All Blacks Are Not the Same!

 

When I put away a UFO, there is usually a reason. Several days ago I realized why this lozenge project was put on a shelf. I had used up all the black Grunge fabric. No wonder! 

I hadn't planned on buying any fabric for now. I have PLENTY! And I'm going to QuiltCon next month.  BUT, I really needed that black Grunge! I looked at the Hancocks of Paducah website and (OF COURSE!) there were SEVERAL Grunge black fabrics. It's hard to tell which is which on a computer screen. But I made my best guess and ordered 'Black Dress.' 

It came in yesterday and I guessed correctly! Yay!

So this morning I cut out lots more squares of Black Dress Grunge. I also cut more of the white Grunge squares - I still had plenty of this.

I had cut out tons of the large rectangles for the quilt before I had put this project on the shelf. I realized that now it wasn't just a UFO. It was a quilt kit, all cut out, and ready to sew! That got me thinking that I could pack it up and take it to our guild retreat in May. Boom! It all fit in a plastic bin. Yay!

Then I started thinking about what else I could take to the retreat. I dug out this project. These cute mid century modern houses have been put away for a few years. I have this quilt earmarked for one of my nephews. He'll be graduating with a degree in Architecture this Spring. 

So there's no better time to get this one back underway. So I gathered some fabrics and packed this one up for retreat as well.

I have 3 nephews and I want to give each of them a quilt later this year. One of them is getting a quilt-as-you-go quilt that I have already started. Another will get a black and white triangle quilt - this quilt is only a thought in my head. I think I'll make up kits for these quilts, too, and take them to retreat. 

And this is my zen project in the evenings. I'm LOVING doing this hand quilting! 

Enjoy your day!

Getting Into the Groove of 2023

 

I'm thinking it will be a nine patch year! I've started making them here and there, though I'm not sure what I'll do with them yet. I've got some ideas from Pinterest. But for now I'll just make them. 

I've figured out a 'different' way to make nine patches from one square and a strip as seen above. It's fun and I only end up with one nine patch instead of several from the same fabric pair. If interested, I can share how I do it.

I didn't make a list of goals this year, but I do want to work on a couple of WIPs. I pulled this one- I really like it and would love to finish it this year.

Since our move in September, I've gotten totally out of the habit of walking. In the last week, I've pushed myself to get back in the groove. Our neighborhood is really small...just one street. So I have to get out on the main road to walk. At least there's a nice, wide sidewalk. I can walk to several shops and restaurants. I could even walk to the grocery store. I'm getting used to my new normal route.

One day per week our golf course is closed and I can walk the cart path. I really like it when I can do this.

I got a Le Creuset dutch oven for Christmas.

Last night I made a new-to-me version of Chicken and Dumplings. It was really different, but so good. Hubby went back for seconds. It has apple juice in it! I wasn't so sure about it, but let me tell you, it is so delicious! Find the recipe HERE.

Here I am on our patio wearing a funny t-shirt that was amongst my Christmas gifts. I love it!

Enjoy your week! Are you getting back in the groove?

Happy New Year - 2023!

 

Let's get this new year going!!! But first, I'm looking back at my finishes from 2022. Here's Sadie's Christmas ornament, finished in the nick of time.

I made this fun project bag in a guild class.

A fun baby quilt for Noah - 1 of 3 quilts for him.

Noah's first Christmas ornament, made by me.

This was a biggy! After 4 years, I finished the hand quilting on Marshal. I'll always remember this quilt as my breast cancer recover quilt.

And I made this cute little macaroon pouch.

I learned to make feed sack totes, a fun project.

Noah's eye spy quilt! Quilt 2 of 3 for him.

This was another huge project! My cheddar bow tie! It is quilted and the binding is machine stitched on, but....I still have to do the hand stitching on the binding....

Noah's third quilt that matches his nursery.

I made this sewing bag which matches the macaroon bag - it was  bear to make!

Casserole! This was fun to make. It's quilted, but I still need to bind it.

And the finale...my favorite quilt of the year. I named it Swing High! This is the first time I've shared the finished quilt publicly. FYI...I've entered it in a competition...I'll keep you posted.

All in all, it was a very productive year. Plus we added our new grandson to our family. Noah is so sweet and cuddly. And Sadie continues to be a smart, strong girl who loves to learn and play. We have a lot for which to be thankful!

Cheers to a bright new year, with lots of hope and possibilities! Keep your glass half full and focus on kindness and positivity!

A Very Old UFO

 

We had a spectacular Christmas. I was so busy cooking leading up to the big day that I haven't done any sewing in a couple of weeks. Time to remedy this issue!

I went in my sewing room and was totally stuck. What should I sew? I remember how much I enjoyed hand quilting my Marshal quilt. Maybe I'd pin baste a quilt top? I have quite a few at the ready. I went through them and found this,

I'm guessing I made this at least 15 years ago, at a Birmingham quilt retreat. I had seen this in a kids' puzzle book and I thought it was cool. Nine squares, all of different sizes. So I drew it out and made a quilt top. It was already thread basted and ready to stitch. Why did I leave it like this????

Then I noticed that I had already started hand quilting it. But what in the world is the pattern I was stitching???

Ahhh! I had put a funky backing on it and was quilting from the backside, using the backing fabric pattern as a guide. Hmmm...why did I stop?

I figured it out...it was puckering on the front side. So I must have put it aside and stuck it in a closet for more that 15 years. Sounds just like me! 

I got out Mr. Ripper and removed all those quilting stitches. They were tiny! I didn't know I could make such tiny stitches! So I pressed it and pulled some thread choices for big stitch quilting.

I decided the black thread would work best. 

Then it was time for marking. I'll just mark a section at a time.

And here's where I got to last night. I like the way it looks. The quilt will only be 33" square, a nice wall hanging. I'm glad I'm finally working on it again. 

I'd like to finish more UFO's in 2023, and make some scrappy quilts, too. I have SO MUCH FABRIC! 

Ready, set, GO! Make quilts!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

 

Everyone who has been sick is much improved! Yay! 

Yesterday I finished Sadie's yearly ornament. It turned out really cute, I think. As a reminder, here are the previous two I made for her.

As you may remember, I finished Noah's first ornament a few weeks ago. I only have to stitch a little '2022' charm on it to commemorate the year. Woohoo, Christmas READY!

I keep these ornaments at my house for now. I like to keep them separate from other ornaments. When the kids are around 18, I plan to give them to Sadie and Noah, each in a special box of their own. But I do get picture of them with the ornaments each year.

I got a new cutting table yesterday- woohoo. It's from Home Depot and here's the link. There was free delivery to our door, though Hubby had to put it together. We actually ordered two of these so he'd have a nice new workbench in our garage, but for some odd reason the other one hasn't arrived yet.

Last week I made all my cookie doughs. Gingerbread, sugar, and chocolate.

I've now baked two of the flavors...only gingerbread left. We have usually already had our cookie decorating party with our girls by now, but sickness has pushed it back. We hope to fit it in this week, though Daughter 1 may have to miss it because she's leaving today for a last minute business trip to NYC. 

Once Hubby started feeling better, we ventured downtown one evening. The iconic Samford Hall is in the distance.

And there's Toomer's Drugs, home of the insanely delicious lemonade.

And our destination...Little Italy Pizza. It was fun to be downtown at dusk and view all the Christmas lights on campus and nearby.

I only have one more present to wrap. This week I just need to do a bit of house cleaning, buy groceries, and begin the prep for our Christmas meal with our family. Can't wait! 

Enjoy your week!

Holiday sickness....

 

'Tis the season. You may remember that last year I was diagnosed with the Flu on Christmas Eve. It was horrible, worse than the Covid I had in February. Last week a bunch of our family took Sadie to ride the Christmas train in a local park. I wore a mask unless my picture was being taken (as above!)

I was the the only one wearing a mask... Hubby now has Strep Throat. I'm keeping him confined on one side of the house. One of our daughters (Sadie and Noah's mom) has Flu. Noah isn't feeling too great either - he's 3 weeks old now. 

UGH! We hope all are better for Christmas! Meanwhile...

I'm still making wheat bread. So good!

And here are the bag tags I've been making for gifts. These are so fun to make! They have a layer of foam inside to keep them sturdy. 

Here's to staying well so I can help everyone who is sick. Many of my friends are sick, too. Some with Covid, some with Strep, some with nasty colds. Everything is going around in our little city. Wear your masks, people!!! Please!

Life Around Here

Long time, no post. I've spent a bit of time in my sewing room this week. I finally hung my ruler rack.

I spent hours like this, with TWO laptops in my lap. My Apple is on the right and Hubby's PC is on the right. I have the Bernina machine embroidery software - Creative Design 9 and I'm determined to learn to use it. I installed the software on the PC but I was using my computer to learn tips on YouTube.

I made so much progress! I'm figuring it out. A couple of Youtube videos helped me so much. I still have a lot to learn, I still haven't figured out how to import designs and I want to learn to digitize designs. But I'm pleased with the progress I've made. 

I actually made a bag tag for each of Sadie's preschool teachers for Christmas. So excited to be using these new tools.

We took Sadie to the Auburn Christmas parade Sunday - lots of fun! And yes, Santa was there, too! But we do love Aubie.

I bought the doggies new dog beds, a big one for Cooper and a little one for Mickey. Big Cooper seems to prefer the tiny bed. Go figure!

All is well here. Little Noah is doing great. Our daughter is doing better - spinal headache is finally gone. We are staying in a lot - trying not to get exposed to germs. I don't want a repeat of last year's Christmas flu. 

Enjoy your weekend!