Design Wall Monday, August 30

Saturday, I set some tables up in the garage so I could get some quilts basted.

I use basting spray to baste my quilts and that stuff is SO sticky I don't like to get it on the carpet, so since I had several quilts to baste at one time, I decided to move things out to where it wouldn't matter if some spray went here or there.

I had several interesting visitors while I was basting on Sunday.

First, one of the baby goats came to visit.

Then, some kitties came in the garage, knocked over the can that holds their cat food, and started a Sunday picnic.

Kaia, our Great Pyrenees, came in to investigate, but decided she'd wait for her own food for her snack.

Next, my son came for a visit.

We needed to have a little discussion because he had sprayed out a bunch of basting spray all over the table, so I almost ran out before my basting party was over.  But, as you can see, once he apologized, things were all better.

So, I got six quilts basted over the week end and I'm well on my way in my UFO-Busting project. 

On my design wall, I have more of my blocks for the Hummingbird Quilt.

I couldn't sleep Saturday night, so I worked on these.

And, I have a few more on the back of the machine...

So, what's on your design wall this morning?  Make sure and head over to Judy's to see what everyone else will be up to this week.

Obviously, I will be quilting!  There's a FMQ quilt along over at A Few Scraps, if you'd like to join.

Stash Report -- August 29

Well, I finished another quilt this week.  That took up around 10 1/2 yards.  YEAH!

I bought 2 yards of a fabric, but used most of it right away in a backing.

So, I have a net out of 8 1/2 yards.

I have several quilts basted and am planning to baste more quilts today, so I should HOPEFULLY have a VERY impressive stash report next week.

Since I didn't keep track of all the fabric that came in while I was on hiatus, I think I'll just start my report from when I got my mojo back, lol.

SO...this is the report starting from last week.

Fabric in:  2 yards
Fabric out: 22 yards
Total fabric used: 20 yards.

I've been posting like crazy this week and I have a giveaway, so be sure and take some time to look around if you can.

Pop over to Judy's to see what everyone else is up to.

ADDENDUM:  I got the quilts basted.  YEAH!!!!  Now, I should be able to quilt up a storm this week.

Blog Hop

I'm not exactly sure how this works, but I thought I would join out of curiosity.  I love visitors, so if this brings a few in, I'll be excited.

Be sure and enter my giveaway while you're here.

Please visit some (or all) of the blogs on this list.  They love visitors, too.

You can become a follower of the ones that interest you.

Knitting Guild and a Little Basting

Well, I was able to go to knitting guild this afternoon.  It was REALLY fun and I met some really lovely ladies there.  Because I've been bitten by the knitting bug again, I'm having a give away, so be sure and check it out here.

I started knitting a pair of socks.  I just needed some encouragement and for someone to hold my hand as I started.

Also, I did get some work done on the UFO project.

I got two quilts basted and the backing pieced on a third.  My plan is to baste four quilts tomorrow and then I will be quilting like mad this week.

How was your day today?

Winners of the 1930s Fabric

We have winners!

I had 30 entries counting the double entries for those of you who blogged about the giveaway.  Those double entries paid off for Kyrie!  I don't have her email, so I left a comment on her blog for her to contact me.

My second winner was Swooze!

I'll get those FQ packs out just as soon as I get some snail-mail addys.

If you're a knitter, make sure you enter my other giveaway.

I'm giving away some sock yarn in honor of my quest to learn to knit socks, lol.

You can read all about it and enter here.

I'm going to my first knit guild meeting today, so I'm really excited about that.

I'm also going to try and get some quilts basted this morning.

What are your plans for today?  I hope you have a quilty day!

Quilters AND Knitters

I'm curious to know how many of you quilt and knit.

I taught myself to knit this last year, and I'm proficient in the basics, but I really would like to learn about knitting socks.  So, I think I'm going to go to the local (well, local for me...60 miles away in Bismarck) quilt guild this Saturday and check it out.

I thought since I was curious, I would put up a poll, and to entice you to participate, I'll give away some sock yarn.

I thought this would be a fun yarn for a pair of lovely fall socks.

Make sure you vote and then leave a comment and I'll put you in the drawing and if you decided to blog about the give away, you can have two chances to win.

Good luck!

Thursday

I went to Bismarck by myself today.  That doesn't happen very often when you're the mother of four children ages five to ten.

I did buy some fabric, but I'm going to use it in the backing of a quilt.

Tomorrow, we have to go to Bismarck AGAIN for everyone's eye appointments, so my basting party is going to be on Saturday.

I'm planning on taking my basting tables to the garage so I can spray the basting spray and not get it all over the floor or carpet.

I have six quilts to baste!  Good grief!  Do you think I can get them all done?

Then, I will have seven quilts to quilt.  My sister's quilt is already basted.

Then, I will have a BIG chunk of my UFOs finished and that will be SWEEEEEEEET!!!!

Quilter's Accountability Report - August 25

I'm going to play along with Bari for a while to see if I can reach my goal of getting rid of all my UFOs by the end of September.

This week, my plan is to baste six quilts and begin quilting them.

I'm also planning on following the free motion quilt along that Christina of A Few Scraps  is heading up.

I'm REALLY motivated to get these quilts finished so I can donate them or give them to family.  My goal for this year was 36 donation quilts and I need to get busy if that's going to happen.

I Have Bad News...And I Have Good News

The bad news is...I found three more quilt tops...more UFOs!

The good news is...I FOUND THREE MORE QUILT TOPS!!!!!

How fun is that?

The top two quilts are ones that I designed by the seat of my pants and the bottom one is a Twister quilt.

The pictures aren't that great.  I'm not sure what's up with my camera.  I think I should take it in and have it cleaned/serviced, etc.  Do you do that with a camera, lol?

Anyway, I'll measure these and get backings done.  They're all a little smaller so I think I'll quilt them before I do the bigger 1930s quilts.  It will be good practice.

Mission Accomplished

I wanted to get the borders done on the second of these two 1930s quilts today, and I did. Woo Hoo!

Double 4 Patch

Easy Double 4 Patch

I had actually worked on these several months ago and had the borders on one, but quit before I finished the borders on the second one.

I had made the borders up, so it took a little to remind myself how I had done the borders before, lol.

It's not just me that does things like that, is it?

These quilts are from Mary's free patterns.  (The captions are clickable.)  They look very similar, but they're actually two different patterns and I'm very pleased with the way they turned out.

Now, I'm going to piece backs for both of them, and get them quilted up.  I'm thinking I'll use them as donation quilts, but we'll see.

On the home front, we resumed school at our house this week.  We cut back quite a bit in the summer, but I try to keep the old neurons firing so we don't have such a hard transition in the fall.  It seems to be going really well so far.

The three older children are with Daddy and Papa in the combines finishing up a field of spring wheat.  They should be home soon.

How was your day today?

ADDENDUM:  Look what I found to back these two quilts!  This ADORABLE piece of fabric designed by Darlene Zimmerman!  There's enough to back both quilts PLUS some left over to use in the Hummingbird quilt!

Another Giveaway

I'm not the only one celebrating milestones.

Melissa over at Lilac Lane is celebrating her 200th post and she's having a giveaway, so pop over for a chance at some beautiful scraps from her stash.

UFO-Busting

I have decided that September (and the rest of August) is going to be UFO-busting month.  I'm going to list all my UFOs (not kits that I haven't started, but quilts that I've actually started).  I'm going to get them done and out of my life.  If I come across something that I'm never going to finish, I'll offer it here.  Some people like other people's UFOs.

Come back and visit and see how I do.

1. Free's quilt
• figure out a backing (done 8/25)
• baste (done 8/29)
• quilt
• bind
2. Robin's quilt
• quilt
• bind
3. Hummingbird quilt
• still piecing--using as a Leader/Ender project
4. New Year's Eve Mystery Quilt
• still in the piecing stage
5. Two 1930's quilts
• still piecing one border (finished 8/24)
• backing (finished 8/24)
• baste (finished 8/29)
• quilt
• binding
• bind
6. January Table Runner
• quilt
• bind
7. Rail/Split 9 Patch Quilt
• backing (done 8/25)
• baste (done 8/28)
• quilt
8. Blue/Yellow Quilt
• backing (done 8/25)
• baste (done 8/28)
• quilt
9. Guild Twister Quilt
• backing (done 8/28)
• baste (done 8/29)
• quilt

There's a start, and I'll add them as I find them, lol.

Design Wall Monday, August 23

I finished the two wheel chair lap quilts!  Since I finished them yesterday, I'm going to count them in last weeks busted stash, so that's 8 more yards busted!  Woo Hoo!

I should also get the binding on Mimi's quilt finished today, and that's a twin size quilt all from my stash, so that will bust a bunch.

But...

On my design wall are these cute little blocks from the workshop on Friday with Darlene Zimmerman.

Since orange is my favorite color, I decided to do the quilt in orange and green 1930s reproductions.  And, of course, it's coming exclusively from my stash as well!

These little blocks are going into Darlene Zimmerman's Hummingbird Quilt (image obtained from Darlene Zimmerman's website) and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it goes together.  It's a variant of Job's Tears.  She added sashing and cornerstones so that all the little points don't have to come together.  Now, why didn't I think of that????  That's why we have quilters who show the rest of us better ways to do things, lol.

I think I may use this as a Leaders and Enders Project. I'm taking the rest of August and the month of September as a UFO finishing time.

I have one more quilt that is basted that I need to quilt and bind.  I'll hand bind that one since it's for my sister.

Hop over to Judy's if you haven't and see what everyone else is up to this week.

Also, check out the rest of my blog.  I have a giveaway in honor of my 100th post.

Have a quilty day.

Stash Report -- August 22

I have been working hard on stash busting the last few weeks.

This week, I finished a quilt.  That used up about 4½ yards!

I also started a quilt in a workshop on Friday. That quilt will be all from stash.

I'll be putting the binding on a twin size quilt this week, so I'll be able to count that for next week and I finished quilting two lap quilts last night that I will be able to count next week, too (assuming I discipline myself to get those bindings on as well, lol)! Yeah for me!

I've had no fabric in this week even though I had plenty of temptation.

I'm having a giveaway in honor of my 100th post, so be sure to check out the rest of my website and leave a comment on my giveaway post.

Also, check out Judy's website and find out what everyone else has been up to this week.

PS  I just tipped over 10,000 visitors to my blog.  YEAH!  Thanks everyone, for coming to see what I'm up to.  It makes the work on the blog all worth it.

ADDENDUM:  I finished binding the two wheel chair lap quilts, so I'm going to count them on this week's stash busted...EIGHT MORE YARDS!  Woo Hoo!

I Spent the Day With Darlene Zimmerman

I found out a couple of days ago that one of the local quilt guilds and quilt shops were hosting a workshop with Darlene Zimmerman.

Since I LOVE 1930s reproduction prints, I jumped at the chance.


For the workshop, we worked on her Hummingbird Quilt.

It was very easy because we used a special tool, the Simpli-EZ 30 Degree Triangle Tool.  (Images obtained from Darlene Zimmerman's website.)



My favorite part of the day, though, was the trunk show in the evening.

Darlene gave a lecture on the history of quilts in America.  It was so interesting.

Here is Darlene (not the best picture, sorry) holding an original feed sack.

She had SO many beautiful quilts.  She buys old quilts, repairs them with reproduction fabric, and then hand quilts them!  And, she does beautiful work!

Here are a few of my favorite quilts that she showed that evening.

I would encourage you to go to a workshop soon if you're able.  I am planning on attending a couple this fall, and I can't WAIT.  I have the opportunity to go to a workshop with Harriet Hargrave!  I'm SO excited!

I'll post some pictures of the blocks I finished in Darlene's workshop as soon as I find where the kids put the camera card, lol.

My 100th Post and A Finish AND...A Giveaway!!!!

My 100th post sneaked up on me!  This is it.

I probably never would have thought about it, but I just happened to look at my list of posts and realized that this was number 100.

SO....

In honor of my 100th post, I've decided to have a give away.  AND....

Since I spent Friday with Darlene Zimmerman, I'll give away two bundles of 1930s reproduction fat quarters to two lucky blog readers.

In order to qualify, make sure you leave a comment and I'll draw the winner on August 28th.  If you'd like a second chance at the drawing, refer to it in your blog and I'll enter your name twice.  Just make sure and let me know that you've linked to me.

I finished the quilt for Shelly.  I hope to be able to deliver it in the next few days.  She's going to be laid up for a while with a hip problem, so this quilt will keep her warm.

You can see the front and the back here.

Repurposing Triangles

I was searching around for something mindless to do this morning and I found the left over triangles from Mariah's quilt.

So, I decided to cut them down into a half square triangle unit.

I lay the long edge on the 45° angle of my square ruler.

The triangles turned out slightly different sizes, so I measured the largest one and it was 6½" (on the short side of the triangles), so I cut 6½" white squares and then cut them in half.

These, I took to the sewing machine and folded a white and colored triangle in half and made a crease.

I then pinned the creases together.  That way, it didn't matter if the white triangle was larger than the colored triangle.  [Note:  Be very careful when sewing/handling these units.  The edges are very stretchy.  This is one of the places where I'm really glad I have a stiletto.  It keeps me from having to manipulate the edges very much.]

I sewed them together, pressed them, and trimmed them.

I took two of the half square triangle units and place them right sides together with the colored half across from the white half and vice versa.  I lined the seams up perfectly so everything lays flat.

I cut the units in half and sewed them together.

When I finished, I had two perfect hour glass units (aka quarter square triangles).

I trimmed mine to ½" increments so I could use them in scrap quilts.

A perfect way to spend a cloudy day.

Hope you're having a quilty day!

Wednesday....Humpday

How was your day?

Olivia and I went to Bismarck to see the dentist.  The other kiddos were with Daddy in the field.  Harvest is in full swing here.

Tomorrow, I have an opportunity to go to a workshop with Darlene Zimmerman.  I don't know if I'll be able to go.  It means leaving the kiddos with Daddy in the field.  Sometimes they get bored riding around in the combine.

We'll see how it goes.

What I've Been Up to Since My Mojo Came Back...

I wanted to do a quick entry about what I've been up to since I got my quilting mojo back.

First of all, I wanted to do a quilt for my hubby's cousin who has been in the hospital.  All I have left to do is the binding.  Here's the front.

As you can maybe tell, it's a Disappearing 9-Patch.  I think it turned out cute.

Here's the back which I think is just as pretty as the front!

Last night I finished quilting my daughter Mariah's quilt.  That's a high as I'm sure you all know.

I'll show you a close-up of the quilting.  I quilted each colored triangle...

...and I quilted each sashing.

Last, but not least, I finished two tops for wheelchair lap quilts.

And here's one of the backings.

I have the other one to do, then I'll get these basted and quilted.

So, that's what I've been up to.

I'm so happy to be back.  I've had a blast visiting blogs again.  It's fun to see what you all have been up to.

Have a quilty day!

Design Wall, August 16, 2010

I'm really getting back into the quilting groove!  It feels good.

I need to post about the quilts that I've worked on this week, but I'll post quickly about what I'm getting ready to work on this week (besides finishing up those from last week, lol).

I have all these 2 1/2" squares that I sew together using Bonnie's Leaders and Enders idea and I sewed quite a few of them up into 16 patches yesterday.  I'm going to put brown sashing between them and sew up a charity quilt.  It should go pretty quickly.

I really want to practice my free motion quilting, so I plan to finish and baste three quilts to quilt this week.

Head on over to Judy's to see what everyone else is working on.

Stash Report, August 15, 2010

I've been gone from the blogging scene for a while, so it's good to be back.  I've missed everyone!

I haven't been keeping track of the stuff coming in while I was on my break, but I'll give you this week's stash report.  :-)

Nothing in, YEAH!

Out is several layer cakes of the line Hello Betty by Moda. I got them for a really good price (I can't remember now, lol), but I don't really like the colors, lol.  Good grief!

I can't remember how many of these I bought, but I'm using most or all of them up making a couple of wheelchair lap quilts to gift to a local nursing home.

I'm making them about 36" by 48" and I'm going to use the left over 10" squares to make the back, so I should use most of that stash up.  WOO HOO!

How did you do this week?

Make sure and stop by Judy's blog to find out how well everyone did at busting stash this week.

A Windy Day.....

This morning, a cool front moved in and we had W-I-N-D!

What better to do on a windy day than to fly a kite?  But, what if you don't have one? and you live 60 miles from the nearest Wal-Mart?

Let's fly grocery bags with Mommy's yarn!!!!!

So, mommy took pictures.  What else can you do????  :-)

Olivia (who has her own blog)

Sophia (who also has her own blog)

Joey...ALWAYS running!

And my sweet Mariah...with frosting on her face from breakfast, lol.

That was our windy day.  How was your day?