Monday making

Do you drag your feet a bit when a quilt needs to be quilted???

I do.

Once I get going....I'm fine.

It's getting that backing done....

making the quilt sandwich......

And finally sitting down and figuring out WHAT to quilt!

Will it be lines...like I'm doing here???

Or a simple loopy all over pattern???

(that's MY doodle)

Or.....????

Well...

I've started quilting this quilt!!!

Just need a few more hours in my day to get her DONE!

;)

What are you working on this week???

Working Wednesday

I'm not always proud of my machine quilting...

(there are tension issues, oops! moments, little puckers....)

But when it's all DONE...

I'm PROUD I did it!!!

I made the WHOLE thing!

That's what I need to focus on as I wrestle with my friend here.

;)

I know I will love making my bed with this PINK and blue quilt!

Monday

I'm quilting lines through some pretty hexagons today!

Last week I was looking for motivation.

This week I found some. ;)

I moved my machine into the dining room and got to work!!

The change in scenery is good.

Plus.....

The dining room table is big enough to hold the bulk of this big queen sized quilt!

Wish me luck as I wrestle with the "deep blue sea". ;)

Any Room will DO

I'm quilting LINES in my dining room.

The sewing room is now being used

by a 4 year old houseguest.

;)

Not much I can say .....

except....

 

A friend in NEED

is a friend INDEED.

Especially when that friend

is under the age of 10!!!

 

we'll see how much sewing I can accomplish!

LOL!

 

I'm very thankful today that my sewing room

is NOT like THIS ONE!!!

 

I really don't think I'd have the patience

to quilt in SPACE!!!!!

 

 

Purple Pinwheels

Here's my very first finish for 2013!

A quilt that began ONLY because

someone gave me her leftover triangles

from a quilt she had made!

I began by sewing them into pinwheels...

and kept going!!!

I RARELY know where a quilt is going to take me!

It's always an ADVENTURE!!!

 

I DID learn while making this quilt...

that pinwheels LIKE to go the same way!

Hopefully I'll put my thinking cap on

the next time I attempt pinwheels.

:/

You'll notice MINE don't GO the same way!

Ah well.....

I marched on and finished it!

I doubt the new owner will have

ANY idea the mistake I made!!!

LOL!!!

 

Pretty vines!

Loop-de-loop lines in the quilting!

and.....

Almost READY to give away!!!

 

I'll be stitching the binding down this week!

 

We're getting away as a family

RIGHT before

school, work and schedules!!!

 

Have a great weekend!

Distracted

I had a surprise distraction this weekend.

Yarn.

Super, super, SOFT, thin, fuzzy yarn.

 

Castoffs from a relative.

"I'll take it!", I said.

;)

I wanted to wrap it around me RIGHT AWAY....

But wrapping takes warping....

and after it's WARPED it needs to be

WOVEN!

 

I'll have to WAIT. 

;/

And TRY to concentrate on one of my

Quilts that's been patiently waiting to be quilted!

 

Straight lines...

HERE I COME!

 

A garden quilt

I've added some "Pebbles" to my garden quilt!

Pebbles take more thread...

but the pattern is Soooo forgiving!

AFter all...

Pebbles are NEVER alike!

They come in ALL sizes!

And they're not perfectly round.

They provide the PERFECT quilting background!

My flower garden is surrounded

by a simple TRELLIS.

;)

Today...

Hopefully...

I'll be finishing this one up...

pebbling the narrow border on this quilt!

Unexpected happiness

After receiving an unexpected bag of presents scraps yesterday

I immediately set to work.

The bag was upended on the carpet...

and....

All the little strips and pieces were divided....

BY COLOR...

ALL around me!!!!

My son asked about the mess.

I ignored him.

;)

In the picture above you can see the blues

and orange/mustards I found!!!

I wanted to begin sewing them together

RIGHT AWAY!!!!

but.....

I had some swirling to do FIRST!!!

When the swirling was done....

I had some FUN!!!!

Calming Chaos

Sometimes quilts are pieced in an orderly fashion....

like here and here...

sometimes they're NOT!

Sometimes random pieces FALL together

adding energy and motion!!!

When this happens....

It's nice to give a little ORDER to the CHAOS.

I used some tape to give some ORDER.

I began with a LONG line right down the middle of the quilt.

I quilted about 2" out from there.....

measuring and taping as I went along.

PIECED HAPPINESS.

:)

Get well Quilt

Whenever I find out someone is in the hospital...

I have a VERY strong URGE!

I move VERY QUICKLY to my stacks of fabric

and begin THINKING!!!!

(I don't always ACT on this urge...

but it's always THERE!)

"Can I get a quilt together in time???"

"Is there something HERE that she/he will like???"

"Will I be able to get it together IN TIME????"

It really doesn't matter HOW long it takes...

Since the recipient has NO IDEA I'm making it!!!

:)

This time I had just received a HUGE pile of fabric

given to me to make donation quilts!

Perfect timing!

I wasn't too sure a young girl would like the fabric....

So I added the flowers to Perk it up!!!!

Flowers were added with fusible web...

then I just quilted right on top of them.

Once I did THAT....

I couldn't resist quilting flowers

ALL OVER the quilt!!!

It was just like doodling!

And...

I love the way it looks. ;)

I DID finish this quilt...

and was able to hand deliver it yesterday!!!

I'm always AMAZED at how HAPPY

giving a quilt away

makes ME!!!!

The moment of Truth

The Moment of TRUTH came this morning.

It's the moment when the quilt is turned over.

The moment you FINISH quilting.

The question is ALWAYS.....

ARE THERE ANY PUCKERS????

WHEW!!!!

It's nice and smooth.

A quilt I finished recently had a

NICE. BIG. CRINKLE. in the middle.

:/

It was a BABY quilt too!!!!

How did THAT happen????

Well...

It does happen to me sometimes.

I get going with stitching and

HATE to stop and CHECK the back!

Pedal to the metal

is not always a GOOD IDEA!

;)

Wednesday.

Backing chosen.

(Vintage gingham)

Simply Quilted.

(wavy lines)

Binding attached.

(from the scrap bag)

Done!

circles

Going round in Circles.....

Singing along with Billy Preston....

I can't get the song OUT of my head!

It IS a catchy tune......

Don't you think?

;/

Wondering WHAT song I'd be singing if I were quilting

 long LINES.

??????

I'm using some NEON green to quilt this one.

Never thought it would BLEND in so nicely.

My goal of ONE donation quilt a month is almost a

REALITY!

Woo Hoo!

Sheila!

You're the winner of the little unfinished,

Knitted doll.

Make her a HAPPY doll....o.k.?

college bound

School began yesterday for my little one.

Aaaah! Finally a quiet CHUNK of time

to quilt a quilt!

This is my friend's quilt top.

(made for a college bound niece).

She trusted ME to quilt it for her!!!

Yes. Miracles STILL do happen!

;)

It WAS a little scary to use my machine on HER quilt!

what if???

What if????

I kept telling myself to

SLOW down

and if all else fails...

I would just RIP OUT!

The pep talk worked!

Ripping out was NOT necessary!!!

Woo Hoo!!!

This quilt is NOW READY to move into

the freshmen dorms with my friend's niece!

Don't you like the way she perked up a simple quilt pattern

with the appliqued musical notes?

This one will be loved, I'm sure!

straight lines.

I'm sewing LOTS of straight lines.

This way.......

then......

That way.

Gets kind of boring. ;/

I will say I'm driving OVER some

very. pretty. fabric!!!

Lots of pretty blocks sent from all over the world

to make these quilts for Japan!

Thank you.

But.....

I'm so tempted to play....

These string blocks are sitting on the floor

calling my name

THE. WHOLE. TIME!!!

Their voices are pretty loud too!!!!

"Come and make some more of US

so WE can be a QUILT too!!!!!"

musical chairs

Remember the game called Musical chairs??

That's what I've been playing over here...

except it's called

MUSICAL QUILTS!

I work on one a little.....

and then work on another one a little....

and on and on it goes.....

This quilt really IS musical!!!

It began with that ONE little piece of fabric in the middle.

Can you see all the instruments???

It's going to be a GREAT

RAFFLE quilt

for a middle school band teacher I'm friends with.

I was even able to add some little tiny stars.

I'm sort of attached to little stars these days!

:)

This one is pieced.....

Ready to be quilted!!!

Then there are your blocks for Japan.

 I sew a little on these...

then.....

I quilt some donation quilts for a while...

Next up:

Binding on these guys.

Musical quilts.

I'm humming along as I work!!

;)