May "me" Week

This week I've been sewing my heart out!

Finished this quilt for Project Linus:

Yesterday I made this top and didn't even dent my "strings" drawer. 

Monday I finished these tops:

Yes, some were almost finished and just needed borders, but some were from the start.  The tops will be added to my Project Linus bag and I'll let someone else finish them.  I've just got to clear things out so that I can work on my Commissioned Quilt.  The fabrics for that should be here next week!  I'm so excited.  Hopefully today I can play with the block a bit.

After reading the Sunshine Quilters Yahoo Group last night, I cut some green 3.5 inch squares and added them to some blocks that I had won in a lotto recently.

...and I nearly forgot this little quilt that went into the mail yesterday for my swap partner for May.

I also ordered more labels:

(Gutentags on etsy)

And now for some May beauty from our yard.

That was a fun little break and now back to some sewing.  If I haven't visited your blog, it's cause I'm so busy sewing!!!!  Visiting blogs...maybe Sunday!

 

A Few Distractions of Late!

Now that three quilts are done and mailed off, I have more to finish and it seems that I have had endless distractions that have taken me away from quilting. 

I did have lunch with the gals I went to California recently and one of the gals had taken the sea shells and made a cute little centerpiece and then I made a mat for them to sit on.  I added to that some of the things my oldest son sent me from Hawaii while he lived there and then I still had some shells from my sis when she lived in Virginia Beach.

Some photos from Newport Beach:

It was such a fun trip!

Now that I'm home, I still have a new iphone that I have totally figured out and the earphones don't seem to work for me so I need to go back to the store and then I need to head the other way--to Bountiful and take my computer in.  It's giving me some problems even after it was serviced while I was away!  Seems like all I've been doing is running around!

One Sunshine quilt on the machine that I didn't get finished yesterday and two on the spare bed that need binding!  ...maybe today...but then I've been saying that for two weeks now...can't believe I've been home for two weeks and don't have any more to show for my time here!

We did take some time yesterday to see Mud the movie with Michael McConaughey.  That was a nail biter!  Great movie!!!

Finished Feels Great!

I've been to California and back and now finally catching up!  I finished the quilt that I've shown before.

I love the lime green binding on this one.  The quilting turned out even better than I could have imagined.

Then this one:

What a day I had yesterday.  I went to get some bloodwork done and couldn't find Labworks in Ogden.  I asked someone, and still couldn't find it.  I thought I had Google map and it was Yahoo and giving me incomplete information.  So after about 1 1/2 hours trying to find the place on a fasting mindset, I headed to Bountiful which is about 30 minutes away to try their lab.  So at 10:30 rather than the 8:00 a.m. I'd hoped for, I found I was too dehydrated to give blood.  It just wouldn't go up the needle.  Bummer!  With a severe headache I stopped for some breakfast only to find it was lunchtime!  ...and that was just the beginning.  But last night during NCIS I finished the handwork on the above quilts and felt a little less disoriented.  It took a whole day for my nerves to unravel and the water to get through my system again.  Today, I'm still trying to rehydrate and then I'll try again tomorrow, drinking water in the a.m.  Wish someone would have told me sooner that I could fast and drink water.  Oh well.  Another experience in life!!

It was also my MIL's birthday, yesterday.
96!

It's Beginning to Look Like Spring

It's been awhile coming, but my almond bush is now blossoming so I know spring is officially here.

Here is a quilt I sent my sister.  After I visited her, I realized how much she like pink, so I sent her this quilt.

The flowering almond bush makes a great setting for this quilt.

The butterflies quilted into the quilt should make her happy as she likes butterflies too.

 

I sent off the Doll Quilt for the month of April.  The theme was birthday, since this is the one year birthday for the Doll Quilt Swap.  See the side border if you'd like to join in on the fun.  

 Of course I had a bit of trouble squaring this quilt up and it didn't turn out quite squared, but I did have fun with it.  

I also received a post card from the UK the other day.  I'm amazed at the quilting skills on this one!

I keep wanting to opt out of the group, cause my cards don't look this good, but then maybe I'll learn a thing or two from those that send them to me.  This one is lovely!

My quilter brought back the two string quilts and they look lovely.  I don't know when I'll get them bound though as I have a little excursion coming up.

The sun is shining and I'm looking forward to maybe turning the heat off today!

Have a great, spring day!

Off to the Quilt Shop

I started a bright birthday type doll quilt for my partner for April and now I don't have enough of anything for the binding...

Here's a sneak peek

So, I'll be visiting a nearby quilt store today.  I have a 20% off coupon I need to use anyhow before the end of April.  Was there any doubt I wouldn't use it?   :) 

Just finished this little quilt for my MIL.  I found some embroidery that she had done a number of years ago.  I soaked it in Oxyclean to take the yellowing out and I made it into this quilt to hang on her door at the assisted living place where she lives.  She'll be 96 in May.

Linking to Finish Friday

Ready to Quilt

I've been really busy piecing these two quilts.  Now that they are done with that part, I'm a bit lost, but soon I'll be getting them ready to quilt.

I went with the warm tones, and then decided to try a color combo using cool with the greens, something like deep within a forest.  The sashing strips were 1 inch before sewing.  Think I'll need to get some tweezers if I do that again.  I do like the effect of the small strips though.

 

I never tire from doing string quilts.  They are fun to just let oneself work with the fabrics and the colors and then the design flows from there.

It's snowing today in Utah.  Spring surprise!

Have a happy, creative week!

Ready to Quilt

Now it's ready to quilt. I'm not sure how I'll quilt it or what thread to use. I'll think on it while I sew together the green "Eye of God". My quilting is usually a little more free form that this quilt calls for. It may be quite a challenge for me. It used nearly a yard of the burgundy. Was going to do maybe one more border, but this is now the "end." The triangles around the second border are just like I did them on the first quilt like this...a little off from the pattern, but then whose going to have the pattern to look at??? This was a New Year's Mystery quilt. I had it in my mind that it took forever to do... I guess when you only get one clue a month, this much would have taken 4 months. LOL :-)

 

I've searched the internet for the link to this pattern and the only link I could find was this

I'm glad I had the presence of mind to save the pattern, even though I swore I'd never make it again.  This is what my friend picked as his "thank you" for chauffeuring me around Atlanta.  

 

This is the quilt my sister has and the one he had his eye on.

   The fabrics I found are pretty close to what I had used before.  I'll be so glad to finish this one and send it on.  I'll post a finish when I do.

Friday P.S.

I have some of the rust fabric left that I could make a border from.  I'm not sure.  If I add anymore then I'll need to piece the backing.  If I bind it in the rust fabric it'll give more of that brown feel.  I've spent a lot of time of this already and it is a gift--and I don't want it to be really out of proportion in relation to the chauffeuring to and from the airport while I was in Atlanta.  One more border around the edge could maybe finish is off a bit.  

What do you think?  Please leave a comment.

Sharing on Whoop Whoop

Glad I Caught This one in Time!

I was looking at the medallion that I'd made and I must have turned the block around about four times before I spotted my error.

Now it's fixed and ready for some HST's to go around the edges.

This is for an order and I've been meticulous about it and can't believe I still missed the first "ribbit".  

Another Pillow

GD wanted a pillow.  So we found a spare block and made it into a pillow top.  I had an extra pillow form, so we made a pillow cover for the pillow.

She found some cute animal fabric the other day and we cut it to make a medallion center and then she added some wonky stars I had set aside on another quilt.  We used some crumb blocks and voila, a new top.  I got it quilted and bound yesterday and now it's ready for her to take home for a friend's baby.

I tried a batting that was an iron on type, but after using it, I'd rather just use a100% cotton and press the fabric to it as I've shown on the tutorial on my sidebar.  It works just as well when I press the fabric onto the cotton batting and the cotton is softer to quilt with than that batting with the spray adhesive.  After washing, though, it did turn out nice and soft and you would have never known it was stiff before I washed it.

Going over to Whoop Whoop here:

It's Been Awhile!

On my recent trip to Atlanta, I came back with three orders for quilts.  The quilt I started, now needs 3 strings to finish it.  They have to be a certain Kaufman Batik.  I scoured the internet yesterday for hours.  I finally ordered a fat quarter pack from Craftsy where I first purchased the same pack.  I hope that fabric is still in this pack!  Otherwise, I will have to change the quilt.

This is my first setting--gotta change it up I can see...

the next one...

and the one I'll be using...

I took one block out that didn't seem to be working and now I just have three blocks left.  The border can then be added.  The man wanted green and I hope he likes this.  If not, I could use it in my house as a wall hanging!  I love the lime green.  I think it sets things off rather well.  So much for getting my stash of batiks used up with the orders I've got coming in.  I guess that's how things go in quiltland!

I just barely clicked in on why I like the string quilts so much!  They remind me of the Native American Eye of God!

I sent this little post card off for a swap.  I think making these postcards with freedom is hard, because the post card is so small.  Next time, I'm going to try something totally different.  This is on some hand dyed yellow that I did myself.

Got a call this a.m. from GD.  Plain and simple, "When can I come sleepover?"  We have a quilt that we started the other day and she's wanting to get it finished.  A friend in the neighborhood had a baby and she wants to give that new baby a quilt!  She's really good at putting the blocks together...just wait til you see what's she's done!

All the stars I had made and put aside for this

are now used in other quilts.  I have four at the quilter's and one for GD and then one with my twist on modern.  Maybe I'll get to quilting that one later today.