Quilting in Northern California

A finish and a new book

2012-02-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

I bought this new pattern in Paradise last weekend. And finished it yesterday. Love it!!

Grrrr, Bad blogger! Well, turn your head and look at my new book! I pre-ordered it awhile back and it showed up yesterday.

I even got an autograph!

It is a healthy sized book filled with lots of information. I am looking forward to reading it.

A couple of pages showing great barns!

A new embroidery

2012-02-06T07:19:00.000-08:00

I went to Paradise CA on Saturday and stopped in at the local Quilt shop. Picked up this pattern and then when I got home I traced it onto fabric.

I started it last night after a very long Sunday. Does anyone know how to turn an image in blogger? seems you can do everything but turn .

Iron dilema solved!

2012-02-03T08:01:00.000-08:00

My friend Pammy just happened to have this on hand and wasn't using it. A Rowenta Effective 1600 W.doesn't that sound impressive? I love it. I used it last night to iron my new fat quarters. It works very well and is a nice weight! Thank you Pammy!

A side trip yesterday

2012-02-03T07:54:00.000-08:00

From Biggs CA you could clearly see Mt. Lassen and Mt. Shasta in the distance. It was a beautiful day in the valley.

I took a side trip to the new Salvation Army store in Gridley CA. And saw this Bric a brac. for $3.25, but with my senior discount it only cost me $2.92. deal of the day!

It looked pretty rough and unloved, so I polished the silver and now it is stunning.

The shadow makes it still look dark here but believe me it is shiny and new silver!

I am happy about the new addition to my silver collection. Thank you Salvation Army!

In the mail

2012-02-03T07:46:00.000-08:00

I received a box in the mail last night

I have never done this before! I ordered the fabric exactly like the pattern. Every time I run across this pattern, Chippewa Nine Patch by Minick and Simpson I just think I have to have it. so I did buy it all!

The fabric line is Prairie paisley also by Minick & Simpson. A bonus, the pattern is written well and easy to read and understand. Looking forward to making this one.

2012-02-02T07:33:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend I finished this quilt. It was quilted by a place that shall remain nameless (grrrr) and they stretched the heck out of it and folded the edges over until it was a mess. I un-quilted a lot of it and fixed it as best I could. Then put the binding on it and called it good. Now it is the quilt that will be used to wrap furniture if I move. But until then it is used at night to keep warm. I love it and am sad that the quilter ruined my quilt.

My old iron died on Monday night. I was so sad because I really liked it.
It was a cheap Rival iron, no bells or whistles, just a workhorse.
I looked online and this was the only iron that interested me
but after turning it on last night and trying to iron I realize it is way to
heavy. So the search continues for the perfect iron. Is one out there.
I don't want to spend an arm and a leg.

Weekend small goodies

2012-01-31T07:41:00.000-08:00

This is a mug rug for my desk. It is about 8" square

And this little gem is the Schnibbles little houses left overs. I keep trying to get the contrast right. Then I used a little bit of Sue Spargo's dog ribbon. This little quilt lives in my work space as well.

Jellyroll quick quilt!

2012-01-30T08:35:00.000-08:00

I used the method shows on this site to make this quick and easy quilt. Incase the link doesn't work this is the site. http://blog.heirloomcreations.net/?p=1897 this is done with a jelly roll. sew them end to end . then fold in half and sew them again end to end. do it 5 times total and you have a quilt. Easy peasy.

Swoon! done.

2012-01-30T06:58:00.000-08:00

Of course blogger now puts images in whatever order they want. whatever... So here it is the process of the Swoon quilt. DONE!!!!! I took the outside pictures at 4 pm yesterday so the light wasn't so good. But here is my completed Swoon quilt.

this image should have been first.

2012-01-23T07:41:00.000-08:00

View of one completed square for reference on my little design wall.

The completed block! 8 more blocks to go!

I finished my little pillow using the Schnibbles little houses pattern.

The contrast didn't turn out as well as I liked so I used my friend Pammy's suggestion and outlined the houses in Black.

the beginning of Swoon

2012-01-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

Got the hst's all cut out and sewn

Got the pieces sewn together

checking the contrast,

the rest of the story. Next the center and middles.

Finished pillow

2012-01-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

Love this pattern. I finished my little wool pillow and now it sits on a chair in my dining room. See previous post for the pattern info.

Finished little houses

2012-01-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

I finished my Schnibbles pattern. I altered it a bit because I ran out of fabric for the two lines of squares for the center of the quilt. But I still love it and am addicted to these little houses. I see more of them in my future!

2012-01-05T07:37:00.000-08:00

I have gotten the bug again, finally. It has been a long time since I have felt like doing any quilting. These houses are from the Schnibbles pattern. I just need to get the borders done and quilt it and it will be done. I love house images and can't seem to get enough of them.

2011-12-22T07:46:00.000-08:00

I finished my first redwork square. Hopefully during my xmas week off I will have other gems to show.

2011-12-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

I received this cute little dog ornament from a nice woman at work yesterday. cute! And this nice bundle of American Banner Rose came in the mail yesterday. I completely forgot I ordered it. Merry Christmas to me

These blues from Blackbird designs, Blueberry Crumb cake are going to become my next project. I plan on making the pattern Swoon. All 9 blocks the same. I think it will be yummy.

2011-12-13T08:24:00.001-08:00

Well I tried to get into blogger to add a blog onto mylist and can't for the life of me figure out how to do it. all things have changed and not for the better. The tec people just seem to want to complicate things more and more. Really, make it simple people!

Took a moasic class on Saturday.. a new addiction

2011-12-05T07:40:00.001-08:00

The first try at a small mirrored mirror.
end result before grouting. that is next week.
Project two. A small birdbath.
laying out the pieces

Ready to grout. Next weekend!

A new work in progress

2011-12-02T09:04:00.001-08:00

I adjusted the pattern to make it a bit smaller. Not on purpose, just read the measurements wrong and went with it. oh well.

Poppy finish

2011-11-28T08:34:00.000-08:00

I finished the poppy embroidery.

A purchase from the Quilt Show in Chico a few weeks ago

2011-11-23T08:34:00.001-08:00

I bought a printed red-work panel.
here are the individual squares. I just need to get to Joann's and buy some thin muslin to go on the back so I can get started. I love this and for the life of me can't even remember the maker. Sorry. Each square is about 12' square.

A recent finish

2011-11-16T07:55:00.001-08:00

Schnibbles X-rated pattern made into a table runner instead of a square small quilt.
I decided to use embroidery thread to quilt it and it went very fast and easily.
I finished it during my lunch breaks at work.

A Little finish

2011-11-14T07:28:00.000-08:00

A steamer
cardboard cutouts
an old quilt used for the bottom
hot glued on
fits perfectly

getting ready for the top

a little wool top

storage for more Quilt stuff!

A weekend finish

2011-11-08T07:29:00.001-08:00

I started this quilt last year and finally finished the hand quilting and binding this past weekend. I haven't been able to do much quilting as I have had yet another long headache due to high blood pressure. All I was able to do is mindless stuff. Anything that makes me think hurts to much. So I sat and finished this quilt. It is about 40" square. I used civil war BOM blocks from a terrible BOM from last year. But that's another story. I love the way this one turned out and will use it as a wall hanging.

A tea-towel beginning

2011-10-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

Poppies

houses

2011-10-27T07:04:00.001-07:00

I got these two charm packs in the mail yesterday from the Fat Quarter shop. Time to start my Schnibbles Full House pattern. OMG, really, does anyone ever test these patterns?
The roof area has to be cut way back, and the door is shorter than the walls. So the directions (a puzzle at best) tell you to make it 5 x 6.5 (I think). Why doesn't the pattern just make the pieces the correct size to begin with. So I think I will just adjust the pattern so I don't have a lot of cutting off of things. Don't like Schnibbles patterns! Won't buy again.

Quilt show purchase

2011-10-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

I bought this pattern from a woman vendor at the quilt show and her booth was very nice. I had never seen these patterns before and it was very hard to decide which one to buy. She has a website so go and browse her great patterns. Reets rags to stitches!

How I spent my Fall Vacation

2011-10-25T07:33:00.000-07:00

I recently took a vacation to Alaska to visit my best friend in the whole world
I only saw the white stuff one day on our trip from Seward to Anchorage to pick up
Fresh crab right off the boat in Dutch Harbor
My best friend was doing a little home improvement
And we had a bit of fun along with the work
We took a side trip one day to Kenai and Soldotna. These were the only fish I saw

And these were the only Bear I saw.

Then we drove back to Seward, admiring the one week of fall and in the sun shine!

Back in Seward we did some manual labor
And visited friends at the American Legion for a nice steak dinner
Before heading out to Anchorage to the airport for the flight home. sad be be back... I love Alaska!
Here are images of the yardage of fabric I bought.

I love Fire weed, (2 yards)

Now I am home and back to work. But even though I did some work I had a great time! Thanks Val!

Annies Star Annual Quilt Show, Chico CA. (2011)

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

The Raven, an awesome quilt by Brandi of ABC blog fame.
This quilt was made by my friend Pammy of Library Gal Quilts fame.
And here are the two wonderful fellow bloggers. Such great people!

Kentucky Quilt Project DVD set

2011-09-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

I bought this DVD set recently and have watched two episodes so far. Wonderful!

Why Quilts Matter

2011-08-09T06:59:00.001-07:00

http://www.whyquiltsmatter.org/welcome/about/the-series/

Cottonwood CA Quilt Shop

2011-08-08T06:39:00.000-07:00

My friend Pammy and I took a little drive on Friday and went to Cottonwood to Quilts in the Attic. Main street Cottonwood. The old train station made in to a shop. Cute.

Flower

2011-08-02T07:04:00.001-07:00

A few years and a few moves ago my friend Pammy gave me a cutting off of her wonderful plant. I do not know the name of this plant but I am so happy it likes the place I planted it. It is giving me a very nice show and aren't these flowers lovely? Enjoy the images.

Books

2011-07-28T07:18:00.001-07:00

Susan Vreeland is one of my very favorite authors. This book lives up to my expectations. Great book. About working conditions for women in the last century and how "Clara" was the creative person behind Tiffany Lamps. Very good.
These two lovelies showed up in my mail box last night. Love them!

Body Pillow Cover

2011-07-20T06:31:00.001-07:00

I am finally getting this ready to hand quilt. I also plan on doing some major embroidery on this to make it whimsical for my grand kids. It will be the pillow cover for a body pillow that will sit on a special couch for the kids. The patterns are from Tonye Belinda Phillips.
middle section
other side.

Learning to monogram

2011-07-19T06:13:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to do monograms for a long time and decided to teach myself. These are my first two tries. I think the S is way to big. I like the smaller one best for now.

Oroville Dam

2011-07-18T10:58:00.001-07:00

From the Boat launch area

From on top of the dam looking towards Paradise
From the top looking down on the Feather River

From the lookout at the Visitors Center Looking at the top of the dam
From the visitors center looking towards Paradise
From the visitors center looking at the Bidwell Bar Bridge and those little white things are boats at Bidwell Marina. According to the stats at the visitors center the Dam is within 6 inches of being full. It has been a long time since it has been this full. A delight to see!

Sisters

2011-07-11T06:54:00.001-07:00

Does anyone know where to find images of the Quilt show in Sisters over the weekend?

Stay-cation sewing

2011-07-05T06:45:00.001-07:00

The pattern purchased at Morning Star Quilters in Paradise CA.
The finished product. I like them!

New projects

2011-06-28T06:22:00.000-07:00

A new pattern with a button included!
grrrrr, blogger. I turned the image before adding it and of course blogger didn't' take it. grrrrr. This is a new project I bought from Kathy Schmitz. Love her patterns.
And a 2nd pattern from her.
A retired friend from work stopped by the office yesterday and brought me this gift. yummmmm! Thank you Maggie!
I am a big fan of Sarah Richardson and all of her shows. The most recent being Sarah's Summer Cottage. This quilt was on her bed and I decided that was the next quilt I was going to make. Talk about surprised when I saw it on the cover of Country Living magazine. Bonus for me, now I don't have to do it from memory.

Finished ironing board project

2011-06-27T06:30:00.001-07:00

The legs off of the old ironing board. Any idea's as to what to do with them other than throw them out?
The board, getting wood filler in the holes
sanding nice and smooth
One of the many coats of chalkboard paint. drum roll please.......
The finished product. A Chalkboard for my kitchen!

A Finish

2011-06-23T11:07:00.000-07:00

Last night I finished the hand quilting and put on the binding on my little wall quilt. It is a Kathy Schmitz pattern. I love her patterns and in fact have a few on order right now. I love embroidery and quilting combined and plan on doing more in the future.

A sideways closeup of the top. Don't understand why we can't turn these around in blogger. grrrrr.

My 5 Quilts

2011-06-22T06:06:00.000-07:00

The 5 quilts pictured today are now all in boxes and ready to go to Sisters to hang in the Quilt Show. Once they are mailed I can again concentrate on making more quilts. But for awhile I have been just waiting for the day to mail them off.
I took pictures of them after a ten hour work day and 100 degree heat. 5:30 yesterday evening.
I love this quilt, but not so much the quilting. B & B in Orland doesn't do the greatest job. Sad to say.

Another Weekend find

2011-06-21T05:54:00.000-07:00

This old ironing board, circa 1950's? Solid wood, And the legs I figured I would unscrew and take off immediately. Wrong.... they were riveted. so I had to ask how to get them off. My son told me to use my drill and drill them out. ok. It worked but was not easy. Then I sanded the front and back and now it is ready for a project. Any ideas what I am going to do with it???
Here is the back. Made in USA, and made to last.

Weekend goodies

2011-06-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

This is the west side of my house under the Redwood tree. I am re-vamping for the new year. This is a before.
These Hydrangea's were there and need re-potting.
Like my new planter? I sure do. This is what I see when I look outside my kitchen window.
And here is my kitchen before I went shopping on Friday.
And here is the sign I picked up in Paradise at Jeanies. $10 for that great sign and it is not new. It was sitting by the front door and I grabbed it and was a happy shopper! The lighting is pretty bad but the sign is great!
Closer look at it.
And on Saturday I went back to Paradise and went shopping at the antique shop next to Morning star Quilters and my friend Pammy spotted this sign. Well, it must have been the weekend of the sign.
Here it is above the door to the garden. Love it!

A recent purchase

2011-06-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

I bought a charm from Sweetwater. On etsy. This is the darling bag it came in. Love the bag as much as the charm.
Here is the adorable charm. I have a real "thing" for houses. Love it!

Tornadoes in California??? YEP

2011-05-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken after the tornado's (x2) hit Durham CA. The storm was traveling east towards the foothills. I was standing on the road at the Oroville Afterbay with a lot of other people with cameras. Amazing sight for those of us that don't see tornado's.
This is where the tornado hit in our little town of Durham. Orchards. Almonds to be exact. Thousands of trees destroyed. One farmer lost over 3000 trees and it will take him probably 10 years to recover. On the news (bay area, because our news channel's are lame and don't give any information) they said that crop insurance didn't cover wind damage. Tragic.
Close up of downed trees. My house is less than a mile from this and closer as the crow flies.
more

Playing around

2011-05-19T06:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday on a fun blog, Material Obsession, I spotted a large hex quilt. something I had never even thought of. It was so darn cute I thought I would try it. So I put hexagon in google and found one and then made it big enough to fill a normal piece of paper. Then I just folded the fabric so I could cut them out at the same time and had a hexie. I never even measured it so have no idea of the size. I am not a wiz at those pesky y seams so I didn't finish sewing it together last night. But I think this size would make a very cute child's quilt. There maybe one in my grandchildren's future.

The newest project

2011-05-18T06:41:00.001-07:00

This is my palate from my brights
When my local quilt shop had it's going out of business 40% off sale I bought this.
New York Beauty foundation . I have always wanted to do a New York Beauty, why not use up some of that fabric and make a quilt?
Block 1 done.

Saturday's awsome tour of Gladding McBean

2011-05-16T08:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday fellow blogger, Pammy and I went to Lincoln California to Gladding McBean. It is a pottery/clay company that has been in business since 1875 and is a true California historical wonder. They have a week of tours every year and a pottery exhibit called Feats of Clay.
This is the bus that takes you from the visitors center into Gladding McBean.
This was the band playing outside the visitors center.
This was our tour guide Victoria
The next images are things that are made at Gladding McBean. A lot of the items made are for use on the outside of large business buildings.

These are easels used to lift large heavy pieces that are in the process of being worked on.
Isn't that column in the background wonderful?

This is an old RCA monument.

These are the two types of Kilns.
And a beehive kiln
This is sewer pipe that is made and sitting on the lot. Because the building market has dried up in California and other places it sits there waiting.

This is a lamp post that is on a bridge somewhere. I can't remember, I think the tour guide said New Mexico. But I could be very wrong. Apparently they are all across a bridge.
Isn't the eagle wonderful?
And this is the logo for a men's store in SF CA

The tour is really wonderful. Gladding McBean is a historical treasure. If you are ever in the area this time of year I would highly recommend.

not much quilting going on in my world

2011-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

I took my precious puppy "CLEO" (Cleopatra Queen of everything) to the park for a little Frisbee yesterday. She is an Australian Shepherd, you wouldn't know it to look at her because I get her shaved in the summer. She has no complaints. No fleas, no heat, no problem.

Getting ready for Sisters

2011-05-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

This is a close up of the backside of one block.

This is the backside of the quilt laid out on the floor. I spent forever last night de-threading it before I take it to the quilters today. There has got to be a better way to keep the threads from being visible on the front side of the quilt. How do you keep the threads clean? Inquiry minds want to know.

Angel Santos

2011-04-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

A store in Downtown Chico is going out of business and this 33 inch Santos Angel was standing there. She was on sale and a very good price, how could I resist????? She now resides on top of my bookshelf overlooking my living room. Think of the decorating possibilities!

Mug rug

2011-04-28T06:41:00.001-07:00

I stumbled across this pattern online yesterday and thought it would be easy and fun to make. So when I got home I decided I would give it a try. I love it. I used scraps and completed my first mug rug. The pattern came from The sometimes crafter.
The finished product. Now that I look at the original on the Sometimes Crafter blog I will do the next one differently. Seems like the first one is always the test of what I like. this one is ok but the next one will be much better.

A Win!

2011-04-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

Way back on March 15th of this year I won fat quarters from a shop in South Jordan Utah. The shop didn't send the item's promised so I contacted them and asked it it was a bogus win. They assured me it was not and told me it was in the mail. Well over a a month later it showed up last night in my mail. So, thank you Material Girls Quilts I appreciate you coming through with the win promised. The 8 fat quarters are very nice. Little Things by Sarah Fielke printed by Lecien and made in Japan. A line of fabric I am not familiar with but instantly loved.

Easter update

2011-04-26T07:17:00.001-07:00

I got out my table runner and I still love it.
A nice gift from my friend Pammy. She is such a sweetie!

What I am currently working on

2011-04-21T06:38:00.001-07:00

I love hand work and embroidery. This pattern was recently purchased from Kathy Schmitz and is called Blackbird sings.
I have felt out of sorts for a long time now. The gloomy, wet, windy weather has gotten me down. Sick of it! I want sun! I want to be able to go outside! Soon lets hope!

Challenge Quilt done!

2011-04-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

My challenge from Pammy was from this book.
a basket quilt.
I write all over my books, makes it easier for me to not have to read the entire section every time I have to look at the book.
Pile of finished 12.5 inch baskets. I believe Pammy is going to make a lot of 6" baskets. I just wasn't into making a lot of them. I settled on the 12 inch baskets so I could get it finished.
humm, in this configuration?
side settings done. Time to sew them all together.
humm, borders? Yep, this will work for me.
all sewn together and first border on
2nd border on
it's close up
outer border done
a close up
a 2nd close up. Cute pattern, I think they are kinda boring, but maybe in the future I will applique some flowers in them. Best part is the quilt top is done! (for now anyway)

sample block

2011-03-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

I was given a bit of fabric and a pattern for a challenge. so I decided to make a sample block first to see how the pattern came together. I rather like it. Basket pattern by Jean Wells.

Weekend finish

2011-03-21T07:40:00.000-07:00

I finished the hand quilting and made a pillow over the weekend.

A few new books to add to my collection

2011-03-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

I have received these books over the past few weeks. I loved this book!
not my favorite of the series.
lots of great ideas
A nice book
whoa, some small pieces in here
Future plans in this book.

have a great weekend!

Just One Star block challenge

2011-03-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

Made two blocks for the Just one star can comfort a soldier challenge. One for me and one for a friend at work who doesn't quilt. They will go out in the mail today!

new mini hangers

2011-03-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

I bought these from Pumpkinvine Corners. I love them. Looking forward to putting them up and show casing a few o f my little quilts. The prices were great. Check them out!

My Red and White Quilt show

2011-03-14T08:17:00.001-07:00

This is my little red and white show. Please go to this site to see many more wonderful red and white quilts!. This little r/w quilt I started the day my daughter got married.

Red velvet pillow with white buttons
r/w small xmas quilt
My quilt ladder with 3 of 4 r/w quilts
r/w quilt on the table
r/w baby quilt

Beginning stages of a yet unfinished r/w quilt
r/w quilt from a few years back

small r/w small quilt
framed r/w small quilt
r/w small quilt
r/w unfinished quilt
r/w quilt that isn't quilted yet. This quilt will be hanging in the Sisters Quilt show in June if all goes well.

This r/w quilt is in the pile of quilts to be quilted. From a few years back.

A finish

2011-03-14T07:33:00.001-07:00

I finished this hand pieced and hand quilted pillow over the weekend. It was block 1 from Material Obsession in Australia BOM last year. This was as far as I got so it became a pillow top. At 20" square I like it a lot.
this is the back.

sweet little house

2011-03-11T06:44:00.000-08:00

I made a little house so I could test the pattern. Believe me. If you buy this pattern it's all good except the line across the roof section. In that section you have to add the 1/4 inch and almost paper piece it to make it work, be warned. You have to reinvent it yourself to make it work. Thanks to Paulette for letting me know and giving me the heads up so I didn't get angry. Other than that the pattern is stinkin cute! I am looking forward to making many more of these little darlings.

More New!

2011-03-10T07:42:00.001-08:00

Lynette Anderson Designs in Australia has a few things on her website I couldn't live without. Here is button #1. I have a love of dogs and these buttons are so stinkin cute how could I not buy them?
Miss Lizzie couldn't be any cuter.
And the most darling of all.... This little carved girl with a yellow hat. I liked this one so much I bought one for my friend Pammy. Each one is completely different. If you haven't seen these seam rippers you have to go to her site now!
another view
and her close up
and both parts.

New!

2011-03-09T06:59:00.001-08:00

I shopped at Temecula Quilt Co. online and look what I bought! I have a serious addiction to old wooden yardsticks. This little 4" x 2" box is so stinking cute I can hardly contain myself. And they had this cutest ever pattern as well. I love houses in patterns. So it was a win win for me!

Here is my collection of yard sticks. Love them! I am waiting for the right project to use them. I just haven't come across it yet. The possibilities are endless.

A finish

2011-03-08T06:44:00.001-08:00

I have had this lap quilt done except for the binding for a few weeks, so I found my Australian fabric and put the binding on. done!
This is the back. I bought a card table older tablecloth with an Australian map on it a few years back and used it as the center for the backing. I love it! And on the bottom left i decided to use some of the edges of the fabric with the names on it for fun.
Here is a close up.
And a close up of the vintage table cloth.

Fridays mail

2011-03-07T08:41:00.000-08:00

Brought me this nice little kit from Joined at the hip. I had forgotten I even ordered it, so it was a bonus surprise.
And they sent along this free pattern!

An inexpensive kit

2011-03-03T06:43:00.001-08:00

I get the connecting threads catalogs on a regular basis and do buy their thread. But I saw a kit that I hoped would get my quilt making juices flowing again so I ordered it. It was under $40 all said and done. The kit came in last night's mail. Here it is.
fabrics
pattern, now lets hope it sparks that little part of me that says "lets piece"!

Snow in the Valley?

2011-02-25T07:40:00.000-08:00

This is the street I live on, and these trees are Almond trees in bloom. The weather is crazy and we are supposed to be getting snow this evening. Almond prices will be expensive next year because there may not be a crop. Sad for the farmers.

Recent finish

2011-02-24T07:26:00.001-08:00

Last year I did the Fat Quart Shop BOM. These blocks were the result. I do love them. I have to admit I can't remember the line of fabric. sorry. I ended up just putting them together an easy way. And using up as much of the left over fabric as I could.
These pictures were taken yesterday afternoon about 4 pm and there wasn't to many places I could find that had sun. So here is a close up of the shady area.
And here is the back. I love the back. I used up the left over hst's.

New pattern

2011-02-22T11:04:00.000-08:00

I just love Kathy Schmitz patterns. This one is new to me and I hope to get started on it soon.

Started hand quilting

2011-02-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

This block was block one of a BOM by Material Obsession last year. It is completely hand pieced. One block was all I was into. That was work and I wasn't up to the challenge. So I decided to hand quilt it and make it into a pillow top. Stay tuned to see the final pillow.

Changing the finished product

2011-02-01T06:37:00.000-08:00

I like this scrap quilt but it just doesn't seem finished.
So I added a border and I like it much better. Now it goes in the pile to get quilted.

Weekend

2011-01-31T07:32:00.001-08:00

I finished reading this book. Interesting, but in my opinion not as good as her other books. Falling Angels was my very favorite.
And I received this package in the mail from The Sisters Outdoor Quilt show. I entered their block challenge. No clue what I am going to do yet. But it should be fun.

Slowly getting back into it

2011-01-28T06:40:00.000-08:00

I found this free pattern at Primitive Patterns free patterns. They have a lot of free patterns to choose from and I thought it would be good for me to get back into quilting by just doing something. I have always loved the look of the willow tree in patterns so I thought I would just do it. The fabric is linen from an old linen shirt.

a little something

2011-01-24T11:28:00.001-08:00

I used a few 4 patches and put together this little quilt. Didn't even measure it yet. The 4 patches have 2" squares and are 4" finished square. So that gives you a better idea of what the size it. At least I am doing something. Looking for a car is a daunting task and is taking a lot of energy.

New edition to my addiction to quilt books

2011-01-19T07:23:00.000-08:00

This wonderful book came in the mail yesterday. love it!
And this new calendar as well, I never got around to buying one before the new year. I have been absent lately, I am looking for a new vehicle and oh what a job that is on a limited budget. all my free time is spent driving around the North State looking at used cars. It is exhausting, as well as sad. Prices for cars are ridiculous. Plus I am getting grief from my aging parents as to what I should do. OMG, does it put a strain on daily life. I will spare you the drama, I only wish I could spare myself. Anyway at some point I want to have time to actually get back into quilting.

Gifts in the mail

2011-01-04T07:01:00.000-08:00

Just before Christmas I won these wonderful little gems from Blackbird designs. They are a new line of fabric not even released yet. (as far as I know). Called Antique fair and I love, love love this fabric. Now to figure out how to use these little gems. Does anyone have a pattern for 2.5 inch squares? Thank you Blackbird Designs for the wonderful gift!

The gift

2011-01-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

My friend Pammy gave me this wonderful quilt for Christmas. I love it so much. Isn't it grand! The xmas stuff is put away all except for the quilt as of today. Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2010-12-23T07:04:00.000-08:00

I will be on vacation from now until January 3rd. I hope that everyone has a very Merry christmas!

What I have been working on

2010-12-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

This is the left side of the top. The houses are from Tonye Belinda Philips pattern. The car pattern is from the book Dogs and cats by Lynette Anderson. Can you see the dog sitting in side?
Another house
and another
and another
grrrrrr, blogger! tip your head and look at this one. See the dog? It is from the book Cats and dogs. I have all of the houses appliqued on this top and the next step is the trees, then the fun stuff... embellishments.
here is what it looks like so far. It will be a pillow cover for a body pillow that will sit on a couch for my grand kids. So far I am loving it.

I have nothing

2010-12-20T08:51:00.000-08:00

So here is my dog Cleo at my son's house. We stayed the night there on Saturday before heading out in the storm to the airport.
And this is Daisy, my son and DIL's baby.

I have tried to get in the spirit of making something quilty and just can't do it. Quilters block came at the wrong time of year!

My baby is home!

2010-12-17T13:09:00.000-08:00

Well ,she is 24 but home for a few days. No matter how old she gets she will always be my baby.

And this monster tractor is a stomper. It is what my son has been driving nights for a month. It is designed so that those wheels stomp the rice stubble into the ground so it rots over the winter when the fields are flooded. Cuts down on the amount of acres that are burned.

And here are rice fields full of Ducks and Swans and Geese. I love the noise they make. I love it when the sky is full of them and they are honking like crazy. One of my favorite things in the whole world.

more Geese, Swans and Ducks @ 40mph

next step

2010-12-14T06:51:00.001-08:00

I got the berries all sewn down and now will work on the vines on the border. Pinned down and ready to sew.

My Christmas tree is up

2010-12-13T07:14:00.000-08:00

I have a love of Patience Brewster and her quirky xmas stuff. Only wish I could have been able to afford more of it. So here is my little set up. Now to get wrapping.
Went over to my DIL's this weekend where it was Santa's bakeshop. Each year for Xmas she and her mom and sister make a gazillion cookies. The air was sweet and the cookies were oh so yummy.

fudge, yummmmm

The next step

2010-12-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

These are all sewn down, and I am ready to figure out how I want a border.

The book

2010-12-08T07:59:00.001-08:00

This is the book where I found the berry quilt
here is the quilt
And here is the image from the book.

a new start

2010-12-06T08:38:00.001-08:00

18 inch square all laid out for the sewing to begin
pieces laid out but not sewn down yet
decided I like the yo yo's the other way better
Here they are all laid out and ready to sew. More images later..

Thanksgiving day in Half Moon Bay

2010-11-29T07:18:00.001-08:00

My dad and I took a little drive on Thanksgiving day while the turkey was cooking. Here is where we ended up. Half Moon Bay California. It was a picture perfect day.

If you look carefully in the distance you can see (25 miles away) the Farallon Islands.
One lone sail boat enjoying the day

Thanksgiving

2010-11-19T07:31:00.000-08:00

I hope that everyone has a great Thanksgiving week. I will be taking vacation and going to Palo Alto to visit my parents. I will be back on Monday the 29th of November. Happy Turkey Day to all!!!

And there was much rejoicing

2010-11-18T06:59:00.001-08:00

I started this quilt on Monday evening after work
Could only work on it a little bit on Tuesday evening
And Wednesday evening at 10:22 P.M. I finished it!!!!!!! It is about 57-58 inches square. Of course I had all the lights in the house on but the pictures are still a little dark. And there was much rejoicing!

A new start

2010-11-16T07:03:00.001-08:00

From this book
This pattern (grrrr blogger)
this is the quilt
And this is my center. I am using the fabric line Full Sun by Willowberry Lane and Maywood Studio. I started collecting this line about 2 years ago and have finally found a quilt to make with it. My border is going to be different fabrics from the line. I hope to have it finished by Friday.

ideas please

2010-11-15T10:52:00.000-08:00

I own one of these and I think it is awesome, it is a reproduction bottle drying rack. Intended to hang bottles upside down on to dry. Well mine sits in a space above my living room on one of those shelves built into the room. There is nothing on it. my question is.... should you accept. What would you put on it for xmas decoration? The prongs are about 3 inches long. I would love to put ornaments of some sort on them but how? I need some creative people to help me out here. Thanks in advance! Lizzie

Continuing progress

2010-11-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

I have been working on this a bit. One day at a time.

A finish

2010-11-12T06:41:00.000-08:00

I used left over blocks from a long ago quilt and made this 48" square quilt with flannel backing for my dog. She is pretty special and now she has her own quilt.

another starter project

2010-11-10T07:51:00.001-08:00

I plan on starting alot of projects in the next few weeks so I will have hand work ready to go over Thanksgiving vacation. Here is yet another. Lots of plans for this one. There will be flowers as well.

My newest project

2010-11-09T08:06:00.000-08:00

from this book
this pattern
this beginning.