Thursday, October 31, 2013

Trick or Treat!

 OK, so here is the state of the union!!  All the pieces and parts are done, it is just a matter of putting them all together.  Here is is all laid out, so I can pick up the pieces in order, and get it all in one piece!
 Another view...
 And a close up!!
 Loris!!  Thank you so very much...what a treat to get a surprise in the mail!!  Fabric, strings, and a gorgeous fall time quilt...I love it all!!  Please see her blog here.
Loris sent this card too...so...do something today that makes your heart sing!!!!



Julie

Sunday, October 27, 2013

Sloooooww Stitchin' Sunday!

 I recently did a road trip, and that time is hand quilting time for me.  Above is a little quilt, in my favorite string pattern from Evelyn Sloppy's string book.  I love her patterns!!  I also love the cacophony of colors, nothing matching, just good scrappy fun.
 Hand stitches...Not marked, just going for it. Not perfect, but perfectly fun!
Thank you, Kathy for being the hostess with the mostest on this Slow Stitchin' Sunday!  I am linking to Kathy's blog here.



Have a great day, everyone!!


Julie

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Called off work today...

 Well, I am up to three rows out of the eight rows done...and all the sashing is done!  So now it is just fun and easy string piecing.  I like the underlying zig-zag pattern, like the flying geese are floating on the top of the quilt.
Another view.

I went to the library today, and got some quilting books...love them!  Our library has very few quilting books, so I go to a neighboring town, and that library is wonderful!  Two whole shelves of quilting books and videos!!





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

I was put on call at work again today.  That means I lose a day of work.  I hate it!  Using PTO to get paid, which means my vacation time is being spent this way instead of on vacation. You really cannot go too far from the house, because they might call you in at any time.  All for $2.00 dollars an hour.  I had to call and get permission to go the library.  I really miss the old days of no floating, and knowing that you would work every day you were assigned.  Aggravating!!  Wondering what to do about this situation....



Julie

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Strings and scraps!

 Working a lot again, so not much progress on the quilting front.  Above is my latest string thing quilt.  I have had to construct a lot more flying geese to put this one together, but at last have them all done, so the rest of the quilt should go faster.
 My cornerstones are four patches, trimmed to a circle, and appliqued on.  I had a whole bunch of these ready to go, but I guess they are lost forever, so I had to make a second batch.   Now you just know I will find the first batch this afternoon!!

 Another view.  This quilt will be six blocks wide and eight blocks long.  6x8 inch blocks.
 Of course some of the little pieces found their way into a secondary project.
 This heart was in a box of scraps I am using up, so I made another little cup mat from it, and hand quilted it.
And last but not least, a pie...yum!!  It is all gone....




*****************Nurse's Notes****************Warning!!  Sad and glad stuff both ahead!!!!!  Not about quilting!!**********************************

In our hospital, we had two prominent people fall ill a day apart from each other.  From the same department in the same university.  What a horrible loss for that department, and for our community! I was one of the nurses taking care of these people.  What an amazing thing to see provosts, university presidents, PH D's by the dozens and students by the hundreds all coming to the hospital to honor these people.  I think maybe a university is its own little city, kind of like a hospital, with a unique family-like hierarchy.  Such love rolled out of these learned people; it was amazing and wonderful and affirming to see.  In the face of such loss, there is so much good too...I love to find it!!  to witness it...

The news has so much negative stuff in it, but there is so much good too in this world amongst the loss...

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


Julie

Friday, October 4, 2013

You can tell when I have been working and not home!

 I have been at work the last two days, so just silence and no blogging/quilting at all!!  I used to be able to cook a meal and clean and go for a walk, etc., after work, but now?  I am just exhausted!!  Not getting older, am I, LOL!?  I was rooting around in the storage closet again, and found these blocks I made last year.  All the fabric for setting the blocks was already cut out and ready to go...what in the world was I thinking to just put it in the closet and forget it?  So...I got the blocks all together with starry sashings and presto!  A little autumn quilt top is born!!  Hey, all these cinnamon fabrics are from a SINGLE FABRIC LINE!  Except the yellow stars and the cream.  That is quite unusual for me, as I really don't buy stuff like that normally.  I think it is Jo Morton spice...She comes often to our local quilt shop...once I got to see her as she was turning a corner in the shop...so that was my brush with quilting fame, LOL!!
 My precious Rosie...I love that baby dog!!  She is getting better about posing for me...I need to add some density to this picture...she is coal black, not washed out like that!!  (with a few gray hairs, but who's counting them?)
 I am trying to get some little Christmas presents done.  I have two sisters to make these little stitcheries for.  I had some rickrack from days of yore, and put it on there too.  One down, one to go!!  They are really both so talented as seamstresses...I hope these are OK enough for them!!
And just for fun...this is about six feet long, and is 4.5 inches wide.  Just stringing along...fun, fun, fun!!  Chinese coins, anyone?  Or a border?  I am really, really, really trying to use every little piece of fabric I have bought or been given...wish me luck, and a long, long life, LOL!!




Have a great day, everyone!!  Anyone going to see the movie "Gravity"?   I heard on the movie review that is was supposed to be good...don't know personally yet!!


Julie K

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...