Binding Blitz!!

 I am working steadily along on the Orange peel/Pumpkin seed blocks.  I am still in the prepping stage for all these blocks.  Lots of reds are cut out, so hopefully it will be a big quilt!!

And this is what I bound in February!!  Yahoo!!  Done...I used a scrappy binding for this scrappy quilt!

It is time to show your bindings for February!!  Please link below...I will keep the link open for 5 days, to let everyone have a chance to join in who wants to.

I will link my quilt first, just to make sure the link works.  I, of course, don't count mine in the prize drawing, LOL!!

Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

An InLinkz Link-up

Happy Monday!

 Good Morning!!  I worked the weekend, so I am off today.  Had some pretty sick patients at the hospital, and not quite enough of me to go around, LOL!!  So...today is house keeping, and cooking for the week, and of course a little quilting!  Above is a quilt top I made some time (years) ago.  It is made entirely of shirts from the thrift store, except for the border.  Last night, I layered it and pinned it for quilting.  I am in love with Rose Cream batting by Mountain Mist.  It has a wonderful old fashioned drape and needles easily and is so, so soft!!  So that is what I used...and it was on sale one day at Joann's, so I bought three of the batting packages.  I do love their coupons!

 I know you are tired of seeing this quilt, but here it is again.  The top portion is all sewn together, with my changed, my own personal stamp on Jeni's idea. Can't wait to work on the next portions as they come available!!  Go see Jeni's blog...and you can make this quilt too...for free!  She is offering all these fun applique blocks freely for all of us.

Hey, guess what??  I started a new project!!  I know you must be shocked, right?  I love Pumpkin seed blocks, and have been admired Kathy's for years.  so.....I decided to go for it!  I have cut out a zillion red pumpkin seeds, and am appliqueing them onto backgrounds.  This will be the perfect take along project for the busy bag!  Please, oh please go see Kathy's blog if you have never visited...she is a fab quilter!


********************************The Weather...***********************************


Here in Texas, it rains ice balls.  Truly, that is what is falling from the sky!!  Crazy, huh...but what this means is that the electricity is going to be going out.  As the lines and trees get heavier and heavier with ice, inevitably the lines get snapped somewhere along the route.  So...I am trying to do everything I can think of that uses electricity...before it goes out!  So the laundry is done...the vacuuming is done...the dinner is made...and this post...is done!!!


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Have a great Monday, everyone!!

Julie

Progress!

 I prepped many blocks today, but just two for this project.  I am loving this applique!! It is available here, on Jeni's blog.

A little dinner!  Looks like a Christmas quilt to me...stir fry veggies in Christmas colors!


Have a great day!!

Julie

The making of UFO's...

 In my cleaning today, I found the above little quilt.  I guess I started it sometime in the past, but have no memory of it!!  This, my dear friends, is how UFO's are born.  So....I cut out all the rest of the pieces of a decent sized quilt for it today.  Luckily, I still had some of the red left, in the solids stash.  I have a small box of solids.

And my newest mug rug.  Just using things up here!!

I feel like I am drowning in ideas here.  Must focus, and STOP making UFO"s!!  How about you?  Does your stash and ideas and starts make you feel like saying,"Whoa!!  Too much!"

Julie

Four patches and cleaning

 I am playing in the two inch strips and squares bin today.  It seems that four patches are kind of the rage right now, so I will make a few too!  Some of these are pretty muddy looking, and maybe they will go into their own muddy quilt, LOL!!  I like the jewel toned, pretty ones, though.

 I have been cleaning out my sewing closet!  I found this little package of cut out star blocks, with a sample block attached.  Good girl, Julie!  At least I know what all those little pieces are for...four inch stars.

But below?  All these 2.5 inch squares?  I have no clue.  I know that they were something special, but since I did not make a sample block....back they go into circulation...back into the stash to use!!

This is a four patch quilt I found on Pinterest.  It was pinned from the website:   www.kendigquilts.wordpress.com.  Other than that, no quilter is given credit for it, as the quilt is part of a collection and apparently was not labeled.  I really love it!!  It is just simple and lovely.  The quilting makes it even more special.



Have a great day, each of you!!

Julie

Rainbow progress and Slow Stitching!

kathysquilts.blogspot.com

 I am hand quilting, still, on this quilt.  It goes slowly...quietly...stitch by stitch.  The more quilting I add, the more I love it and want to work on it!  I am linking with Kathy, HERE.

 I am stitching double lines, diagonally through the blocks.  Additionally, I am hand quilting the applique shapes down too.  Maybe this quilt will last for a while!!  The old applique quilts I have seen have the most wear in the shapes themselves.  I have seen some that are quilted through the shapes, and they have survived in better shape, it seems.

I am binding this quilt!!  Are you binding something this month??

 I am  playing with 1/2 square triangles, a gift from Karen at the Log Cabin Quilter. See her blog HERE.  The heart will not be there, just playing here!!

And pink!!  The Rainbow challenge at So Scrappy is pink, for February. See her blog HERE. So I am making some pink blocks!!  Pink makes me happy, for some reason!!






**********************Nurse's notes***************************

The new Patient advocate role is going OK.  Basically, I am looking for trouble and trying to fix the troubles.  Which I love to do...but it wears on me, when there is lots of trouble and no fixing it for some people!! 99% of everyone is so appreciative and happy with our care...and 1% take most of the time and are not ever satisfied.  Some days are just blissful, though, running around helping the nurses, helping the patients with whatever they need, just busy, busy, busy!  I am sure hoping our patient satisfaction is much better...which is hard to fix, because we were in the 90% range to start with! So it goes...

The man with the stroke...went home with home health care, all fixed up.  A WIN!!

Lots of very sick people at the hospital right now, so I am praying for healing for every single one of them!!


******************************************************************

I feel so badly when I cannot reply to comments left from you all.  Please know I appreciate and read and enjoy every comment, but some people are "no reply", so I can't e-mail you back.  So Thank you!!  Megan, Mary Jo...I will start to list people at the end of the blog, so you know I loved your comments.




Have a great day, all!!

Julie

Borders are on!

 Borders are on!!  I have a scrappy binding from leftover blue binding strips ready.

Whoop!!!  This is the second UFO top from last year, all put together. So....NOW what do I do???  I am sure there is something around here I can work on, like a binding!!

Have a great day, everyone!

Julie and Rosie the poodle

UFO bustin' here...and Binding Blitz winner...and the prize for this month!

 I started these blocks last year, attempting to use up every little bit of my 2.5 inch strips and squares drawer.  This quilt was inspired by Bonnie Hunter's split nine patch blocks.  I thought the square in the middle of the block was interesting, so I added that.  It is all sewn together above!  Can you see my little bobble in the bottom left; the orange piece turned wrong?  A piecing problem!  May have to fix that...or not!

 Another view, awaiting borders here.

 The middle, before the blocks were sew together.

 Anther setting option I played with.

 And another setting option!  These are fun and versatile blocks...thank you, Bonnie Hunter for the inspiration!  I will be pondering the border issue now...

 Threads, anyone?  I made this block with Lisa Bongean, her quilt along for last summer.  The original little quilt has lots and lots of borders.  I brought the block out so I can think about it and decide how to finish it all up.

 One of the Woolen Willow design blocks, all appliqued down.  It is wonky!  And I truly love it.

 This bird is blind!!  I always like birds better when they have their eyes!

Binding Blitz winner!!!  I took a picture of the computer screen for the random number...and it was 13, as you see.  That happens to be Kathy, of Kathy quilts.  Kathy, I will be sending out your prize, the quilt kit, today!!



**********************Nurse's notes*****************************


The gentleman came into the hospital, absolutely unable to breath.  Bi pap, lasix, and medications helped him tremendously.  He was unkempt, long hair and beard, long jagged broken finger nails and toe nails, and kinda stinky, frankly.  That is the impression a person got...until you spent a little time with him!!

I noticed on rounds all this about him, and we gave him a really good bed bath and shampoo.  I found out that he used to be an executive engineer long ago, but had a terrible stroke which left him completely paralyzed on one side.  Kinda hard to trim your nails when you can't move your hands!   He lived alone, having no family, desperately wanting to maintain his independence, but struggling to care for himself.  He thanked us quietly, and asked maybe if we could trim his beard.  YEP!!  we sure did, and his hair too.  I snuck in and gave him a mani/pedi too.  IN his quiet way, he told me that he was so embarrassed about coming in looking so bad, and also told me that when he was well, he was the most immaculately groomed man anywhere.   And I bet that was right!

I thought to myself how much better he must feel now!!  And thought on first impressions, what people must have thought, just on first impression.  And how much better it was to dig a little deeper, and find out what a kind and sweet soul he really was.

So lesson of the day for me...maybe that person we glance at and dismiss has a little more to them than meets the eye!!  I was blessed to get to meet and care for this very nice man!


Just for the HIPPA people...no names are mentioned, and no time frame is given.  Just a compilation of thoughts and musings

here about caring for people at my work.

Hey, the picture that snuck in right here?  It is the prize for the February Binding blitz!!  A gradation of reds and pinks for Valentines day, or any day, for that matter!!  15 fat eighths.  So get binding and I will too!



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Have a great day, all!!

Julie

Cindy's quilt!!

This is Cindy C's quilt!  She did this hand embroidery from an Aunt Martha's iron on transfer pattern.  Cindy does not blog, but wants to enter the Binding Blitz...pretty quilt, don't you think?  Love it, Cindy!!



Have a great evening,

Julie

Binding Blitz!!!

 It is the end of the month already!!  I finished binding three quilts for a friend, which I did not get a picture of!  But I did get a picture of this little quilt, that I bound this month also.  Hurrah!!  So I am making progress here, and I hope you are too.

Vicki Welsh made this really fun badge for us to use this year!! Feel free to grab the badge and put in on your blog if you want to.  Please see Vicki's blog HERE.  So every month...work on bindings!  Some of you keep up with bindings, and some of us, like me,  have a pile of quilts that need binding.  Either way, when you finish a binding, why not link up with us for the BINDING BLITZ!!!  I have some fun prizes for each month all planned out, for all throughout the year.

Please link up below!!  Have a great day, everyone!

I just added my link to see if it really, truly worked...and it did!!  whoop!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Rebel!!

 It just cries out for a red border, doesn't it?  Just yearns for it!  But...I did not have a big 'ol hunk of red.  And I did have this pink.  Which makes me so very happy!  The red pieces, the little ones I auditioned, thinking that I would have to go shop for red...made it a red quilt. A very red, planned out quilt. That is pretty much not what I wanted, I guess.

Because the pink just calls out to me!!!  I love it!!  REBEL!!!!


***********************A personal note*******************************

Maybe I am just a rebel at heart, you know?  Yes, I have a regular job (since I was 13 years old), am college educated, follow most of the "rules"...except...


A pink border just because I like it!!

Letting a dog in to visit her dying lady mistress at the hospital...in big trouble for that one!  Wow...a cardinal sin for sure!  (that was years ago, and now we have visiting therapy dogs all the time)

Eating at the bedside for families...against the rules!!  But...a lady's husband was dying...and one nurse wanted to kick her out for eating a sandwich at the bedside and staying right with her husband.  NOT!!  on my shift! I stood in front of the door and guarded so she could eat her sandwich!

Talking to strangers...hugging them if needed...yep...not really in the rule book, is it.

So maybe I am a bit of a rebel!!  Not sure if this is bad or good, but my heart just sings with the PINK BORDER!!!

********************************************************************


Julie

Ready for a border here...

 So here we are...the middle is finished.  Yippee!  I enjoyed sewing that last long seam...fun, somehow!  Maybe I will make a piano key border...that would be fun, and use up more 2.5 inch pieces from the drawers.

 The long view...

And the poodle doggie!!  I sure love this baby dog!  What a good helper...why that quilt top might have jumped up and run away without Rosie weighing it down.  Don't know what I would do without Rosie!  She is the softest little thing...her fur feels like crushed velvet.




Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Happy Monday!!

 This are my blocks from Barb's nine patch exchange.  I have gotten this far on my design, but need a little more time to ruminate.  or illuminate!  Either way, I am so enjoying working with everyone's blocks.  Thank you for exchanging!

 More and more!

 And progress on this quilt too.  These are the quilt blocks from Terry's treasures, last year.  She had a fun quilt along.  I have been figuring out how to set these blocks together too.

 I am half way done sewing them all together.  The bright colors are so cheerful, and all from the scrap bin.  Love scrapping here!

And the biggest news ever!!  You know, I have sewn at the kitchen table forever.  That means everything needs to be put away each night, and straightened up for the evening meal.  I at last have a sewing machine cabinet!!  And it is just so much fun!  I can't wait to get it set up, where it will live.  It is going in the little sun room, so the bright pretty sunshine can pour in and make stitching a bigger joy.  Yippee!!


BINDING BLITZ!!!

Hope you all are BINDING!!!!  It is getting close to the end of the month, and the linkey party.  so finish up, and we will enjoy each other's finishes.


Have a great day, everyone!


Julie

Woolen Willow designs!

I have had a just terrible time settling down and working on just one thing.  Finally, I worked on this project today, prepping a few more blocks.  This is from Jeni at the Willow...you can see her blog HERE!!  She has made a few blocks along for this lovely quilt. This is a free quilt along. Of course, I am changing things up a bit...just like me, isn't it?  And I am not caught up yet, but I am making progress.



*************************Sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been quite busy with my new job, but this past weekend, I started getting very dizzy.  So dizzy, in fact, that I was not able to function...at all.  I spent two days lying in bed, because I would fall or toss my cookies if I got up!!  I finally decided...go to the doctor, already!!  So I did...and he prescribed Antivert (meclizine), for an inner ear problem. Now friends, I am a non medicine taker, if at all possible.  Maybe three Tylenol in my whole life!  But I took one of the Antivert pills...and slept for about 18 hours!  Crazy...and I give that stuff so nonchalantly to my patients?  Never again!!  That is some strong stuff!  (Or I am a pansy...could be!)

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Back to work in the morning!

Julie

UFO progress

 Good Monday to you!  I am working on these blocks today.  I think I may be finished making blocks, and just concentrate on getting this all into one top.  I am going to do a sashing and border, and am thinking of ideas for those.

Another view.

UPDATE!!!  I think I am going to make 32 more blocks...bigger is better!!

Have a great day, each and every one of you!!




Julie

A Friday off work!

 Happy Friday!!  I finished all the letters for the Temecula Quilt Shop quilt along.  I am undecided, of course, how to set them. I just put some of my little star blocks in there for space fillers. What a fun project!!  Did you make this quilt?  All you have to do is go to the Temecula Quilt shop blog and find the patterns, all through the last part of 2014 postings, and they are free.

 I made another blue block, for the rainbow scrappy quilt along.    This pattern is a free one from Free Motion on the River.  I like it, because of the string background!  Love that part!

 And another blue block...sorry, it really is pretty straight, not like my picture depicts.

 And of course, I save all the bonus triangles and made pinwheels.  I have a lot of these, as these little blocks really have added up over the years!

,)

 Postage stamp progress!!  ( or tale of woe, whichever...you decide.)

 I have been merrily sending all these little one inch finished pieces through the sewing machine...first in twosies, then foursies, then pieces of eight, then sweet sixteens!!  So I smugly just KNEW I had plenty of squares...probably for two quilts (not). What a bonanza I had...I thought!  And then...I counted them.  I was dismayed to find out I only have enough for 1/2 of one quilt.  BOO!!  Boy, did my sails just come crashing down, LOL!!  I was just going to put it away in the closet in disgust...THEN!!!

(And by the way, these were the little containers with heaps of all those squares.)

I cut a ton more!!  Two hours of fast cutting this morning.  I still need a ton more, but at least I kept it out and it did not become a UFO...it is still a work in progress!! Maybe I am growing up, just one little bit. Yippee!!!




Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie