Fall Color Tour and Riding and Roping Quilts

Finished two more for the stack for Project Linus! The first one Jackie and Joann (at retreat) named Riding and Roping, there are horses and cowboys and other western things on this one--it's a Yellow Brick Road---my favorite pattern!!!!

The next one is just like the last Log Cabin I did so I named it Fall Color Tour, since the colors remind me so much of fall.

Now onward and upward to quilting more of these quilts!! Today I hope to get quite a few done since the quilting pile grew some after retreat!!! LOL!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

A Great Retreat!

Lots of pictures of our Sit and Sew Retreat--I hope you don't mind! Number 1 is Linda with a Wedding quilt (I forget the real name of the quilt), we called it a wedding quilt because it is a gift for a wedding!!!! What a beauty! The second one shows my Challenge #6 quilt--I got a lot of Yellow Brick Road quilts done for Project Linus and as I was making them, my friend Jackie, sitting next to me, was naming them. This one she named Life Savers. I'll post pictures as we get them quilted and finished up.

Picture #3 is Ruby with her Texas quilt. It is redwork and so pretty. Picture #4 is Lynn with an I Spy quilt. So cute! Number 5 shows Lou (on right) and Joann with Lou's applique quilt--it is more beautiful than the picture shows---a real work of art! Next is number #6 ---- Linda with another Texas Redwork quilt---shows up better than Ruby's---ready to put into that special spot at home! Number 7 is Joann's 76 Tombones (you saw Joann in another picture!) Number 8 shows Dequita with Baskets of Flowers that is special in that she framed the baskets with fabrics from her mothers dresses--it's beautiful and what a keepsake! Last, but certainly not least is Deborah with her Fireworks quilt--it is wonderful!

What a great group of ladies! I didn't get a picture of Jackie with her quilt on the wall, but she got a lot done, too. We laughed and talked and sewed and can't forget-ate and played Fat Quarter Lotto----what fun to get away for 3 days!!!! Next one for me is in May and for this group is August......................can't wait!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Redwood Quilt

This kit was purchased at the quilt store in Kerrville, Texas called Creations. I fell in love with the backing when I first saw it in the window. It is a very simple patchwork design, but it shows off the colors of the fabrics---called Redwood---- so well. I folded the corner so you could see the backing. The little white dot in the photo is from my camera--the picture just doesn't show the richness of the fabrics though.----------Maybe its time for a new camera!!!

I have all my dolly dresses embellished and today I hope to set the top together with the sashings. Also adding to my pile for the retreat. I have a list that I keep from retreat to retreat, so that helps me a lot. We divide up the food preparation, so that makes it more pleasant---you can sew and know you only have to think about cooking food for breakfast and one meal. We eat very well!!!! LOL!!!

It's another beautiful spring-like day today and this kind of weather makes me want to-----------------clean---go figure! So the last 2 days, I have been dusting and doing the floors and just giving the house a good spring cleaning--I know it isn't spring yet, but at least I have a nice clean house. I have been splitting it up into several days, so that helps a lot---too old to do it all in one day anymore!!!! Today will be vacuuming day!!! But I will be quilting some, too!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Fall Harvest Log Cabin Quilt

This is another quilt for Project Linus and the colors reminded me of Fall, so I named it Fall Harvest Log Cabin. I love the colors and wish I could remember the name of line of fabric---I bet Debi knows---she did one the same and it is pretty, too---in fact, I copied hers!!!! Sorry the picture is crooked!

All of the 12" of snow is melted away, but it was exciting to have such a historic snowfall---probably I can say that because I didn't have to drive in it or shovel any!! LOL!! I hope the people in the Northeast have their power back on (and the people here in North Texas, too.) The temp was down to 28 degrees this morning and that's awfully cold to be without heat.

Going to a retreat next week---Monday through Wednesday---can't hardly wait---I think there will be about 8 of us going--a nice size group--I'm trying to get things lined up for that---of course, I will work on YBR's and I have a new Big Block pattern to try, plus some handwork---that should keep me busy, I think. Sometimes, I might just sit--no harm in that!!! Maybe we all need to do more of that, of course, when I do that lots of times I fall asleep-does that happen to you?

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Scotties With Bows Quilt

Bows on Scotties is another quilt that I made for Project Linus. You probably can't see the Scotties, but they are there---they are just very little. The fabric is Aunt Grace, I think. If my memory is right, this is a Yellow Brick Road.

We had something different for our weather yesterday--a record snowfall of 12"--we just don't get snow in the Dallas area, so it was newsworthy!! We don't have equipment to take care of such a huge amount of snow so it was rough going for the commuters and those who had to be out in the storm! I just stayed in and sewed and embellished little dresses---there is a picture of 2 of them-----and quilted. Last night we had a fire in the fireplace and that was nice. We feel fortunate to still have electricity--so many people are without power.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Two Blocks for DFW Gang Challenge

Got the 2 blocks made for the DFW Challenge that Debi gave us at our Christmas Party back in December. As you can see the main fabric was quite a challenge. The first block is called Antique Tile and the second is called Amish Diamond. The patterns can be found at Quilter's Cache from Marcia. It is a wonderful site just loaded with patterns.

I'm having lots of fun with embellishing those doll dresses--lots of mini, tiny things and lace and ribbon. I'll try to get some pictures for tomorrow.

Right now we are in the middle of snow showers---not seen too often in this part of the States---but nothing like what they are getting in the northeastern part of the States. Strange winter weather this year!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

I'm the winner of a great drawing!

Buster (my mini poodle) andI were the winners of a great drawing at Quilted Quickies blog! What a great prize package they put together. They were some home baked goodies for Buster and 2 books and a precut kit for me! Isn't that a wonderful prize? Buster loved the treats as you can see from the picture---he wanted more and more! I can't thank those ladies enough---that package really made my week!!!!!

This day, I am cutting out blocks of dolly dresses and embellishing them---what fun. They have patterns in one magazine for little purses and collars and all kinds of ideas and many ideas in another magazine, so I am coming up with all kinds of things to do---hard to make up my mind---I'll post pictures as I go along to share them with you---right now I'm at the cutting and planning stages. I think planning them is half the fun!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Challenge Quilt Top Number Five...........

Here is Challenge Quilt Top Number 5 from Bundles of Fun by Karen Snyder. This one made a friendship star as you sewed the rows together---what fun getting them all exactly right!!!! I need to get busy now and quilt all these quilts. I'm working on one of them this afternoon. I will name them as I go and put them in the pile for Project Linus!

Retreat is only 2 weeks away and I need to get things around for what I am going to do. I found a new pattern that is big blocks and so I bought some Fat Quarters and will work on that and also want to try my hand at hand piecing so will take a kit along that recommends using hand piecing to put it together. It is only 27 x 27" and is schoolhouses. And also some Yellow Brick Roads for Project Linus---that ought to keep me busy for 3 days and 3 nights, don't you think? I hope so.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Challenge Quilt Top Number Four...........

Here is Challenge Quilt top number 4 made with sashings and cornerstones. It has Western fabrics as the main squares in the quilt. It was fun to do and went quite quickly after everything was cut! This is just the top and I hope to quilt it soon!

We had a big group of about 30 at Sit and Sew at the Quilt Mercantile today---lots of visiting and laughing and Show and Tell going on! It's so much fun to see what the others are working on.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Written in Thread - Top Finished

The top is finished on Written in Thread and now to figure out how to quilt it!!!! I wanted to show you a couple of closeup pictures along with the whole quilt because there is really a lot of work on a 17" x 22" (approximately) piece of work! It is nice to have it done and if I hadn't fussed over the instructions so much, I probably would have enjoyed it a whole lot more than I did! Doing the actual embroidery was fun though--I do enjoy embroidery work!

I'm thinking of starting a BOM that is redwork and comes from Bunny Hill. It's a redwork design of baskets for every month---very cute. It could also be applique. I also have the kit for the doll dresses called Anna Lena that was featured in this month's Fons and Porter magazine. The dresses are a panel that you cut apart and then embellish the dresses with anything you want---it sounds like so much fun! Now that I'm feeling better from the flu bug, I feel like working on that one!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan