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

Quilt Patterns Everywhere!!

Seems everywhere you look you can see a quilt pattern!--These tile were on the floor of the Mall of America! Aren't they gorgeous and wouldn't they make beautiful quilts? A bit above (way!) my expertise and experience, but lovely to look at none the less!!! We were at the Mall of America during our trip 2 weeks ago to Wisconsin, when we flew into Minneapolis. Mall of America is huge and there's no way we could see it all in the 3 hours that we had that day, but we managed to touch the "highlights" and had fun seeing those. No quilt store in that great big mall though--can you imagine???!!

Had fun this afternoon when a group of gals from our Tuesday Sit N Sew group came to our house to watch Maynard run the Little Gracie Pro II with Juki machine. One of the gals had said she would like to see the whole operation from start to finish instead of just the little bit they show you at the quilt shows and so I invited them for a look-see! We had a fun time and everyone tried their hand at sewing with the machine. Everyone did great!!! Now I wonder who will be the first one to have their own machine?!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Thimbleberries BOM Quilt Top is DONE!!!

My Thimbleberries House and Garden, Light & Bright colorway quilt top is done!!! It finished at 92" x 115", so we will be able to quilt it on the Little Gracie Pro II.

It feels good to have this project done this far!! Now to pick out the right pantogram for it. I think something along the flower lines will do quite nicely.

I see the new 2008 Thimbleberries BOM is already being advertised, but I think I will pass on that one. Still have the Forever Flowers to finish and have signed up for a new one that starts in January called Rosebud Lane that is also by Arlene Stamper. Having done 2 of her designs so far, I just couldn't help signing up for a third! Sweet Tea was the first--I'm still hand quilting that one and hope to finish it soon. There are just so many designs that I want to do, but you just have to say "no" sometimes!!! Guess we all have that problem, don't we?!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Organization=Great Birthday Present!

For my birthday, my husband got me a great organizer--it measures 12"x12" in each drawer and of course, I was able to fill it up in about 5 minutes. Now many of the things that I had sitting out are nice and organized--I love that!!! Along with a gift certificate to Amazon.com, I think he did very well!!! I got so many nice cards and calls from family and I loved all of that! The girls at Sit N Sew had a card for me and sang Happy Birthday and had strawberries and pound cake (yummmm!!)and I loved that, too. All in all a great 62nd birthday!!

On Saturday we went to a MAKE FAIRE in Austin with our daughter and her family, which was a wonderful exhibit of all kinds of things to create--not the usual arts and crafts, but unusual things--electronics, cars covered with yarn (the yarn was attached with velcro!), kite bikes, things to make out of recyclables that didn't look recycled, and so on. My grandson liked the little electronic mouse that scooted around and followed the light of a flashlight. There was even a hand quilting exhibit and a knitting booth where they had the old fashioned knitting spool--anybody remember those--a spool with nails around the top so you could make cording? There are 2 magazines associated with the FAIRE--MAKE and CRAFT. For my birthday, my daughter got me a subscription to the magazine CRAFT--it reads almost like a book with concise informative articles on a wealth of information--very interesting! So much fun to learn something new!

I'm still putting borders on the Thimbleberries BOM--seems like there are a billion of them!! Lots of measuring to do when you do borders, seems to be taking a long time, I guess!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

The Quilter's Go Quilting-- A Panel Story!

Found this wonderful panel on the sale table at my favorite LQS and just had to have it for my quilting room! The whole panel is filled with such fun sayings, I chose 2 of my favorites to highlight in the pictures. Vickey (the owner of Quilt Merchantile) said she chose the panel because of the one where they are looking at a map that says they are in the middle of nowhere because sometimes she feels like their quilt shop is in the middle of nowhere!!! (It's in a very small town!) But lots of people seem to find their way there because some days when we are there for Sit and Sew they are very, very busy!!!!

Thimbleberries BOM Center Done!

The center part of the Thimbleberries BOM is finished and now it is ready for the borders. Just had to show the picture of this part because in the early (5:00) morning tomorrow we are taking off for Austin to celebrate 3 birthdays--my oldest daughter's, my grandson's, who will be one year old and mine--so I won't be blogging for a couple of days and of course this just couldn't wait!!!! I'm really liking the colors now that I am putting them all together.

See you on the other side of the week-end!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Forever Flowers Block # 5!

Here is Forever Flowers Block #5! It's called Autumn Greetings and does have a fall look to it, I think! I'll sew the beads on after it's quilted. One more block to go and then set this one together and it will be a quilt top!

This one has been a stretch to me with the applique--not something I do very much of, but I don't mind it too much at all! Except when the pieces get real tiny--then that's a bit much!!! This has been done with needle turn applique using freezer paper to cut the pieces out. My method differs from the link in that I trace around the design, then cut leaving a 1/4" seam allowance or less, then peel off the freezer paper before I do the needle turn applique.

I've been to a couple of classes at the LQS, Quilt Mercantile, (I do hope they get their website up and running soon, so I can link to them!!!!!) and the applique classes helped a lot. There's just something about a hands-on approach that you just can't get from a book! Although Kathy Delaney's book Hearts and Flowers has helped me a lot.

Maybe applique is something you'd like to try???!!! Ah, come on, when's the last time you tried something new???!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Two new blocks for Thimbleberries BOM!

Here are 2 new blocks for the Thimbleberries 2007 Warm and Cozy BOM. Now to put it together! From here on out it is just spacers and borders, I think, so lots of cutting and sewing still to go! It will be quite large when finished--96" x 108". Don't know if this will fit on our quilting frame or not--have to measure and find out--otherwise will be sending it out to be quilted!

If I had been doing this I think I would have done it differently--of course, I'm playing Monday morning quarterback here from the big game on Sunday afternoon-- (Very big grin), but I would have done more during each quarter, eg. cut out the borders and make more than one block on some of the smaller blocks. It didn't seem like there was enough to do for 3 months time. I've heard other people comment this same way. Maybe Thimbleberries will take some of our comments to heart and change the "rules" next time. It just seems like so much is left for the last quarter and I would like to see it spread out more over the whole year! This isn't just Thimbleberries way of doing BOMs--this has been the case with others, too.

Any other thoughts on the subject?

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Another PL Quilt and picture of Glory Star?

Trying to post pictures again today and we will see if blogger is working!!! Want to show you Glory Star from yesterday (see below.) Hurrah, it is fixed and we are back in business!!!! This quilt was made with half square triangles and was fun to do as long as you kept the colors all in the right places!!

The other quilt was made from a pattern called Take 5. It says you can do the whole quilt in 5 hours. It was bigger than I wanted for Project Linus so I cut it out of FQs instead of 5/8th yard pieces and made 2 quilts out of the fabrics I had with just the additon of a few more pieces! I named it Stars At Night. Now these are in the pile to be quilted, which is growing and growing. I guess I should get busy and quilt some , but gosh, it's just so much more fun to make the quilts instead of quilting the quilts! Do you have a favorite part of quilting that you like to do more that the others?

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Glory Star and PL Quilt!

Glory Star was a pattern I found in Minnesota at a little shop--Rosebud's Cottage -- and loved it, so , of course I had to have it and the fabric to make it!!! It is from a company called Country Threads. It was easy enough to do as long as you kept the colors straight in your mind as to where they would go!!! I'm unable to post a picture of Glory Star today, but maybe will be able to tomorrow.

Trucks, Trucks is a pattern that was from a LQS that had been printed locally. I cut it out wrong :( so it really doesn't resemble the original pattern--oh well, some little boy will love the construction trucks on the fabric, I hope. Even though I cut it out wrong, I just couldn't bear to throw it away, so I trudged onward and made up my own design--is that making lemonade out of lemons or something like that???!!!

Home Again and Back!

What a wonderful trip we had to the old home area (New Richmond, Wisconsin), but it feels good to come back after our walk down memory lane! So much has changed in 30+ years. The highlight was seeing my old dear friend Geri, a friend from grade school and high school. We have kept track of each other over the years and it was fun to see her again.

It certainly was a trip down memory lane and I wondered how many other people get to do the same thing! Even though things are greatly changed and places and people are not the same, the memories still are there and we can draw upon them at any time, sure some of the memories are not very nice, but let's remember the good ones and move one, shall we?!!!

We got to walk around the Mall of America and wow, what a big place--couldn't begin to see all the stores and probably couldn't afford anything even if we could go in the stores anyway! But what fun to walk around! Saw some beautiful tile work that I will show you pictures of on another day since thaey are on my husband's camera that I don't know how to work! The people watching was the best fun of all. There's an amusement park right in the middle of the whole thing and that was fun to watch the kids and their moms and dads having so much fun!

The best quilting fun was getting in on a quilt shop hop that was going on while we were there, so the shops were open late and we got to shop at 3 of them!!! Now that was good luck! Such beautiful shops! The shops were The Quilted Shingle in Oakdale MN; Sew Little Time in Hudson WI; (my personal favorite--what a great place with the friendliest staff, even though a busload of 42 people had just pulled in when we stopped!!!!) and Rosebud's Cottage in No. St. Paul (another favorite--we went there twice!!!!!)


The picture shows how well I did. Some of the things I can't show, too because they are gifts! So many neat things to chose from!

So now I'd better get busy and choose something to work on--time's a-wasting!!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

An Attempt at Some Light-Hearted Humor!!

They say humor is the best medicine--so here is a dose for you today!

I wrote this when the show Survivor first came out, but it still holds true today, even as they are in China!!!

With Apologies to David Letterman:

Top Ten Reasons the Quilter was Voted Off Survivor

10. The sponsers didn't sell quilting supplies.
9. She lost pins and needles all over the beach.
8. When it was time to leave for immunity challenge she said, "Just let me finish this seam!"
7. She made Jeff Probst a wall hanging using Hugs and Kisses blocks.
6. She brought her Mariner's Compass block to use as a guidance tool when lost in the jungle.
5. As her luxury item she brought her lastest copy of her favorite quilting magazine.
4. She was so busy quilting she "forgot" to forage for food!
3. She found it hard to swim using Water Wheel blocks.
2. She made toilet seat covers out of Overall Sam and Sunbonnet Sue peeking out from between their fingers.

and the Number 1 reason the quilter was voted off Survivor was that .....
1. She sang the theme song from "How to Make An American Quilt" one time too many!

Hope you enjoyed your dose of humor for the day!!! Keep smiling and laughing--it's good for you!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Thank you!

Thanks to all for your good birthday wishes! I am enjoying this starting birthday early thing!! While at Suzy's quilt shop on Saturday, I picked up all the FQs that go with the Baltimore Album panel that Debi gave me for my BD. Such wonderful fabric and colors! The picture shows the panel and the FQs and the other picture show the pattern. Mine will be a little bit smaller.

I'll probably wait to start this until we get back from our trip that we are taking to Wisconsin --leaving on Thursday and coming back on Sunday--so if you don't hear anything from me that's where I'll be.

It's to be a "trip back home" for me since I haven't been back in 30 years. None of my family is still there, but I hope to see some old neighbors and perhaps my old college roommate. Plus a look at the old farm homestead and the town where we used to roam! The old one room school house is supposed to be still standing where I attended all 8 grades of elementary school.

There were 14 kids in the whole school of 8 grades! No running water and no hot lunch. I remember my father bringing a huge (to me) can of water to school every day. The privies were in the back and you hurried in the cold Wisconsin winters, believe you me!

I have my map all made out for stops at 5 different quilt stores I found along the way, too!! Should be a trip to remember!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Early Happy Birthday to Me!

It's so much fun having a birthday and when you can start celebrating early---well, that's even more fun!!! Today Debi and her hubby Kit joined Maynard and I for breakfast before we started running our errand-filled days--what a great visit we had!

I started my Birthday celebration a couple of weeks early when Debi gave me the most wonderful gift bag filled with birthday goodies. The picture shows them all. There was the most delightful card, too, that I forgot to put in the picture--sorry about that! There were 2 Mary Engelbreit things (I love her things) --a bookmark--"Everyone has their own Spot" and 2 magnetic frames for grandkid pictures of course! There was a much needed 2008-2009 pocket calendar to keep track of all these things I keep finding to do! A charm packet of brightly colored charms for a PL quilt, along with a packet of FQ's of Thimbleberry fabric--I petted those for quite awhile while trying to picture what to put them into! Also 3 lovely hand towels for fall to hang in the bathroom--they will look so nice there!

Next there were 2 lovely panels--one is all about Chocolate (with matching chocolate fabric)--with sayings like "Hand over the Chocolate and no one gets hurt!" and "It is never too early or too late for chocolate!" The second panel is blocks of Mimi Dietrich's Baltimore Album quilt --it is reproductions of her applique blocks, plus the pattern booklet. Quite a gift bag chock full of wonderful gifts, don't you think?! Thank you so much, Debi!

Also at a stop at the quilt store , I found all the fabrics that go with the Baltimore Album quilt panel, so now I have another project ready to go! What fun!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Emily's Stars Top Finished!!

This morning I finished up the top of Emily's Stars from the pattern on Quiltville! I only made it half as big as the pattern called for since it will be a Project Linus quilt and I try to keep them around 45" wide for quilting purposes. -- That's how wide my batting is--simple reason, huh!!!!

This was a fun quilt to make and I really tried to use up stashm but my favorite quilte store, Quilt Mercantile, was having a big sale on 1930's repros so I stocked up and used some of those for this quilt!! Now I have lots of '30's stash for more quilts!!! Have to think up more to do. What are some good '30'3 patterns that come to your mind? Of course there's always Dresden Plate, but I already done one of those and my DD has that. I could always do another one, for it was fun to do, especially with Debby Kratovil's directions ! Guess I'll have to think on that for awhile.

Right now I need to do the Project Linus ones I have cut out and waiting, plus the Thimbleberries BOM and the Forever flowers Block #5 and sew the bindings on the 2 quilts waiting in the wings. Repeating myself aren't I--just trying to remind me what I need to do. I need to make a list just like Santa!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Little Stars and Their Big Sisters!

Here are 3 little stars and their big sisters ready to go into the big quilt! I made the little stars the opposites of the big stars and like the way they give some change in the looks of the way the quilt will be laid out. Hopefully I can finish this one this week and move on to the next project! I picked up the final BOM for the Thimbleberries Warm and Cozy yesterday at the LQS, so will be working on that next. Right on schedule with that, since it was a year ago that my dear hubby gave me that as my birthday present--the gift that keeps on giving ---- a BOM for a BD!!! Now what to choose for this coming year!!

I'd like to finish the binding on the Wedding Rings since that is all quilted and looks so nice now. Also one of the grandgirls quilts is quilted and ready for a binding, too--what do I chose to do first?? Decisions, decisions.

I think I should chose what I don't like to do first and get that out of the way and I guess that would be the bindings--I don't mind the sewing down by hand, but it's the getting TO that part--making the binding and then sewing it on to the quilt (after trimming the quilt). Oh dear, such a complainer. Guess I should be glad I can do it, huh!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Forever Flowers Block #4!!

Making our way through the Forever Flowers BOM, here is block #4! I will attach the button centers to the flowers and embroider the stems on the pear, apple and plum when I am done quilting the entire quilt--I learned my lesson on the Sweet Tea quilt--some things should be left until the end. Some things I learn as I go--just as in life, I guess!!!

Last week I signed up for a water aerobics class at the YMCA and today was my second class--what a great workout that is--the teacher is 80, but don't let that fool you--she gives quite a session! This is good low impact aerobics for those of us that are ahhhhhhemmmm--shall we say a bit aged like good cheese and need this kind of thing to avoid the aches and pains that accompany a regular workout on a mat. I'm glad I joined and just hope I have the determination to keep on keeping on!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan