Friday, September 28, 2007

Wall Quilt





I finished this wall quilt yesterday! I thought it turned out really cute. The pattern originally was for a table runner but by turning the blocks to go all one way it was easily made into a wall quilt.
The pattern came from the book Stacking a New Deck by Karla Alexander.
I think I will put this aside for a Christmas gift. Maybe make a pot holder to go with it.
Tonight I am going to PMS (Pizza, Munchies and Sewing) Friday at Sharynn's in North Vernon. A couple of the other women from our Yahoo group are going also. It will definitely be a fun night!
Tomorrow is our sewing day for the group. Occasionally we get together to sew, eat, etc. We always have a good time doing that!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Been Busy!

I have been so busy the last few days that I haven't had time to post. Not really much to post either.
Friday I had to take my son to Columbus to get his Birth Certificate. He lost his wallet and needed to replace his Driver's License. While there I had to stop at Hobby Lobby and Joann's. I didn't find a thing at Joann's but did get a quilting book from the clearance rack at Hobby Lobby. Also went to the Dollar Tree for some Scribble Pads for paper piecing paper. These are great for that purpose. At $1 for 70 sheets, a lot cheaper than paper piecing paper.
Saturday was my Step Son's 21st Birthday. A group of us went to Belterra to celebrate. Belterra is a gambling boat. No, I didn't win any money! I donated as usual. Between me and hubby, Belterra is $50 ahead. lol
Sunday, of course, was church. We have Fellowship Sunday every fourth Sunday of the month. Everyone brings in homebaked goodies and we eat after church. There was a really good pumpkin pie. It seems like forever since I had Pumpkin Pie. I took my famous Pecan rolls. One of those recipes that looks like you have slaved all day on them. Actually you use Pillsbury Crescent rolls.

I did start on a new project. The pattern is actually a table runner but I thought it would make a great wall quilt. I am hoping to finish assembling it today. Maybe I will have something to share with you tomorrow.

Have a great day!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

What would you give up?

Last April I quit my job after having worked all of my life. I guess I really needed a break from working full time. I miss it now but don't regret quitting that job. At that time I knew I would have to cut back a lot on my spending. So I sat down one day and looked at all the bills to see what we could live without. I knew I wouldn't be able to live without buying more fabric. So I cancelled the movie channels that the kids thought they had to have. Called the phone company and got a different package for the DSL, phone and long distance. I knew that wouldn't be enough though. Then it hit me! The Coke, Sprite and Dr. Pepper would have to go. That would be quite a savings! Now, I know that if you know me I don't drink those. The kids do by the cases!

What did I give up for fabric? Nothing yet! But the kids are not happy campers! LOL

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Rag Baby Quilt

I spent Sunday afternoon making a Rag Quilt for one of Greg's cousin's. Her baby is due October 5th but they expect her to go anytime. They know it will be a boy if all the tests are correct. Here is a not so good photo of the quilt. (My camera is just not what it used to be.)




These Rag Quilts are so easy and fun to make. No batting and no quilting! Made completely out of flannel (which makes it nice and cuddly!). If you ever need a quick simple gift this is the way to go.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Busy Weekend

Good Morning!!!
I am so ready for a quiet week.
My daughter had her birthday party Friday evening. 20 teenagers from age 16 to 18 invaded our home for 5 hours. I am surprised that I have a mind left to write this with. Times have definitely changed since I was that age.

I didn't get much sewing done this weekend. We ended up closing the pool on Saturday. That is an all day job that I was happy to do. The weather didn't cooperate much this year for keeping the pool warm enough to swim in. Some advice--Don't believe your kids when they say,"Mom, if we get a pool, we promise to take care of it. You won't have to!" I won't miss the weekly trips to the pool shop for chemicals or the cost of those chemicals. This year is the first year since we got the pool that we had an algae problem. I have friends that have said that also. $250 that month for chemicals. More advice--Don't buy a pool!
Can you tell I look forward to next summer? lol

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Went shopping!

Yes, I did it again. I went to Crafttown Fabrics in Salem again. I love that place!
I went with a plan and the plan fell through. lol
I was just going to buy some batting and backing for a quilt. I did buy that plus some fat quarters (6), some patterns, a baby quilt kit and some thread. No, it wasn't as bad as last time!
The patterns I purchased were mostly applique. So, can I blame that on my friend Sandy!
We are going on a short trip to South Carolina next month so I had to have some patterns that would include handwork. I don't like being in a car for that long without something to do. What better way to travel 10 hours. I think that justifies it!
I think another think that justifies it is--it is an hour drive to get to Salem so I need to make the most of my gas costs. Good one, huh?
I am going to try and get the rest of the main section of the quilt finished today. Then I will start on the baby quilt. Greg's cousin is having a baby boy really soon so I picked up this rag quilt kit to make for her. I don't have baby fabrics or flannels in my stash so the kit is the way to go. The last three baby quilts I made were from kits. I don't know about you, but picking out fabrics for babies is hard for me to do. The rag quilts go together so fast and easy they are perfect for a baby gift.
That's it for today! Have a great day!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Autumn is here!

Several months ago, I finished piecing a quilt using patterns from Carol Doak's book, Sensational 9 Patch Stars. I am finally getting around to quilting it, so I thought I would post some pictures of the quilt on the frame.





Here is the quilt on the frame. The fabrics used were Thimbleberries Sugar House Collection.








This is the Janome 1600P sewing machine I use. It has the 9" throat that makes it easier to machine quilt with on a frame. One day I hope to own a machine with a larger throat.

Chilly!!!!!!!!!

I love the colors of Autumn!




It seems Autumn is creeping upon us here in Indiana. The low for last night was suppose to be 45 degrees. This morning the thermometer said it was 46 degrees. That was at 7 this morning. Soon it will be time for the Oktoberfest in Seymour, Old Court Days in Madison and Old Settlers Days in Salem. I used to go to a lot of the fall festivals in the area. You can always find so many interesting things!



The photos on aren't from my area but photos I found on the web. The colors are so wonderful! Can you imagine a quilt done in the colors of Autumn?

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Grid Swap Starter Block




I recently signed up for a Grid Swap in a Yahoo Group called Quilters In Indiana. The starter block has to be mailed out by the end of the month, so I thought I would get a head start on it.
Yesterday, I sat down and decided on the pattern for the starter block that I wanted to do. The pattern came from a website that I frequent and find a lot of great patterns. The website is Angie's Bits 'n Pieces
The fabric is a collection from Maywood Studios called Willowberry Lane.
The block was so easy to do using fusible web applique. I think it turned out really well.
What do you think?

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Fat Quarter Winner

I had 15 comments on my blog for the Fat Quarter Giveaway. I appreciate each and every one of them. Thank you so much!

Now for the winner!!!

The Winner of the Fat Quarter is Tamara (Quilting n Stuff)!
Please email me your snail mail address and I will put that in the mail to you.

Thank you for your comments!

Pie Block




Pat Sloan has shared a great block pattern with us for the month of September. This block will go with the Jars and Farmer's Market blocks. This is my version of the pie block. It is so great when designers share their hard work with us. Thank you Pat!

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Jill and her 1st Paper Pieced Block









This is my daughter Jill on her first day of school this year. She is a junior at Madison Consolidated High School.

She has been doing a little bit of sewing with me but not much. Since school has started she hasn't done any! Too much homework! She loves school and will not miss a day unless she is absolutely, terribly sick.










This is her first quilting block and also her
first paper pieced block. I think she did an
excellent job on it. She even chose her own fabrics for it.










Don't forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for a fat quarter. The drawing was suppose to be tomorrow but since I will be out of town, I will post the winner on Friday.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Monday, September 3, 2007

More Round Robin Blocks






I thought I would share with you the blocks that I made for the same Round Robin that the previous spikey blocks were made for. These will be going to Becky in Tennessee. The other ones were going to Stevie in Wisconsin.




Don't forget to comment to be included in the drawing for the Fat Quarter!