"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jer 29:11 (NIV)

Saturday, March 30, 2019

Mystery Reveal

The mystery fabric chosen for the quilt-along by Tracy for the first quarter of 2019 ....




















 Was this cute print with mice in bales of hay.

















 I ended up making this snack mat with the mice peeking out of the windows. 

Went into my landscape fabric for the house walls and roof.  The rest came out of scraps.


 Close up of the mice in the windows.














Backing, also from scraps.

Haven't decided what I'm going to do with this yet........could end up a gift, or be sold.

Gratitudes:

1. For the days this past week when they let us go home early.

2. For the fun with the ladies ministry Friday night at church.

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Thursday, March 28, 2019

Final Day of All About Strings Blog Hop

Today is the final day for the All About Strings blog hop.  Check out what everyone has done for their string project.  And don't forget to head over to Create in the Sticks to enter the giveaway for the blog hop.

Stripes and Strings… All About Strings Today At Seams To Be Sew…

          All About Strings Blog Hop Schedule



And if you've missed any of the prior days - 

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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Snails Assembly

I've completed 21 snail blocks now, and have a max of 9 more orphan blocks that will work for shells for more blocks.   However, I don't actually know how many blocks I'll need to make the quilt fit my bed.   As a result, I figured I'd better start putting some of them together so I can get an idea of how many more I need to make. 

I'm just hoping to not have to make too many new blocks in order to finish this quilt, but the odds are that I'll have to make some because I'm running out of orphans that will work for the blocks.  I'm almost tempted to go see what I could buy on ebay in the way of orphans....but won't....lol.

To that end I started playing around with layouts for the first band of blocks.   To make things easier for me, I've been making blocks based on grids that are multiples of 3".  While I'll have lots of partial seams in the assembly of this, the common grid will make it easier to put together.

First layout had the snail blocks right next too the rest of them.  Didn't like this layout too much...
Onto the 2nd pass - added in orphan blocks with WOW backgrounds as filler blocks.   Starting to look better to me.

3rd pass for this first section, swapped out one of the orphan blocks with a different one and pieced filler sections for the open areas from smaller orphan blocks and block sections. 

This is about 42" wide and about half width of what I'm figuring for the finished quilt before a final border.  It is approximately 33" tall at this point.   I'm figuring I'll need about 2 1/2 sections, maybe 3 full sections for the finished quilt.  It will probably finish out at a king size because I like like my quilts to hang down over the sides of my queen sized bed.

Gratitudes:

1. My knee is definitely getting better, altho it still likes to give me fits when I drive.

2. Spring is here and the trees are filling with new leaves.
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Tuesday, March 26, 2019

All About Strings Blog Hop

Today's my day to share a string project -

This project started with umpteen small strings chunks from my green scraps.  Most of which were no more than 3-4 in width.    I ended up sewing them to adding machine tape to stabilize them.   Then cut them into strips that were at least 11" long.  Those strips were then sewn together along the long edges to form blocks that squared up to 10" finished. 

To make the flowers I used a couple of cookie cutters as templates for some of them, and then free-handed others.  Fabrics for the flowers came out of the my stash of pre-fused scraps.   Some of the flowers feature buttons as their centers.

I have a quilting plan in mind for this one, but that will have to wait till I get some other things finished up first.

All fabrics for the quilt came out of the stash.

Gratitudes:
1. For being able to shop my stash and find what I need when I need it.  =)

2. For the commission that I'm working on currently
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Monday, March 25, 2019

All About Strings Blog Hop Starts Today

The All About Strings blog hop starts today and runs through Thursday of this week.  My post will be up on Wednesday, but don't forget to check out what everyone else has done for this hop.

Stripes and Strings… All About Strings Today At Seams To Be Sew…

          All About Strings Blog Hop Schedule


Monday, March 25th

Just Let Me Quilt
Kathy's Kwilts and More


Tuesday, March 26th



Wednesday, March 27th



Gratitudes:

1. For the joy of creating items with the bounty God has given me.

2. For having been able to get the tree trimmed w/o damage to the house at a reasonable price.
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Sunday, March 24, 2019

Weekend doings

This weekend was UFO weekend for one group that I'm a part of.   And I worked on making more blocks for my snail quilt.......

Orphan block shells on these three, top two are dark purple and dark green moda marbles for the shells.








Strip sets leftover from something made the block for the topmost snail in this pic.

And most of the fabrics in the shell of the bottom snail are the final leftovers from a raffle quilt that I made years ago from blocks made by group members of an internet quilting group that I've been a part of for about 22 yrs now.   We used to get together in person once a year.   And the year that these were from the GT was in Sacramento CA.   The gal who won was a good friend and always a blast to be with.   She passed away maybe 10 yrs ago and is still missed.   Good memories in this block.

 Ornament balls filled with denim strips and bits that were too small to be used for anything other than thrown in the trash.
 6 tree ornaments made from denim scraps.  Trunks are little pieces from one of the seams on the overalls.


Gratitudes:
1. Leg is feeling better after the workout of dealing with 8 1/2 stories (17 flights) of stairs and a fire drill at work Friday afternoon.

2. For the first signs of spring - the green leaves on the trees, the grass needing to be mowed, and even the weeds that seem to make up a large part of the yard.


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Monday, March 18, 2019

Final Memory Pillows Finished

I finished the last of the memory pillows over the weekend.  These were made from denim shirts.

Once the pillows were made, tote bag fronts and stocking fronts were cut out as well.

At this point I have 21 stockings to sew up and will have 5 more totebags to make after I piece the fronts for a couple of them.

Gratitudes:

1. that the broken branches in the tree in my front yard have not fallen and damaged the house and roof

2. beautiful weather is forecast here this week.
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Thursday, March 14, 2019

Scrap Happy March 2019

I've oodles of "made" fabric from strings, most of which at this point are larger pieces.   Have been trying to figure out what to do with them.....

this month I decided to make a test block with some of them for a new block I'd drawn up.   I'm still thinking about whether I like it or not.....lol.    this is a 15" finished block and was paper=pieced.

What do you think of the block?












And the scraps that were cut off as I trimmed up the block sections have gone into these three postcards that I have in process.

Check out what the others have done with their scraps this month -
Kate, Gun, Titti, Heléne, Eva, Sue, Nanette, Lynn, Lynda, Birthe, Turid, Susan, Cathy, Debbierose, Tracy, Jill, Claire, Jan, Karen, Moira (me),  Sandra, Linda, Chris, Nancy, Alys, Kerry, Claire, Jean, Johanna,
Joanne, Jon, Hayley, Dawn, Gwen and Connie


Gratitudes:

1. Knee is slowly healing

2. The broken branches on the tree in front of the house haven't fallen on the house.
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Goals & Plans - March Update

Looking at my list of things that I would like to accomplished this year, there are several, ok more than several....lol, that i would like to accomplish in month.  To keep track of them for the immediate 2-3 wks ahead I've added highlights - the yellows are what needs to be finished first, followed by the ones in gold.

Completed -
  1. Memory Christmas stockings from red/blue twill shirt for KA - Completed 9 stockings from the shirt
  2. Memory t-shirt pillows for KA - 14 total have been completed
  3. Memory Christmas stockings from denim overalls for KA - 20 stockings completed
  4. 2 totes from denim overalls for KA
  5. Grandmother's Butterflies - Finished!
  6. 2019 Stretching Art Quilt - Finished and given to the coordinator 
  7. Mystery fabric project - Top completed and blogged about.  Done for now.
  8. Make Feb F2F blocks for this round of the swap - Blocks were finished and mailed before the end of the month!
  9. Test/sample block made with strings

Commissions -
  1. Memory pillows from denim CarHartt shirts for KA  - Completed!
  2. Pillow forms for the pillows in #1 for KA - Completed!
  3. Memory Christmas stockings from denim overalls for KA - Fronts have been cut out
  4. Cut out Stocking Backs from Kona
  5. Cut out Stocking lining sections from final HD sheet
  6. 5 totes from denim overalls for KA (need to find out what she wants to do on backing fabric for these)
  7. 16" pillow from bodice of wedding dress for KA
  8. 4 or 5 10" ring bearer pillows from wedding dress for KA
  9. Christmas stockings for J&J for RG, due no later than July 2019
  10. Covers for patio chair cushions for LT - Customer re-evaluating this due to price of fabric
  11. T-shirt quilt for LC - (a possibility, but not for sure)
  12. Minky Blanket for K (~24" square) - Fabric bought and I know how I'm going to make this one.


UFO's planning on completing -
  1. Eye Spy (H-Blocks) (For family who lost all in Campfire wildfire)
  2. Eye Spy (Snowball blocks) (For family who lost all in Campfire wildfire)
  3. Old time Baseball quilt (For family who lost all in Campfire wildfire)
  4. Teddy Bear, full-sized
  5. Scrappy snail (to be sold)
  6. Scrappy kitten (to be sold)
  7. Scrappy puppies (to be sold)
  8. Wolf (to be sold)
  9. Whale and Anchor baby quilt (to be sold?)
  10. Perhaps pull out a set or two of UFO blocks and put into tops

New starts/ Ongoing projects - 
  1. Quilt top from Susan (For family who lost all in Campfire wildfire)
  2. Maze (strings and 3-d bowtie blocks) (planning to submit for possible publication) - Still only half assembled
  3. Snail quilt for me - In Progress, 15 or so blocks made now
  4. Make the planned curtains using my F2F blocks
  5. Batik string blocks, no plan for them yet - In slow progress
  6. Make setting for Bear Family Album and write up for pattern
  7. 2019 Row-by-Row possible....not sure on this theme, but I do like winning....lol....
  8. Develop better photography skills for use in my quilting
  9. Lap quilt for wedding present for J&J (wedding in April 2019), true blues/wow/silver, traditional pattern (dbl wedding ring?) - Pattern and fabrics need to be chosen for this before end of March

BOM - 
  1. Release Marine Bear - Sample block made
  2. Release Coast Guard Bear - Sample block made
  3. Release Air Force Bear - Sample block made
  4. Release Setting
  5. Decide on next BOM Theme
Quilts to Sell - 

Realistically go through my quilts and think about whether I really want them or have a place to use them and sell the ones that I don't.

Think I'll manage to get through what I want to do for March?

Gratitudes:
1. For the knee being enough better that I can at least drive and sleep w/o the brace on.

2. For friends who check to see if I'm doing ok.
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Monday, March 11, 2019

March Weekend Finishes

This past weekend was one of those weekends when nothing went like it was planned - starting Thursday evening when my knee decided it needed to act up and I made an emergency trip to urgent care after it buckled on me.   Thanks to a friend who drove me there, I'm currently sporting a new fashion accessory, but at least the knee is finally starting to feel better and I can walk again without much pain if (IF) I don't over do things.


My butterfly hankie quilt was finished this weekend.   Binding is the same green fabric that was used for the block backgrounds.
The label that was embroidered for the hankie quilt by a quilting acquantaince.
Two memory pillows from bandannas.
The patriotic pillow back includes the pocket that was on the t-shirt used for back it. 
Two more memory pillows from a Harley Davidson t-shirt.
16" memory pllows made from a Bugs Bunny bandanna and a Texas t-shirt.

Also worked on over the weekend was prepping the last pair of denim overalls for more memory stocking fronts.   Am currently in process of cutting and/or piecing the fronts.  Once done with that I'll start sewing those together.

Gratitudes -

1.  Nothing was broken when my knee buckled Thursday night as frustrating as that has been........could have been much worse.

2. For friends who live in town that I can call on for help when emergencies like this happen.
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Thursday, March 7, 2019

Improv Quilt Progress

The quilt top is together (albeit not pressed yet.....lol) and ready for borders.


I decided to use 1" finished sashing between the blocks so that the blocks would float in the final quilt layout. 

Next up adding borders -
Border 1 will be a 1" finished WOW border to match the sashing.

Border 2 will be about 6" finished in with and will made of improv pieced sections that are goinf to be made from some orphan lime green strips sets.  I'll be adding orange and yellow to them.  These improv sections will be set with more WOW to finish them. 


Gratitudes:

1. Dallas Quilt Show is this weekend, should be fun time.....now to make sure I charge my camera battery.  =)

2. Weather is warming up for the weekend before it turns cold again next week.
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All About Strings Blog Hop Coming March 25th - 28th




I'll be taking part in the All About Strings Blog Hop that will be starting in a couple of weeks.

I'll be working with some of the many pieces of found fabric that I've made from the bazillion strings in my stash because the tote I've got them in is totally over-flowing and I need to to do something about that....lol.   And at the same time I'll be testing out a new paper-pieced block design that I've drawn up.   So stay tuned for the coming hop.

In the meantime if interested, here is the schedule for the blog hop and you can check out some of the others and what they are working on now.

Monday, March 25th

Just Let Me Quilt

Kathy's Kwilts and More








Karrin's Crazy World


Tuesday, March 26th










ShirleyC


Wednesday, March 27th










Gratitudes:

1. 4th round of chemo went ok yesterday (well if you don't count the 2 blown veins as they tried to get the IV started)

2. Got to have supper with a quilting friend from my Stretching Art challenge group on Tuesday.


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