First Day of Winter - Here's my summer sea side wallhanging!

My quilting niece, whom I used to quilt with every Wednesday night until she went into the Navy, has finished her tour of duty.  She is now a stay-at-home Mom.  She is back into the quilting fold and lives out-of-state.  We wanted to do a project so we made a couple rules then picked a theme and away we went.  Of course she went faster than me, because I have a full-time job, a freshly retired husband, and various community commitments.  I did get it done around the first part of December.  I am loving it!

I was going to try and use fabrics that I already had, but something for a seaside theme was going to be very difficult.  Then a friend wanted to go to First Thursday at The Cotton Club, and so we went.  I looked at their batiks and found four that I decided would be good for an ocean, sand, sky, and a beach house.  Turned out the seagull batik was too dark and busy for the sky, so I used it for the border.  I already had couple other batiks and the grunge basics fabrics.  I like to call this wall hanging "Batiks Meet Grunge Basics".  I like how the grunge basics give a sun baked, weathered look to the houses.  The idea for the design was from a magazine.  A friend of the featured quilter, Lynn Edwards, had given her a wall hanging with an ocean, boat, and two beach houses as the main design.  This is my take on a similar wall hanging -no plaids or stripes here.  What you may not have noticed is the lace curtains in the windows.  One of the requirements of the project was to use a piece of lace.  When Quilting Niece got this in the mail, we skyped and I opened the one I got from her, while she opened the one she received from me.  It was sooo much fun!  And she gave me a cute little message owl, that she sewed as well.  When I hang hers in my quilt room, I will post a photo!

It's December: I got my Jack O' Lantern Wallhanging Completed

It has been a busy month! I have gotten one year older, and I have a substantial list of unfinished projects. I only have  two more to finish in this year!  Woo-hoo!  Oops! Make that three.  I miscounted.  Last night I started on a repair/restore project for a friend that has been hanging around in my cupboard for two years.  I want to be able to give it to him by next Friday!  When that gets out of here, I will have a nice chunk of space in my fabric cupboard that I can fill up with something else. Like fabric!! Then I have the one flannel quilt I began last January, ready to quilt.  It is all pinned and ready for me to add miles of thread to.  After that I just have the binding to hand-sew on my "Jelly Roll Race Quilt",  I did make some surprise gifts for a couple special people, so I could not post the details or photos of those until after they receive them.  I will be posting those in the next week or so.


T and I started Jack O' Lantern wall hangings on
October 23.  I finished mine on December 17.
I am so good to go for next Halloween!
measures 16" X 20"

Quilts Backing Up!

Sorry, I did not post in November.  I hurt my back, and between being off an not being able to do anything, and then physical therapy and being back to work I just did not get to do any blogging!  I had bills to pay and getting ready for Thanksgiving and relaxing, etc. to do.  The Knotty Quilters had a retreat in October and I was working on a special quilt that is still secret until Christmas.  The Knotty Quilters had a retreat this weekend and I got the secret quilt all finished today!  The pattern is Nighttime Blossoms by Fons and Porter.  It is huge for me!  But then, I did a huge one last year, too, now that I think of it.  Huge just is not my typical thing.  Twin size is my usual thing.  This year, I have made more doll quilts than ever.  You can see them by clicking the link on the menu to the left: Gluten Free Doll Quilts.
Or just click on the words, because I think I was successful in make it a link!  Who would have ever thought I could do this?
   In 2015-2016 I was working hard on moving and selling our previous home.  We had a fabulous realtor, so I have made a quilt for him and his wife to enjoy.  They have two adorable little dogs, so I picked a cute dog print and some other nice colored fabrics to make this cuddly quilt.

I decided squares are okay. Every now and then
make a quilt with squares and a border.  You will not
be disappointed in the results.

The quilt was quilted by Sid Mooney, who used a dog bone and happy dog face quilting template to make it even more fun.  You just cannot see much of the quilting in this photo.  Great job Sid!

Happy Halloween!

I am making a mini-quilt wall-hanging, with a Jack o'lantern on it.  I pulled out all the orange scrap fabric I could find and took a contribution from my quilting buddy, T, and pieced the pumpkin part.  I am going to applique the eyes, nose, and mouth onto the quilt top.  I picked the candy corn fabric for the borders.  I have, what I think, is a better idea, now, but that would mean making a second one, and that ain't happening!  I have pinned the eyes, nose, and mouth on, so you can see what it is shaping up to be.

I Finished Something!

I made a baby quilt for little Evelyn, aka Evie.  I had some shu-fly orphan blocks from a previous study in pink, so I used some of those and some yellow fabrics to go in between.  The yellow birds and bees fabrics really set off the pink!  I used Winnie the Pooh and friends fabric for the backing.


I quilted it mostly stitch-in-the-ditch on my home
sewing machine. I used high-loft batting for extra
soft cuddliness!

Challenge Blocks!

Last year, the Challenge Block Committee picked out some awesome fabric for the challenge blocks.  I did all mine and turned them in last fall.  Then someone gave me one, as I was packing up our house to move.  It has been AWOL for quite some time.  We were unable to have our Quilt Show in 2016, so the challenge blocks will be on display at Room To Learn, in November in Kuna, during the Customer Appreciation Run.  Quilters visiting Room to Learn will get to vote on their favorite challenge blocks.  I found that challenge block fabric last week!!  How timely!  I have been practicing making these 'frames,' as they call them in England, and I did the off-set frame for this challenge block.  There was an additional left-over piece from a block I did last fall, so I used it all up making this one block.

I used the same technique on the outer border (frame), or I would not have had enough fabric without cutting and piecing it.  I had exactly enough.  I do hope you all like it.

That Red White and Blue Quilt I Started in 2008 is Finished!

My blog entry for July 4 is about this quilt, but the photo is of what was on the design wall that day.  There was not much up there.  I am so happy to have it finished after all these years.  I get to cross it of my list of UFOs.

Ta-da!  I do love bright colors!