A bit of sewing

I'm spending a good bit of this Memorial Day weekend in the sewing room.

I really wanted to organize a bit but instead I ended up sewing up some blocks to make a baby quilt for the guild's silent auction table.  Our show is in November this year so I stand a good chance of having it done in time!

I rationalized this by saying I was using up some 2-1/2 inch strips instead of just putting them away.  It works for me!  The pattern is from a Missouri Star U-tube video.  It takes four of these stars to make a baby quilt.

I've also dumped out the leader and ender basket to trim up the liberated blocks so they can be used again!  I'm close to having enough to put together in a project.

Last week my husband picked up an antique sampler for me at an estate sale.

It was covered in plastic wrap and stitched to a cardboard backing.

It was fun to unwrap and carefully take out the stitches so I could really see what was stitched on the sampler.

It is about 25 inches by 25 inches so a good size sampler!  The date is 1847.

Next I need to decide how to frame it again.

Quilt for benefit Auction

A friend of mine has a sister who is undergoing extenisive treatment for cancer.  Her family and friends are holding a fundraiser and as part if it there will be a silent auction.

So on the design wall is a quilt I hope to finish in the next couple of days so it can be in the auction.  I will finish at baby/toddler size.

Cutting and sewing with the broken finger has been a challenge.  Starting off with a jelly roll and some strips from the 2-1/2 inch bin helped a lot!  I actually have enough to make a second one for the guild's silent auction next fall!

Plus a stack of bonus 4-patches...

Baby Quilt finished!

I did it...finished a baby quilt before the baby was born!  Trust me this has only happened once before...usually I think I do well if it is finished before their first birthday (oh ya, I wanted to know the gender first...that excuse just doesn't work anymore!)

The last stitch went into the binding about noon and it was at the post office by 2:00!  I stopped for an ice-cream on the way home to celebrate!

I have another baby quilt waiting for binding so I can't stop and party too long...

I'm continuing to work on Photoshop...a little bit each day...and it gets a bit easier each day.  Not a lot but a little bit!  Yesterday I too photos on different manual setting of my camellia bush.  First year it has bloomed!

Also worked on our guild's next donation quilt.  We got permission to base it on this quilt in Kay Triplett's book on Indigo.  We are adding some applique in the open areas. The applique will be in the fabrics below...a bit challenging but fun on the less!

I'm back again...

2016 has started out as a crazy year...but I'm back and will try to do better!

My Carnival Corn quilt on display this month in GA!

To start with I am working hard to finish up two baby quilts.  Two of my nephews who married just a couple weeks apart 4 years ago now are having babies only a couple months apart!

Mommy and me...now quilted and just waiting on binding!

All good...I just need to start working on baby quilts again.  Think I may need several in the years ahead!

Beach in Honduras....

In January my guild had its retreat, my small wool stitching group put up a show in Millidgeville, GA called "stitching with friends."  (photo of Carnival Corn is from that show,) and my husband and I went on a cruise.

I've spent February recovering!

Post Thanksgiving Notes

I successfully avoided shopping on Thanksgiving...I only succumbed to a quick visit to a Hancocks on Friday to pick up a new large cutting mat (50% off.)  I even stayed away from shopping on Saturday...

However today, Cyber Monday, I admit to buying some of my favorite hand lotion on line, got some deals at Missouri Quilts (3 Aurifil threads for less than $10!) and a Sinatra book for my husband.

I did get out to do a bit of walking around the Canal this weekend.  My goal is to walk there three times a week.  It has a half mile loop...

There are three projects that I have deadlines on...

first this small wool and button project.  My woolie group is having an exhibit in January.  This is tough for me as I give away most of my finished items.

second is this little Christmas pillow (mine is the large one in the back with borders.)  It would be nice to be able to put it out on the couch before the 25th of this year!  My Wednesday stitching group did this as a day project.

and finally, the Elephant and me baby quilt for my nephew and his wife who are expecting in January.  The piecing on this quilt went quickly...the applique not so much.  Large applique pieces are tougher for me than small ones!

When I finish these I have another baby quilt for another nephew and his wife who are due in March!  Maybe I should start making some to keep on hand...

Precuts and another finish!

Two things to write about today...first, another finish and second, a discussion on pre-cuts.

Quilt shows are great inspiration to finish things!  This quilt has been "almost finished" for a long time.  I think the pattern was in a McCall's magazine several years ago.

Anyway, this will be for display only, no judging as it really isn't "show worthy" but since it goes well with the season it will be a "filler quilt!"  After the show it will be the new couch quilt for my husband!

So how does this lead to precuts?  Well, I used 2-1/2 inch strips making this quilt.  Not a jellyroll but 2-1/2 that I cut from left-over project fabrics.  Also there has been several discussions on facebook on "how do you use precuts."

I can't say I never buy them.  They are tempting!  Mainly I buy them if they are on sale or if it is a new line of fabrics that aren't carried locally so a charm pack gives me a better idea of the real colors.  They do tend to add up though!

I don't choose patterns based on precuts though I do have one on the design wall that could have been made using some!  I choose this pattern because I need one that used elephants for a baby quilt.  (the elephant and the donkey are not part of the project...but do show I am "fair and balanced!")

Most of the 5-inch squares for this came from a pile of squares given to me for my birthday by my quilting buddies.  This pile has been a great source of bits for little projects or applique!

National Quilt day...a week early

Due to some scheduling problems...including a St. Patrick's day party...my guild decided to celebrate National Quilt day a week early.

We decided to spend the day working on donation projects. All and all I think we got about a dozen quilt tops together. One is for the local veteran who is getting an accessible house next month

the others will be finished up and given to the Ronald McDonald house which provides family's a place to stay while their children are being cared for a local children's hospital.

It goes without saying we also had lunch that included and amazing amount of desserts...it is a sort of southern law that if more than three women get together there has to be at least three desserts....

Dilemma of the Gurgling Cod

The title of this post sounds more like a Sherlock Holmes story...and in a way it is becoming one! A few weeks ago I brought an American woman who works with my husband to her first auction. She told me she was looking for a "gurgling cod." Now the first thing that jumped to my mind was those battery operated singing fish that were popular a few Christmas's ago...I'm glad I didn't say anything! When we got to the auction she pointed out a ceramic jug shaped like a fish that in fact makes gurgling noises when you pour water out of it. (Note: I had to learn how to spell gurgling just for this post!)

The next weekend my DH and I go to the bootsale at the racecourse. (It is a great place to buy plants...ok, I admit to going there for the doughnuts but I've already confessed that in earlier posts!) As we wandered around we saw 4 gurgling cods! They were only a couple of pounds so I bought two. When I got home and washed them up I really liked the off white one and decided to hold onto the green one for a Christmas gift.

Now the dilemma.....My DH goes to work and tells his coworkers. He had failed to tell me that another coworker (who has been very good to us) had also asked him to find a cod. CW1 (the one that went to the auction) immediately laid claim to the green cod, assuming that I bought it for her. CW2, the one that has helped us out, said she would like the green cod. So this weekend we went cod hunting. Of course if you want to find something at a boot sale it will not be there...trust me. After scouring boot sales and local antique shops we came up with one small cod. Here is the dilemma - it looks great with the off-white one. I think it would be a shame to split them up. So I either find yet another cod or give the pair to CW2 (not knowing if these are the type she likes or not?! Which would be a shame since I like these better than the fancy ones!) Yikes.

On the quilting front (this is a quilting blog after all) I finished a baby quilt! I couldn't post it in-process in case the recipient logged onto the blog. Several members of the quilt group made the blocks and I put it together and quilted it. I put the binding on the night before the baby shower. (finished is better than perfect...finished is better than perfect.....) All and all a busy weekend.

Baby Quilt blocks

The sun is shining here in England...what a relief! Yesterday we walked around Breedon Hill and peeked into some of the gardens. Beautiful! The poppies are putting in their appearance and stealing the show in this photo from Beckford.

As I promised in my prior post here is a photo of the blocks I am doing for a baby quilt for one of the new quilters in our group. The blocks are 7.5 finished. I made up some 'kits" for the other members of the group or they can use their own fabric (as quilting newbe's they don't have deep stashed yet...but they are working had at it!)

I had to post a photo of my walk 'buddies." (once again I am sure the other villagers think I'm crazy for taking photos of livestock but hey...I'm a city-kid!) This black and white cow/steer follows Macbeth and I along the fence when-ever we pass her/his field. Today I brought the camera and low and behold the rest of the herd nudged their way into the act! They are so cute it almost makes me swear off meat!