A Little Progress

I have had a lot of things going on, getting tax stuff ready, being sick, working, getting my house ready for new flooring, etc.  I have been sewing in my free time.  

I did finish my Tula Pink City Sampler, quilted and bound!  I entered it an Instagram contest, but there are a lot of great entries!

Tula Pink City Sampler - 100 Modern Quilt Blocks

quilting closeup

quilting closeup

I also have some tops together out of my BIG MESS in my last post.  I also have one more almost together and another one I am piecing as leader/enders.  I bought a bolt of backing and had hoped to do some machine quilting, but that hasn't happened yet.  These quilts will be donated to the American Hero project.  I will eventually do a couple for Quilt of Valor.

Blocks were all donated or won in a block lotto at a retreat 64 X 80

Center was given to me as well as two different sets of blue blocks.  I came up with this setting

We have had six snow days so far this year at school and more snow is predicted.  We do have some makeup days to do, but snow can also be pretty! 

one of our fields on the way home from work last week

 Linking up to Patchwork Times.

Finished Projects and a Big Mess

In an earlier post I showed small quilts that I was finishing during a quiltathon.  They are completely finished and I'm working on the last label.   Here they are with binding.

Deb's flower basket

quilting closeup

Christmas Wishes

Scrappy Bright Stars mini

I pieced the backing for my Tula Pink City Sampler using all the leftover fabrics.  I have just small scraps left.  Now to get it basted and quilted!

Today being it was MLK Civil Rights Day/Day of Service, I started a child's quilt using my box of 2" squares.  I don't have anything to show for that.  I also pressed my pile of hourglass units I have been working on as leaders and enders.  They were all triangle cutoffs from a large quilt I made for the American Hero project a few years ago.  I got them pressed, but not trimmed.

hourglass units ready for trimming

Now to the Big Mess.  Over the years I made many quilts for the American Hero quilt project.  I have collected blocks from people and made blocks and threw them all in a bin with assorted fabrics, a lot of them donated.   It's deceptive but that is a large gray tote underneath.  I am now switching gears and making a couple Quilts of Valor for a local presentation, then will go back to the American Hero project.  I have two Army officer nephews currently serving.  I had fully intended to dump out the bin and do some sorting today to see what I really have but other things came up today.

BIG MESS

Linking up with Patchwork Times.

Be My Neighbor

This post is dedicated to my Be My Neighbor quilt.  I did finish it over a week ago during the Quiltathon at Patchwork Times.  I finally got some pictures, but it's so hard to get a full size picture when I can't take it outside!  I'm afraid it would get too wet with the snow.  I also couldn't get it to show the true brightness of the fabrics.

Be My Neighbor on the design that is only 7' high

Be My Neighbor on the basement floor

Be My Neighbor on a queen bed

I quilted wavy lines horizontally from edge to edge.  It was fun and added the texture I wanted.

Wavy line quilting

backing

I used a stripe binding and applied it completely by machine, sewing it on the back and flipping it to the front and edge stitching.

I am entering the quilt into the contest on the Bear Creek Be My Neighbor site. scroll down to the bottom so you can see the details of the contest.

Quiltathon Day 2

Day 2 of the Quiltathon at Patchwork Times.  I got a late start as this crazy cold virus was trying to win today.  I finally got moving and have quilted two of the three wallhangings I had ready and have the binding stitched on and ready for hand stitching.    

For some reason I can't load pictures right now.  I get an almost blank screen with a sad face.  I have never seen that before.  I will try again later on an update.  In the meantime I will go quilt the third wallhanging!

Update:  The pictures loaded.  This is more of a large doll quilt size, but it will be a fun, bright quilt to hang in the hallway upstairs.  I was using scrap batting and I had a wool that was very thin and "spotty" so I used two layers.  BIG mistake!  I don't like the puffiness of it and it was tough to quilt straight lines.  I have the stripe binding on and ready for stitching.

Here is Christmas Wishes.  I just quilted a lot of straight lines.  I really like the effect and didn't want to disturb the hand embroidery.  Binding is ready for stitching.

block closeup

Linking up with Patchwork Times.

Quiltathon Weekend Day 1

I don't have a lot going on this weekend so I decided to participate in Judy's quiltathon at Patchwork Times.  I did not sign up for the UFO challenge, because I couldn't pick 12 of my many UFO's!  I listed them all in my previous post, athough since then I have found 3 more!  

I have two wallhangings for a friend ready to go and one partially quilted and I will try to get to those this weekend.  I also have my Be My Neighbor quilt pin basted.  However, I am battling a cold and decided to try to knock off some small projects towards my goal of completing 52 of them this year!

First up is this UFO from 2009.  It was a free BOM from Gail Pan and was revealed in Sept. 2009 called Christmas Wishes.  I had been embroidering on the blocks off and on over the years.  The square were 6".  I had based my floss colors on this fabric and had the blocks with the fabric and this is what I saw when I opened it up.  One block just needed a bit more stitching and they were done!

Christmas Wishes with just the Joy block needing finishing

Believe block closeup.

Christmas wishes spray basted and ready for quilting

I had leftovers from making Be My Neighbor and trimmed up scraps to have squares and half squares that finished at 1 1/2".  I came up with this little 18 X 24 wallhanging.  It is spray basted and ready for quilting.

Add caption

The last wallhanging I spray basted today was this little basket quilt.  The quilt was started by my friend Debi and I mentioned it in this post.   I pieced a back out of the leftovers.  It's my way to honor Debi and the blue print that had belonged to her grandmother.

Deb's memory wallhanging

I am linking up with Patchwork Times.

Making a Project List

Wow, oh wow!  I just had a major shock!  I went through my UFO's, aka projects I have started, but not finished.  I never dreamed I had as many as I do!  I am not making a resolution, but rather a goal of finishing 52 projects this year.  This may include something that is not even on the list yet (like a baby quilt for my daughter's friend), so I am leaving myself open to that.  I didn't want to join a challenge where you had to work on a certain project on a certain month, I don't operate like that.  I have times where I am super busy and don't have much time for quilting, and then I have weeks off in the summer where I spend the afternoons quilting when it's hot outside.  I am also a pretty intense quilter, meaning I can focus for periods of time and ignore other things. Some people call that an obsession, some people call it an addiction and I agree with both!  

I am going to list all my UFO's as I am in a friendly challenge with some friends.  A lot of these won't make sense, but my goal is to take before and after pictures as I work on each project and blog about it.  Some of them were acquired from other people, but I still count them in my totals.  A lot of them will be donated or gifted when they are finished.  I know I have forgotten some, but I'm scared to dig anymore!

TOPS TO BE QUILTED:  (in no particular order)
1.  Be My Neighbor (needs done before Jan. 31 for contest)
2.  Modern City Sampler/Tula Pink
3.  Christmas Block Robin
4.  Mistletoe Stars
5.  Country Snowflakes
6.  Poinsettia One Block Wonder
7.  Red/White Baskets
8.  Green/Blue Diamond Rail Fence
9.  Primary Lone Star (1)
10.  Primary Lone Star (2)
11.  Butterflies
12.  30's Dresden
13.  Pansies (from MIL's stash already marked with quilting design)
14.  Red/White sampler
15.  Floral Sand Castles
16.  Mocha Meringue (1)
17.  Mocha Meringue (2)
18.  Mocha Meringue with blue throw
19.  WASIQ - tan
20.  WASIQ - blue
21.  Kaffe Stars
22.  Bright Jelly Roll
23.  Modern Jelly Roll
25.  Judy Niemeyer - compass
26.  Itty Bitty Blocks
27.  Wedding Ring
28.  Fall tablerunner
29.  Antique dresden
30.  Bonnie Hunter Mystery (can't remember the name!) 2 years ago
32.  Butterfly Row X Row
33.  Purple/Turquoise Sampler
34.  Vicki's Row X Row
35.  Turquoise/Black Stack and Whack
36.  Scrap Swap quilt top
37.  Easy Street (Bonnie mystery 4 years ago)
38.  Vicki's block robin
39.  Janice's stars
40.  Frog baby quilt
41.  Food tablecloth
42.  Aqua/Gray large quilt
43.  Aqua/Gray throw
44.  poinsettia tablerunner
45.  teal trees
46.  Fossil Fern
47.  Hawaiian applique
48.  Cathedral window
49.  Blue baskets
50.  Deb's wallhanging

UFO's or PIP's (Projects in Progress)
1.  Earth tone batik scraps
2.  purple batiks scraps
3.  batik rail fence scrap
4.  30's scrap blocks
5.  many, many, many odd blocks (over 100)
6.  1930's Farmers Wife
7.  Batik Farmer's Wife
8.  Rose Applique
9.  Winter Wonderland
10.  Embroidered Christmas
11.  Amish Sampler
12.  Bow Tucks Purse
13.  Leaf Wallhanging
14.  Blueberry Granola (purple/green)
15.  Charity quilt (1)
16.  Charity quilt (2)
17.  Quilt of Valor (1)
18.  Quilt of Valor (2)
19.  Magic of Christmas
20.  Hand Quilted Wholecloth
21.  Hand quilted quilt for Jan
22.  Hand quilted quilt started by MIL
23.  Trip Around the World hand dyed
24.  12 Rows of Christmas
25.  Landscape
26.  Heart blocks
27.  Garden Embroidery
28.  Blue Sampler
29.  wreath applique
30.  wool applique

HSY (Haven't Started Yet - but have the fabrics)
1. Baltimore Album fusible applique
2.  Glacier Star paper pieced
3.  Something Blue paper pieced
4.  Mistletoe Lane BOM
5.  Summer Fest Jelly Roll
6.  Lots of others, but I am tired!

OMG and Two more finished tops!

I am joining in the One Monthly Goal challenge this month.  My goal to finish will be my Be My Neighbor quilt picture farther than down in this post!  This quilt is also my Main Crush Monday quilt.

We had a great Christmas and I have been on vacation from work.  The roads were not pleasant driving to Boise, but we had a great time with our daughters, their husbands, our two grandkids, and many other family members, too numerous to list!  It was a great time and we had decent roads coming home.  It's a six hour drive normally.

After we got home I started sewing.  I assembled my Tula Pink City Sampler, 100 Modern Quilt Blocks quilt top.  These blocks are 6" finished.  I avoided lining blocks up with the setting I chose!

City Sampler - 100 Modern Quilt Blocks

block closeups

I only had 7 of the Moda Be My Neighbor blocks done and the 16th one was released just before Christmas.  I worked for a couple days sewing the rest of the blocks and then a couple days assembling the quilt top and figured out the border, along with making a pieced backing.  I used cut offs from the triangle piecing to make a border and sized them all to 2 1/2" unfinished.  I had designed a border, but realized I didn't have enough of the white fabric so I cut up a bunch of the fabrics and made a random piano key border. 

Be My Neighbor top - queen sized

another view, my design wall isn't tall enough!

The quilt top is now queen sized and will go in my daughter's room. When she was six she wanted a house quilt.  She went through my stash and picked fabrics and I made a quilt, even hand quilting it!  The quilt is worn out!  She is my bright colors lover so I thought the Be My Neighbor quilt would be a great one to have on her bed here when she comes to visit.

Lisa's house quilt circa 1994

bright house block with sidewalk

rotten chimney fabric and my hand quilting

top of the quilt - completely shredded!

The backing I pieced for Be My Neighobr is VERY bright, there is one piece that sticks out a sore thumb, but I can honestly say I made a dent in a box of fabric!  Some of these fabrics have been in my stash for years and years!  Now to get the quilt quilted before the end of January to enter into the viewer's choice contest!  These pictures don't do the colors justice!  This will be my OMG - or One Monthly Goal.

pieced backing

another view pieced backing

In the windows of some of the Be My Neighbor blocks I used cat fabric. Lisa loved cats growing up and made a Chinese Coin quilt of all cat fabrics.  She tied it as a 4-H project.  

cat fabric in the window closeup

pieced borders closeup

Lisa's Chinese Coins cat quilt

closeup on the quilt showing the same fabric I used in the windows

My husband and I have made a tradition of going on a New Year's Day walk.  The snow was pretty deep and hard to maneuver.  We have snow shoes but I haven't the slightest idea how to use them so we waded through the snow.  Our dogs were thrilled to go, but the snow was a bit deep!

Leia - will be 2 in Feb.

Kanobi - age 11 1/2

picture in the front of our house a couple days ago at sunset -
farm machinery implements waiting for spring!

I am linking up to Patchwork Times, MCM and OMG.