Happy Ground Hog Day!

Yes, it's Ground Hog Day!  Well exactly what that means I haven't a clue!  We have not had any winter here yet!  The last 2 days the temps have been above 50 degrees!  It should be in the 20s and the warmest should be the mid 30s.  We have no snow and everything is a muddy bogg!  Yuck!!!!!!!
That's all I will say about the weather!

On to a more pleasant subject - Quilting!

I have finished a few quilts in the last couple of weeks!   Some are new projects and one has been in the works for more than 20 years!  Yep, 20 years!

Laura's Quilt.    This quilt was started in -------------drum roll   -+-=
1990!   The quilt is finished but no idea where the recipient is!  A lady who worked with my daughter wanted me to make her a quilt.  She bought all the fabric and I was to make the quilt.  Well it is finished!   Now my daughter needs to find her!  It really feels good to have it off the UFO list!
















Grandma's trip back to the 60s

 

















This quilt is alot of fun to make!  You sew sets of strips (jelly rolls work great)  and then cut into strips, unsew a short seam and you get 1/2 of the block.  Use the pieces you took off for a second block.  Repeat for second half.   The placement of the color makes the "sashing"  Looks very complicated but really isn't.  I have several in different color waves in progress!  The prayer shawls below are made  from the left overs.  They are 28" x 72".  They were donated to our guild as comfort gifts for those who might need a "hug"

Hugs for my Dad!

My dad is fighting cancer and my mom says he is always cold.  They live in Alabama - so I made him this big hug to keep up warm!  I made it very scrappy because that is the type of quilts that he grew up with.    The pattern is the D9P (disappearing nine patch).  I tryed not to use any "girly" fabrics and bordered it with a wild deer print.  He used to do a little deer hunting when he was younger. I will get it in the mail today!



  I have to add that tomorrow is their 62nd wedding anniversary!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, MOM & DAD


PS - 6 more weeks of winter!!!!!!!!



                                                                                                                                                                           My My new Toy!

I bought myself a new toy!  Actually I upgraded my portable sewing machine! I sew alot on my dining room table and I would use the Platmium Gem from Janome.  I loved that little machine.  It was a real work horse.   I love my Janome 6600 with the thread cutter, which is in my sewing room in the basement.  So when I was sewing at the table I really missed that feature!  I went to my dealer on Monday and bought this little beauty.  It is the Janome 3160!  It is a little bigger than the Gem and has a thread cutter.  It still only weighs about 12 pounds.  It is very quiet.  It comes with a cute little table.   Love it!

Ruffle Scrafs

The newest old craft seems to be knitting/crocheting and the article of choice is scarfs.  I know in one of my groups everyone is excited when someone brings in a new knit or crochet scarf.  I am no exception!!!  The latest craze is not so much the needle of choice but the yarn we are using!

There are some great yarns out there.  The above scraf is made from only 1 row of crochet stitches.  Yes that is right only one row!  The yarn is a lacey type about 4" wide and you crochet on the long edge.  It took only about 1 hour to make!

Simple says it Best!

I made this quilt out of scraps!  I once had a handle on my stash - not like today!  I would cut the left overs into 4 or 5 inch squares.  Then I made 9 patches.  I don't have this quilt any longer and really hadn't thought about it, until my youngest daughter (30 something) had back surgery in September.  When we went to the hospital to see her - she had it on her bed.  I had given it to her when she had moved into her first apartment.  She had held onto it through her single days and her first marriage.  Now it is still with her after 15 years and going into her new marriage.  She said it gives her comfort!   That fills me with  pride.  Something so simple can mean so much to someone you love and you may not even know it!!!!

My Favorite Quilt

Today I thought I would share with you my favorite quilt!

This quilt is very special to my family.  It was made somewhere around the early 60s.  We called it our "sick" quilt.  We were only allowed to use it when we were sick.  There were six kids in my family so it was used and washed alot!  What is so special about this quilt is that it was made by both of my grandmothers.  My mother's mom, Stella Hill Bass, made the blocks and my father's mom, Gertrude Reaid Rogers, did the actual quilting.  They did not work on it as a team - they didn't even know each other.  My Granny Bass made the blocks and gave them to my mom.  She then asked by Grandma Rogers to finish it! Granny Bass lived in Fort Sill, OK and my Grandma Rogers lived in Cullman, AL.  I acquired the quilt when my mom & dad retired and moved to New Mexico,  but the only person who has a problem with that is my younger (and only) sister.  But you know what they say - Possession is 9/10 of the law!!!!  So Sally - it is mine until I decided to part with it and that will be when I can no longer draw a breath!

Because of this quilt - Sun Bonnet Sue - is one of my favorite blocks.  Whenever I make a sampler quilt I always have a Sue Block in it.  When I first started quilting seriously back in the late 60s this is the quilt that I made for my first born daughter.  It was in those bright yellows and oranges of the 60s.  That quilt is no where to be found because it was washed to death and who knows what happened to it.  When my youngest daughter was born in '76 she also got a Sun Bonnet Sue quilt.  Hers was all red & white and again it was washed to death and disappeared in the the vast unknown.  Quilting was not as poplar in that time period so quilts were not cherished as they are today. 

Aren't we glad that this craft has had a growing following?  It sure makes it alot more fun to shop for fabric!

Rotating Quilts!

I finally took the Christmas quilt off my bed.    This is actually one of my favorite quilts.  This was a challenge between myself and a friend.  We both finished them before Christmas.  It was from a book named the Christmas Sampler.  Of course, I added a bit more to mine - from a lap size to an extra large queen.

This picture is from the Monroe County Fair 2009. It won best of Show and an invitation to the State Fair.  It took a 2nd place at the State Fair. 

In 2008 I was the chairperson for the BOM for our guild - I choose the fabrics and the patterns.  I had everyone add three 2 inch borders to the 12 1/2" blocks.  I was lucky enough to win the blocks for Jan - which was my favorite.  The fabric I choose was a navy and black paisley - paisley is one of my favorite fabrics.  I named this quilt Winter Nights and it is the quilt I use in January!

Today I finished 2 of the prayer shawls that I am donating to our quilt guild.  These are to be given to any member who needs a hug or some encouragement.  They measure 22"x72".  I guess they are very similair to the bed runners that are so "in" right now.  It makes me feel better to know that it may add a little bit of comfort to a sister when she needs it!

This was made from left over blocks from a quilt I called Grandma's trip around the World 1960!

If you look closely the block on the left and the block on the right are the complete opposite of each other.  They were both made from one set of strip sets.  I will have a tutorial on this later on!  It is a fun technique.  I am hooked on it.

Keep on stitchin'

Journaling

Yes I keep an old fashion, hand written journal.  It is usually the last thing I do at night. 

So today I thought I would share my journaling process.

I start with a regular school note book.  Usually a three subject works well - it will last for about 3 years.

I then make a pretty cover - after three years  I am ready for a new one.  This is year 3 for this journal!

After a year of entires it looks pretty messy.  I highlight in pink my finished projects and hand enter the new projects.  I also make notes on any previous entry such as shows it was entered in and prizes that it may have won!!

Each day I try to write what I did that day.  Sometimes a week goes by and I have to recap the week.  I usually forget something!  If I have finished something I try to remember to take a picture and glue it to the page opposite the entry.  When I make an entry I refer to the project by number and sometimes by name but always by number.  If I am finished I will highlight the number in pink!  I also write the date finished on the log page and then highlight the entry in pink!  And as they say "another one bites the dust".

At the end of the year I update the journal in the computer and make it look all sweet and neat.  If you notice the two shades of yellow, well this year I decided to make a difference in what I made for others and what I kept for me.  I guess I may be a little selfish because I seem to keep about half of what I make.  The darker yellows are the keepers and the lighter shade is what was made for and given to others!  Sometimes I just know for sure that I will not do a project and I either delete it and leave the line blank or I highlight it with a pale blue. 

The headings for the columns are, project number, date started, name of project, brief description & any notes I want to add.  You can set yours up any way that makes sense to you!

Here it is all ready for a new year.   I use the bookmark to mark the page that I am on at the moment!

Hope you will try journaling.  There is a great satisfaction to seeing projects marked off as being completed!!

Keep on stitchin'

BOM for Machine Embroidery

   I found a great site for a BOM in machine embroidery.  The designer, Shanel, is a very talented lady.  If you have ever done the shop hop on the internet you will love her site.  The block is free!  You just need to find it.  She will give hints throughout the month - but the design is really easy to find!  I

   I am making 2 blocks each month.  One on a navy satin & one on the beige satin.  The only other colors I am using is light blue, green and gold.  Here are the blocks I have completed so far:

    

These are 3 of the blocks, I  will post the others later!

   She also has a crazy quilt square.  You must send her a picture of the completed block to recieve the next month's blocks.  She will also send you a bonus block each month when you have completed the regular block.

On the left is December's block.

On the right is the bonus block!

I love crazy quilting and in the hoop is a great way to make them!

Here is the link to Sanity Crafts:

http://sanityscrafts.com/

Hope you enjoy these quilt blocks!