Monday, December 30, 2019

Mrs. Lincoln's sampler quilt!

 It is the 30th!  So, it is time to post my progress, along with the following quilters, on our projects in the works.  I am working on Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler Quilt, pattern by Lori Smith.  I am enlarging the blocks to 10 inches, from the original five inches, so I can make a bigger quilt.  The bottom two blocks are my work of the past month.
 I had originally made the red pieced block...yuck! Very muddy looking!   I changed the red for pink, and the cream for white...much cleaner looking!!  So on I go.  Never fear, though...that red block will look great in another quilt, someday.






  The following quilters are participating.  We will be showing completed blocks on the 30th of each month!  Take the time to visit them to see their completed monthly blocks!

Karen – Log Cabin Quilter (Lead)

Cathy – Biglakequilter

Jennie  – Overthehillandrunning

Julie K –  Juliekquilts

Robin –   solsticestudio

Nanette – Doitrightquilter

Jan – Nanette will show her progress on her blog.  





 I made this quilt for a friend's grandchild, so it is very special!...the pattern is here:


https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/pineapple-blossom.html
https://quiltville.blogspot.com/2005/06/pineapple-blossom.html


I cleaned my kitchen, and found this tiny quilt in the pot holder drawer, way in the back.  It was made by me, very early in my quilting career.  Maybe 1988. It has polyester batting, and has a melted place on the bottom, from being used as a pot holder.  I quilted only that little heart in the middle square!  I guess I thought that was enough quilting...LOL!!!  I think I will quilt a little more on this old thing.






Have a great day, each of you!




Julie

Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Merry Christmas to all!

 I made this tiny Christmas tree quilt, for December; it has sparkling beads on it, but you really cannot see them in the picture.
 I am completely finished with the "America" quilt...the sweet land of liberty quilt I have been working on for the last two years!  Hurrah!  This is a nice way to spend my day off for Christmas!!!
And I am working on the number 4 clue for Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt.  Friday is the next clue, so I better get going and get sewing!!




Merry Christmas to everyone!!!





Julie

Sunday, December 22, 2019

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I am greatly enjoying hand stitching on this quilt.  It was a quilt along this year, and last year too, by Lori of Humble Quilts.  I love it so much...many blocks speak to my heart.  I am one of those who clouds up with tears of pride and reverence when the flag goes by in a parade, so I just love this quilt!!  The pattern, of course, was by Cheri Payne, but we just kind of winged it and made our blocks our own, with help from Lori with sizes of blocks, for I for one did not have a pattern.
 This primitive angel with a tattered flag is a fun block for me.
 I like the arrows, and the stars, and the flowers!!
And of course the hearts and the log cabin!!!


I am so grateful for the chance to make this quilt...I would have never chosen this pattern to do by myself.  So grateful for each of you, and your unique love and contribution to my life.


I am linking to Kathy, HERE...so go and see what everyone else is slow stitching on!!




Hugs to all!


Julie

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Mystery step three, and some other goodies!

 I have been steadily hand quilting on my "America" quilt each evening, and I am almost finished!!  All those tiny minutes add up to a lot of quilting done.  So?  Next up is this quilt.  I am hand quilting it too, and got it layered with backing this morning.
 Lori of Humble Quilts had a quilt along, of strings, for this year.  I love strings...those most humble of cotton pieces, tiny and thrown away by some, but cherished by others.    I love this bright feeling quilt!!!  More of them to come!!!
 I am keeping up with the Quiltville mystery quilt...that is fun!!!  On we go...are you doing this?
I guess this was a poor background for this photo, but I made a button string last night.
Included are the many buttons saved from plaid shirts from the thrift store, and also, some old, old buttons...some I believe to be ivory, some celluloid, some glass/porcelain, some just plain plastic.  It was very fun to make...I used my mom's buttons and mine to make it.






Have a great day!  Hope your holiday plans are going just as you like them!





Julie

Thursday, December 12, 2019

Mysterious!!

There are lots of mystery quilt pieces in this pile!!  Are you sewing along with Bonnie, at Quiltville?  It is MYSTERIOUS!!!



https://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/frolic-mystery.html




Click on the above link to see just what all the mysterious fuss is about!!!  I am caught up...it was fast and easy....and all the links are there.  A new clue will be published tomorrow!!




Julie

Tuesday, December 10, 2019

Just a little quilting

 Good evening, everyone.  I am working on the first clue for Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt, "Frolic."  Four patches!!!  LOTS of them, LOL!!
 So here is my cutting board on the kitchen counter, and I am cutting four patch segments....
 and the tail end of the strips got strung across the oven handle!  LOL!!!  It was such a long piece to cut from, and kept falling off the counter...so I improvised, using the oven to hold the strip.
 Lori, of Humble quilts, had a challenge...she wanted each person to take an old piece or block, and use it in a quilt....so I dug these hand pieced blocks out of the giveaway pile for guild...and took a look.
 See how the block just disappears into the very busy background?
I carefully took one of the blocks apart, and was going to applique it to the background.  But I anticipate these fabrics being 80+ years old, and they were frayed and fragile....so what if I put rick-rack around the edges?  Sure makes it look a bit more modern, doesn't it?


Just playing here...and thinking of the lady who took all those careful hand stitches, to put together these blocks.  I salute her!!



Julie

Monday, December 2, 2019

Mrs. Lincoln's quilt along and Dear Jane update!!

 I am a day late and a dollar short, as my dear Daddy would have said, as I was supposed to post this on the 30th of November, but here is my post for our quilt along!  Most participating quilters are making "Celebrating Mary Brown,", but I am making  the "Mrs. Lincoln" quilt.  Here are my two blocks for November.
 And wow, I already have a whole row done!!  I made the block 10 inches, instead of five inches, so I can have a bed sized quilt when I am done.



Please see these quilters too, to see their lovely quilts in progress!!  Cathy is making Mrs. Lincoln with me, which tickles me so much!



  The following quilters are participating.  We will be showing completed blocks on the 30th of each month!  Take the time to visit them to see their completed monthly blocks!


Karen – Log Cabin Quilter (Lead)
Cathy – Biglakequilter
Jennie  – Overthehillandrunning
Julie K –  Juliekquilts
Robin –   solsticestudio
Nanette – Doitrightquilter
Jan – Nanette will show her progress on her blog.  









 I made some more of these blocks...and cut out all the rest.  Hurrah!!!  I am proud of that part!!


 Jane...dear Jane!  I looked through all the blocks and they are all pretty thought and time consuming, but!  She did have a nine patch block in there, so I made that one.  Hey, any forward progress is good...and that is my story and I am sticking to it!!
I bought this panel on the reduced table at Cabbage Rose quilt shop, long ago.  It has resurfaced...and I am thinking about how to use it in a quilt.  Lots of ideas rumbling around!!!




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


The patient is doing better, better!  WE lifted him out of bed to the chair, and he did OK!  Did not lose blood pressure and was able to handle some activity with max assist.  Ventilator is still on, but at least he is coherent and with us...his wife continues to be constantly at his bedside, so we are feeding her and making her as comfortable as possible.  Progress forward, again, is good!!!!!  This was an all-hands on deck, everyone working in unison and with lots of prayers to save this guy!!!  Hurrah!


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



Hope you are having a great day,



Julie

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Dear Jane update 11-24-19 (other things!)

 I did not work on a Dear Jane block today.  The next one is very daunting, and I am nervous about it, LOL!  Instead, I have been working on these plaid Log Cabin blocks.  I made them with two inch strips, and have 80 of them made.  Good enough for a good sized quilt.

I pulled these strips our of my strings bins, so I calling it a string quilt, although it is a bit more organized than the fun chaos of most string quilts.



I am also doing some slow hand quilting on this quilt.  Above is my log cabin, portrayed as I imagine having it one day!  Surrounded by forest!  I love these hand stitches...


I am linking to Kathy, here, for Slow Stitching Sunday.



https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2019/11/slow-sunday-stitching_24.html



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


I have gotten to be good friends with the wife of the patient from last week.  He has made no progress at all, and she is taking care of 5 children by herself.  She is a doll, and determined to help in any way she can. And this is what nursing is all about for me....I love those walking wounded, the families that really need support and love, through weeks of ICU care and rehab.




Julie

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Dear Jane update 11-17-19

 I have been pondering my scrap quilts...I love them!  This one was inspired by Chantal's quilt, and one by Primitive Gatherings as well.  I plan 22 more blocks for it, in a rainbow of scraps.  I made eight new blocks scattered throughout this layout.
This is Dear Jane block G-8, named Justin's Comet.  I think it was initially made by Jane of eight hand pieced diamonds.  I chose to applique one solid piece, and then add detail with my quilting.  So there, Dear Jane!!!  One more block in the works!




Hope you are having a lovely day, each of you!!




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


OK.  IN a place far away from you, there was  a patient who got mad, shoved one of the nurses and slammed her into the door. Why?  Because he was having a heart attack and the hospital rules say that if you are on a heart monitor, you cannot go and smoke outside.  She told him no, and he went crazy.   Well duh....

Fast forward...he stormed out of the hospital against medical advice.  Due to divine intervention, he had permitted lab work to be done just before he left.  Due to more divine intervention,  a concerned nurse who had just been slammed into the door, looked at his lab work after he left, and saw the greatly elevated cardiac enzymes...(they are not sure why she looked, because he had been taken off her computer list)..Due to more intervention...he answered his phone and yielded to her plea that he must COME BACK TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!  He did...he had an emergency heart cath, and then emergency heart bypass surgery.  He survived….and if he would not have allowed the lab work, if the nurse had not gotten past her hurt and called him, and if we could not have found a emergent heart surgeon....he would have been nothing more than an obituary.


Fast forward a week...they cannot get him off the vent.  He is such a bad lunger due to the smoking, he are still on 70% oxygen....and his heart is quite damaged, requiring a lot of support.



They look forward to see what will happen...when they fast forward.




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



Julie


Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Scraps, scraps, scraps!

Lots of triangles here!  I am revving up for a new project, or to finish some old ones...and this is one of the oldies!!!  Just playing here...

What are you working on?


Have a great day!




Julie

Monday, November 11, 2019

Dear Jane update


























Attachments area



Hi Everyone!  I myself did not get a Dear Jane block done this week...but I am working on it!  Annie did, though!!  Her blocks are above...and her message below.  I love to hear her thoughts!




From Annie:  


"Hi Julie,

Something different this time.  A friend in New Hampshire who knows that I’m tackling a Dear Jane quilt asked if she could send me a little bit of fabric to include in my quilt.  So nice to be able to incorporate some of her kindness in my quilt!    She and I have similar taste in fabrics, and the gold is from her. I’ve learned that despite the big manufacturers, fabric tends to be regional.  What my friend finds in New Hampshire shops is different from what is displayed in the few remaining quilt shops in Washington state, which in turn is not what predominates in New Mexico.

These blocks were pleasant to make.  The red one was the most difficult, only because those corner triangles are really small.  The next block to make is definitely going to be a challenge - what I refer to as a “daylight” block, meaning that it will require excellent lighting for my old eyes to avoid mistakes.  Take care!  Annie"



This one below is from Lyn!!!  Please see her blog here...a very pretty block!

https://cobblestonebridgequiltsnthings.blogspot.com/2019/11/this-weeks-block-for-dear-jane.html




And a Log Cabin Loonie finish!!!  LOOKIE!  and hand quilted too...this is by Els!!!




 Tiny blocks...
All hand quilted!  AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing this, Els!








I hope to have some fun things of my own to blog about in the next day or so!!!




Julie

Wednesday, October 30, 2019

Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler quilt update!

 I am working along on this quilt; Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler quilt, by Lori Smith.  It is super fun!!!  Here is my applique block for this month.  I enlarged my blocks to 10 inches, as Lori's blocks are 5 inches, and I wanted a quilt big enough for someone to cuddle up in.
 This one  is my pieced block for this month.  I had some tiny scraps of ticking fabric that was gifted to me, and I am slicing it into sashing strips for my quilt.
I am also putting the blocks together as I go, so that way, I will be caught up on that step each month.




Please see the following quilters to see their quilts!  All of these quilters are working "Celebrating Mary Brown,", a marvelous applique quilt. I am working on my Mrs. Lincoln quilt, as part of the group!


Karen – Log Cabin Quilter (Lead)
Cathy – Biglakequilter
Jennie  – Overthehillandrunning
Julie K –  Juliekquilts (me)
Robin –   solsticestudio
Nanette – Doitrightquilter
Jan –  (Nanette will post her pictures)



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...