Scraps and Quilting

Moving right along.  Every time I got tired of quilting on Henrietta I would work on these blocks.  Now they are done and I have begun adding the sashing. 
















And, Henrietta is quilted  (earlier individual blocks can be seen here).







When I had all that empty space it was really hard to not quilt feathers.  Funny thing is that once I learned how to quilt them I want to put them on everything. 

I did little freemotion shingles on the roof and curtains on the windows. 



















And this is the last block.  I put a vine of leaves, lots of different leaves, to go with the acorn. 
Today I hope to get the binding on so it can get hung before the end of the month.




Lots of people have been making lists of UFOs, WIPs, etc., but I don’t because I hate to feel pushed by my project friends.  However, what has happened is that they, along with scraps, have taken over my studio and there is no space to work anymore. 

So…..on May 1st I am taking a week long break from sewing/quilting and I am going to devote my time to cleaning. 

Part of my plan is to relocate all non-quilting fabrics to free-up space for quilting stash.  If I get a lot done, I think I will put in some time sorting my scraps. 

I will be linking up with Patchwork Times so everyone can see all the wonderful work quilters around the world are working on.

Have a great week,  Gari

Design Wall Monday

Here is what is on my Design Wall this morning.  I started making these scrap blocks several months ago and then they got put aside for more organized projects.  But right now I am between projects so out they came.  I hope to have another comfort quilt ready to quilt by sometime next week.  The blocks still need to be squared: some even need an additional strip or two.  But I think they are going to make a fun little quilt.











I put this on the frame last week and there it sat until yesterday.  I had a terrible time coming up with a quilting plan.













I played with my plexiglass and finally came up with a plan so the quilting started yesterday afternoon.













Even though this is a small quilt, it really took me a long time to get started on this.














I am liking what I am doing in the borders and the large triangles.  We’ll see how I do when it comes time to stitch on the star.












We have been overrun by wild cats.  We started out with a couple and even got two, who chose to be sociable, spade.  However the others shy away from us but not each other.  Right now we have four dark gray cats and a light gray older kitten.  AND this past week we saw two small gray kittens come out from under the house.  It is time for them to go.  We have tried to think of how to get them together and off to the shelter and just this past weekend an idea came.  This is a birdcage we haven’t been using.  I have put it on the deck and we will be feeding the cats in there for a few days.  Also I will be sitting on the deck while they eat so they get used to me being around. 





Two of the cats went in to eat but the rest refused.  Here is one who is hiding behind the Norfolk Pine, peeking out at me to see what I am doing.  I don’t think he trusts me. 








Anyway, for a first day I think we made good progress.  I don’t want to harm these cats, I just want them to live somewhere else.













One thing that is living here and making me very happy is my Christmas Cactus.  We now have 5 blooms coming.  Two are very big, one is ready to begin growing and two are just starting.  They weren’t open for Easter but I am just so excited to see real blooms.


I spent a lot of the weekend repotting plants and attempting to resuscitate some of the plants we had wintering in the house.  I think all but one will live (looking a little rough) so we will have hanging baskets and a few deck plants.  I do not have a green thumb but I do like the look of healthy plants decorating my house and deck.


I will be linking up with Patchwork Times where creativity lives on Mondays.

Mid week BOMs

I got the first border on the chicken quilt and I really like how it is toning down all my brights.  I can’t decide if I want to use the same yellow as in the 9 patches.  So, just in case I plan to do a little fabric shopping while I am out with my daughter tomorrow.













Then I started on my BOMs.  The first thing I worked on was my Fishy’s from FatCatPatterns.  I had a hard time deciding on the fabric this time because my first choice was too much like one I had already used.  I just gravitate to yellow and orange, I can’t help it. 













Then came these parts.  As I was getting ready to put them together, I saw what a funny puzzle they make.









But when they are put together they become a teapot.  I still have to work on the shading but that will come a little bit later.













So now that I have three ready it is, again, time to get busy doing the applique.  I will probably take a week to do just that.
























In fact I may not be doing any piecing for a while.  I finally got my comfort quilt on the frame.  For some reason this quilt has been standing in the wings for a very long time.  I am going to use it to practice some background stitching












I don’t have an Easter tabletopper so this is our decoration for this month.  Tigger is supposed to be a chocolate bunny.











In the basket are mini Pooh plush toys, about 2.5” high.












And they are Easter Eggs.  Aren’t they cute?












I was met by this when I went to make my bed yesterday.  It was clear that she was saying “I am NOT getting up!”  So I left her there and all was well.

Tomorrow no one will be staying in bed as I will be leaving early to spend the day with my daughter.  DH will be on his own for lunch and then get back at me by having lunch with a former student on Friday.  So I guess that means that there will be a lot going on in the studio that day.
Have a great week and don’t forget to check out all the creativity that is being displayed on the blogs listed to the right .

Gari

BOM’s Galore

Looky, looky, the chickens have a home.  This is the center of the quilt (layout plan shown here).  I had not sewn partial seams in some time but it was quite easy and this top went together very quickly. 
While I was sewing this together I spotted the fabric hanging to the right.  I immediately thought of using it as the second border.  I could see it as “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”.  However, I don’t like the look so I will be saving that fabric for another day.







Over the weekend I finished the backing for this comfort quilt and it will be loaded on the frame today.  I am going to use it to practice some freemotion quilting while viewing the Craftsy quilting class.










The last thing I got done was prepping these two FatCat BOMs.  I windowed most of the pieces so it kind of looks like paper spaghetti.  I have not figured out the fabrics for either one but that will be part of the fun this week. 

And then, of course, I still have the Teapot BOM to do and the last block for the Carol Doak BOM mystery. 

 And, oh, I have a girls day out with my daughter on Thursday.  We are going shopping to celebrate her new job and buying birthday gifts for both of our husbands.  Gee, this is going to be a busy week.





But, as you can see, there will be rest times and boy do we have the quilts for that.  Yea!

A Finish!!!!

It is finished!!

I got the quilting done on Friday and the binding done on Saturday.








And this is the back.  I am really happy with the way this has turned out and plan to have it on my bed this week.










I did have fun taking these pictures cuz I am really proud of my Easy Street: little itty bitty units pieced in December, blocks and rows pieced in January and quilted and bound in February.  The quilt is 101” square and covers my queen sized bed more than adequately.





And here is what is on my design wall today.  The center of this little quilt has been done for some time but I couldn’t find anything to put with it, until recently.












  This is the border fabric: doesn’t it look more like flowers in the picture above.  And yet it really looks more like a computer board.  I found it in a little uniform shop where they make nurse’s scrubs to order.  And I bought 15 yards at $1.99 a yard.  Needless to say, it will show up in several comfort quilts before it gets all used up.







I am going to try to spend some time this week quilting the above, refining the layout for Funky Chickens and maybe even cutting some fabric for it, and doing some machine applique before the new blocks come out.  But the thing I am looking forward to the most is a quilt show being held in Destin, FL next weekend. 

But first I am going to Patchwork Times to see what other quilters are working on.  See ya there,  Gari

I Godda Code

This is the first time I have had a cold in years.  Last week I thought DH had a cold but he assured me it was sinus’.  Well, I don’t think sinus problems are catching.  Anyway, he is almost better and I am working on it.

 

And this is what I am using.  Isn’t this a pretty basket?  I found it in an antique shop probably 20 years ago: it is something I have never seen before.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had decided that I needed to be drinking hot tea in my effort to thwart this cold and get it gone.  The interior of the basked it all insulated so the tea stays hot for quite awhile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And isn’t the pot pretty?  The handles are wire and fold down flat so it all fits into the basket.  Really a great tea pot for this coffee drinking person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And did you see this in the background?  Sunday I worked on fashioning the head (you did realize it was going to need a head, didn’t you?).  As a mostly traditional quilter, this has really been a challenge. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have an eye made and a patch where the nostril will be.  The big red strip is there to see what the flames will look like or if they will show up.  I have some ideas of how to shape the tail but that may have to wait until after some other things get  attention.

 

 

 

I did get all the blue stripe blocks sewn so now I need to figure out what to add to them.  Right now it is only 36” x 48” so I will probably sash the blocks as well as add borders.  Of course that may mean …… buying more fabric.

 

 

 

 

I did take a little time out to pick my fabrics for the Color Challenge at Vickie’s and Judy’s.  I am going to make a mug rug.  I have one that is becoming well used and it needs a mate to take it’s place while being washing.  All oranges are my colors and I really like crazy patches.  Should be fun.

 

 

And this is my new orange toy.  Can you guess what it is?  Well, this time I am not keeping you in suspense.

 

 

 

Not only a neat cover for my iPad but with a pretty white keyboard, too. 

 

 

 

 

 

And look how cool they all look together.  Both the iPad and the keyboard come out of the cover so nothing is restricted.  And it is ORANGE.  That is almost the best part, aside from the fact that it was on sale and with free shipping. 

 

Well, that is what has been happening in my little part of Alabama.  What’s going on in your part of the world?

Keeping Busy

Today begins a new semester for DH and this is going to be a busy one.  He retired from college teaching 5 1/2 years ago and almost immediately began teaching as an adjunct instructor at the Community college where he had been teaching and at two others, also.  This semester he is teaching 3 classes at the local school, 2 classes at one other and is also working with the music director at the second school to produce a musical.  This is going to be like old times when he taught full-time and put on two plays and one musical each year.  I think our evenings are going to look a lot like this.


This is me with one puppy and one cat, working on the computer and enjoying a quiet evening.  All we need is a remote, coffee, and we can rule the evening.
This past week I did get some time in the studio.

And this is what my design wall looks like now.  I finished sewing all the Crazy Cats blocks together and the center of the top is finished.  I plan three borders for this quilt but will not get back to it until Wednesday.


I did want to show the cats now that they all have faces.  Just like putting the quilting on a quilt top, having the faces on the cats really made them come alive.










































You may have noticed that the dress quilt is back on the wall.  I said I was going to put it up so I could start thinking of how I might want to finish it.  Well, even before I could begin thinking, I got an email from my mother.  She told me that I hadn’t gotten her message when she told me that she really liked the dress quilt and that what she had meant was that she would like to have it.  Well, I think that is a great idea.  However, now I really have to come up with an idea.




So here it is.  I do have some ideas but they are not completely clear and I am not sure how to carry them out.  And one of the other things is that I have no oriental fabrics.  Usually the idea of buying more fabric is exciting but right now I am not sure since I have never used this type of fabric before.  So this will all be an experiment for me……and I guess, a wait for Mother.

edit 1/11/12:  Got a call from Mother and she wants the dress quilt, as is.  She said that she wants to hang is over her bed and thinks it will be easier for her if it isn't quilted (read heavy).  She doesn't even want me to put borders on it.  So I will be putting a hanging sleeve on this "flimsy" this week and sending it on, hopefully, by the weekend.
And then I can get on with the other projects that are waiting for me.  Yea!!

Meanwhile, I have an idea for a new comfort quilt.  I have decided to make one in flannel and this is what I have in my stash.









And this is the idea I have for the quilt.  I hope to be able to start cutting the fabric for this later this week.

Now it is time for you to  check in with Judy to see what other quilters are working on.