Mystery Quilt Fabrics!

A trip to Austin to see our grandsons usually means a stop at The Sewing Basket quilt shop in Salado and this time was no different! Since they were having an awesome sale of 30% off all fabric in the store (25% off +5% more if you gave a donation to the Animal Shelter), I just had to get my fabrics for the Mystery Round Robin quilt that my friend, Debi is doing for this coming year 2008! It will be done nesting style, so the fabrics will never leave home--quite a saving on postage--right??!! I had decided to do it in Christmas fabrics and love what I got! The first block will be posted around January 1st with instructions on her blog. Sounds like it will be lots of fun!

We had a great time in Austin with the grandboys and seeing our son-in-law's parents from Ohio. Evan had lots of fun calling us his "Texas grandma and grandpa" and his "Ohio grammy and grandpa!" Nathan just grinned at us with his 16 month old grin, but I'm just sure I heard him say "grandma" once or twice!! Such treasures. There's nothing like giving a grandson a kiss on the cheek and getting one in return!!! What a blessing!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Heirloom Romance Quilt

The start of a new year and the start of a new quilt! This one is called Heirloom Romance and is quite different from the quilts I am used to doing--a step outside the box, so to speak! It has lots of embroidery and crazy patch blocks and beadwork--there's something new for me. I went to the store to buy the beads and was I in for a surprise--overchoice!!!! Two aisles of beads--any kind of bead I wanted there for the taking. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because when I was in Ohio on one trip, my daughter and I went to a bead store--what fun that was, beads of every color and kind and description! It was hard to make up my mind, but I finally made the decision and came home with some beauties.

The first picture shows one of the purses with the embroidery partly done--it will have flowers in the purse and beadwork on it--I think the beadwork will be done after the quilt is quilted, so they don't get smashed by the hoop. The second picture shows 2 of the crazy patch blocks--these are 2 of the smaller ones. These are paper-pieced. There is the option to embroider on the plain blocks of these if desired. Have to see about that! All in all I'm thrilled with it and ready to take on the challenge!!! I hope I feel this way further down the road--LOL!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

New Floss Organizer System!

For Christmas, one of the nice things I got (they were all nice!) was a new embroidery floss organizer system. The first picture shows my old way--envelopes. The second picture shows the new way--bobbins. Since I have collected all the colors over the last 20+ years, it is going to take me awhile to transfer all those skeins of floss to the new systems. As of today, I have 1 1/2 boxes out of 3 done! I'm making progress! I think my dear hubby gets tired of hearing the little bobbin winder squeaking it's way around, but so far he has yet to say anything!!! What a patient man!

Sunday afternoon we put the Thimbleberries BOM on the quilt frame--it uses up every spare inch of the frame and we will be awhile quilting this one--but it's good to be working on it!

I hope you had a good Christmas--we had a nice quiet one --talked to both of our girls, which is always so nice and ate a nice dinner--although we did have one problem--me! I somehow didn't turn on the oven for the ham and we couldn't figure out why it wasn't baking! Finally Maynard figured it out--I thought I had lowered the temperature after baking the apple dumplings, but instead I had turned it off!! Oh dear! It finally cooked and we ate an hour late--good thing only the 2 of us!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Bird Treehouse Top Finished!

The top of Bird Treehouse Thimbleberries quilt is finished! This is the one that my dear daughter gave me for Christmas--she gave me the trip to the quilt store and the gift certificate to purchase the fabric for the quilt, that is! Doesn't it have a nice wintery feel to it?! Once I got going on I just couldn't stop and just HAD to finish it!!! It went very quickly.

Also Maynard finished quilting this little quilt for Project Linus called Toybox that is from Claudia's BOM on Quilt Shoppe. So I finished the binding on it and another one is ready to go to the East Texas Chapter of Project Linus. That makes a total of 43 for us this year--I hope 43 children have had a blessing from these quilts because we sure have had fun making them and prayed that they would go to just the right person in need.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Tree Birdhouse Block

This is the middle section of the quilt that I purchased with my gift money from my daughter for Christmas--it's a great winter quilt! The birdhouse will have large, antique, black buttons on it for the bird holes, but I'll put them on after it is quilted. I can tell that this one will go together quickly. Thimbleberries are such nice fabrics to work with ----no wonder my friend Debi loves them so much!!!

I also finished the block for week #6 in Crazy Mom Quilts quilt of the week quilt along. Can't believe we have done 6 of them already!!! These are going to make a neat Christmas lap robe for next year!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Forever Flowers Top Finished!

It's just the top and it's not quilted, but it's finished--I just put the last border on!!!--Fresh from the sewing machine! I think this one is going to go to a long arm quilter to be quilted so that the applique will stand out--I don't want to quilt over the applique--and I'm not confident enough on the Little Gracie to quilt this one and Maynard is just comfortable with pantograms which won't work on this one either!!!It feels good to mark another one off the list!

Maynard won 2 tickets to a college tournament basketball game at American Airlines Center in Dallas through a TV station promotion, so we will be spending Saturday afternoon there. Doesn't that sound like fun? We will see Texas Tech and Stanford play. Seeing how we are from Indiana it will be interesting to see Bobby Knight in action again!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Second String Quilt Blocks!

Here's some more string quilt blocks. This one is from the book "Strips and Strings" by Evelyn Sloppy. You sew a string piece 5" x 40" long and trim it to 4" x 40" long, then sew it to a solid piece--in my case green. (As seen in the first picture.) You then sew that piece to another piece just like it and cut 10" triangular blocks, unfold them and have blocks like in the second picture--very hard to explain, but the book does a great job of making it all very easy! Like my friend, Debi, I'm trying to use up all my scraps and this is a good way to do it!

Feeling like organizing the other night, I dived into my big basket of scraps and weeded them out--I cut all the pieces that were big enough to cut into 2.5" strips and put anything smaller than 2.5" into a separate bin for string quilts. Then I got out my book "Can of Worms" by Debbie Caffey to pick out some quilts to do. Lots of ideas in there! So that should keep me busy, too! Now I plan to go through my stash and pick out anything smaller than a FQ and cut it up for these string or 2.5 quilts--sounds like a good cold weather day project! It's called stash busting, isn't it??!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Monthly Bluework Snowmen!

These little snowmen tell a tale of each month and are done in Bluework. They were so much fun to do that I didn't want them to be finished!!! I hope you can see them all right in the picture--it was hard to get a good one since they are on a light background. I'll hang these on my seasonal wall in January to cheer me up!

The countdown to Christmas is going faster it seems, but I did get my Christmas cards finished this afternoon and hope to do some baking tomorrow or maybe Wednesday to sent to Maynard's work and to give to the neighbors--always fun to do. I can't decide what to make--maybe marshmellow layered brownies or kringla. Both sound really good to me, maybe I should make both and really blow up my diet?!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Great Shopping Adventure!

My great friend Debi and I had a wonderful shopping adventure today! After breakfast at IHOP, we ventured to Dallas to Golden D'or Fabric Outlet for $2.99 fabric. What a selection they had. It was Debi's second trip and my first, so she showed me the way around--they had a huge amount of all kinds of fabrics, but we hit cottons, of course. We didn't even get to the clearance room! The fabrics were all well-known brands and it was hard to decide just what to get! I got some fabrics for backings for Project Linus quilts and some for whole cloth quilts for Project Linus and the rest just because they were pretty blenders and some because they had music on them for my collection of music fabrics. What a fun shopping day!

Debi also gave me the cutest teapot with music on it (I love the piano) and made me a cute pincushion for my collection and also gave me a neat pattern as a Christmas present. I am blessed having a friend like Debi! We met online at the Quilting Passion Forum. We hit it off right away. She feels like the sister I've never had!

Friday, our Tuesday Sit N Sew group met for a Christmas party--there were 14 of us who met at Jackie's house and what a fun time we had! We did sit and sew for awhile and then had a wonderful pot-luck lunch. Then we had a very different Chinese Gift exchange. We each held our own bag while Jackie read a story about the "Wrights" and their comings and goings which had us passing the bags to the "right" or the "left". Soon all the bags were all mixed up and so were we!!!! Then we did the exchange part, where you could open the bag you had or chose another bag or take someone else's gift--it was lots and lots of fun and laughter and a few moans and groans when someone got their gift taken and replaced!!!! I ended up with a Fons and Porter thread tin that I was very happy to receive! It was a wonderful day and made lots of memories!! We voted on a new name for our group which is "The Frayed Edges Quilters."

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Tiny Trees and Block of Week!

Tiny Trees is a mini quilt that measures 12.5"--I need to find just the right binding for it and was hoping to find a green stripe of some kind that I could cut on the diagonal--another trip to the LQS--won't be too hard to take!!! LOL!! I found this pattern when I was in Wisconsin and it is by a local gal in Hudson, Wisconsin. I thought is was so cute!

Also finished my Block of the Week from Crazy Mom Quilts blog--I like these blocks so much--I know I say that every time, but I can't help it!!!!!

Is anyone else working on their Christmas cards list? I'm diligently trying to write a letter, I figured I was going to say the same thing to all the out of towners, so I wrote one letter and typed it up on Word Perfect and printed out some stationary on PrintShop and printed the letter on it and there you go---now to address the cards and sign everything and I'll be done!!! I love getting cards, and I usually love sending them, maybe it's the gray weather that we've been having that's getting me down--it's hard to celebrate Christmas without snow, I must admit, but I don't really miss shovelling it!! Can't have it both ways, now can I?!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Christmas Wreath Wall Hanging

Time to get out a few Christmas things, so the first thing is the wall hanging of the Christmas wreath: I made this several years ago and each year sew new embellishments on it--it is loaded with all kinds of fun things--the manager scene that my daughter, Amy sent me is my favorite.

We had a wonderful time with our grandkids and our daughter and her husband--seems like the time flies by when we are with them,of course time spent with family is precious and with grandchildren is even more precious because they change so much in between each time we see them! My daughter took me to a wonderful quilting store, The Glass Thimble where she gave me a gift certificate and I got to shop for a wonderful quilt! I picked out Thimbleberries fabric for a wonderful winter quilt. Thank you so much, Amy! An even more treasured gift was pictures of the grandgirls in photo coasters--of course I may be a bit prejudiced, but I think they look like models!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Ode to Dear Jane Sampler

After several years of working on some Dear Jane blocks and coming to the conclusion that I was doing too many alternate blocks because I couldn't do the original blocks (too hard!), I decided to call it quits and use the blocks that I had and make a sampler. I named it "Ode to Dear Jane." I'm very happy with the way that it turned out and only have to decide how to quilt it now! I truly admire those that have finished a Dear Jane quilt and those that have finished more than one!!!! Quilting is supposed to be fun and this just wasn't fun for me anymore, so it was time to turn to other things. It's good to know when to say no to some things and I feel much better now that I have made this decision!

Also I finished the Block of the Week from Crazy Mom Quilts blog. These are so much fun to do and I thank her for doing this!

I'll be off to visit my grandgirls in Ohio for the next few days so will be away from my computer, so therefore no blog messages. Instead I'll be playing 5 and 2 year old games!!!!!! And some visiting with their mom and dad, too!!! We're hoping we don't run into the big storm that is supposedly headed that way--maybe it will stay north of them!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Two quilts--alike yet different!

Finished 2 more Project Linus quilts that used the same pattern--Just Can't Cut It---but different focus fabrics. The first one is Tea Party Picnic and the second one is Zoey's Zoo. I used the same accent fabrics from a sale at my favorite quilt store, Quilt Mercantile, and then different main fabrics so the look is just a little bit different in each one. This is a great pattern if you don't want to cut up your focus fabric into small pieces, so that more of it shows.

Let quilting help you make someone smile.

Jan

DFW Gang Guild Week-End

A couple of years ago a group of us from the DFW area who had meet each online at the Quilting Passion forum got together and had a shop hop--we had a ball and got along together so well that we decided to meet again and have a Sit N Sew party on the first Saturday in December. So last year we did just that! We had a ball. Then this last year we got together at a quilt show and decided to declare ourselves a guild --wooo hooo---no rules or regulations, just a fun group of gals getting together having quilt related fun!!! We had our first quilt related block challenge and we were off and running.

All that was leading up to this last week-end when we meet for our 2nd Annual DFW Gang Quilt Guild Get Together in Rockwall, Texas for 2 days of quilt related fun! We had out of town guests this time who had heard about all the great times we had and just HAD to join us! Sheryl came in from Missouri, Dorothy and a friend, Mara Del came from Kansas, Dorie came from Oregon, Darsie and Mary Lee came up from Houston, and Lynn came in from California. Add on our regulars and we had a group of 15. We had doubled in size from our first meeting!!! WOW!! What fun!

Friday we spent on a Shop Hop and hit 5 different quilt shops in the area! I'm sure we made a big impact on the ecomony of the DFW area!!! We certainly made a dent in our pocket-books! So many choices and so many people to help us make our choices! Then on Saturday we had our Sit N Sew at "Stitching Memories" in Rockwall (see picture above). Every chair was filled and the room was filled with lots of laughter and the busy sounds of women working on all kinds of quilting activities. We had door prizes, a FQ lotto game, a game to guess who made the blocks in our challenge quilt and an Ornament Exchange. We even found time for lunch! Then at 4:30 the husband of the "locals" meet us at Salt Grass restaurant for dinner. All in all the bestest weekend ever. We are all exhausted, but what a good tired it is. There's something about getting together with like minded people that makes you feel just downright GOOD!!!!

Let quilitng help you make someone smile!

Jan

A Dozen New Chickens!

It's the same old question--which came first a dozen eggs or a dozen chickens? In this case it is a dozen chicken pin cushions that I made last night and this morning to take to our big get together with the DFW Gang Guild. It is happening tomorrow for the Shop Hop and Saturday for the Sit N Sew. There are 13 of us that are getting together--some of us friends from the Quilting Passion forum and some meeting for the first time--friends of friends are coming along for the fun!!! It will be a great time for all! Some of the girls are flying in from far away just for the week-end and it will be so much fun to meet them for the first time although we have formed friendships on the forum already!!! Isn't it fun to meet fellow quilters that way?

I was telling another friend who is a non-quilter about our get together and she asked me "What is about the quilt stores that makes you all want to go there and shop together?" And I had a hard time answering her! Finally I said something about common interests drawing us together. But it's more than that isn't it--there's a special bond that draws us together in friendship and it's very hard to explain it to a non-quilter. I guess we "see" things in fabric that other people just don't "see"--we can visualize what some piece of material will become and we dream about it together and that draws us closer. Very hard to explain and put into words, isn't it?! Maybe someone should write a book about it and explain it to all of us--maybe someone already has!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

"He Loves Me" Quilt Finished!

This quilt was called "Weaver Fever" in the Fons and Porter pattern. But I renamed it to "He Loves Me" after the fabric line by Jackie Robinson for Maywood Fabrics. It was another one of those that you have to keep your wits about you as you sew or else you get the pattern of the weaving off by one line and off you go !!! The corners are mitered and the daisies in the border are part of the fabric not appliqued. It's even quilted with a lazy daisy motif!!!

Today is Sit N Sew day, so I'm off to visit with my group of friends from there--hope you have a good day too!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Another Block of the Week finished!

Another Block of the Week finished! I love these blocks--gives me a chance to use my left-over Christmas fabrics or as I told someone else--my "planned-overs!" I have planned overs when I cook so I guess I can have them when I sew, too!!! LOL!!

It is another dreary day in North Texas, and I spent the day doing odds and ends of things--besides making the Christmas block,----making bias tape for vines for an applique project I'm working on,----- tracing on freezer paper, cutting out and ironing to fabric the patterns for leaves for the same project,---starting a PL quilt of squares from the Baby Genius line of fabric----and getting caught up on the laundry. Plus I even hid a nap in there, too!!! All in all a good day! Hope you had one, too!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Peppermint Poinsettias Block Finished!

Today was a dreary, rainy day in North Texas and a good one to curl up by the fire with some applique, so that's just what I did! I finished the last Forever Flowers block--Peppermint Poinsettias. Now next month we will get the setting pattern and finish up another quilt BOM for the year! Goodie!!! It's fun to start new things, but it's lots more fun to finish them and that's why I can't wait to do that next month!!! Now I just hope that everything matches up the way it is supposed to!

This weather puts me in the mood to get out the Dear Jane blocks again and work on them some more and that's what I think I will do next--some are appliqued and some are pieced and some are paper pieced--I am following strictly in order, so don't know what will come up next--it will be a surprise. So I'm off now to find my surprise!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Sweet Tea Quilt Finished!

After 11 months of work Sweet Tea quilt is finished! I machined appliqued and hand quilted this one. The binding is a diagonal stripe. I love having this one done and feel it is an accomplishment!

Also finished is my second block from Crazy Mom quilts blog in Christmas colors. These are fun to do--never know what is coming next!

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving Day! We had a wonderful one here with our daughter and her family here from Austin. We played with trains all day and visited and had such an enjoyable time just being together. I even got another Redwork towel finished, so Anne was able to take 2 home with her! She agrees with me about using things, so I know they won't get packed away in a drawer somewhere. I'm having such a good time doing these towels that even my husband made a comment about how much fun I'm having with them!! And that's what it's all about isn't it?-----Enjoying what we are doing and having fun on the journey!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Redwork Towel

Yesterday at Tuesday Sit N Sew I was able to finish one Redwork towel! I had only brought the one to work on and finished it quite quickly, I thought, so left early and hit the grocery store to shop for a few more things for tomorrow's big dinner! Lots of other people had the same idea, of course, but probably not as many as today! But I'll be able to find out since I forgot a few things and have to go back later this afternoon--lol!

The redwork was very relaxing and fun to do--I used a backstitch which I think turned out very nicely and looks quite smooth. I don't have as good luck if I use an outline stitch although I know that is sometimes used for redwork, too. There's a few lazy daisy and French knots included, too. I use a Colonial knot not the regular French knot though. It's like the one used for Candlewicking which gives a tighter, higher knot. These will be good pick-up handwork for over the holidays!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Christmas Block of the Week!

I signed up with Crazy Mom Quilts to do a Block of the Week and chose Christmas fabrics--it will be a scrappy quilt and here is my first block. Don't know what the name of it is, but I like it! My friend Debi had given me some Thimbleberries Christmas fabrics for my birthday and I had some leftovers from another project so I will use them to make this lap robe size quilt.

Twelve weeks will take us past Christmas, so this will be a lap robe for next year-lol!! Christmas is sneaking up on us, isn't it?

Thursday will be Thanksgiving--my personal favorite holiday of the year--I love getting together with family and eating dinner. I think I love the gathering together part the best. Our daughter and her family from Austin will be here and we will talk by phone or via webcam to our other daughter and her family in Columbus, Ohio. It will be great. We will have trains set up all over the house--brass rail ones in the garage---probably 3-4 sets running and and the Thomas trains will be set up in the living room. It is supposed to be cold, so the outdoor train will be set up in the garage, too. Our grandsons ages 4 years and 1 year love trains, especially the 4-year old--he never seems to tire of playing with them! It's fun to watch!!

I hope your Thanksgiving will be blessed!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

New Redwork Project!

My newest project is redwork tea towels. My LQS had the tea towel fabric for sale with the side hems already finished! That was nice! The pattern I chose is teapots and teacups, which I will do in DMC # 304, which is the one I am told is most often used for redwork. I'm doing 6 of them--will probably send 2 to each of my daughters!

I have made up my mind that I am going to use these towels and not pack them away like my Mother did so many of her "nice" things--she saved them wrapped in tissue paper and would get them out and show them to people. Now that she has passed on and I am going through her things I am coming across so many of those "nice" things that are ruined because they were never used and now are rusted and stained and unusable. It's such a shame. Washing them has done no good. That's why I'm using things and encouraging my daughters to use things I make for them and things from their grandmothers and great-grandmothers, too. Use them gently and carefully and they will be around for years to come, but do use them!! These are the things that make life so much enjoyable, don't you think?!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

5 Quilts Ready To Go To Project Linus

Here's the latest stack ready to go on it's way to East Texas Project Linus. It feels so good to be seeing the pile of unquilted tops going down! I'm trying to do other projects than Project Linus tops right now, so I can get the pile caught up!---Is that what's known as the "ups and downs of quilting??!! LOL!!

My friend, Debi is taking 12 quilts (way to go, Debi) to the chapter in December so she said my quilts could ride along with hers. Maybe I can get even more done before then to send along with her!! Seems like this is such a busy time of year and time goes by so fast, but then every time of year seems busy nowadays or is that just because I'm getting older!! I've heard retired folks say they wonder when they had time to work a full-time job and I tend to agree with them!! Of course, I always seem to have time to fit in a nap during the afternoon these days--very needful indeed!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

From Start to Finish!

This is probably a repeat and I'm sorry, but I wanted to show this from start to finish all in one place--it was so much fun to lay out the blocks with Isabel and Ilena (the grandgirls) and then bring home the blocks and make them into quilts! I still have the binding to do on the green one and they will be ready to go in the Christmas box. The girls had a wonderful time laying out the blocks (and at times throwing them up in the air!!!!!) Ilena had a good time laying them on Grandma's arm in rows!! We made up a matching game and we found our favorites. Just generally had fun looking at them. They were all so pretty 1930's reproduction fabrics. Thanks to my friend Debi for giving me the squares! We added pictures of the girls and formed a big initial "I" in the center, added a border and quilted them with a scroll pantogram. All in all a fun, satisfying project!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Shangri-la Revisted Top Done!

This top was called Prairie Path by Kansas Troubles Quilters and was designed by Lynne Hagmeier. It was a jelly roll project. But I used a jelly roll called Shangri-la by 3 Sisters for Moda so I renamed it! It was fun to do and not hard at all, just had to remember to turn the lights and darks. I especially like the way the borders are laid out. Very interesting!

Funny how wrinkles show up in the picture isn't it, but they are from the way I laid the quilt on the carpet and are not from the way it was made---I think anyway!!!! It measures 68 x 84" so is a good sized quilt--will be nice to snuggle up in on the upcoming winter nights that are sure to come to North Texas sometime soon!

We've had some fall days and some days like today where it has been warmer than normal and I think it is confusing all of us--especially the trees and plants. If it's going to be cold it should get cold and stay cold and kill off all those super bugs that are going around!!

Now I need to get to the quilting machine and practice on some more charity quilts. So here I go!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

2 Project Linus Quilts Ready to go!!!

Two Project Linus Quilts are ready to go out to find new homes: The first one is called happy Trucks and the second one (I think I showed in the process of making): String Diamonds. Both will go to the East Texas Chapter of Project Linus where they will be given to a boy or girl in need. Just got the news today that Pat V. the director of the chapter will be retiring in February of 2008. I hope they can find somone to take her place. They will have big shoes to fill, for she does such a wonderful job. The job is full time with all the organizing that goes on and the taking of quilts to the different places and labeling the quilts that come in, etc, etc. She did say that if they don't find someone that the chapter would have to close. That would be too bad.

It's always such a joy to finish these quilts and send them on knowing they will be loved by some child or teenager. They won't be judged on workmanship, but will be taken for just what they are---a labor of love!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Jelly Roll Quilt Blocks!

Well, I got a good start on my Jelly roll quilt blocks and here's 4 of them. I love the fabrics. They are called Shangri-la by 3 Sisters for Moda . I had to pick out 4 red FQs and border fabric to go with them. The border fabrics are tan, black with small tan dots and red. We'll see how I did as I put it together!! Sometimes it's easy to pick out fabric and other times I really get bogged down. This was one of the easier times and I don't really know why--maybe there wasn't overchoice--do you feel sometimes that there's too much of a good thing and you are overwhelmed? This is probably the opposite of what a lot of people feel, but I'm happier with less rather than more! Show me 5 choices rather than 15 and I can make a decision!!! (Maybe!!)

Of course, I always like to buy fabric from my favorite LQS and have my friends at Tuesday Sit N Sew help me pick out the fabrics--we help each other all the time pick out the best fabric for whatever we are working on and what fun that is! But we always remind the person we are helping that in the end..."It's your quilt!!!"

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Coffee's On!!!!

The top to Java Jive is finished and waiting to be quilted. I'll hang this little wall hanging in my kitchen where my hubby can enjoy it,too, since he is the one always on the search for the perfect cup of java! I like the coffee cup border. The whole thing was fun to do and went rather quickly. If I hadn't fallen this afternoon (tripped over a electrical cord and no, I didn't jump up like a football player and continue on with the game!!! HA!!), I probably could have gotten the top quilted and ready to hang! But life does throw us curves every now and then, doesn't it?

Next on the list will be the jelly roll quilt and inbetween some more quilting on the Project Linus quilts, plus get the bindings on the 2 that are ready to be bound. I've also been hand quilting on the Sweet Tea, as I'd like to get that done and go on to the next one! I thought for sure that I had 3 borders done on that one, but alas and alack only 2 are completely done--don't you hate it when that happens--you think you are farther along on a project than you really are--it almost feels like a set back of some kind!!! Ah, well enough complaining--just get started on it and be done with it--right??!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!!

Jan

Ornament Table Runner in Time for Christmas!

Finished in time for this Christmas --my ornament table runner!!!! I can't wait to use this one, but shouldn't get ahead of myself and need to leave the fall leaves one on at least until after Thanksgiving, don't you think???!! Not be like the stores that have all the Christmas things out before halloween and winter coats out in July--who wants to try on winter coats in 90 degree weather? What are they thinking??!!

Now to get busy on the next project--what to do next? Java Jive or Prairie Path which is a Jelly Roll project? I have never done a jelly roll project before, so that sounds intriguing! But Java Jive is so bright and cheerful that it calls to me, too!!

I really should quilt some quilts for Project Linus--still only have one done and it needs binding. One is on the frame and Maynard worked on it last night--it is about 1/2 way done, so I could finish it up. Decisions, decisions, what to do? I'm not good at decision making and at times like these I might just go take a nap!!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

One Ornament at a Time!!

Today I finished one ornament for a table runner of three. Each one is 14" and finishes separate of the others and then are sewn together for the table runner. They would make cute place mats, too and sized down would even be cute coasters! After I've now done one I can say they weren't that hard to make, but doing this first one took some thinking on my part!! Sometimes I get too confused if I read through all the directions first like they tell you to do. Sometimes it's easier to do it just step by step! Like they say--Just do it--even if you have some rip-it stitches!!! Of course I guess that wouldn't work for great big projects and cutting those out, would it? Always exceptions to my theories, I guess! But it worked in this pattern! That's my theory on this one and I'm sticking to it!!!! LOL!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Toy Box BOM Finished!

This Toy Box BOM was on Claudia's Quilt Shoppe site and started last January and ran for 9 months. I have to admit to changing one block--where she had a pacifier I changed it to a ball. This was a fun little quilt to do and will make a good one for Project Linus. I really need to get some of those Project Linus quilts finished up and get another box off to Pat Vanderwater, the gal in charge of the Northeast Texas chapter. I have plenty of tops, just not plenty of them of quilted!!!! LOL!!! Little Gracie Pro II here I come--get ready for a quilting session or 4 or more!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan