Quick Update - Sunny is back on track

As I mentioned in my last post, Sunny was under the weather and would not stitch at all. Sewww, I called the Quilt Doc and we had a little conversation.

QUILT DOC: "Are you sure she is threaded correctly?" 
Annie: Yep!
QUILT DOC: "Is the bobbin turning clockwise?"
 Annie: Yep!
QUILT DOC: "Is the needle in correctly?" 
Annie: I have the long groove facing to the back. " 
QUILT DOC: " You have the needle in backwards." 
Annie: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. 

Sunny, I'm sorry I called you a finicky b*%$h.  She is running good as new now that I have turned the needled around! 

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!!!!

I don't make a big deal about this day since I'm Irish 24/7, 365 days a year but for the rest of the world who aren't as Lucky as I am,  (LOL), my wish is that you find that pot of gold, or better yet, Fabric at the end of the rainbow! 

Unhappy Villages and other mishaps

As I eluded to in my last post, I had hoped to finish Happy Villages, my Karen Eckmier project from 20??. I had finished the piecing at my last quilt retreat in October and had come up with the brilliant idea to use Misty Fuse to hold on the tulle which covers the raw edge pieces. This would, in essence, free me from sewing around aaaalllllllll of the little pieces which my fellow quilters had done back when Misty Fuse was non-existent. I used my Goddess Sheet to cover everything and ironed the Misty Fuse on.  I lifted the Goddess Sheet and admired my handiwork, BRILLIANT!!

Then, slowly I turned to reach for something, nudging the very light weight ironing board with my fat you know what, and the iron fell onto the uncovered tulle piece, melting the tulle in the village sky. 
Yep, I plundered my own village.  Here's the damage. It actually looks good here. Where is the viallge fire dept when you need them?! I pondered some ways to try and salvage it but at this point, I just think it's Karma.  This was not to be a finished project. So, I ditched it.

As for my other mishaps, welllll, my midarm, Sunny, is acting up. Having a real problem with the bobbin. She doesn't want to stitch, (finicky little b*#ch). I will need to wait til my next day off to contact the "doctor" and see if she can help me over the phone or Sunny could be taking a trip to the doctor's office.

And, I am rethinking my Barbara Brackman Civil War blocks. I am about 1/2 done with the blocks and I am losing my love for this project. This is a BIG quilt so I may just say "uncle" to Barbara and call it a day and make a lap with the blocks I have. If and when this happens, all of my Civil War repro fabric will be offered to some lucky blogger as I am closing the book on CW quilts.

Not much sewing yet this month and we are almost 1/2 way through. YIKES!!! I did start cutting the pieces for my great nephew, Cayden's baby quilt.  He is due to arrive in May. Here is what the blocks will look like.

I am loving how this is going to look. The alphabet centers are fussy cut from fabric I have had FOREVER. The blue is an oldie too. I just needed to buy the red.  This block is from Crooked Log Cabins by Pat Sloan.  I thought I might even get this quilt done before the baby is born, but since it took me 5 minutes just to lay these two blocks out on my design wall, I'm thinking Cayden may be in High School before I get this one done!. LOL! Hopefully, it will get easier after I get a few under my belt. 

The NCAA tourney starts this weekend so lots of basketball will be watched. I will be setting up a sewing station in front of the boob tube with hopes of getting some piecing done.  We are getting a new 55" flat screen LED TV !!   This is my hubby's baby. He has been scrimping and saving for a while now and finally found THE perfect TV.  He's like a 5 year old at Christmas right now, counting the days til the geek squad arrives to install it. 

Well, I am off to make some lunch for hubby and myself. He is home today to "supervise" the Geek Squad. Thought I would make some tuna fish, but don't know if I will find any in the cupboard.  Here's what I saw when I went to grab the tuna cans.  Do you see Mr. B back there? Thankfully he hasn't figured out how to use the can opener.

The February Accounting and Blogger Recognition

Well, I may have bitten off more than I could quilt this month but I did finish quite a bit on my "get it dun" list. I am finding 15 minutes here and there to do a bit of this and that which is adding up to some quilting progress. Here's a quick accounting::

- 5 civil war blocks dun;
- mastectomy pillows sewn, stuffed and delivered;
- January  and February sampler blocks finished as well as all the sashing and cornerstones for the entire quillt. The directions were given when we signed up. I figured that the odds were higher this would get finished if I did all that prep stuff up front.  These are some BIG blocks which measure 20 inches. There will be 12 all together.

And being the dandylion (i.e. one who is easily blown off course) that I am, I started another project with the Pieceful Kwilter and her 2012 stitch a long. I could not resist these blocks. Check out Shannon's blog and join in.

Seww, some of my February goals were not met. The log cabin quillt is still on the frame and the Happy Villages quilt, well, there's an unhappy story that goes along with that which I will share later.

I've gone ahead and put my March goals up. Some have been moved forward from February and some are new.  I'm finding a little accountability is producing results.

Now for Blogger Recognition... A lovely blogger ( and lurker LOL) named Karen recognized me as part of the Liebster Awards. This award is recognition of a blogger who has less than 200 followers. I was tickled pink  to be chosen especially given my spotty blogging of late.  Now it is my honor to recognize 5 bloggers who are think are awesome and meet the under 200 criteria.  

I have been reading quiltiing blogs for many years and these 5 gals have withstood the test of time.  There are lots of blogs out there about quilting but the thing that I look for when choosing a blog is not just about the nuts and bolts of the quilting but the stories behind the quilter. The beauty of the quilts are enhanced by the bits and pieces the quilter shares of her life. I want to share in her little victories (both personal and quilty) as well as commiserate and comfort her when life throws a curveball.

Plain and Simple  Libby is the best. I knew we were kindred spirits when I saw her Indian Hatchet quilt that had several blocks "trying to escape" by heading in the wrong direction ( which I would do) and she left them that way ( which I would also do!).  She and I have met in person, and visited together several times when she was living on the East Coast. Her quilts are fabulous! She is one of my dearest quilting pals and we continue our friendship despite the east coast- west coast distance.  Can't wait to meet with her again in her native California in December.

Debra's Design Studio What can I say about Debra? She is a dynamo! She is always pushing her self and the envelope in her quilting designs.  She also has a heart as HUGE as the state of Texas where she lives. She does more quilting for charity than anyone I know.  Debra and I have traded fabric on several occasions which neither of our hubbies can understand. Men!

Covered Porches  Melanie is a working gal like me but she still finds time to make beautiful quilts. Her winters in Michigan are worse than the ones I experience here in Connecticut which always makes me feel better! LOL! She also finds time for gardening which she shares.

Scrap and Thread Tales  I love this Yankee Quilter and it's not just because she loves the Red Sox, Dunkin Donuts coffee and cats! Bonnie knows sooo much about antique quilts and fabric. She is in the process of recreating an antique quilt now and is sharing her process. It is fascinating.  She also loves the modern fabric which she mixes with the old for a fantastic result.

Out of the Basement Kay is an extremely talented quilter. Her quilts have been chosen for the Road to California show!  She also loves the Hoffman challenge. It's so interesting to watch her take that (usually ugly) chosen fabric and incorporate it into a beautiful quilt. She is a world traveler and a reader who has recommended several great books which I have read and enjoyed.

Well, that's my FAB FIVE!!!!  Be sure to visit them as well as Karen. You know you need to add some blogs to your list!

5 civil war blocks and a partridge in a pear tree...

My civil war blocks for my February "get it dun" list are done! I have to say this list thing is working for me. I remade the Indiana Puzzle block which looks must better. Again, thanks to Lillian for her step by step instructions. I cut the bottom off of the New England block in this picture but it is a full block.


And 29 years ago today, we tied the knot. I don't know where the years have gone. Not only do we love each other, we still really like each other! We spent a quiet day together with our big celebration in April when we head to Puerto Rico for some fun in the sun.

Mid-month report

Hope everyone got something special from someone special today!
My hubby gave me a lovely card and made a fabulous dinner.


OK , now down to business. Since making my "get it dun" list , I have completed 3 civil war blocks and hope to have the other two finished on Friday. The Indiana Puzzle was a bear and I may remake it. Thankfully,Lillian's (of Lillian's Cupboard) instructions are still available.


I also finished my first sampler block. I love the Jinny Beyer fabric and will add borders before the end of the month as well as get block 2 finished.

The turquoise log cabin is still on the frame but I have the panto ready to go and did a few test runs without thread on Sunday to get a feel for it.
On Friday, I'll be getting together with some quilting friends and hope to get the two projects cut and ready for my retreat in April. Finally, the mastectomy pillows are done,stuffed and delivered. Looks like I may just finish my February list!!

Scraps managed

As you can see,I have won the battle of the scraps. My basket is empty and now holds all my civil war repro fabric which I hope to whittle down as I make my Barbara Brackman blocks. My goal is to make 5 blocks in February. And speaking of goals, I've made a list of goals for February. I don't know if they will all get done but I hope by writing them down there will be some accountability.
Sewww, here we go!

1. Make 5 civil war blocks;
2. Make sampler block (yep, I joined another block of the month);
3. Finish happy villages wall hanging (which has been "hanging" around for about 4 years);
4. Quilt the turquoise log cabin quilt (it is loaded on the frame which is 1/2 the battle);
5. Cut and sew mastectomy pillows (my guild's ongoing community project);
6. Cut pieces for 2 projects to take with me on my April retreat. I want to bring 4 projects to piece on that weekend. I have picked a top from "stack the deck" and one from M'liss Rae Hawley fat quarter quilts called roman stripes.

I know it is an ambitious list but February has an extra day so I should be ok. LOL

Although I was away for six months on a blogging sabbatical, I did finish a few things. This is a Round Robin I did with a few gals in my guild. It doesn't have a name yet (hence no label) but it is hanging in my sewing room. Any suggestions for a name would be welcomed.

What's a Girl Gotta do to Fondle some Fabric??!??

Like every quilter, I am always trying to fit fabric fondling into my daily schedule.  For a while, I was getting up at the buttcrack of dawn, making a cup of coffee, and spending some time in the sewing room before I hit the showers for work.  But now the buttcrack of dawn has been alloted to the gym or a spin class.  Not that I mind, sometimes that's the highlight of my day! But where to fit in the fondling??? Hmmmmm.  In trying to keep some of my New Year's resolutions, I have decided a little multitasking might work. I know that I can't do any serious sewing after dinner. That has been tried and proved disasterous. (read lots of unsewing).  Seww,  I thought that perhaps a little stash management and TV watching with hubby might work.

I am hoping that THIS MESS

 might turn into something a bit more organized.  I have pulled this scrap basket down to the TV room with my ironing board, cutting mat and rotary cutter. While watching mindless TV, I hope to fill the bucket below with strips for string blocks.

 and the bigger stuff will be cut to go into my scrap drawers ala Bonnie Hunter. 

Once this project is done, I plan on trying to do some simple sewing, like mastectomy pillows for my community project, string blocks and maybe precut some new projects to work on.  Will see where this goes!! 

Wish me luck!

I'M BACKKKK experimenting with ipad blogging

Yes, I have been away for quite some time. But I am hoping that with my new toy I will catch the blogging bug again. Any of you out there that are blogging from your ipad, let me know what app you are using ,if you like it and which to avoid. I am using a free one now but would buy one that is good and works with Blogger.
Just got back from our annual January quilt retreat which was very fun.
Lots to share if this works out. Til then

QUILT TIL YOU WILT (and no running with your rotary cutter!) :)

This little piggy went to Florida, now the quilt is going too!

This little pig was sent to Florida with my sister back in June to give to my great-niece, Bella. FYI, this little pig had been living in my fabric closet for a few years and when I reorganized, I found her buried in a bag of leftover batting.  Now you know that my stash closet was a true pig sty. LOL!

The quilt top was made over a year ago earmarked for Bella's 2nd birthday. Well, she just turned 3!!! 

Olivia's dress(that's the piggy's name) was made from the scraps of the quilt top as a peace offering until this quilt which I promised her in her 3rd birthday card was delivered!

I put the top on my frame just after my sister's visit and it has been waiting patiently,(and doubling as a kitty hammock) for a couple of weeks. Well, I finally set aside an afternoon and got 'er done. 

 I did a quick meander over the center and inspired by Debra did squiggly lines down the borders.
Don't know why I waited soo long.  

I had hoped to put another quilt on the frame to be done before my vacation but that didn't happen. So, this is my quilty contribution to my blog til I get back from California. We are going to visit Alex and Yosemite National Park as well as see a SF Giants baseball game. We figure since the BoSox are #1 in the East, we should check out the #1 competition in the West.



I'll be back soon with vacation pics. Til then, Quilt til you Wilt!!!

Bag Lady

Since last I blogged, I spent a great weekend with my sis who was visiting from Florida at the Vermont Quilt Show. It was 4.5 hours to get there from Connecticut so it was a first and last time visit for me! The show was celebrating its 30 anniversary. This year I have been to about 5 different shows and this one was quite traditional but great fun.  I also spent some time with my other sibs celebrating my mom's 75th birthday.

Here are the five of us with our dear mom!  The skinny one on the end is my sis from Florida. We all hate her for her damn skinniness!!

While at the Vermont show, I fell victim to another bag pattern.  I say, ANOTHER, as I'm known as somewhat of a bag lady in my group of acquaintances. Not that I have lots of bags but that I have lots of bag PATTERNS!  I have thought of just sewing the patterns together and making a bag cause I have sooo many of them.  But this time, I actually made the bag!!  I wanted to make a beach bag for my NJ friend, Susie, to give to her when we visited over the 4th of July weekend.  I had the fabric set aside for some time just for her bag.  This pattern is called the Chubby Charmer bag.  It uses 48 charm squares. I substituted the striped fabric for a couple of the charm rows.  It is a HUGE bag with pockets inside and it went together pretty quickly. We all know that some pattern designers are not blessed with great instruction writing skills but this one was really well written and I had no problems at all.  I followed the instructions precisely but next time round would make a couple of changes. I would add a loop and button to close it and I would add a couple of skinny pockets inside for sunglasses and sunscreen.

Here is a pic of the bag which sadly is now living in NJ. ( I almost didnt' give it to her cause I loved it sooo much!!)

  And here is a  pic of the bag and the other sad bag patterns that are waiting anxiously to be made.