Blog/Google Update! And Two More Quilt Top Finishes

Before I get into my normal blog stuff....

I've been getting some emails from some of you via Google Drive saying you couldn't get access to the issues of Hexie Love magazine that I made available in the tab at the top of the blog. Apparently Google changed their security setting a few months ago.

I got some help from one of my daughters this weekend and we believe we have updated our settings so that you should have regained the ability to view the old issues of Hexie Love! Yay! Please let me know if you have any further issues like this.

And now on to the quilt top finishes! I finished Casserole, made as a twin size.

I really enjoyed making this pattern. It was so much fun to pull colors from my stash for each block.

I pieced the backing from this fabric - this has been in my stash for years. I made curtains from this fabric (Amy Butler, I think?) for our younger daughter's dorm room when she was a freshman at Furman University. The curtains covered the closet space. I have saved the curtains all these years and I'm now using them in quilt backings. Though there was also some of this used in the front of the Casserole quilt, too.

CHEDDAR BOW TIES!!!!! I've been working on this FOREVER! I think I started it at the very beginning of the Pandemic. So I guess this is my Covid quilt? It measures at 72" x 72".

Though I loved making this one, I was ready for it to be done. And it is! 

I'm trying to use up some random yardage from my stash. I pulled several pieces of colorful pieces and pieced them together for a Franken-backing.

Won't this one be fun with these ladies dancing across the back of the quilt?

And these animals! Another fun piece for the backing. 

And that's my report for this week! I can't believe I have finished FOUR quilt tops so far this year. Almost all of the sewing has been done on weekends. 

I still have UFO's that need attention, so those will be next on my list. I'm really trying to finish some things before I start more. Stay tuned.

Continue to stay safe!!! And pray for Ukraine and the rest of the world...

Cross Stitch Update and a New Quilting Book! And cake!

I've made a lot of progress on the February cross stitch in the last week. I finished the windows - the pattern called for dark windows, but I wanted my house to be lit up and homey. So I changed to a pale yellow. It's so pale that it blends a bit too much with the white curtains, but I'm leaving it as is. I also finished the big urn and the flowers and greenery.

I still have to finish the mortar between the bricks and the front door.  There is also a small bird to stitch above the large urn and flowers. 

Above the house I added a golf club and golf ball to personalize it for Hubby - these were my own design.

Well....I'm almost finished with THREE quilt tops! Cheddar Bow Ties, Casserole, and the Open Envelopes quilt (this top is complete already). I still have UFO's on my list to work on, but of course I started thinking about other quilts I could make.

I want to make some scrappy quilts! I treated myself to the above book. There are several quilts inside I want to make.

I love this one - especially the look of adding the striped fabric!

I also like this Christmas quilt - the green tones really appeal to me.

Here's another one - love this, though I'm not ready for more half square triangles just yet.

I think this beauty would be nice in orange and blue with white. Of course, I do!

I love this one too! I so enjoyed making my courthouse steps quilt and I can see doing this one scrappy.

Have I mentioned how many of the quilts I love! Yes, another one that would be fun to make!

This quilt (Forever Friends) is why I bought the book. I read this blog post about it. The post included helpful hints. This is not the same as Bonnie Hunter's Around the World pattern. I have so many strips already cut in my stash - so this will use a lot of them.

Do you think I have enough quilts ahead in my future??? Haha!

What do you do when you hit the 40 pounds of weight loss mark??? Well, Hubby and I went out to dinner last night. An Italian restaurant! And we shared a dessert! I certainly can't do this every day, or even every week...but I can still splurge every once in a while.

Continue to stay safe!

A Great Weekend of Sewing

I finished the next Casserole block - love this one! I have now made SIX!

The pattern calls for 9 blocks for the big quilt or 4 blocks for a large wall hanging. I got to thinking...I could use a twin size quilt for Sadie's big girl bed at our house. Mind you, she's still in her crib, but I know it won't be long before she makes the move.

I took some measurements....hmmm... the top two thirds of the quilt would be a good twin size! That would be SIX blocks! Boom! So all I have to do now is sew in the sashing (which I cut today). Boom, boom!

I also finished another Birdsong block. This makes five done.

Here's the group shot.

I spent the last week mulling over the half square triangle quilt. Remember I wasn't happy with the plain borders? Yet I want this quilt to be on the modern side. 

I pulled out some dark gray strips and sewed them on two sides. I'm happy now! I felt like adding this to only two borders was the perfect solution and it was easy to do. Now I have to order some minky for the back - this will be my lap quilt and I want minky!

I spent some time this afternoon sizing up what's left on the Cheddar Bow Tie quilt. I counted how many bow ties I have left (only 28). Then I counted the cut pieces I have at the ready. I only need to cut a few more, so I did that. Sadie likes to sit in my lap while I make these blocks so I'm ready for her to help me sew this week.

Hope you also had a wonderful weekend! Continue to stay safe!

 

Cross Stitch Update and In the Nick of Time!

I did a fair amount of cross stitching this past week! Below you can see where I left it last week for comparison. There is still a good bit left to stitch. I have some personalization planned for the front door of the house, and more for just above the house.

It was good to be back to making more progress!

 Remember I couldn't buy Aurifil at Houston Market last fall? Well, I knew I was running low and finally ordered some. It came yesterday - look how close I came running out!

I do have lots more Aurifil in lots of colors, but I like to use a large cone of light gray for all my piecing. Whew!

Covid has now left us - for good, I hope! Today is the first day we can get out of quarantine, though I'll stay close to home all week. All in all, it could have been so much worse. We are so thankful to have had mild cases and to be back on track!

Stay safe, my friends!

Covid Quilting

I've been so worried for two years about getting Covid. I think my biggest worry was how it would affect me and members of my family. I had a high school friend who died from Covid last year. So many people had gone on ventilators and many have died. It's a scary thought!!!!

Well, Hubby and I did get Covid. But the good news is that for us it's only behaving like a minor cold. Some of our family members had it worse, though they are all on the upswing now. We are on Day 2 now. By the middle of next week we can come out of our isolation. I'm so thankful that we didn't get it until after we were vaccinated and boosted - it would have probably been worse. 

So what to do? SEW!!!!

I decided Happy Birds had enough birds! I sewed all the blocks together so the quilt top is done! I will quilt this wall hanging myself.

I also finished another big block for my Cheddar Bow Ties quilt. ONLY ONE MORE OF THESE!!!!

AND I finished my half square triangle quilt top! I added the borders because it was so small. I would like it better without borders, but I added them. Now I'm trying to decide if I should add something else? Some applique in the borders? Something else? I'll think on it. Suggestions are welcome!

Cooper helped me with photography. Such a good boy!

Continue to stay safe! You might not be as lucky as I was. 

Cross Stitch and another Casserole Block

 

I didn't cross stitch any for a couple of nights...so my progress was small. But I did to our last name in the upper right - so tiny stitching over one thread! So that was a big accomplishment! As you can see, the roof is finished and I did the outside stitching of three windows.

I also finished the yellow Casserole block. I cut the next one - a deep orange/rust. This makes FIVE of nine blocks sewn. Yay!

This has been a wacky week. After two years of avoiding Covid, it has finally hit some of our family members here in Auburn. No one is terribly sick, but they don't feel great either. Our entire family is fully vaccinated and boosted. So far, so good with me and Hubby - though we have all been exposed. Hoping for the best!

Continue to be careful and stay safe!!! Wear those masks! Wash your hands!

More Open Envelopes

 

The number of envelopes is growing. I ended up having to individually trim every single half square triangle before sewing. As I trim them, I sew them into little four patch envelope units. This will not be a large quilt, so it won't take much longer until I'm ready to sew the units together.

I also finished another Birdsong block. That makes four out of 25 since the first of the year. Slowly, surely. I'm pleased with the progress.

I've also made more cheddar bow tie blocks and I started the yellow flower block for the Casserole quilt. I'm a happy camper!

Continue to be careful and stay safe!

Cross Stitch Update

I never dreamed I'd be providing weekly cross stitch updates here on the blog. But I have to say I'm enjoying this project! Above is the February pattern for Anniversaries of the Heart.

Here you can see the January pattern with my start on the February block.

And here is the 'up close and personal' view. I've made good progress, I think. I finished the border. The open right side will be filled up with the house. I started the house. I also did the urn on the left, well most of it anyway. I also started the personalization! I stitch hubby's first name and year of birth. I'll put our last name in the upper right. 

The name and date are stitched over ONLY 1 THREAD! So tiny! But I did it! Very proud of myself! I might just finish this someday! 

The first day I started stitching I really had my doubts. It seems so tiny, stitching on this linen. But the more I stitched, the easier it got. And the more I enjoyed it! I'll never leave quilting behind for cross stitching, but it is nice to have this one to pick up in the evenings.

Continue to stay safe!