I finished the disappearing nine patch scrappy quilt for the V.A. Center.  Last week was busy with our daughter's 18th birthday on Valentine's Day. 

I am so excited, tomorrow I am going over my friend's house and she is going to quilt the birthday quilt on her long arm and I am going to see how it is done.  Some day when I have room I want a long arm machine!

I want to quilt the V.A. quilt before the first Monday in March to turn it in.  Then I have two other tops to quilt.

I have the February BOM to do, and I am still working on the January Holiday Club block.  It is applique and I am trying to do it with needle turn.  My list is going down.  I would love to get my list done by June and then start a new one!  How fun!

Sew Long for Now!

My Memory Lane top is all pieced.  I took all the yoyo's off until it is quilted.  I love this quilt!  I told my family it will go on the wall though.  I put so much into it that I don't want anyone using it. 

They laughed and ask me where I was going to find a wall big enough.  My five foot eight inch 15 year old is standing on a kitchen chair holding this up.  It is rather large.

I began work on the quilt for the V.A. Center.  It is a disappearing 9 patch and is going together fairly easily hopefully I can show you by next week!

Sew Long for Now!

 

The January block of the month for 2013.  I like the colors and am looking forward to what the end product will look like.  This is a mystery block of the month.  Each month we go in we get the next pattern.  Unlike last year where we had the whole pattern at the beginning of the year and we saw the picture of the author's finished quilt through the whole year, this one will be a mystery until the end.  It gives it an air of excitement.

I have last years memory lane quilt rows put together with sashing, I did not take a picture yet because I want to put the border on before I do.

I realized after last week's post that I was incorrect on my count.  I have 3 going on 4 completed tops so for in 2013.  Boy, I would love to be this productive for the whole year!

Sew Long for Now!

 

I finished putting the sashing and border on the 2012 Block of the Month.  I am not sure how I feel about all the colors now that I see them together.  Individually I loved the blocks, but as a set it is not what I would chose on my own.  I am more of a matchy matchy type person and would have just used 3 or 4 colors for the whole quilt.  It was fun to do though!

This is my 2nd quilt top finished for 2013.  I need to get backing and quilt these.  I missed the quilt club this week because I have a bad cold and my husband was in an accident.  I haven't put together my January BOM, so I am starting out a little behind even though I have accomplished some things.

I hope to do my January BOM soon and I am going to look at last years Holiday Club rows and see about putting that top together.

Sew Long for Now!

 

I finally finished the last BOM for 2012.  Now I need to pick a border material and put that top together.

These are not the best pictures, but it has rained for the past several days and now they are calling for snow and sleet.  I was trying to hold out to get a picture of this whole top.

This is the center of the cross quilt in blue/white/yellow/and green.  I have the top pieced together and now I need to pick at backing material and finish it.  It is for our daughter who will be 18 on the 14th of February.  I am hoping to finish it for her by then.

 

I am happy to be able to get a few things done.  I keep seeing ideas, but I need to finish projects before starting too many new ones.  I don't do well with unfinished things hanging over my head!

 

Sew Long For Now!

My first quilt of 2013.  I bought the material last year, but never got around to making it.  I wanted the recipient to be able to take it home with her.  So I worked hard for a week while she was here visiting.

She actually reached for it and wouldn't let it go.  She grabs it and holds it.  Makes this Gammy a happy person that she seems to like it!

I am going to try to finish piecing a top by Saturday to show at an event.  So many things to do and so little time.  I need more hours in my day!

Sew Long for Now!

Look what I got for Christmas!  LOL, well I don't get to keep her, but she is here for a visit.  I finished 4 of the quilts and gave them as presents.  I didn't finish everything and I have a long list to work on after the new year.  My house is crazy full of people, but who can complain.  My oldest son is home for the first time in 2 years and all my children are together.  It's so nice to have them here.  They will have to leave way too soon. 

Sew Long for Now!

Two quilts totally finished and with labels, ready to be mailed this week!  Now back to my workbench!

Sew Long for Now!

I have been an elf here working hard on presents.  I finished quilting and putting the binding on this quilt. 

I really liked the striped material as the binding.  The colors are not very good in this photo, but it does match with the rest of the quilt and looks nice!

I am working on quilting the red/white/blue quilt now.  I need to mail these two so they are top priority.

Exciting news, our son arrived back in the U.S. from his deployment and finally met his daughter, who was born while he was away!  We are hoping they get to come home for Christmas and I will be able to see the whole family together!

Sew Long for Now!

 

Can you believe Thanksgiving is a week away?  Time is flying for me.  I finally finished the last 16 blocks of the cross quilt.  I put one row of it together.  So many other things have demanded my attention the past several weeks.  I really need to finish up the Christmas presents I have to mail!  Off to sew!

Sew Long for Now!

Twenty cross squares are now done.  They each have 73 pieces.  1460 pieces in all 20 squares together.  It took me longer than I thought, but I am so pleased with the outcome.

This is another picture with them on a white background.  The background color can make them look different.

The BOM is now done for October and the setting squares.  Two more months and I will have all the squares to put this quilt together!

I was ask to make a name tag for myself for a group I belong to and I put together this name tag.  I did the blanket stitch using my machine at first, but it was too light and didn't cover like I wanted so today I did it over by hand with embroidery floss.  It was really quick and easy to make.

Next week I hope to work on the 16 other blocks for the cross quilt.

I purchased backing for two of the Christmas quilts and I hope to soon start to machine quilt them.  As part of my birthday I ordered a hoop to use while doing free motion quilting and I hope it will make it go smoother for me.  Another nifty new gadget I had been asking for and received is an electric sharpener for rotatory cutting blades.  I was so happy that the first blade I sharpened with it is cutting really well.  I dislike waisting so many blades and wanted a way to be able to sharpen them and reuse them.  I have saved several blades and will try them all and see how it goes.

Sew Long for Now!

I finished the donation block for quilt guild.  They gave us the floral fabric and we had to make a block using it.  I was really happy how mine turned out.  I liked the colors and thought that would make a great spring summer quilt!  Maybe in the future.

Here is my father-in-laws finished quilt top.  I was real pleased how it turned out!  He is veteran and I thought he would love the red/white/blue theme.

Here is a closer view of the disappearing four patch.

I am almost finished with last part of the cross blocks.  I know I wanted to finish those before today, but it just didn't work out.

My goal for the next week is to get that last part done and put those cross blocks together.  If I can I also need to do the new BOM that I picked up this past Monday. 

Sew Long for Now!

I had big plans for accomplishing so much sewing in the last week.

Instead my husband and I took a romantic trip to the beach.  We had a wonderful restful time!

I did start on this quilt top before I left.  It's a disappearing 4 patch and it is coming together very quickly.  So, I am still shooting for finishing the same list as last week.

Sew Long for Now!

This picture shows a closer view of the block for Daddy's quilt with the orange sashing.

And here it is finished!  I love the look of it! 

I also finished the last row of the Memory Lane quilt.  With that one the next step is to put all the rows together with the sashing.

I also finished 160 half square green triangles.  I have to tell you about this.  I have been using a method to make half square triangles that makes 8 at once and then you have to trim them down.  Some one gave me this ruler for Christmas and I had never used it.  While watching Fons and Porter I saw them use this ruler.  They made it look so easy.  I thought well I will give that a try.  You know I don't know why it took me so long to use this ruler.  It made it alot easier and faster!  Tools really do make a difference!

 

So, I accomplished all I set out to do in the last week.  Over the next week I hope to finish the last part of the cross blocks so I can start putting those together, make the top for my father-in-laws quilt, and make the block for the donation for quilt guild.  I would like to say put the Memory Lane top together, but I think that may be stretching it a bit.

 

Sew Long for Now!

The September BOM is done!

These are two of the setting blocks to go along with it.

I found the best orange fabric to use as sashing around the blocks for my Dad's quilt.  It is actually 108 wide and for backing, but I just love the color and it matched so well.  I thought I bought enough to use with some pumpkin fabric for a wall hanging, but I think I will need to go back and get more.  I should have the sashing on and this top put together this week.

I thought I would have the last row of the Memory Lane quilt together, I had all eight blocks almost finished and when I looked I put half of each block together wrong!  I have ripped that part out and I think in the next week I can get it all put back right and finish up that row.  I also would like to get the 180 green and white blocks finished for the cross quilt in the next week.

Sometimes when I look at my list of sewing to accomplish I get overwhelmed.  I think if I can just get chunks of things done and keep steady, I will at least finish Christmas presents this year!

Sew Long for Now!

This is some of the fabric I purchased to use to make my granddaughter a quilt.

Isn't is cute!

I have all 16 blocks together for my Dad's quilt.  Now to put sashing between them and that top will be finished.  I finally finished squaring up 180 blocks of the second cross quilt.  Lots more pieces to get together for that one. I have parts ready to put together the latest BOM.  Then there is a set block to do for that starting this month.  I have one more row of the Memory Lane quilt to do.  Besides all these I have three more quilts on my list.  I need to get busy to do all this!

Sew Long for Now!

I finished the BOM for August.  I did it right in time to pick up the new block for September!  Nothing like last minute here. 

I made a block for my Dad's quilt to see how it will look, now I am doing assembly line sewing of the segments for the next 15 blocks.  I really like doing this pattern.  I should probably branch out though and do something different in the future.

I still have the last row to do for the Memory Lane quilt and then put the sashing on it and put it together.  I need to work on my 2nd cross quilt.  I haven't even really looked again at the material for my granddaughter's quilt and I have a block for the quilt guild.  Oh yes, I also have a donation quilt to do for them. 

I have also been helping my daughter knit caps for children to donate to local area facilities.

Idle Hands are the Devils Workshop, got to keep mine busy!

Sew Long for Now! 

Wow!  Who knew that getting your house back to rights after company and getting ready for another school year could take up so much time.  I have finally completed the 8 blocks for the July row of the Memory Lane quilt.  I hope to get the row put together today.  Then on to my other umpteen projects. 

I have one last row to do for the Memory Lane quilt and then I will put the top together.  I have a BOM to get done because the next one is coming up.  I have to keep on top of things.  I just can't leave them and let them pile up.  I am still working on the next cross quilt and my Dad's Christmas quilt.  I bought some really cute 1930's type fabric with children's print to make my granddaughter a quilt.  I have a quilt block to do my quilt guild and one of my older brother's ask for a quilt.  I really need to quit my day job to get my sewing caught up...

Sew Long for Now

What do you sew when you have a house full of company for several weeks?  Yoyo's of course.  I have over 50 more in one color that I didn't take a picture of.  Such a nice item to work on while visiting with your company.  The only time I didn't work on them was when I was holding my granddaughter!

Sew Long for Now!

I completed July's BOM.  The pattern calls this water wheel, it looks like a pinwheel to me.  It went together so easy and I love the look of it.

June's row is almost finished.  Here is the basic row.  I have 22 yoyo's to do and add and it will be complete.  This row seems to have taken me the longest to complete.  On a side note, do you see the puff of brown at the bottom?  That is one of our poodles.  His name is Smith and he is the most curious dog.  He loves to get right up and watch everything you are doing.  He gets right in there even when my husband is using power tools.  Nothing scares him and he just watches like he is trying to learn what you are doing.  He wants right in on the action.

I tried to get a closer view of the row, you still can't see all the work of the applique.  I quess that means I really did a good job matching my thread to the color of each flower.

My beautiful daughter-in-law and sweet granddaughter are here with us for a visit.  My in-laws and sister-in-law are headed here for a visit also.  I may not get a lot of sewing done, but I will be cuddling my granddaughter and spoiling my daughter-in-law.

Sew Long for Now