Monday, July 31, 2017

Utterly Spoiled...such fun!

 I am the recipient of some birthday gifts, a little early!  My friend Lyn, from Australia, MADE this baby doll!  Isn't she cute?  She is a nurse, with a little nursing cap perched on her darling head!  It looks so professionally made...and so dear to me.  What a darling baby doll!!
 Lyn also made a Poodle quilt!!  It is made from the most darling poodle fabrics, and if you zoom in, you can see them.  Precious!
 And there is even more!  A whole box of such fun things...thank you, Lyn, thank you!


Please see her blog here:

http://oldburycottage.blogspot.com/



 My friend Tricia sent some really fun patterns from magazines. Love them!! Especially the Prickly Pear one...it is right up my alley.   Thank you so much, Tricia!  Please see her website here:


http://www.turningtwenty.com/

 I ordered a pattern for the Timeless Traditions pattern, Sweet and Simple.  It is a lovely applique quilt.  I received two books, though!!  So I will check and see what I was charged for, and return one if I did not get charged for it...such a fun pattern.
And this little block has an inner border, and of course, I am stuck on the outer border. Seems like a repeat of the border dilemma I usually have, LOL!!




Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Sunday, July 30, 2017

Slow stitching Sunday

 I have been slowly hand quilting this quilt.  It was a online quilt along by Jeni Gaston. It just makes me happy to stitch on it, because look at the fun blocks Jeni designed!  An eagle, for our country!  A heart...love that!  A pineapple, for welcome!  Bees!  For our future...to pollinate our food.  Flowers are my favorite thing, too.  It is just super fun to work on.  It is also very crooked.  Some of it is quilting out, and I sure hope more crookedness quilts out too!  I have no idea why it is, but the background is very stretchy Madras fabric, so perhaps that is the culprit.  I do like that texture, from a different fabric...just something different and hey, it was in the stash and is all used up now, so I win!  Hahaha!!
 This is our quilt guild's donation quilt for 2018.  It is a very pretty thing, but the picture really does not show it well.
 I was asked to hand stitch the binding down, so I am working on that.  I also donated fabrics to this one.





I hope each of you is having a wonderful weekend!!


Hugs from Julie

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

Making a WEE bit of progress!!

 Since the last bin I emptied had these blocks in it, and there were four of each block,
 I set the four nine patches of each fabric like this.  So?  I am now deciding on a sashing of some kind.  The yellow, I think, (I hope) makes the blocks a bit more cheery!!

Does anyone want these twenty blocks?  They are from another bin.  Just say the word, and I will have a drawing for these, too.  Lyn won the last quilt top, so it will be on it's way to her.


When I am at work, it is just crazy, and 14 hour days are the norm.  That is why you don't hear from me for awhile!!  But I am off today; so vacuumed, swept and mopped and laundry is in the works.  And a little quilting!




Hope you are having a great day!!!


Julie

Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Emptying those bins!

 The nine patch bin that I emptied (that I spoke of last post), had this many blocks in it, when I sewed them today.
 All 1930's fabrics and solids.  I am going to dream about the solution of setting them together in some kind of fun manner.  Pretty colors!!  Not at all as scrappy as I am enjoying lately, but I remember loving these fabrics so much, a decade ago!!!
I would like to offer this little quilt top to any one who would like to finish it to keep, or for charity.  It also is made of 1930's fabrics, except the juvenile print border.  If you would like it, just speak up!!  If there is more than one person, I will hold a drawing tomorrow. 





I hope you have a super day today!!!


Julie

Monday, July 17, 2017

Emptying those bins and making progress!

 I finished binding this quilt...so I am happy!  It is quite large, and I called it when I made it "Starry, starry night." I am so glad it is finished and able to be used now! 
 I think this pattern would be fun in Christmas fabrics.  These are charm squares...well, not really, because a lot of them are repeated, but at the time, they were all the blues I owned!
 I finished hand quilting this wall hanging, and just have the binding to hand stitch.
 The same goes on this heart quilt.  Hand quilted and just waiting for the binding to be attached.
 I am working on this one...still some hand quilting to be finished, and the binding.  So I am in the same place on a lot of these little quilts!
 I have a lot of projects started, (surprise, surprise!!) and this one is from 2006.  At least I think it is, because the fabric selvages say "2006".  I thought to make nine patches, I guess, and had all the strips cut.
This morning, I sewed the strips together and sub cut the nine patch pieces.  So they are ready to sew.

And a nearly empty bin!  Hurrah!!



Now this is all inspired by Sharon, of Grass Roots Quilting.  She is a wonderful quilter, and she posted about her "bag quilt".  You know what I mean...those projects cut out and put in a bag or a bin, for someday!  She unknowingly encouraged me to get out one of those bins and get it emptied...please see her lovely project, from her bag!  So thank you, Sharon!



See her blog HERE.

http://grassrootsquilting.blogspot.com/2017/07/bag-quilts.html




Hope each of you is having a wonderful Monday!!


Julie

Monday, July 10, 2017

"Releasing" fabric back to the stash!

 I finished stitching this primitive quilt, just a wall hanging size.  Hand quilted and hand applique.  The whole things was made from my imagination and some stems already cut to size.  I free hand cut the flowers.  Just a silly fun thing, LOL!!
 Here are the borders, and it is on the roll top desk for a while, so I can see it, as I zoom by doing house stuff.
 This is in my dining room!  My friend Lyn made this for me, and I just love it, and use it all the time. I decided it need to be up in here, as it is just perfect for the July holiday.  Thank you, Lyn!  Like that antique wall paper?  Old, old, old!!
What I meant by releasing fabric is just this:  When I first started quilting, I thought every piece of fabric needed a plan, and was bound and determined to kit everything up and go for it!  Well......years have gone by.  I really thought I would make a certain quilt...but... years have gone by!  I furthermore cut all the fabrics into strips!  What in the world was I thinking?  Anyway, I have salvaged what I could, and released the rest of the fabric back into the stash.  That feels good!!   It means an empty project container, and yahoo!  That is good!!


Back then, I cut all my patriotic fabric up into strips too.  Idiot child!!  I sure wish I had those fat quarters back...OH well...I will come up with a plan, LOL!




Have a great day, everyone!!

Saturday, July 8, 2017

The completion of the circle!!

 All of my circles are sewn together, and a small "pull" border attached. I have seen many an antique/vintage quilt that was very pulled out of shape on the borders, especially at the corners,  so I kind of like a small strip of fabric to protect the quilt edges.  Any opinion on this?
 Here is Rosie the poodle, face down and bottoms up, playing on the quilt top.
This is the block, just for Rosie.  This fabric was my mothers, and doesn't it just scream '50's?





Audrey, this was a super fun project, and thank you so much for your love and persistence in encouraging everyone to sew some "Circular Thinking quilts!"   She called her quilt "Quilty 365", and I love all the circle quilts that were made.    Please see her blog here!!



http://quiltyfolk.blogspot.com/



Onward!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend!!


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...