A Really Girlie Girl Quilt

The fabrics in this quilt are just the cutest girlie fabrics I have ever seen.

I wish you could see this in person its simply adorable.

Karla Nitz did another excellent job picking her fabrics and a perfect pattern.

Love this one.

Quilted with  panto "Gerber Daisy" fits this quilt to a "t".

Gus was sick all week but managed to come today, he is much better, and thankfully he took a long enough nap for me to finish the quilt for Karla.

Tomorrow is a "Crumb Block" party at my house for a few quilters.  There has been so much interest in this upcoming party, that I'm actually planning on having another one.  I can only fit so many people in at one time, but with all the quilter friends that I have I just know I'm going to have another one for those that I couldn't have come this time.

Crumb Block Party????  - I will let you know more with pictures after the party.

Planes Trains And Automobiles

I wanted you to see every square inch of this adorable quilt made by Karla Nitz  - I quilted it today using a panto called Bauhaus Baby

You might recognize the panto design from a previous quilt I did, the scrappy one? -

Now to whine a little or maybe a lot.  This weather is going to be the death of me and or several people.

I swear we have become the New Alaska.  I went to grocery store this afternoon for Toby, Sarah and poor little Gus, they all have the flu.

Could not believe how cold it was.  My eyeballs were cold, literally, just from walking from car to store.  On the way back to the car I put on my sunglasses just to protect my eyes.  Unbelievable and its not over yet, they are predicting Thursday (tomorrow) is going to be colder.  How cold can it get before we become the polar ice cap.

I see signs all over at business declaring 22 more days to spring.  Yeah Right!!!!!  I also heard that daylight savings time begins soon.  Again unbelievable!!!!

Milton Sew Day

Yes it is the 4th Tuesday of the month and I managed to get my butt out of the house and go sew with the girls.

Sew (pun) glad I did.  We had such a good time, yakking, show and tell, laughing and sharing tips.

I'm in the process of making Microwave soup potholders for a friend.

Managed to finish 4 today, and the rest I have been doing over the past few days, in between other projects.

A couple of days ago I quilted  this charmer for a friend.  One of my many CT friends Diane Mannion

Quilted using Panto "Christmas Doodle - Trees"  by Patricia Ritter

In addition.......   Working on making a new quilt with a new block I made.

This is the same block just positioned differently - I will decide which way it will go once I make more blocks to go with it.

I haven't given it a name yet, but I had made this a while back for a friend , Wanda, during the Birthday Block Swap

Remember this ? 

I really liked the way this looked.  Now I have the time to make a quilt for me using this block.

Unfortunately for me (boo hoo) I dont have enough fabric to make it the size I want, will just have to go shopping for fabric (boo hoo).

February Sunday Sew In

Monthly Sunday Sew In with the Girls from www.connectedthreadz.com
My on line quilters social group.

Practice practice practice that is what I have to do to continue improving my quilting.

Today was a practice day, I ordered some new pantos and waited until they arrived to quilt this scrappy quilt.  I thought this was perfect for this quilt.

I really enjoyed working with this panto.  It isn't perfect but its still a neat looking design.

If you want perfect you have to work with computer quilting, and I don't have or plan on having one.

I enjoy controlling the stitching myself.  Even if it means the design is not perfection.

Besides perfection is just overrated.

Saturday A Full Day

I have had one busy day today.

Being of sound mind I did the unusual for me.  I did not go directly to the sewing room or to the computer. Got all cleaned up, dressed, made the bed picked up the house and was ready for anything.

Loaded a customer quilt and 2 rows done a call from a good friend Julie, "lets go to breakfast" oh yeah, and Stacy showed up just as we were leaving so she joined us.

Back home again and proceeded to work on the customer quilt.  Using a Panto instead of my usual free motion quilting.

2 rows from the end and ooooooh darn it - somehow I did not line up the row and it was crossing over the previous row.  That means unstitching a partial row.  It took 3 hours to remove the unwanted stitches.

Finished the quilting and trimming around 6:30 - it was well worth the extra steps to complete the quilting.

Its beautiful:

Wish the camera could pick up the true rich royal purple colors in this quilt.

Its Been Awhile - Moving On Tula Pinks

Its been quite some time since I have worked on my Tula Pinks - to fill some time in between other things I have managed to put a few more blocks together.

Here is where I'm at so far:

1 thru 32 - in order of completion - later when all are completed I will rearrange them to a pattern I like.

Yesterday and this morning I sewed 33 thru 38  = 2 yesterday and 6 this morning.

Blessings to all those friends who continue to give me scraps.

After doing a few of TP's I'm considering doing yet another scrappy quilt top.  I have sooooooo many scraps and pieces I could make quite a few scrappy's and still have more pieces left over.

My problem, what to do with all of these excess quilts.  I'm going to be donating them to some charitable organization, but haven't decided which one or 2 to give them to.

I know there are many many places I could send them.  Hospitals, cancer wards, children's hospitals, church, the list goes on, so why not get busy and do a few more - right?

I have the material and the time might as well put it to good use.

My family certainly does not need any more quilts for a while and I will not let any piece of fabric go unused if I can possibly help it.

Some of my quilts are listed on Etsy for sale and hopefully some will sell, but in the meantime, I just continue to makes more.  I think there is a word for that! ADDICTION 

Crazy and Wild Animal

I am finished with the Crazy Quilt - took all day but I added the skirting - wild cheetah print!!!!!

And it looks terrific - what a job - If I had to do this for a customer the price would be no less than
$1000.00  - no kidding between the gorgeous fabrics used, the time involved and the skirting this took me months upon months to make and finish.


Sarah requested and received her Cheetah skirting - I may have some alterations to do once its on her bed - might have to take a deeper hem, but for now its FINISHED!!!!!

Cant wait to see what it looks like on her bed along with shams and throw pillows.

Pink Fuzz Everywhere

I'm not kidding.

Yesterday of my favorite people and quilter stopped by with a quilt made by her daughter in law to be quilted along with the batting and backing.  No problem you say ...... oh yeah.

The backing was made of that low nap furry fleece stuff.  Which is fine for making soft cuddly things and pillows but for a backing AAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH  Just touching this stuff causes a major expulsion of pink fuzz.

I almost had her come and pick it up, because I thought it Might gum up my machine if it built up too much fuzz.

After looking it over for a second time today I thought I would give it a go.  At least she wanted just something simple to sandwich it and hold it together, which made my job a lot easier.

So I proceeded to get it loaded - changed out the thread color and bobbin I had on the machine and started in holding my breath the entire time.

I used only straight stitches on this, if I had tried any curves at all that backing would have been puckering and folding all over I'm sure.

It looks pretty gentle here (the backing I'm mean) but it was stretching and moving the entire time I was quilting this.

Liz came and picked it up to deliver to her DIL, who according to Liz is aways sewing and making quilt tops but not getting them quilted.  I told her let her know I'm here and she can call or come anytime, BUT DON'T BRING THIS BACKING ever again.  Liz agreed, she said she is sure the 15 yr old daughter picked it out and that mom, although she is a quilt maker does not do the quilting and would not know what (we) quilters have to do to make their tops looks good.

The pattern is pretty and I would like to make one some day. Using, of course, a nice backing.