Life is a Quilt

Happy New Year!!!

2011-01-16T14:46:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

A new year has begun. Well, it did 16 days ago. Time to think and start fresh.

I did not continue to keep accurate records of how many quilts I made or how much fabric I used last year. Think I stopped somewhere in the summer. Plan on trying to do better this year.

With my quilting, I have started off the year with a bang!! Decided to start with a personal project. I got a red/tan Jacob's Ladder to the finished top stage!!! Yea!!! It is now in the "to be quilted" pile. Don't know when that will happen. LOL Have quite a number of quilts in that pile.

I then moved on to some donation quilts. I got 2 kid's tops done. Both are string quilts using a lime green center strip and bright tone on tones and novelties. I have more blocks in progress, so expect at least one or two more tops done with the lime green. These quilts measure at 40" by 58". Both will be bound in the same lime green. Here is a photo. Only one photo since both quilts look alike. I think some child will enjoy this. I was able to finish a top I had been working on since before the holidays. It is called "Saddle Tramp" and the pattern was from Quick Quilts Sept/Oct 2010 issue. This measures 64" by 91" and will be bound in the same red that is throughout the quilt. This will go to a Vet here in Maine.

I was looking around my sewing area, trying to tidy some (that did not go so well. LOL) when I found a stack of floral string blocks that I had made last year. These were left over blocks from other completed projects. Some have pink center strings and others have green. Usually, I use the same fabric for the center throughout a quilt, but did not have enough of either for a full quilt. So, I combined them together, alternating every two rows. Think it came out okay looking. This quilt will go to a long term homeless shelter next winter. It measures 54" by 72".
I also found some string blocks that had been given to me back in Sept. These were left over from another quilt. There was not enough for an entire quilt. I did not want to make the blocks to bring up the numbers because they all had the same center strip and I did not have anything that was close. So, in order to make the quilt large enough, I sashed in between the rows and then put a border around with the same fabric as sashing. It will be bound with the same fabric, also. Busted some stash with this one!!! It measures 64" by 75". It will probably be a Vet's quilt. This next quilt is a child size quilt, measuring 36" by 46". The center section was left over from a full size quilt done with these blocks. They are rectangle string blocks. The center measured only 25" by 35", so I knew it needed a border to bring it up a bit. These blocks, while specifically not made with a child in mind, did have a lot of brighter tone on tones mixed in. So, I dug through my stash and found a cute fabric that I remember getting on clearance a few years ago. It has the names and colors of crayons all over it. I first put a small inner red border and then the novelty border. It will also be bound with the same red.
Next, I decided to work on another personal project. Trying to balance my sewing between personal and donation. I had been thinking over the last several months, that I wanted to make some Friendship Star blocks throughout the year with no particular end result in mind.

Because I make mostly scrap quilts, and we all know how scrap multiply in the dark, I have not had the chance to use the fabrics that I have sorted by color. I discovered Judy L.'s monochromatic challenge and decided this was a perfect opportunity to jump start what had been floating around in my head. http://www.patchworktimes.com/2011-monochromatic-challenge/

(I don't know how to make the link smaller, sorry. )

So, January's color is yellow. So far, I have made 16 yellow friendship stars, each a different fabric. I have 12 all yellow string blocks done and trimmed with 12 more in progress. It is amazing how many string blocks you can get out of a generous handful of strings. I did not cut any strings specifically. Whatever I had from squaring up the fabric to cut for the stars. If there was less than a quarter yard after I cut the size I needed for the stars, then I cut the rest into 2.5" and 2" strips. Anything smaller than that went into the string pile.

Since the stars called for one 3.5" square and two 4" squares, and I cut a strip of each size from the fabrics, I have decided to make 9 patches from the 3.5" and 4 patches from the 4". I haven't gotten around to those yet.

Again, I am making them with no end result in mind. Just playing around. The way I figure it, by the end of the year, I will have a very large stack of stars, string blocks, 9 patches and 4 patches. OH, the possibilities!!! LOL

I started another donation quilt. Using a lot of florals in this one. I called the pattern "Tic Tac Toe". It is made up of 9 patches, rail fence blocks, and 6" squares. I have made several quilts in tis pattern. It is a great way to use up 2.5" strips and squares. My 2.5" box is so full I can barely get it closed. I probably took out enough to make two quilts and there is no noticeable difference. (sigh)

So, what are you working on??

Darlene

Two more tops done!!!

2010-02-12T12:59:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,

It is another cold, but clear day here in Maine. I am glad about that. The snow can stay away!!!

This first picture is of my green and yellow string top. I love the way it came out. I cannot take credit for the setting. A year or two ago I saw a blue and yellow string top set this way. I made a copy of the picture for my "someday" file. When I started thinking about making green and yellow string blocks, the picture, literally, fell out of my file and onto the floor. Someone out in the world is meant to have this quilt. So, whoever you are that was the original inspiration for this quilt, I and the future recipient thank you for sharing your artistic talent with us.

This next photo is my pink/purple/white string top. This is a very girly quilt. there are several more like this in my future. I still have lots of pink strings. Purple strings are getting scarce, but I will think of something. Anyone out in cyber space have purple they don't want anymore??? :)

Both of these quilts will go to a homeless shelter this coming winter. I like making string quilts for the shelters, because they are pieced on a foundation and therefore, are a bit warmer and heavier.

I wandered around my sewing area after finishing these two tops this morning, trying to decide what to do next. Decided I am still in a string mood, so cut the rest of my foundation fabric and started another green and yellow set. I think I have just enough foundations for another top.

What is going on in your sewing room??

Darlene

Three quilt tops done!!

2010-02-10T06:36:00.001-08:00

Hello Everyone,

I finished three donation tops this week. This first photo is a string quilt made with all kid's novelty prints. I used a bright lime green for the center strips and it will be bound in a bright green. This will go to a long term homeless shelter this coming winter.

These next two photos are also string quilts. I used all red, white, and blue strings. I have my friend Bev to thank for the many patriotic scraps. I used all the same blue for the center strings. I feel it brings a nice balance to all the different fabrics.
On one top I used a smaller inner border of red and a larger outer border of navy blue with stars. That quilt will be bound in the same red. On the other top, I used the same red and blue, but reversed the placements. The second top will be bound in the blue.

On a stashbusting note.....all three of these quilts came from stash. I used all but one strip of the blue with stars, so none of that went back into stash. That last lone strip got put into my container of red/white/blue strings.

I am currently working on another set of string blocks. These are being done in greens and yellows. Never did this combo before, but I am liking how they are coming out. I hope to have that top done by the end of this weekend.

I also have a set of pink/purple/white string blocks done. Well, almost done. I recounted and found I am 3 blocks short, so will need to get those done this week, also. I would like to get this top done by the end of the weekend, also.

After finishing these next two string tops, I plan on working on a personal project or two. I have a number of finished tops that I got backings for already. I just need to piece the backings and cut the batting. I want those ready to go for quilting. I also have a quilt that I am making for a friend. It is the "Stretched Star" pattern from the "Nickel Quilts" book.

What are you working on??

Darlene

Still sewing!!

2010-02-05T05:35:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone in cyber space!!!

It is a bright sunny, but cold day here in Maine. I plan on staying in and spending most of my day sewing. I am currantly working on pink/purple/white string blocks. Felt like doing something different.

I just finished trimming some novelty blocks that I finished last month. Trimming is my least favorite part of the process. Since I make large stacks of blocks at a time, my trimming gets done a little at a time.

I am almost done trimming up the red/white/blue blocks I have been working on. Should have those all trimmed and counted by this evening. I started a list on my side bar to tally my string blocks for the year. I like to watch the numbers grow. This will keep me motivated.

Last Saturday I spent the day in NH sewing with a great bunch of women. We had a wonderful day!! So glad I got a chance to meet them all. It is always great to make new quilting friends. Our machines hummed for about 7 hours!!!

I never did get a chance for photos. Camera batteries were dead. (heavy sigh) I really need to make charging batteries habit. I know that lots of photos were posted on the HeartStrings yahoo group. This is where we all met in cyber space. So nice to put faces to names.

Will have photos of some tops soon. Hoping to put together a novelty string top and a r/w/b string top this weekend. Just need to decide how big I am going to set them and if I am using borders or not.

Have a wonderful day!!!

Darlene

Got my computer back!!

2010-01-29T05:11:00.000-08:00

Well, time to start a new year. I know, I know, it is already a month into the year, but I have been without a computer for 2 months. Finally getting caught up.

Tomorrow, I am off for the day to sew with a group of ladies. Most of them are from the yahoo group of HeartStrings. I am looking forward to meeting them. I should have pictures to share when I get home.

Today, I need to finish a donation top and then get everything ready to take with me tomorrow. We are off bright and early for the drive to NH. Also, I need to go pick up my machine at the shop. It was in for some maintainance work. Will probably be humming along nicely, tomorrow.

Stay warm and safe, everyone!!! A good day to stay in and sew, here in my neck of the woods.

Darlene

Goals

2009-04-08T06:08:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I get more accomplished if I write my quilting goals here. So, even though the week is half over, I am going to list what I want to get done by Sunday evening.

1. Finish top of Lattice quilt
2. Trim the rest of QAYG blocks
3. Make the rest of the red/tan 4 patches needed to finish double 4 patch top

I had originally planned to make 350 QAYG blocks. I have changed my mind on that. I find I am getting a little overwhelmed by that goal. I feel as though I am not able to spend any time on my own personal projects. That being said, once this batch is trimmed to size, I plan on getting them in the mail to Sue by Sat. I have over 150 blocks done.

Still stitching,

Darlene

Cupcakes

2009-04-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

Do you love cupcakes?????

Sweet Pea over at Coffee Time Stitches is having a giveaway to celebrate her 400th post!!! Way to go, Sweat Pea!!!!! Go on over and check it out.

http://coffeetimestitches.blogspot.com/

Family Photos

2009-04-02T05:27:00.000-07:00

I am back. Have not been around recently, so decided it was about time.

We got a chance to go visit my son, Steve, last week. He was able to get his son, Stephen Jr., for the afternoon. We got some cute pictures.

These first two pictures are of my Hubby on the floor playing with Stephen, Jr. and his tool bench. We got him the tool bench for Christmas. We remembered how much Steve liked his when he was that age. We were very glad to find one. He loves it.

In the background of this second picture, you can see my daughter, Lydia and my son, Steve. Lydia just turned 12 last week. Steve is 21 and you may be able to tell by the photo, but he is very tall, 6'4". The long legs give it away. LOL

These next two photos are of Lydia, Steve, and Stephen Jr. on the couch with Boo. Or, as Stephen Jr. calls him, "shitty shat". LOL (Stephen Jr. is 2 and a half) Apparently, he can't make the hard C sound yet. LOL

I have to give Boo lots of credit. She tolerated being chased and picked up and carried around quite well. Especially, given the fact that half the time she was upside down. She never hissed, bit, or clawed at the grandson. She must know that he means no harm and he was being as gentle as he could. She did run away occasionally, but not far. She would lay down in the middle of the floor where he could just pick her up again. What a good "shitty shat"!!!!!!!!!

This last photo is of Stephen Jr. and Lydia coloring together. I have both pictures on my fridge. LOL Even at 12 years old, Lydia stills likes to color. Actually, she is becoming a very good artist. She draws very well. We are hoping to get a scholarship for her to take a week long Cartooning class this summer.

I realized as I was loading the photos, that I did not get one of Summer, my son's financee. Tried to find the one of us at Thanksgiving, but can't find the file it is in. I'm sorry, Summer, my oversight. Summer is a beautiful girl and we welcome her to our family. She and Steve have set a date for the August 9th. We are all looking forward to the wedding.

On a quilting note, I have been working on "Quilt As You Go" blocks to send to JanMac in Australia, to be made into quilts for the bush fire victims. My goal is to send 350 blocks by the middle of summer. I have just about 150 finished and another 50 ready to go. So, well on my way to my goal. I must say, that without the string and batting scrap donations from others on the Heartstrings Group, I wouldn't be able to make this goal. Thanks to all of you!! You are the best group!!!!

What have you all been working on???

Darlene

Busy weekend!

2009-02-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

Saturday was a Make a Blanket Day for Project Linus. Even though I don't donate my quilts through this wonderful group, I decided to dedicate my weekend sewing to making kid's quilts. I got four tops completed and have two others in progress.

This first photo has Snoopy and Woodstock in St. Patrick's Day fabric. It measures 41" by 58". The binding will be the gold fabric. I used all of the Snoopy fabric and have less than half a yard of the gold and green fabrics left.

The next photo features John Deere fabric. I used the same gold that I used in the Snoopy quilt. In the John Deere farbic there is a touch of light blue, so I used that as the other alternating color. This way the quilt is not too dark. I have none of the blue or John Deere fabric left. The binding will be in the gold fabric. This quilt measures 40" by 57".

This next quilt has little orange fish in the center squares. It measures 43" by 52". I used up every bit of all three of these fabrics. Don't know what I will use to bind it, yet.

This fourth quilt has Bugs Bunny in the center squares. I pulled the orange and green from the small carrots in the fabric. Love the green, which reminds me of the leafy part of the top of the carrot. This quilt measures 41" by 58". I will bind this one with the green. I have none of the Bugs Bunny or the green fabric left. Have several yards of the orange left. Just bought that a few weeks ago.

My quilting goals for this week.........

1. Quilt, bind and mail a baby quilt

2. Finish the pink/purple/white Jacob's Ladder blocks

3. Continue working on some QAYG blocks for the Australia project on Heartstrings.

What have you all been up to?? What are your goals for the week??

Darlene

Been sick, Yuck.

2009-02-20T08:53:00.000-08:00

Hello World,

I have been sick, so no blogging or sewing got done for over a week. Just got back to sewing some yesterday. Hopefully, will have some progress to share after the weekend.

Going to catch up on blog reading. Talk to you all later.

Darlene

January's stats

2009-02-04T15:55:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I am a few days late posting my January totals. Here they are...

1. Used 81.5 yards of fabric

2. Spent 75.5 hours doing something quilty

3. Finished and delivered one quilt

4. got several donation quilts to the finished top stage.

This is a picture of a Happy Block top I finished. This measures about 43" by 53". This was made with a stack of 5" squares I had left over from making "I Spy" quilts a few years ago. All the framing fabrics came from stash. A very easy way to use up scraps.

This second quilt is about 36" square and made out of flannel. I have a friend expecting her first baby and she knows it is a boy. I thought this would be great until I finished the top. That is when I noticed the words on the basketball flannel say Varsity Girls!!!! After my husband and I finished laughing, back to my flannel stash I went and this third picture is the top of the baby quilt I will send her.

For the last several days, I have been sub-cutting strips that I sewed last week. Been pinning them into 4 patches while I watch TV. Also, have been squaring up HSTs. Will soon begin constructing the blocks for the pattern, Idaho Beauty, from the book, "More Nickel Quilts".

What have you been doing lately??

Darlene

Tops finished and goals met.

2009-01-27T15:12:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I am back again. Sunday, I spent a fun day sewing with some friends. I got three kid's tops done and the blocks for a fourth. Today, I put borders on two of those tops and got the fourth top all done.

This first photo is bright flowers bordered with blue and pink. I purchased the border fabric at a quilt shop that is closing down. Otherwise, all the fabric came from stash. The top measures 41" square. A nice size baby quilt. This will be bound with the pink. I used all the floral fabric and all the blue. Any left over pink fabric got sliced into 2.5" strips and put aside for more Happy Blocks.

This second quilt measures 40" by 48". The center squares are ballet slippers. All the fabric came from stash. This will be bound with the purple fabric. I used all the focus fabric.

This third top has fairy fabric for the center squares and border. The peachy pink and green really compliment the focus fabric. This quilt measures 40" by 48" and was made all from stash. This will be bound with the green. After cutting the binding, there was nothing left of any of these fabrics except a few small scraps.

This fourth top uses the same pink and purple as the ballet top. The focus squares are done with Pink Panther fabric. This quilt will be bound with the pink. It measures 40" by 57".

After cutting the binding strips from the pink and purple fabrics, there was only a small amount of the purple fabric left. I cut that into a 2.5" strip and put that in the project bag for Happy Blocks. I had enough of the pink fabric left to cut into 12 - 2.5" strips. Those have been set aside to be combined with another co-ordinating fabric for another planned top.

Between these four tops, I have used 6.5 yards of fabric. All, but a half yard of that, came from stash.

One of my goals last week was to get the borders on a string quilt. This top is now ready for quilting. Plan on binding it in the green. It measure 84" by 108".

One of my goals two weeks ago was to get the borders on my NYE mystery. I did, but never posted a picture of the finished top, so here it is. I put a thin light green border and then a larger border of the focus fabric. I will bind this one with the dark green.

Well, I think that is all that I have accomplished since the last time. My only goal this week is to make a baby quilt for a friend who I have watched grown up. She is having her first baby.

What have you all been doing??

Darlene

I have been busy.

2009-01-23T16:05:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I have not posted much this week, but I have been sewing. I had a few days that all I wanted to do was mindless sewing. Just feed fabric through the machine. Usually when I feel this way, I end up starting a new UFO, but not this time.

One of my goals for the week was to work on the Idaho Beauty ufo. When, I pulled that project bag, the next step needed was to make light and dark 4 patches. I already had the fabric cut, so I could just sit and sew.

As I was sewing I remembered that several other UFOs started needed the same thing, so I went digging around in my baskets. I pulled out 5 others that needed the same size 4 patch. they all had the fabric cut and ready, so I grabbed all of those pre-cut strips of lights and darks and spent about 5 hours total sewing strips.

Just because I am a bit odd I took a photo of all the strips before pressing. I even counted them. There are 287 strips of all sizes. some are width of fabric, a lot are from FQs. Decided to measure the stack. Ten inches worth of strips, a few are not shown, because I had already started pressing.

I try to keep my scraps tidied up by cutting and sorting them into boxes. I can, at almost any given time, grab a box and start a new quilt. Usually, the only thing I need to cut would be my neutral or lights. This being the case, I can go a long time without having to cut lots of fabric.

Well, after spending a day sewing, I was in the mood to cut fabric. I LOVE to cut fabric. I LOVE to take big pieces of fabric, cut it into smaller pieces, mix it up with other fabrics and then sew it back together.

Problem was, I didn't want to start a new project. I am trying to work on my very large collection of UFOs. What is a gal to do????? I know!!!!! Find a project that needs fabric cut to move onto the next stage!! And, so I did.

I have been working on Happy Blocks to make children's donation quilts. I had plenty of novelty fabrics, but was running out of my framing fabric. So, I spent 4 or 5 hours one day, digging through my stash and finding suitable fabrics that go together. Remember the photo I posted of my nice CLEAN table?? Well, here it is after a day of cutting.

This photo shows some strips that I cut both for the 4 patches I was doing and for the Happy Blocks.

This photo shows piles of fabric sorted for various things. One thing I did during my day of cutting was to kit up several planned Happy Blocks quilts. I have kits that feature fairies, butterflies, Pink Panther, ballet slippers, and bright flowers. I have all the blocks cut and all the framing strips. Yes, I know, all girly quilts. I have some sports fabric that I plan on making some quilts for boys, just haven't got co-ordinating fabrics, yet.

The next time I post, I hope to have a few pictures of some finished tops. I am having a sewing day with a few friends on Sunday. Planning on working on those Happy Block kits I got together.

What have you been up to???

Darlene

Quilt Done!!!

2009-01-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

I just finished putting the binding on this quilt. It measures 72" by 97". I have had this top done for a year or more. Ran out of batting before Christmas, so this had to wait until Joann's had their sale over New Year's weekend.

This second photo was taken while I was pin basting the quilt. My ever faithful companion, Smokey, always likes to try out the quilts first. They get her "Meow" of approval.

I had three goals for this week....

1. tidy up an area of my sewing space - I had to clear this table off in order to baste, so check, one done.

2. quilt and bind the batiks squares - as you can see by the picture, check, two done.

3. put borders on NYE mystery quilt - I have the borders all pieced. Plan on getting them attached tomorrow.

Not bad for reaching my goals this week. Will post an updated photo of the NYE mystery tomorrow after I put the borders on.

Goals for the week of Jan. 18 - 25

1. Press Happy Blocks and put one top together

2. Work on UFO - Idaho Beauty from the book "More Nickel Quilts" This has been cut since last summer. Have the HSTs done, now need to begin piecing top.

3. Put borders on my floral string top.

Hope you all are staying warm and sewing up a "storm".

Darlene in ME

More Pictures

2009-01-14T06:33:00.000-08:00

Hello,

I am back with more pictures. This first photo shows Hubby with the toilet roll holder. You can get a better idea what it looks like. It is very cute. The second photo, I forgot to rotate it before uploading it. Can't figure out how to do it now. Sorry.

This is a photo of a quilt top that will be finished and donated. The pattern is called "Hen and Her Chicks" from the book "Quilts from the Heart". I love this book. I have made several patterns already and have almost every pattern started in my UFOs. The small 9 patches are made with 1.5" squares. This is a great scrap user, as is most of the patterns in the book. Only the border was cut from yardage. The rest of the quilt, including the white, was all from scraps. I had the 1.5" and the 3.5" squares all pre-cut in my scrap boxes. I dug through my scrap basket and pulled all the white from previous projects, spent a little time pressing and trimming and in no time was ready to put this top together.

Over at a yahoo group I am on called Heartstrings, there is a project going on called Happy Blocks. Basically they are a framed square. This is a picture of just a few of the 116 blocks I have made so far. I pulled as many different brights out of my scrap basket and my stash as I could find. Dug around and found two baggies full of pre-cut novelty squares. This is going to be an ongoing project for me this winter. Not sure how many I am going to use per quilt. Will decide that when I am ready to put a top or two together. These will be donated quilts. There are several of us who make children's quilts and donate them to a local family crisis center.

This is my computer companion, Smokey. She often sits up on that shelf and keeps me company while I am at the computer. The quilt she is laying on was the second quilt I ever made. It is a full sized scrappy Irish Chain. It is completly hand pieced and hand quilted. It was a gift for my then 12 year old son. What was I thinking???!!!! Giving a quilt with so much white to a 12 year old boy? I must say, he absolutely loved that quilt. He was very rough with it, so now it needs some major repair. He keeps asking when he will get it back. I really need to make that a priority in the next few months. That quilt took me two years to complete start to finish. Every little 2" squares was traced from a template and then seam allowances were added. No rotary cutting. I did win a second place ribbon at the county fair. Was very pleased at that.

As you can see by the picture, this is also an area where I keep most of my stash. Those messy shelves actually hold boxes of pre-cut scraps. I trim my scraps into the largest size I can. I have boxes ranging from 1.5" up through to 6.5" by half inch increments. If I took a photo of the other part of this little room, you would see larger boxes where I store my stash by type and/or color.

Now, a bit of an update on my goals for this week. One goal was to tidy up some of my sewing areas. This picture shows my cutting and sandwiching table. It is now all cleaned off, so that I can work on another of my goals. Please ignore the messiness around the table. I keep my UFOs in large ziplock bags under the table. I have several laundry baskets into which I sort my UFOs.

The folded quilt on the table is the one I will be basting later today. The backing is washed and just needs to be pieced together. I have my tin of pins next to the quilt, so all is ready. I have several drawers in the white cabinet. There you will find my duct tape and junky scissors. I use duct tape to tape down my backing while basting. I find it works so much better than masking tape.

This final picture brings me to another of my goals for this week. This is a mystery quilt that I did over New Year's Eve. I love how it came out. I am planning on putting a small inner border of the light green. Then an outer border of the focus fabric. I have the borders all pieced and pressed, just waiting to go on. Will bind it in the dark green. I haven't decided if I am going to donate this one or keep it on hand. It is larger than the children's quilts I usually make, but would be a nice quilt for a boy.

That is what I have been up to so far this week. What have you been doing??

Darlene

Busy Week

2009-01-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

This has been a busy week for me. I spent at least 16 hours sewing this week. One thing I did was to put a group of string blocks together that my DH, Rick, has been working on. He made these blocks all out of bright and novelty strings. This will be donated locally to a family crisis center. I am sure it will make some child smile. Here he is with the completed top. It still needs quilting.

This is his first quilting project. He started the blocks last winter when he couldn't get out to his workshop because of snow and ice. He finished them this week and when tried to put the blocks together, his sewing machine kept jamming up and he was getting frustrated. Because the blocks are pieced on a foundation, there is extra bulk. So as to not discourage him from more sewing, I agreed to put the blocks together. He did a wonderful job on the blocks.

Here are some pictures of woodworking projects he has been making. We will have better pictures later. The camera batteries died and needed to be recharged.

This first picture, you cannot really tell what it is, but it is a little wooden toilet that holds a spare roll of toilet paper. It really is cute. I will get another picture at a different angle, later.

This is a picture of a duck planter, painted red, although it looks pink. He can just imagine some red geraniums attracting humming birds in this planter.

Here is another duck planter. This one he stained rather than painted. This was made out of a very lovely cherry wood, so the staining shows the beauty of the wood.

Rick gets a lot of his wood at the recycling center. Brand new wood that people toss out.

I finished the top of the NYE mystery that I was working on. It came out cute. I decided it needed borders, so I have those all cut and ready to put on. When the borders are on, I will post a photo.

I have decide to try and post some weekly goals. I am hoping this will help me stay focused. So this weeks goals are..........

1. put borders on NYE mystery

2. sandwich, quilt and bind Jeff's quilt

3. tidy and organize sewing areas

Okay, that third goal is an ongoing process. It seems I am always trying to tidy and organzie. But, I figure, if I write it down, at least I will spend some time doing it.

I am off for now. Will post again soon.

Keep Sewing!!

Darlene

Fabric used

2009-01-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

Good Morning!

On one of my groups, Stashbusters, they have had a challenge the past few years called "100 yard dash from stash". One year I kept track and was amazed at how much I used.

This year I have decided to keep track of all my fabric usage. To be counted, the project must be done with binding or my part is done and it has been passed on to someone else for finishing. For example...I make children's quilts to be donated to a local domestic violence center. I make the top and then pass that on to a friend of mine who has a long arm. She finishes the quilting and binding. So, once the top is out of my house, for my calculations, it is "done."

This being said, I have already used 56 yards of fabric this year. Yesterday, I mailed out three boxes to a friend who makes quilts for homeless shelters. I sent her 210 string blocks, 2 completed quilt tops, 100 log cabin blocks, and 24 chinese coins blocks. Roughly estimated at the 56 yards. All of those blocks and tops had some work that needed to be done. That is what I did the week between Christmas and January 4th.

I am going to try and keep track of the amount of time I spend sewing, also. So far in January I have spent roughly 20 hours sewing. I was working really hard to finish up the things I mentioned previously.

So far this year I am off to a good start. Let's hope I can keep the momentum going.

Keep Sewing!!

Darlene

Happy New Year

2009-01-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone!

I hope your 2009 has started out well. Mine has. I have been very busy working on some mystery quilts. This first picture is called "Mosaic Tiles" and this was a mystery posted on Christmas Day. I got the chance to pop up and get the clues and get some sewing in that day. Finished the top on the 26th. It meausres about 40" square. What looks white in the photo is actually a very light lavender. The focus fabric has butterflies. I thoroughly enjoyed making this quilt. The directions were very clear and easy to follow. I shall make more of these. What a perfect size for a baby quilt. And I am very happy to say that ALL my fabrics came from stash!!!!!

This second picture was also a mystery quilt. I bought the fabric before I had the clues. Since this was the very first mystery I was going to do, I decided to just make a lap quilt in case I didn't care for it. Well, I think it came out gorgeous!! Wish I had purchased enough fabric to make it a queen. However, I think this is big enough for a twin bed. Again, the directions were very clear and easy to follow. I want to make another like this with snowman and snowflake fabrics. This is called "Swirling Snowballs".

My friend, Mavie, has recently gotten me hooked on mysteries. She always makes these beautiful quilts and I asked her where she gets the patterns or ideas and she tells me they are mysteries. So I recently signed up for three or four mystery groups. Be on the look out for more pictures.

I have a New Year's Eve mystery that I am still working on. All the clues were posted throughout the day NYE. I got over half the quilt done. It is next on the agenda to finish. Again, I am really pleased how it is coming out.

I had to set that mystery aside to finish some string blocks and two tops for a friend who makes quilts for several homeless shelters. She wanted to make sure she had a quilt for every resident. I enjoy making quilts for others, so today I was able to send her three boxes full of blocks and two tops. There was the equivalent of 9 quilts. This should help her have enough for both shelters.

One goal I have for this year is to be a better blogger. I am going to try and post at least once a week. I also would like to keep track of how much time I spend quilting. I think that would be very interesting. I plan on keeping track of how much fabric I use, also. Here is hoping that I can keep to those goals. I do need to figure out how to do things more on this blog, too.

Have a happy day!!

Darlene

Challenge

2008-07-15T07:34:00.000-07:00

Paula, over at Coffee Time At Home, has announced a challenge entitled "Need This?". I have decided this is a good kick in the pants for me to tackle some cluttered areas in my home on a regular basis. Here is the link http://coffeetimeathome.blogspot.com/

I decided to start with two drawers in my kitchen that hold various gadgets. One drawer is mostly for baking gadgets. Here is a before picture.

And here is the after picture. I threw away a few things and put several things in a box. Now there is just what I need, measuring cups and spoons, rubber spatulas, candy thermometer, biscuit cutter, pastry blender and a few funnels.

The second drawer is by the stove. It holds all the odds and ends that every kitchen has. Here is the before picture.

And here is the after. I am amazed at what I found. I threw a bunch of stuff away. Some of it I didn't even know what it was for. LOL I probably haven't organized that drawer since we moved in 12 years ago.

It now holds my garlic press, pizza cutter, soup ladle, spaghetti utensil, potato masher, and can opener.

I can't believe how good it felt just to do that small organizing. I am hoping to get brave enough to tackle some of the bigger clutters in my house over the coming weeks and months. Breaking it up into small chunks makes the entire task less daunting. Thanks, Paula, for a great idea.

Christmas in July

2008-07-13T14:57:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone,

I was reading through different blogs and I came across http://bluebirdquilts-lyn.blogspot.com/2008/07/giveaway-christmas-in-july-giveaway.html

Thought this might be fun. Check it out. Hmmm, I don't know how to get the link to be smaller. Blogging is relatively new to me. Maybe someone could help me. Thanks.

It also got me thinking about the various projects that I have been working on for the Christmas Craft Fair that the ladies in my new church put on every November. This will be the first time I am involved and am very excited about it.

These are three scraves that I knitted over the last few weeks. They are done with that fun fur and a soft worsted weight yarn for warmth. Left to right the are purple, red/black, and blue.

These are crocheted pony tail holders. I plan on making a bunch more in other colors. They are made with crochet cotton thread. I pick up crochet cotton whenever I find it at yard sales. Sometimes I make Barbie doll clothes or doilies. I haven't done those recently.

These are butterflies made out of crochet cotton thread. I plan on putting a magnet on the back. They look really cute all over the refridgerator. Who wouldn't want a bevy of beautiful butterflies. By the time the fair comes around, I will have butterflies of many colors.

I also have many baby bibs that I have made out of flannel and about a dozen purses. I plan on finishing at least one of the many quilt tops I have made. Not sure what else I will make, but I am enjoying these little projects.

Any money the ladies make at the craft fair will go to helping with the church's winter fuel bill. With today's prices, that makes lots of sense to me!

Is anyone else working on Christmas projects yet? Let me know.

Darlene

Lighthouse cross-stitch

2008-07-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

I decided to start a new cross-stitch project to work on while in my air conditioned bedroom. I have had this one for awhile, but hadn't started it yet. I plan on keeping track of the hours I put into it, just out of curiosity.

I will begin the stitching today. We are in for some hot and humid weather, so it is a perfect time to start. I love lighthouses. Can't you just hear the waves crashing into the rocks? I plan on posting monthly updates on how it is coming along.

I have a number of cross-stitch and embroidery UFOs, probably close to the number of quilting UFOs. I am going to try and stick to this one to the finish. Hopefully, that will motivate me to work on the others. Stitching is a great project to do while watching television. It is time I got back into doing that.

Have a great 4th of July!!

Darlene

Shopping, What Fun!

2008-06-25T07:17:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was an afternoon of lunch and shopping with my daughter. Always, on the last day of school, we go out to lunch together and then do some fun shopping.

She choose Applebee's for lunch. Yum! Perfect! I was in the mood for fish and chips and Lydia loves their fried shrimp.

Then is was off to JoAnn Fabrics. Yeah!! I love looking through their remnant bins. Look at what I found!

These are all flannels. The three on the left will go into my stash of baby flannels. I like making "lovey" sized blankets for newborns. 4" squares ten rows by ten rows, approx. 36" square quilt. Just the right size for a newborn and then perfect to be dragged around by a toddler.

The four flannels on the right will go into my stash of flannels for full sized donation quilts. I haven't made one yet, but have been collecting flannels for a long time. The first quilt I will make for myself and then I will have on-going donation quilts in the works. Plan on 6" or 8" squares for these. Not sure yet the exact size.

This is a picture of some novelty prints I found. The football fabric is an entire yard. With some co-ordinating fabrics, I will be able to make an entire quilt for a child. I make kid's quilts for the Family Crisis Center. I try to keep the size to approx. 40" by 50" give or take a few either way.

The soccer and baseball prints are smaller remnants. Not enough to design an entire quilt top around, so they will go into my "I Spy" stash.

This picture shows the bottom fabric from the previous picture in better detail. Cowboy and Indian Frogs!!!! How cute is that? This is a yard piece. How much fun this will be designing a quilt with this fabric.

This July, I am going down to Mass. to visit a dear friend. She is going to teach me how to sew clothing. I am a self-taught quilter and have no other sewing knowledge. I have always wanted to make clothes.

As my daughter gets older, the hemlines in the stores get shorter and shorter. Trying to teach modesty can be a challenge in today's society. She loves to wear skirts and dresses. I found a Simplicity 2 hour jumper pattern that she likes. I found two different light-weight denims. Lydia choose the one with the butterflies. I found the one with the embroidered flowers. She doesn't know about that one. Shhh, don't tell. It is a surprise!

After JoAnn's, it was off to CraftMania. Specifically, we were on the lookout for some color-by-number posters. Lydia doesn't care for paint-by-number, but the ones with color pencils are right up her alley. We didn't find any, but.........

Look at what I found! Our local CraftMania has flat folds for $3.99 a yard. They were on sale for 40% off! I bought all they had of this, just under 4 yards and paid less that $9.00 Yeah! It is very colorful with crayons all over it. I could easily spent a LOT more. There were some very pretty brights. I love bright fabrics, but I controlled myself. (grin)

Next, it was off to the bookstore. Lydia has been reading several series by Erin Hunter, entitled "The Warriors". They are about a number of tribes of talking cats. Yes, I said, talking cats. She loves these books. Often saving her own money and buying them in hardbound because she didn't want to wait for paperback.

Well, the author has begun a new series entitled "The Seekers". This series seems to be about talking polar bears. We were able to find the first book. Lydia is quite happy.

I, also, found a few books for summer reading. The first is by Fern Micheals entitled "Fast Track". This is another in a series of books she has written about a group of women who become vigilantes to right the wrongs done to them. Very interesting. I enjoy following characters through different stories and yet each book stands on its own.

I found another book by a favorite author, Beatrice Small. I have been reading her books for over 20 years. She writes romance novels, quite lusty ones, I might add. (blush, blush). Most of her books are historical romances, but this new series is about a fantasy world full of fairies, giants, etc. The book I picked up yesterday is "the Sorceress of Belmair" book four of the World of Hetar series.

So, when the weather become unbearably hot, off to my air conditioned bedroom I will go with some new books. These books are only a sampling of the different kinds of reading I do. What do you like to read?

Darlene

My Daughter, Lydia

2008-06-25T07:05:00.000-07:00

Today was my girl's 5th grade graduation. Here she is with her teacher, Mr. Hodgkins. He has been her teacher for two years. The entire class and teacher looped up from 4th grade to 5th together. It has been a great two years.

It is hard to believe that my "little peanut" is going into middle school next year. Where has the time gone?

It seems like yesterday she was toddling around getting into everything. Now, she giggles with her friends about "cute" boys and wants to wear make-up. She even had a boy call her last week and ask her to go see the movie "Kung-Fu Panda" with him and his mom.

Come September, she will have to get up an hour earlier for the bus. Not good, let's just say, my girl is NOT a morning person. I plan on buying her an alarm clock this summer and starting in the middle of August letting her get herself up to the alarm. We will see how that goes.

To all the other parents out there who have been where I am now going, think of me, pray for me. I would love to hear how you all survived puberty with a daughter. LOL

Darlene

World's worse blogger?

2008-06-04T07:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I am back. I must be the world's worse blogger. It has been since Jan. that I have posted. I am going to try hard to begin posting at least once a week.

This is a top I finished this past week. This will a donation quilt going to a homeless shelter this winter. I really like how the string stars look with the sashings and borders. I have almost enough string HST made to make another. The next one will be sashed and bordered with a teal fabric that I already have set aside.

Here are two small quilts made from the same fabrics. The novelty fabric I got on sale somewhere. I only had a yard of it. I had the blue and pink fabrics in my stash. I started work on the larger quilt and then had a few blocks left over, so decided to make a baby quilt. I managed to use all but a 4" strip of the novelty fabric and all but a 2.5" strip of the pink. Those went right into my boxes of pre-cut scraps. I still have about a half to three quarters of a yard of the blue. the bigger quilt will be bound in the blue and the smaller quilt with the pink.

the larger quilt will be a donation quilt, probably to the Family Crisis Center. The smaller quilt I think I will keep on hand for the next baby that comes along.

This is another child's quilts. The novelty fabric is a remnant that I picked up with all things police. I found the red, off-white and blue in my stash. This quilt will be bound in the red. Very little scraps of these 4 fabrics are left. This will also be a donation quilt. I thought it would be a great quilt for a boy. I think most of my quilts tend to look girlish, so this one was fun.

To update on the Carolina Crossroads quilt mystery from Quiltville, I decided not to set mine on point. Also, instead of two quilts I am making one. It will be at least a queen if not a king sized. The top is about halfway put together. I know exactly who I want to give this quilt to, so I am very pleased with how it is turning out.

That is what I have been up to lately. What is going on with you all?

Keep Sewing!!

Darlene

Brrrrr, it's cold!

2008-01-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

When I went to bed last night, it was -13 degrees F. When I got up this morning, it was all of -8 degrees. We finally have reached -4.

Thankfully, temps will be rising over the next couple of days. We might even see close to 50 degrees by Sunday. Here's hoping!

I already have had a chance to sew for about an hour this morning. I'm still working on the mystery quilt from Quiltville. I am working on steps 4 and 5 at the same time. Should have them done this weekend. I will be already for the next step next week. Yeah!!! Bonnie says we will start putting it together. No more little units. I am looking forward to seeing the end result.

I have never done a mystery before. I tend to like to know what I am doing ahead of time. But, I must say, I am enjoying this process. Maybe it is the small steps, rather than a whole piece, that makes it go so quickly and almost effortlessly.

I know one particular reason I was drawn to this was because it is scrappy. Most of what I do is scrappy. I don't feel overly confident about my fabric choices when I only need three or four different fabrics.

I go about quilting pretty much the same way I make soup. I throw a little bit of everything into the pot. As long as I have a good base broth, the soup, though never the same twice, always ends up tasty and satisfying.

My style of quilting is the same. I toss in whatever I grab. As long as I have a neutral for a calming effect, the end results is usually very pleasing. I use a lot of white-on-white and off-white for my neutrals. Even those are usually scrappy because I am always combing through the remnant bins.

As well as working on the mystery quilt, I have been making progress on my string stars. I have two stars completely done. The blocks measure about 20". I have most of the small 5.5" blocks that make up the stars, done. As usual for me, I am working on two star quilts at the same time. I have not decided just how many stars will go into each quilt. Not sure what I want to do for sashings or borders. Haven't decided how big I want to make each quilt. These quilts will be going to a homeless shelter next winter. Generally, I make my homeless quilts at least 60" by 84", give or take a bit.

I am also working on a quilt called "Arlington Squares". It is from the "Nickel Quilts" book. I have had the darks cut for a long time, just needed to get my neutrals cut. While cutting for the mystery, I have been cutting for this quilt and several others. I have quite a bit of the small units done at this point. Started work on the last stack of units this morning. Should start putting the blocks together sometime this weekend.

The other day, I started a BOM from Claudia's Quilt Shoppe. This is an on-line shop offering this BOM free. The BOM started in Oct., so I was only 4 months behind. As of this morning, I have two months done. I will be checking what I need for the next block and getting the fabric together today. This will also be a homeless quilt. The quilt pattern, itself, is not my style. I tend to be rather traditional, but it will use a lot of scraps and be very interesting. It also stretches me out of my norm.

Well, while I have been sitting here typing this, it has warmed up to a whopping -1 degree F. If we are lucky, we might actually get above 0 degree today.

Have a wonderful day.

Mystery step 3 completed

2008-01-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally finished the third step of Quiltville's mystery.

I have step 4 about half way done and step 5 is all cut and waiting for its turn at the sewing machine.

Yesterday, I started a free BOM from an on-line site, Claudia's Quilt Shoppe. should be all caught up to the current month by next week.

I think I am going to create a list of on-going pojects for Jan/Feb. As tops get completed, I will move them to the UFO - needs quilting list. I want to try and keep myself motivated and moving forward with my many ufos and current projects.

It is a beautiful, bright sunny day here, today. However, it is still -2 degrees. Brrrrrr!!!!!! When my daughter went out to wait for the bus, she immediately went into coughing spasms. Bad time of year for her asthma. As for me, I stay indoors. I look out my windows at the beautiful winter wonderland and stay nice and cozy in my house. In a few days the temps will come up and then out and about I will be.

Darlene

2007 Quilting Stats

2007-12-30T09:44:00.001-08:00

Here is a picture of my empty thread spools.

I decided to tally up some stats from 2007 regarding my quilting.

1. I used at least 282 yards of fabric

2. I emptied 57 thread spools, most of which were standard size and full

3. I made and sent 240 string blocks to Heartstrings

4. I made and donated 13 kid's quilts to a Family Crisis Center (quilted by a friend)

5. I finished and gifted 6 projects, from tablerunner size to king sized

6. I made 139 flannel baby bibs

7. I made 33 quilts for homeless shelters (most quilted by a friend)

8. I made and sold 2 baby quilts

9. I made 10 purses

I hope to use at least the same amount of fabric in 2008.

Step 2 of Mystery completed.

2007-12-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

I finally finished step 2 of the quiltville mystery, all 200 nine patches. Remember, I am making two quilts at the same time.

Here is a picture of some of them already pressed.

And here are the rest of them. I'll get them pressed in stages.

I started step 3. I haven't looked at step 4 yet. I am waiting until I finish the third step.

With the new year fast approaching, I am getting back into the groove of sewing. I have all my UFOs organized and hope to get a number of them done this year.

This is my goal for quilting this year....

1. wedding quilt, needs quilting

2. birthday quilt, needs quilting

3. baby girl quilt, needs quilting

4. baby boy quilt

5. Christmas quilt, needs quilting

Those are my personal gift goals this coming year. In addition to those, I would like to make at least a dozen kid's quilts and a dozen full sized quilts for a homeless shelter.

Wish me luck!!

Here is wishing you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!!!

Darlene

2007-12-08T12:39:00.000-08:00

I thought you might like to see some pictures of my family. This is me with my son, Stephen. (I'm the short one) LOL
This is my beautiful girl, Lydia. She is my Sweet Peach. She has two, 8 week old puppies in her lap. They had just left their mother the day before. While sleeping in Lydia's lap, it was the only time they weren't whining.
This is my husband, Rick and my 17 month old grandson, Stephen Jr. Don't they both have a great pout?

2007-12-08T12:25:00.000-08:00

These are some of my rail fence blocks done for the mystery from Quiltville. I went a little overboard and ended up making 200 instead of 100. Guess I will make two quilts instead of one. Now I know how I end up with so many UFOs. I get zooming along with my machine, and before I know it, I have twice what I need. Hence, a new UFO is born.

I am well on my way through step 2 of the mystery. I have been sewing strips and sub-cutting the different units since Thursday. Just counted and have amost all I need for the next block segment. At this rate, I may have them done by next weekend.

While I am working on this mystery, I am using as a leader/ender project some string blocks that I am turning into stars blocks. The string stars will be another quilt for the homeless shelter. No surprise, again, I have two string star quilts in progress at the same time.

I am going to try and figure out how to put lists on the side of this blog, eventually. I would like to list the UFOs that I would like to get done in 2008. I cannot list all my UFOs. There would not be enough space. LOL

Darlene

I'm not THAT old!!!

2007-12-08T08:47:00.001-08:00

Okay, I fixed my age in the profile. Somehow, I had myself listed as 1,944 years old!!! That would make me older than dirt!!! LOL

Darlene

I took the plunge!!

2007-12-08T08:04:00.000-08:00

Well, I have done it. I have created a blog. Bear with me over the next few weeks as I figure out what the heck I am doing.

Started this to keep my progress on the mystery quilt from Quiltville. Along with the mystery progress, I plan on sharing my quilting life, family life and whatever else comes along.

Thanks for stopping by for a look.

Darlene