not sewing work...

but still work. This is what occupied my time Sunday and Monday of last week.

As we think about moving next year sometime I've started to get the house ready for sale. That means changing up some of the colors I used to have and freshening up the paint job. So After 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of color I now have this lovely entryway. That and thigh muscles that screamed for 2 days!! Man I am seriously OUT of SHAPE.

Should be a color everyone could love. A nice Starbucks mocha latte color... a change from the dark PURPLE I had in the entryway. Hence the 2 coats of primer/blocker.

Got a little gifty in the mail too. The Ecology cloth Lucy mentioned and uses often. It's so nice and sturdy but not stiff and also some on sale $3.69 a yard sale fabric from Z&S. I always loved this pattern of black and cheddar. I bought the lot...2.5 yds!

busy working...

Oh My God...the last few days I have gotten some of the coolest books! Thanks to Kathie and to Lucy for their tips! I know Lucy has the same Mary Emmerling book coming as I got too. So you remember the wall of doll quilts right? and how I made this quilt below...

...turns out I was wrong about the far right side! It's hard to enlarge a computer picture and still have any clarity. SO I bought the book that the original quilt wall was in by Mary Emmerling. Then I got out my trusty magnifying glass and I could finally see the little edges of light beige tumblers next to the dark blue. Then Lucy mentions that the quilt was in another book! Off I go and this arrives!

Turns out, from what I can see between the quilts, the one on the wall has really faded a lot. Who knew the middle was brown? Dark brown at that. SO now, even though I'll be making the true reproduction in thimble size, I still want to correct the version I made. SO I'll take out the basting stitches on that side and add the other row.

See her dolly wrapped in the quilt. Seven years old when she made the quilt. Looks like a girl after my own heart!

don't faint...

two posts in one day...the Christmas quilt is all finished and binding sewn down.

Here Comes Santa Claus

55 x 65 inches
original pattern by Cheri Saffiote Payne

and because I just couldn't stop last night... 13 x 19"

I did the center before I went to bed. I already had the 4 patches left over from making Paducah 9 patches, so cut a few squares and 1/2 hour tops! I did the border this morning. It's not really the color scheme of the older antique quilts, but I like the colors anyway and they don't have to all be period.

** About the ways to hang tiny doll quilts: Thanks to all you lovely ladies, I think I have the perfect thing. I have tiny applique pins but they have heads so I don't use them often. I bought the ones with the white dot heads that slide and don't catch the threads. I can tap those into the edges and they won't show at all. **

doll quilts...

Last June I stopped by Lucy's blog and saw this picture and was enthralled! It inspired her to do a spectacular quilt! Just one of many, in fact. When I saw the picture on her blog I saved it, knowing that one day I would make a few of those lovely quilts too. Then yesterday morning while sorting and deleting some old pictures, I came across it again... WOW! Lucy told me, when I asked permission to show it, that Kathie had found it in a book! I consider Kathie my resident historian, she answers so many of my questions! The book is Collecting American Country by Mary Emmerling...love her books!Thanks Kathie!

So inspired again, I grabbed the fabrics I needed and started cutting! This is my version of one of the little quilts on the wall.
It's to the right of the doorway. I blew it up and started cutting! By dinner time I was all done. I decided to make it bigger with tumblers instead of the thimbles, but I do plan to make an exact copy too, using the same colors as the original maker. She used all the same dark blue fabrics for all the blue pieces, a darker beige in the center diamond section and a lighter beige on the outer sections.

And, No, I didn't leave off a row...yes, it's uneven. I love the uneven pattern. You have to enlarge the original picture pretty big to see the beige pieces beside the left binding, but that's how the maker did this quilt, so I left it exactly how it was made. It was hard let me tell you! I tried at least 4 times to add another beige row on the right side...or maybe drop the beige on the left.. NO! leave it as is. The sides will be straight cut and then quilting. But what to do...?

I'm thinking baptist fans, but was worried it would obscure the pattern. Then I saw Lucy's clam shells and they look marvelous! I've wanted to try free hand baptist fans and this might be the one. Any other suggestions are welcome! I'm still thinking...I'm also looking forward to doing some hand quilting...since the arm issues I haven't tried it, so we will see how well it goes!

** Hey one more question?? How do you think these quilts are secured to the wall** I use clear head push pins for larger ones, but they leave a heck of a hole and the clear head shows. These don't have anything showing. Lucy... how are yours secured? Just wondered...

This one I kept to myself...

A while back I came across this post by Kathie. I immediately fell in love with these complicated looking blocks. Following her link over to Patty's , I see more fabulous blocks and hear the back story. After that I was hooked. I quickly ordered the magazine ****Australian Patchwork and Quilting Magazine Volume 16 #3**** and decided that while I had the passion, I didn't really have time to add yet another quilt into my list of current projects...then I realized my passion would be easily quenched with just four lovely blocks. SO that's what I set out to do! Working slowly, I saved the progress for just me...ala Tracey and her big reveals...my finished Blind Man's Fancy top!! 52" x 52"

Even though it is completely done in 1800 CW reproductions, you wouldn't know it from the colors. I wanted bold, bright, kookie and loud mixed with a dash of beautiful tried and true!

I love how it turned out, I love the size, I love the colors. Hubby loves the graphics of the blocks.
*** OMG!! I just realized I switched the colors on the outer flying geese border! The pink should be on the outside points! LOL! Oh well, no WAY am I re-doing all those. Plus I like it fine this way...floating pink triangles!!***

Now... back to the machine and for some swap blocks for 4 lovely gals who have waited patiently for them, while I toiled away at this burning passion. Hopefully by this weekend it will be quilted and ready to take it's place on the wall.

need a favor...

** UPDATE** Thanks ladies, I got several offers and should have a nice batch of of quarters for me and to share with hubby's co-worker***

I'm looking for anyone who reads my blog and lives in IOWA~~!! Any takers out there?

Here's what I'm looking for, from anyone really...IOWA state quarters! You know those cool state quarters that came out years ago? I've collected them all and it's nearing the end of the run with 2 quarters left to be issued, but somehow we never got anywhere near seeing the IOWA coin. My guess is that maybe they only put them out in or near IOWA. I know in the beginning they were easy to get straight from the bank. Then times changed and you had a rougher time finding them. My luck has always been good at Taco bell and Chick-fila. Okay, so I love them both, way more than my waistline should, but yum.

Now back to quilty stuff...the christmas quilt is completed, but the quilt hanger isn't home...so pictures later today!

Look who wandered home...

I was about to give up the ghost, when I realized my 5 to 7 working days had flown by and NO word! I called yesterday and they said it was on the desk to be worked on as soon as he arrived. A few hours later and the call came in! She's all super clean and he said that the tension issue's were from the tiny screw on the lower bobbin case was bent/ stripped/loose...whatever, so it wasn't holding the tension like it should. That's fixed now and she's all better.

I could have rushed right out but I figured why bother, the little black beauty was working like a champ so I waited till hubby could do the lugging and picked her up first thing this morning! I plan to fix one horrid quilting issue in a very light corner of the Christmas quilt after I spend a hour or so picking out the stitches that SUCK!

Now...LISTEN UP... some of you might be aware that several of us gals have been working on the Sweet Land of Liberty quilt by Cheri Payne. Beth was kind enough to start a blog so we could post our blocks, tips, etc. all on one spot. Well I'm still posting and it's getting close to the end of the quilt almost. Because I didn't want to lose all those tips and things when the blog eventually got deleted, I decided to re-post them all into MY blog. When I lost the original blog I never added some of the older posts back. Consequently I have months with nothing posted.

So I picked April 2007 and posted all my posts about this quilt there. If I was on Wordpress I'd do a separate page thingy, but no go in blogger. On the side bar under "Cool Stuff to See" I've added a link that will take you right to all those posts. See TUTORIAL: SLOL BLocks. Please, when these come up as new in bloglines or whatever reader you use, don't worry with them. Just delete if you've seen them.

Thanks!

hello my name is judy...

and I am a flitter-er.

That's right, I flit from one project to another and I LIKE IT!!! I was discussing this by email the other day with Darlene and I realized, again, that I do like it. Yet, it leaves me without those wonderful..."see what I finished" pictures every few weeks. But eventually I will have a TON of "see ALL the things" I finished. Eventually.

Sorry that it's been a week since I posted. I have been taking it slower, but I really didn't intend to be gone for so long between visits. So without further adieu...these are the things I've been flitting between all week.

Got the next installment for Sweet Land of Liberty completed and sew together. I showed you different pieces of this section, but finally got them all assembled and embroidery done last night. I'm loving how this one is turning out and I'm rounding the end on this one, I think. There are top borders to be done and a few more blocks, but maybe 4 months left??? Seems like less, but it's getting close. I have another block ready to assemble tonight too. I also signed up for the last of Cheri's sampler quilts and last weekend I got the FIRST package for the ABC Quilt Sampler. I had the pattern, but I really like doing these as BOM's so I ordered it from Buggy Barn. I'm NOT starting it for a few months probably, but it was fun to go through all the pieces. I need to finish some others first!!


My arms are getting better and better, very slowly, but I am still working on my Four Seasons BOM with Darlene, Carol, Sharon and I'm sure others. Beth are you doing this one too?

This work is the one thing that still kills me with pain, so I go very slowly. To the left is the bird for Summer without his piecing done. I somehow missed the house block, which comes first but eh..not at all tragic which order they are done in.

Got the Spring section completely done and all stitched up! As normal, you can click on any of the pictures and get a much larger view.

I'm also just about finished with a quilt top that I was compelled to get done. You know the feeling right?
One of the last things to do is cut what seemed like millions of these triangles. Now to put them all together...but no peeks.

This one I want to just spring on you like Tracey does...POW! See what I finished while you weren't looking! She just did it again and you really should go look. She has also reminded me that I have a very similar box of very similar Dresden's that need exactly the same treatment...including all the fudging into place in order to lay flat and pretty.

SO that's the last week of working and toiling in my sewing room. Come back soon to see some more progress.

leftovers...

So the other day after seeing this on Patty's blog, and this at Kathie's, I decided to add another piece to the list of " pieces I cut after washing fabrics".

A while ago Kathie shared her strip cutting strategies with me and while I haven't started cutting my strips yet, I did take her initiative and start cutting all the tiny pieces for quilts I wanted to make in the future. Every time I wash a newly purchased fabric and iron, I cut my template pieces for a tumbler quilt, pyramid quilt, and a few NJ 12 triangle blocks.

The other day I found 2 great charm packets by Tula Pink on Etsy that were perfect for a bright tumbler quilt.... Flutterby and Nest. When they arrived I sat down after dinner while watching tv and started cutting the above tumblers. These are great collections, so I didn't want to waste anything. This left me with these stacks of lovely leftovers! 80 pieces each and W-H-A-T to do?

I'm thinking something like a very wonky log cabin inspired squares? As soon as I make massive amounts of flying geese today for something else I might just delve into the pile and see what comes out. I certainly never considered tossing these as they are not small.

In for repair....

This is what I saw today at my house..... and in Mrs. Schmenkman's words...I also felt rather "empty". Well I would still feel that way if I had nothing to fill the hole with at all. The tension has been getting worse on my machine and finally today after finishing quilting the Christmas Sampler by the skin of my teeth, I packed up Little Momma and got her ready to go to the shop tomorrow morning. Then out came the Baby. Ah, she still sews like a dream!

Since she didn't have a cover, I played with the little replacement and made her a cover. The boys like to play with any thread they see and who wants a dusty machine.

So this week I'll be sewing anything with a straight seam. Not much else I can do for 5 to 7 days while they sort out Momma. Not to worry I have plenty to sew.