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