Happy New Year !

Hubby and I have been married 36 years tonight, and hoping for many more good ones ! 

Christmas Eve

I am lonesome tonight .  Yet I am so very blessed.  Kelley and Tim are home in Lawton, Ok, with their three beautiful, healthy, God-loving children.  They are going to bed, looking forward to surprises and laughter tomorrow morning.   They have become such good parents, providing a loving home and guidance, encouragement and discipline, comfort and security.  God lives in that home. 

Hubby is asleep here, in the recliner, and I am up.  We are well, we are warm, well fed, free, and saved by the grace of God.  If I have tears in my eyes, it is only natural to miss my babies.  But I am so very thankful to God for ALL of our blessings. 

As I get ready to turn in for MY long winter's nap, I just wanted to take a moment to wish you all a most blessed and aware Christmas day.  Love the one(s) you're with...........(a leftover from my 70's upbringing).

"Christmas Roses" table runner quilt

 Miss Lottie Dah decided that I couldn't put up a tree this year, as she was going to EAT it, and pull off all of the ornaments !   So back into the box it went.

I got her a furry electronically-squeaking mouse that I let her try to find.  She had her whole head in the gift bag at one point, and eventually managed to get the toy out.  I haven't taken it off of the card yet, but I think that she's going to be quite happy on Christmas morning.  Whether Piper will let her stay that way for long is another question entirely !

 
Tonight I finished my favorite Christmas gift that I've made this year.   It is for my brother, John, and his wife, Deb.  I hope they like it.. My biggest test for a gift is whether or not I'd rather keep it for myself..............I SO would love to keep this one !

 I took the block that I shared with you last week, and pieced 2 more to go with it.

This one's center blended into the petal coloration, so I embroidered around it. for definition.

JodieAnn sent me more fabric for my birthday last month, and I used some of the pieces in the blocks, and I found that a bigger green print from her package was just perfect for a Christmas gift border.

I quilted in the ditch with my walking=foot.

I think that this runner will be appropriate for most any time of year, especially Spring and Summer, but I feel that the ribbony look of the border fabric is all the more fitting as the finishing touch for a present !  Thank you so much for these fabrics, JoAnn.........it's so nice to use something new and fresh. 

 And a quick shot of the back........I've since added a label.  The quilt finished at approximately 19 1/2 inches by 43 1/2 inches.

Kelley had a reduction surgery today, and is back at Grammy's for some TLC.  She came through the surgery very well, praise God.

We had a huge windstorm today as a cold front blew through........it pulled a piece of the finishing work off of the new porch roof, and blew several shingle pieces off, too.   Hubby actually felt our little home shake ! 

And tomorrow evening I'm going with a few people from our church to sing Christmas carols at the nursing home and at the homes of a few shut-ins.   I volunteered because I adored caroling with a friend when I was in highschool, and I sing ALL THE TIME, even though I don't have a singing voice !  But last night we had practice, and there were only 6 of us, with no music, and I was very AWARE of hearing my own voice.  I hope it goes well, and is a blessing ..............and more people show up to join us and help partially drown me out !

Goldie is home !

Praise God, back in September, in this post and this post I told you about a dear friend and sort -of family member who had been diagnosed with Cancer.  Well, she underwent radiation treatments, which shrunk the tumor, and has now been released to come home.  I got to go over to her house and spend some time with her on Friday, and she is in good spirits, able to get around in a wheel chair or a walker.  God is so good !........I just can't say it enough.

Quilting-wise, I haven't done much in the last few days.  I did attempt to piece a block tonight that I found drafted in an old graph-pad notebook that I've kept for many, many years.  I wanted to make a couple of these and turn them into hotpads, but I'm not sure now what I'll do.  It looks a lot better in the photograph than I could see in the poor light of my living room.   I might just have to try a yellow one or a pink one to go with it. 

Wow, seeing it here on the monitor, I think that it is quite beautiful !

Happy belated birthday wishes to my best pal, JodieAnn !  Your card is on it's way !

Polkadot Potholders

This batch of potholders is part of my Christmas gift for Rose's household.  I made them to match the three kitchen towels that I picked up for her.  If you're thinking that the monetary outlay for these gifts is minimal, you're right.......it's a tight year.  But I hope that the hand-crafted element lifts the gifts out of the cheapo/mundane !

I backed each one with the same fabric for unity.

Scrapping out the bindings was lots of fun !

When I make these, I use leftover pieces of my cotton batting. 
Here is my layering process........

• Bottom layer-- fabric for back of potholder
• square of cotton batting
• square of denim pantleg square
• strips of cotton batting
• pieced or appliqued front of potholder

This makes for a very good heat-resistant potholder.  The others that I made were 9 inches square.  I made these three to measure 7 inches square. 

I'm thinking of making myself a square measuring maybe 20 inches or so, to put in the middle of the table to set hot dishes on, instead of using individual potholders under each dish/pan.

Also, here are a few shots of the finished front porch roof.   The 4 x 4 beams will wait until Spring to be painted, as they are pressure-treated.  Hopefully, I, or someone else, will be able to paint them white then.



































Today is sunny and in the mid 50's I'd say, so I'm able to use my clothesline once again.  God is SO GOOD !

Potholders....2nd Christmas gift set

After making paper-pieced cup and bowl potholders for one niece, I was told that the other niece had an
apple-themed border going around the top of her kitchen; so, I set out to design a foundation-pieced apple block.   But not liking my design, I drew up an apple to hand-applique instead.

Here's what I came up with......

 

I hand-drew this apple, and reversed the side that the leaf is on for each apple.

Then I hand-appliqued the apples, using needle-turn applique.

I found some  green kitchen towels to go with these, and amazingly, without having the potholders with me while shopping, the color of the towels is the same shade of green as this green fabric print.

Our weather has finally turned cold, so I got groceries a day early to avoid going out tomorrow.  Today started out around 55 degrees, but the temperature went down all day, and a fierce cold wind made it feel much colder.  Tonight is supposed  to reach 27, I think.  It's high time it was this cold, so I'm not complaining, praise the LORD.  We are warm and snuggly and the pantry is full.  My God supplies all of my needs as promised in His Word !

Oh, I almost forgot.......the crew came back this past weekend and finished out the front porch's roof.  Yay, praise GOD !.....but I keep forgetting to get photos.  Oh, well, the sun WILL shine again, and I'll snap a few photos.

I'm still living without a dryer, not because I can't afford a new one, but because I CAN live without one right now.  As I may have mentioned before, it was the washer that I was expecting to quit working, not the dryer; so, I'm giving the washer a little time, incase I need to buy a set instead of one odd appliance.   I dried a load inside today, and a load on the clothesline yesterday before the weather changed.

Daybreak quilt top finished ! Semi-tutorial

  I wanted to clarify how I pieced my blocks for this quilt top (Pattern I'm referring to is in this post).

Starting with the 10 inch blocks that were supplied with the kit, I stacked the four coordinating prints of each color range, and then I cut 3 1/2 inches in from each side, vertically, leaving a 3 inch piece in the middle

Having cut 1 inch wide strips of white, I left the strips whole, and chain-pieced the left 3 1/2 inch wide pieces to one strip, and the middle 3 inch wide pieces to a second strip.  After piecing these, I pressed the seams toward the print fabric, and cut the pieces apart, trimming the white strip even with the print fabric.

Placing these pieces back in the order that they were cut apart, I then joined all three print pieces back together (with the white pieces now in-between).

Now, I turned the blocks one time, so that the white strips ran horizontally, and cut these blocks in just the same manner that I had originally cut the 10 inch squares......3 1/2---3---3 1/2 .

These pieces were then chain-pieced to white one-inch strips just exactly the same way as the first time around,  pressed toward the print, cut apart, and reseamed to make the finished block.

The square in the upper right hand corner was lined up with the 2 3/4 lines along the white strips, horizontally and vertically.

At this point the block was oversized, so, realizing that the block is supposed to be 9 inches square  before assembling the quilt top, I found the centerpoint of the center square, and trimmed the block to be a perfect 9 inch square.  I would never have gotten that nice of a block if I had cut the block down to begin with as the pattern suggested.  I'm not disparaging the pattern creator,........I'm just saying that this is the method that works more precisely for me, and I thought maybe it would help someone else to try this method.

After making the blocks, I then chain-pieced each block to the 1 1/2 inch sashing strip that goes between the blocks in a vertical row, trimmed the strips even with the blocks, and finished piecing each vertical row. 

The rest of the assembly was just made up of adding the 3 inch wide sashes between the vertical rows, and around the outside edge of the quilt top.

I ADORED working with these fabrics, so crisp and clean and pure of color.......even hubby kept commenting on how pretty it was.    Thanks JodieAnn for the fun commission !  I'll try to get it mailed off to you tomorrow, Lord willing.

Ask and ye shall receive !

I emailed JoAnn one day last week to let her know that I was ready to do another commission for her, and I mean, not more than 3 days later, a package was on my doorstep !

This time she sent a fun kit for a quilt top designed by "Me & My Sister" Designs, put together by Moda.  This is just RIGHT up my alley........I am thrilled to get to work with these fabrics and this design. 

But there is NO WAY that I would put the quilt top together in the manner that they describe in their instructions !  It would be asking for trouble, and, for me, there is no way that the blocks would be pretty and neat.  The way I'm doing it, making the blocks oversized, will allow me to trim the blocks up nice and square when I'm finished.  I just do NOT cut strips to the size of the pieces I'm sewing them to and try to make them come out even with my machine.  I sew the pieces to a strip, and then trim to fit.

Anyway, this project is already well underway, and I got 12 out of 20 blocks pieced after starting at noon today and working until 6:30 p.m.  Of course, I had to stop occasionally to fix, and then eat, dinner.

Mandy says that she fell on the steps of her trailer Friday night, and wound up in the emergency room with a cut to her face.  The weekend was awkward and lessons were learned, hopefully.  

Note:  KMart refunded the money they charged me for the order that they cancelled, and I found a much better gift, although a little bit more expensive, at Walmart.com.  Kelley will presumably be picking it up out there at her local WalMart tomorrow.                 

Beware of KMART online ordering !

Do not order from KMart online.

I placed an order in good faith on Cyber Monday, for my daughter to pick it up in another state.  The screen said that the item was in stock.  When I gave her verification information, a screen came up saying that there was something wrong with the order, and yet the order went through when  I gave my card info.  I received an order confirmation email immediately.  Now, today, I receive an email saying that the order has been cancelled .  Customer service tells me that the item is not only not in stock, but is no longer available, and that it will recredit my bank account in 3 to 5 days.  Then before I hang up the girl tells me to check back before Christmas for availability..........AS IF !

They should not take payment if there is a problem with the order, plus, now the other rep tells me that the item was NOT IN STOCK when I placed the order !!!!!!!!!   Then why did you charge me?   I'll tell you why,........so that they could gain interest on that money in their account for all the days that it takes to get it back in my account.  They may not make a lot of interest on my little ol' $76.20, but when they do this to thousands of customers, it becomes quite a nice little racket !

Rant over for now..............maybe more if I'm not credited before next Thursday evening.

Poor photos........

I mean, the colors are way off on the red/teal set, but, I enjoyed a good afternoon of sewing.

I made a couple of potholders for myself a few days ago, after realizing during Thanksgiving that my potholders were in BAD shape !  For mine, I used some blue and green scraps I had, mixed with Tufted Tweets couch print.

Then when I got the birthday package from Wanda Gayle, I saw that the fabrics she sent would be perfect in my niece's kitchen.

Here's a fuzzy photo I found online of the actual colors of the fabrics.  It's Lila Tueller's woodland bloom.

  So, today I paper-pieced a couple of patterns that I made up on the spot, and finished the blocks into potholders for part of her Christmas gift.

I hope to find some coordinating kitchen towels to put with these.

Next, I'd like to make a couple that would go with a kitchen decorated with an apple theme.

I'm 55 and life is good !

I've had a very nice birthday today.   As a matter of wonderment, I don't remember anyone outside of the family EVER making ME a birthday cake before, but ROSE did !   In fact, she made me TWO !   She and Josephine and the baby, Elizabeth, came up, ..... and hubby and I had cake and ice cream with them.

While they were here, my older brother called and he and his wife serenaded me with the birthday song.  I opened a fun package from girlfriend, Wanda Gayle, got a new commission from Jodie Ann, and hubby gave me money to spend on Connecting Thread's Black FridaySale.   I got to speak with my beautiful granddaughter who shares my birthday out in Oklahoma........she's 9 already !

Now I'm stuffed and relaxing in front of the computer.  Sadly, I noticed in my birthday photos that there's a bit more of me this birthday, so the celebrating needs to end, and the pushing back from the table must begin !  Anyone with me there? 

Another little downer.......the dryer quit again, and this time I think I'm going to have to replace it.  I hung a small load of clothes out on the line today, and the RAIN got them !  Bad time of the year to be without a dryer, but the LORD will provide, as he takes such good care of hubby and me. 

Thanksgiving was nice........

........Jeff gave me a nearly 20 pound turkey to roast, and I made all the fixin's to go along with it, dressing, peas, real mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, gravy, pies (chocolate and chess), rolls, cranberry sauce (from a can).   Jeff brought deviled eggs and a peach cobbler.  He came in time to eat with hubby and myself.  Then his daughter Mandy came with her boyfriend, and her son and daughter.......she brought baked apple slices.  Then, surprise-surprise, my brother, Jim, called and said that he was in town and wanted directions to my place !   So he came over and Jjeff came back and we visited and he ate too.  

     I got up first thing this morning searching for Black Friday internet sales, specifically Connecting Threads.  I ordered a collection of fat-quarters called Rivera II, (it's sold out, but it's the fabrics used in this wallhanging)and checked out.  Then I went back and found something else and by the time I called to see if they could add it to the first order, the second thing I picked out was GONE !  I wish I had atleast copied a picture of the quilt in the kit so that I could buy the individual fabrics to make it without the kit !  Oh well, it gave me an idea for a quilt out of some fabric I ordered 2 years ago on Cyber Monday !

Enjoy the rest of this weekend, and be safe if you're on the highway !   Be blessed !

Today was a beautiful Fall day

Made the mistake of going to bed, beat, at 8:30 last night so I woke up at 4:30 a.m., restless 'til 5:30 a.m. I got up and fixed coffee for hubby and self.  Around ten , I went to use the tiller, but it was hesitant to start, so I took advantage of the sunny morning to wash the jeep maybe one last time before I store the water hose for the winter. 

Then after getting hubby some lunch, the tiller finally started for me.   I got 2 full 3 ft. wide rows done before running out of gas.  I'll probably try one more time before draining the tank and readying the tiller for it's winter storage too.

Yesterday, I caused a short in my kitchen range while I was cleaning it for Thanksgiving's heavy workload.  The light that signals that a burner is turned on wouldn't go off after that, so I deemed it unsafe.  I've been wanting a new range for awhile, so that was a good enough excuse for me !!

I finally got myself a smooth-top range.  I feel like I'm going to have to replace my cookware too now, something that I wasn't aware of before this purchase,.  But my older pans are making marks on the top, so I won't be quite satisfied until I've done that.
But the oven performed wonderfully today when  I made biscuits and later, cornbread muffins.  I wish I could have gotten a white one, but stock is very limited in this little town.   However, the price was right, so I have what I have.  It actually looks alright, I just have to be a little more proactive about the super-cleaning, since every fingerprint, or even speck of dust, shows up grandly.

Mid-November already !

Wow, I just can hardly believe how quickly my life is passing these days !

Inside kitty, Lottie-dah

 I haven't done anything quilty since finishing Seth's quilt (technically, I HAVEN'T finished it, since I haven't applied the label, although I did choose it and sign it today).

Outside kitty, Marmalade

But, thanks to a reminder from Wanda over at Exuberant Color, I got my flower pots dumped today, now that everything has gone the way of Autumn.  It was in the 60's, I guess, and so nice for working outside in the sunshine.  I've been tilling up what I hope to be my garden spot next Spring, and I think that tomorrow might be perfect for doing another section.

The crew is coming back to finish the porch roof this weekend........we decided we'd be better off spending the money rather than letting the moisture get to the unpainted/unfinished surfaces.  Hopefully, there won't be ONE thing left to do to it when they're finished.  I borrowed a ladder to do some painting on it myself, and decided that their prices weren't THAT BAD after all.  I'm just no longer anxious to do painting over my head, up on a ladder...........no thank you !  Praise God.

I kept my grand-niece, Lissy, on Tuesday for a few hours and it is just amazing the difference that being in Head Start has made in her.  She talks up a storm and is so cute and funny.  And now, out of the blue, she just hugs my neck and tells me she loves me.....sighhhhhhh......do you think I miss my grandbabies a little bit?

Chalk up another finish !

Phewwwwwww.........every one of these I do makes me wonder if it will be the last !

Basting this quilt, at 72 x 90 inches, was such a chore, I was aching in my back by the time I finished.
But then, wrestling it through the small opening of my old Singer machine was a real tug of war !

I started out by using the walking foot, outlining all major seams.   I thought that that was all that I was going to do.  But realizing that this batting is cotton and was going to shrink up in the dryer, I knew that the big unquilted portions of each block were going to be unsightly.  So, dreading it, but knowing that I somehow had to make it work, I went back in with the darning foot.

I HAVE to find a new walking foot !   This one pushed the top along, making a little tuck when I would come upon another seam crossing my way !   I was very frustrated by that, I don't mind telling you.  I would have bought a new foot long ago, but I can't find one to fit my old Singer, and still has a wide area at the needle hole so that I can see where I'm stitching.  This one gives you almost a blind view.  
















 I free-motion-quilted loop-de-loops in both sides of the blocks, leaving the 1 1/2 inch strip unquilted except for the ditch-quilting that they had already received.

 
I had to figure out paths for the quilting to take as I traveled from one section of a block to the next.  Most of the quilt is connected that way, continuously, but I did wind up with a couple of sections that I had to do on their own.

At one point, the thread broke, and I found that I had been quilting with the presser foot up..........yikes, there were loops everywhere on the back.  Well, it seemed like it at the time, but in reality, it was probably just part of one block.  But before I had done that, the tension had gotten skewed by the quilt rubbing against the dial somehow, and there was a bunch more quilting that had small loops all along the back of it.   So, I had to sit down and remove quite a bit of stitching, and then go in and redo it.  Blessedly, all was good after that, and in pretty good time, I got it all done to my satisfaction. 

I actually quilted the outer border before I went back and quilted the loopies in the blocks. I did a meandering pattern in the last border, and a wiggly/squiggly line in the dark blue border.   I even bound the two long, side edges before I realized that I had to do more quilting within the quilt itself.   The binding is the same fabric as the back.

It's not a coordinate of the other fabrics in the top, which are a collection called, "Mastermind" by Jennifer Callo for Connecting Threads, it but goes well with it.  On the other hand, I had planned to bind it in the dark blue that I used for the next-to-last border, but when I placed it against the backing fabric, it looked terrible from the back.  So, I switched to the backing fabric for binding.

The quilt has been through the washer and dryer, and I actually liked it better before that.    I still need to stitch a label onto the back, and then figure out how I'm going to get it to my 3-year-old grandson in Oklahoma..........no hurry, as he still sleeps on a crib-sized mattress in a little boy bed.

EDIT:  Just adding my wishlist from Connecting Threads in order to be added to their 'wishlist giveaway' sweepstakes. 

Quilting and Construction........

........both were on today's schedule, but, blessedly, I didn't have to do the construction !

Lottie helped me as I got alot of the in-the-ditch quilting done on Seth's quilt.  I don't know that I'll do anything else in the interior of the quilt, as this is the heaviest cotton batting I have ever dealt with.  I mean, this quilt is for a 3 YEAR OLD.   Hey, maybe that's a good thing.........cuz once that baby gets under this thing, he ain't gettin' up for nuthin' !   No more running back and forth to sissy's room for an hour !  Ha !  Kelley tells me that that is the normal nightly routine.......an hour of back and forth, leading to morning sleepyheads !

But while I was quilting today, a construction crew from the local Mennonite community was building a roof over my front porch/deck.  I'm so thrilled.  I couldn't afford to get all the finishing work with siding/soffets, so-forth, but it'll be great for now.  And God just sent us a little rain-shower.......well after they've finished construction........to show me how well the new roof will protect the front door, and even let us sit out and enjoy the rain sometimes.   Thank the Lord,  he is so GOOD !

Someday, I'll have to do a  little painting, I fear, but for now, I'm just going to enjoy the newness !

Lottie - dah !

Comfy much?

Look at those crossed back legs !
Couldn't you just eat her up ! ? !

Blogger's Quilt Festival -- Fall 2012

Hey everyone, it's time for the newest edition of the greatest little virtual quilt show you've ever seen !

 BLOGGER'S QUILT FESTIVAL 2012

 I like it when this time comes around twice a year.......
so much eye candy to enjoy for us quilting addicts !  
And I always manage to find a couple of new blogs to follow, and, sometimes, I even get a couple of new followers.

My favorite quilt that I have made this year, and, thusly, my entry for the festival, would have to be my

Blushing Bloomers !  Entry #329

Measuring 72 x 90 inches, this quilt fits my twin-sized bed.

Some viewers have been surprised when they realize, from this photo, just how big the flowers are in this design.

This quilt is not an original design of mine........I found directions for it on Moda's Bake Shop, the quilt having been designed by Natalia Bonner.  It was a really easy quilt to make, even though I didn't use jellyrolls for the fabric requirements.  I pieced and machine-quilted this one, as I do most of my quilts, on my old Singer model 15 sewing machine, Ernestine.

Ernestine, cartoonized courtesy of BeFunky.com

These fabrics were mostly ones that my dear friend Jo Ann has sent to me over the last 3 years. 

Fabrics sent by JoAnn

Almost anytime she corresponds with me by snailmail, she throws in a few fatquarters that she has picked up on various shopping trips.  After 3 years of this, I found that they were starting to coordinate, and I decided that making a quilt for myself out of them would let me be reminded of JoAnn's generosity on a daily basis.

A few years ago, my husband suffered a massive stroke, and he found that, although he recovered quite a bit, he could no longer lie flat in a bed.  So we got a hospital bed for him, and I downsized to a twin-sized bed of my own.  Trouble was, all the quilts I had made over a lifetime were either too small or too large for a twin.  So I made him a quilt, and now I've made this newest quilt for my own bed. 

Finding a beautiful, still Summer day, I basted the quilt in my backyard.

The finished measurements of Blushing Bloomers are approximately 72 inches of width by 90 inches of length, as I added two rows to the original plan of the quilt, and I added small side borders as well.  

If you look closely, you'll see that I used the remainders of my fatquarters to make scrappy borders AND binding.

The flowers are hand-appliqued, and free-motion quilted.

Coordinating Orange Peel wall quilt

I even had enough fabric to make this little coordinating Orange Peel quilt that measures 27 inches square.  It is hand-quilted, but machine-appliqued.

You can see the zigzag stitches.

The backing is a happy polka-dot, and the batting is a light-weight polyester, something that I haven't used in a while, but that makes me very happy with the finished quilt.  It is both practically weightless AND warm. 

I hope you've enjoyed seeing this quilt.........I had kept a picture of the original on my computer for a couple of years, hoping to make it someday.   I think that I probably ran across the original pattern during a past Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I'm glad that I actually, finally, got around to making one of the many quilts that bring me inspiration while browsing the web.  I hope you find one that you just have to make your own ... maybe even this one.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Stats

*Quilt Measurements -- 72 inches wide by 90 inches long

*Special Techniques used -- Hand-appliqued and free-motion-quilted flowers 

 *Quilted by -- myself on my Singer Model 15-90 cabinet model machine

1. *Best categories --Entry #329

1.  Favorite Bed Quilt,   
2.  Favorite Scrap Quilt,  
3.  Favorite Home-quilted Quilt

Entry No. #329

Many thanks to Amy and all the other sponsors of this festival.  Such a huge endeavor, and so much fun, I know that many, many people appreciate you all !