Down On The Farm Quilt and some Project Linus

This is  a quilt top called "Down on the Farm."  The pattern is from the Moda Bakeshop.  Up in the left hand corner is an elevator just like the one I remember from my hometown.  Here is a close-up

of the top part.  These were paper-pieced.  I set the Log Cabins in a furrows setting so it would resemble a field that is plowed and ready for planting.

Also here are some Project Linus quilts that we delivered to the drop off point in Lewisville.

 

We are finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel in catching up with the PL tops that needed quilting!  I think there are 3 left in the pile now.  But Maynard is working on the Batik quilt and then will do the Down on the Farm quilt.  I'll have to start making some more tops for PL now!

 

Attended two wonderful parties this last week.  They were so much fun!  Thanks to Jan A. and Debi for making them so wonderful!

 

 

How's the Christmas "doings" going for each of you?  I shopped on-line this year and loved it!  Makes it so easy to do.  The grandkids (with the help of their Moms) keep a wish list on Amazon and that makes it so nice to get something they really want!

 

Hope you all get something you want!

 

Let quilting help  you make someone smile!

 

Jan

Merry Christmas Wall Hanging

A while back, BFF Debi gave me this panel.  Maynard put on the twinkle lights  and I finished with pocket for battery pack and binding.   I'm very pleased with the way it turned out.  Thanks Debi!!!

Our ice is slowly melting off the trees.  The roads are already mostly free of ice.  I had one Christmas party cancelled and another postponed because of the ice storm.  But who could enjoy a party knowing what the weather was like outside!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

The Batik Birthday Quilt

This precut batiks quilt kit was given to me by BBF, Debi.  Now it is ready to be quilted.  I still have to find a backing for it.  Had to figure out how to get the sides of the last border to fit and ended up putting another border around it, then I persuaded it to fit!!!  It is very colorful.

We were without power for 4 hours today while an ice storm came through.  Since it's not going to get above freezing tonight or the next 2 days, it means that it is going to be  rough going on the highways and bridges the next few days.  Couldn't do any sewing today though, since we were without power for 4 hours.  Really amazing how much we do needs electricity.

So I tried to rip out the hand quilting on my turkey, but found I couldn't see well enough in what light there was, to take the same color stitches as the background out.  How did our grandmothers ever do it all by candlelight and kerosene lantern?

I have bought the material and am ready to start the quilt in the book "Quilty Fun" by Lori Holt.  Debi and I are going to work on it together and do one row every 3-4 weeks.  Sounds like fun.  I really like everything about this book.  The pictures are so good and the directions are very clear.  Besides the quilt, she has several other small projects to work on.  I want to make those, too!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

A Barn Quilt

Here is another barn quilt I made.  The patterns came from Lori Holt  at A Bee in my Bonnet webpage.  She has wonderful patterns.  This quilt also has a tractor on the back---you can see it on her blog.  It is a big tractor so didn't fit on the front.  Lori Holt has also published a book that has lots of fun things in it and the photography is fun, too!  All of the barns have quilt blocks in them.  Some are front views with silos and some are side views.  It was fun to do and see them come together as I "built" them!

We are under a winter storm warning as I type this afternoon-----supposed to have sleet and maybe freezing rain.  Haven't seen anything yet but we'll just wait and see!  Good day to cuddle up under a quilt and read or hand quilt!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Flock of Quilts for Project Linus

 This is a flannel panel quilt for a friend of mine who is going to be a great-grandmother.  It says,  "Would you like to swing on a star, Carry moonbeams home in a jar."

 Made with selvedges, I'm keeping this one!

 The rest of these will go to Project Linus!

The panels came from Project Linus as kits to make up.  Easy to do and fun because they go so fast!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Our Trip to the International Quilt Festival

No pictures today because the brochures said not to take pictures, so we didn't, although there were lots of people who did.

We left early Thursday morning and came back Saturday afternoon.  Had Sunday all day to rest up------good thing we did that!!!!!

We had a wonderful time.  1,100 vendors and lots of quilting displays.  Lots to see and do.  We both took classes.  Maynard went to a lecture from Superior Threads on Threads and thought it was very informative.  He also took a class on Longarm Quilting from Pam Clarke on Block to Block Free Motion Quilting.  He hopes to get into free motion quilting and custom quilting someday with his business, right now he does  edge-to-edge.

I took the "Saturday Sampler" class.  There were 21 teachers at different stations showing their specialty.  Very interesting.  Took 2 hours to see them all!!

I found lots of great things to buy----including Midwinter Reds--------a line of fabric from Moda that I want to use for a Log Cabin quilt.  Also got a wool applique kit with lots of little blocks in it that should be lots of fun.  Found several things to buy that I didn't even know I needed!  What fun!

It was a fun vacation for us, even though we both got really tired.  I'm already thinking about next year------it will be the 40th anniversary of the Quilt Show and will probably be another great one.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Two Project Linus Quilts

 This is my Pink and Brown Star quilt.  Had fun making it and I really like the colors.

Really went outside the box for this one!  But I really like the way it turned out.  It's quilted with a pattern called "squiggle."  It's one of the patterns that we use a lot-----goes with anything and sets off any pattern.

We are having typical fall weather-----cool mornings and warm in  the afternoon, with some rain mixed in----we really need the rain----the lakes are down.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Picture Heavy Post and a November Turkey

Maynard got through with customers quilts on the big machine, so he had time to do a few of mine and here they are.  I won't comment by everyone of them, except for the turkey! 
There are two string quilts, they look somewhat alike,  same layouts, but different fabrics.  These quilts will all go to Project Linus except for the turkey which goes to me!

The Turkey Quilt is made with Prairie Points so it has a 3-D look to it.  Even the body and the leaves are 3-D.  It was quite the challenge, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. But now I am puzzled as to how to quilt it.  I certainly don't want to mash down any of the Prairie Points.  Anybody out there have any ideas??

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Christmas Quilt

Here is my Joy Sampler Christmas Quilt all finished.  I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  It's a Fons and Porter pattern. 

This is a panel that came with a kit.  I decided to make it a quilt on it's own and use the other fabrics for the finishing fabrics for another redwork quilt.  I have some colonial girl redwork squares I've been working on for quite awhile and they will work great!

 

Let quilting help you make someone smile! 

 

Jan

New Table Runner and Quilt

 

 Rabbit Redwork.  The pattern was for a table runner, but I called it a wall hanging.  Couldn't bear to put it on the table and have something spilled on it!  A fun project from BareRoots Company.  I tried to hand quilt it ----turned out to be utility stitches!

This is another Yellow Brick Road using the  Fat quarters that I won at the retreat with the gals from DFW Gang.  Plus one of the winners gave me hers.  (Total = 90 FQs!)  So I'm using them all for Project Linus YBR quilts.  Such fun!

I'm working on a selvage edge quilt and it is such fun.  I showed a picture of the blocks the other day.  Well, I have all the blocks done and have started to put it together.  I need to find some fabric to use for the sashings.  Probably a black and white dot or stripe. Have to see what's in the black fabric box!

Weather is starting to cool down just a little bit.  Maybe it's my imagination or wishful thinking, but it seems like in the cooler mornings,  it feels a little bit like fall.  I love fall and can't wait for it each year.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Selvage Edge Quilt Blocks

These are two blocks that I have been making for another selvage edge quilt.  Twelve blocks are covered completely covered with selvage edges and 24 blocks are only covered one-half of the way, making half-square triangle blocks.  The pattern for the quilt will be Old Maid blocks.

The pattern is from the book:  "Quilts from the Selvage Edge" by Karen Griska.  It has some neat patterns in it for selvage edges.  This is the second quilt from the book that I have made.

I'm also working on a train quilt for my hubby for Christmas.  He has quite a bit of train things and really enjoys trains.  It starts with panel and has matching fabric for the rest of it.  I try to work on it while he is not here.  But then I got to thinking,   he's going to quilt it, so maybe I'll have to give him just the top for his Christmas present!

I also have three embroidery quilts going------I work on those during Sit and Sew on Tuesdays.  Nice to have some pick-up work.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

New Quilts and a Flimsy

 Excuse  the sunlight on this quilt---it's hard to see because it is pastels.  It is a circle of stars and comes from Thimble Blossoms.  Not hard to do, if you pay mind to the directions!  It's quilted with a meandering design.

 These hearts look like they are floating almost---they remind me of hot-air balloons.  It is quilted  with hearts.  This one is called "Happy Hearts" and is from the book, "Quilt It With Love.  The Project Linus Story."   I  hope to make all the quilts in the book by someday!!!

This is a Yellow Brick Road done with some of the Fat Quarters I won at the last DFW Retreat.  I won enough FQ's to make 15 YBR quilts!!!  Isn't that fantastic??!!  I won twice at the Fat Quarter Lotto and one of the girls (Thanks, Brenda) gave me her winnings!  Slowly, but surely I will get them all done!  YBR's  are fun to do!

We just had a great Sit and Sew with the DFW Gang at "OH, Sew Cool Quilt Shop" in Pantego, TX last Saturday.  We had 10 people there and had so much fun.  The organizers (Thanks Marje and Dorothy) did a good job of getting everything together!  The quilt shop was very nice, too.

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

More Flimsies Ready to be Quilted

Another group of flimsies in  the pile to be quilted.  Guess I will have to stop for awhile and work on embroidery or something else till the tops get quilted.  Maynard is finishing up a big order and another one is coming in, but he can fit a few of mine in between, I think.  The first top is made up of Pennsylvania blocks.  Terry from Terry's Treasures is doing  this.  I only did 20 blocks so mine went quickly.

The second one is a string quilt.  The pattern is from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville.  String quilts are so much fun to make that I made two of them.  The second one is just like this one but different strings.

The third one is from a book called "Take 5."  I got it and a five pack roll of fabric at the Dallas quilt Show and this Rail Fence is one of the patterns.  Another very easy one to do.  Guess I'm really in  the super easy and fast lane these last few weeks!

Last, is my old standby "Yellow Brick Road."  This one never fails me!    I'm sure all the wrinkles will quilt out!

We are in the middle of a big heat wave.  Triple digit temperatures --- no relief in the future.  The weatherman says relief is coming on Sunday when the temperature dips to 99.  HA!!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Keeping Busy

Busy working on 2 scrap quilts.  One is a string quilt from Quiltville by Bonnie Hunter.  She has the best patterns on her website, plus her blog follows her travels all around the United States.  She is one busy gal.  In this pattern, the  white/off-white stripe will make X's across the quilt.  It is real nice when  it is done.  I have made 20 blocks, so will  be Project Linus size when finished.

The second block is a Sew-Along block with Terry at Terry's Treasures.  What a fun block to do!  I'm going to do 20 blocks of these, too and will have a nice Project Linus size quilt.

Maynard has been so busy with quilting for the business, that the Project Linus quilts have been piling up.  But I'm sure he will fit some in soon.  I've been having so much fun building up the inventory!  It's fun to see the scrap bin go down a little.  I think it should go down more, but it has a mind of it's own, I think!!!!!!

Hope you are having a good week where ever you are!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

Two Unquilted Tops and One Ready To Go!

 These barns are what I call "quilt barns" because they have a 6-inch quilt block on the side or the front as is the case on the silo barn blocks.  They were so much fun to make and the patterns were easy to do------no funny angles.  They came from Lori Holt's blog "A Bee in Her Bonnet."  It is a very nice website.

This one, "Tessellating Stars" is all ready to go to Project Linus.  These are fun blocks to make, too and go very quickly.

Last, but not least is Eleanor Burns' "Victory Star." This is one of my favorite stars and Eleanor Burns' directions are spot on.  I really like to do flying geese her way.

 

Today I plan to put the borders  on the Christmas quilt "JOY Sampler."  It is 81" x 94".  One of the bigger ones I have made.  I usually tend toward the kids size!  So it has been a challenge, to say the least!  But I'm happy with the way it turned out so that's what counts.  Going to have to find a Christmas quilting motif for Maynard to quilt it with.

 

We are back with the hot (triple digits) weather again, after enjoying a few days of lower 90's and some much needed rain.

 

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

 

Jan

Seeing Stars

The first picture shows a Yellow Brick Road using some of the fat quarters that I won at retreat in the Left, Right, Center game.  Aren't they fun?  It will go to Project Linus.

The second picture shows what I am working on now---Victory Stars from the book "Victory Quilts" by Eleanor Burns.  Part of the fat quarters are from the Zippity-Doo-Dah line from Sandy Gervais.  They are such happy colors.  I'm loving making these and am very happy with the way they are turning out!

The barn blocks are all  finished and need to have the sashing sewn on and be sewn together, but , of course, it was more fun to start something new!   That's what gets me in trouble and I end up with too many things started and not enough finished!  I also need to sew together the Christmas Sampler, which also has all the rows put together and just needs sewn together.  But the stars are so much more fun to put together!  Anybody else have that problem?!!!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan

More Quilts

These are four quilts that are almost ready for Project Linus.  The Yellow Brick Road  still needs to be quilted.  We have had a big order come in so that may be awhile.  We are grateful to our friend for that big order!

The barn picture is of a Quilty Barn Monthly that I found online and it is so much fin!   Kudos to Lori who  is designing it!  You can find it here. 

We are having the most wonderful weather---highs in the low 90's and lows down in the 70's.  Such a glorious start to July!!!!

Hope you are happy where ever you are!

Let quilting help you make someone smile!

Jan