Where’s the Design Wall?

Today DH and I began week #14 of our morning 2 mile walk.  I am so very proud of us, each of us has only missed 2 days and both times the other went alone.  Now this may not seem like much to most of you but we are OLD, 68 and 70.  Also, when we started the morning temps were in the low 60s.  Today it was 79 and the humidity was 84%, and this was at 6:30 am. 

 

And did I tell you that Abby goes with us at least 6 days a week?  And this is usually how it is with her the full 16’ of leash ahead of us.  But she loves it and pouts when, on the rare occasion, she has to be left at home.

When we started I couldn’t find the Sketchers I had bought the last time we were walking.  So I wore an old pair of shoes until we had walked consistently for four weeks.  And then I got these, and I love them.  They live in the car (the socks change daily) and until I saw this picture I didn’t realize that they have walking stains on them.  Whoopee, I can see how I abuse them by using them. 

Now I know that most of you came to see my Design Wall.

Well, here it is, looking a looking a lot like it did last week.  I have bordered the diamonds with a continuation of the background fabric and am playing with some ideas for the center blocks which will also need additional background fabric.  Anyway, I am almost ready to put this thing together.  It has been a design as you go project but in the end I think it is going to be very pretty.

Now for a really great thing….. I won these fantastic fabric squares from Ravelly to use in her new When Nature Calls BOM!  The first block is out and I am so excited to begin, yet another, BOM.  My mother has an outhouse theme in her bathroom (and, no, she is not getting this quilt) so I have decided that my tribute to her will be this quilt in my master bath.  Anyway, block 1 is on my agenda for this week.

One of the reasons for little being accomplished this week is that we were out and about all week.  I don’t think we really did much but I did buy some fabric (no picture yet) and this..

 

Now, isn’t this cute?  But wait……..

 

 

 

 

 

It’s a flash drive, a 4G flash drive.  And it works.  It’s not like I needed another flash drive but it was so cute I couldn’t resist.  They had several different animals so I am hoping I don’t find myself at Staples again any time soon. 

 

And now it is time to flash on over to Patchwork Times to see what other quilters are doing with their time and money.

Short but Sweet

This is all I have gotten done this week.  The quilting is finished on this baby quilt, frogs from Urban Elementz.  And the label is embroidered, frog from Artistic Thread Works.  The binding is a beautiful paisley print that I “found” in my stash.  It had all the colors of the 30s fabrics and was dark enough to be drug around by a toddler/child.  I still need to hand stitch two sides of the label and this will be another finish for July.  Whoopee!!

I do have a plan for the “big mistake” I made last week and if I can get off the computer this morning I will be working on getting that quilt top back on track.  Then I only have 3 BOM blocks to complete and I can make time to work on the Flowers For Me blocks for Esther’s Hearts Desire mystery quilt.  I was so intimidated by this quilt that I finally put it away for a while but I think that by August I will be ready to pull it out front and center again.

Now, off to Esther’s blog to see what her other quilters are up to.

 

Monday, A New Week

My Design Wall has not changed since Wednesday.  After discovering the mistake I had made, I decided to work on other projects while I pondered how to remedy my mistake.

The first thing I did was

to begin quilting the 16

patch comfort  quilt, now known as Froggy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I even got it done and…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have the binding sewn to the front.  I will finish it when I design and embroider a label for it.  For now it is back, hanging on the “to be completed” rack.

 

 

 

 

I also made two Eleanor Burns’ Underground Railroad blocks but forgot to take pictures so will show them later this week.

So the plan was to get back into the studio Sunday and begin the reclamation project for my DW quilt.  However, we went on a 114 mile road trip instead.  WW is opening a new office 57 miles from here and I have been offered three (3) meetings there.  So we drove down to scout the new place, to get new cushions for our deck swing, and find food we can’t get in our hometown.  We had a great and restful time and now I am ready to tackle my Design Wall problem. 

Be sure to stop by Patchwork Times to see other walls and projects.

WIP Wednesday =

Works In Process Wednesday and I have been doing a little work on my LCQAL blocks.  I had to!  On Monday I posted a picture of my Design Wall.  You really should go see what a mess I had up there and then come back here to see what I have up there now.

 

This is the setting I have decided to use.  But there seems to be something wrong up there, can you see what it is?

Here is a closer view of the top, can you see it now?

Well, it seems that in my zeal to get going on this top I confused the measurements for this quilt with those of Snowbound: Snowbound blocks are 10.5” and this top’s blocks are 12.5”.  So, those HSTs are 2”  too small.  And I only made 24 of them, 8 more than I needed.  So I packed it in and went for pizza.

When I got home I saw this:

Can you see him?  That rabbit sat like that for over 5 minuets while I got out of the car and pulled stuff out, too.  He was still there when I went into the house. 

Tomorrow I hope to be able to figure out how to solve my quilt dilemma.  I only have enough of the red fabric for the border so who knows what creative inspiration will come.

Lots of Projects: No Finishes

This is my design wall this morning.  And when I saw it in the picture, it really looks like a mess.  But when I was putting it on the wall, I thought I was coming up with something.  The 12” blocks are from the LCQAL that finished up earlier this year using Bliss by Moda.   My thought was to use some charm squares to make up a divided 4 patch but, oh, I don’t like it at all.  So later this morning I will be taking the charm squares down and trying to come up with something else.

The first thing I took down from the DW Sunday morning was the 16 patch quilt top.  It is ready for quilting and the backing has also been readied.

I went through all my batting pieces and chose the ones I could put together for this quilt.  Here are the leftovers, ready to go back on the shelf to await their call to duty.

 

I even prepared the binding and it is also waiting it’s turn to be used…….sometime in the near future, I hope.

 

Then I started working on my Snowbound UFO.  I trimmed all of the blocks while I began sewing them together.  Look at all the slivers of fabric on my cutting table.  I keep thinking there is something I should be able to do with them but I probably will just toss them.   As you will soon see, I already have enough mess in this studio.

 

 

I sewed the blocks together and once again enjoyed seeing these clever blocks from Bunny Hill Designs.

 

 

So now the center is all together and pressed.  And on the chair back are the inner borders (don’t look too closely at the mess behind the chair).  I still need to add cornerstones and then we will be ready for the outer borders.  I am thinking of white cornerstones on them with maybe embroidered snowflakes.  But that also will be decided either today or tomorrow, or whenever I get around to it.

Here in South Alabama we have been getting rain.  No, I mean RAIN.  We have had about 7.5” in the last 4 days. 

 

This is how my shoes have looked every time I go out.  But I don’t mind, we really needed all that rain.  Besides, these are Crocs and I just rinse them off and keep going.

Now, clean off your shoes and run on over to Patchwork Times to see what other quilters are working on.

Design Wall and finishes

I didn’t have a design wall post last week.  Somehow, with a very long holiday weekend, I didn’t realize I had missed it until Monday night when I was getting ready to write and suddenly realized the day had passed.  Oh, my, do you suppose I am getting old?  No way!  I just don’t pay attention to the calendar as much as I used to.

So, here is my design wall for this week:

 

This is my 16 patch quilt top, ready for backing, batting, and quilting.

 

And here it is with the backing fabric.  I hope to be getting the backing ready this morning and maybe even get it on Mildred, too.

 

I also finished quilting JR on Friday, sewed the binding together on Saturday and on Sunday completed sewing on the binding.  I always love it when a quilt or project is finished.

And now another kiddy picture.  As we were getting ready to leave for our morning walk this morning, this was the scene that greeted us, Pewter, the momma, and her two growing kittens, basking in the sun.  We have two small families living around our deck: anyone want a kitten/cat?

WOW and stuff

I really had a slow start this week.  We drove to Pensacola to do some eating and antiquing.  For the eating we had…….

                                                                                                  

Taco pizza.   No one makes it where we live so we are always excited when we find it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we went to the Blue Moon Antique Mall.  As soon as we get there I start singing the song, one of my favorites. 

Anyway, just as we came in the door I spotted this chair. 

It is the 70s style of Scandinavian chair and footrest that I have seen for years but never could afford.  This one is done in gray leather and reclines and swivels.   I have been wanting a chair for the bedroom (for when I don’t want to watch what DH has on the TV) and this is perfect.  I will be making a throw and pillow for it but with the low arm rests it will be great for doing that hand embroidery the BOM designers insist on putting in their blocks.

And, of course, next to the chair is the dress form I just had to have.  It is male but this one has arms.  He will be dressed in cowboy clothes and will be a living room cowboy to go with DH’s B Western collections.

Now, I have been doing a little work in the studio.  On Monday I organized my pieces for the 4 Block 4s:

 

All of the pieces have been pressed to fabric and sorted into baggies, ready for me to start making those blocks.

However all that has been put aside as Mildred and I worked out our differences and have begun quilting JR.  I am using King Tut Lime Stone, a variegated lime green, for the top thread.  I like how it is showing but does not take away from the bright colors.

And lastly, there is Ms. Murphy.  I went to take this picture and what I got was a “get out of my face” look.  Somehow, I think she thinks she is the boss around here.  But, of course, everyone around here thinks that.  Just look at this look of contentment:

 

DH and Abby, doing what they love best.