A Quilting Reader's Garden

Design Wall Monday 1/29/12

2012-01-30T03:54:00.000-08:00

It's kind of big to be on my design wall, but it is what I'm working on! May not finish by Wednesday, but hope to finish by next Saturday as this is one of those weeks where I don't have any appts, kids to watch, board meetings, etc - knock on wood! I've added the 2 inner borders all around. Now for the outer border. It isn't as bad as it sounds as this is a QAYG project and 90% of the

Stash Report 1/29/12

2012-01-29T15:38:00.000-08:00

I finished the first Promises & Borders block, so I cut into the two yards I bought from Connecting Threads. For me, when I cut into a fabric or remove it from my stash for a specific project I have started, it then counts as out of my stash and is fair game for stash reporting. So there went 2 yards! Then I started my 3rd block of my Jubilee Album quilt and made some Just Takes 2 blocks so

Favorite Things Friday

2012-01-27T14:20:00.000-08:00

are my flowers. Right now there is a dearth of flowers in my garden, but there is statis. I love this plant. It gives beautiful deep purple flowers with white centers. They stay looking good for a long time and then you can cut them and use them as dried flowers inside. I'm looking forward to more flowers. Pretty soon my yellow Lady Banks will be showing color like here last year - this was

Applique Thursday and More 1/26/12

2012-01-26T02:50:00.000-08:00

Finally, I'm back to applique. I was able to trace and begin back basting the third Jubilee Album block. Here's how far I've gotten. How's that for strange? Can you give me a title for this one? It should be three words - like Eyebrows raised high - whatever phrase you come up with that comes close to what this block is. Hint - you can go back to 2011 posts about these blocks to help you

I've been featured

2012-01-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Pocketchange Lifestyle Blog The blog, Pocketchange, (with great and useful information, loads of links to how-to-places, and lots of tips, photos, as well as places to shop, etc) asked me if I'd like to be featured on their Best of the Web segment which comes out on Wednesdays. And I'm in today's! So hello to all the new readers, welcome. And to all of you, stop by tomorrow if you're

WIP Wednesday 1/25/12

2012-01-25T03:52:00.000-08:00

Slowly getting back to quilting. My cough is still around but the sneezing is gone. Just found out my DGS, Frank, has pneumonia. Has gone from viral pneumonia to bacterial - I'm going over to watch him tomorrow so Mom can work and he can rest one more day. She's off Thursday, so he doesn't have to go to school until Friday. Hopefully with the antibiotics he'll be better. He just sounds

Fabric Tuesday - First P&B BOM block Done

2012-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

Now I can take it slow with this block out of the way. Here it is and as instructed with sashing added on one side. This block is the first of Jenny of Elefantz's 2012 BOM. You can go and see her lovely BOM at the button in my sidebar. Look for the little blue bird.Now I have some questions for you embroiderers. What do you use for marking the fabric? Is there a good way to center a design

Design Wall Monday 1/23/12

2012-01-23T01:38:00.000-08:00

Not much quilting getting done. Besides still feeling poorly, the sewing room is too cold for me. Today, I went in there and it was 62. Brrr. I do have a portable heater but it blows air and so the wind chill keeps it not to my liking. In the meantime, I've been sitting in the living room and keeping warm and embroidering. Almost done - have a few leaves and a corner to do. This is the first

Stash Report 1/22/12

2012-01-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

Not much sewing or quilting done as I was poorly a few days - still a tiny bit under the weather. Used a fat quarter's worth of pieces to make two Just Take 2 blocks. Bought 2 yards of fabric from Connecting Thread for my Promises and Borders BOM. Used a yard for the back of a charity quilt. So here are my numbers: Used/Donated this week: 1.25 yards Used/Donated YTD: 7.21 yards Added/

Applique Thursday and More Late 1/19/12

2012-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Spent thursday coughing and sneezing and not much quilting, I'm afraid. So here's a book I longingly go through now and then, dreaming of when I'm going to make some of these lovelies: What are you working on? - applique or other wise. Sure could use some eye candy to get me through the day. document.write('<\/script>');

WIP Wednesday 1/18/12

2012-01-18T13:04:00.000-08:00

Arrghhhh! I made it so many times - sometimes seams 3 times - I just can't foundation piece/paper piece, so that's why I went to regular piecing with this Just Take 2 #8 block. I'll have to take a class or something. I don't seem to have problems when the pieces are odd, but this trying to construct a traditional block just stops me cold. Ah me - any one have a tutorial for this kind of

Just Takes 2 #7

2012-01-17T03:32:00.000-08:00

And this is my Fabric Tuesday tale. See more at Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story on my sidebar.

Design Wall Monday 1/16/12

2012-01-16T08:40:00.000-08:00

Gosh, we're already at the middle of the month! The next 5 blocks for Just Takes 2 are out so I'll be busy with those, but I wanted to show you I did start on the Promises and Borders by Jenny at Elephantz (see sidebar). Here's as far as I've gotten: This is a step out of my box for me - doing embroidery. My mom taught me way back when I was 8 or so, but I haven't done much lately - so not sure

Stash Report 1/15/12

2012-01-15T13:11:00.000-08:00

My first week was spent sick, but I did better using my stash that week than this one - drat! Only used a 1/2 yard total to make 8 blocks and start another. No wonder it is hard to use up stash. So I'm about 1.5 yards behind in my per week usage. Happily there is always tomorrow. Here are my numbers: Used/Donated this week: .50 yards Used/Donated YTD: 5.96 yards Added/Bought this

Favorite Things Friday 1/13/12 - Done

2012-01-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

I like these colorful blocks - may continue to try and make them bright in this BOM. Go on over to Shay's Favorite Things Friday post. You'll find the button on my left sidebar. It's fun to see what people are enthusiastic about.

FMQ Project #1 Done

2012-01-12T14:59:00.000-08:00

At Leah's Free Motion Quilting project we were to practice stippling. I decided to stipple a changing table pad I found at a thrift store. It looked like the creator never got around to quilting it and when I washed it the batting started to move around. I straightened it out and set aside to quilt. Here is the back side - the quilting shows up better. I chalked a rectangle in the center of the

Applique Thursday and More 1/12/12

2012-01-12T05:52:00.000-08:00

I'm participating in Just Takes 2 this year - a BOM, sort of, in which blocks in Red and White quilts exhibited have been chosen to make a representative quilt of that glorious collection. You can learn more about it by clicking on the red/white button on my sidebar. I love to make blocks so this seemed like one to do this year. And some of the blocks have applique. You know how much I love

WIP - Craftsy BOM

2012-01-11T08:52:00.000-08:00

I guess this is the year to make samplers for me. I've committed to two so far! Also an embroidered block BOM, and two FMQ challenges. Looks like I'll have plenty of blocks to quilt as I go. One of my Yahoo Online groups is making the Craftsy BOM blocks as an activity for all of us. I think we are doing 2 blocks each month and they will be blocks that we learn new tricks from. Here are my

More Blocks 1/10/11

2012-01-10T03:52:00.000-08:00

Two more of the pieced Just Takes 2 blocks done. I'm showing them here with the one I did Sunday. I could make a whole quilt out of the yellow block - it's so pretty! One more and I'll be done before the 15th when we get the next installment. Don't know why the color came out so dark in the square in a square. Here's what it really looks like: Linking to Fabric Tuesday by Quilt Story and WOW

Design Wall Monday 1/9/12

2012-01-09T03:43:00.000-08:00

First pieced block for the Just Take 2 Quilt. You can learn about it at the red and white button on my sidebar. Have 4 more to do and 2 appliqued blocks. I've decided to make mine scrappy with as much of the background the same as I can get from the piece I found in my stash. I'll use the colors in the sparse background print to pull fabrics for the piecing. On the whole, I want to use only

Stash Report 1/8/12

2012-01-08T03:52:00.000-08:00

Well, despite being sick (have to do something sitting around here) the two charity quilts are flimsies - that's the part I do. They go on to other members of St. Anne's who sandwich, tie and sometimes bind. The rag quilt gets clipped by another member - I get sore fingers doing it. So I used 1 yard for backing the blue and purple charity quilt; half yard for the last small border and the

FMQ Challenge 1/6/12

2012-01-06T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm taking part in the FMQ Challenge for 2012. And I've decided instead of making sandwiches or sample quilts, I'm going to do my FMQ quilting practice on whatever I am working on at the time each segment is posted once a month. This month I was working on a charity quilt, so that is what I tried the continuous leaf pattern provided by Frances Moore. It is a rag quilt and perfect to try on small

Applique Thursday and More 1/5/12

2012-01-05T08:43:00.000-08:00

Hello. I hoped to have the start of my third Jubilee Album block to show you, but down with some bug, so not up to much. So here is Birds n Roses - a quilt I dream of someday making: What's on your wish list? document.write('<\/script>');

Design Wall Monday 1/2/11

2012-01-02T07:26:00.000-08:00

Beside #5 UFO, I have two charity quilts on my design wall. The one on the left is a scrappy quilt where I used the left overs to make crumb blocks to get enough blocks to make this 36" square. The one on the right is a stack of squares for the next rag quilt. What do have on your design wall? Would love to take a peek. And don't forget to go over to Judy's Patchwork Times in the side bar to

Stash Report 1/1/11

2012-01-01T14:12:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It is a glorious day here. At 11am, I went along the south side of the house and opened all the windows. Reason being: 79.4 temp outside; 69.6 inside. We live about one hour and a half north of paradise (aka San Diego) and we get weather like that some years. I was happy with my numbers for the Stash Report 2011 and hope to duplicate the numbers this year. So my goal is