Pineapple UFO

 I have so many projects in process, with many more patterns and kits and assembled fabrics for quilts. Our guild has started a new challenge this year for UFOs.  And the first step was to identify them.  I know I wrote down more than 2 dozen or my list. ( and that is not all, of course.)  

But I really have been pretty good at staying the course and completing projects in boxes of which I only have 11. Two of them were planned to do last year and have not even been cut out . 

So here are my starts for now:

I put this top together. It was an exchange from at least 10 years ago. 

Here is the extra block completed. I used mostly tone on tone fabrics

And here is the same block from the back.  You can see the paper piecing.

And the reason it has been in time out, is because the pattern which we all used, was not square. One side was 6 3/8 inches while the  others were 6 1/2 inches. I tried to square them up, all 30 of them.  And then, they would not cooperate when sewn together as the seams interfered with the width of the presser foot.

I still like it and at this point it is approximately 29 by 35. I plan to add a coping strip of black and then half square triangles for the border. 

I am also working on an applique border for my Blockheads 2 blocks. It had been sitting in time out for a while as I had the blocks assembled.   I now  have border 1 on and border 2 cut. I am working on the applique pieces.     

Lastly I made 2 more applique blocks for Baltimore Bliss and am caught up to month 7. 

Madison Quilt Show

 Once we had returned from our weekend getaway by Lake Michigan, it was September in full swing.

And that means the big quilt show in Madison, Wisconsin. 

The quilts were extraordinary as usual: I did not have the time I usually have to peruse the exhibit at a slow pace, but did totally admire the work whether pieced or handwork. Such a great assortment of so many, many quilts. 

Best of Show: the Lucy Boston paper piecing was so pretty, but the machine quilting in between was over the moon and back. Such beautiful quilted blocks and fillings. 

This was my favorite with beautiful paper pieced designs. 

Border of the quilt below:  crystals on the outer edge and the circles were of the fabric design

But the outlining of the blocks and borders in black set it off. WOW!

Pretty warm colors

So unusual. Even the "beads" on the end were rolled fabric

There were 2 wool quilts of  this design: the other made by Lisa Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. 

both were gorgeous. 

Such another beautiful quilt with interesting borders and exquisite machine quilting. 

This was an unusual size but had incredible applique colored branches on this beautiful background. This quilter, Cathy Geier, previously did several quilts of her twin daughters over the years. 

 

I could have spent another day, as I had several socializing visits. And I was so happy to see Nann again  from https://withstringsattached.blogspot.com/. She was so talented to get 3 different quilts entered in the show. 

Trips and blocks

And a new month has come.  I have been busy traveling.  

First I went to Indianapolis to see not only my Mom and sister, but my brother whom I have not seen in several years. We were all together for Mom. These moments will be far between times; so this is special.

                                

I spent a couple of days with Mom especially having some very wonderful times together and also a visit where she did not know me. That breaks my heart to see the eyes that were so blank. She was very polite and kind, but very distant as she replied to my attempts to engage her. She now has palliative care as her medical conditions are taking a toll. But she  has also recovered  from the cold that went around. 

Following that my husband Gary and I went "up north" in Wisconsin to be on the peninsula into Lake Michigan called Door County. This is our yearly trip which we have gone on for at least 10 years. 

Very rejuvenating for the soul to be near water again and to be outside.  We go to Sister Bay, one of the small tourist communities for their Marina Fest weekend:  outdoor music, food trucks, art fairs, and shopping in small stores.  

The best part is being by the water.  Oh, my absolute favorite thing. 

When I got home, I was ready to rock and roll.  I did cleaning, even windows inside and out. And it felt good. 

Then I picked up some small projects to get going:

These are from Fat Cat Designs for her block of the month: 

Baltimore Bliss. 

And these are my Stash Bee for September.  It is fun to play with color and fabric, not that it really uses up much of it from the stash.

Whirl to the end

 And another one bites the dust.  This quilt was from the Give it a Whirl blog hop in March of 2024. 

I enjoyed assembling the spring colors and based my design off a picture. I do enjoy a good math project to figure out blocks and sizes. 

I was only able to finish the top at that time of the blog hop and it has sat on my pile of tops to quilt. I have been on a roll to get projects finished. This one was next to do. 

I added some strips along the edges to frame it and then found another couple of green pieces for the back and binding. 

Using up some more scraps of batting, this time I used a wool one that is more puffy than the usual 80/20 cotton. 

I still didn't feel like tackling a challenging quilt design and utilized painter's tape for spacing, quilting in vertical rows. 

                   

And another quilt top finished!   Hooray!   ( About 40 inches square)

Getting things done! Patriotic picnic!

 Last year ( as well as this year) I have/am participating in Stash Bee. And my month was November. So I somewhat followed a Venetanas quilt pattern a free pattern from Timeless Treasures, adjusting the measurements to become 14 inch blocks. These were 3 different block patterns. I included directions and colors and each other bee member makes one and send it to me. 

My blocks were then made it into a picnic quilt.  It was fun getting blocks in the mail. 

I didn't want to sew anything that required too much thinking as I worried about Mom.  So this was an easy project to tackle.  Just some straight lines  and finish the last 2 blocks. 

Layering on the floor.

I got it easily put together, and found a backing from my stash. It is a little light for a picnic quilt, but I really need to start using my stash.  It is hard to tell but the print is a light plaid of blue and red lines.

So I decided the easiest way to quilt it was to just do straight lines.   I borrowed some 1 inch painter's tape from my husband and utilized it for my spacing.  After a couple days of quilting and a trip to the store for more thread, IT IS DONE!  

It is so nice to complete projects hanging around; this ended up 54 inches square. 

Bee done wall hanging!

 It has been a little crazy.  I made another trip to Indianapolis to see Mom as well as help make the decision to add palliative care to her nursing home. She is having more health issues such as a wound on her leg refusing to heal. It has led to swelling and an infection and after several months. 

Hopefully the care coming to her more frequently will aide her healing and give her some added attention. At 93 she is still able to read even captions on the tv.  She can carry on a conversation as long as she is remembering which is not consistent. Not too bad for her age! 

But then the infection spread up her leg.  And she got a cold.  And we struggled to understand how she was doing with the quick change in her. We will see if she gets better this week. 

And in between, I have managed to finish another UFO sitting around. 

This time it is a Bee themed wall hanging with Deb Strain fabrics. I know it is over 5 years old, but can't find it in my records. 

I took a panel and followed a pattern to frame the blocks, but only made 4 of them for the wall hanging. The quilting worked out much better this time; I didn't use my walking foot. 

Here is the back of the panel where I did some free motion around the motif. The rest is straight lines.

One section close up

 You can see the cute honeycomb fabric. 

Wedding presents

 A dear former student of mine has gotten married.  I knew her over several years of high school and have kept in touch getting together usually at Christmas. She is such a sweetheart . 

I like to make a tree skirt for wedding gifts. ( great idea from another amazing quilter) . So I pulled out my Christmas box and patterns and found just what I needed for the project. A couple of days later and ta da: Tree Skirt done;  about 42 inches round.  The pattern is from 30 years ago when I made mine.

( I also cleaned out my Christmas fabrics throwing scraps away and preparing a donation bag of leftovers.)

A pretty poinsettia print, a red fabric with white snowflakes, and a green print ( not black)

The second part of the present are 2 Christmas stockings, personalized and trimmed by me.

UFO completed and other cross stitch finishes

 I had made a very nice patriotic table runner several years ago.( like 2022)  It has been sitting in the quilting to do pile next to my machine for a long time. 

(free pattern from All People Quilt)

I bit the bullet and finished it.  It is not my finest work, but IT IS DONE!  And that makes me happy!  

A good press, a binding and here it is!  24" by 36"

Here is the back showing the diagonal quilt lines. 

Other projects I have been working on. :   

I made small pillows for bowl fillers out of several small cross stitches. 

Each one had a slightly different finish: borders, patchwork, and pipping for the cross stitch.

For the sunflower: it was a crayon colored in layers and ironed to melt into the fabric, followed by free motion quilting to detail some shading and outlining.   ( about 5" by 7")

It is nice to be getting things done. 

The family is here and now gone!

 I am happy as a clam or a duck in a pond or a thousand other cliches for being happy. Just sitting in my house watching my both kids and their significant others talk and interact gives me the biggest smile on my face. They haven't been here together since 2018 when they moved south. 

My son and his whole family arrived yesterday as they landed in Chicago from New Orleans: an adventure for all. It was only the 2nd time the boys had ever flown, but the first time with their parents. And this time they had a direct flight. 

Food is already disappearing quickly and a big grocery run was already needed.  Growing boys who are much taller since I saw them in April are eating me out of house and home. 

And then my daughter arrived and we were busy with activities galore.  And after that her beaux came with more fun and laughter. Games, squirt guns, and fun times together. 

All together now!  

Highlights of our days together!

At the art fair in Madison

At the county fair 

At the Milwaukee Public Museum in the butterfly exhibit

And the all important fit of the robe.  He LOVED it!