Fluff Five

I was considered "tagged" by Libby at
"simply libby". Okay--I can do this!!

Five Things Found in Your Bag/Purse:

1. Checkbook
2. Tylenol and Tums
3. a tape measure
4. spare car and house key
5. a AT&T phone card in case I forget my cell phone and need to "phone home"

Five Favorite Things in your room:

1. My favorite adjustable halogen floor lamp
2. my books
3. more books
4. a bookcase holding SOME of my books
5. Ok--I do have a really comfy bed in there too!!

Five things you have always wanted to do

1. have long straight hair
2. visit Australia
3. play the piano
4. have a waist!
5. travel for a year in a camper

Five things you are currently into:

1. Quilting
2. Reading
3. gardening
4. waiting for the carpenters to build my little deck
5. waiting to be a grandmother!

Pat, Kim, Henrietta, Amanda, and Tipper, please step up and tell us your "fluff five"!! And anyone I might have missed--join in!

Sunday Stash Report

It hasn't been a bad week for stashbusting. Not a GREAT week, but I did finish the baby blanket. It has been labeled, washed, and on it's way. So I figure 8 yards?? And I didn't buy any fabric this week. Sigh--I always hope when I give someone a quilt that they USE it, not put it away and "wait for the rainy day" to use it. Do you ever have that feeling?? Sometimes you wonder if that quilt you made them will end up as the dog's bed, but I always try to remember I GAVE it to them, it's theirs!! (DD--hope you are reading this--remember when I found that quilt I made you under your coffee table??) ROFL!!

I have several tops here to quilt for other people, I may be a bit quiet as I work on them. The guild I belong to has a quilt show in June, and although I THINK I have my entries done, there are several other peoples whose are not! And as soon as the weather gets nice I am sure farmer husband will want me to help him. We are also making arrangements to have a small deck built on our house, so hopefully will be able to pick up the lumber for that in the next week (it's already been ordered and paid for). When the carpenters are ready to start it will be here! And there is my little garden and my flowers and......well, you see how it is!!

A Baby Quilt

Today I finished and wrapped a baby quilt for a co-worker of my husband. The baby was born a few weeks early so I was scrambling to finish it! He only suggested I make one LAST WEEKEND so I was kinda under the gun. But I pulled out that handy dandy pile of pastels and made a Bricks and Stepping Stones Baby Quilt! And used some of that fleece I got last week that was 50% off, I even used the "Wandering Daisies" panto that was on the table with some "King Tut Mummy Dearest" varigated thread I had wound already. Made some bias binding out of stripe fabric, so that looked like pretty barber pole piping around the edges. All in all, I think it turned out fine. (Oh--it was a girl--Phoebe Ann Marie!!)

On to the weather. At least 2" of rain yesterday, then it turned to ice and snow. And snow. AND SNOW!!! It's knee deep in places. There is a finch bag hung outside my kitchen window, and they must be hungry--sometimes there were five finches hanging on it eating. My poor hyacinth are blooming under the snow.

Sunday Stash Report

This week I finished the Bricks and Stepping Stones quilt. Full size, so probably about 13 yards??? And I bought 2.25 yds of 100" fleece for a backing, and 3 yards of 60" fleece for backing. Hmmm--and 1.5 yards of a black I needed to make some 4 patches. I've already cut up the black, so my recent purchases are going fast! If I wasn't so lazy today, I would load the 2nd Bricks and Stepping Stones with the wide fleece I bought so it would be ready to quilt. Oh well, I am sewing the 4 patches, I need those in the next few weeks.

My Wall

What do you see when you sit at your sewing machine? Do you look out a window on a scenic landscape? Do you sew in the center of your family's activities? I must be an antisocial type person--I stare at a wall. Oh, most the time there's lots of "stuff" on my wall, its a styrofoam design wall, but lately I have it cleaned off. I saw a beautiful quilt online, and asked the maker what pattern she used. She directed me to this webpage. I read very carefully, and choose my fabric with care. Yup, the brighter the better!!Not sure how it will look finished, but this is how far I got tonight. When I think about it, it's really just more strings!!

Cathy Thorne Cartoon

I saw one of these cartoons on Pat's Blog--some people might say this one is me!!

Bricks and Stepping Stones Quilt

Today I finished the first Bricks and Stepping Stones quilt. (Thank you Bonnie!!) I have two sets of blocks, I participated in an internet swap for them. There are so many blocks I made them into two quilts, instead of one ginormous one! Some of these blocks came from as far away as Europe and Australia, so it is very special to me. I pondered choosing the thread color, shouldn't have worried, you can't see it anyway!! On the back where there is grey/blue fleece, the thread disappears. And on the front, well, let's just say the front is a little busy!! I quilted this with the "Wandering Daisies" panto, it was fun and I think it will go well on many quilts.

Yesterday I dropped off quilts for Project Linus and at the local VA. Sigh, I miss them, but soon someone else will enjoy them. I have a couple to drop off at a cancer treatment center. Starting to look a little empty around here, I better get sewing!

Sunday Stash Report

This week I have a finish--the light/dark string quilt--for about 8 yards. I really like it, it is very soft and cuddly with the fleece on the back. It will be donated to the VA nursing home near me. I did buy 2 yards of fleece and am already using it, it's the backing for a bricks and stepping stones quilt--FOR ME!! I have it loaded on the long arm, and hopefully it will be done by next week.

Goals, yes Judy, that's a good idea. Hmmm, I tend not to think in "yards" but as "projects". My goal is to FINISH a project a month for the rest of the year, using mostly stash fabrics. Not little projects, twin size or bigger maybe??

It's A Dog's Life

Today I was able to take a picture of Ruby the quilting dog as she was lazing on the floor. She had been flat out sleeping, but heard me in the kitchen and thought she'd check in case I had put something in her bowl. She has a big sweet tooth, I watched her today following DH as he was eating a doughnut--2 inches behind him with her nose wiggling! She doesn't "beg"--she just stares at you! That border collie stare. I admit, I usually fold and share.

Today we are having a small spring blizzard--sigh. I was so hoping spring was here. But it's shouldn't last too long. I tried to be a bit quilty today, worked on the hand sewing of a binding. Maybe tomorrow I will have that done, a finish, I haven't been very productive lately.

Pink Lemonade Cut Out

Oh dear, my new fabric pile has not gone down much. And I THINK I have enough pieces cut for at least one quilt. A fairly large quilt too. But I have the pieces bagged and ready to go. I like to cut everything (or as much as possible) before I start sewing. Mindless chain piecing--yup, that's what I like. Stress reducing. What is your favorite method??

Whittling Away

Remember that lovely batch of fabrics I bought?? Yes, I am cutting it up. Thought it would be easiest to cut my strips for the Pink Lemonade quilt while they were all setting there. Next I will cut those strips into the squares that are needed, and then I will bag them up into ziplock baggies! If I STILL feel the need to sew, I will put the binding on a quilt that's laying here. Oh, I had to rescue the binding from my husband--he thought that wonderful long strip of bias binding was "scrap" and almost used it to tie up something he wanted to throw away. EEEEKKKK!!!

Sunday Stash Report

This week I bought fabric. I bought enough fabric my girlfriend asked if I needed an "intervention"! (crawling on floor laughing hysterically!) Yes, my best friend knows me!! In my defense, all was bought with a short term project in mind. She and I are swapping blocks made in pastels. I HAVE no pastels!! So this last week I bought fabrics for this swap, 20 different ones! 42 yards! There is enough fabric for two tops, borders, binding, backing of the swap quilts. And, I have enough pastel fabric to make a baby quilt (maybe two) for my daughter. Have I told you my daughter is pregnant?? I am going to be a GRANDMOTHER!!! I have no regrets about my purchases, I love them all.

So now I have to get sewing. Yesterday I quilted the light/dark heartstrings quilt and made the binding. Today I hope to sew it on. Tomorrow I am designated driver for sister and husband for Dr. appointments. So it will be a long day. Maybe I will have the binding on and I can sew as I wait.

My Husband Bought Me A Treasure

When my husband goes to an auction, he often brings me home "treasures". You know what I mean, pots and pans, a desk, (which I absolutely love)Adirondack lawn chairs. I love green, I collect sewing machines, so look what he bought me. (Lots of laughing and rolling on the floor here) Someone redid the cabinet and bench in a green. Not an UGLY green thank goodness. And the machine is very nice, a Singer 15-91 made in 1948. She sews well, and the decals are in very nice shape. A little cleaning and oiling and I have a wonderful new "treasure".

I loaded the light/dark heartstrings quilt today and I am quilting it using Keryn Emmerson's Limetree panto. It's not too fussy, and it flows nicely. Just what I was looking for to put on a man type quilt.

What's Under Your Cutting Table

Pam asked what was under your cutting table, and Pat showed hers! Okay, I'll share! My cutting table is made to store stuff underneath, it has nine shelves! It's eight foot long. And very VERY old. I rescued it from a building about to be torn down that was owned by my husband, who inherited it from his grandfather. Over it's lifetime it was everything from a store to a cafe to a place where dances and wedding receptions were held. This table is so old it is put together with square nails and wooden pegs. In it's top is the hole where the wrapping string used to come up from the cone. Do you remember that? Yup, it's old. But it makes a great cutting table. I use the left hand shelves for mailing supplies, tape, etc. The middle top shelf has extra rulers and templates, and the rest of the shelves hold my larger pieces of fabric (mostly for backings). And the top. Well, let's just say it holds "current projects". Or, "I'll put it away later stuff". Maybe.

Today I am playing with settings for my latest string blocks. First I used a dark blue string for the middle with narrow WOW on either side. I saw on someone's blog (sorry--I can't remember WHERE) they sewed them on the diagonal with another square of fabric (like HST's--I used a shirting type fabric). Now I am trying to figure out how to set them together.


I really like where the blocks form an "X", but then there are these large areas of plain shirting fabric--boring! And the pinwheel type setting, now that I like. Lots of movement, and the stripes in the middle of the blocks still stand out. This quilt will be set 6x8, so let me know what you think.

I haven't gotten any quilting done, I am waiting to try some new pantographs that haven't arrived yet. I LOVE new pantographs!