Quilting Catch Up - 5 months really?

I seriously cannot believe I have not made a blog post in 5 months.  I wasn't reading blogs either, but I am trying to catch up.  I got in a funk and it was hard to focus.  Instagram is more instant and easier to share so most pics are posted there.  Winter is not my favorite time of the year and with holidays and being busy, I just forgot my blog.  We did get to go to Kentucky the week of Thanksgiving to see our daughter, husband and twin grandkids.  Our other daughter and 3 kids came up right after Christmas in between blizzards! 

I really have been quilting, but it doesn't seem like it!  Going back through my pictures I realized there is more than I thought!  Be prepared for photos!

Brown Bag mystery from last year called Double the Fun.  I still haven't added a border!

I don't remember the name of this pattern, but it was fun.  I made this for a friend.

One Block Wonder.  I do not have a picture with borders on!  I do not have this quilt either!

This was a fun quilt, but lots of pieces.  It is called Scarlet Stitches and the block centers are panels.

Table topper I made and designed for a gift exchange at Christmas.

One Block Wonder I gifted to my boss at work.  She owns a lot of my quilts!  The center is a fun panel.

I finished this UFO!  It is the result of two block exchanges.  I wasn't thrilled with all the blocks I got back when I requested purple and blue, but I added lots of Kaffe black and whites and it turned out to be interesting! We had just a bit of snow when I took the picture.

One of my favorite finishes in a long time!  I saw this quilt pattern on Instagram and loved the low volume look of it.  It was a lot of fun and I am ready for next Christmas since it is Christmas prints!  It is the Chamomile Quilt by Woodberry Way.

My husband's cousin is cleaning things out at their great grandparents home.  She brought over these crocheted pieces along with a crochet hook and thread.  She also brought some old quilt blocks.  I don't enjoy crocheting and then had the urge to make a modern style piece.  I made a checkerboard of bright Snippets fabric, quilted it, and attached the doilies adding a button center.  I then stretched the piece over a 24 X 24 canvas. 

A non quilting friend likes to buy fabric (she said it's addictive!).  This is the third Quilt of Valor style quilt I have made for her.  I had the panel in my stash.  She cut out a bunch of 5 pointed stars, but they did not have a fusible.  505 spray baste to the rescue and I zigzagged around them.  

I have a pink loving friend and she has been going through a lot of medical issues.  She is having surgery in a couple of weeks so I made this quilt from Lori Holt fabrics.  She received it last week and loves it.  I did not have a pattern, just made 6" churn dash blocks and put them in a 12" block and added a piano key border from leftovers.

I saw this beach bundle and thought of a friend that lives in Portland and loves going to the beach.  Her birthday is actually today and the quilted arrived at her house last week.  It is just a lap/throw size.  The bundle came with the panel and I decided on flying geese to use the other beach prints.  I had the two blue framing borders in my stash. 

Okay, that is it for now!  Stay tuned, I am currently working on six baby quilts for Quilts for Kids.

Linking up with Design Wall Monday

Autumn is Here

 I cannot believe it is fall already.  This has been such a strange summer.  We are still getting produce from the garden and I end up canning.  Not my most favorite thing to do with my weekends.  School is in session and so far our school is open and let's hope it stays that way.  We have even gone on two field trips.  Being a small school in the country with 19 students helps!

We had our county fair a week ago.  It was much smaller than usual, but we filled out the quilt section nicely.  We got lots of compliments on it.  I managed to enter 7 quilts I had made in the last two years.  I did get blue ribbons, but I enter mostly to inspire people. 

Cute gnome quilt.  The hearts are appliqued on.  Shop sample.

Kaffe leader ender project.  It always sticks to my design wall and looks wrinkled.

One Block Wonder with Kaffe feather fabrfic and cubes.

Wow, August is Almost Over!

 This has been a super busy summer.  I don't even know where to begin!  So I will be random.  Quilts will be in the post!  I had more company and also met my daughter halfway to pick up my two oldest grandkids so they could have a bit of harvest.  Our weather has been so dry harvest was very early, and the yields were down quite a bit.  While the kids were here and because of the super dry summer, fires have been rampant in the norhwest.  On Wednesday, August 11 a fire started several miles from here and quite a bit lower in elevation.  It quickly went out of control and into the wooded canyons.  My husband is a volunteer fire fighter and had already plowed fire breaks around our house and fields.  By Friday night we were in danger, but I didn't realize how much!  The fire traveled 8.7 miles up the canyon and was stopped by a backfire .7 miles from our house!  It did not cross the highway thankfully.  My husband was out fighting fire and the biggest danger was flying embers with the dry ground and lots of trees.  These pictures are from one of our fields on the edge of the canyon.  Thanks to hundreds of firefighters, including farmers and loggers the fire was contained at 11,205 acres.

I have gotten several shop sample tops done and have actually worked on some of my own projects, but not too much!  I helped my 7 year old granddaughter sew an apron when she was here.  She was very proud and wanted to bake.  Only it was so hot and we don't have air conditioning so I was avoiding the oven!  She did enjoy setting the table in her apron!

The pictures below are all shop sample quilt tops!

The fabrics glow in the dark!

Busy Summer

 It has been a busy summer!  We had my sister here from Southern Idaho along with her son, his wife and two little  girls from Kentucky here for a few days and the day after they left my daughter and 3 grandkids arrived for a week.  We had a lot of fun, even with the massive heat wave we are in.  We haven't  had rain for months and fires are raging in the area.  

Because I am supposed to be taking it easy after oral surgery recently I am sewing!  I made this fun quilt top, loved using a panel for the applique.

This quilt is called Our Flag Stands for Freedom.  It is not the best written pattern, but I love the way it turned out and there are cutting directions *sort of* for a mini version.  I made that today!  

A few more quilt tops

 I have been in the midst of doing all my summer yard and house maintenance in the span of 10 days.  Oh how I wish we had TREX decking!  When we built our house it was brand new on the market and our neighbor who was building our decks in his spare time had never worked with it.  Well, fast forward to every few years needing to sand and refinish the decks.  I tried hiring someone, but he bailed on me three times.  So last week in the heat, I sanded and stained/waterproofed the decks along with lots of yardwork.  We have a huge yard and trying to keep up with the watering in this heat and the gardening...  you get the idea my sewing time is limited!  The first batch of company arrives Thursday.  

I finished 4 more Take 5 quilts.  Not a huge fan of all the fabrics.  But they are done and a box with 9 quilt tops was shipped today!  I didn't get great photos, they stick well to my design wall and looked wrinkled!  

A few tops complete

 School is almost out and I am thankful we were in person all school year!  I have some projects to do around the house and some company coming but the break will be nice.  

I have been in a personal quilting slump, so I continue to make shop samples for my friend's shop.  This summer I want to go through my projects and get some UFO's finished!

I love the Take Five kits.  The block pieces come pre-cut and are so easy to sew together!  You can tell the region I live in!  University of Idaho Vandals, Boise State Broncos and Gonzaga Bulldogs!  They were fun and easy to do.  

Finished Gift

 I quilted and bound the blue sampler quilt.   It is ready for gifting.  I figured out the blocks were made in 2004!  It is great to have this UFO off my shelf!

I also took a few flower photos!