Sewing, Sweet Sewing!

 I finally got back to Orange Crush (Number 3) and got the borders on it!  I made the backing and already delivered it to Ros for quilting!

 I love the visual punch of this one!

 I also caught up on my Betty's Choice blocks!  Amy has been working on her alternate block and I am really looking forward to seeing these quilts come together for us both!

 I worked six hours today on Memorial Day.  Came home and devoted the rest of the day to sewing my Quilt of Valor Ooh Rah! from last year.  I cannot believe we are almost half way through this year and I hadn't completed this one til today!  It has been a wild year so far.

 I plan to get a better picture of it outside before I mail it, the backing and the binding off to Alycia in Colorado for Quilts of Valor.  Then I need to pick another pattern and get going on another one!

 

 So nice to tick a few of these long in the works tops off my list!  Still plenty more to go!

Gifts and Today's Sewing

I got some great gifts from some of my quilty friends this year!  Barb made me a Packer scissor holder which I just love!  Becky made me the coolest owl ever and a pretty potholder/dishcloth and some jam.  We used the jam on pb and j when we went to the ostrich farm yesterday.  It was delicious!

Ros made me and Kathy each a chicken pincushion!  I think it is so cute...showed it to my mom and she said--I want one.  I said, I don't have the pattern!  LOL!  Mine is the blue one.  Love pincushions!

After the kids got on their plane today I sewed block twelve of Ooh Rah!

Here are all twelve blocks!

I laid out the blue sashing fabric (before I cut it) and plopped the cornerstones on it to see what it would look like.

This one will be done before long and off to Alycia for a Quilt of Valor recipient!

 Next I talked Kathy into helping me cut (so I could sew) this Lil' Twister--tiny!  We have the process down now!  So now I have Barb's and mine to quilt.

I also added two or three more Moth in the Window blocks to the pile.  I really love making these blocks!  They just go together so quickly and I don't often work with plaids so that is fun too!

Tomorrow is NYEve already.  We opted not to do the mystery that popped up last minute in my online group.  It has a zillion tiny pieces in it and lots of precutting and sewing that we just did't have time to do before tomorrow.  I am not sure who the designer of it is either...if it is a Bonnie quilt I may change my mind, but it it isn't I am good.  Kathy will work on her Grand Illusion quilt and if Bonnie doesn't surprise us with another clue I will work on Moth in the Window and/or a baby quilt since I found out two of my Neff cousins are pregnant--Kai Len with her first and Jamie with her second!  They are both due in May.  Thinking about Dancing Nines or Princess Crown....we shall see!

Sewing the Blues!

 Today I made the 11th block for Ooh Rah!  One more block to go for this Quilt of Valor before it finds its way to Alycia in Colorado to be donated to a soldier.

 I packed up the Featherweight and finally got Martha back out.  She had to go in awhile back and I just never put her back on the table.  The Featherweight is great for travel and this one is not, but both sew GREAT!  I had to look up how to thread her again because I had already forgotten.  I also took Paula's advice and got the Q-Tools Reusable Vinyl Stop to put on the machine for that perfect quarter inch.  I use Bonnie's tool to measure it out and then put the vinyl on.  I took this picture with the old credit card on there though.

 I think this is the last block I need to do for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I am not positive, but I think I have kept up all along.  As you can see I had to do some unpicking!

 Here is Double X done correctly!

 And the light blue blocks so far with an extra orange thrown in.  I need to count and/or lay out these blocks but I am holding off for more space to do that!  Linking up with the Scraphappy Angela!

I about went BATTY!

 Started off the day by putting Heidi Powell's white chicken chili in the crockpot, then Kathy and I ran to 35th Ave. to get our BOM.  Two months to go on this year's quilt!

 I then sewed up block number 13 and 14 of City Sampler for the Chooseyourownblockalong!  Each one I make is my new favorite.  LOVE # 13 right now best!

Linking up to Choose Your Own Blockalong!

 Then I tackled Ooh Rah!  This is my BOM Quilt of Valor.  I wanted to change it up and add red and I was going to have two different blues.  I realized quickly that it was enough with to get this block right without changing up the blues.  I am happy with how it came out though it was labor intensive!

Then I decided I should tackle this Halloween project that I had printed out and selected and cut fabric for--TWO YEARS AGO!  I really don't have too many UFO's and only a few things that I have not even started like this.  Really, after reading the directions I thought it was too complicated for me--and I might have been right!  The tutorial is over at Oh Fransson!  Her tutorial is great with lots of pictures, but I have trouble with angles!

So here are what I think are bats (but someone else described as fat barn cats!).  Luckily I did not sew the rows together til after Kathy came home to help me with the angles.

Also, I cannot count one row has one too many bats!  Seriously, this was after I had had my coffee!

 So in the above picture, I think I have this right but I wait to sew the rows.  (I do NOT have it right!)
 Kathy then helped me  to stagger the rows like I was supposed to (I struggled with this part of the directions and knew I was not understanding quite right).  We stepped back and I thought, NOW it is right.  It was NOT!

 Kathy realized I had the whole thing angled wrong--what a surprise.  LOL, so below it finally is starting to look like bats!

 Finally the top is sewn together and I love it!  This is for my son Mac...he is going to love it--think it will become a pillow.

Tomorrow morning Kathy and I are going on our first hike of the the season!  I cannot wait!  I lost .2 this week despite working hard and eating right.  I am still .4 from a 60 pound loss...UGH!  Kathy reached 60 (YAY for her!) and I am hoping to get mine this week.  I did get into a way smaller size this week (thanks Becky for the clothes!) and that sure helped me to not completely go batty!  I think I need to change up the workouts some and up my game!

BOM Progress

 I unpicked and resewed my Ooh Rah! BOM--it is still not quite the right size, but it is alright.

 I also substituted a different blue for my Traditions BOM--I accidentally cut the blue provided a bit too small and just didn't want to deal with it.  It works fine.  Now all my BOM are caught up for September...October will be here before I know it!

Off to work all day and night--looking forward to shop hop this Saturday!

Bringing Out My Inner Junk Gypsy!

 I decided to work on Ooh Rah! and do my September BOM.  I did the whole center part and then discovered that despite my close to perfect seam allowance, it was far too big for the 8 inch side pieces.  UGH!  I trimmed some but it still is too big.  So I put it away for another day.  I may just make another middle because that seems like less work than tearing apart and fixing this one, lol!

I decided to head downstairs and got in my workout and did some cleaning...then I decided I wanted to paint this cabinet my folks gave me turquoise.

 Watching the Junk Gypsies show has me really loving this color and wanting to makeover something so I did!  This cabinet lives in our third bathroom which is rarely used now that we don't have a roommate living upstairs.

 I wanted it to match the fish shower curtain in there and be more fun!

I pretty much had to climb in the sink to get these pictures, but I love how it turned out and there is lots of paint left---wonder what is next!

Feeling Accomplished Today!

 I woke up way too early for me (7:15 AM folks) and could not fall back to sleep.  What was I to do but get up and get sewing!  I sewed up my weekend goal of one Wild and Goosey block--making progress sure and steady!  Yesterday I finished up listening to "Escape from Camp 14" about North Korea (really interesting to me since we lived in South Korea during the Golf War).  Really sad true story.  So this morning I was listening to "Secrets of Eden" which I rechecked out from the library--I was not really liking it, then it changed narrators and I am liking it alot more from this other gal's point of view so I am glad I didn't give up on it.

 I then worked out and Kathy and I finally went to see our birthday movie which was delayed since she was in the hospital and sick for a bit!  We saw "Into the Storm" which was pretty good.  Yes, I enjoyed movie popcorn...WW always asks us to ask ourselves "is it worth it?" and yep, movie popcorn is and I don't get to the movies too often so I indulge.  However I will get in another good workout tonight!
After coming home I went back to sewing and started watching SHARK WEEK!  Here is the Traditions "Crown of Thorns" block for this month.

 and all the blocks so far.

 Then I realized I had not yet done the Ooh Rah!  Quilt of Valor BOM so I changed up the colors a bit and made that.

 And here is Rosie posing with all the blocks.

Now it is time to go make dinner (tacos) and get in some more exercise.  I still need to sew the Classic Meets Modern August block which is churn dash.  I saved the best for last since I am not sure what I am doing on that one yet!  Hope your weekend included lots of sewing!