Blogging has been a bit sporadic this summer...my apologies.

Lots going on - bindings being made, sleeves ready for quilts, piles of fabrics with sketches lay hidden in the spare bathroom cabinets, and new pain meds have me dreaming of quilting with Mark Harman (quilting...now I know either I am getting old or the meds are truly messing with me mind!)

Not much in the way of photos right now but while I was posting some to family I wondered what was I taking photos of the same time last year? (Photos are one of the few organized places in my life - (the photo of the hexagon quilt on the top of this post shows my "still missing from the move top....)
So in 2008 I was learning to sheer sheep in England...these three were bottle feed and very spoiled. Which also made it very easy to take photos of them. Could be three of the most photographed sheep in Enland (folks in the village just shook their head when they saw me walking down the road with my camera around my neck!)
July of 2007 has lots of English garden photos...I went to an open garden event almost every week. It was a great way to see the countryside and the gardens were gorgeous. The photo above was taken in a village around Beedon Hill in Worcestershire.The photo of the lavendar fields was taken only a few miles away from the gardens in the Cotswolds. I will always have some lavender in my garden...though never as much as I saw that day. They were just starting the distilling operations...

Finally in 2006 I spent the month of July in Massachusetts...this is the Light house in Scituate near our summer cottage.

Prior year's photo's are on my other computer and on disks in the other room...maybe I'm not as organized as I thought?! It was fun cruising the files today...but I'd best get back to stitching....

Double D Done!

Despite Brownie's best efforts to block my work late last night I put the final stitches into my double delight binding! My Dh has decided this one should also hang in the living room because it "goes" with the red white and blue quilt. Say what?! What-ever...as long as he likes them....This was my first time using the cheddar/gold with the purple and green. Love this combination with the shirting fabrics. The double delight was a mystery quilt on Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville site. What is truly amazing is I started and finished this quilt in the same calendar year! (A first I may add!)
I am going to give myself a binding break for the next couple of days. My hands are acting up a bit so I think a clean the sewing room or play in fabric day is called for.....

break time...

As a quick reward for finishing some projects I let myself work on something entirely different...I made a batik trip around the world a few months ago for the girl who walked Mac for me for years and who is now going off to university. I must have been in another world when I cut the strips for her quilt because after I finished her dorm quilt I still had enough strips to almost make another! (this is in no way a reflection of the directions on Bonnie's website but a comment on my general spacey-ness!) So I pulled a few more fabrics and here is the university twin almost done in a day quilt...

I let myself play in the fabric piles pulling some for a quilt for my sister-in-law. Now it is time to print labels and then go back to binding.....

Inching towards the finish line

Two down and seven to go....it is progress even if small. I did learn it takes one movie for me to hand-stitch down binding on a twin size quilt. (That is without cat interference!)
The first quilt is my King Size Log Cabin. This is the largest quilt I have ever made! (Hangs past the bottom of the matress on a King size bed) I made this using a large basket of 1-1/2 inch strips that I cut out of odd ends of repros and from repros that didn't quite "read" right to me. It was quilted by Judy Lockhart with Batptist Fans. The blocks were my leaders and enders (re Bonnie Hunter) and were next to my sewing machine for at least two years. I still have a small pile of blocks and a large basket of strips.....The second finish is (wait for it.....) the #@%& red, white and blue quilt for my DH. It is finished...it is truely finished (apologies to Sally Field....) This small quilt has been over SIX years in the making! My Dh saw a quilt like this in one of my antique quilt books and said he would like one. Since this was the first quilt he showed any intest in I immediately pulled fabrics. He then selected one red, one blue and asked for a solid white. Say what? Well because it took so long to get to the border I had to add two more fabrics. Bonnie quilted in an all over pattern and I put the binding on last night watching "Gran Torino."

Can you say DONE! (Happy Dance......)

Now back to watching the morning news and pinning down binding on the Double Delight....

The big dig...

Trying to find something in the closet in my quilting room is akin to an archeological dig...the things I find. I was searching for binding that I made when I finished a quilt top. That I finished the top two moves ago puts it in the "ancient history" file. It was a long shot but as I really dislike making binding and don't have any of the fabric left on the shelf I thought the expedition would be worth the trouble.

Well I didn't find the binding but I did unearth two UFO's that may work for my Silent Auction donation for our October show. This little broken dishes quilt is about 24 inches square and was stitched by hand. I think I made this around 1998! Should be ready to be quilted now...

This Christmas wallhanging or table runner was made around the same time. The pattern was in a magazine (my apologies for not giving credit to the designer...not intentional.)
If I baste one of these they could go onto the top of the hand-quilting pile and could be finished in time for the show. Which do you think I should work on?

(This is the look both Mac and my Dh get when I talk about finishing quilts...do you think the Dog Whisperer could train both of them to stop rolling their eyes?)!

Bound to Bind

How did this happen...I am sooo far behind in binding quilts it is making me crazy! Two boxes from Bonnie, one from , and two quilts from the LQS did make a dent in my top pile but now has my binding shelf overflowing....Granted binding is my least favorite part of quilting (followed closely by putting on the sleeve...) I guess my heart is in starting projects not finishing. That said I now am at an all time bottleneck and spent the weekend scrounging through the fabric piles for binding that I so diligently made when I finished the quiltop (never located), fabric to make bindings for each of the quilttops (successful for all but one) and making a quick trip to the fabric store for some plain red (to make my Dh happy for his Red, White and Blue...note how his quilt is the most work....just another High Maintenance Moment.)

The cats are not helping...the moment a quilt appears Brownie claims it as her own. Decoys don't work either (I tried putting an old quit on the recliner for her to lay on - only lasted eight stitches...maybe that is a new way of telling time "cat stitches" equate to about 10 seconds vs a normal stitch which is only 4-5....I digress....)

I am trying to get the heavy stuff done this week. For heavy stuff read getting the binding stitched down by machine so only the hand work is left. I may have surgery next week so this will let me have lots of ready work at standby that doesn't take lots of concentration.
So what makes up this pile of misery.....First is the Log Cabin King which need less than one side stitched down, a sleeve and the label - this one is very, very close. Next is my DH's Red, White and Blue which has the binding made...now if I could distract Brownie this would have a chance of being finished. My Double Delight is quilted...I love this quilt...I have cut the binding strips. The 30's trip around the world is becoming a favorite and will use up some small pieces of 30's fabrics I have left over for a strippy binding. The MS blues is very fun and will have a dark blue border using three fabrics. Vintage Teddington/English Rose is a sampler quilt and will have a striped brown and pink binding. Crumbly ChurnDash is ready and will use binding crumbs - re leftovers from the other 8 quilts.

I will post photos of a few of these tomorrow...

I am acually glad I have a lot to keep me busy. I am usually a bit of a news hound and leave CNN/Fox/MSNBC (pretty nondescriminate in my news...there are only a few commentators I refuse to have on the TV.) The last few days however I have only watched tennis and old movies...I can't handle another Michael Jackson report. Sorry...I liked his music but please....

Happy 4th...

Happy 4th of July ya'll!
I'm still a bit groggy this morning...fireworks down by the river made the pets a bit anxious hence no one got any sleep until well past midnight.

Today I am working on the binding for my RWB quilt for my DH...seems appropriate. We are also going to a typical American cookout with some friends about to move overseas. Their 11 year old daughter is starting to freak so I am going to have to spend a lot of time with her telling her great things about living in Europe...I had an email requesting a photo of the full quilt with the dancing daisy...I'll try and find one and if not I'll unpack it and take one. Until then here is another of my favorite blocks from that quilt. It was made on the border between Pennsylvania and Maryland. The blocks are signed and have towns from both states (though all the states are border states.)

Too late Thursday....

So I missed wordless Wednesday...heck I missed Monday and Tuesday too. I have all sorts of fun photos to share but cannot for the life of me find the cord so I can upload them! Seems they will have to wait...instead you get a photo of one of my vintage quilts. Most likely those funny tea colored squares were green when the Pennsylvania quilter made this which would have made the quilt much brighter. Now it has a great shabby chic look and it feels wonderful due to so many washings. The rest of the fabrics are holding up great.Above is another example of how green had some tough years....the blue would have originally been green, the beige leaves read greener in real life and the green leaves would have had a black print on them (barely visible.) I love how this block looks like the flower has dancing feet....

I did get my donation quilt applique block done in time for the Saturday work session! And amazingly I was not the last person to turn in their block...I must be slipping. Tonya at Lazy Gal says she claims the title of Queen of Procrastination so I have been demoted to Princess of Putting Things Off....

Things are pretty busy right now. I am helping a friend get ready to move overseas. Today we drive to Charleston to drop off her car at the port to be shipped. That was always a "milestone" for me...once the car was on the ship then I must really be serious about moving! I'm hoping we can make a quick sidetrip to People, Places and Quilts in Summerville on the way back. That is one of my top five quilt stores!

I am also in binding "hell." I have 7 quilts that need binding. My goal for this weekend is to get all the binding made and machine sewn to the quilts. (I hate putting the walking foot on the machine so I want to get them all done at one throw....) Then I will have lots of hand work for watching movies this summer.....they just need to be finished by October for the guild show. I don't want to be one of those quilters who is finishing the binding as the quilt is being hung...whoops, I have been one of those quilters! (and yes the sleeve was awkwardly pinned to the top...bad quilt-mama-me)

So as I contemplate the growing number of almost finished quilts (load thunderous cheer here) I am also dreaming about my next group of projects. One is a quick finish - I need to make a Pink and Yellow quilt for my sister in law. I know not my typical colorway but that is what she asked for! I even brought her to a quilt shop and sure enough she pulled a fabric with a yellow background and little pink roses on it. This will be interesting. The second is inspired by this wonderful book I bought at a boot sale in England.
It is from around 1910 and has wonderful drawings of a wide range of styles. The author was a graphic instructor. Wouldn't the design on the cover make a great applique border?!
Here is a photo of one of the inside plates...love this book. I would like to use some of the new Morris prints that just came out and maybe do something with a nod to the Welsh stippy quilts though with more applique than intricate quilting.

Time to run..rather drive.

Needles or photos....prcrastination

I feel as if I haven't posted anything quilty in a a long time...vacation can do that to you...also, I am trying hard to finish an applique block for the guild donation quilt. It just isn't talking to me. I think I have un-stitched each leaf, cherry, and stem enough to have made an entire quilt top! It is due tomorrow morning at 10 am...my applique standards have dropped accordingly!

Yesterday I went to my local guild's quilting bee. By the time I got there the heat (100 degrees according to the bank sign) had already wiped me out. I did help vacuum clean the centennial quilt the guild made for the town which is going to hang in the brand new government center.
The quilt has several photos of well know landmarks around the city that were transferred to fabric as well as an early map of the city limits. Crazy quilts were still very popular in this area around the turn of the century so we decided to follow early quilters lead when we designed the quilt. It was also and easier way to incorporate the varied sizes of the photos...The local art association is very supportive of the guild and helps with advertising and set up of our quilt show.I have been playing with my California photos...those that I am not happy with "out of the camera" I like to edit a lot in Picassa to see what I can do with them...the one above I added glow tint to so it looks like we had blue skies.

The one below is the same spot but I first used the sephia (spelling?) option then added the aqua tint to make it look like an old postcard. I can spend a lot of time playing with what are sort of boring photos! (time I should be spending finishing that %&@# applique block....I think I raised procrastination to an art form on this project!)

Wordless Wednesday

Hallway in a very funky (and very purple!) San Francisco hotel....

Home again...

We got back late last night (or was that early this morning?) from our California vacation. It was great seeing my DH's family but I have to say I am exhausted.In one week we visited San Jose, Lake Taho, San Francisco, and Carmel. A lot of territory with a lot of golfing and family get togethers. Fun but exhausting....
While walking the beach we came across this seal making his way back to the water...the bay was foggy every morning which made it possible for me to spend time on the beach!
And this hawk swooped past the deck every afternoon....

The weather was wonderfully cool...glad I missed the heat wave back here in Georgia the past week. The yard is a jungle that I will have to deal with later...where do those weeds come from and how do they get so tall in only ten days?

Wordless Wednesday

(Molas from Panama)

Dog days

Yikes the thermometer spiked today back up to the mid 90's and I'm feeling it! Good day to stay inside and sew except it was Macbeth's day to go to the groomer and get his summer cut!

He looked better when we got to the car...immediately upon arrival at our yard he rolled across the grass messing up the beautiful job she did on his eyebrows and beard. I had to take a photo quickly since that bandanna had an expected lifespan of 10 minutes...he is not a dress up dog! Last I saw Brownie was dragging what was left of the bandanna to her fabric hiding spot behind the couch.....
I finished...and I mean a real honest to goodness finish...my folk saying wallhanging. It has a binding, a sleeve and a label! whoo hooo...now I just need to trim the dowel and it is done! This is hand pieced, hand embroidered/embellished and hand quilted. I think this came from a primitive gatherings book...I gave the book away before I left England so if anyone recogizes the pattern I would appreciate some help. I like to give credit where credit is due but that takes organization (I do know the booklet is at least 8 years old and had a garden angel on the cover.)

More daylillies are blooming....sigh....aren't the ruffled edges of this one so dainty...you wouldn't know that earlier this year the plant was run over by a lawn mower...

Not much quitling

Sorry about the posting lapse...seems there was a price to pay for the all the energy I had last weekend and it was paid with the last few days in bed. Still...it was worth it!I have continued washing, sorting, and airing (though not usually in that order) the vintage blocks donated to our guild. These are going to be put into sets and sold on the silent auction table. These plates have some fun fabric in them and are over 20 inches across! They would be cute with some embroidery or applique done in the center or cut apart and used for arched borders (saw something like that in a Fasset book....) The problem with taking care of these blocks is I start planning projects with them....like I need more projects!
On a gardening note our daylillies are in bloom. I think it was General Lee who said "daylillies are the sign of a lazy gardener." Lots of color with little work...like there is something wrong with that?! I don't think they had as many varieties back then though. We have them in everything from pink fluffies to an very old double orange (given to my by a fellow quilter!)
I also have some very small apricot ones with sweet faces....

Wouldn't you know it I forgot my camera last night so no photos of guild show and tell...sorry! I did finish quilting my Favorite Sayings Wallhanging and started binding it...just have to hand sew it down on the back now.

This will be a binding month for sure with two king size quilts and this wallhanging to finish! I have to admit sewing binding is my least favorite part of quilting. I once had a quilt quilted and then let it sit for almost 5 years in my sewing room before I put the binding on...so bad. So I'm thinking if I focus on finished one a week during the month of June I should catch up. I'm also hoping that putting it on my blog is sort of like stepping on the scale at Weight Watchers...it will make me focus!It is hot, hot, hot out now. Tomatoes are doing well but that is about it. Something ate my pumpkin plants down to the roots last night. Guess I'll be making a trip to the farmers market this October....

Good news, the foot has almost healed up from it's ant attack. Bizarrely, since the attack my MS spasms have stopped. Not sure why but hey, I'll take it! Here's hoping it lasts!

Mr. Postman...

My mailman was happy that I was happy today (picture me jumping up and down when he arrives with two squishies and a big box)...nice break from delivering bills he said.
My Scrappy Bargello - Vale of Evesham is back from Judy Lockhart who did a great job with her longarm. There are vines and leaves in a pale peach which gives it just enough texture on an already busy quilt. This is a Bonnie Hunter pattern started on a superbowl weekend - really had fun making it. I am working on making some binding right now for this one. Whoo hoo, I stand a good chance of having two large quilts in the quilt show in October!The next is my "king of log cabins" which was a leader and ender project that just kept on going (but the basket of 1-1/2 inch strips never seemed to go down? Quilter physics?) I am bringing them with me to my quilt guild meeting so I can get some photos...that is if I can get Brownie to move.....)

No photos yet on the squishies...one is from Victoria at Bumble beans with a couple of embroidery blocks to finish up. She is making me some very fun words (maple scones and cupcake) for my Bakery Memories Quilt!

The other envelope held a couple of fatquarters from a quilter I met up in North Carolina at the quilt shop. She was looking for some old Moda Folk Art Wedding fabric that I happened to have in my stash so I sent it to her last week. (that gives you an idea of just how long the fabric stash has been building...I bought that before I was married and we celebrated our 10th anniversary last week!) Amazing how things work out!