Finally put up the tree …

Okay …. We are SO SUPER LATE this year in getting everything together.  We finally got the two trees put up on Wednesday since we were both home.  Here’s our precious little Ba’el posing under the tree in the family room.

More snow to greet us …

Woke up to some more snow on the ground, and more falling too!  It looked like someone was standing over our house dumping out powdered sugar!

Still alive … Just busy

Wow, it’s been over a month since I posted anything to my quilting blog.  I’ve been sooooo busy the last few weeks.  I’ve been trying to finish up a huge project for the Jefferson Twp. Trustees that I’ve been working on for the past 2½ years.  I’ve had two speaking engagements since I posted last.  I was at the Jared Mansfield Chapter of DAR on the 1st. of October for their meeting, and on the 7th. I was at the Marvin Memorial Library in Shelby.  Both presentations went well.  Then I had a genealogy seminar all day Friday.  Eeeek!  And I still found time to create a new blog for my genealogy!  But I’ll announce that in a few days!

… And another … This time Vintage (4/23/05)

Here’s the one that I did for my sister as a gift for her birthday in ‘05.  The word “Vintage” was in the name of the fabric line, not that it necessarily looks vintage.

And another … Rites Of Spring (7/7/08)

And another one made as a gift using Moda’s Rites Of Spring line.

And another … Paris Roses (6/25/05)

And here’s the one that I did for my Mom for her birthday in ‘05.

Batik Yellow Brick Road (12/15/06)

Here’s the one done in batiks as a Christmas gift for a relative. 

Yellow Brick Road Parade …

Once I was introduced to the Yellow Brick Road pattern by Terry Atkinson, I was hooked.  I’ve made it for myself, I’ve made it as a gift … In pastels, in Christmas colors, in southwest colors …. I’ll be posting the pictures over the next few days …

Here’s one that I did in June of ‘08 … in pastels.

The chalk marking is still in some of the quilted areas if you’re wondering what the white marks are.  The pattern in the middle portion was stitched using a groovy board from HandiQuilter.  The purple border area was done using a basic feather pattern.  In this photo the binding has been attached to the front, but not turned yet.

X Marks The Spot

This was a great little wall hanging kit that I got for Christmas a couple of years ago!

Antique Rose – modified (10/25/08)

Here’s a lap quilt that I did a couple of years using Moda’s Wuthering Heights line.   I modified the Antique Rose pattern so that I could use nickel squares.

Woodland Clover (2/9/06)

Well here’s the Woodland Clover quilt that I did back in early ‘06.  I bought all of the materials at a shop down in Grove City, Ohio … it really turned out to be one of my first truly scrappy quilts.  The pattern is from one of the Nickel Quilt books.

Winter Oranges

This piece holds a special place in my heart as one of the first pieces that I did when I started up my quilting hobby the second time.  I was working on cutting out the orange peels when we were hit with a HUGE ICE STORM that crippled this area for several days.  It left us without power for 4 days … with a dwindling supply of firewood to provide a touch of warmth.  Since we had no power, I couldn’t sew – but I could cut out pieces.  And on the second day of the power outage, I realized that I was out of one of the fabrics.  Eeek!!!  As the ice melted and power was restored about a week later, and the roads started to be cleared, I was finally able to get up to the store to get more of the fabric.

Windmill (7/15/05)

This was a John Flynn kit that I did back in ‘05.  Batiks are cool, I’ve done a few projects with them over the last few years.  They aren’t my ultimate favorite, but it’s fun to do some projects with them every once in awhile to spice things up!

Whirly Gig (8/9/05)

When I did this quilt back in ‘05, it was one of the largest quilts that I had done. 

Wave Our Colors (6/30/06)

This little kit started out as a wall hanging – but I didn’t like the way it was going.  So I turned it into a pillow!

Tumbling Acorns (10/16/07)

This has to be one of the best quilts that I’ve ever made.  I love the fall colors – and that it’s a casual quilt.  It’s a big quilt … almost a queen-sized item.  The fabrics are soft, and it’s sooooooo  comfy to snuggle in.  It took me FOREVER to quilt this one … and it has miles of thread in it.  I did a ton of grid quilting in this one, using Superior’s Bottom Line thread in an old sage green color.   In late ‘08 this quilt would come in handy when my husband broke his ankle (in two places) and needed two surgeries.  He ended up sleeping on the couch in the family room from mid-October to mid-January … and this quilt is what kept him warm through the winter.  

Trip To New England (9/20/05)

Here’s a fun wall hanging that I did back in the Fall of ‘05.  As it turns out, I really wish that I hadn’t put the leaves in the border.  Even though they were called for in the pattern, I think the piece would have been prettier if they had been left off.

Thimbleberries Summer Sampler (7/18/05)

Here’s a little wall hanging that I did back in ‘05.  It was a kit from Connecting Threads, back when they were doing lots of fun little Moda kits.  (How I wish they were still doing those!)  But, after it was all done – pieced, quilted and bound – I discovered a tiny boo boo.  Eeek!  :(

Did you find the boo boo?

Strips ‘n Bits

Okay, another piece that I don’t have a date for … I’ll have to get the date later.  This was a quilt called “Strips ‘n Bits” by Bloom Creek designs.  I can’t remember which Moda line I used – but it is a Moda line.  I’ll have to get that info. later too.  (good gracious I’m falling apart)  Yes, it’s meant to be s-c-r-a-p-p-y!!

Take A Bough …

This was one of the first panels that I did, and I think it turned out pretty good.  I think this was done back in ‘06 or ‘07.  It hangs in the kitchen at the holidays.

Happy Hollow … Day 2

Sweet Romance (3/31/05)

Another of the pieces in Moda’s Tin Box Series, this small wall hanging was made from the Sweet Romance line.  I made the mistake of washing it after it was quilted, and all of the prairie points went a little wonky.  :(

Happy Hollow …Day 1

I’ve got *most* of the bottom two panes done on the Happy Hollow piece.

Sunshine Braid Parade Pillow (8/11/08)

This was a fun little pillow that I created in an afternoon using the “Braid Parade” pattern as inspiration for the layout.  The fabric line is Sunshine from Moda, using a packet of charm squares and a yard of coordinating fabric.

Summer In The City (7/22/07)

This pillow top came from another of the Moda Tin Box patterns. 

Strip-Bow

This was a breakthrough quilt for me … I will credit this small lap quilt for breaking down a lot of mental barriers for me with quilting.  And the gal at the quilt shop where I bought the fabric, was instrumental (more than she’ll ever know) in helping me get past a lot of bad programming that I had received when I was first starting out.

Please pardon the disaster in the background.  My quilt room hadn’t been remodeled yet – so in this picture you’ll still see the striped wallpaper and the beige carpet!

Stitcher’s Garden

Another quick and easy lap quilt that I made from a jelly roll and a couple of yards of coordinating fabric.

Starburst (8/27/05)

This quilt called Starburst is my look back project of the day.  It was from a kit that I purchased at a shop near Akron, Ohio a few years ago.

Monkey’n Round Pillow (7/16/2010)

Wanted to do a quick little pillow for my sister to put in her new car. 

Spinning Pinwheels (2/15/09)

Good heavens, did I really finish that quilt top over a year ago?  And it’s still waiting to be quilted?  Eeek!  This was an original design of mine … using jelly roll strips and some charm squares (and a few fat quarters thrown in for good measure).

Spencer Museum Pillow (4/5/06)

My look back today is to another of the Moda Tin Boxes … this time the fabric was a line called Spencer Museum.  I made my small mini-quilt into a pillow, and did some freemotion meandering in silk.

Seaside Rose (no date)

Okay, okay … I know it looks bad to not have a date for these projects, but some of the info. has been lost in translation between two computers over the course of time (and two hard drive meltdowns).  This project is a small wall hanging using Moda’s Seaside Rose line.  It was one of their tin box projects, one of the early ones if I’m not mistaken.

Again, for any newbie quilters who may be looking at my blog … I encourage you to do lots of small projects when you’re starting out.  It is helpful in SO MANY ways.  Here are a few …

1. Less chance of burn-out
2. Less fabric, less batting, less thread = more $$ for another project!
3. Less $$ spent means you won’t beat yourself up too badly if things don’t turn out perfectly
4. Easier to handle smaller pieces – both the layout and construction of the quilt top, and the machine quilting when the top is completed
5. Easier to find a place to hang a small wall hanging or a throw pillow – and you should DISPLAY them  (don’t hide them away in a closet)
6. Lap quilts and pillows make great gifts!
7. Gives you a chance to practice machine quilting techniques

So many ladies start off by tackling super huge projects in the beginning, and wonder why it takes a year and a half to finish them!

Roman Holiday Rails (no date)

My look back for today is to a quilt top that was super easy.  It’s just a basic rail fence pattern on point.  When it was done and had the borders on it, I just didn’t like it.  Something was just a bit off.  So after staring at it for a couple of days, I decided to scallop the edges.  I think it made a huge difference (for the better).

 xxxx

Ripples In Red (no date)

Well this lap quilt, Ripples In Red, was just one of those little projects I whipped up one afternoon when I was looking for something to do in the quilt room.  Instead of nickel squares it uses 4” squares from a charm pack that I had gotten over in Amish Country.   The reds range from “fire engine red” to a darker plum-red.  I added a few white fat quarters to the mix, and made up this quick quilt.  It will be nice to have out during Valentine’s Day.

Ragtime (2/17/06)

Today’s look back project is Ragtime, one of the projects in the Moda Tin Box Series that was so popular a few years ago.  I turned mine into a wall hanging, and framed it out with some Moda Marbles fabric in black.  Then I used my embroidery module to stitch some feathered motifs in each corner.

Here, There and Everywhere …

We were all over today … and I’m exhausted!  We started out the morning watching the morning coverage of the Tour de France (love, love), and hubby started calling around to see who could do the alignment on my car for the best price.  When we found someone, we got ready and headed up there.  We dropped my car off, jumped into his car and by this time it was past lunch time.  We stopped at Wendy’s for a quick bite, and then it was on to CVS for pop (soda for people in other parts of the country).  The 12-packs were on sale 3 for $11, and I had $5 in ECB’s, so it only cost $6 for three 12-packs of Coke and Diet Coke.  Woo Hoo!!  Then it was on to Walmart to get a prepaid cell phone for hubby.  His current contract is expired, and I’m sick of paying $51.00/month for a phone that he uses approx. 2 minutes a day.  (We’re not really cell phone people)  Then it was up to Shelby to get new blades for the lawnmower at the surplus store.  (I’d never been there so that was an adventure)  A quick stop at McDonald’s on the way back to Mansfield to get something cold to drink was the next order of business, since we were out running around on one of the hottest days of the year for crying out loud!  By this time it was time to go pick up my car at the shop and drop off hubby’s car to have a new front tire put on to replace the one that went flat a few days ago.  Oh but no … we couldn’t head home just yet … we still had to stop at the bank to get a couple of money orders because I forgot to order more checks for the checking account.  And then we treated ourselves to some ice cream cups from Coldstone because we had one more coupon left!  And then on the way home we stopped at the farmer’s market to get some sweet corn to go with our steaks for dinner!  Can I rest yet?????

Pumpkin Face Mug Mat (9/9/06)

Prairie Medley (11/2/07)

Here’s a neat little wall hanging that I finished back in November of ‘07.  It uses cotton and wool from Moda’s Prairie Medley line.

Patterns Of History (6/2008)

I finished this lap-sized quilt two years ago, and it will hang on the wall in the guest room behind the bed.  It has diagonal grid work in the large borders, and a scallop design in the narrow borders.  And there’s tons and tons of continuous curve quilting across the entire body of the quilt, most of that was done in one of the variegated offerings in the LAVA line by Superior Threads.  The motifs in the off-white blocks are done with off-white So Fine!

 

Path & Stiles (7/7/08)

My look back for today is to a quilt that I finished back in July of 2008 … it’s called Path & Stiles, and it was from one of the nickel square quilt books by Pat Speth.  For this one, I used an assortment of nickels that I had in my stash – no set color scheme.

Vive le Tour!

Can’t wait for the Tour de France to start Saturday!!!  Woo Hoo!!!!!!

Past & Present – Asian-Style (11/6/09)

I had collected some Asian-style fabrics over the last few years, including a pack of charm squares and a bundle of fat quarters.  I combined those fabrics with some basic black to make this quilt.  The original pattern, from a quilting magazine, used much larger pieces and made a larger quilt.  I modified the pattern so that I could use nickel/charm squares.  I used one of the mildly variegated thread choices in the LAVA line (from Superior Threads) and did a Sashiko-inspired quilting pattern.

And here’s what the back looks like …

Fireworks from the front window …

Well, it’s 11:50 p.m. and I just finished watching an impromptu fireworks display from my front upstairs window.  I have no idea who was doing this little display so late on a Thursday night … but it had to be pretty darn close!  (and I think illegal)  It lasted almost 10 minutes and looked like a short version of a professional display that you would see on the 4th.   It was pretty amazing!

Pampered Pooch (11/4/09)

Following up with yesterday’s picture of the Oh My Dog! quilt, today’s look back is to another tiny quilt using Moda’s Pampered Pooch line.   My sweet Archer did get to snuggle with this quilt before he passed away last December.  In this picture you’ll see that the binding has been attached but not turned under yet (so it looks wider in this photo).

Oh My Dog! (12/08)

My sweet Archer, who passed away from diabetes and congestive heart failure back in December, loved blankies … especially little quilts that his Mommy made for him.  I had made him a new one using Moda’s Oh My Dog! line, but he passed away so unexpectedly I didn’t have a chance to get it quilted before he died. 

And here’s a close-up of the one of the little doggies in the fabric.  To me they look like little dachshunds!

A Simpler Time …

While straightening up the office this afternoon I came across this fun old picture of our first apartment in Tiffin, Ohio … What fun to think back to that simpler time!

Toby’s condition …

If you’ve watched the photos in my little photo gallery (over to the left of these daily posts), you’ll see that Toby is the black & white dachshund.  We’ve been able to stretch out the pain killers to every 3 hours on Sunday and yesterday.  Today we’re hoping to stretch that out to about 3½ hour intervals!  He’s still getting the muscle relaxers 3 times a day, the anti-inflammatory twice a day (2 each time), the nerve medicine 4 times a day, and the increased level of Pepcid to help protect his tummy. 

Not Your Grandmother’s Turtle (12/06)

My maternal grandmother is a turtle collector.  Well, not the real ones, but every other kind … plastic, rubber, cloth, etc. etc. etc.  Her latest acquisition is a 2 foot tall figure that “watches over” her front garden bed.  The neighbor kids, thinking it was real, even asked if they could bring a camera and have their pictures taken with it.  So when it came time for me to make a gift for grandma for her birthday in December of 2006, I found a fun block on the internet called “Not Your Mother’s Turtle”.  This is my look back project of the day.  Considering the recipient, I took the liberty of changing the name of the block for this one item to “Not Your GRANDmother’s Turtle”.  You can’t really see it in the picture (you can barely see it on the fabric itself), but I did use one of the pre-set stitches on my Bernina to create two circles to act as the eyes of the turtle.