A Few Things to show..

I don't know what it is here lately but I just haven't had the time to blog.  Hopefully, things will change and I can find the time to post.  I have been very busy with family. I've been sewing a little too and here are some of the things I've been working on....
I'm trying really hard to figure out my machine and it's a slow process but I'm getting there.
I quilted this little lap quilt. This was the first quilt for me on my TinLizzie.  This one is quilted and ready for binding.  Hopefully, I'll get better quickly and will be able to quilt my quilts like I want. I have been watching all kinds of videos on Youtube and reviewing all my quilting books.  That's another thing that's kept me from blogging.  There's just not enough time in the day to do it all! 

Anyway, this one is quilted and I'll be binding it soon.

 

This is a little quilt I made with leftover blocks from another project.  I made my oldest son and DIL a king size quilt out of these fabrics.  It was a Yellow Brick road pattern and I didn't use these blocks. I've had these laying around for about six years.  So, I grabbed these up and put them together. I found the fabric in my stash for the borders and now it's ready for quilting. 

 

This next one is the same way. These were blocks that I've had for a while. I did some demos at my local guild and group on how to do these 3D bow ties. I grabbed these up and put them together and pulled the brown fabric out of my stash for the borders.  Now, it's ready for quilting....

 

This top was given to me to practice on with my quilting machine.  I don't know who made it but she used all kinds of fabrics in this one. She put scraps together to make small pieces for this quilt. Now that it's quilted, I love it...It will be a good snuggle quilt or picnic quilt and be well loved.  It is now ready for binding too. It was fun to quilt this one and not worry if I messed it up.  I played around alot on this one and had a good time. I guess that's another reason I like this quilt.  It's a big quilt and has no border.  It really looks alot better in person....

 

These Christmas blocks are what I worked on this weekend.  Every year, my small group puts together a quilt for the church we meet in as a thank you to the church for allowing us to meet there.  This year it was decided we would be doing a Christmas quilt.  Everyone has been asked to make two blocks and turn in 5 strips of the fabric that we used to make a piano key border. (See the little strips at the top of the block, that's what those are for.)  I made one of these quilts last year and actually I'm still working on it.  I have the quilt all together except for the outside border. I decided to make the border a double row of 2 1/2" blocks...I have been collecting Christmas fabric and have three complete borders done and half of the last border. I'll be showing you the finished top soon....

 

These two dresden plate blocks are for our Christmas drawing.  We have two drawings a year.  One in the summer and one at Christmas.  The more blocks you make, the more chances you have to win.  I hope I win.  I love this block and it was so much fun to make.  I used the EZ Dresden ruler to make these.  

 

I also made these blocks for my scrap quilt.  Leftovers from my other projects and I put together 13 other DP4 blocks but didn't get a pic.  I'll show you those later. 

 

I hope everyone in the storm's path will be safe, please take care.  Until next time, happy sewing.

 

Catching up again! Some swap sewing and retreat hi-lites.

Last week came and went and I just couldn't find the extra time to blog. I was busy every night.  I had to make some choices and the computer didn't win...

Since the last time I blogged,  I went on a quilt retreat with my friends and had a great time.   I only finished one thing but I  got a few things further along too.  Good food, good friends and relaxation.  It's so nice to get away and not worry about making dinner, answering the phone, cleaning, laundry, etc, etc.  Nothing but me time.  That's what I like about retreats. I can sew until I'm too tired to sit any longer or take a walk or even a nap.  Of course, I didn't do those things. I just sewed and sewed. and ate and talked alot!  I took my tatting and my knitting but didn't touch either one.  We did make a trip into the local quilt shop and I bought a new project too.  Like I needed another project, right?  I saw this quilt and just had to have it, it was beautiful and I didn't want it to get away from me.  I'll be starting it soon but I have to finish at least 3 things first.  I started out telling myself I had to finish 5 things but decided to lower it to 3!  Ha, ha, I don't know if I can wait but I'm going to be patient and get some small things done first. 

When I came home Sunday, I was so tired. I brought all of my stuff in from the car and put my sewing room back together. I planned on sewing some but it just didn't happen. I sat in my chair and started watching some TV I had recorded and fell fast asleep. No sewing that day or the rest of the week either.   I didn't get to sew again until this past Saturday afternoon!  Last week was busy with grandkids and friends and family but no time to sew. I did watch TV one night and I knitted for awhile.  I'm still working on my Wingspan shawl. 

Saturday, I planned on finishing my blocks for my current swap but I only sewed on them a little while.  The grandbaby didn't want to cooperate and take a good nap. I had to finally put my sewing away and play with her....What a sacrifice! Not!

 Sunday afternoon, I was finally able to finish them up.  I made my 5 blocks for my swap this Thursday....These blocks took me forever!  Have you ever made a block and had to unsew it because it wasn't right?  Well, these blocks and I didn't get along at all.  I used fabrics for the outside triangles that were two different fabrics.  I had enough to do 3 blocks of one fabric and the other two were supposed to be the other fabric. I had to unsew them because the outside triangle fabrics weren't the same. I wasn't paying attention and sewed the wrong fabrics on the blocks.  They looked almost alike and I started to leave them as they were but I just couldn't stand it. I had to rip out.  I got my trusty seam ripper out and unsewed them. Then, I was stupid enough to sew two blocks wrong again!!!!I didn't think I would ever get these simple blocks done.  I was so aggravated with myself.  I was trying to watch Felix Baumgartner jump out of that balloon 24 miles up and I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing.  OMG, I am so glad those are done too! 5 blocks took nearly all afternoon but I finally got them done.  One more thing out of the way for the month! If you click on the pics, you can see how close the fabrics were....

One of my accomplishments at retreat was my 40 Nine Patches for the month. I love mindless sewing when I'm with someone.  I can chat and sew and not have to think about what I'm doing.  These weren't so bad this month.   We are down to only 4 more months and we'll have enough nine patches for the quilt... Yay! 




I wanted to show you what I worked on at retreat.  I decided I would make both my granddaughters the same quilt.  I think I told you that last week.  Well, I got alot of the blocks done at retreat.  I still have more to do but I am alot further along on this now.  I ran out of white fabric and had to buy some more.  That was my main reason for going to the quilt shop at retreat.  I couldn't stand the temptation though....

Can you tell there are two quilts on my design wall?  I still have some more blocks to make. I'm making them 6 X 8. I'm trying to make them both alike but I have a few blocks in there that are different. The colors are the same but the fabric is different, but just a few.   I think I still need about 20 more blocks.  I have so enjoyed making these blocks.  I even showed the girls at retreat how to make these and they started making some too.  These are my Disappearing 4 patches I've been working on for the Scrappy Rainbow challenge this year.  I've already decided what my borders will be for these two but have to find the fabric.  All of the fabric used is scrap except for the white. I had to buy extra white on white fabric as I used all of mine from my stash.  I hope my sweet granddaughters will like them. 

 

Now, here's a few pics of what some of my friends did at retreat....

 

Karen was working on a Trip Around the World quilt....

 

 

Ruth and Jessica (Mother and daughter team) worked on this beautiful Christmas quilt. Click on the picture and see how pretty this quilt is.  They almost finished this one. They still had to add the beautiful border on it when they left...This was a kit they bought a few years ago. The daughter will get this one...

 

This is a quilt that Judy was working on. The pattern was in a McCall's quilting mag from 2005. 

Some Christmas Dresden blocks. Glenda did these and they were going to be for our Christmas challenge swap but she liked them so much she decided to keep them and make a runner out of them.  She bought two fat quarters and made 5 dresden plates.

 

 

This is Witch Judy...she dressed up for us the last day we were at retreat.  So cute but I wish I had taken a pic of her socks...