Tuesday, May 30, 2017

A little more progress

 Part of the reason I blog is to chronicle my progress.  So...this may be a snore to you, but here is where I am now!!  12 out of 20 blocks completed.  All the other blocks are cut out and ready to piece.
 A high contrast block from today.  I am loving working with these batiks!! 
I made this last year, but I have it out for the fourth of July, coming up...it would be fun to make a whole quilt from this pattern.



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


We had a patient code... (cardiac arrest)...and was shocked over 30 times.  I got him the next morning, and he did it again!!  So, my first code blue in a little while.  My nerves were jangling all morning after that, watching him, his rhythm...just every little nuance that I could imagine to make sure he STAYED OK!! I sat in his room and watched him, minute by minute!   Miraculously, he was neuro intact after all this and was joking and playing around with the nurses and his family.  I truly think this was a miracle...so this balances out some of those tougher nursing day!!  Hurrah!!


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




Hope you are having a wonderful quilty day!!


Julie

Sunday, May 28, 2017

One more block!

 Very low contrast here...but I think the block is pretty anyway.
I made a tiny mug rug from some left over triangles. 


Hope you have a great day and super fun weekend for Memorial day!  I will be working tomorrow.


Julie

Thursday, May 25, 2017

ON the way to Twenty Blocks!!

 Here are my blocks so far, made from the batik fabrics.  Maybe I will set them on point??
 And here are the two from today!  Hurrah!!!
 Zinnias are growing well in the back yard.
The tomatoes are doing well too!  I think I will make a rich marinara sauce from these.  Yummy!!


I got the lawn mowed and curbs swept today.  Dishes loaded in dish washer, laundry (one load) done, made beds, and walked 1.5 miles.  I think I am going to rest a bit and sew some!


Have a super day, everyone!!

Julie

Wednesday, May 24, 2017

What is this mysterious fabric????

 Here my two blocks from today, made all from batiks, with an added contrast fabric.  One with high contrast!!  and one with low contrast.  I like them both...just different, aren't they??  I am having great fun with these!  The quilt planned has twenty blocks, and I have seven made.
 I am making pinwheel blocks from the cut off corners, and you know I love that!!
 But...my other cut off corners that have sat patiently in their box for years got upset!  "Make us into pinwheels too, they cried!"  So, I am doing that too...only one zillion to go!
OK.  I  got to go to a quilt guild meeting, and it was pretty darn fun!!  I brought a bunch of goodies for the free table, and they were snatched up...yahoo! On the free table was this piece of blue fabric.  It is a fun stripe, so I tucked it in my bag to take home.  THEN!!!

I unfolded it.  It is about 28 inches, selvage to selvage, which I think may tell some of you the age of the fabric.  I threw it in the washer, and washed and dried it.  Modern quilt fabrics are 44-45 inches wide.

It feels so funky!!  I cannot get a pin through it easily!!  I cannot iron it flat, even though soaking it with spray starch and water!!  It is slippery and squirrelly!!  What is it!!?  I love the subtle stripe and love the soft blue...but I will be darned if I know what it is.  It looks like the end was cut on the bias, like someone used it for binding?  LOL! It is FUNKY!!  Do you know what it is???  I still like it, however...Hee!!!



Have a super day!

Julie



Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Home Blessing Tuesday!

 I am making progress on the Batik blocks.  Aren't they such lively colors??  Just can't help but make you a little happier!!

 I finished the blanket stitching around these applique pieces, and that was relaxing and fun.
And I did a little baking!  Bonnie Hunter Banana Bread...please see below for the recipe!


http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2007/10/banana-bread-recipe.html






Home blessing:  vacuum, empty all garbage and recycle, cull magazines, clean mirrors, sweep and mop, clean bathrooms, change all linens and towels, and then do the laundry.   That is my routine...and yours??



Have a wonderful day!!


Julie




Sunday, May 21, 2017

And then there were four!!

Here are my blocks so far, using batik fabrics.  Great fun! The pinwheels are made from the cut off triangles, using the connector corner method for piecing the blocks.  Super fun so far!!






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


We had only 3 critical care nurses on the whole floor yesterday.  I had two fresh hearts with swan ganz catheters, art lines, central lines, ventilators, chest tubes, pacer wires, foleys....all of it!  Plus!!  I had a fresh tracheostomy and peg patient, on the vent. Non of them stable, 2/3 on tons of drips with hourly blood sugars. 

I ran my BACKSIDE off.  Literally.  It is all gone  (NOT!  hee!)  I was so exhausted that I just collapsed when I got home, with over 20,000 steps on the step counter.  But?  I am OK today, and raring to go for the next day!  Sleep is a great re-set for me...how about for you?


Have a great day!!

Julie

Friday, May 19, 2017

A few blocks.

 Good evening, everyone.  I am working on block number four, of Cheri Payne's basket quilt along.  Everything is just pinned in place, so I have some stitching to do!!
 I was recently gifted some batiks!!  I have very few, so am very thrilled with these.  I am going to make this quilt, below. 
 Here is what the whole quilt looks like. I think it will look amazing, using these fabrics!!  Thank you, Randy!  The pattern is in the McCall's quilting magazine, May/June 2017 edition.
Just a little block, made from the leftover triangles.  It is 5 inch finished...just playing!


Have a super evening!


Julie

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Hand quilted.

 I have completed the hand quilting on this quilt.  It has been through the washer and dryer, and that is a great thing, because:
 I was really wondering if the cotton, hand blanket stitched flowers would hold up in the washer and dryer.  They were attached with steam-a-seam 2, so I was very much wondering if they would hold up.
And they did!  So, I am very tickled about this method, and will use it again for other flowers and borders. 


Yahoo!

Have a great day, from the blogger who has posted twice today...Haha!!


Julie

Working quite a bit around here!

 Hi everyone!  I have been working a lot of days straight, so that is why you have not noticed me posting anything.  I did get the border on this little quilt.  It is the same as my folk flowers quiltlet border.  I tend to do that a lot...when I get something that works, I repeat it! Although this one was a bit tough.  The background and white borders were kind of a textured fabric.  It was in the stash, so I was trying to use it!  It was kind of difficult to use...and made the quilt a bit wonky. I laugh at the old time practice of deliberately making a mistake in a quilt...I make enough of them naturally, LOL!  This was on the list to finish this year, so I am very glad to get it to the flimsy stage.
 Isn't this the cutest quilt ever?  A very generous, kind hearted and loving person donated it, as a patient quilt.  I love it!
 It is all made of flannels, and is so snuggly and warm looking!
 Another scrappy lovely beauty...
 And a close up of the blocks.
 And this gorgeous quilt!!! 
 and a close up.
 And!!  Another flannel, soft quilt!!
 I love this block...isn't it fun?  Plaids make it sing for me.  A huge thank you, on behalf of our hospital patients, for these quilts.  These are being donated by an anonymous donor, to help share some love and comfort with some very sick patients. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!!  They will soon be shared with sweet and loving patients!  I am awestruck with the generosity of this person!
Mother's day was spent at work...13 hours at the hospital, in charge.  Dear husband got me these roses...thank you so much!!






Have a great day, everyone!!


Julie

Friday, May 5, 2017

Folk Flowers!

 I used the leftover black four patches from my sampler project to make the border on this little wall hanging.  Just need a little (lot?) of stitching to bring it to life!!
This is my Zinnia tub...they are coming on, now!!  For many years, we did not have bees in the backyard due to pesticide use in the neighborhood...but I have a bee hive, now, and I love to nurture them!!  So...a gift for the bees!!!


Hope each of you has a great weekend!!


Julie

Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Moving things forward....

 You may or may not remember that I made this Red Cross quilt.  I used some of the Celebration nine patches, from a swap I had some years ago.  2010, in fact!!  As you know, I am terribly border challenged, and a lot of it comes from trying to use what I have.
 So?  This is it, folks!  The little red border is 1/2 inch finished.  The outside border looks darker in the pictures than it really is, and yahoo!  Another border is on another quilt!!  Hey, Annie?  I found a label on one of the nine patches, telling me it was from you.  I love it!!

See Annie's blog here; it is a treat!!


https://anniesquiltorts.blogspot.com/



 Just in the spirit for moving forward, I sewed these blocks together.  The outside border is supposed to be black on this one, I guess...but I am wavering...not surprised, are you?
 What do you think??
 Here is a little leftover triangle quilt...rather wonky.  I like wonky!!













WARNING!!! SNAKE PICTURE BELOW!!














We found a very large snake in the back yard, and this is my hubby holding the tail.  Quite aggressive, probably afraid; he struck several times at us.  We think it is a water snake???









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...