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Monday, October 27, 2014

Ice Cream, anyone??

Yeah, another quilt finished!  This one is from the Disappearing Hourglass tutorial at MissouriStarQuiltCo.com.  I love this site - have found many tutorials I'd like to follow someday - when I have time....but this one grabbed me right away.  I used fabric called Ansonia by Denyse Schmidt for FreeSpirit.  It's in a brown/pink/cream combination and reminds me of neopolitan (how do you spell that?) ice cream, or a banana split!  I even had a cone of King Tut variegated thread in brown/pink/cream to MATCH!  How about that?  Thanks Carol!!!

This was a fun block to make - although I incorrectly cut many squares in the beginning....they became part of the back of the quilt.  There was an interesting stripe in this collection - I love stripes, especially for binding, and this one is no exception.  However, I didn't like the blocks I made with the stripe fabric - they went into the back of the quilt, too.  As Peggy would tell me, "it's all good!"

This one is a rather large lap quilt - 64" x 75", large enough for a couple laps.



I finished up a box of microwave-a-bowl sets to send to Jamie for her craft fairs and yesterday I almost completed another top.  I had my Bernina serviced this month and it's been wonderful being able to sew with it again.  My Brother 1500 is getting a well deserved rest.

However, rests are sometimes short!!  Stefani asked me to put together a quilt for her Mom for Christmas using blocks made by her Great-Grandmother.  She brought the suitcase over the other day and we found an abundance of blocks, some partially completed pieces, a couple fairly large hexagons and even a LARGE 80" x 96" completed top.  We'll be putting together a quilt for her Aunt, one for her Mom, and working on shadow boxes for her Grandma and Grandpa and another Aunt, I think.  Anyway, the suitcase will be pretty empty when we're finished and it should be fun taking these pieces that have been sitting for so long and helping them come to life and bring a little of her Great-Grandmother back.  Wish me luck - I'm already dreaming of what to do, oh, what to do!!

Mom continues to do well.  All of our home health providers are gone now, and I worry a little when she coughs...but we'll have to keep an eye on it.  Stefani is now only going to be here 4 days/week as she needs a weekend day to spend with her fiancee (how dare she???).  We're taking the hours from Sunday and adding them to Thurs/Fri/Sat so that will give me a little more time on those days.



Thursday, October 16, 2014

Jobs are finished!

Okay, quilts for Weed and 20+ microwaveable bowl sets are off to Jamie and aprons are off to Mindy.  Now I can get back to something else.  Stefani has been sick since Wednesday (when she was going to work to replace this coming Saturday as she wants to go to Six Flags) so I haven't really had much time to concentrate on anything.  Hopefully, she will be better by tomorrow.

I have some quilt tops that have been sitting, waiting for backings, etc., so they can become QUILTS - I'm hoping to concentrate on getting a few of them completed.  I've really been trying to get the "piles" under control lately - this should help!!

Our weather has been crisper - it's about 60* now with some "saucer" clouds outside.  Mom is sitting at the front window enjoying the warmest spot in the house - right under a heater vent.  We have Pandora playing and she's "resting" her eyes.  Ah, what a life!!

Don's going to watch Nan for me so I can get to the quilt store.  I need to find a yellow fabric for Bonnie Hunter's new mystery quilt.  This one is pink, blue, green and yellow and is in honor of the Grand Hotel in the UP of Michigan.  It'll be 88"x88".  Nan of course thinks EVERY quilt is for her - and if not, she'd like to be in line for it if whoever doesn't like it....quite funny.  This one just may go on MY bed - one never knows????

No photos today, everything's boring..but I'll get back to work now!

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Margie's Quilt

Finally, photos to share of Margie's quilt.  Margie has been Nan's O.T. since we've been here.  I think she's actually been with us for over a year of that time.  It's probably understandable that the people you have helping you become like family - but then I think the people have to be super special, too.  And that Margie is!  

Her plan from the beginning wasn't to actually make Nan "better - like she was before she fell and broke her hip".  Her plan was to make the new "normal" the best it could be.  I appreciate that!  And Nan gave her best always!  Even when she was too tired to really do the work!

 I made the Harry Potter quilt for her  - to give to her son and daughter-in-law for their first Christmas as a married couple.  It was fun to do and certainly challenged me.  When it was finished, she decided she'd really like a quilt of her own to remember us by.  So, here it is!



Now, I'm off to finish up as many microwave bowl sets as I have vinyl to do.  Hopefully, Jamie will be able to add them to her stock at Craft Fairs this fall and we'll have some extra cash to put away for fabric!!!  I'll publish a photo of them when they're done.

Oh, and I have a few aprons I just cut out to do for Mindy and her "girls".

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Quilts Ready for Weed, CA

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday.  I was able to purchase a new Ott light floor model yesterday at 50% off minus 25%.  Great buy!!  Once we figured out how to get it to work (Don, of course, came up with a way to "snap" in the light bulb thing.)  Anyway, it works GREAT and I can see so much better at my sewing machine now.

Here are photos of the quilts I have finished to send off to Jamie for the people of Weed, CA.  This first one is a scrappy bargello, one of my all-time fav designs by Bonnie Hunter.  It's backed with FROGS and lilypads.  So cute - I had to return to Craft Market to purchase the last 2 yards on the bolt.



The second is like the one I did for Zach except really scrappy.  The back fabric is puppy dog paws!  Love the bright colors here...and check out the binding - doggie bones!

The third is a scrappy front and CATS, CATS, CATS on the back!

And this little one - a "girly Ballerina" - It is adorable however, the fabric is much coarser than 100% cotton should be.  I bought AN ENTIRE ROLL of it for our ballerina project back in the day...and I have a rather large roll left!  I did wash this small quilt though and it does seem SOFTER.  This fabric has a silver sparkle to it - which became part of a couple of Don's shirts, too.  Don't tell him...but I'll bet it's REALLY CUTE on him!
The hearts are appliqued onto the quilt and are made of chenille.


I finished the top for Margie yesterday.  Hope to get it sandwiched and quilted tomorrow!  I'm liking it...hope she does too!

And as a final note today, I checked with "Tony" the mobile repair guy.  He's coming to check out my Bernina.  The needle has been offset since I caught the cord with my foot and down we both went - that was probably a couple years ago.  I'm looking forward to being able to zigzag again (funny, I know).  Tony thinks it'll be fixable as part of the overall cleaning, etc.  I hope so!!!