Monday, August 25, 2014

Well maybe a few more...

Well, I am rolling on these blocks!!  I am making these out of 2.5 inch squares, and using 1.5 inch squares, using the connector corners method to make the stars.  I am thinking I could make baby quilts in a hurry from this pattern!  Or hospital quilts for the cancer patients.  I am using only my brightest colors out of the 2.5 inch bin.  Having great fun here!!  Thank you Terry for your inspiration!

Now...on to the cleaning part.  I did wash all the bedding and towels...now bathroom and vacuuming.  Sigh....

Julie

Saturday, August 23, 2014

Scrappy Saturdays!!

 I am working on a UFO!  This quilt has been cut out for a year or more...time to GETERDUN!    These blocks can be set together in any number of ways.
 This is the block...just a nine patch, really, with some 1/2 square triangles too.
 And Terry is having another quilt along!!  I joined right in.  I am using 2.5 inch squares instead of charm squares, because that is what I have on hand to use...so here is my start!  See Terry's blog and her start too HERE!
 I found some heart rocks in Alaska.  Different minerals, and each a different shape for sure.
 A view of the Alaska Glaciers from Seward, from a whale watching boat.  Yes, I saw a whale!!
And a couple bull moose!!  They were amazing...and they live in Denali National Park.  Huge creatures!!


Hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!  I have been cutting lots of scraps into usable pieces for scrappy quilts.    That is great fun...and more fun once I changed my rotary cutting blade, LOL!!

Julie





Thursday, August 21, 2014

The surprise is...ALASKA!!!

 Alaska!!!  That is my big surprise reveal...We got to go to Alaska, for my big Birthday!  We have not been on a vacation for many years, not a real vacation...so...we got to go!!  What an incredibly beautiful place!  I loved it and felt like I was at home the moment I spotted those mountains.  I am just a mountain girl, I guess!
 Here is a friend that we happened to run into.
 And a happy girl, walking along a hiking trail bridge.  Dear hubby managed to snap this pic of me.  It was surprisingly warm there, and I soon shed most of those layers of clothing.
 I did, (ahem), manage to find a quilt shop or three while I was there!  Loving the wild things that abound in Alaska, I did bring home some patterns, and a little brown fabric to help in my quilting of these pretty animal quilts.
 This was just took my fancy, and it came home too...it was on sale.
 And this book too was in the sale bin.  20 years old, published in 1994, it just struck a cord with me...I loved it.  It is by Fons and Porter, and has wonderful scrap quilts in it.
 And this book was just fun!
 A birthday gift from my friend Pam...pinks!!!  Love that for sure!!
 And my friend Marilyn made this tie bag for me.  She collects ties, and makes different projects, all from ties.
 Her tag for her business.
And I hand quilted this quilt on the plane.  It is a small one, and made from someones blocks that they were finished with.  Sometimes a project does not turn out, or we get tired of it, or it just no longer suits our fancy.  I think that these blocks were some of those.  Now tell me friends, whose crazy patch blocks are these?  The name got separated from the blocks...so claim them, whoever you are that made them in the first place!!  I hand quilted around each and every tiny green piece...loved that!!


*********************************The trip********************************

I did a journal of each day of our trip, so I could remember it and savor each memory.  One memory strikes me...on the plane back, everyone was sleeping, being the middle of the night.  Suddenly all the lights were turned on, and an urgent page came over the plane loudspeaker..."We have a sick passenger, and need a doctor to come and attend her, please hurry!".  Two doctors immediately got up and went to the lady...quite elderly, and she had atrial fib with a very fast rate, and had passed out.  I was struck by how quickly they responded to this stranger, and what kind care they gave.  They did not ask for nurses, but you can bet I was ready, in case it went down hill in a hurry...but the lady revived, and was able to take her medication from home, which helped her a lot.  I love to watch people love other people, even strangers.  Some people would have just kept quiet, after all, they were on vacation.  Loved it!!  And the lady was OK, and that was the great thing!

We have some truly amazing pictures, and I will share a few along here and there.  I am doing laundry and cleaning a bit...and have so many quilting ideas, I am bursting!

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



Have a great day!

Julie

Monday, August 11, 2014

Turning a very special number...

 We have (had) a quilting group at the hospital where I work.  We were called "The Remnants".   Alas, I am the only one left working there!!  Three are retired, one is working at another place, so that one leaves little lonesome me, LOL!!  So...these girls called me to meet at a local restaurant...one was turning fifty...one sixty...and one seventy!!  I am one of those birthdays...and the birthday girls all got quilts!  This one is mine...bright, bright, pretty, and mostly batiks and bright squares.  It is so soft and just smells heavenly.  Another lady got a quilt just the same, but all reds.  She received color catchers too, LOL!
 Another view...
And the quilting!!  One of these ladies has a long arm quilting machine, and she quilted it.  I love it!!!


What a very fun surprise!  I also received a bag made all from ties, which I will show soon.  And some pink fat quarters too!  How spoiled is that??

If I don't post for a while...don't worry!!  I may be out of pocket for a bit.  I will be back soon with some fresh and fun stuff!!  and a surprise!


I hope you all have a great Monday!

Julie

Monday, August 4, 2014

An epic Fail...or maybe not! And Navajo Code Talkers!!

 Some time ago, I found a picture on Pinterest.  No credits, so I had no idea who designed the quilt.  But it was made from strings, and that appealed to me immediately, so I set about making my own version from pieces and parts in my block basket.  Since then, I have found that the quilt "Navajo Code Talkers" was designed by Norma Whaley.  Please see her website, HERE.  It is Timeless Traditions, and she has a wonderful blog as well.   It is also being sold by Primitive Gatherings, HERE.  But now, I have purchased her pattern!!!  In fact, I have bought two of them...so I am giving one away.  Please just comment, and I will select a random winner and send out the pattern for Norma Whaley's fantastic quilt.
 This is fun!!!  See the border on the Code Talker quilt?  It is made from this bunch of 1/2 square triangles...and I have enough for another border for a large quilt.  Yahoo!  I find lots of my time goes into prepping things like this that I have no idea what I am going to do with...so glad that this border found a home.  All scraps, here!!
 Now for my Epic fail!!  Above is a big (little) mess of a quilt. Many times, I make a second, tiny quilt from the idea of a bigger quilt, such as my Wagon Wheels from last post.   The hand applique was not going well, so I appliqued by machine.  FIRST MISTAKE!!  I have no idea what I am doing there.  Then machine quilted it...SECOND MISTAKE!  I am the world's worst machine quilter...hands down.  Nope...I win...!!  Then I decided just to sew the binding down on the machine too...THIRD MISTAKE!!  By then, I was pretty discouraged, and was going to toss the whole thing in the trash.  But....
 I washed it, and ROSIE liked it!!  In fact, she plopped down and just claimed it as hers.  so...That is how the fail became a win, for one little sweet poodle girl, who now owns a new quilt.
I have been working projects, and cleaning. That is my piano bench, and I have been storing some projects under it.  So very messy, and I could not get to the piano to play..so I sorted and found homes for these projects.  Yahoo!!! Feels good to clean and clean!!!






Hope you all have a great day...


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...