Quilting and Snow

I can't believe I didn't post last week.  Oh well.  I do have some more finishes to share.

The first one is a row robin from MANY years ago.  I furnished a lot of the fabrics and it sat for a long time because the rows were wide but not very many of them.  At a retreat several years ago I finally set the top together and now it's quilted.  I am not sure what I will do with it yet, I may be gifting it to a friend.  Another old UFO bites the dust!

Srping Row Robin

This quilt was made several years ago from a pattern on Craftsy.  The directions were really bad and I emailed the designer and she told me I didn't know what I was talking about.  I am an experienced quilter, so I threw away the pattern and made it my way!  However, then I HATED it.  Yes, strong word.  I really do not like this quilt.  I am not a fan of green and I tried to liven it up by quilting it with a shiny thread.  I will definitely be trying to find a home for this quilt!  But another UFO bites the dust!

Christmas Candy

A friend owns a quilt shop about an hour and a half away.  I volunteered to help make shop samples.  She sent me two kits for the same pattern.  The first one I made is Hoffman Wolves.  I am not a fan of wolves, but this came out great.  It's taller than my design wall.  Much bigger than I thought it would be.  66 X 88.  

 The second one is a fox and this is really cute.  The pattern is easy to follow.  I will be making some more shop samples for her at an upcoming quilt retreat.

 We had a backyard visitor last week.  The photo was taken out my upstairs bedroom window.  Icicles are hanging down!  My coworker saw a moose over the weekend and thinks it might be the same one.

Doug had to plow again last week.  My deck is about 3 feet off the ground for a depth comparison.  I'm ready for spring!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday.

Five More UFO's Bite the Dust!

Although I still don't have my list typed up, I have it written on paper, I have knocked off five UFO's this weekend!  Admittedly I picked some easy ones, but hey they are done and not in my piles anymore!  We had snow this weekend so it was a great time to hide out and quilt.  The first photo was taken Saturday and that night we had massive wind and it knocked the snow off the trees.  The second picture is a walk in our woods behind the house Sunday.  It's hard to tell, but the snow was about a foot deep out in the open. 

I finished quilting and bound Tutti Fruiti.  It measures 60 X 72.  It was in a McCall's magazine and I used Moda Basic Grey Grunge and Compositions fabrics.

Tutti Fruiti

Here is a closeup.  I LOVE the background fabrics! I free motion outline stitched around the pinwheels and black squares, and the rest is a simple stipple for texture.

I finished three tablerunners.  A few years ago a local quilt shop was really into the 60 degree border print tablerunners.  I made these two out of one length of print, but the orange was pretty intense.  I put them away.  Now they are done!  One will be donated to the senior center fundraising efforts.  The make a bunch of gift baskets every year and raffle them.  The center one was a charm pack and a poinsettia print.  My prints were just really busy, and I set it aside.  Now I like it and it's finished!

 I started this tote bag 8 years ago.  I got bored sewing on raw edge strips and the size was odd so I set it aside.  I finished it in about 30 minutes!  I had the straps made, but not sewn on, and then I just had to sew up the sides.  I was supposed to add a pocket, but I am using it as a quilt carry bag.  It's done!

Not quilt related, but I work in a two room school (although we call it a one room as all the students do have a desk in one room).  I pull the Kindergarten and First Grade students out and we sit around in a table in our second room with the library and play center.  We have a half size gym.  Normally the students bring their lunch every day, but once a month parents cook a hot lunch in our tiny kitchen.  For Valentine's Day the students invited guests and they did the decorating with supplies belonging to a couple of parents.  We practice manners and dress up.

the door to the kitchen is in the corner.  Doors to the hallway are on the right out of view.

the door to the PE equipment storage room is in the far corner.  Doors to the hallway are on the left.

 Linking up with Design Wall Monday and Main Crush Monday and Monday Making.

Where Did February Go?

I can't believe February ends tomorrow!  For being a short month, it has been very long for me.  It has been a sick month but fortunately I am on the mend thanks to a trip to the Dr.  I have never had such ear pain from congestion and infections.  I even took sick time, unheard of for me!  I should have taken more, but it's tough to organize for a sub with my little 9 person zoo, aka Kindergarten and First Grade.  

This was my view this morning on my drive to school.  The school is at the top of this hill.  It's a good thing we didn't take the snow tires off!

I finished the Dr. Seuss quilt and it is hanging at school.  I just did a simple all over quilting.  This is an original design.  I cut the panels and some of the extra fabrics and then started cutting filler strips as I went along.  The word strip in the center was an edge strip on the panel piece.  All my photos seem blurry.  I do need a new phone, but I think I also moved each time!

Dr. Seuss, original design

closeup

backing, leftover scraps, plus additional stash pieces

My other accomplishment was making this Catch All Caddy.  I have had the pattern for a while and will be going to a quilt retreat this coming weekend.  This will help keep my stuff organized.  I am happy with it, the only issue I had was the final binding.  It was too bulky to machine stitch it down so I hand stitched it after it was on.  I look forward to filling it with my goodies for quilt camp!

I previously mentioned getting new floors.  Here is a before and after.  You can see why I wanted to update the old stuff!!!  I absolutely love it!  It's so easy to care for!  I like my new darker gray walls I painted too.  I finally got the house back together this weekend.

I have also been getting things ready for quilt camp. 

Linking up with Patchwork Times.

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.

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.

More Snow Pictures and Quilting Closeup

Monday I took some more snow pictures, I just didn't get them posted! Also Jeanne had asked for a closeup on my hand quilting on the old zigzag quilt so I am showing that one first.
Standing at our mailbox looking west, our driveway is to the right.

From the mailbox looking up the driveway. Our house is hidden in the center, inlaws house off to the right.
Looking into the backyard from my inlaws. My lilac bushes look pretty sad.
Grain bins, shop, and my lilac bushes again. They look better from this side.
Looking west from the back deck to the old barn.