Monday, November 18, 2019

One Block Wonder and New Quilt

I finished another quilt shop sample, but didn't get a picture.  The last shop sample I had here to make was a One Block Wonder out of six horse panels.  I tackled that this past week and got it done!  It turned out well, although I miscalculated and it's wider and shorter than I had hoped.  I wasn't allowing for as much seam allowance in length than it took!  I really do know how to add and multiply!  The shop owner is going to add a border to it.  It turned out to be 51 X 54.

This is the panel I started with, stacking up six of them.

One Block Wonder
 I cut out a new quilt yesterday.  I purchased this kit from Starr Fabrics years and years ago (click for a view of the pattern). There are 30 hand dyed fabrics.  It wasn't quite as vibrant as I had hoped and I set it aside.  There are also appliques with fusible web that I will not  be using at this time.  I need a gift for a friend and I think this will be perfect.  I am ready to sew the strata together.
Hand dyed fabrics from Starr Fabrics.

Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Happy Veteran's Day

Thanks to all those who have served and protected our great country.  This picture is of  my BIL and my two nephews.  My BIL was college ROTC and retired after serving for over 20 years.  He never saw conflict however.  He spent one tour as Director of Curriculum at West Point.  Both nephews are West Point graduates and one served in Afghanistan and currently based at Fort Knox and the other is currently in Europe "somewhere" and is based at Fort Hood.

I have had a lot going on.  I went to a quilt show in Spokane., WA and had a weekend getaway there with a friend from western Washington.  We set up our machines in the hotel and had a mini retreat.  I saw an amazing number of quilts at the show. 

My oldest daughter and 3 kids came to visit for a weekend and another weekend we went to Boise to say goodbye to our younger daughter, husband and the twins.  They arrived safely in Louisville, Ky and moved into their new house over the weekend.  The twins traveled beautifully, spending 4 days in the car with my daughter while her husband drove the U-Haul.
This past weekend I was at a quilt retreat sponsored by Your Best Friend's Quilt Shop, the shop I made samples for.  I finished several more samples and have one left.  I didn't get pictures of two of them, I kept staring at my phone willing the pictures to be there. 

John Wayne quilt kit - twin size - shop sample
block closeup

calculator wallhanging shop sample

pillow tops shop sample to go with the calculator

snowman bed runner - forgot to rotate the photo!
Nest Stop North Pole flannel quilt top - shop sample

Next Stop North Pole shop sample in flannel

 Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Monday, October 14, 2019

Sample and Quilts for Kids

First off a little housekeeping.  Some of you have been posting comments and I got very behind on replying and some of the comments are not showing up in my email and I forget to check.  I love all the comments and so appreciate the time it takes for you to write them!  Thank you! 

I made another sample quilt for my friend's shop and yes I have made this one before, just as I had in my last post!  I also made three Quilts for Kids.  I ordered two kits and used some leftover dinosaur fabrics from a quilt I made my grand nephew over six years ago for a third quilt.  They are quick and easy and it is just a great organization to support.  One more pile of fabric is now out of my stash as I just have small scraps left of the dinosaur fabrics.  I really thought I had taken straight pictures this time.  I really am not a crooked quilter!


I did a sinple large meander.  Super quick and easy quilting.

I quilted wavy lines through this one.  Also super quick and easy.

 This one is from fabrics I had on hand.  I had some strip sets and added to them and it's a fun, easy quilt to make!

Simple loop quilting finished this one off quickly.


Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Tuesday, October 08, 2019

A Few Tops and a Small Finish

Since our fair in mid September it doesn't seem like I have accomplished a lot.  I made a mini quilt, but other than that it has been tops.  I have done some canning, projects for school, had a family funeral and company and I hope I can focus on projects again soon!  I know to most people I accomplish a lot, but I am used to being an over achiever possibly?  😄

Here are some of the projects I have worked on recently:

This is an 18" mini I designed and made for the Teal Mini Swap in the support of Ovarian Cancer research.  The fabric we were sent is the teal one that is just to the left of center on top and to the right of center on the bottom.  My swap partner likes modern and bright colors  and I called this Sound Waves. 
 This is the mini I received from my partner in Pennsylvania! 
 I have been making some tops for my friend's quilt shop, Your Best Friend's Quilt Shop  I made two dog quilts, that were pretty cute with fussy cutting.  They are throw size. 

I also repeated making this flannel quilt from a kit for the shop.  She sold the other one!


I also repeated making this fox quilt, because the other sample was also sold!  The owner is lucky to be able to sell completed quilts, but I am looking forward to some of the other fun projects she sent me!


I love the colors of fall, although I am not a fan of cold weather.  Snow is predicted for tonight!  YIKES!  I am so not ready for that.  I need to get out and take more fall pics.  We have huge maple trees in our yard.  I snapped this one on my way to town last week.  I drop down 2,000 feet to get to the closest town and the valley was socked in with fog.  It was a cloudy day when I got down there!



Monday, September 16, 2019

Another Finished UFO!

In my last quilt basting party I pin basted a quilt that has been waiting quite a few years for quilting.  The blocks were from years of swaps from a yahoo group called Washington State Internet Quilters.  I was a charter member of the group (started in 1998) and the blocks are representative of things in Washington.  I can see Washington from my bedroom window, although it is an hour drive!  I shop in Washington all the time since that is where some of the major chain stores are, all super close together.  Anyway this was my connection to Washington (along with going to college there).  I made so many wonderful friends from that group and have met a lot of them at retreats or quilt shows.

I have another quilt I made with some of the blocks and posted the top HERE.  That one is finished.  Now this one is!  I finished the binding Wednesday night and entered it in our county fair Thursday.  I am co-superintendent of the quilt department and spent 8 hours checking in quilts and afghans.  On Friday I was there for judging.  I was given a blue ribbon for the quilt and initially received Best of Show, but turned it down.  I did not make all the blocks, so I felt I should not receive Best of Show.  The person who received it was thrilled.

I custom quilted each block and did simple straight line quilting in the sashing.




Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Friday, September 06, 2019

Jelly Roll Waves Quilt and Finished Friday!

I joined a sew along this summer with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts.  I picked a jelly roll I had received in a sampler box and although I liked the colors it was a little more graphic than my usual style.  But I persevered and finished the quilt!  I really like it now!  I went into our "old combine" lot to take pics!  I am joining Alycia at Quilty Girl for Finished Friday








Monday, September 02, 2019

Three Quilts Basted

This has not been a productive summer quilt wise.  I have had too many other things going on.  I had previously held two "basting parties", although it's not really a party if you are there by yourself!  I basted several quilts each time and have them all quilted.  I started that process again.  One basting party was in this post.

For my design wall my One Block Wonder is still there.  Check it out here.

I am trying to get back in the quilting mode, but of course school started and I had to go back to work last week!  Hence, the basting so I don't have to think when I get home from work and there will be a project ready.  I need to do more, but I need to get the bottom one quilted first as it is part of a quilt along.

These are the three quilts I have basted so far.  Two of them are OLD, OLD UFO's!

My younger daughter came to visit for the weekend and brought her 21 month old twins Finn and Remy.  Her husband stayed home to do some house painting.  Much easier to do without toddlers underfoot!  The kids were not totally impressed with the farm equipment.  They each got a truck ride to the field and saw the combines in action.  We have home storage and the truck was dumping food barley in the bin.  It is used to make items like Fiber One granola bars.

I did post a quilt a day on Instagram for August, so if you are not a follower follow me there @julie.huffman .  A very original handle!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Friday, August 23, 2019

One Block Wonder started

Last year I met a long time online friend for the first time.  She was in my area and I drove to meet her.  We had lunch and I took her to a quilt shop.  We bought the same piece of fabric for a one block wonder.  I cut all the pieces and sewed the half hexagons and today I actually got them up on the wall.  My friend hasn't cut into her fabric yet!  After taking this picture and seeing it on my phone screen I can see I have a LOT of rearranging to do.  That's the thing about one block wonders.  There really is no right or wrong, it's whatever strikes your fancy.   Next time you see it, it will be very different! 



Linking up with Alycia on Finished or Not Friday

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Jelly Roll Waves Quiltalong

I joined in a quilt along a few weeks ago and I have the top assembled.  This jelly roll was in a package I received on a trial basis from Quilt Sampler and it was not my favorite.  I thought this would be a great use of the jelly roll and would make a quilt for a teen in a group home my small group donates to.  The pattern was easy to follow and sewed up pretty quickly.  I haven't had much time to sew lately, so it was great to have a quick project!  Linking up with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts.  Next step is get it quilted for the final link up!
Jelly Roll Waves



Monday, August 05, 2019

Not a lot of Quilting Motivation

July has been a crazy busy month and I just can't seem to get back to the swing of quilting.  I do bits and pieces, but since it's August I need to get a move on before school starts up again!  I had a list of house projects to accomplish and I still have a few more on my to do list, but I have gotten a lot done.  They just take so much time.  I have a big house and it's hard to get rid of stuff, but I have been hauling carloads away.

I do have a bit about quilting at the end of this post!

Our biggest news this month was the birth of our fifth grandchild, Kathryn Ruth.  Her mom is my oldest daughter Amy.  Kathryn was born July 11th.  My sisters were here staying with us for a few days for a family memorial service and visit and we caravaned to Boise on the 15th.  Kathryn is adorable! 

I got to see my twin grandchildren, whose mom is my younger daughter Lisa. This is Remy


And this is Finn.  

On the 17th I brought Kathryn's brother and sister home with me.  Nicole is 5 and Jared is 7.  We had a lot of fun with them.  My husband took Jared on a 9 mile backpacking trip one night.  Nicole and I were the drivers dropping them off at one end of the trail and picking them up the next day.  The trail goes along Dworshak Reservoir (lake behind the highest straight axis dam in North America).  

One of my sisters came back up with her son and and we took our boat out on the same lake.  We love the swimming docks in the lake, the kids really enjoyed jumping into the deep water.
Dent Bridge in the background.

My sister gave the kids a ride back home on the 24th and I started in on house projects.  I finally got to my quilt room.  I pulled a bunch of fabric off the shelves and got it all refolded. 


 I got these three blocks done from the Enchanted Garden Block of the Month I joined.
I have been doing leader ender 9 patches with an alternate block out of Kaffe Fassett leftovers.

 I am machine quilting this quilt for a friend.

Other than that I have been organizing projects and cutting up scraps and staring at all the things I want to do!

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Jelly Roll Waves QAL

I got behind on the Jelly Roll Wave QAL and I made all the blocks this week.  I had some adventures happening, and I am thrilled to be this far along now.  I will be adding borders and making this into a quilt for a teen in a children's home.  My small quilt group donates twin size quilts.

The fabrics are a bit funky for my usual taste, but they are fun!

I am linking up with Busy Hands Quilts this week.