like I had won the lottery.

I sorted through the two huge boxes and can use one overflowing box worth for quilting. Some of it was not cotton fabric so I think I will be redonating that, but the cotton stuff will be great cut into strips to stuff my bins. There were even several LARGE chunks that will be good for backings. A ton of muslin too. Thanks Michelle!

I had to buy this magazine..mainly for Bonnie's block, but I found several others I really like in there too!

I am hoping to make at least one "Winson Ways" block this weekend just for fun. I love it, love it, love it! Bonnie has really made me fall for small pieces and scrappy looking stuff!

DJ helped me cut up a bunch of kiddo prints to make my cousin Tara a baby quilt, and Kathy came over and helped cut the solids...one more solid to go and then I can get to sewing this quilt.

I had several days of migraines this week, and yesterday was the worst one I have had since I came to Arizona. There was puking involved and everything. I had to call in sick to work and put off my sewing plans too. Today I am feeling much much better and am happy to have lived to tell about it. Seriously the pain of a migraine is worse than childbirth!

So today I got home from work and after doing bill paying and general stuff I had to do I found time to complete the LAST block of the Designer Mystery BOM! This is block twelve "The Final Touch" designed by Sherri Falls of www.thisandthatpatterns.com and I really like this one. It went together quickly and though the top isn't centered right, I like it.

So I put the sashing on and attached it to the rest of the quilt!

I didn't get to the stars in the border as I had hoped, but they are cut and are next in line...sort of. LOL, I need to get to Tara's baby quilt since that needs to go to Wisconsin for her baby shower in June!

This is what the borders will look like :)

Blogger's Quilt Festival--Picnic

It is time for another Blogger's Quilt Festival! Here is the link if you want to know how you can get in on the fun!
http://amyscreativeside.com/2011/05/13/bloggers-quilt-festival-spring-2011/

It was really tough to make a decision about which quilt I should show off for the festival! In the end I decided to pick the most difficult of the "Year of Schnibbles" quilts I made this past year that Sherri and Sinta had going on. I really enjoyed the challenge of making a little Schnibbles quilt (Miss Rosie's Quilt Company--Carrie rocks!) each month and though the quilts were small these quilts taught me alot. This particular quilt is called "Picnic"and I can't tell you how many hours went in to squaring up these babies! I recall the feeling of satisfaction I had when it was all together and things lined up as they should. I made a note to never make another of this pattern (most of them I would do again in a minute) do to all of the squaring up. Since then I have learned other options for half square triangles and it wouldn't be as much squaring, but still!

Anyway, it represents an entire year of getting to know some online quilting friends. I won some prizes, I added several blogs to my blog roll, and I got to see the same fun pattern in lots of fabric lines or colorways. I also shared the love and gave away several of these tabletopper size quilts. All of these things made this quilt my favorite of the year! I am happy to paricipate in the Blogger Quilt Festival again--you should too!

P.S. I blogged about each Schnibble as I made them if you want to go back and check them all out!

Happy Mother's Day and Happy Birthday Dad

I requested two more Quilts for Kids kits from Downy....these arrived in the mail last week. I need to get these two together to send off to some sick kiddos!
Here is my little nephew Ben making us all do his little pose smile...my brother is holding him, then next is my sister, mother, me and my (step) dad. We celebrated Mother's Day and my Dad's birthday...he is 64!

Can't believe I haven't been gushing about my new phone! This is a Samsung Epic....it is amazing! I can do all the normal phoning and texting on it, but also can play solitare, Angry Birds, and tons of other games. I can read my Nook books on it and surf the net. It is unreal. I am one happy girl..especially because it has a touch screen for typing (also has a slideout keyboard) and I can do a funky slide typing all of which means my BlackBerry thumb can heal. I have been having awful pain in my right thumb and couldn't manage to force myself to text with a different finger...now all that is over, YAY!

Tonight DJ helped my cut a bunch of squares for a type of Eye Spy ish quilt for my cousin Tara's soon to be born son , Koi. We cut enough squares to do two of these as I am forever in need of a baby quilt or two. I just realized that my cousin Crystal had her second son and I don't think I sent her a quilt. Usually I do but I don't have her address...so I better whip one up for that little guy too. I am going to need one suitcase for all the quilts I am hauling back to Wisconsin when we go in June!

As promised, here is one of the two pillowcases I made at June's. Ben got one, and this one will be gifted to some other little one.

Here we are again being a little less silly, this is the picture right before we all did the cheesy dimple thing! Happy Mother's Day all.

Another Sewing Day at June's :)

You may remember my bag of half square bonus triangles from quilt camp...I decided to iron a bunch more and do some squaring up...was a lot of froggin around (as I say) and I only netted this!

I plan to make some more and do a little Broken Crockery mini quilt wall hanging. It will match the quilt I gave my daughter Hannah last year (Bonnie's Carolina Christmas) since these were cut from those blocks. I think Hannah will like it since purple is her favorite color. I should mention that she and her fiance broke up a few weeks ago too. Long story, but basically he was lying about some things including a woman and Hannah found out. She is really glad they decided on the long engagement and so very little about the wedding was planned and only one deposit was made. I think her heart is broken anway, but in time she will be happy again. Too bad, because after our Disney trip I really became fond of Jeremy.

And as promised some photos in the light of Seasons Bargello. Next I need to make a backing for it.

I also made two mini pillowcases which were far more complicated than I expected. I don't plan to make that pattern again, but they turned out cute...if an odd size. Forgot to get a picture, so will do that eventually though one is already wrapped up for my nephew Ben's fourth birthday.

I made egg brunch tonight (it rests in the fridge and goes in the oven in the morning) to take to my sister's. Mom and Dad will be there and my brother and crew will come up too. My Dad's bday is tomorrow, Ben just had his and Sam's was in April..so the car is loaded down with cards and gifts too.

Seasons Bargello Finally Becomes a Flimsy!

I made another star block for a soldier....this one looks better than the first one now that I watched the points a bit better! I need to mail this baby off!

My quilt guild, Nimble Thimbles, has done a challenge the last two years in July. They have us bring in three of our UFO's and the group votes on which one we are to get done by the following July. I have not been able to make either of the meetings where the group decided which UFO to do so I put it to a vote on my blog back in July or so and this was the one folks thought I should do. Here is DJ helping me figure out (for the nth time) how to put these Bargello Seasons quilts (from my Quilt University class three years ago or so).

We moved them around and there was a little unsewing involved before we were satisfied.

I went with a light color in between the seasons but then added the dark green border because the light just wasn't cutting it for me. My oldest son is being silly holding the quilt up for me...I wasn't quick enough to snap this one.

And here is is...little hard to see the final border, I will get another picture outside tomorrow.
Check out CJ's silly smile. He enjoyed "helping" me.

Tomorrow DJ has to work for awhile and then she will work on our roof and garage wall...the last time this was planned it POURED rain....so we finally found a day to fit it in and then last minute she wound up needing to work half the day. I hope the darn thing gets done. I can't park in my garage and I am going nuts! So I am going to June's to sew and will have something to blog about tomorrow too! WHOOT WHOOT!