Block Number 4 Polka Dot Girls Finished

Polka Dot Girls Block # 4 is finished and ready to be set into the big block. Now I need to finish the little one and another set will be done! This one has a cute little verse in it...."Thank you for Flowers in Bloom, New Mown Hay, Singing Birds, Humming Bees, Butterflies and the Laughter of Friends." I was working on this yesterday at Sit N Sew and there was lots of laughter going on between friends...good times!!!! One group of ladies was making cupcake pincushions---every time they took one "out of the oven" we had to "Ohhh" and Ahhh" over it--they were so cute.

Tonight we leave on our trip to Columbus, Ohio to visit our daughter and her family--we don't get in until very late, but it will be worth it! So I won't be posting for a week. Hope you all have a great Thanksgiving Day! There is certainly a lot to be thankful for! This is my favorite holiday and I cherish it each year!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

1930's Egg Money Quilts Sampler Top

Finished the 12 blocks for the lap robe size 1930's Sampler Quilt Top from the "Egg Money Quilts" from Eleanor Burns. Set them to sashing and cornerstones and here is the quilt top. I just love the 30's fabrics and all the little prints they come in. Each block was fun to do. Didn't make a dent in my box of 1930's fabrics though--how can that be?! They seemed to grow--I guess I fluffed them up too much or something!!!

Another fun day at Sit 'n' Sew at the Quilt Mercantile--sometimes we get to laughing over the silliest things that wouldn't make any sense to anyone outside the group, but we have so much fun. They say that laughter is good for the soul and I truly believe that!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Two more Project Linus Quilts

Here are two more Project Linus quilts ready to go to the pile and ready to go to the pick up place sometime soon---after Thanksgiving is my goal. Maynard is really getting going on the quilting now! The first one is called "Mary Engelbreit Birdhouse." The pattern came with a jellyroll of her fabric, but the name of it escapes me right now (sorry!) The second one is "Star Over the Red White and Blue." It used a jelly roll also. The pattern is called "Courthouse Steps." The jelly roll was called "The Hamptons." I'm going to have to start writing all this stuff down so I can remember everything when there is such a long amount of time between the making of the top and the quilting of the top! LOL!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Last Two 1930's Sampler Blocks Finished!

The last two 1930's Sampler blocks are finished and I started putting on the sashing and cornerstones today. I'm quite pleasantly surprised at how quickly this one went together! The first picture shows the Double Axe Head block--this one is appliqued--this one is a new one to me , but wasn't hard to do with Eleanor Burns method of applique where you sew a fusible interfacing onto the fabric with right sides facing, make a slit in the back and then turn right side out. It gives you such a smooth piece to work with and then you sew them down with invisible thread with a blind hem stitch.

The Flying Geese block was also done with her technique that gives you 4 Flying Geese at one time. The book I used was Egg Money Quilts by Eleanor Burns. Her directions are just great! I was so excited to meet her in person at the Quilt Show in Houston. What a lovely lady!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

One Raffle Quilt and One Project Linus Quilt

Here is the raffle quilt all finished for the raffle at the grandboys pre-school--I showed it a little while back and thought I would show it all finished with the happy fabric binding on it--that is also what I used for the backing. Love that plaid! Also finished is the Metro Green Yellow Brick Road for Project Linus. Such pretty fabric--I hope someone will like it as much as I do--maybe an older child or teenager!

Now onto some more 1930's Sampler blocks--I made some Flying Geese this morning--she sure has a slick way of making 4 at a time. And squaring them up with her ruler is really a nice way to get wonderful looking Flying Geese. I recommend her method highly! I have to finish this Flying Geese block, then I have one more to go and I can put this Sampler together--this one seems to have gone quickly, even though I have only been working on it hit and miss!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

More Civil War Blocks

Finished 2 more sets of blocks for the Civil War quilt! It is moving along quite nicely and quicker than I thought it would. I like doing just a few blocks at a time and they are fairly simple patterns. The fabric is lovely--it was in a kit from my local quilt store, Quilt Mercantile. The first picture shows the blocks that are Card Trick and the second show the blocks that are Sawtooth Stars. I had never done Card Trick before and that was a new experience. By following the picture very, very carefully, I didn't have to do too much "frog" (rip-it, rip-it) stitching!!!!

A week from today is Thanksgiving and we will be in Ohio visiting our DD and her family--can hardly wait to see them again! I sure there will be plenty of tea parties and girly things to do. Isabel will turn 6 on December 3rd and Ilena is 3 on January 4th. So we know there will be one birthday party while we are there! What fun to look forward to!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

More blocks!

I finished Block 3 of the Polka Dot Girls and the Grandmother's Flower Garden for the 1930's Sampler from Eleanor Burns and the binding on the Raffle quilt for the grandboys Pre-School raffle that will be held in the spring. I feel like I have accomplished a lot! I am half way through a card trick block for the Civil War quilt, too--those are tricky blocks. I need to do 5 of them. The directions are very skimpy and I'm glad that I have some quilting under my belt as I'm tackling these!

We have been having lovely, cool fall weather here in North Teas and the puppy and I have been enjoying a walk every morning. He gets very excited when his leash comes out and is so happy to lead the way!! For 14 years old he can go and go and go--then he comes home and sleeps the rest of the day!!!! I guess he knows these walks are good for me, too because he starts barking and jumping for joy when I start to put on my socks!!!! Hope you can enjoy some nice weather where you are!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!!

Jan

Several Blocks Finished

Finished another block for the 1930's Sampler from the Eleanor Burns book "Egg Money Quilts." This one is called Peony. Some piecing and some applique. I used Eleanor's method of applique and it was quite different--I had not done any that way before. She has you sew fusible interfacing to the right side and turn it inside out and then iron it on so you get a nice smooth edge. Then you can either blind hem stitch it using invisible thread or hand applique it. I chose to do this one with hand applique. The next one I'm doing is a Grandmother's Flower Garden and I think I will applique that one by machine. I'm using Quiltsmart for that one. That's a new process to me, too. Learning all kinds of new things these days!!! Keeps me young!!!!

The second picture shows my next set of blocks for the Civil War quilt--they are called railroad blocks. They were fun and easy to do---I hope all the rest of the blocks are as easy. The next ones are called "Card Trick"-- I've never done those before--something new and another learning experience!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Red, White and Black Quilt Top Finished

Here is a picture of my red, white and black quilt top that I finished a couple of days ago. My "holder" was available to hold last night so I was finally able to take a picture (sorry it is so dark!) I have to say that this is not one of my most favorite quilts--I think the red is too red or something, since it seems to jump at you and you don't really "see" the rest of the reds, blacks and whites---I'm sure a color theorist could use all the correct terms and tell me the right way, but it just seems "off" somehow! Any thoughts on the subject?

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Civil War Quilt

Now I'm working on my Civil War Quilt since I finished the Red, White and Black quilt top--hope to have a picture for you soon, since I forgot to have my "holder" hold it last night!!!! The fabrics in this quilt are wonderful and so enjoyable to work with---the fabric line is called Yorktown by Jo Morton and is put out by Andover Fabrics. The pattern is available at their website for free!!! That's the price I like!! I got the kit at my favorite quilt store Quilt Mercantile--I'm anxiously awaiting their website so I can link you to it!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Busy Day at Sit N Sew

We had a little mini class at Sit N Sew today when 4 of us started our Mystery Quilt. The fabrics are shown in the first picture. Mine will be a lap size quilt---55x70. Some of the others are working on queen size quilts. The first thing we did was make a little pincushion that taught us how to do the flying geese that we will need to do in this first part of the quilt. The second picture shows mine--isn't it cute? The method we used made 4 flying geese at one time--it is somewhat like the Eleanor Burns method, but was a little different, although we used her rulers to line them up and square them up at the end. Then we were to cut out our fabric, but I chose to wait and cut mine at home where it is quiet---I couldn't concentrate too well on what I was doing with all the "fun," ie. talking going on around me!!!! We definitely have a lot of things to talk about at Sit N Sew and I wouldn't miss it for anything!!!!!

The third picture is of the flower basket that goes in the third block of the Polka Dot Girls quilt. Now I'm working on the big square that goes in that block.

I also started on the Civil War quilt that I got for my birthday and have done a couple of nine-patch blocks for that---I'll take pictures when I have done a few more.

Two rows are sewn together for my red,white and black quilt, but that got tedious, so that's why I started the Civil War fabric one---now I will probably have too many irons in the fire, but that's half the fun---right?!!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Block 2 Polka Dot Girls Finished

Here is a closeup of "Count Your Blessings" and the final finished block 2 of the Polka Dot Girls. This is such a fun quilt to work on! Now on to block 3! I also finished putting together all the blocks for my red, white and black quilt and now have to lay them out--think I will get out my design board for that job--there are 3 kinds of blocks: corner blocks, side blocks and island blocks. Have to concentrate on this one to get everything in the right spot! Like a lot of things--easy to do, but you have to keep your wits about you as you do them! LOL!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Houston Quilt Show

Just got back today from the big Internation Quilt Show in Houston! WOW, what a great show! My husband, Maynard went with me and we had a ball! It was like a mini vacation. We spent 2 days there and still didn't see everything. I do think we might have seen all 850+ vendors---at least that's what these old legs and feet say to me! We just took our time and ambled along. Maynard tried out every long machine there was (what better place to do so!) and had fun comparing them all. I don't think he's thinking of buying one, but who knows?!! I really don't know where we would put it, but maybe he has plans I don't know about yet!!!!

I met Eleanor Burns and that was fun! She had on a witch's hat that had orange hair attached to it with 2 braids that stuck out like Pippi Longstocking's (do you remember those books from a long time ago?) She was a delight and seemed to really be enjoying herself as she greeted everyone.

The picture shows some of the things that I bought: some Fat Quarters and a couple of patterns, Claudia Plett and LeAnn Weaver's new book, Loose Change,a book about the Featherweight 221 and how to do your own maintenance on it, a kit for a small wall hanging of schoolhouses, another kit for a very small wall hanging of a flag and school house, plus some other things that I can't show because they are for gifts--tee hee!!!!!

I finished the Polka Dots Girls second block--these are so much fun to do because they all have personalities that come out while you stitch them! Sorry the block is wrinkly, but I don't usually iron embroidery until I'm ready to sew together. Sometimes I feel wrinkly like that, too!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan