Nostalgic Christmas Quilting

I've spent the last two days marking this quilt before putting it on the frame.  Making  sure that the design I choose was going to fit.  The quilt top has been finished for weeks and waiting to be quilted.  Rarely do I work with a pattern for a quilt, most of the time I design my own on paper or in EQ7.  But when I saw this pattern Nostalgic Christmas by Lynn Wilder(why does my mind see her on the set of Little House on the Prairie?)  it was a must have.  But...and there's always a but...When I seen hers finished I couldn't get the quilting out of my head.  Her quilting was gorgeous, well my brain, as nutty as it is in there, wouldn't let me see any other designs for the quilt, so I had to lay it aside until that passed.  Finally!  I had an inspiration other than Lynns. 

In between quilting and cleaning there's been a chase going on around here.  Me chasing this Blue Jay with the camera.  He's a bit camera shy and spooks very easy.  What a lovely bird, these pictures don't due him justice.   Well if I were that pretty I'd strike a pose every time a camera came near me!   The ultimate pose would be with his wings spread in flight.

Maybe I should go incognito, by cutting a hole in a white sheet and lay in the snow beneath the pine tree.

I could build an igloo with one small window...

                      

This next picture made me laugh.  The huge bird in the upper left corner looks like he's setting in the pine tree but he's actually in the smoke tree closest to the house.  Giving the optical illusion that we have Monster Chickadees in Podunk!....LOL!

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea

Its still Christmas

The 25th has come and gone but it's looking more like Christmas here than it did on Christmas.  We were blessed with 10 inches of snow.  They called it a blizzard but I'm old enough to remember the blizzard of 78.  We were snowed in for 4 days.  Dad tried to get out and stuck the car in a snow drift.  Then when they finally could plow our road they covered up dads car!  This little snow storm is nothing compared to what we had then.  The roads were cleared here by the next day.

    However I'll say that playing in the snow when your 43 is nothing like playing in the snow at 9 or 10.  While getting these pictures it occurred to me that walking in the snow is like walking with resistance bands tied to your legs.  Each step resisting a little more.  Having enough of the resistance I headed back for the comfort of my sewing room.                    

Snow plow took out my mailbox, so I propped it up till Ross came home....for some reason they didn't leave me any mail..HEHE!

Christmas Joy quilted and bound.  Put on you sunglasses girls! 

Each block was quilted with a different background style, it was a good little practice piece.  Some of these backgrounds I had never done before.

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea



A variation of a variation, variation

Almost two years ago these little blocks gave me fits.  So much so I wrote a story of my woes.  If your interested you can find the story here.  Warning its a long story, but it's sure to make you smile!  Due to my aggravation this quilt  has taken many shapes. 

And then one day I stumbled upon this while surfing.  Sandi over at Piecemealquilts made this in EQ and in the process of making it.

Her idea came from this quilt that you can find over at Country Scrap quilts

Its a variation of this quilt from Fons and Porter Love of Quilting, issue July 2009.

So I started cutting!  Don't tell  me you've never done this!?

And the final product is A Variation of a Variation, Variation Quilt!

Thanks Sandi for the inspiration to help me get this project done!

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea

Christmas Joy

After pulling a quilt off the frame yesterday,finsihed, I put this one on.  Its coming along nicely.  My fingers are so sore from binding the other quilt so this gives them a break.  Tomorrow is Cooking Day!  All day.  Snicker doodles, no bake cookies, yeast rolls, pumpkin roll, green bean casserole, and yams!  Yep I'm in charge of most of the fattening stuff!  My mom just can't do it all anymore.  Dad is helping her to get the ham in the oven and the rest of us are taking care the side dishes. 

Merry Christmas to you all!  Just in case I don't get out of the kitchen tomorrow!

Mammas got a brand new bag!

Isn't she cute!  A couple of years ago I made a tutorial for the Quiltingboard.com   The tute was a much simpler version of this bag but if you need a quicky here's a link  http://www.quiltingboard.com/tutorials-f10/simple-quick-tote-tute-t80833.html

I added a zipper and two front pocket.   And its quilted patchwork instead of just fused fabric.  No pockets on the inside because it's for me and I don't use them so why have them!  Toss and go that's me!  If it were for a customer they have the option of interior pockets.

See the little eye hole in the zipper?  Would you believe that I some how managed to sew it to the bag!  How in the world that was done without breaking a needle is beyond me!   No I didn't get a picture, I should have, it was unbelievable! 

 It took almost half of a charm pack and some plaid from my stash.  The plaid is Lynn inspired.  That gal can do wonders with a little bit of plaid.

The charm pack used ( I love) was one that I won from http://fabricseeds.blogspot.com/  Oh I could have made a table runner or a small throw.  Maybe add from my stash and make something a little bigger.  But then it's one more thing added to the needs to be quilted pile.  I've still enough fabric left for another bag and possibly a wallet!

                                      

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea

Design wall Monday Sunglasses required

Okay let me explain.  Last year I made a door prize for our christmas get together.    I bought the sweater to wear at christmas and didn't read the label...Dry Clean only...It shrunk when it was dryed.  So I decided to make it a door prize by adding all the bling! 

This is my son Derek model his new lovely sweater, he loved it!

And whats a christmas sweater with out a little bling!

So I thought maybe we should do this door prize thing again with this quilt.  I really don't like it.  LOUD is an understatement.  But once you get rolling with something you might as well finish.  Maybe another border would tone down the red....probably not!  When I showed it to Ross he said the stripes made him dizzy.  

Until next time  " Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!" 

Lea

Its beginning to look alot like christmas

Well here's what I managed to get done today.  Not much... but its progress.  The idea came from this tutorial and then I expanded with some little scraps.  Hoping they will work yesterdays ornament blocks. 

I'm thinking that some applique in these should work nicely.  Maybe by mimicking the shapes in the fabric... I see doves, snowflakes, Christmas trees and lights, stars...we'll see tomorrow!

 Plenty of room here also.  Each block has a 4.5 center.

And the best part of day is mail!  I won fabric over here at Fabric Seeds.  Thanks Sarah for the lovely Charm pack.  Now I'm gonna have to order more over here at her store Fabric Seeds.  Her prices are great and she has a wonderful variety.  I know where my Christmas money will be spent! 

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea

Ornament block

A few months ago I remember seeing  something similar to this block, but where?  I tired of searching and decided to draft my own.   Using scraps from Joy by Moda and Kona Snow White.  At first I thought I could just cut out my own charms then creativity hit me and began experimenting  with fussy cutting and using leftover strings of fabric.  A wall hanging, tree skirt or a table runner....decisions, decisions. 

The scraps for the ornament blocks came from this quilt that was started months ago.  The orignal plan was to do some applique, plans changed today!  I just put the two borders on today, Lots of white space for detailed quilting on this one!  Will it be done by Christmas....oh probably not.  At least it's now made it to the flimsy status and can go in the box with the others. 

Until next time  "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea

Party Time!

3 wives, 3 bouts of cancer, 2 near death accidents and 8 kids later he still drives!

Below is my gramps and my mom.  I asked him what was the most exciting invention he witnessed in the last 90 years and he says "well really nothing stands out".  Gramps is just an ole country boy that took life as it came.  Besides all those kids he also had pigs, chickens, cows, goats, horses and a tomato farm.  Retired from truck driving in the 80's, then worked for the city, retired from that and began working for a horse farm until about 12 years ago.  He played and worked with Bill Monroe(for those of you who don't know Bill Monroe he's a famous Bluegrass musician)

The youngest at the party, my second cousins.  What hams!

Below from left to right, my dad, my sweetie, and the guy who stole my singing solo in middle school! Its a sore spot we won't go into..LOL  The lady looking deep in thought is my aunt Lou who organized the party.  Thanks Aunt Lou for all your hard work!

                                       Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

                                                                               Lea

Design wall Monday

It should read drafting table Monday.  Here's what I've been working on the last couple of days.   I started this months ago, and it gets pushed aside.   Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures.   Designing quilts is much harder than making them.  Its so much easier if someone else does the designing.  Definitely working out of my comfort zone of reading the pattern and following directions.   They'll be 12 blocks, and one center block.  I've yet to decide what will be the  colorway. 

                             The circles above are to help me decide where to place a flower. 

This is my design for the center.  

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone"

Lea

Improvising

My dishwasher has decided not to drain, never fear my handy man will fix it.  Well it's on the honey do list.  Which seems to be growing and growing lately.  I've not had a dish drainer in years so I was totally unprepared for this event.   Dug out some scrap Warm and Natural batting and some left over fabric from a previous project and TADA!  a dish mat. 

It matches this cutie I made a couple of months ago...The grass makes this look wavy but its not.

Also used some of the same fabrics here in a wall hanging for my momma earlier this year.

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone"

Lea

Yikes! Its glowing!

Yesterday I had an overwhelming urge to rearrange my studio.  Well I needed more space on my piecing machine.  When I was stitching down my applique on this quilt it would fall to the back and onto the floor, causing pulling and uneven stitches. 

So half the day was spent cleaning and moving.  Once everything suited my fancy I plugged in my sewing machine and light in one outlet and my space heater in another.  I didn't move the quilt frame so it was still plugged in a separate surge protected strip.  So I flip on the surge protected strip to my sewing machine and TADA!  Its up and running then I turned on my space heater, started to sit down in my big comfy quilting chair and before my bum could hit the seat "ZZZZZZT!"  LIGHTS OUT!  Of course my sweety was gone for the afternoon so I was left to deal with this issue on my own.  I unplug everything and head for the breaker box.  No switches are flipped, but I flip them off and on, like I know what I'm doing.  Hmmm...back to the studio plugging in only my floor lamp just in case I get another ZZZZT.   Nothing, no noise, but no light either.  On to the next outlet....Nothing...and the next.... Nothing.  Half of my outlets in the sewing room are fried!  Honey came home and was trying to diagnose the problem and the outlet between my sewing table and computer was GLOWING ORANGE!  YIKES!    So this was my fix until sweety could work his magic today. 

While the man works his magic I'm making laundry detergent.  I've been making my own for awhile now and have found that I like it better than the store bought stuff.  Its a quite thin and you have to shake it before using it, but for the price you can't beat it! 

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP

3/4 cup borax
3/4 cup washing soda
8 TB of dawn dish soap(it cuts grease better than all the rest)
1/2 of the measuring lid of Downy Unstoppables(dissolved in 1 cup of boiling water) (optional)
1 gallon hot of water

use 1/4 cup in every load, high efficiency washer or regular washer

Mix it all together and fill your favorite container.  I just reuse an empty store brand bottle with a spout. 

Shake bottle before every use

I used my coffee pot to pour it into my bottle. 

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea

Home at last

We rolled in yesterday afternoon around 3:30.  Home never felt so good.  The in-laws are great but nothings like your own bed.  Come to think of it I kinda like everything here better.  The roads are flat and straight, in Pennsylvania everything is on a hill, in a hill, down a hill, up a hill, over a hill.  Its like the never ending roller coaster....ewww...tummy troubles!

I couldn't wait to get home and get back to quilting. 

I've had this quilt on and off the frame soooo many times.  Maybe I'll get it finished this week.  2 more rows of blocks to go!

The little scrappy quilt came together nicely...and I stole a doll from momma.  She wouldn't let me have one of her good dolls so I settled for a hand me down from my aunt. 

They both seemed to bright ....a coffee dye bath  

......Painted her little shoes

TADA!  I think she needs a bed or a chair.  OH Honey!! .....LOL

Until next time "Quilt out of your Comfort Zone!"

Lea