Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Mystery quilt progress

 Here is where I am on Bonnie from Quiltville's mystery Quilt, Allietare.  Step one, step two, step three, step four, and a few of step five are done.  I started sewing step five together backwards, so I am taking a wee break, LOL!!





http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2015/12/mystery-monday-link-up-part-5.html


This is the link up for all the latest progress from the mystery quilters!!

 Above are my pieces and parts, before I started step five.


 This step took me 6+ hours...I am a slow poke these days!!


Did your mom ever make you Silver dollar pancakes as a kid?  They were so special to us...I made some this week, just for us.  They reminded me of my mom!!






Have a great day, everyone!!


Julie

Sunday, December 27, 2015

A Free quilt along...a little behind-ish!!

 Lisa of Primitive Gatherings participated in a Quilt along for Christmas...although my blocks are not stitched down yet, I have been trying to catch up with prep work. Above is a cute Santa fellow...I like his beard!!
 Here are all the blocks so far.  Lots of work yet to go!!
 This crooked little block is one that I changed up, so it is uniquely mine.
 Hey, Santa Claus came!!  And he brought me this lovely sewing chair!!
I love the storage in the seat...it seems the perfect place to keep threads.



Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas celebration!!  I am working on two mystery quilts today...stay tuned!!


Julie

Friday, December 25, 2015

Christmas quilts!

 I made this quilt when it was offered as a free quilt-along, by Gail Pan.  I loved making it, and enjoy it each Christmas.  Thank you, Gail!!
 Marcie Patch!!  She also had a fun quilt along, and I made this quilt...twice!  Additionally, she has a new free pattern, for a smaller version.  I love it too!!  Thank you, Marcie!!
Embroidery close up, and hand quilting.  I hand quilted both of these quilts.



Hope you had a fantastic Christmas day!!

Julie

Merry Christmas!!

Yep, it's still like this for some of us blessed enough to live in the country, on a farm.:


Merry Christmas to everyone!!  You make my life so much fuller, and I wish each of you an amazing day!!!

Friday, December 18, 2015

Binding!!

I have been working on binding this quilt for December...and I needed to pick a winner for the binding blitz for November!!  So...Nancy!!!  Would you please send me your snail mail, and your gift will be on the way for you.

Nancy blogs HERE:

http://joyforgrace.blogspot.com/2015/11/1-november-finish-for-lovely-year-of.html


You will love your visit to her lovely blog...I visit all the time and love it!




Have a great day, everyone!!


Julie

Wednesday, December 9, 2015

It was a squeaker!!

 A celebration is in order!!  I finished the "Ocean" quilt top!!  I already had the sashing cut, in the 1.5 inch box, so that is what I used.  The border is just muslin, but it reminds me of the beach...and I did not have to go buy any new fabric.  So there!!  I am using up stash, and feel quite smug about that, LOL!
 The photo just does not show the vibrancy of the colors inside...
 This quilt needs to live in a beach house somewhere!!  I think there are a zillion little 2.5 inch wide strings, and some as narrow as an eighth of an inch...each one sewn to the next, rather mindlessly, as I listened to music or the TV.
I have saved this particular color of strings, (read hoarded them) for years.  I just love this color, or the feeling that this color imparts...the color of the ocean for me.  In my memory, this is what the ocean looked like...a million different colors.  Not quite blue, and not quite green, and some sea foam mixed in there too.

Above is all I have left...very little variety...it was a squeaker to get the blocks all made and still maintain some variety in the blocks.




I may be reckless and throw this handful away!!!  Perish the thought!!!



Have a great day, everyone!!




Julie

Monday, December 7, 2015

Turning Twenty Monday!! (Seeing Stars Mystery Quilt)...and the Quiltville mystery quilt too!!!

 Here is Step two of the Quiltville mystery quilt...all done!  A variety of reds, and a variety of backgrounds too...the quilt stepped up and told my scrappy backgrounds would be just the thing!  (What?  Your quilts don't talk to you?  How strange!)  Hee!!!


Please see the LINK to Bonnie's link-up here!!


http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2015/12/allietare-mystery-monday-link-up-part-2.html



 And of course I kept all the cast off triangles, and will create something from them.  Just playing, see above!!
 Here is Block Eleven for Tricia of Turning Twenty's mystery quilt! I love this one too...please see Tricia's websites below!  It will great fun to see how it all turns out!




See the Turning Twenty blog here!!!



See the Turning Twenty website here!!!!


See Tricia's face book page here!!!


This is part of the Seeing Stars Mystery Quiltalong!!











 Audrey of Quilty Folk is having a quilt along with circles, and I am in hot lust over her project....but the hearts are kind of winning out, just by a nose!  So here are my circles(hearts) for the week.  I plan to use every pink and every red I have, and kind of make a color wash sort of arrangement...so that is how it is going on in my little brain.  BUT!!  I reserve the right to start in on that circle quilt at ANY MOMENT!!
 I got to go by a cotton field lately...and I hopped out and grabbed a couple cotton bolls.  I think it is fascinating to think of going from this raw cotton to the lovely fabrics we love to play with.  The farmer in me just loves it!!
And this little fellow wanted to be sure and show his best features...handsome indeed!!  I showed him last post...but I really like him, so here he is again.







Have a great day, each of you!!


Julie

Saturday, December 5, 2015

Falling leaves!!

 This is AFTER we raked today!!  The leaves were swirling down so fast...we got 18 huge bags of leaves picked up and when we looked behind us...the leaves were thick on the lawn again!  Well, there is always next weekend...
 Acorns!!  Tons of them, all over!!  We have over 60 inches of rain so far this year, and the oak trees are loving it, and have responded by producing acorns by the millions!
And a sweet companion, in and out of the sun, on the porch...





Hey, did you do any bindings for the binding blitz???  Please link up below for November!!  This is the last one for this year, as December will pass me by in a whirl...let's think of something fun to do for next year!!



Julie



   

    An InLinkz Link-up
   


Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Making progress on the Ocean quilt!

 Here is where  I am on the "Ocean quilt".  All those little pieces, some as small as 1/4 inch, sewn together one by one...Loving it!!
Closer...


The sashing is some that I had had cut out for a long time, so nothing new there, and I am using up stash.  Win/win!!


Have you ever seen the ocean?? I have only seen it a small handful of times. When I was a little girl, I longed to see it...and when at last I got to see the ocean, I thought it would be a flat blue...but no!!  It is hundreds of colors, from deepest indigo, to aqua, to foamy light colors.  I stared and loved it as long as my parents would allow, on that long ago trip.  When I see this quilt, it just reminds me of those colors I loved so long again, in my beloved ocean.


Now this is not what this quilt began as...I just love the color dusty aqua...but somehow greens, blues and brights all crept into this particularly loved basket of saved and cherished strings.  The combination is so calming to me, and I love it!!


This is based on a scrap quilt by Audrey, at Quilty Folk!!  Thank you dear Audrey!


Never saw a string I didn't like, LOL!!!


Have a great day,


Julie

Keeping up with the mystery!!

 As you probably know, Bonnie Hunter from Quiltville has a mystery going on!!  I have finished the first clue, above.  296 half square triangles of grey and neutral.  TADA!!  That was fun!!  Actually there are close to 350 there...so I have extras for my yearly "leftovers from the mystery" little quilt!
I am making progress on the Ocean quilt, inspired by Quilty Folk (Audrey!)  She made the most amazing scrappy quilt, and I have been saving these strings for a long time...time to GETERDUN!!   With her gracious permission, I am making a quilt like hers...and yet very unlike hers, too.   I am loving this so far, but it does not photograph well...needs some natural light for those pretty colors to shine through.





Have a great day, one and all!  I am linking up to Quiltville, with all the other zillion people making the mystery quilt!!


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...