Where in the world have I been?

 Where have I been?  

To tell the truth, I have had a cold which has turned to a sinus infection since July 26.  I initially was at the doctor that week, but felt it was improving. Then I had a great trip to see my grandkids in their new home, Coming back, I still had issues and went back to the doctor and got antibiotics.  I hopefully am on the mend and am on my 3rd day of meds. 

The good news was that I had some great time helping my son and his family with their new house in Shreveport, Louisiana.  I love their new house! But as in all beginning purchases, lots needs to be done to make it their own.  We completely scraped the LSU room which was BRIGHT yellow and purple. After a week of work, it is finally ready for priming and repainting. 

Plus we got the 2 boys off to their own school, a big change for them with new school colors, routines, classes, teachers and friends. They are doing well and I am so proud of them. Grades are already superb; the district has online access for monitoring. Plus there are all kinds of activities for them. So very happy with their transition. 

I have become an avid cross stitcher in the evenings while watching tv with my dear husband. 

And after 6 months, I have been able to finish this Flea Market Flowers by Lori Holt done in patriotic colors, sort of. 

On  the sewing front, I really have not had much time as I' did not feel well. 

I do have 25 of my Little America blocks done, ( 1 per week).  I am now 5 behind. 

So I got back to a baby quilt I need to make for my daughter's friend. I already had a panel and fabrics to match in my stash.  Now to finish it after I add a  border. It shouldn't take too long. 

Sorry to be away so long. 2 days left on the antibiotic! Oh, to be back to normal.

Back to the sewing machine

I like to do a little quilting each day, but got side tracked for a trip for a sick friend to Naperville, Illinois.   And then I went into  full cleaning mode for a meeting at my house. My dear husband was ever so helpful.  ( Cleaning is not the problem.   It is the creative piles of projects and such that need to be sorted out.)  True confessions here.  Please, do not tell. My mother would be aghast!

But I do have a much neater home. I don't quite know how long that will last. 

 I returned to making progress on my Snake River quilt. ( Judy Martin pattern) Sometimes it is slow going with all the pieces.  I am so happy to say I have the borders and corners completed!   Yeah, Yeah, Yeah!   That means I also got to empty the box of assorted beiges from 3/4  inch wide to 2 1/2 inches.  And I also get to donate the silverware trays for the assorted autumn strips which only needed 6 sizes.  This was a great suggestion from Judy in the book. 

And yes, if you have been following me, I made a similar border with bright colors and black squares for a previous quilt.  I got the idea from this project and used the same measurements. 

All that is left is to assemble the whole quilt!  

The second project getting some stitching  is my tiny America blocks from Sentimental Stitches in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  I get a 3 1/2 inch paper piecing  block block every week for the year.( One for each state.)  And I have completed 26 of them to date. A setting is being provided, but I don't know if I am going to use it or not. Some of them are easier than others.

So glad to be on track. 

So now I have a baby quilt to sew for my daughter's friend. I had a panel and assorted matching fabrics already in my stash. I have debated the borders to make for it. That will be a fun and quick project. 

Vacation in Branson

 I was able to be with all my family for the past week in Branson, Missouri.  Such a delight to see everyone and spend time together.  My grands are growing so much and I truly enjoy watching them try new things, explore the world, and gain new skills and interests. Sharing a condo together provided lots of special times and meals. 

Just having small chats keeps our connection strong. ( They didn't know I  provided a bag of bags for them. In each smaller bag labeled for the next few weeks before school begins has supplies for various projects. I also included a new slushie maker for them on those hot days.) 

Plus we explored the area around Branson. We enjoyed Table Rock Lake and picnicked there. And we got to do new and amazing things like a cave tour, an awesome aquarium, and a climbing gym. The pool was visited daily. 

I did stop at a cross stitch store for some new patterns and supplies. ( I am trying to just use up my quilting ones and didn't want any temptations.)

Missouri is so different from other Midwest states.  I cannot get over the hills and valleys: the steepness, oh my!  And the views are spectacular. 

And now I am back home. 

Bindings are finishes!

 I have 2 finishes this week after working hard on the bindings.

First my Rainbow Scrap Quilt from 2018.  Lots and lots of curved log cabin blocks made into a stunning quilt (144).  The black sashings and binding  contrasted well with the vibrant array of colored blocks and circular centers

                  

                           

Each block is 5 3/4 inches square.

I

 A happy floral quilting design finished the top off from my long armer. So glad to finally have this beauty off my list.  It has been many happy hours. New Title:  A-Round Square

                        

( Photo on its side. Multicolor hearts are right side up on the back.)

My second quilt  finish is my miniature log cabin which was a precut from Pieceful Gatherings. Each block is 4 inches square and the logs are 1/2 inch wide.  This was started last fall and into a 45 inch top in  December. And now it is now completed with a red binding to match the hearth in the middle. 

                         

I don't know why but I really enjoy small pieces.  I have always had a hankering to make my blocks smaller. 

                          

  I actually quilted this one myself.  I started by accentuating the diagonal rows and star in the middle with straight lines.  I added a tear drop chain from the center of the surrounding blocks to each center. I made a pattern for the shape cutting out multiple freezer paper templates to stitch around. 

Lots of Logs! 

Plugging along!

 While I have not blogged about all the needlework and quilting, I continue to stitch some every day.

On the finished top front, I have added the 2 borders to my machine appliqued quilt.  the pattern of Baltimore Bliss was a monthly freebee from Fat Cat Designs.  She is offering a very cute nutcracker applique.  

Anyway, I am so happy with the finish:

I got my curved log cabin back from the quilter, and the binding has been a pain.  It is large like at least 90 inches square and the sides did not like to be quilted as there were lots and lots of seams.. But it is slowly progressing. 

One day, I just wanted to do some piecing but not all my intense projects, so I made 4 mini fall pillows.  So cute and fun. 

I also started a wool table runner for the Fourth of July. I have had the kit for a few years. And I do have all the bigger pieces attached and blanket stitched around. Just need to a lkdd the leaves and embroidery for them.

And I continue to work on my fall Snake Log Cabin of Judy Martin. Only 4 sections  left to make! Woot woot,  Then I can make the corner blocks and assemble all the blocks. 

Other blocks done for Dear Jane:

Day of quilting

A few friends got together with our sewing machines for a day of togetherness.

Fun to share stories, relish in each other's accomplishments and enjoy lunch together. 

The cherry on top was the granddaughter visit with the cutest little baby girl who crawled around and had the cutest cackles. 

I had a busy day where I completed 6 sections of the fall border. AND I assembled 4 Little America blocks.  ( little buggers). Then I pieced the inside borders to my Snake River. 

I only have photos of the Little America blocks: 

2 fairly easy

and 2 complicated ones:

Plugging away

 Plugging away at the machine during the day and cross stitch at night in front of the tv with my hubby. 

I was delighted to get my applique project together. It only needs the borders. ( my least favorite part.) I even found some red fabric in my stash for the back. Woot woot.  Just trying to use up that stash. 

Full size

Close up for the top

Close up for the bottom

And after being so successful with my borders on the previous quilt, I got my original quilt out that had the design. It is an old, old project.  ( The book is Log Cabin quilts or something by Judy Martin.) So I cut appropriate  bars and pieces. Each strip requires 4 fabrics and each 10 inch length requires 5 different sizes. The really good part was that I had lots of the original fabrics cut into strips with a box of 1 1/2 inch brown and off white squares. It is tedious, but making progress.

I made my monthly Stash Bee block. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 12 inch block

And while choosing fabrics, I started selecting some old prints to give away.  And in the process I found 18 completed blocks from a Pat Speth ( Nickel Quilts) workshop.  The book is dated 2002.  So it is DATED and made from Thimbleberries fabrics. I pulled it out and started making 7 blocks to complete a 5 by 5 setting. A simple setting to donate. 

Close up to see the colors.   Funny how our taste in fabrics change.  I had a whole tub of these and made lots of wall hangings, table runners and quilts from them. 

And so lots of progress. Quilting is indeed my pleasure and my treasure.!

Back in the Saddle

 Sorry for being away for a while.  Fortunately, there is nothing amiss here. I did spend much of a week assisting a friend after her shoulder surgery. I enjoyed her company and got a lot of cross stitch completed while being there. 

I have gotten back to sewing a bit. First I completed the last 2 project bags from my Lori Holt kit.  All 8 are now made. 

I was procrastinating a bit.  My goal was to keep finishing quilts. I did not want to start anything new. But I was just hung up on how to get my borders to fit on the Rainbow Log Cabins.  So I finally just picked it up attacked the project.  Ugh!  I still don't understand how I avoided it. 

And It is DONE ! And looks amazing.  Even better than I had expected.  So very glad to have it off the pile. 

I also have been working on my Little America blocks.  I am still behind a few. 

But no progress on Dear Jane all month.  

Happy Mother's Day for all the mothers, grandmothers, and other assorted titles that give so much to younger ones. 

Return from Louisiana

 Spring break for the grandkids means a trip from me, well and Grandpa as well.  I can't express what a joy to see them grow and spend quality time with the 2 boys. I can't believe the oldest is already up to my chin. He had his long hair cut and has really grown and grown this year. So unbelievable. I love them so.  It is truly good for my soul and infuses me with energy and job.  But at the same time, it can be exhausting.

We took them to Dallas to Legoland and a hotel ( for swimming, of course)  

What fun things to do and inspiration.  For those of you with boys, I found 2 products for creativity and purchased them through Amazon. Both are about 10 dollars each. 

This one has several different yhemes: animals, nature, and more.

While in Dallas, I was amazed at the different buildings in the downtown: modern and old as well as kinds of constructions. We did go to one of the neighborhoods and found an awesome barbeque restaurant and perused the different shops. 

I did a lot of cross stitching especially in the flight delays. We had to stay overnight in Charlotte due to inability to make a connection vouchered by the airline. 

Prior to leaving, I also did an upcycle of a men's shirt purchased at Goodwill. : Here is the back as a side view:  I used acrylic paint added with fabric medium. And then free motioned the flower designs 

I think I will try another. 

Also completed another Stashbee block:

I will not be able to sew on my machine in the next week or so as I help a friend convalesce at her home after shoulder surgery.