Works in Progress

You might remember seeing some of the Bunny Hill blocks that I did a while back. I printed the pattern off when it was offered as a free Block of the Month from Ann at Bunny Hill. While I was spending time on Pat Sloan's quilt forum, I learned that a bunch of us had this quilt on our want to do list.
We decided to do it as a sort of a block of the month project. We were going to do 2 blocks a month and get this cute quilt done. I kept up with my blocks.

Of course, as it often happens, once the blocks were done they just stayed in the project box waiting to be finished. On the day that I bought sashing and border fabrics I must have been very creative. I usually tend to be a bit 'safe' when choosing fabrics. Every now and then I really just go crazy.

I have the top together now. Here it is in all of it's wildness. I am not sure how I feel about it, but I do think it is anything but 'safe'. I even got some fabric today for the backing. So I have no excuse for not getting this done, done ,done.

I have also been working on a Block of the Month that I have been running at the shop. You saw the first couple of blocks. Here is a favorite block.

The hubby held it up for me once I got all the blocks together.

I now have two of the three borders on it. I am hoping to get the remaining border on tomorrow and layer it for quilting. I am following McKenna Ryan's instructions for quilting, which is quilting and securing the edges of the applique in one. After that I can finally put on all the really cute embellishments. I will show it once it is all done.

Happy stitching
Beth

One Crazy Pinterest Project

I have been having a lot of fun playing on Pinterest. Sooo many ideas and sooo little time. Of course I don't limit myself to just quilt related items. I have also been trying to get my sister to get set up and check out Pinterest. Near the end of November my sister and my older daughter were over visiting me and I pulled up Pinterest and handed the laptop to my sister. I heard "Oh that is cute" many times. One of the things she liked hit me as a good project for me to make for her. The project : a small battery operated clock with colorful mice surrounding it.  Of course the original link was gone so no instructions for knitting the mice. I went to Ravelry and looked for tiny mice and I found a pattern
The mice were actually supposed to be knit in the round, but I did not have size 1 double points so I decided to just use straight needles and sew up the mouse once I had it knitted. So I bought some DK weight yarn and got busy.

Once the body is knit, stuff with fiberfill. I found out the hard way that the mice look better a bit overstuffed.

Then of course each mouse needed two ears knit. Little, tiny ears.  And a tail that is just a crochet chain.

Embroider a little nose and a couple of eyes.

Add the tail and ears and one mouse done. Yeah!!!! Repeat....
The finished clock.

I will not even tell you what my sister said to me when she saw it on Christmas eve, but the word nuts figured in there. ;) In case you are worried, this was not her 'main' gift.

I will be have some quilty pics to show you very soon.
Happy stitching
Beth

2014, how did that happen?

I do realize that we are nearly half way through January already, but let me say Happy New Year anyway. On New Year's Eve day I got the cold/flu that I had been fighting. Like BAM. I am finally starting to feel better. Of course I had big plans to get back to UFO busting and really finish some of those quilts. Might have to rework that schedule a bit. LOL

Just a quick catch up. After having foot pain for weeks after the quilt show in September, I went to the foot Dr. and found I had a stress fracture. I was in a post op shoe for 5 weeks and that wasn't doing the job, so I got a lovely boot. I wore that for 3 weeks before I got my foot liberated. It seemed like forever.

During this same time, DH left for Portland, Or to help take care of his mother. He was there for 2 months.While he was there both of our girls flew to Portland to see Grandma too. He came home the first Saturday in December and his Mom passed away December the 10th. I know he was glad that he had spent so much time with her.

Last January I started knitting for my co workers for Christmas. I made cowls and scarves for them. It felt good to have that much done since I spent so much time off the fractured foot. Shopping just wasn't on the approved list of activities. (Of course DH was gone so I couldn't even enlist his help.)  These a few of the cowls that were gifted.

I am once again joining in on Pat Sloan's UFO busting challenge for the year, so hopefully I can get a bunch of those tops quilted and done. Then of course there are the other UFOs, like unfinished BOMs. Why am I such a sucker for a BOM? They always seem so innocent. Just one block or two a month. Easy right? Only if you don't end up doing a half dozen or so. I am still trying to resist some new ones that are starting up. 

Stay tuned and see how many I end up working on. And if I make progress finishing those pesky UFOs.   

Happy stitching.

A little sewing

I have been just so bad about blogging. It seems like I am not getting much done so there is not much to blog about. I have been working on a few things so I will share those things with you.
Pat Sloan started a few projects rather close together and of course I wanted to do them all.
The one that has actually gotten worked on is a year in applique from Pat's book New Ideas for Applique . You know how I love a Block of the Month. The two most recent blocks:
Once in a blue moon

and Candy Corn Toss.

There is still a ways to go, we did not start at the beginning of the year. I am also working on her pattern "Traffic Jam" which was a free pattern Pat had in her newsletter. That I am working on as a leader and ender.  Hopefully soon I will have something to show on that project.

I as still working on the McKenna Ryan BOM at the shop. Here is the third block. I still need to get pictures of the next two. I am working on the last block then it will be time to get it all together.

We had gotten a book by Tula Pink in the shop 100 blocks and I wanted it, but I resisted. Then I found a sew along in the blogs and I caved in. I bought the book, raided my stash, and went shopping for more fabric. (And more and more, but I digress) True to form, I did not start right away. Wow does a week fly by fast. Before I knew what happened I was weeks behind. I made a plan. I worked on the current week's blocks and blocks from the beginning. In a few weeks I caught up. I won't show you all those photos but I will share a couple.

I bought a piece of pink foam insulation when I was doing my layout for the quilt show and I plan to wrap it in either batting or flannel and  nail it to the wall for a design wall. Any thoughts on what to use? Hopefully soon I can put up the Tula blocks and see how it is looking.

I am also cutting DD's quilt that has been on the to do list way too long. I really must get a handle on those pesky UFOs.

Later and happy stitching

A few of my favorite quilts

I arrived at the show very early on Friday just to make sure everything was ready to go at the mini auction. It was.  So I wandered around and looked at all the quilts. It is so sew inspiring to see the quilts that everyone makes. Some simple, some stunning, all beautiful!!
Some of my friend's quilts:
Marcia and I did this Block of the month last year. Hers is done, mine is in pieces. (Jo Morton pattern)

She also entered Raining Cats and Dogs by Bunny Hill. I did the embroidery, she did the rest

Jeannie did this beauty as a Block of the Month (through the mail) But she took it up a few notches

Look at that beading.

She also designed, stitched, and quilted this one.

Carol had a favorite of mine in the show, pattern was in APQ I think.

She also did these cute dresses.

I did have mini quilts in the auction. Does that count? Hu?

Happy stitching

Can't get the last picture to post, so no dresses this time.

The Quilt Show Unfolds

Last weekend our guild held it's quilt show "Our Quilts in Bloom". It is really fun to watch the show come together, even more fun if you are not the one putting it together ;).   My committee of one, me, was the Mini quilt Silent Auction. Thursday was set up day and Friday was opening day. On Thursday I hung 95 minis, with some wonderful volunteers. Then I went home to nap because I knew Friday would be a long day.
Here are the minis for auction

The show closed at 8 pm Friday night. The bidding on the minis closed at 7pm. We start a count down about a half an hour before which usually results in a mob of bidders returning to the table to bid one more time. Once the bidding closes we circle the last bidder and the amount. Then the crown surges forward to find all the bids they won. They take them to the cashier and then the cashier hands them off to one of the volunteers to pull the mini(s) off the board. The rest are taken down, pinned to the bid sheet and set aside. Then we hung 100 more mini quilts for Saturday's auction.  Then  Saturday we do it all over again.

I am now following up on all the minis that were won by people who were not at the show when the bids closed. Not my favorite part. But I can contact people in my jammies, and I did.

Will show you some quilts next post!
Happy stitching

Book Review

Bethany House publishers sent me a book to read. My part of the deal is that I review it on my blog. I chose "Rules of Murder" by Julianna Deering.
Let me first say that I am a life long fan of mystery series, Cherry Ames, Nancy Drew, Bobbsey Twins, to name a few. I grew older read more 'adult' mysteries. Can't get enough of them.

The back cover of this book says: "Introducing Drew Farthering.  From the tip of his black homburg to the crease in his Cheviot trousers, he's the epitome of a stylish 1930s English gentleman. His only problem? The body he just discovered."

I found Drew and his best friend, Nick likable, but maybe not really believable. That being said it didn't really bother me. I enjoyed the contrast of the English gentlemen and the American girls. The plot wasn't difficult to follow, but there were enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.Strange characters pop in and make you wonder hmmm?   A bit of romance, some danger, and of course murder to solve.  Enjoyable reading.

I plan to look for more by this author.