Behind on Posting Due to a House Full of Illness...Catching Up!

This house has been full of illness, Flu and Upper Respiratory Illness and Sinus Infection. ARGH. I still have gotten a few things done and I am going to make one large post regarding them. I just want to catch up so I can keep going...LOL

First of all, I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas!! Boy it got here fast and then was gone even quicker, Yah?

Here are some of the last minute items I was able to finish for gifts for Christmas, and some items I received as gifts from swaps and such. Enjoy!!

Finished the pillow to go along with this little doll quilt for a cousin.

Wall quilt for my  mother for Christmas! Looks to me like a winter forest..LOL. she loves it. I also made a couple of mug rugs using the trees (forgot to get a picture of them.).

This is all the wonderful items I got in a Secret Santa Stocking Swap. I especially love the pincushion with the bag hanging off it for scraps. The pins and safety pins will come in handy especially since I needed more of them...LOL. Thank you Barbara Smythe for my wonderful gifts.

Sweet Skating Sue Mini Wall Quilt Swap. Inst it wonderful!! These were traded on the Quilting Gallery. 

 I was ill when mine got sent out and we forgot to get a picture. Unfortunately, my partner didn't receive hers so I'm currently whipping out another one to send off to her. I hate when things go missing, don't you?

Thanks for looking, Ill have to get a post up on my progress with Easy Street!

Christmas Stuffs

There was a discussion recently about what a scrap was. Some people stated that their scraps were made up of things from fat quarters to 2.5 in pieces. Most said they don't use much less than 2 in pieces for scraps. Me, well, I use everything. All those threads and trimmings and such that most just trash into the trashcan and then take out with the trash, I keep those. Yes, I really do. I use them to make pillows or stuff ornaments like this little tree here. It is stuffed full of batting trimmings, block trimmings, strings. Anything, that most would call trash, its stuffed into this little tree. I was able to make over 45 of these ornaments using up two FULL ziplock bags of trimmings. Not a bit of quilting goes to waste in my house...LOL.

The next item I finally got finished is this Christmas pillow.  I could have made it with strips of fabric, but I had been gifted these fabrics in 2 in blocks. I sewed them all together to make a throw pillow.

I also made this table runner using up some o those 2in blocks, then pulled the burgundy fabric from my stash. This will look perfect on my Christmas dinner table. Once I get it decorated Ill have to come back and post a picture of what it looks like. I'm so excited to finally get going on some of my Christmas project. Better late than never, right???

So what are you making this Christmas season??

Easy Street - Step 3

I managed to get this step completed. I procrastinated this week. Don't know why, but I did...LOL

I used greens in the place of Bonnie's Blues.

I also cut two 3in green blocks to make 4 triangles. Did you remember?

Here is a pic of all the little parts so far. I cant wait to see what this turns out looking like.

Be sure to hop over to Quiltville and check out the Step 3 linky party!

Part Two - Easy Street Mystery

I am actually keeping up this year with the mystery! Last year I got so frustrated on some of the steps that I just had to put the mystery away. Took me almost a year to finish Orca Bay! Not this year! I am bound and determined to get every step completed in the week it is presented. So with all that said here is the pile of my 2 x 3.5 in Flying geese. Where Bonnie chose to use purples, I have chosen blues!

Below is one each of the geese and the fabrics I chose to use. Don't they all look nice together?

I also cut the 64 2 x 3.5 black and white rectangles that Bonnie said would be used for the part 3 of the mystery and put them away with the other steps.

I am just about out of black and white fabrics for the background, so will have to go scouting this next weekend for more of them. I had hoped to not have to shop, but well shopping for fabric is what we quilters do, right?

The linky party for step 2 is up. Hop on over there and check out where everyone else is on their mystery.

Easy Street Mystery

Bonnie Hunter is at it again. A new mystery that is. It is called Easy Street and Bonnie says it is to be much easier than the past two mysteries.

I have yet to finalize my color choices for the mystery but did settle on the constant gray and the black and whites for the background fabrics. Part one was to make 192 4-patches that will finish 3 in.

Here is a picture of mine.

Bonnie is holding a linky party HERE. Go check out the color combinations others are using. We are off to a running start. I just hope I can keep up this year. Took me almost a year to finish Orca Bay...LOL

Can't wait to see clue two next Friday.

Have a great day everyone!

"New to Me" Sewing Machine

I found this sewing machine for $15 dollars at an estate sale over the weekend. Boy it was a mess, but after a good cleaning, she is as good as new. She has been well loved. I plugged her in and turned her on and she purrs like a kitten. Lovely.

She is a Singer 6234.

I cant seem to find out her age. according to the Singer website, LOL, she is a 1900. That cannot be right. This is according to the serial number which only has one letter in the front and it is an N. From the looks of her I am thinking perhaps a 90's machine.

If anyone owns one of these, let me know. I have some questions about where to get parts for it. It only came with one bobbin and it has a crack in it. Learning to fill the bobbin on this machine was quite interesting. I have never had a drop in bobbin machine.

We will have so much fun working together, I am sure.

Bow-tie top, Sewing Machine Cover, Halloween Mug Rug

Here are several items I have been able to finish over the last few days. 

Here is a pic of the Bow-tie top I finished. This was inspired by Bonnie Hunters Cheddar Bow-Tie Quilt.

Here is a sewing machine cover, much need. Now I need to make another one for the new sewing machine I just acquired...more on that in another post. 

Mug rug made with the scraps left over from a Halloween quilt I'm working on. I try to use up as many bits and pieces left over from all my projects. Always in need of mug rugs...LOL.

 Here is the back of the mug rug, or it could be vice versa.

UFO's to complete by the end of 2012, Can I do It?

 

Well I have completely forgotten about these. I have about 30 of them done, then life got in the way! I have some major catching up to do with this. I really want to finish this by the end of the year like the plan says.  Anyone else doing these tiny houses?

So another UFO to knock off my list.



I am hoping by the end of the year to complete these UFO's.

1. Crabapple quilt FMQ'ed, bound and given to my Dad.
2. Bow-ties, top finished, FMQ'ed,  bound and used as a throw in my living room.
3. Pink baby quilt, FMQ'ed, bound and possibly given to a baby at Christmas
4. Baby boy I-spy quilt in camoe fabric, top made, FMQ'ed, bound and delivered to the new mom.
5. Halloween quilt, Top finished, FMQ'ed, bound and put away for next Halloween. 
6. Cousin's Queen Wedding quilt finished, FMQ'ed, bound and given.
7. Building houses from scraps quilt, finish squares, complete top.

So now these are in writing for the whole world to see...LOL. I will get these done, not necessarily in this order. 

WIP Wednesday

I have two items going on here today.  I am trying to get this one off my wall and into a quilt my this evening and getting close...woohoo. This is all my blocks for my 3-D bow-tie quilt. Ill update a picture later to this post once it is finished.

This set of blocks are made from a 2.5 in swap that I am currently active with. All the fabrics are Halloween.  I will add a border, then a pieced border using all the fabrics in this, then one last border and it should be a little bigger than a twin. Will have to wait and see how big it becomes. 

These blocks are made using this video on Utube.  

Im linking up with:

UFO Sunday

I have had my Dad's quilt top for almost a year. I want to have this one finished. Yesterday I completed the backing for it and have it laid out on the dining room table to get it pinned so I can FMQ it.This is my project for today. I must get this UFO finished so Dad can use his quilt this year.

Linkin up with:

On another note, this little doll quilt that I showed a few days ago is Done, Done, Done. Isn't it cute? I am thinking this will go to my little cousin for Christmas.

Off to work on Dad's quilt, have a great afternoon!

Friendship Embroidery Swap Recieved and 3-D Bow-ties

 I got this sweet little mini quilt in the mail today. I joined in the Quilting Gallery's Friendship Embroidery Swap about a month ago. I showed you in this post the one I made for my partner. This one is perfect to hang in my living room. Lynette Rolston sent this beauty all the way from New Zealand!!

 Lynette also sent this candy, the coconut block is to die for!! She included a beautiful fabric pack.

Thank you Lynette, I love it all!

Many of you probably know about the year long project Bonnie Hunter had going last year with her Chedder Bow-ties, right? Well I made a bunch of 3-D bow-ties as my project. I pulled them out today and started working on making the center part of the bow-ties into cathedral windows. Bonnie's bow-ties measure at 3.5 unfinished. Mine measure 6.5 unfinished. 

These are a few of them that are finished. I have a ways to go with them. Bonnie inspired me to pull them out and get them finished. She has been sewing her's together for the past two days and was determined to finish them today while she was on QuiltCam. 

I cant wait to get them finished and figure out how I am going to put the quilt together. I am thinking I will sash them as they are way to cute by themselves. Ill just have to see how many I have. Bonnie now has a bunch of blocks (9 bow-ties to each block) made and plans to lay hers out to see how she wants to put the blocks together.

The backing for my dads quilt is also made. The quilt, batting and backing are all laid and ready to pin. I didn't feel up to pinning it tonight. I will get done tomorrow and then sewing machines will get moved around so I can begin to quilt this massive thing. It is going to take me a while...LOL. I am determined tho to FMQ this myself! I shall prevail.

Hope you are sewing your hearts out as well. Later.

Christmas Gift almost finished...Doll Quilt

Made this cute little doll quilt today. Took me about 2 hours from making the half-square triangles to getting the quilting done. I still need to pick a fabric to use for binding. I am thinking a light blue would be perfect to finish this off. 

Funny thing about this little quilt is I received a package of 2.5 in squares in the mail. These squares were in the package. They were calling to me to make something, and I did just that. This is 22x18 inches.  I just think this is adorable. 

This picture doesn't do the color justice. They are much brighter than this.

Tomorrow I will be getting the a back pieced for my fathers Crabapple Quilt (Bonnie Hunter). Don't know what happened, but the piece we purchased ended up being about a foot too short. I just cant imagine why it happened but it did, so now need to piece something into it to make it the right size.  Can't wait  to get that finished for Dad, especially since it is starting to get cold. 

Until tomorrow, dream quilty dreams.!

Favorite Halloween Candy...

What is your favorite Halloween Candy???


Mine is candy corn and all the little shapes that are made with this candy. My birthday was earlier this month and my mother gave me these...

Candy Pumpkins!!

Yum!!

Now to make this post quilty, cause you know I just have too...LOL... Here is my candy corn mug rugs. These will be sent to some wonderful ladies I am in a swap with. I really hope they like them.

So tell me, what is your candy of choice in the Halloween season??

Two Complete Projects and One Complete Top

Orca Bay Top...DONE, DONE, DONE!!

I couldn't decide if I wanted to put another border on this and have decided that I like it just the way it is. It is finally finished and I think it is wonderful. Now have to decide what to do for the backing. I have a few ideas. This is going to be a beast to quilt on my domestic. May take a while to finish. Simple meander is what Ill use so I can hit all the little bits in this. Im so happy it is done!!

Back in March,  I was given a ton of scraps and such from a lady who passed away... See Beefing Up My Stash. I happened across these squares the other day and instead of just putting them away again, I decided to make a pillow. I had just enough to make this. It goes well with my daughter decor in her room. Guess who claimed it!! Yup... Daughter did!! LOL.

Why is it when you join a swap, you end up loving the item you are sending to your partner? This is for the Friendship Embroidery Mini Quilt Swap over at the Quilting Gallery. This is the first time I have ever attempted embroidery and the first time I actually matched the corners of the last border this way. I know there is a name for it, but it escapes me right now. Ill add it when I think of it...LOL. I really hope my partners likes what I came up with.

So those are my recent finishes. I am working on some candy corn mug rugs and a Halloween Quilt. What are you up to?

Promised Pictures

I meant to get pictures of the items I promised yesterday, but got side tracked. All I have is a teaser of what my Orca Bay is going to look like. I need to come up with a name tho.

Did you know that Mobile, Alabama is the original Mardi Gras in the US? Yes it is!! Many people don't know that little fact, mainly because New Orleans is talked about so much in the Mardi Gras season. My grandfather was one of the founding members of the Mystic Strippers here in Mobile. I have a couple of pictures of my grandfather dressed in his costumes holding me. I must have only been like 2 or 3 at the time. Wonderful pictures.

The reason I am telling you all this is part of the reason I need to come up with a name. The colors I chose to use for this quilt are black, gold, green and purple. My Mardi Gras quilt. Thought about calling it Mobile Bay, but...LOL...that doesn't make sense does it? I also do not want to just call it Mardi Gras. Sooooooooooo, the thinking of a name goes on. Anyone have any suggestions???

Here is the little teaser picture.