Wednesday, January 30, 2013

A day off!!

 Good morning to everyone!!  I have worked the last six days in a row...there at the hospital at least 13-14 hours each day.  Our charge nurse abruptly quit...so I have been in charge.  I can do it just fine, but it takes me away from the patients...the nurses become my patients, and I love taking care of patients more!  Oh well, maybe this is temporary.  Above is a crumby flying geese block!  This is just the most fun, mindless sewing in the world...someone wanted a tutorial, so I will try to explain how I do this...I know that lots of you know how, so bear with me!!
 This all started because of the quilt crumbs...tiny pieces of fabric that I saved, not big enough for strings, etc.  Like quilter's candy!!  Little sweet pieces!
 I take any light fabric for a foundation...I used an old, thin piece of fabric, and cut it a little bigger than 6.5 x 3.5 inches.  You can make any size geese you want!!  I usually use muslin, and lots of people use phone book paper, but I just can't stand taking out the paper, so I use fabric foundations.
 I then start filling the foundation with fabric little pieces...some small strings, triangles, parts of old blocks, just anything I have in the basket.  This is fun!  Freewheeling and anything goes!!  Just fill the space, flipping and sewing.  Have your music on, toes tapping, or a fun movie to watch!!
 TA DA!  A block filled...then I go and trim, after shooting it with starch and pressing it...SQUOOSH!!
 All trimmed up, 6.5 x 3.5 inches.   The trimmings?  I use the biggest pieces again for more crumb blocks!  The tiniest ones end up as fillings for other projects, or hot pads...very little fabric hits the trash can at my house!
 Then a corner connector triangle, 3.5 square...sewing diagonally...
 Of course I make two seams, so I can have those extra triangles for blocks and borders!!
I have a lot of them so far....


OK, so sew on the other triangle to finish your goose, sew three of them together, then I added the sides of the blocks, 9.5 x 2 inch strips to make a 9.5 inch unfinished block.  TA DA!!  I used up some tiny pieces...and had fun doing it!!  Let yourself go...no matchy-matchy fabrics, no fuss or worry...just fun sewing!!


Have  a great day, all!!!

Julie

Monday, January 21, 2013

progress for today

 Good afternoon...weird to be posting twice in one day!  I have made this much progress on Easy Street...all the corner and side pieces are done, and five of the blocks.  Only twenty more blocks to go, and I will be putting this one together!!
 But....I get side tracked!!  I have tiny pieces, crumbs of cloth really...and I am making scrappy geese with these pieces.  Bonnie is making string geese, but these pieces are really too small to be strings, so I am making geese of a different color, so to speak!!  With the string borders, each block is nine inches finished.
And the plaids always, always call to me...I have been hoarding every plaid string I can find...and it is time to use them!!  So this quilt is coming into being too.  Doesn't look like much now, but just wait!!  Those plaids will sing when they are done!!!


So...what fabrics are you hoarding?!  I challenge to use your favorites!!  What are we waiting for??


Have a super great day, all!!

Julie

Working On Easy Street!

I have working on the Quiltville mystery, Easy Street.  I have three of the large blocks completed, and all of the corners and side triangles finished.  I am on a roll!!  So hopefully I can make some real progress, really soon. 

I love that a few flowers flourish in this cold weather...always a spot of pretty color, somewhere!!  Reminds of the purple in the Easy Street quilt...



Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Friday, January 18, 2013

Barrister's blocks!

Well!! I got the barrister's blocks all together now!!!  That sashing took a bit more piecing than I remembered, whew!!  What a wonderfully fun project Randy made for all of us, and I am so glad this is one piece. The border looks gray in the picture, but it is really darker, and I like that it fades into the background a little bit.   Rosie the poodle will not pose for me today, I think the flash is quite bright for her eyes. 


What now?  On with the Quiltville Mystery Quilt finale!!!


Hope you all have a super great day!!

Julie

Monday, January 14, 2013

Progress!

 Well, I am about half way finished putting the Barrister's blocks together. I like black with colors...somehow the black makes the colors seem brighter.  I got a border fabric!!  Actually purchased it!!
 A simple applique block to blanket stitch...
And scraps!!!  Mary of Quilt Hollow chose to gift some of her scraps to me...I love them!!  Thank you so much, Mary!!


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

I was in charge yesterday at the hospital, and something I do is round and speak to each patient, just to make sure all is going well for each patient.  We had 33 patients on the floor yesterday.  So very many of them stick out in my mind...

  • 88 years old, this feisty lady had a small MI, but has pneumonia on top of that.  She greeted me with "I am not senile!".  Of course she wasn't...she lives on her own and was right on top of everything!!  She told me she had never married, because she did not want to give up her personality to "some man"...or wait on him!  So she has been a career lady all her life...she was so fun to talk to!!  No sweet little old lady here...she was a force to be reckoned with!!
  • 97 years old!!  A darling man, who grew up and met his wife in the depression and married in the ninth grade.  He walked at that time from Austin to Fort Worth to find a job at "Monky Ward"...do you remember that name?  He too lives on his own, drives, and just does fine...he was a very nice fella...he said the only thing wrong with him is that he was old!!  He had never once been to a doctor before his current admission to the hospital...
  • 71 years old...cancer.  Angry!  But somehow, a little accepting that the years of smoking finally got to him...poor guy!!
  • A truck driver, just headin' through...until he had a PE!!  Worried about his load in his truck...

Each patient has a story, and I love to hear them.   So, that was just a tiny part of rounds yesterday...I love the patient interaction more than anything.  The administrative headaches?  You can have them!!



Have a great day, all!!

Julie

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Done with the six inch Barrister's blocks!

 Alrighty then!!  I am done with the Barrister's blocks...somehow I skipped a few, and did two of some...but here it is, folks!!  It was such great fun to do all these blocks throughout 2012.  A big thank you to Randy...please see her blog here!!  I know this was a lot of hard work to pull this all together, so good for you, Randy!
I am eliminating the purple block on the bottom row...too purple! I may eliminate the blue and red/tan one too.   The next four blocks on the bottom row may be a table runner.  But this one above?  I don't know what I did, but it is a full inch bigger than the rest of the blocks!!  It is my very favorite!  I guess I did some "creative" piecing and cutting with it, LOL!!!

Next up are nine patch cornerstones and sashing pieces.  I have most of that part done...so next day off, that will be my mission!

**********The Lizard Whisperer...a nonsensical tale!****************************


I received a hurry-up call from my husband...big rains were on the way, and would I please scoot out and cover up his car that he is working on, so the inside would not get wet?  Of course I would...so I got the cover from the shed, and unrolled it...and a little three inch long Texas gecko rolled out into the middle of the cover.  Now it is dang cold here, so the little buddy was pretty lethargic and a little upset about being awakened from his long winter's nap...I put my hand over him, and warmed him.  He perked up right away!  I then "commanded" him to get on my hand, and low and behold...he did!  I took him carefully over to the shed and put him back inside and instructed him to find another warm place to sleep.  These little buddies eat a lot of bugs, so I like them.  As far as the coincidence of him getting on my hand...I bet he enjoyed the warmth, LOL!!  Thus ends the tale!

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


Have a great day!!

Julie

Monday, January 7, 2013

I am off from work! Whooppp!!

 Good Morning!!  I am off at last from work...a day home to sew and catch up...I am so grateful!  In addition, I slept 6 hours last night...SIX!!  That does not seem like a big deal...but believe me, it is.  I have not slept that much in a row for months.  Insomnia is total yuckyness.  So, I thought I would show you my Barrister's blocks...I just completed 5 more this morning, and also cut out all the rest, in the basket below.  Yahoo!!
 The bright pink pieces of paper tell me what date and block it is...hopefully I can get these all together soon, and put them all together.  Thank you, Randy!!  I so appreciate your effort and time in creating these patterns.  Hey, this basket was headed for the garbage...it is about 30 years old, and was so dirty and dusty!  I put it in the dishwasher...turned out just great!!
This month is PINK month!!  The Rainbow challenge is fun...use the prescribed color each month in something!  I want to make baskets in a rainbow of colors, and here are my first ones.  They are tiny ones, folks...2.5 inches finished.  I like 'em!!


Hope each of you are having a good day, and that you can finish all your must do items and have time to sew!!



Julie

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Nope! That's not going to cut it!!

NOPE!!  I don't like it...back to the drawing board for that idea in my last post...seems like my imagination and the original quilt have no connection whatsoever, LOL!!!

Have a great day!

Julie

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Strings!



Well, I am off on a tangent!!  I saw a really pretty quilt at church the other day, and it was pieced something like this.   Now why the quilt was on the stage at church was beyond me, but there were a whole bunch of vintage and antique quilts up there, so after the service, I just had to take a look.   There were strings pieced with quarter square plain pieces.  It was so pretty!  I am experimenting to see if I can make something like it.  The little round four patches are leftovers, so I just tossed them in the mix.  Nothing is actually sewn down, as far as the applique...I elected not to piece the blocks.  So we shall see where this one heads off to!


Hope you are having a really great day today!!

Julie

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Working on it!!

Hi Y'all!!  I have been working at the hospital, but could not resist taking a moment to put one of these blocks together, for the Quiltville Mystery quilt, "Easy Street".  I love that the block looks like a cross...pretty!!  I am using pink instead of lime greens, mainly because I did not have lime greens, and did have some pinks!  I am really trying to use up what I have in the stash.  I love this mystery, it is such great fun, and all the pieces fit together just like...they were meant to be together, LOL!!


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


Are you addicted to something sweet?  I suspect a lot of people in America are, and  I am!!  I am totally addicted to sugars, and carbs...but lets not mention quilting and fabrics,   LOL!!  About the first week of December, I was feeling so ridiculously tired, and just knew I had to make a real change in my diet for the better, and not wait for the New Year for a resolution.  Since then, I have been eating lean protein and veggies, and some fruits too.  I feel so much better!!  It is hard when I am stressed or busy not to grab those Cheetos, or chips, or a candy bar from the oh so present vending machine at the hospital...but it is so worth it. I have lost 10 pounds, and not deprived myself of food...just changed what I was eating.  So that is what is going on with my resolution...kind of a non resolution resolution...a life style change for the better. 


Have a great day, all!!

Julie

Hexies, rainbow quilts and plaids!

Good morning to all!!!  Above is a hexagon, for English paper piecing.  My kitten Lucky has discovered them, and decided that they are great...