Ah ha! Bowtie blocks successfully uploaded. All the blocks are actually sewn together now and it is in the very capable hands of Phyllis the Wonder Quilter. She is going to sew the borders on.  We met last night and had a great time doing our individual projects and sipping tea while chatting it up! We are known as The Knotty Quilters!
   I have to dry my hair and get to the commutter van now, or I shant make it to work!

I have been busy and not being regular on my blog as of late. Right now there is a problem with the blog, it won't let me upload my photos in the usual way.  So, for now no photos.  Blah!!!  But the latest is, Elverta's quilt will be finished in the morning. Sooo, close, but had to take a break. I got it all quilted last weekend, then added the black/gray grunge basics binding. Looking good!  I think she will be nicely surprised.  Meanwhile, just before Christmas I finished the bunting for Marie's upcoming wedding, the baby quilt for the impending joy of the Roy Family of Colorado.  I completed my daughter's Zebra/Jungle Quilt on December 28th; just in time for her to fly back to Missouri.  We got it in the mail the next day and she had it very soon after.  Then I did the New Year's Eve Quilt that I posted photos of on my last post. Had a very nice Christmas with Mary visiting. We went to the aquarium and the art museum (BAM), and to Five Guys Burgers, etc. I took more photos of Merlinda the Ninja Cat and some photos of Mary and Pete.  This cold snap is not dampening my spirits, but it is of those around me.  I have so much stay-in work and things to do in a cozy spot with hot tea or something better, I cannot complain.  I have been practicing my violin and making it to my lessons. A very busy week, this last one, at my job at the BVAMC.  But it is a three-day weekend and the playoffs for the Superbowl is tomorrow afternoon.  Going to visit Mom in the morning, then make rice krispy treats, then in the afternoon go to the CONFAB where we Knotty Quilters are assembling the quilt we all made blocks for. It is to be raffled off for a benefit.  It is going to be beautiful. I would love to post the photo I took of the blocks I sewed together, but  . . .  gotta figure out this problem.



Kirsten's New Years Eve Quilt

 Happy New Year!  Remember those itty-bitty blocks I mentioned in my Dec 12 post? Well, Kirsten made a lap quilt with them on New Years Eve! It was all completed by 11:41 p.m. on December 31, 2012.  She and her friends are already enjoying it!  In all actuality each block is 1 1/2 " square, and when they are sewed with a 1/4 inch seam, they become 1" blocks in the quilt top. This quilt has 100 one-inch blocks in it, with a dark blue border and red and white plaid binding. The binding was cut at 1 1/2" then sewn on the quilt edge at 1/8" seam allowance. One-eighth seems just right for a quilt of this size. It was quick and alot of New Years Eve fun!!   Click on the "Gluten Free Doll Quilts" link to see Kirsten enjoying her new lap quilt with her friends.



four stacks of who-knows-how-many itty-bitty quilt blocks in each bag

'Tis always the season for sharing:  Quilters, seamstresses (aka sewers), and fabric hogs are people who share.  Isn't sharing wonderful?  Tonya shared with Mary, who shared with her posse.  There was an amazing little bit of business in that box.  Four little bags of cut one-inch blocks! Ta-da!  It looks like a magic show. It could be confetti!  They are samples to use for ordering yardage from the Keepsake Quilting company in New Hamshire.  I do not know how old they are, but the price would suggest, late 1900's.  (1980s, 1990s?)  I will have to find out! Oh, joy!  Oh, and yes they are now in my most safe posession. I do have my doll quilts to consider.  Kirsten Larsen will be having a hey day with this "perfect for her" size quilts!

Fish Quilt!  In September, I attended a class at Room to Learn in Kuna. I finished it up at home and it turned out "darned cute".  The pattern is called "Up A Lazy River" by Far Flung Quilts, and I used the Lazy Angle by Creative Grids.  I have since used that Lazy Angle to make other cool blocks for my "grow it" quilt I am doing.  I purchased some shell fish fabric a couple years back, at The Quilter's Market when I was visiting Tucson, and used a little to make one of the fish. Then I decided to make it a bit longer by adding some to the bottom of the quilt. Hand sewn button eyes. Please, post me a message if you have any questions. Curiosity is a good thing. 



details & chosing buttons for eyes



Rolla, Missouri enjoying myself to the max.  My husband and I got to spend time with out daughter. She took us sight seeing and we had a fun time on the swings at the park in Rolla. 



Daughter and Mom swinging on a sunny afternoon in Rolla.

They had a static train display and a pond. But swings! What fun! We also went and visited the Univ. of Rolla Stonehenge, a half-scale partial reconstruction of the Final Stage of Stonehenge.  It was very interesting and there was also wind and solar power projects. The half-scale Stonehenge was particularly interesting.  It made me wish I could be at Rolla for the winter solstice, but I will be back in Idaho.    My daughter actually lives in Plato, MO.  We visited her for the week of Thanksgiving.  We had wonderful time! We drove up to Crocker, MO, and strolled around their little town and took photos of each other and their static train display. Mary and I drove down to Houston, MO, to get some eggs at the store and explored around there as well. The weather was marvelous until Friday (aka Black Friday).  Then we drove to St. Louis to get ready to depart at oh-dark-thirty Saturday.  On Friday we went to Target in some suburb and there was no crowd. We visited the Union Station and the Arch. Then we walked to the Speghetti Factory on 1st St. at Laclede's Landing. I enjoyed a very nice gluten free lunch. There it is . . . the gluten free portion of this web posting.

November not very productive where quilting is concerned. Made a mess on my day off; Veteran's Day. Big blue failed to function and I came home without my big zebra quilt quilted. It is still in a pile in my office where I don't look at it.  It has to be ripped out, and another appointment made . . . blah!   Meanwhile, went to Missouri again . . .