An old, old UFO...and binding!

Good morning!!  I have been kind of casting about, trying to figure out what to work on, which is a product of having too many irons in the fire.  I pulled out this old, old UFO...I think it is called Wagon Wheel.  It is basically a pinwheel block, framed with muslin, and then a circle appliqued on top.  I made a lot, lot of progress on it, in the middle of the night...a quiet time, where I can concentrate and enjoy the process.  What a mess, don't you think? LOL!  I am so glad I saved all the pieces and parts and sashing, etc, all in the same place.  I am enjoying the fact that I have improved on my pinwheel making...not one of these has a point that meets in the middle!  That is OK...we all start somewhere.  Also, it is interesting to figure out why I got stuck and this became a UFO.  For one thing, the applique slowed me down.  For another thing, I am missing a block!  Maybe that is what made this become a UFO! Maybe a squirrelly new project took my attention and ran with it! If you think about it, what is the thing that makes you stop work on a project?

 I am binding this quilt, the mystery quilt from last year.  I am going with a single fold binding on this one...please tell me your opinion of this, versus a double fold binding?

Happy Monday!

Julie

At long last!

This quilt was the Grid girls quilt from last fall.  The idea was to choose five coordinating fabrics and use them in a quilt along.  Here is the result.  I took it promptly to a local quilter, who then had some health issues and also was remodeling her home. She just did not ever get to it, due to these issues.   Finally two weeks ago, I asked for her to just give it back to me, and I sent it off to be quilted.  2 weeks later, here I am!!!  Just need to stitch the binding down.

Have you ever found a heart in the goings and comings of your day?  A lot of sewists are making hearts and placing them where they can be found, and kept by the finder!  Here is the link to the website.

https://www.facebook.com/IFoundAQuiltedHeart

 I am up to twelve blocks, using the scrap bag.  Hurrah!  I have no idea how to set these together!

Julie

Cross stitching??

I caught Rosie in a nap!!  She is my darling girl!

I was folding quilts and came across this plaid bear paw.  Hand quilted, as I did everything back then.  

Plaids are so much fun!

My goodness, it has been a long time since I cross stitched!! I found a free pattern on Pinterest and stitched it yesterday.  It is so much fun...but I want to make quilts, instead of this.  Anyone out there REALLY into cross stitch?

 And two more scrappy blocks!!  Fun and fast, especially if I have them cut out ahead of time.

What are you working on??

Julie

Happy Mother's Day!

Good morning to everyone!  Snuggles is having a free applique quilt along.  You can find these patterns here:

Snuggles Quilts – Snuggles Quilts

I made one twice the size, to make a Medalion style quilt.  Although!  The center block is not twice the size as the others.  I will need to put a border around it.  When designing my own setting, I am calling this a design variation, instead of cutting the block too small!  

These blocks are from a scrap bag...and guess what?  I actually bought a BOLT of fabric, background fabric!  That is my big investment...with a 40% coupon from Joann's.  This white fabric is such nice quality, not flimsy muslin; it actually has some weight and body to it!  Love, love!!!  This way I can pair it with all my scraps.  I am really enjoying it!

Rosie had to check out the blocks for accuracy.  This little girl!!!  Blind now, glaucoma, Cushing's disease, diabetes, congestive heart failure, hypertension...she has all of it.  And yet?  She just flirts and prances herself around like there is not a thing in the world wrong with her!

I hope each of you had a nice Mother's Day.  Whether you are a mother of human children, animal kids, or nurture others...I think we are all moms in our own way!

Hope each of you has a lovely day!

Julie
 

New projects to work on!!

Good morning!!!  I have been working on the Red Sampler, from Bee in my Bonnet.  This was from last year, I think...and goes through her books, using this pattern and that pattern.  I am drafting my own versions as I go.  Loving it!!!

 I started something brand new!!  If you can guess what the quilt is, from this start, I have a gift to send to you!!!    First correct answer wins!

Have a lovely day!

Julie

Pillows and borders!

Yahoo! The borders are on the Ukraine quilt!  It is ready to go to the quilters, for a fast turnaround. I am delighted!!!

Hearts are just my thing, and this one was a free quilt along by Bonnie Hunter, with my twist on setting the blocks together. This was sewn about 2 AM, so it is an insomnia quilt...LOL!

 Look at all these pretty patient pillows that Mary G sent! Thank you so much!  Mary sews the pillows, and sends them to me flat...I stuff them and sew the edge shut.  These have already been distributed to the hospital. I love all the pretty fabrics, don't you? It was hilarious...I had ordered poly fill to stuff the pillows with.  I took the big bag out of the box, and untied the top of the bag...and it started expanding...and growing and growing and growing!!!  I have a huge bag  of stuffing, now, after using all of this!

Have a great day, each of you!

Julie

April Monthly Mini

 

Our dear friend Janet is a master of the miniature quilt.  The tiniest blocks and pieces are used in her masterpieces!  She inspired this mini quilt for the month for me.    Tiny churn dash blocks!  I tried a zillion different borders, and finally just did a string border.  Hurrah!

Please see Janet's blog here:  rogue quilter

Alos, please see Wendy's blog here!  She is our ring leader for our monthly mini quilts!!!  Another quilting master!

The Constant Quilter

Hope each of you is having a wonderful day!

Julie

Shelly's quilt

Hello to everyone! Shelly's quilt is almost complete!  A very gracious and kind blogger supplied the batting and quilted a marvelous design on this quilt.  All this time and love is plainly sewn into the quilt!  Thank you so much, and you know who you are!!!  It is quilted with very pretty blue thread...love that touch. 

A close up...it is so pretty!  I am binding it now and will get it to her ASAP.  Shelly is undergoing chemotherapy for colon cancer with metastasis to the liver; she is my friend and co-worker...I see her each day, or did when she was well.

Just a border remains for my Ukraine quilt.  Hurrah!!!

I sewed some pink bowties, for April.  Fun, fun...they have five seams each, and hum right through the sewing machine.

The binding is on this quilt!  Just need buttons for the eyes of the bird and cat.

Annie sent me some string pieces from a spider web quilt.  I hand quilted it and will donate to our hospice, for a candle mat...electric candles for the sanctuary.  Thank you, Annie!!

I am all caught up with the Aunt Daisy quilt along.

Please click on the link to take you to her site...not too late to join in!

https://vanessavantreasequiltalongs.wordpress.com/2022/01/06/aunt-daisys-quilt-along/

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Do you make bread?  How do you make your bread, please??

 I mix my bread by hand.  I use water, about a cup and 1/2, very warm.  Mix a package of yeast in it and two heaping tablespoons of sugar (for the yeast) and let it sit in a warm place for ten minutes, until bubbles form on the top.  Then put 1 tsp salt, 3 tablespoons butter, and enough bread flour to form a soft dough.  I used to knead it, but I found out I don't need to knead, LOL!  I let it rise in a warm place until just double (more rising is not always better, the yeast runs out of energy), and then punch down and put it in my baking pan.  I just got a long baking pan, and boy it is nice...before I was just using my corning ware or glass loaf pans.  Then let it rise again, until just double the volume.  Bake at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes...I covered the loaf lightly with foil the last bit of time, so it would not get so very brown.

Hope you all are doing great...what are you working on??

Julie

Working on it!

Good morning to you all!  I have been working on the string hearts.  I am loving them!  This setting seems best to me, and so I am working on that.

I have thirty blocks in total.

I have been making homemade bread for the several months.  Only six ingredients, and at least I can know what is in the bread, and it only cost maybe 50 cents to make a loaf.  Hurrah!  Maybe a little more than that, for the yeast.

I am busy working on the hand quilting of this quilt.  See above!

I got the binding on!  Yahoo!

 All the tiny leaves are out now...spring is truly here.

Hope you are doing wonderfully, each of you!

Julie

String blocks are simply the best!

 Good afternoon!  I have been busy making string heart blocks, following along with Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.  They are tiny, but mighty.  I love making them!  Many quilters are making these blocks, to help Ukraine.  

Please see Bonnie's free sew along, here:

Quiltville's Quips & Snips!!: Hearts of Hope Sew-Along!

Thank you so much to everyone who has bought something from me to help with donating to Ukraine.  Yesterday's items were snapped up, and I thank you so very much.

Have a lovely day!

Julie

Selling to benefit Ukraine!

I am really feeling like I need to help in Ukraine.  Hospitals are being bombed there now, and that strikes close to home for this nurse.  All proceeds from everything I am selling goes straight to benefit the Ukrainian people. Thank you so very much, everyone who has helped me with this project...I am edging closer to my goal.

I have these cowboy prints, above, and fabrics that go along with the theme.  $20.00 and they are yours...just email me and I will send them to you!  Postage included!!  The bottom piece is a large piece and a couple more smaller pieces of the same print.

SOLD!!!

My 1930's prints.  Oh, how I love these!!  $30.00 and they are yours, and I will pay shipping to you!

SOLD!!

 Some folks wanted reproduction prints.  I have some, and these are on the Jo Morton spectrum of colors!  $30.00 and they are yours...I will pay shipping.

More to come...I have a day off.  Watch out, LOL!!!

Hope each of you has an amazing day!  

Just email me at rn9999@gmail.com if you would like to purchase something or need something...maybe I have something that would help you with a current project you are working on!!

SOLD!!

Thank you, 

Julie K

Yellow for March, recap! and books for sale for Ukraine!

Good morning!  The scrappy color for March was yellow.  Here are my bowties for the month of March!  These are 4 inches, finished.

 I have these books for sale, for Ukraine!  Some are out of print...all are good books!  Take all of these for 35 dollars, including shipping to you!  

I am looking through things...what would you be interested in buying, if I have it?  I am striving to meet my goal of $700 dollars for Ukraine!  Would anyone like a stuffed FULL box of my strings?  They are my favorite thing!  Or what are you into right now, that you would like to have more of?

my email is:  rn9999@gmail.com/

Julie

Back from the quilter!

My quiltville mystery quilt is back from the quilter!  I am absolutely delighted with the finishing this quilter did...love it! 

Here is a close up of the quilting.  I just adore it!

 This quilt is next up for hand quilting, but I am out of batting...will wait for a Joann's sale.

Hope you are doing great!

Julie

Cancer quilts

Good morning!  My friend Shelly, at my work, was feeling tired and was pale.  Her husband took her in to the ER...long story short, she has a GI workup for anemia, upper and lower scopes, and... she has invasive colon cancer with metastasis to the liver.  She is 48 years old.  She had her PET scan yesterday.  

The hospital doctors already put in a chemo port, (mediport) and she will start aggressive chemo to shrink the colon tumor and hope they can resect that part out.  

Shelly likes bright colors, and especially blue.  I cut a blue quilt out, but I cannot get it done quickly enough.  Just cannot, so I worked on this one a lot of the night last night and will back it in blue, get it quilted, and to her ASAP.  

 

This is pile of blues I had...all my light blues.  

Now they are cut up into strips, and I will work on them, to make a pineapple blossom quilt.  

This is an x-ray of my doggy, Rosie.  Rosie has some congestive heart failure...diabetes...glaucoma numbers rising...blindness...collapsing trachea...just on and on. Poor darling girl...every moment is precious with her.

Ukrainian quilts

 Good morning to all!

This pattern is called Scrappy Susanna.  It is by Andy, a very fun quilter indeed!!!  I am making this quilt for Ukraine, from my 2.5 inch strips.  

You can find the pattern tutorial here:

http://www.abrightcorner.com/2018/03/second-look-sunday-scrappy-susannah.html

Hope you are having a fantastic day!!!

Spider webs and the paper plate method!

I was recently at the Dallas Quilt Show!!!  Oh wow...it was cancelled for two years I think, due to covid...I did a quick run through and adored seeing the quilts.  I am skittish due to covid, but kept my mask on and tried to avoid too much crowding...still that covid ICU nurse, here.  I am sick of covid, and that is a fact, LOL, just as everyone is!

 There were many fewer venders...covid influenced, I am sure.  But!  I saw many scrappy creations that made my heart sing!  Above are some tiny 3 inch churn dash blocks...I fell in love with the quilt that they came from, "Long Time Gone," by Jen Kingwell.  They are tiny blocks, all in a sampler.  Love, love!  I am just playing around with making some of those tiny churn dash blocks.

Amazon.com: Long Time Gone Quilt Pattern by Jen Kingwell Designs : Arts, Crafts & Sewing

You can find it at Jen's website, too.

https://www.amazon.com/Long-Quilt-Pattern-Kingwell-Designs/dp/B01N0ZIC5Nhttps://www.jenkingwelldesigns.com/long-time-gone-booklet

I use paper plates to organize my cut pieces.  I cut out the pieces, label the block, and take them to the sewing machine.  Or if I don't get them sewn that day, at least I have them labeled!!  Ask me what happens when I don't label them, LOL!

 Isn't this fun?  It is a spider web piece, made of cherished leftover pieces.  I am in deep love with it.    

Thank you so, so much for everyone for your response to the last post!!  I sold everything except the quilt tops...

Speaking of that, 

Elizabeth Withnell, will you please contact me?  I emailed you back, but your address bounced back? thank you so much!!!  About the quilt top...

Julie