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.