Winners...and Happiest New Year!!

Hi Y'all!

Thank you so much, each one of you, for entering my little drawing yesterday. OK! Everyone wins! I have more than enough strings to send to all six of you. So each of you can have a little bit of my stash to work with. Enjoy! I will need each one of your addresses, and I will send them out. I may have a little list of you, connecting to your blogs, on my side bar...so we can all merrily string piece together during this next year and share each other's work. No pressure...just fun!!

Happiest New Year to each one of you...I am so blessed to have met so many wonderful people in the quilt blogging world.


Sincerely,

Julie

A giving sort of giveaway!

Hi all! It is 9AM...and I drew a winner for the block kits from yesterday. Congratulations to Nancy, of With Thread in Hand. She was randomly drawn to receive the block kits.





How about another giveaway? I need volunteers for this one...people who would commit to making a heart strings quilt top and give it to the Heart Strings group, within the next year. I will give two bags of strings from my strings bin to two different people...but the catch is, you must make a quilt top from the strings and donate it! If you are willing to do this...please let me know, and I will give the bags of strings to two people...and will draw tomorrow at 9AM. I will give you the contact info for the Heart Strings group if you are drawn.



Thank you for your generosity of heart...I hope I get lots of responses to this giveaway!!! I understand if you have too many projects going...but this is such a great, worthwhile organization...lets help them!!



Julie

Giveaway winners! And let's do it again!

I just loved doing the give-away I posted about yesterday, it was such fun to see who might be reading my blog and visiting all your blogs back! ...and the winner drawn from a bowl of tiny slips with each name written on it is: MARCIE at PATCH-ALOT!! She has a most wonderful blog...for a extra special treat, you should go for a visit... just click here. Thank you so much, each one of you for entering...it was fun! Let's do it again!! Hancock Fabric Store closed in our area, and I bought a bunch of block kits...I bought these long ago at the fabric store, and had high hopes of making something of them. It has been, ahem, a couple years...so maybe you can enjoy them, because I am obviously not getting anything done with them! They are not all the blocks in the series, and there are duplicates of blocks, but the fabric is all there. Just not block 1, block 2, block 3...instead there might be 3 of block 1, 2 of block 6, etc. But all the fabric of there, and if you are imaginative and can or would like to make something of these, just leave me a comment and you will be entered. The fabric colors are a pink, a polka dot tan, and two tone on tones, one light, one dark. Drawing tomorrow, at 9 AM!
What a mess! But really, it is a good thing. I have been diligently cutting up all my scraps into usable units, like 1.5 inches, 2 inches, 2.5 inches, 3 inches and so on...strips and squares. The messy bin above is my 2 inch bin. There are both strips and squares in this one. Well....I decided for some fun and just mindless sewing, I would make 4 patches out of these squares. I made...one zillion 4 patches! Really, over 500. And I still have so many squares left! Anyway, below is...
a few of the block laid out. SCRAPPY! I love it! I think I may put an alternate square of blue and make a scrappy happy quilt. What do you think?



Thank you so much, and each one of you please have a fabulous day!!


Julie

Giving away some magazines...interested?

Hi Everyone! Hope you all had a most marvelous Christmas! Above are some magazines I just succumbed to at the store...full of lovely projects, but...I have so many projects in the works, I have decided to give away the magazines! The Fons and Porter magazine is for January/February 2010, and the other one is for Winter of this year. This is a one day giveaway...so if you visit here, leave a comment and I will draw for them tomorrow at 9AM. The early bird gets the quilt mag!
Just wanted to show you my pretty plaids that just came in the mail...they are from Mary at Quilt Hollow! You really should treat yourself and go visit Mary's blog...so click Here and have fun! Thank you so much Mary! I recently won her giveaway.


Happy New Year to all, if I don't get anything done to show you before then.

Julie

Merry Christmas to one and all!

I hope each one of you have such a wonderful day tomorrow! I have really enjoyed getting to know so many of you as great friends during this past year...thank you for that. May you have a marvelous Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!!


Julie

And more CC mystery...

This stack is part of the Carolina Christmas mystery by Bonnie Hunter. I am going to finish these blocks...then wait for the border, still to come in the mystery. I have an idea I am not going to set mine together just like Bonnie...just to be different, I want to see what the border looks like, then I am going to play and see what I come up with. That way, if people all set their blocks together in different ways, there will be lots of variety and originality!!!

Hope every one is great...I worked on Christmas stuff a good deal today and have been quite busy. I work the weekend, so will be busy there too.

Have a super weekend!!

Julie

A beary special beary paw block, and Carolina Christmas

I am so excited! Pat from www.alittleofthisandalittleofpat.blogspot.com sent me this absolutely wonderful bear paw block. It is all paper pieced, and finishes at 6 inches. It is so wonderful...thank you Pat! This will go into my Sylvia's Bridal Sampler quilt. Now I have a block from Pat and a block from Lyn. This is so special to me. I so appreciate Pat doing this, and Lyn too!
Wheewwwww!! Above are a whole bunch of blocks for Bonnie's Carolina Christmas mystery quilt. It has been a blast to do these blocks, and a welcome diversion from the holiday rush. Thank you Bonnie!
And here is my progress on the next steps...included in these are some very precious fabrics, plaids and reds from my friend Joyce in Arizona...who is a new Grandma!! Thank you Joyce so much, I love my friendship with you!


**********************Nursing Notes*************************

I have been working a ton, too, to prepare for the holiday expenses, etc...we are busy, because lots of staff is out sick and at last we are getting out winter rush at the hospital.

May I tell you of a patient "James"...not his real name. He was a construction worker, and in the 1980's, he was roofing a house...and walked right off the roof. He broke his spine, at the thoracic level, and is a paraplegic. 20 years later, he has also had a stroke, which wiped out his left side...totally flaccid. So, he has his right arm...and a wonderful sense of self and gratitude. He has been married to his wife Roxanne (Roxie) for 50 years, and he tells each nurse how much he loves her and how special Roxie is. Well...I heard singing coming from his room, and there he was, belting out Christmas carols in a gravelly, gruff voice, and in between he would call out "Roxie, I love you"!! Well, Roxie was not there at the hospital...and about then I figured out he was not quite all there mentally, but almost...enough to call out to his wife an endearment. Well, he just kept on calling out, so all the nurses started saying outside the room, "I love you too, James"! He would quiet then and just sing. We loved having him! Not an ornery, cranky bone in his body...and what a lesson he taught me about grace under the most dire adversity. May I be just as sweet.



Have a super day! How are you doing...ready for Jesus Birthday???

Julie

Plaids revisited....

HI Y'all! Remember the plaid quilt I was last working on before the Mystery Madness started in on me? I did not forget you, dear plaids...here is where I am at. I loved working on this quilt...I strayed pretty far from the original pattern, of which I only had a picture anyway. Since the sashing is an odd size, the pieced borders top and bottom did not fit...so I put in a tiny spacer on the ends. I like it!
Do you see the red 1/2 square triangle, one in each corner? There are my husband's pajamas again! I have used that fabric in several projects so far. Hee!! Gotta use what you have, right?


Have a wonderful day, everyone!!


Julie

More stuff!

Above are my blocks for the Make Do Memories quilt challenge. Lyn, my friend in Australia, is saving these vintage blocks...several of her friends have been challenged to make a wall quilt by next spring...Fun! And so pretty.
Above is my finished block...well, it is Pat's finished block for her Sylvia's Bridal Sampler quilt! She is gracious enough to help me with a hard block, so I did one for her. I like the way it turned out, and I have one identical for my SBS.
Can you say Mystery Quilt, please? Here is part two, all ready...Bonnie Hunter's mystery from Quiltville.
There is a story behind this postcard...I nearly lost it/tossed it! I was going through the stack of junk mail, and in between the pages of a circular was this lovely postcard. It is from Darcie at www.quiltingbydarcie.blogspot.com This is example of her amazing longarm quilting...I love it, and it is up on my bulletin board for all to admire. Thank you so much, Darcie!
And more goodies! Above is a gift, an early Christmas present from Lyn, of www.bluebirdquilts-lyn.blogspot.com. I love it and it reminds so much of the Amish dolls I have seen. Thank you Lyn! She sells the pattern for this...her own design.
Lyn also sent this vintage sewing kit, it is just wonderful. Awesome!

Can you say snow?
Look at what we got this morning!! A skiff of snow, gone in minutes, but very pretty to see swirling down.
The first of two dog quilts ordered up for Christmas for my grand-dogs...hope they like them! :)
And working on part three of Bonnie's mystery!


Whewww!!! And we are supposed to travel this week...we shall see!


Have a terrific day, everyone!


Julie

A real day off!!

Hi Everyone!!!

Are you doing Bonnie's new mystery quilt? www.quiltville.com. Above are my green 1/2 square triangles for the first step. It is so much fun! I used about everything but the kitchen sink!
I had pumpkins for Halloween/thanksgiving...and they were still good, and they were pie pumpkins! So I peeled them and took all the seeds out and cooked the pumpkin, and will use it in bread and pies. Yum! Makes me feel thrifty!!
Another part of the mystery...my gold/neutral selections.
This is my new faucet! Pardon the water spots...but this is a big deal. My shower broke! The little pull lever pulled out of the old faucet and was totally broken, so I could only take baths...only for a day or two. But I am so grateful for my new one! Great job, dear husband!!


Gratitude's:

Family
Electric lights.
My washer and dryer
Clean sheets, and the fresh smell...and the sense of smell, period!
You, dear friends!!!



Have a fantastic day!!

Julie

An antique...no, not me!

HI Y'all!! Hope everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving had a wonderful one. I have been cooking and cleaning, no quilting so far, but a lot of scheming and thinking about quilts! Above is an antique quilt top I bought at the Dallas Quilt show. It was in a pile of tops, being shoved around...I had to rescue it. The tag said from 1860's. Please tell me...what do you think? Do you really think it could possibly be that old?
Double pinks, just like our current day reproductions.
A maverick block!!
and another maverick
Most of the blocks are pink, like this one. Does anyone know the name of this block?
Maverick!
All hand pieced...someone took lots of time with this! Wonderful if she had electric lights...hmmm, how fortunate we are!

Hope you enjoyed seeing my little old quilt top, and if you can tell me any information, I would so appreciate you!! Or if you like it..shout out!!



Have a super day,

Julie

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Just wanted to wish you a wonderful, blessed Thanksgiving day!! May you have peace and plenty.

Sincerely, Julie

Plaids stars!!

I took the majority opinion and laid out the quilt this way. This is about 1/2 of the center put together. Do you like the plaid sashing? At least it is not my dear husband's pajamas...I have been known to snatch them up and use them, as some of you know, LOL! No new fabric here, all this is from the little stash. Some of the fabric is 20 years old.

And how do you like this quilt? Hee, same one of course. I have determined to make another plaid quilt, as the book suggested, not my free form ideas...I just get sidetracked sometimes!!

*****************Nursing notes*****************************

I had a patient, may I call her Mrs B...she has had bypass surgery before, and many stents (9), and just has chronic angina now. She came in with chest pain and was to have another heart bypass surgery...but she did not have any veins left in her legs to use to bypass the clogged arteries in her heart. Sooooo...the surgeon told her she has very few options left...and that the cardiologist would have to place more stents. The poor cardiologist...she has such tiny vessels in her heart, he was worried to death, and said he could not sleep worrying about whether he could do it or not...well, he must have done great!! She is all better and went home today. She is an early widow, has three children who have not left her side, and they are such a blessing to me. She was just worried about getting home to cook Thanksgiving dinner for them all!!! What a sweetheart.

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

Hope all is well...and that you are doing great today!!!

Julie

Christmas Stitchery

A bit off, this picture...but my stitchery is completed. I plan to frame this piece. The pattern is a free one, and a wonderful one...and you may find it at First Friday Freebees at http://www.thepaintedquilt.blogspot.com/. Please thank Kaaren, the talented designer there...I sure do!



Have a wonderful week,





Julie

Post Number Two

Second post...then I just have to rake some leaves!! Above is a layout for a plaid quilt I have had cut out for about a year and 1/2. I guess today is the day to catalog all the UFO's and decide where to head with them. I like the above! But...

The quilt is supposed to look like this, above. All the blocks are cut out.

And here is the book version of the block layout with the alternate block. Of course, I only have a few made and the colors would not be right next to each other in the final versio. May I ask, which do you like better? Or neither?

Thanks, Julie

Yesteryear? Not so long ago!

Hi Friends!

Before I was a quilter, I was a cross-stitcher...and before that, I was a garment maker. I have done tailoring....but all that is over, because I am now a quilter!! I have been cleaning out the garage, and I found the partially done cross stitch kitty face above. I think she is pretty! I unfortunately do not have the instruction/chart to finish her. I have no idea where the instructions went to, but I think I lent them to someone long ago.

Did you ever darn socks? I know I am dating myself, but my mother and I used to darn socks. Above is one of her darning "eggs", and she had real egg shapes too. I am glad I don't have to do that anymore!

A cross stitch clock I made, in my favorite colors of the tme.

And remember 1930's prints? Before I discovered 1800's reproduction fabrics, these were a favorite. I wanted to make a very traditional pattern from these very traditional prints. A few of the fabrics are real fabrics from the 1930's, from my grandmother's quilt scraps. I have all the dresden plates made, just need to applique them on the backgrounds, trim them, and sew them together. Someday I will get to this project! (I found them Karen!)

More traditional stuff...I have nine of these blocks prepped and ready to finish, with sashing all ready.

Have a super day!!!

Julie

Celebrate, Celebrate, dance to the music!!

Hi Friends!! Have you ever...well, often, had some moments of just pure happiness? Well, that is where I am right now...a rare moment of peace, tranquility and satisfaction. Why? Because I finished all the frog-stitching on the hour glass/nine patch friendship quilt! Yippee! And I finished my ACLS class this morning (a required advanced life support class for nurses), and got 100% on my test. AND...above! I got home this afternoon and put together the latest string thing! I just love it, love it. I learned that muddy and clear colors look best...not together. I picked ,as well as I could, only clear bright colors from the string bin for this quilt. It just makes me happy to see it...I feel like I have been given a gift!! By the way, I still have a huge bin of strings. Just goes to show you, the strings make wild whoopy in the string box!! and multiply!
I made a mistake in the layout...and am going to leave it. I like it.

Thanks for listening to my blather...

By the way, the Gypsy girl has gone home, fixed up just fine...and is doing well.

Julie

Frustration...brought on by no one but little 'ol me!

HI Y'all!! Above is my finished top of Gail Pan's Christmas embroidery...of course, I had to be a little different...so I added the flying geese border. Acceptable? I am pleased with how it turned out, and of course learned some things along the way. I am hand quilting this one with big stitch techniques.

Our entrance for the kiddos for Halloween.

A little smiling face to greet people in the window...we have had this decoration for a long, long time.

And last but not least is dear husband's pumpkin carving...pretty cool, huh?

And now for the FRUSTRATION!!!! You know what I did? I spent most of today, my only day off this week, trying to machine quilt my nine patch friendship quilt. And made a MAJOR mess of it! Tucks, etc, stretched, it just looks horrible. I would just throw it in the garbage, but my friends precious blocks are in that quilt, and they are important to me. So, I have hours of frog-stitching ahead of me...sigh...I really thought it would be OK, but I got just so far and really could not stand for the workmanship to be that poor...and I am NOT the quilt police by a long shot!! Have you ever done this?

Have a super day!!!

Julie

Happy Halloween!!! How about some pumpkin cheesecake with a yummy chocolate spider web on top? Dear husband decorated this cheesecake and took it to work...and I helped by eating the leftover chocolate. Am I not a good wife?

He also got some cute, cute baby pumpkins so I could decorate our dining room table. I have had the Indian corn for many years, I still think it is so pretty.

And Pumpkin-cranberry muffins too! Yum!!

I love Halloween for one thing...all the kiddos who come to the house for treats. I just love seeing the costumes and the precious little ones running around...fun!!

**************************Nursing Notes*************************************

The Gypsy princess:

I had a tiny little lady for my patient, last day I worked at the hospital, young, drop-dead gorgeous with hip length dark hair and lovely brown eyes. She reminded me so much of the beautiful gypsy girls I had read about as a girl. This little gypsy, however, was very sick, on the vent, when she came in her body temp. was 93.0 F. She had been down for a long time. Blood sugar 1200 (normal is 80-120). Diabetes run amok. She is getting better, but she just strikes me so...a darling gypsy in our midst. As she is on the vent, I braided all that lovely hair, so it won't be too big a mess for her when she wakes up. She will be all better soon...

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

Have a great day,

Julie