The goblins will get ya.....

if you don't watch out....! Boooooooo.............And echoing the sentiments of the card....Happy Halloween Everyone!! Happy Haunting...ghostly goblins, screeching blacks cats and tricks and treats for everyone! See ya next month!!!(if the goblins don't get me *VBG*)

So....what's new at Finn's house????

quite a few things, actually *VBS* I'm not out of the swamp, but I've got my head and shoulder above it and I'm hanging on to the rim for dear life! Focusing on what I love(fabric, quilts, patterns, etc)will eventually 'see me home', I'm sure.Betsy took me shopping(almost 2 weeks ago now) as a birthday present. These are some of my stash inhancement efforts. The pale blue(center)is flannel for a backing. The aqua with dots was 60% off, and the red piece and the cheddar piece were half price. The limey green piece was from Mill Ends and always a bargain at $3.99 a yard. The Aunt Gracies(Moda, actually) was from the first quilt shop(also the the first 5 fabrics are from there). Betsy and I like the shop on I-94(West)at Hudson, WI...Sew Little Time. I also had a full punch card to spend ($20-).The white with blue across the bottom is a 3 yard cut. I finished the bolt as it was on sale for $4 a yd. It'll be a nice background I think. It's from Charlotte's Quilting Web.
This panel of mugs and the stripe on the right are from Charlotte's Quilting Web in Stillwater, MN. It's a fairly small shop and not a favorite of mine, but Betsy had never been there so we stopped. I love the mug colors! The panel is the full width of the fabric, so it's possible to get two wallhanging from one panel. The circle fabric was another bargain at Mill Ends in St. Paul, MN, but I only took a half yard as it's abit of a novelty fabric. Love the circles!
This is a book I've been toying with buying. I've been really torn about spending what it cost...was too much in my opinion! But I had that punch card for $20- so I bought it as a birthday present to me *VBS* Love anything and everything about the prairie!
And last, but not least...my new pattern from Marcie at Patchalot Patterns. She has a wonderful line of patterns that she has designed, I love them all(well..not the applique so much *G*) and look forward to making this one. It's one of her newest.She blogs at Patchalot More.(See sidebar for link). And I see that Dawn, at Quilts and Pieces(see sidebar for link) has just bought this one also. It'll be fun to see what colors Dawn chooses for hers.
I've managed to get binding cut and sewn onto the Yuletide Blossoms quilt I showed on Friday. No luck finding the solid red but an older piece of VIP red pindot popped up, and that will work just fine. Now to get it stitched down in the evening *VBS* It's been a while since I finished anything(with the exception of the one I tied a week or so ago, and got bound and out of here this past Monday).

While I was gone....

the world kept right on turning, days came and went. And 'stuff'(physical stuff at least) got done. Let's pretend you were here with me...*VBS*This is what we saw as we stood in the garage, last week getting this quilt top tied. A rainy day outside, inner weather not so hot either!
Sunday morning brought us a spectacular sunrise, just after 7 a.m. The rain has moved east to plague Katie, in Michigan...hurray for sunshine!
And with much effort, we finished up the machine quilting part of this little Pineapple Blosson top. Now we are going to bind it in solid red, and hand quilt some red perle cotton stars in that striped border *VBS* We are happy!!!
And we pulled out the box of plaid flannel. Time to make a new snuggle quilt for a growing grandson, *VBS*. This pattern looked interesting in the magazine, and 12" blocks go fast. We like fast!!! Eight are done, and the quilt only calls for 12 of them, to make a 48" X 60" quilt.
Loads of thanks and extra hugs for ALL of you, my very special blogger friends *VBS*. We all have equal opportunity at trials, troubles and tribulations but having friends like you makes it sooooo much easier. I'm probably not quite back to my ole Finn-self, but I'm geting there. I had lunch with Betsy today, and managed to collect myself enough to get some errands run and some autumn type chores done. It's getting better *VBS* Hugs, Finn

Do you LOVE the stitches?????

I do!! More than buying the fabric or picking the pattern. More than the cutting, sewing, sizing or basting. I love the stitches.I think the reason I quilt is because of the stitches.
It's hard to explain if you aren't fascinated by the stitches themselves. I love the look of each stitch as it makes the row, or the arc...as it marches along, one by one by one. I love the depth that the indentation makes. The shadow that is cast because the stitch pulls the fabric just a tat lower than the rest.
My fingers love the stitches, and my eyes love the stitches. The love affair began with the regular old fashioned hand quilting with a small between and Coats and Clarks quilting thread. I would quilt almost anything, just to be quilting. Many of my quilted pieces aren't really worth the effort I put into them, but they kept me quilting,and that is what counted. I don't quilt like that anymore, altho my fingers remember how to do what my eyes can no longer see. Mostly I quilt with perle cotton and the big stitch. And I love that too. It has it's own unique look, and those bigger stitches do ALL the same things the little ones did...*VBS* Some things don't change.

Here I am...........

and altho I'd like to sit by the fire and stitch and chat, life has other plans for me just now *VBS*I'll be back as soon as I can with more quilty stuff to talk about. Hugs, Finn

Old Quilts, Maverick Methods....

Revisiting the Bow Tie quilt top of a few days ago, I wondered...did you happen to notice that some of the bowties are against a dark background? Unless you study the top a bit, it's not something that you notice right away. Or maybe, for you, it is....but not me. I seem to have this 'oblivious' side to my vision.
While taking pictures, I suddenly noticed that 'things' are reversed on this block...why did she use the dark for the background? Hmmmmm? So I began to look closer.
And there are quite a few blocks where the background is stronger than the bow tie itself...not what we normally do when piecing a bow tie. But it's not unattractive, is it?
I wonder if perhaps she was down to the last scraps in her scrapbag and needed a few more bow ties? Or maybe she was as maverick as we'd all like to be, as unihibited and spontaneous. The top is not technically well made, but I find it delighful in it's coloration and scrappiness. And no doubt it was a warm cover for someone. I felt this old beauty deserved another 'look - see', so we can all notice the strange blocks with the dark backgrounds *VBS*. I hope to baste it soon, but for now,I'm off to the garage(the weather is fairly mild..finally!) to tie a quilt.Someone had commented that they saw snowballs, not bow ties when they looked at it. There aren't as many lay-outs for the bow tie blocks as for some others. This particular one, where they form the snowball shape is called Love Rings. When you see a solid center in that octagon shape, and it has triangles sewn on the four corners, then it's a snowball *VBS*

Ripley's Believe It or Not Dept. News.....

I think most of us have received some pretty unusual birthday gifts at times...right? Well, yesterday was a day I'm going to mark on the calendar as the 'most' unusual, regarding birthday presents! And as life would have it, both of these arrived just moments apart!!
This little 'treasure' is what my friend Jean felt I needed as I begin this 68th year...*S* When she bought it, her brother thought it was a joke, but it's the real deal. Check out the size, compared to my 'normal' remote, laying on the surface of the new one. Guess there isn't much chance I'll lose it, right???
And then there is a most unusual present from DS#1. I have never had a tree in the house to care for...*S*...should be interesting..*VBS* I have a tree...a bonsai tree..please don't tell the Japanese gardeners I have it. P)And last but not least, what I've been puttering with this week. NOT what I'm suppose to be doing(this is my version of whistling in the dark to keep the elephants away...which DOESN'T work,by the way). It's at the 40" X 60" point, so I will add some borders and call it good. Probably will head down to the new little granddaughter by relationship(age 2). She just got promoted to a youth bed, since baby brother needed her crib, I made it that size with her in mind. She got a pink and white quilt from me when she joined the family back in January of '05. It's kind of fun to sew pink after all the boy quilts I've made *VBS*

Picking up the pieces, cleaning up the mess....

BUT.....about that youngest grandson(who is sooo much like his Daddy!) the little gal in this picture(his step-mom-to-be)snapped that memorable picture on Saturday...LOL And why did he look soooo disagreeable? Well, that was the 4th or 5th "take".
He has a trick of looking at the camera, and just as you snap the picture, he looks away...so, they take another, and another, etc. He gets pretty tired of it!!! LOL I couldn't resist showing it to you...*VBS* At 4, he has A LOT of opinions!
This is one of the older "used" tops in my collection. I love Bow Tie as a quilt pattern,buying them whenever I come across them(if I can). This was a tied quilt, that seemed unusually heavy to me.. It held up quite well to the wear and tear of the years, and I could have just left it as it was. But I snipped the yarn tied and pulled them out, wanting to 'rescue' the top and hand quilt it. What was inside was a very thin old quilt. Since it was crumbling into shreds, I discarded it, but saved the backing.
The blocks are machine pieced, with many stitches per inch. That makes repairs MUCH harder. I was talking with someone that was replacing(or thinking of) black that was in shreds. In this quilt top, the only fabric that is disintrigating in this one. Not the check bow tie, but the background with the lavender and narrow black stripe. It's the narrow black lines that are turning to dust in my fingers. Soooo, one by one, I've been replacing the background on those blocks. This is a "before" picture, one I haven't done as yet.And this is an "after" picture. I'm lucky enough to have a large, large collection of vintage fabric dating back to the mid 1800's. I don't have alot of shirtings, and if I come across a child's shirt with handmade button holes(this tan background was one of those) I buy it and use it for repairs in old quilts. It'a a slow process to pick out the tiny, tiny treadle stitches, but it can be done. I carefully iron one of the removed pieces, and check it against one of the bow tie segments, before I cut the replacement background. I hand stitch the new backgrounds into place, the same way you'd piece the traditional bow tie block. A careful pressing and it's good as new.
I have about 4 more backgrounds to replace and then I can baste this top with a very light weight batt and hand quilt it. It's a very thin top due to the fabrics that were used. Mostly summer dress or shirt weight cottons. But I love it, and I love the vintage look of it. That means I think it's worth the time to hand quilt it...*VBS*

Birthday Blues??? Not for me....*VBS*

but I do have to wonder about soooo many birthday meals and luncheons *VBG* All I have to do is think about food and I KNOW just how this poor kitty feels!!
All in all my birthday has been a happy one, altho it will take a few days to recover from the amount of food and cake I have eaten! I have officially(as of 11:50 p.m.) completed my 67th year! And I'm proud of that!
A visit from my youngest DS and his two sons made my day on Saturday. Lots of hugs, kisses from this grandson.
And more hugs, kisses, giggles and wiggles from this grandson, the youngest. I made dinner for all of us, and the kids brought me a birthday cake. We took time out for a trip to the jungle gym on the school's playground, and then had cake and ice cream before they headed to another birthday party...LOL And I got these lovely flowers for my special day. The StarGazer Lilies are so fragrant, the whole house smells lovely. I'll be enjoying them for as long as they last! All in all, a most satifactory birthday *VBS* And many thanks to all of you who have sent me cards, both snail and 'e', and left birthday wishes here on my blog..*VBS* You are all such special friends, and I wish we could have had one big party with cake for everyone....and a FQ exchange....LOL. I found out tonight that Sweet Pea at Coffee Time Quilt Studio (see sidebar for link) and I share a birthday today..*VBS* Happy Birthday Paula! And for all you gals who read the Maverick Web Ring, Darcie has a birthday coming very soon, and Tonya is in line for a birthday this month also!

The Nanas' Sewing Day quilt blocks....

as promised! The first picture is what the original block design looks like made up.
It's from a book of Betsy's called "Quick Colorful Quilts". In the book it is made from batiks, I believe...definitely NOT kids prints.
If I were to follow directions, this is what the combined blocks would look like..*VBS*
But of course, I have to do it the 'Finn' way....and this is what I felt the blocks should look like. Individually, they are very appealing to me.So I was whipping along, making ALL of them MY way, but then decided maybe some should appear more "solid", and I made some 'their' way. Combined, this is the look you get, and I'm NOT happy with it.
What I realized once I laid the blocks out, is that when you do it, 'my way', the centers really get lost. Somewhat if they are dark and of good contrast, but TOTALLY if they happen to be light centers. Now the question is, will I continue to make blocks both ways(having an assorted quilt top) or will I make enough 'their' way blocks to have that be the quilt top??? In which case, I now have NEW orphans!!! *VBS*
P.S. Betsy called today....she's worked her way up to a dozen burp cloths so far!

Busy days, busy week....

certainly NOT the leisurely pace I live at normally!! But if the squirrel can do it, so can I!!! *VBS* Trying to finish up some sewing and get a top in the mail...that log cabin top for DD#1. And while I'm doing that, life just keeps interrupting me. The first of the BIRTHDAY luncheons today....LOL, at my age, one is never enough. Due to work schedules, these particular friends were available TODAY..so TODAY it was! And we had a lovely lunch and a spot of shopping to boot! My life will be enriched by a lovely box of Pear Scented soap from Paris, no less, a music box that plays Teddy's Bears Picnic, an optical magnifier, and a vintage Kellogg's Corn Flakes bowl...*VBS*
And it's only the 4th!! By the time my birthday gets here on the 8th, I should be completely OVERWHELMED(as usual) with birthday goodies.
I had a Nana's Sewing Day on Saturday(past) with friends Betsy and Gail. Dottie was suppose to be there also, but she got lost in the preparations for a trip to Greece. All 4 of us will be Grandma's between now and the end of March. Betsy is first with a DGC due in November(her first). Gail will follow with her first in January, my 10th or 11th or??? is due the end of February(DD#2..her first) and Dottie is expecting a new grandchild in March, her 3rd.
So we had a Nana's sewing day to work on baby quilts, and I showed them how to make burp cloths.
I have 15 blocks of my 42 done, and I will show you those hopefully tomorrow. I'm not satified with my initial idea, so the plan will be changing(of course it will *G*).
Gail is doing a quilt from the Quiltmakers Gift, and Betsy is working on a free pattern, from P & B Textiles site, called Under the Big Top.
We had a merry ole time despite the rainy day, and quite a bit got accomplished. Some pumpkin/wild rice soup and homemade apple cake kept us happy *VBS* Hope you are all finding something to keep you happy also. See you later. Hugs, Finn

Happy October Everyone!!!

And like the wizard I am, just when you thought I had shown you ALL my quilts....I have one left to show you....last one(I think!) This is one I bought in Galena, Ill back in the 1980's. I'm pretty sure it's a 'kit' quilt from somewhere between the the 1930's and the 1950's. I'm sure some of you more familiar with quilt periods will know. The blocks are 16" each.

A close up of the poppies and the enbroidery which plays a big part in this quilt. The entire quilt is really quite well done, altho I suspect NOT by an expert or very experienced quilter.
It's backed with the same orange as what was used in the one poppy. There is a narrow border of the lighter orange, and a narrow border of the darker orange. Then it's bound in the lighter of the two. It creates a nice contrast to all the muslin.Here's a close up of the design that was quilted into the open white spaces where the blocks come together. The poppies are button hole stitched down, with the stitches being at about 1/8" apart, very even and consistant. They are also quilted around 'in the ditch', as are each of the seed pods. Lots and lots of stitching and quilting on this quilt!!!
The quilting is beautiful, and who ever made it, certainly was GOOD with a needle. It has never been washed, and you can see very faint pencil lines on the muslin where she drew the designs. It is yellowing, and I do toy with washing it. Thanks to great products like the Color Catcher sheets, I know it's safe to do that.
Do you remember I mentioned at the beginning that I felt the quilt was NOT made by an expert or experienced quilter? And you wonder what I would base that on? *VBS* Something that gave me quite a chuckle when I was examining the quilt in the antique shop......on the back side....looking close, the KNOTS are not pulled in to the backing. And we all know that is one of the first things you learn in hand quilting. The gentle 'tug' that buries the knot into the back and batting....or maybe you learned to 'tuck' and quilt in both ends of the tread? Either way....we definitely DON'T just leave the knots showing on the back....LOL But it makes it all the dearer to me...*VBS* And you probably will admit, not everyone could LOVE an orange quilt.