Friday, May 30, 2014

LIttle pieces of this and that


 Well, I have 63 of these blocks cut out.  I started piecing them...and stopped, as is often what I do.  They are alternate blocks for an unimagined quilt.  So it is hard to stay with them, until I know what quilt they will be in!
 A dear friend sent me some scraps, asking if she should just throw them away, or send them to me.  SEND THEM TO ME!  I replied!  Above are a few of them, pieces that she had cut some blocks from, about 3 inches wide...hmmmmm what to do with them??
 Dream...and then cut!  See my ancient kitchen counters??
 The slivers that are left...
 A tiny mug rug, quite modern for me, out of the littlest 1 inch strings.
And tada!!  Baskets!!  See the pieces in the second picture...they have been cut into the body of baskets.  3.25 inch unfinished...can't help the strange measurements...that is what they were, LOL!  So I have 6 more cut out, and will sew them up soon.  Thank you to Mary at Quilt Hollow!!  See her blog HERE.



I love scraps!!!



Have a great weekend...

Julie

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

Lisa Bongean's tenth anniversary quilt along!

 Happy Wednesday!!  Off work today...laundry, vacuuming, dusting, cooking, cleaning...those are the words of the day. Except...for prepping this block! This is Lisa Bongean's block, of Primitive Gatherings; the first block in her quilt along.  She is celebrating the tenth anniversary of being in business, so she is doing a free quilt along to celebrate.  Her store also sells fabric and wools if you want to go that route.  I am using scraps.
So here is the block...it has tiny pieces!!  Those are normal size scissors next to it.  The block is on an 8 inch background, so I imagine it will be 6 inches finished.  Pretty tiny, huh??

You can see Lisa's post and get the free pattern HERE.


Hope all you have a great day!!

Julie

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Slow Stitching!

 One lady likes purple...one lady likes brights!
 One lady likes orange...one lady likes blue.  So, here are some gifts for these ladies!!  Mug rugs...hand quilted and bound, ready to give to these ladies at the next quilt guild meeting.  I hope they like them!
Year before last, I received a plant from my son and DIL, for Mother's day.  I planted it, and it comes back bigger each year!  Thank you guys for a wonderful gift!




************************Thank you!************************

Thank you for all your wisdom and insight about the quilt in my last post. Especially you long arm quilting ladies, I really appreciated your knowledge and kind comments.  After all, it is just a quilt...not life or death...not hospitalization or tragedy.  I appreciate you!!


Have a super great day!!

Julie


Sunday, May 25, 2014

Saturday

I decided to try out a local long arm quilter with this little quilt.  It is hand blanket stitched, 3 inch tulip blocks.  I took it to her in February, and got it back yesterday.  I bound it last night, and it will be a good little quilt for spring.
Please give me your opinion if you have a moment...does this look like custom quilting to you?  What does that term mean to you expert quilters....?  The quilting lines go on and off the blocks, and on and off the applique, and are fairly crooked, but are just straight lines, like a domestic machine could make.  Just looking for a little insight here.  Thank you for your wisdom!


I hope each of you has a great day!!

Julie

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

More progress...

 Well, I am to right here.  All the blocks are sewn into rows, and all the vines are in place...but I need lots more leaves!!  Lots and lots....  I am just sewing rows, because when I have time to hand applique, that is when I can just  pick up a row and go.  Pretty portable, much more so than a whole section, and much easier to applique, being a small piece.
I will work on more leaves when I have time this week...if I have time!!  The hospital has called me to work every day...and I am going, because summer is coming, and that is historically a slow time for us.  Makin' hay while the sun shines!!


These blocks are all the design of Lisa Bongean, of Primitive Gatherings.  Some years ago, she designed a quilt with nine patches and flower blocks, all 3 inches finished.  I just enlarged the blocks to 6 inches, and designed my own setting for this new quilt.  So thank you to Lisa!!  I loved purchasing and making her first quilt, which was a block of the week, and now am making another!!  I did design a few blocks myself too, just to fill in where I was missing a few...I think four blocks are my own design.  I looked at the Primitive Gatherings website, and the pattern is still available HERE.   I drooled a little at all the other quilts on the website too!!

I hope each of you has a wonderful day!!

Julie

Sunday, May 18, 2014

Slow Stitchin' Sunday!

Slow stitchin' here!!   I finished these blocks I think in January...and they have been sitting there looking at me, and I at them.  I had no idea how to set them together.  I tried to set them together with my 6 inch nine patch blocks...nope!  It made the whole quilt dark.  Then...I tried alternate pieced blocks...nope!!  Lost the flowers in that design.  Then 1/2 square triangles...and that is all I saw!!  So...I took my time and just asked my self...what do you want the quilt to look like??  Airy!!  and light...with no heavy piecing.  So...I designed this border and corner stone setting.
Lots of prep time here!!  And lots of applique...but I am liking it!!  Lord of the rings, in the land of the Elves...kind of viney like that!!


So....what are you working on?  And are you going to do the Primitive Gatherings block of the week for summer??  Linda O. and I have been discussing it back and forth...and I think I am going for it!!!


Hope you have a wonderful Sunday, and find time for slow stitching!!


Julie

Monday, May 12, 2014

UFO's again...

I was working on these blocks last year, and ran out of steam.  Sometimes a little break from a project is just what a quilter needs!!  I have sewn all these blocks together, and they are mostly finished with the applique.
The remaining blocks were prepped last night...an insomnia night.  So I made good progress, and these blocks are now ready to applique and border!!  The borders are all cut and ready to go, after the blocks are finished.  So another UFO is finally progressing...yippee!!This is a Piece Of Cake design, and I got it at our local quilt shop; the Cabbage Rose.


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


What in the world??  Ladies and gents, why in the world can I not sleep more than 3-4 hours a night!!  I really dislike it...I feel yucky and tired, but the world goes on and I must keep on working at the job and at the house...so tell me what you do for this!!!  I really don't want drugs...any ideas or solutions...and have you ever had this? It is getting pretty dang old!!!  Although I make great progress on my quilting, LOL!!!


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Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Focusing on Unfinished Objects!


The Easter Egg quilt top is done!! Yippee!!   I just really need to concentrate on getting the blocks I already have sewn into finished quilt tops.  I have a backing...and a binding...and a plan!!    Thank you to every single person in my life who has ever given me a scrap of any kind...if it was Easter egg colored, it went into this quilt.  Thank you to Bonnie Hunter, who provides tons of free patterns on her website too.  So onward!!

I have a couple quilts with the blocks already made that are next up.  How are you doing on your sewing and quilting today??


**************************Nurse's Notes**********************

Just musing...skip if you are just here for quilting stuff...


The golden oldies...patients 90 years of age and above.  My favorites of all!!  I just love to talk to these patients and do as much for them as I can.  Lately, we have had people almost this age who have  undergone cardiac bypass surgery.  They are delicate to care for...physical handling, but medication titration as well.  Slow and easy, and watch for changes carefully!  Watch for confusion, and reorient often...watch kidney and lung function carefully too! I truly love what I do as a CCU nurse!


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Have a great day,

Julie

Monday, May 5, 2014

A UFO is a Flimsy!!

 Happy Monday!  Above are the plaid blocks I made about a year ago...in one piece!  Every piece of fabric in this quilt top is a plaid...except the muslin zig-zags.  I am so happy to get it all in one piece!!
Another view...and NOW I have to vacuum...lots of little threads with wovens, LOL!!!


Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Friday, May 2, 2014

A series!

Ok then...the last (maybe) of this quilt pattern.  This is with four inch blocks.  Reds, or almost reds.  The melons are applique, needle turned.  Not done yet...but I sewed the blocks all together anyway!  A little doll quilt is born!!


Have a great weekend, everyone!!

Julie

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Circular thinking

This is the very same block as the scrappy blocks in last post, except in a different arrangement and the colors are alternating.  I love this pattern!!  I have about 1/2 of the blocks done for this quilt, and am proud to say I used up the whole stack of fat quarter that were packaged together!!  I cut the binding out of these fabrics too...so hurrah!!
Here are the other blocks, all cut out and just waiting for their turn under the sewing machine needle.
I also finished the rest of the melons for the blocks in the last post, and here they are, and THEY need hand stitching of the melons down. so I have no lack of hand work to do, for quite a while.

You may know this, but I get a little obsessed about a new pattern, as this one is new to me. SO...I have a smaller quilt planned too.  I love having scraps to play with!!  and days off....and I have not heard a peep out of the hospital calling me to come to work, as they usually do!!  Wow...makes me wonder what is going on up there!!?




******************************Exercise**************************

I have been walking and running as I can with the plantar ligament inflammation this past two days off.  I have lost three pounds.  It is NOT due to the running, but I think it does have to do with cortisol.  I just get pretty nervous at times, at work, due to serious nature of what I do.  And when I get nervous, not only do I eat sugar, but those stress hormones cause a person to gain water weight, in my opinion...because I could not have lost three pounds in two days without any diet change.  Well, not eating the sugar I guess is a diet change...but I am still eating meals and not trying particularly hard to diet.  I think for me, as I have said before...sugar is the enemy.  I just feel terribly tired and yucky after I eat it!!  So I am again trying not to!



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The raccoon mother is crooning to her babies in the chimney.  She purrs them to sleep, and you can hear them sucking up their dinner...they are our guests, not invited, but not evicted either, until the babies are out on their own.  We saw footprints on the patio last spring, baby little raccoon feet. The squirrels are also having babies too...and the robins are nesting now. A mourning dove has taken up residence in the live oak out back too...and I saw that she now has a husband too.  So we have life and babies all around us here.  I enjoy each family!



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...