The new schedule is working for me!

 I had a night of not sleeping, so I decided to celebrate it and sew, sew, sew!!  It was fun!  The flying geese are cut off parts of blocks I am making, so instead of tossing them, I am making tiny flying geese.  So quiet...only the raccoons rattling their supper pans in the back yard.  We have four different raccoons that come and visit now.  One has been dreadfully injured, and is missing his beautiful "coon tail", and limps on his right back leg.  I always make sure he has a bite of dog food to crunch on, poor baby!!  Coons, possums, foxes, cats; they all come in the twilight and I love watching them, sometimes eating together.  They are not particularly scared of me, and I guess I am a member of the tribe, now.

I am working on this block...isn't that a pitiful piece of background?  Don't worry...it will be pressed and pretty and trimmed before you know it!  Just keeping it real, friends, LOL!!



I am loving working the same days, every week. It has helped me tremendously with not only rest, but housework and sewing and just everything.  I am grateful, and hope it lasts, LOL!!



Have a super day!!

Julie

Something to mark off my list!!

 OK, so STRINGS RULE!!!  I am calling this quilt top done!!  It really is not quite done, but I like it, and, well, YAHOO!  I made the border out of strings, and most everyone knows I love those.  This is a Cheri Payne quilt along from a while back.   The border is four inches wide, finished.

Speaking of strings, I made these little mug rugs today...just need bindings and some hand stitching to make them come alive, a little bit.

 This was my mom's little towel...it has tiny applique, and she loved it.  It is pretty old...does anyone know anything about these little creations?  I have seen some in antique shops, now.  Vintage, more like it?

Just a few blocks, sewn together...loving this!!




I hope each of you is having a great day!



Julie

Working on my list...or not?

 Some years ago, I made this "Sister's Choice" quilt.  I still love it, and the scrappy border.  These are made from 2.5 inch strips and squares.  I made a tiny one from 1 inch pieces, but it is gone...I think I gave it away.  The pattern is right here, on Bonnie's site:

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/sisters-choice.html

 I need to make one from 2 inch pieces!!!  That would be super fun and scrappy, and also help with my goal of using up every scrap of fabric I have!!

I made a scrappy happy houses quilt, back in the day, as well.  I had a hot pink piece of fabric, and it became the backing.   This one is a Bonnie Hunter pattern, also.  My darling son used to tease me and say I was in the "Bonnie Hunter quilting cult"...hahaha!!  Now that is my kinda group, LOL!!!!


I am off to plan meals for the week, grocery shop, and clean a little bit.  And hopefully sew some too!!



Have a super day, each of you!





Julie

An unexpected day off.

 I have been making some progress on this set of "Rainbow" blocks.  I still need to make the yellow ones for this month.  I find if I have all my pieces cut out and ready to go, I can make some real progress in unexpected moments.

 CHANTAL!  These two are for you, and the other two are for me...these are the fabrics I made the original blocks from. I made these this morning.

 A few more bow ties!!  Five, every night, is the goal.  Fast and fun...hopefully I can get through the whole box of cut out pieces this year.

 Does anyone know what pattern these blocks are from?  I know it was a quilt along...and I got behind and was unable to finish all the blocks.

 I like this little guy!!!

 And this one!!  It was a few years back...I know that much.

I found a piece of leftover carpentry wood on the ground, and wanted to make a wooden spoon.  Dear husband made this!  Isn't it pretty??





Have a great day!!

Julie

One of my goals for the year is finished!

 I finished it!  The batik, rail fence variation...it is done to the flimsy stage.  Hurrah!!

 I tried to get an outside shot of it, so you could see the pretty colors, but you really can't tell in the picture.

 But the wind was blowing, playing merrily with the edges of the quilt top, and flipping the corners up!

 It is really straight, LOL!  So this quilt was made up of every batik scrap I could find.  I have no other strings or strips of batiks, so that is wonderful to have them all used up.  I did leave the one mistake in the block placement in there...a humility block.  Not that I need to purposefully add one; those blocks seem to appear by themselves in my quilts, LOL!  And you know what?  I am just fine with that!

 I finished my Splendid Sampler last year.  I am really thinking about taking that red border off and replacing it with blue.  Any thoughts for me?

 This is an ancient double wedding ring quilt top.  I had thoughts of hand quilting it...then thought I would give it to a friend...

On closer inspection, I believed it to be quite fragile and it probably had just better stay a quilt top only.  The edges are ruffly and will probably never be "quilted out.".  So I will carefully fold it and refold every few months, and just enjoy it as it is.






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


Death is just hard.  I had a friend in my unit, and neighbor, die this week.  It has been so difficult; a long and arduous struggle.  The widow is all alone.  She is just so dear...and it breaks my heart to see her suffer.  Sometimes being a nurse is just tough!!

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



On another note:

I heard some wisdom this week:

"Do not have anything in your home that is not useful, or that you think to be beautiful."  There is so much wisdom is that, I think, as I look around at my cluttery corners!!!



Have a great day!


Julie

Here and there...a little progress!

 Happy Monday!!  I made a tiny bit of progress of these rainbow blocks...I decided to set them together this way.  This is my own invention...just a little something different.

 I did make some progress on my "Sweet Land of Liberty" quilt along, with Lori of Humble quilts.  I made these two blocks...and they are indeed humble, like Lori's blog name, LOL!!  I have decided that I just don't really like paper piecing, or maybe I really don't know how to do it!  Anyway, I made a pattern to paper piece for the pineapple top, and it was STRESSFUL!  HAHAHA!  I decided to leave it just the way it was and it is good enough for me.

 Here is the center of my star block.  It was fun to do the embroidery!  I sat still and did it all in one setting.  Yahoo for progress!!

I cleaned, mopped, swept, vacuumed, scrubbed bathrooms, washed my car, did laundry and mowed the lawn yesterday!  WHEW!!  So today?  I messed around, sewed, went to the silliest of In-Services at work....

But I want to know...is the above picture poison IVY?  Do you know???  Thank you for any wisdom...it is in my yard.

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

Our dear Cheri Paine, a famous primitive quilts designer, passed away yesterday.  My heart is so sad for her and her family.  The "Sweet Land of Liberty" quilt that we are making as a group is her design, so the stitching is bitter sweet.

 I know I am just missing her.  Cancer is just a terrible thing.

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

Hugs to all from Julie

Just a tiny note!

   This little quilt got bound!!  Hurrah!!  It is all scraps, made from my 2 inch strip and square box.  There are some fabrics that were my mother's scraps in this one.

 I love that, because her precious hands touched these pieces!!  What an amazing quilter she was...making something lovely out of practically nothing...feed sacks, scraps of aprons and leftover dress fabrics.  I hope she approves of my quilting and I wish she were here!!!

Above are my little fat quarters...where did I get them, you may ask?  Why, Walmart, of all places!  And they were 97 cents each.  I kinda like them!!

Isn't this a cool quilt?  I ordered and received the pattern for it!  Wow!!!  It is so much fun to just look at it!!!








Have a great day, each of you!  I have started a gratitude journal, and I am adding to it each night, before I close my eyes.   I am grateful for all of you!





Julie

Linda Brannock's flowers

I am slow but steady progress on Linda Brannock's Flower quilt.  I have been wanting to applique this quilt since my friend Karen (see her blog here)  http://karen-logcabinquilter.blogspot.com/  made it last year.  Of course these blocks need pressing and trimming, but here is where I am!!

Have a super day, everyone!!

Julie

A blessed Easter!

 I am sewing rows together, for this quilt, the Batik rail fence.  This was made entirely of scraps, except the white pieces.  It is so pretty and bright...I love that, and hope it will cheer up a patient someday.

 A few more stars...these are for the Sweet Land of Liberty quilt; for the border.

 A few more bow tie blocks sewn...I am trying for 5 a night.  Which takes about 10 minutes!  So, no excuses for me!

 Some gorgeous stars from my friend Randy!!  See her blog here:
www.barristersblock.blogspot.com

 My new ironing board cover!  I was going to make one, but I found this one at Walmart for less than $10.00...so I went with it.  Want to see the old one?  Brace yourself!!

Gross, huh?  I made this one out of an old sheet.  It was so yucky that I mostly kept it covered by a towel and ironed on that...time for a new one!!!!



Question for you:

Are you a hand quilter, or a machine quilter?  Quilt by check book or do it all yourself?  Thank you for your answers in advance!!








Have a great day, each of you!!!


Julie

Progress of the day

 So today, instead of doing anything at all useful, such as house cleaning, etc...I put together the center of the "Sew Spooky" quilt.  A border is in the making!!  This is my do to list for this year, so I am feeling a bit of accomplishment.

It is soaked with rain outside my window, but the pretty flowers are blooming.  These bloom at the same time as blue bonnets, yet they are not them...I do love them, whatever they are!!!



Julie

A few blocks, and a little progress!

 Just a few six inch blocks going on here!!  These are just so much fun...and it is almost as fast to make two, as it is to make one of them.

I added the trick or treat block to this quilt...and this will be it, except a scrappy string plaid border...say that three times fast, LOL!!  It is meant to be a happy quilt for Halloween, for the trick or treat kiddos that come in droves to my house. I can't want to embroider the faces on the kitties!!



Have a great day, everyone!!


Julie

A lovely day! slow stitching style!

 I have been working on this binding today...slow stitching.  It is a scrappy binding, so I am changing color when the binding changes colors.  This is a big quilt, and will be perfect for my cabin in the woods (that I don't own yet...but hey, I can dream, right?)

 I am almost finished with this applique block, and I spend a wonderful hour slowly placing tiny stitches to finish up the applique today.  I loved those few moments, and it truly relaxed me.

 The iris are now blooming.  These are so fragrant, and so pretty...love them!

I have a tomato with little yellow blossoms on it.  It is a total cheat...I just bought it at the store, with the blossoms already on it!!  It will hopefully have tomatoes before the intense heat of summer comes and kills it.

I am linking to Kathy...please go see what others are slow stitching on, too!!

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/

Have a super day!!


Julie

Piecing of the day!

 These plaid and scrap flying geese are for the border of the "Sweet Land of Liberty" quilt.  It is great fun to make these!!

These are the bow tie blocks for today.  I have at last locked in and gotten serious about these...I need 480 of them to make a lap quilt, for a hospitalized patient.  3 inch finished!


Have a super day!

Julie

Spring is definitely here!

 I have been working on this applique block.  It was scrunched up in my purse, as I worked on it yesterday in a vet waiting room.

 And a few bow ties, too...I have a zillion of these, and it is my goal to get them into a quilt this year.

 I must confess, I love to dig in the dirt in the lovely springtime weather, so planted a few flowers yesterday, and mowed the grass.

The iris buds are spearing up toward the sun...love them!!  These were from my mother-in-law's yard...they blacktopped over her garden a few days later, when her old home sold,  so I am so glad I rescued these...I love them!!





*********************Just something...what do you think?******************



I love quilt alongs!!  I absolutely dislike it, however, when the pattern or whatever is there for a few days and then gone.  I never seem to be able to get it downloaded in a timely manner, so I am unlikely to visit or get the quilt going...I wish that the patterns could be keep on the site until the quilt along is over!!  Why do they do that?  I have a house and sick dog and sick hubby and full time job going too, so it is sometimes a challenge to download!

Do you keep a calendar or something to help remind yourself of these?

Thanks!  Have a great day!!

Julie