Waiting to be Quilted

Recently I took a break from customer work and decided to spend some time moving another one of my UFOs  to join the other projects patiently waiting to be quilted.

Baltimore Album Quilt started in 2011

I just needed to make the time to assemble the rows and add the borders.  I really like the way it has turned out.

Snowball quilt made with Civil War Reproduction fabrics in 2011

There are two wall hangings designed by Pat Sloan....  I'm debating adding borders to each of them so that they better fit my wall space.

Sampler Basket started in a class with Pat in 2011

Lucky Charms started in 2010.  Pattern can now be found in her newest book "Focus on the Center"

I have made many new online friends thanks to Pat's Quilt Mashup forum.  You can join us here:

 http://quiltmashup.com

Last year we did an Improv Block Swap...  making and sending blocks to the swap leader (who happened to be me) who then repackaged and returned one block from each participant.  We all had lots of  fun and I completed this quilt in January with some blocks remaining for another project.

Improve Block Swap started 2011

We had so much fun we decided to do it again.  This time, because several of us did not own a Christmas quilt to decorate with (shocking to realize that I was one of them!) we chose a simple Ohio Star block pattern to be made with Kona White and red and green Christmas fabrics.  I found this lovely Christmas "doll" fabric to symbolize all my new friends and completed this flimsy back in February.

Christmas Ohio Star Block Swap started 2012

Here is "Scott's Squares", a design I came up with for my nephew using men's shirts. He'll get this for a Christmas present this year.

Scott's Squares started 2011

It won't be long and my half-square triangle (Thangles) project will be ready to quilt also.  I've started assembling the rows and cutting borders.  Here are some of the rows laid out ready to sew.

Half-Square triangle project started 2010

 

 

 

I have many more UFO's in various stages of completion that will all eventually end up on this list.  Hopefully this list will get smaller before I add too many more!

Daily Walks

I try to walk the neighborhood at least 4 days a week.... about 1.5 miles per lap... 2 laps per day.   This week is more challenging than most because not only do I have Toby (my Blue Lacey)  I am dog sitting Baby Girl... my daughter's dog,  while my she is off fishing with her brother and father in Canada this week.  She is  wary of me and tends to pull as far away as the leash will allow... and of course in the opposite direction from Toby .  I am really lucky that Toby is so well behaved.  Baby Girl and I are still getting used to each other and she is warming up to me as we spend time together each day.

It's a beautiful sunny morning and we're walking along, and a new challenge presented itself.... an escapee convention at the back of the neighborhood.  Two yapping poodles and a barking wolf hound escaped their confines and decided to play with another neighborhood escapee this morning...  then we came walking along.  I'm sure if someone had taken a picture it would have looked quite comical to see me trying to to stay upright as dogs ran circles around me barking and trying to sniff each other all the while trying to keep from tangling in the two leashes.  I was about to let go of the leashes or go down, when, thank goodness, the owner of the three came by and called them off.  The other loose one ran off with them and we went on our merry way.

A little farther down the road is a cat convention!  Five cats lined up at the end of the driveway just sitting there daring the dogs to mess with them!   I wish I had a camera to show you how they lined up... first a white one then a white/brown then a white/brown black,  then a solid brown and lastly a solid black.  I found it amazing that they would line up in color order like that. What was more amazing to me was that they didn't move a muscle as we went by with the dogs pulling and whimpering to go investigate.

Another obstacle was the neighborhood AARF volunteer (with four foster dogs and two of her own)  I don't know how she could stand her ground and hold on to 6 dogs who wanted to come investigate us.

We passed by two more neighborhood escapees walking through the empty lot area.  Toby and Baby Girl whimpered to go check them out but  I managed to keep them moving along.

The scariest encounter was when a neighbors doberman came sneaking up behind us.  He is so quiet and before you know it he is just a couple feet away.  Both dogs noticed him a millisecond after I did ... just enough time for me to plant my feet and keep from being pulled into a barking chase as he took off running as soon as my guys started barking.  I think he startled Toby and Baby Girl too.  I am told he is a very friendly dog, but I don't like the way he sneaks up close and it's just plain scary to suddenly see this mean-looking dog so close and staring at me. 

The morning's adventure is done and I'm ready to spend some quality quilting time before my grandson arrives this afternoon.  He will keep me busy over the next several days.   I can't wait to see what will happen on our walk tomorrow with him added to the mix.... NOT!

Give a boy a ball....

 .... and there is no stopping him... especially when he has just turned 3!

Give him three balls and the fun never stops!

Add a Scooby-doo singing, candle flickering card...

He is trying to blow out the candles!

and birthday cake with candles......

I have 1... 2... 3! candles... I'm 3!

Happy Birthday to my grandson!

Bell Buckle, TN

I recently went on a day trip with a group of ladies from church to Bell Buckle, TN.  It's an historic town that has organized itself and downtown into a tourist attraction of antique shops and crafts.
For more info go here:  http://www.bellbucklechamber.com


We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at the Bell Buckle Cafe. Then just enjoyed the antiques at the Bluebird Antiques & Miss Jeanne's Ice Cream Parlor.  The homemade waffle cones and hand dipped ice cream were tempting, but our meal was more than enough to eat today!

Here are some pictures of a fun day.   I've uploaded the remaining pictures (quilts and sewing machines I saw) on my Flickr page as I am having a difficult time working with blogger since they changed a week or two ago.
  http://www.flickr.com/photos/37794595@N06/sets/72157629571214950/

Flea Market and Cheddar Bowtie Update

I stopped by the flea market again this weekend and saw this.

It's a hand-pieced bowtie quilt top..it's actually has purple/deep rose color spacer blocks, not brown

These blocks are about 6inches 

It reminded me that I need to get working on mine again

I have the first quarter of the quilt blocks pieced...81 blocks (need 324! to complete the quilt)

I am in the process of stitching them into 9 rows of 9... I have 4.5 rows stitched to date.  

Now that I've seen this picture, I'm going to have to go back and redo some of those pink-ish bowties... I notes that the pattern lines are in a variety of directions... gotta fix that!

I still need to make 243 more blocks!

I need to schedule more handwork time if I'm ever going to complete this.

Then I need to decide how to quilt it!

Other interesting Flea Market Finds...

I thought this little sewing machine was cute!  But no one was available to find out details about it.

Matthew's favorite find..... Sasquatch!

Happy Birthday Uncle Tom

Happy Birthday to my favorite Uncle.

You are missed

Pineapple Quilt

This is what I have been working on all week.  It came to me from Knoxville as a referral from a regular customer of mine. 

 I mostly use pantograms when I quilt, so this was a challenge for me to quilt the odd shaped feathers in the border and the pineapple. 

I wanted the shapes to be consistent so I traced  it onto tissue paper, pinned the shape onto the quilt, quilted it then tore off the paper.

I got a phone call from the customer last night and she was thrilled!

And I am happy to have another satisfied customer!

Egg Hunt

I found Easter Egg!

I see one here!



I see another Easter Egg over there!



I got another one!

I got a lotta Easter Eggs!



Can I open one?



I open it!



I can do it!....cookies!



Can I open another one!? (chomp chomp chomp)

Happy Easter... ok I'm a little late, but...

Well, my posts are always going to be a little late.  I blog about stuff after it happens... too busy having fun to stop in the middle to share!

The Saturday before Easter I was running around trying to clear off the infamous dining room table... again.  It seems to be a catch-all for everything but the kitchen sink!  We only use it as a dining table for family dinners at holidays or special occasions, so it just becomes the dumping spot and worktable for paying bills and organizing taxes (got them to the accountant on Friday! Whew!)... Nope.. no before picture here... wait a few months, errr... weeks, errr... days... and then it will be back to normal again! LOL! 
Doing this while babysitting my three-year-old grandson was a bit challenging, but I got the job done and we did get to enjoy dinner at the table!  In the midst of cleaning I got a phone call from my youngest daughter saying that the Easter Bunny was available for pictures at the local flea market so bring the grandson over. 

There is  only one store remaining at one end of the old Cookeville Mall... JCPenny.  All the others have moved cross-town to the new shopping area.  The owners want to knock everything down and build something new, but it's my understanding that Penny's won't let them break the lease/contract because they and their customers like this location.  So, while that fight drags on, the owners have leased out the remaining mall area to a Flea Market. Chain link cages have been errected throughout the interior to make something like 400 booths!

 You can buy just about anything there!  Some vendors are there for one weekend to sell yardsale stuff... others are local stores and shops setting up for some extra exposure.  There are also crafters, antiques, knives, purses, quilts, food  items... you name, you can probably find it.  With a three-year-old in tow I didn't get many pictures.  But I did spot the hand-pieced/hand-quilted wedding ring quilt, and this machine-pieced/hand-quilted pink and shirting quilt.  The backing was shirting too!... It was worn and faded in spots and if it is still there next weekend maybe I'll get a chance for a closer look without the grandson in tow.   I also saw this old rusted New Home Sewing machine tucked in among jars of marbles, silverware and old keys.  No time to stop and investigate as up ahead the grandson spotted balloon lady!

She was dancing around and waving her balloons
crafting them into animals and shapes for the kids... 
He just wanted to look... not touch!


Finally he saw Mr. Easter Bunny... sitting in his wicker throne with a basket of candy at his feet.  The purpose of the trip was for a picture with the big guy himself.  Although the basket of candy was very enticing, there was no way he was going to sit on the bunny lap for a picture!

 

Oh well, maybe next year!

My big find of the day was this teapot I spotted on the way out the door!  It looks like a sewing machine!  I had a miniature one of these but the top got lost in the newspaper wrapping when we moved.  The booth owner wasn't there and I couldn't hang around all that glass stuff with an active three-year-old, so I bribed my daughter into coming back and bartering for me!  It now sits next to my Easter table centerpiece!

Hope you enjoyed your Easter!

what's on your bed?

Last Monday was laundry day for Bonnie Hunter and she showed us a picture of what she put on her newly cleaned bed  http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2012/04/whats-on-your-bed.html  and asked for a link to what's on our own bed.  So.....

This quilt I purchased  (gasp!) from JC Penny maybe 15 years ago ... that was way before I knew what quilting was!  I loved the floral applique and at this point, could probably make one myself.  Maybe, one day, I will..  But, in the meantime... with a simple cotton blanket underneath I happily continue to use it.
  Several years ago I hurt my shoulder raising up the garage door.  As I rolled around under the covers and got tangled up in blankets I would hurt myself pulling with that shoulder.  So, I started sleeping with quilts and blankets pulled up to armpit level but my arms and shoulders would get cold...even with long-sleeved flannel nighty!

A few weeks later I was gifted this quilt by a friend who attended auctions to fill her booth at a local consignment shop.  She spotted this flimsy and had it quilted for me.  I belive it was made with original 1930's sack cloths.   I woke up cold again one night and grabbed it to lay over my exposed arms and shoulders.  I usually keep it neatly folded on top of my pillow when not in use. 

There are some worn spots in the muslin where there was some light staining and I have been eyeing it lately trying to figure out how to repair the damage before it gets any worse.

Spring Walk

We were watching our grandson again last weekend... or was it the weekend before... I'm a bit behind on my postings... anyway, watching him always involves a walk with Toby (the dog) for some special cookies from Mutter... that's his great grandmother (my Mom) . 

The unusually warm weather (80 degrees in February and March!) and wet Spring has lots of flowers and trees blooming throughout the neighborhood.

A neighbor getting sweaty working out in the yard has hung up her hat in an effort to cool off! LOL!

The big entertainment of this walk were the dandylions sprouting up in lawns alongside the road.  Blowing and sending the fuzzballs flying was loads of fun for the grandson... I don't think grandpa or the neighbors will be thrilled with the resulting increased population of dandylions in the lawn! 

As is typical this time of year, the skies quickly darkened and we barely made it home in time to escape the downpour!  It is difficult (for me) to take pictures of the heavy rains but you can see the resulting runoff!

 . 

 
And while it poured outside we all took shelter in the garage for while.