Hand quilting fun!

Rosie Posie Pudding Pie, the poodle dog! She will just not get out of the middle of whatever I am doing...and I love her so...The quilt she is modeling is my spool quilt! I have been hand quilting it for about a year now, in between laundry loads and when we have traveled...and I am SO CLOSE to having the hand quilting done!! I thought I would show you...I quilted it with black thread in the negative spaces around the spools. I love the way it made the spools kind of pop out! Joan, do you see your blocks?


So I am going to call this a finish...I have about 10 minutes more to go on it...next up to hand quilt is Lori of Humble Quilts doll quilt.

Have a super day, everyone!!


Julie

Hmmm...don't know what to think!!

More blue blocks!! I really enjoy making these blocks! They fit together just perfectly, and that is fun, and using up all these blues is fun too!
I am thinking of a border like this...using up the 3.5 inch blue
strips I cut for the body of the quilt. It all looks rather...bluish together!!
The first tomatoes of the season, picture courtesy of dear husband...aren't they pretty? I wonder how long these little tomatoes will last...
I received wonderful mail! Above is a candle mat, made of the most wonderful tiny stippling, and a lovely rose in the middle. Joyce, thank you!! I love this...it is on display and will never have a candle sitting on it, I am afraid!
Joyce also is making a 4 inch star quilt, and she had some pieces and parts to spare, and sent them too!! I am loving these!! I am thinking of what alternate blocks to put with these beauties!
I received my mother's day gift a little early...a new purse! A very pretty new purse...thank you dear son and dear DIL...I love you both so much!!!


What I don't know what to think about is my memory!! What on earth...am I going to totally lose it or what? Hmmmm...sleep...is very important...I need sleep!!!



Have a super day, everyone!!!


Julie

A new..well, kind of new...project!

Good afternoon, everyone!! I wish a wonderful Easter to everyone who celebrates this holiday! I will be celebrating in the hospital...nursing goes on, you know!! Above is my version of Bonnie Hunter's "Blue Ridge Beauty". I am using up the last of my blues from the big blue and yellow quilt of last year. In fact, I have had this quilt cut out for quite a while, and just need to get it done. I like the fact that the units that make of these blocks are the same as the Jewel Box units...just a slightly different position in the blocks. And as you know...I am a little bit STUCK on the Jewel Box pattern right now!
This is Bonnie's quilt. Mine may not be quite as big, as I have cut out all the blues I have for it, and I have a pieced border niggling the back of my brain..."Ouch! Stop tickling in there!"...Oh...YOUR brain does not talk back to you? How unusual! Hee!
I just received the most beautiful Thimbleberries fabrics from Joan! I think we are sisters, just not born of the same family...I have a few of you I feel that way about!! Joan has thimbleberries...and I do not...and now I do!! Joan also pieced four of the cutest little 4 inch stars ever in the world...thank you so much, Joan!!! They fit right in with mine!! Please see Joan's blog here.



Please enjoy your weekend all, and have a super day today!!



*****************The story of the flat tire********************


I was out shopping for a special birthday celebration, and driving along, when...."boom, hiss!" I heard my right back tire make lots of funny noises as it went abruptly flat. God was smiling on me, as I was driving right by the Walmart tire center! I went in, and they fixed it, and while they were doing the fixin', I went for a walk for 30 minutes....so it was all OK, and only took an hour out of the day. There was a big wreck on the way home...who knows, if I had been on time to get home, maybe I would have been in the wreck! So flat tires...can be good...right?


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Julie

Catching up on my BOM's!!

Well, I have fallen behind on my BOM's and UFO's and other such pledges I made, oh say, around the first of the year...so I am catching up!! Above are the latest blocks from Barbara's Civil War Quilts...I now have ten blocks made, out of maybe 14 or so? Not too bad for a catch up day! I love the basket block the very best. Click here to see her Civil War Quilt blog...not too late for you to join this block of the week!
Now these blocks are not to be missed!! Lyn is creating the most lovely stitchery blocks of the month...I love these blocks!! So far there are four blocks, and all four of mine are prepped, they are just waiting for stitching time. Please click here to join us and see her beautiful blog!!
Shouldn't all cats, really...be plaid! LOL!! I am making another BOM, all of funny kitty creatures, so of course I chose plaid to make my cats. Fun, huh!! Please click here to see a whole TON of BOM's, including this cat one!! This is a wonderful site!
Kitty with attitude!!!

So far today, I have...vacuumed, mopped, done laundry, gotten my hair cut, filled up the car with gas, gone to the post office, pharmacy, bank...wheww!! A house wife's day is never done...


Back to work tomorrow for some rest, LOL!!


Julie

Some finishes...almost

Getting closer, at least, to some finishes!! The above quilt is my answer to nine patches done in an exchange last year...I just have to hand sew down the binding and that's it! Oh, yes, and the label...the binding is scrappy, so I can use up what I have.
I changed the border...but kept the pink of sheer obstinacy!! A little girlie is OK, right?? This one is ready to hand quilt, after sandwiching...
And my header quilt!! About time it got quilted, don't you think? I love the non-planned look...love this string thing!!!



Have a great day, everyone!!!


JulieK

1,568 pieces

OK...y'all were right...this is just too many little pieces for a bed sized quilt, so I made a cuddle sized quilt instead!! I added the pink and lavender border to make it girlie and pick up some of those colors in the quilt...not sure if the lavender will stay or not. I love the Jewel Box pattern...whoever you are who came up with this...long ago quilter...I "heart" you!!
Spring is definitely here...we got a big hail/thunder storm, and these blossoms got pretty torn up.
The onions, peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries are all coming right along. I composted all last year, all the kitchen waste and whatever I could think of to go in the bin, so everything is really growing well! (even the weeds...)
I had some apples leftover from snacking, kind of a little bit soft, so I made a pie. It is gone, ahem...now...I did not eat it all!!!


Have a great day, everyone!!

Julie

Want to see something very pretty? And Thank YOU!

HI everyone!! Please take a look! This quilt was done by my friend Joyce, in Arizona, her own design and execution. It is so pretty!! Joyce does not have a blog (yet...hee!), and I just had to share her quilt with you all. Joyce is a quilting superstar, designing and making her own quilts, winning huge competitions like national quilt shows...and then she took off and conquered the business world too!! We got to be friends due to this wonderful Internet thing...and I get to see beauties such as this one!! Aren't I lucky...and now you are too!!!



THANK YOU to everyone who helped me decide what fabric to use for the alternate squares from last post...I thought it would be easier with input, but I am even more conflicted, LOL!! Anyway, thank each of you so much for your help!

Have a great weekend!

Julie

Would you mind taking a look at these...pretty please?

Good morning! Would y'all take a look at these fabrics, and please tell which is your favorite alternate square fabric for the half square blocks? This red.....
A cream color...probably not this one....
Blue......
Or cheddar?



I am trying to decide how to put these blocks together. Would you give me your opinion...pretty please??


I made 11 more Tiny Twinkling Star blocks this morning...now it is off to the races, to get some housekeeping done!!!


Have a super great day, everyone, and thank you so much for your visit!


Julie K

Greetings!

Howdy everyone!! I have been busy at work, and off today...so I can catch up a little on what all of you are up to, and sew a little, and clean a little...the usual routine on my days off. I have been making little, bitty stars out of my 2.5 and 1.5 inch scraps and also using the beautiful scraps that Linda, Amy, and Vicki have sent to me. I love these tiny twinklers! They are 4 inch finished...the inspiration quilt I saw at the Dallas quilt show had 3 inch stars...but that involved 1/4 inch cuts, etc...and I am just so happy to use some of my little precut pieces and scraps I already had...this is great fun, folks!! This is of course not the final tally, or arrangement...but these are so much fun...maybe you want to make some tiny twinklers too!! I am also working on the jewel box quilt too...also 4 inch finished blocks...it will be some time before I have enough blocks to even think of putting them together. I am loving working with these diminutive pieces!
You just must look at these gorgeous socks that Nancy has knitted by hand...aren't they gorgeous? We came up with a swap...a barter...she made socks for me and I am making place mats for her, which I just about have finished. How fun! I do have one other pair of hand knit socks, from Kaaren at the Painted Quilt, and they have been worn until they have holes in them!! I love hand knitted socks...thank you so much, Nancy!!
And Lyn at Bluebird quilts!! Lyn totally surprised me, she has HAND stitched these gorgeous embroidery pieces...old sewing machines!! These quilts are just totally lovely, and I will treasure them forever...thank you Lyn, what a wonderful cheer-me-up!!
Can you see the poem under the stitchery? It is all about house-keeping, versus quilting...I will take the quilting any day, LOL!!!
Thank you, Lyn!!


I also received a blog winning box from Vicki in California...wow, I am just blown away....thank you to you, Vicki! I am planning some quilts for Japan from this fabric. So, I am spoiled to the bone!!




***********************Nurse Notes: A love story!**********************


A bypass patient came in, just a wonderful eldery gentleman, and the nurses were all so impressed with his spirit and calm and humor...he shared with me a wonderful story, and it went something like this: He and his wife had met when they were 13 years old...many, many years ago, and just fell madly in love. The girl's family would not let them see each other, and forced them apart...and the family prevailed. Time drifted along, and a World War happened, and the gentleman went off to fight for our country, and the girl got married. The gentleman also got married to another lady, and both of them had wonderful, full and happy lives. About 3 years ago, both spouses died...and you guessed it, the lady and gentleman happened to meet again. I have never seen a couple more fully in love, nor a couple more happy. The gentleman secretly grinned, and said to me, " God saved the very best of my life for last.". Of course, I was in tears...of joy and honored that he shared his story with me. He did so well, he has already been discharged from the hospital, with a new heart valve and bypass surgery...doing wonderfully!




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Have a wonderful day, all!!!


Julie