Moving right along...

on my self-appointed journey, I'm making progress in the "finish it up" department. Mostly I'm guilty of having too many of those "bright idea" flashes in regard to starting quilt tops. This is one of those.
 Found this really cute "picture" fabric at Mill Ends awhile back and although it was printed with a lovely light blue in between the pictures, I had a bright idea! Cut all the pictures OUT and add strips...would be far more interesting, and use up some stash. Am I often guilty of re-inventing the wheel? Oh ya, big time! But it does make a cuter quilt top...*VBS*
 This is the finish of my April Rainbow Scraps Challenge. I added April's color to an already begun project, and now it's a 45" X 63" top, ready for donation.
 
Another older "begun" that I had hoped to finish for Christmas 2010. Didn't happen then, but it's a top(48" X 60")now. I will add 6" borders to this one, and finish it up for a family member, by tying it with a puffy batt.
I thought I had taken a picture of the second Friendship star top that was made from the leftovers of the red star one, but it's not in the camera..uppps, senior moment. Guess I'll save it for tomorrow. My empty container total for last week is 3, hurray for me!!! And they are already filled with new WIP quilt tops, ones that will take awhile to have enough pieces.
Apparently I will never run out of pieces from my scrapbag, LOL.

Afterglow.....

is a rare commodity in my world, but it does happen and it wasn't at Prom. *VBS* I am still enjoying the warm fuzzies from a really excellent Mother's Day. Hope all of you are experiencing the same. I'm a little tired, but with an ear to ear smile on my face. I was up and ready to get busy at 7 a.m. Turns out, first order of business was to hustle and get the car in the garage, as thunderstorms with hail approached. An orange and some coffee and I was ready to SEW! A quick grab from an overloaded shelf in my sewing room turned this UFO into the project for the day! PLEASE, don't ask me how long ago I started this one! Yes, that bad!! Over the years I've worked on it, or tried, the hang up is that same old, "I don't like it". I keep putzing with the layout and the amount and the whole concept, but it never reaches the satification stage. So....
 today I put on my "ruthless" face. I am adding one more row of width, at the right of the picture. This IS the quilt that it will be! No borders, just done! And from the container it lived in, the "overflow" amounts to 9 9 patches and 5 stars, some blue, some red. I've made one more 9 patch and 5 more stars today. The overflow will become a second smaller quilt top. NEITHER will get finished into a quilt by me...watch out donation places....here it comes!! And I have another new empty container...let's celebrate!! I'm going to try for another tomorrow! 
Last but not least, my youngest grandson, who could be a poster child for American babies. AJ is turning one year old this week. The year has sped by and it's time for the classic baby in the high chair with cake pictures on Saturday...I can hardly wait! Wanna bet my grin lasts alllll week???

I've been working on the railroad...

 but not quite 'all the live long day' *VBS* I confess to having taken some play time with orphan blocks. Yes, the UFOs are still on the front burner, but play is good!
 I have both of these going at the same time, using orphan blocks and parts from Em's box. It's interesting with orphan blocks quilts, that while you can put "everything" in any one of them, sometimes they grow towards "flavor intense". I could tell almost immediately that these two were going to be opposite of each other. I tend to favor the brighter one,but since the other wants to be "that way", I will oblige but keep using reds. Thanksgiving was nice, and I enjoyed the company of my kids and their spouses. With football in the background, it was lively around here and the food was good. The weather co-operated and no one had travel difficulty. I was tired yesterday, and a nap was needed, but I am climbing back up to speed today...time to get busy!
 
And since the high loft batt arrived via Turkey transport, I can now turn these 20 blocks into a snuggle quilt. It will be a Christmas gift, and is one of my 5 UFOs to finish. Catch up with you later!

Progress report for a Wednesday....

We have snow. We had rain, followed by sleet, which turned to snow. Welcome to Wisconsin! It is, however, a wonderful day to be inside, sewing *VBS*, and I am. I'm very happy to claim this UFO as 'finished'. I finished it last week, but haven't gotten around to a picture. Maybe I will consider making the Mama Cat and Baby that goes with it, now that the quilt is finished. Could be cute in the laundry room or hallway.
 This is the UFO that was in line right behind the Fishie one. The pattern for this wallhanging dates back to the early 1980's. It's called Lonely Teddy and is from Wild Goose Chase pattern company. I'm about half through with the quilting already. It will get bound and then what?? I don't know. Maybe a grandchild would like it.
 I added borders to this UFO from last year, and got it basted up, ready to quilt.
 And this little charmer was finished on Sunday. The little HSTs came as orphan blocks from Gypsy Quilter last year. I joined them up a month or so ago and added borders. Last week I basted it along with the ones I showed in the last post, and quilted it in pretty much one sitting. The binding is my usual "oddity" type binding. I have a little doll that will be happy to have this quilt. *VBS* My eye is doing well. The eye drops seem endless, and have turned me into a clock watcher...which is NOT a natural thing for me. I'm doing my best to stay on schedule with the drops, however, since I have a lot at stake in keeping what I have for vision. Apparently you never get past the possibility of the transplanted corneas going into rejection form....that keeps me on track with the eye drops!!

Another WIP Wednesday....

and no Project Runway to look forward to this evening! A chilly but sunny day here in my part of WI. We had a hard freeze the past two night, and my outdoor plants are officially done! The blue baby bows quilt is finished. Not sure what my camera is up too, but in reality, the binding is the same blue as the border. It sure looks gray in this picture.
 I got the 42 blocks of this one sized over the past few days, and began making the rows this morning. Again, I have no idea why this one is out of focus, while the ones before and after are just fine??? Gremins I guess. Or maybe an early Halloween Trick or Treat??
 Last but not least today, a very, very old UFO. It would be complete if I would just get busy and quilt that last border and attach binding. When I began quilting it, I quilted the background with a 1/4th inch grid. There isn't much background after all, and the majority of this little quilt was already done in 1991! Which is an amazing 17 years ago!!! How do I know that? Well, in 1991 I toured Ireland with a friend, and this is the hand stitching project I took with me. There is a picture around here somewhere of me sitting on a wall outside a pub in Co. Kerry, stitching on this little quilt. These days the idea of quilting with black on black is daunting, but I've decided to "go for it". And then search out something to bind it with *VBS* Long enough already, right???Oh yes, for the record these little bows are hand pieced and finish at 3.5".

Tuesday Tidbits...

from The Land of Finn *VBS* It's my Hourglass quilt making the headlines today. It's finished!Its folded in quarters for the picture. Its a 50 X 70" quilt. This one has been an ongoing project for about a year. Meaning that when I am cutting scraps, I cut a 6" square and put it in this projects box. I split it, match it up with some other quarter square and made a hourglass block. Trimmed, each one is 5" after sewing. It's an odd size I know, but it worked with my scraps. This is completely a "utility quilt". Its all scrap including the batting.
 And the awesome backing. Individually these fabrics were languishing in my stash. Together they serve a purpose. I quite pleased with it....anyone can make a boring backing, right?
 I hadn't planned on sticking that awful fish fabric in here,but worked and now it's all gone!! It was a 'pass along' from some quilters sister.
 And last, but not least, the beginning of a new project It will put my UFO fever on "hold" for a bit. A friend of DD#1 is expecting in October and a baby quilt was requested. I'm happy to obligated since she does so much for me. I'm shooting for 20 blocks set with lattice, so it shouldn't take me too long. I hope all of you are having some happy sewing time and sun shiny weather!!

The day after....

and all the big "doings" are history now. We had a lovely time with Hailey's parents and the grandparents from the other side. She was a good baby and didn't cry when she was baptised. I got to hold her alot and even got a little smile out of her *VBS*, Now it's onward with the UFO's in my life....sigh. As I said on Saturday, Hailey's was my first "finish", with the Hourglass close on its heels. One more side to bind...hurray! This is the next UFO I want to finish. As with some of you, some projects are BIG and some are just medium sized. A few are small, but they all need finishing. Hailey's was 'just blocks'. The hourglass was already a flimsey. This Sawtooth Star is an "almost" flimsey. A dark lattice on each side and then the outer border. Once I get that done I'll continue on and either tie or machine quilt it.
 This is the only picture I have so far from the baptism yesterday. My youngest DS is her Godfather and he looks like an old pro at this, doesn't he? Hailey could have been "Mary, Mary quite contrary....with her dress ribbons refusing to stay tied, and one shoe off and one shoe on...LOL. It certainly didn't affect the nap she was having until the water hit her head!

Holding pattern.....

Now if you are a pilot, that means just one thing..."don't make changes, stay put doing what you are doing". But I'm NOT a pilot, would be nice, but I'm not. What I have are alot of "quilt beginnings" that are in a holding pattern of their own. I have said it on my blog, I'm a great "beginner", not such a good "ender". The results of "holding patterns" are what we quilters call UFOS. Unfinished objects...ug! Unlike income tax, quilts are fun to begin..
 and after you've begun and the excitment wears off, you're suppose to stick to it and finish it up. Right?
 And that's what I have lots of in my sewing room, the tops I didn't 'stick to and finish'.
 It's not that I NEVER finish things, just not as regularily as I should. I'm happy to say I've managed to finish up hundreds over the years, but must confess to having somewhere in the neighborhood of 40 to 60 that are still "just beginnings". The days slip by with little meaning to me, time is a relative thing you know. I seem to have all the time in the world, although it would be nice to have those projects in the hands of their new owners. A 43 degree(brrrrr)morning found me realizing that autumn is coming swiftly, very very swiftly. I think I'll shift gears and see what I can get finished by the end of the year. Four months and 7 days til New Years Eve.....I think I can finish at least 5 quilts in that time. Anybody want to play along? Set a number or goal for yourself and keep me company?? Please? *VBS* Hugs to all!!

A rainy Saturday in the Valley.....

And I figured it was time to change the header to something less 'drippy'. Betsy and I basted this old flimsey on Thursday. It's a block of the month from the guild I used to belong to in Frederic, WI. The Mixed Sampler Quilt Guild. Our outgoing President did it as a challenge following her years in office. She was a newly retired RN, need I say more? *VBS*
 A closer look at the upper section. I've debated whether or not it merits hand quilting, and decided it's a good size for my recliner, so I'll utility quilt it with perle cotton. In lots of bright colors *VBS*One more UFO bites the dust!
 As the maverick I am, I didn't do the BOM house. Too convention for my taste and focus fabric, I made a "jungle Pad" instead. The animals seem to like it *S*
 An orphan block from Betsy. She's been playing around with the bargello of Bonnie at Quilville. Using 2" strips, she made up one block at a time, so each is different. She laid them out in a barn raising pattern, and it made me think about something similar from my JulieQ Easter jellyroll. This block became an orphan when she eliminated yellowish cheddars from the top, focusing on red, magenta and teals.

OK Julie......I'll rise to your bait...*VBS*

My friend Julie Q, over at Julie K Quilts has shown her oldest UFO...and it's a lovely 'beginnings' of a quilt top. I commented I wasn't sure I wanted to show something that's ancient.So she challenged me..so here it is, this UFO is OLD.It's been laying around as a pile of blocks since sometime in the 1980's! Yup, that's right...minimum of 20 years, probably more like 25 or 26. Our outgoing guild president selected this block(and an odd size 4 3/8's" for her President's Block)I made one for her and keep on piecing..but I got tired of it. Believe it or not, the pattern there by the blocks,this is PRE-sew and flip! Now it would be a cinch to finish up by doing the sew and flip method on assorted background squares...maybe that will motivate me...right Julie???
Here's a little top I pieced a week or so ago....playing with my 1.5" and 2.5" squares, setting them with whatever was left of that ancient paperdoll fabric. It's as big as I could make it, no more paperdolls to make it bigger(stashbusting!). I added borders yesterday after seeing how Dawn, of Quilts and Pieces just whips 'em together....she gets soooo much done and works too! What is my excuse??? Excuse me while I think of one.........
I'll be doing some quick(I hope) hand quilting on this little doll quilt and giving it to Jean for her birthday, later this month *VBS*
***And in the un-necessary "DRAMA QUEEN" department, the not-so-very dear version of Anonymous wasn't happy with just kicking puppies, yesterday, she stuck her nose in here. Shall we talk about people throwing the first stone? Or maybe tying kitty tails togethe? Or maybe just trying out for Gloom-peddlar of the day?? I think she'd make it.
I've yet to understand how a select "few" can take things OUT OF CONTEXT, and immediately JUMP to a conclusion, and fire their snide remarks.
Perhaps it was an error on my part to offer any of Mr. Lewis's views of the Appliachia area.With a picture of the book and **excerpt** indicated,how oculd anyone think I was taking credit for the content? I have always stood in admiration of the Hill people, of their ability to survive and even thrive in a difficult setting. I would happily have been one of them, and that idea still appeals to me. I also understand that 'outlanders' or outsiders are not particularily welcome there, and they like things just the way they are. That's fine with me. I also own a copy of "A People and Their Quilts" by John Rice Irwin, which I love reading and looking at the quilts. I am thrilled to having found the Mountain Artisans book at a thrift shop not too long ago.
I'd like to share a few more pages of it with you, as the drawings and ideas for quilts are just AMAZING and it's hard to believe that they were put on paper before 1973. Back then much of the fabric was sporting HUGE white daisy type shapes, and flower power ruled! Give me a day or two to get my tail feathers back in order and then I'll scan a drawing or two.
And my apologies to all the NICE anonymous readers, you no longer have a voice here.

Orphans, UFO's and new plantings...

kind of a blue plate special today..*VBS* I've decided that my Orphan Challenge blocks will be the odds and ends leftover from Christmas quilts and wall hangings. In the picture, the Bear Paw is an 8" block and the others are 5". And that's how it will go with this quilt. Really odds and ends of sizes...many blocks made from Little Quilts directions, and they aren't usually 3, 6,9 and 12". But that's not a problem..*G* I've been gathering Yuletide Orphans from hither and yon, and will layout all that I have found for a picture tomorrow. I have a VERY large rubbermaid of smallish scraps, and want to get some of them used. And I counted up the Christmas quilts I've made, about 13 according to my recollection, and I'd like to use(will have to make)a block from each quilt if I can. With some that will really be a challenge!! If it's left over I'll probably use it 'as is'. If not, I may make the copy in a smaller size. I'm NOT fond of 12" blocks anymore. If it sounds like I WANT to
piece for this challenge, it's because I DO! I love playing in my scraps, and more blocks is a good thing! I encourage making assorted sizes to enhance your orphan blocks. As Tonya said about the Fragments quilt, "thank goodness for so many pieced blocks in there with the crumb blocks"...I totally agree!
Second picture here; I dragged this UFO out to see about finishing it up. It's just 'top of the bed' in size, and I have more of the blocks made up. I'm thinking about going to queen with it, as it would give me a nice change of quilts. I only have 3 or 4 queen size to switch between. I'd like to be like Jeanne at http://spiralj2.blogspot.com/ and have one for each month!! *VBS* This pattern is in "101 Fabulous Rotary-Cut Quilts", by Judy Hopkins and Nancy Martin. Mine is mostly plaids and shirtings. The red is a red/black check from Marcus used with a plain black.
In the newly planted department, I'm running slow, but I got the blue Salvia I bought last week into this lovely old pitcher. It has just been sitting around, since I no longer have cut flowers from the garden to put into it. I think the Salvia will be happy in there. And then I used the old brown bowl that was holding the new plants in water to plant the DustyMiller. I'm not sure how it will work out height wise, but I'm giving it a try. Libby, at http://simplylibby.blogspot.com/ continues to inspire me to use more and more of my old things in new and unusual ways...*VBS* Thanks Libby!! And I wanted to mention one of my favorite blogs because she makes many of her quilts and tops from recycled things, and does it soooooo beautifully and with such class. That would be Lynn at http://kleinmeisjequilts.blogspot.com/ Using re-purposed fabrics is often as challenging as working with orphans..*VBS* Fiona at http://scraps-in-progress.blogspot.com/ also works with recycled fabrics, as does Bonnie at http://quiltville.blogspot.com/ Both do it with great ease and talent !! And it could be that I just love the plaids they use...*VBS*

Remains of the day.....

you just never know where a sparkle-spangled day will lead you. After making nice neat corners of the red, white and blue quilts on my bed, and folding back the top to show the red and white checked backing, I had a thought. Why not make some celebration type decorative pillow cases to go with the quilts? Mostly for July, I suppose, but I love red and white. Luckily blue is a good color to use with them...*VBG* I began pulling fabric with stars, etc. And that's when I found this panel, purchased years and years ago.. from the 'Ollie and Me' line in primary colors. Why not buzz up a drag-around quilt for that new grandson for summer? He's 2 months now you know, and will be dragging quilts any day..... Out of no where came a black streak...need I say more?? It was a tussle, but I finally got it pinned and the machine quilting has begun. The backing is a lovely gift of fabric from Evelyn of Starfishy blog....Zander thanks you and the Little Boy Evelyn..*VBS*

One never know what will be unearthed while excavating a sewing room. My 'dig' revealed a bag with 5 finished 12" corner cabin blocks, & 17 more 6" blocks to make more. And I will, a 9 block layout, with just one 6" block extra. Which is ok, because it's ugly!
I think an inner border, narrow, and then a wider one...not sure, but I know I'll be machine quilting it for a quick finish!!! Like by JULY!
"And the rest of the story is....", as Paul Douglas of radio fame would say......yup, she's a full fledged quilt cat now....ready to take the final exam and try for her licence. I think she'll do well, she's very,very quick!

Restoring Order....

to my sewing room...a much needed exercise. I'm running slow this January, and things are way out of control in there. In the process I came across this stack of 9 patches. I must have been working with 2" squares because they are 5" blocks. And I see that I used mostly dark and mediums. Like Bonnie and her "odd blocks", I wondered where I had been going with these and when?? No matter. I see 44 of them, counted and pinned into groups of 10. It
occurred to me this a.m. that I could set them with a
single hour glass(or broken dish) block and get some nice diagonals going.
If you are cutting squares specifically for hour glass, you get 2 sets of triangles from each paired off square. I don't want toooo much duplication in the broken dishes scrap quilt and using one of the pair in the 9 patches would work
fine. Two quilt tops from one set of blocks sewn..*VBS*
I also managed to find the first 3 heartstring blocks that I did. These will be going to Nancy. I'm in the process of cutting more foundation blocks and probably will keep putting a few more out for that project. I'm pretty low on 2" strips right now, and virtually NO red ones, so I'd better do that also..*S* I've been seeing such lovely quilts all around the Mavericks ring and the Stash ring too, wish I was part of that great creations effort. Makes me blue sometimes, this puddling along with a dib and a dab. Guess I need to remember to be grateful that I can see to do some things..*VBS* I think I am going to use the triangles cut off the heartstrings to make some wonky stars. Won't matter there if I get it straight or not...LOL