Sunday, December 31, 2017

Slow Sunday!

I think anything done today will be slow--minus 29 degrees tends to slow things down...unless you are running from your car into the house or vise versa--then it's the hustle shuffle (don't want to slip on the ice!). 
The end is near for the On Ringo Lake mystery.
On Friday triangles were added to the pieced triangle units.
On Saturday, the two different colored flying geese were sewn together. 

And today the blocks are going together. Now it's just a matter of making nine patches from the pieced units.
 I will be leaving for quilt camp in eight days, so I am debating with myself--should I go ahead and make my blocks this coming week, or bring everything along to camp and sew them there? It's not that I don't have plenty of other things to work on--lol!  Hmmmm......

And here are my New's Years Eve celebration plans:
I will snuggle down into a comfy chair in my warm house, do some Slow Sunday hand stitching (my hexie triangles for Mrs. Billings are coming along nicely) and watch The Thin Man marathon on TCM. Perfect!

Stay warm, stay safe, and have a great New Year's Eve!

Linking with Slow Sunday Stitching HERE
Slow Sunday Stitching

Thursday, December 28, 2017

December Goal

It's amazing to me that 2017 is coming to an end--how did that happen?
My One Monthly Goal for December was to get my Primitive Garden top put together.
Sorry about the horrible photo--wouldn't you know that the sun would decide to shine as soon as I got the top pinned to my garden shed. I couldn't quite get it up high enough to be out of snow either!

I added a couple extra flowers to the top border above the sunflowers--it just seemed a little bare compared to the other borders. I'm so pleased with how it turned out and a little sad that it's finished! 
Linking with One Monthly Goal HERE
Take me to the OMG Link-up

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Clue Five....

I finally added border 11 to my Mrs. Billings coverlet.
This border has been ready to attach since October. I'm not sure why it took so long--maybe my issues with border 12....

You may recall that I also almost finished border 12 but ran out of fabric pieces while I was at quilt camp. I assumed that I hadn't cut enough of these triangles , but while searching high and low for more fabric, I actually found a little note I had written to myself ( I know, shocker!). I had cut 96 (6 extra according to the pattern) but somehow was still 20 short to finish the borders. I don't know how many times I recounted and recalculated before finally realizing the pattern was incorrect! To finish Border 12 I needed 116 total of template M.
And I didn't have anymore of this fabric. 
Sigh

Janet of Rogue Quilter to the rescue!
She very kindly offered me a piece from her stash--such a life saver!
The fabric was ever so slightly a bit darker, but once it was cut up and sewn into the border, I think it's undetectable to the human eye--lol!

So here is Mrs. Billing's with border 12 attached--only three more borders to go!
Thank you again Janet! 
This week the On Ringo Lake mystery includes flying geese, and I decided to use my favorite method using the Eleanor Burns rulers

If the geese are made according to Eleanor's instructions, both "wings" will be the same fabric. I wanted my geese to be scrappy like Bonnie's, so instead of  matching the same triangle pieces after step one, I mixed them up so I had different backgrounds sandwiched together. 

This is what you get after step 2 is trimmed up....

Four scrappy geese. 

I'm ready for the next clue!
Linking with One Ringo Lake Mystery Tuesday Link Up Part 5 HERE 

Monday, December 18, 2017

Breaking News!

The final border for my Primitive Garden quilt is finished! 
I also managed to get it sewn to the rest of the top and will post a photo when I get a chance to take a good picture. You may be able to see some of the sleet coming down when I took this one! 

My Clue 4 triangles for the On Ringo Lake Mystery are done too.
 It was nice to see we are adding more of the browns and blues.

I cut my brown triangles from strips using Bonnie's Essential Triangle Tool and everything went together really slick. I also used one of Gudrun Erla's arrow ruler stickers to mark the line I needed to use--so helpful! And I'm loving my new cutting mat--a Martelli that I purchased during their annual half price sale in November. 
There aren't too many clues left to solve the mystery--can't wait until Friday!!!

Linking with Quiltville's Mystery Monday Link-Up Part Four HERE


Monday, December 11, 2017

Oops!

Quiltville's Quips & Snips
I tried to resist, but just had to jump in.....
Yes, I'm sewing up the clues to Bonnie Hunter's latest mystery, On Ringo Lake. 
The last couple years, I passed on the mystery sew alongs only because I had several that were still unfinished. Now that I'm all caught up, I figured I may as well do a little stash burning--lol!
This is Clue One--Nine Patches. 

Clue Two was Flying Geese.  

Of course, I had to try to solve the mystery--pretty sure this isn't it.
But after laying these out I realized these were the exact same colors I had used to make a previous mystery, Easy Street

So...back to sewing machine.
Thankfully I hadn't made very many red geese. I'm not making the full amount of units as I want a smaller, possibly throw size quilt. My very scientific formula is to divide the amount of units in Bonnie's requirements by 5 and then multiply by 3. Don't ask me how I came up with that plan---I have no clue.
It's a mystery! 

Clue Three is complete (according to my formula!). I may need to make more of each of the units, or I may end up with extras.
 We'll see when the mystery is solved!

You can still catch up with the Clues by visiting Bonnie's blog HERE.
Today is the Clue Three link up HERE--it's fun to see how some are trying to figure out the mystery--check it out! 

Sunday, December 3, 2017

Slow Stitching and a December Goal

I have kind of a different One Monthly Goal in December. Since it's so busy around the holidays, this won't get quilted, bound and labeled. My goal will be to get the last two borders on my Primitive Garden top.
I've been working on this project all year thanks to a sew along on Facebook, and this month we are working on the top border. 

This is the November block (border). Several people in the group added their pet dog or cat to some of the blocks. Since I don't have any pets right now, but have lots of squirrels around my bird feeders, I decided to add a couple to this border. I changed up the roof of the feeder and made it into a copper dome just for fun. 


My final border is all prepped and I will be doing some relaxing Slow Sunday Stitching today. I'm so excited to get to the end of this project!

Linking with One Monthly Goal HERE
and Slow Sunday Stitching HERE
Take me to the OMG Link-upSlow Sunday Stitching

Sunday, November 26, 2017

OMG and SSS!


My One Monthly Goal for November has been finished for a couple weeks. I hand quilted Palmateer Point with a clamshell design. It went pretty fast! 

After reading this post at Completely Cauchy (warning--some of her posts are not for the faint of heart!), I'm embracing my quilt stitches and will not call them big stitches or utility stitches--they are what they are.  The gold binding was just for fun. And since I finished my goal so early, I was able to get one new project squeezed in...

...a cute table runner from Cotton Tales called Autumn Gatherings. I picked up the kit at our guild "garage sale" this summer and have had it on my cutting table in hopes of getting it done for this fall. I'm going to go ahead and get it quilted so it's ready for next year---lol! 

Today I'm chilling out in front of the television and doing some Slow Sunday Stitching: basting hexies. I'm totally wrapped up in the Weeds marathon on Showtime and haven't accomplished a thing all weekend. Good thing today is the last day!

Linking with Elm Street Quilts HERE and Kathy's Quilts HERE
Take me to the OMG Link-upSlow Sunday Stitching

Sunday, November 19, 2017

Aaahhhh!

It's really all about the little things for me this week. After climbing the walls for 14 days (and averaging 4 or 5 hours of sleep each night) I am finally at the end of my Prednisone nightmare--lol! 
I wish I could share the aroma of the tea I am drinking right now--TAZO Butterscotch Blondie! Mmmmm...not my usual brand, but sure is good!
I have lots of Slow Sunday Stitching today. I'm finishing up my third Primitive Garden border by adding a little embroidery detailing.....

My November UFO will be finished as soon as I get this label written out and sewn in place....

And then I hope to get some eyes on these little guys. I was going to do tiny buttons, but I think maybe beads will look better. We'll see. 

Then it will be on to the layering and quilting--I'm really happy with how this is coming along. There are lots of adorable versions on the Quilts by Cheri Friendship Group Facebook page. I love how everyone changed things up a bit--so fun!
Have a great day and I hope you have time to do some Slow Sunday Stitching of your own! 
Linking with Slow Sunday Stitching HERE
Slow Sunday Stitching

Sunday, November 12, 2017

Sunday Stitchin'

Today I'll be appliqueing a copper roof (a little change from the original pattern) onto the bird feeder for my Primitive Garden  border three. It's thrilling to be so close to the end of this project. I can hardly wait to see it all together although I am kind of dreading doing the quilting. 

As I was appliqueing the white pumpkin on border 2 last month, I noticed my thread was collecting tiny globs of dark lint. I had just prepped the border, otherwise I would have just figured it was dust from sitting idle like a lot of my other projects--lol! It took a while, but I finally solved the mystery. 

I love using my felted wool mat for pressing my applique and piecing, but while at one of my October retreats, I began to notice I was doing a lot of sneezing. I do have a wool allergy, but as long as I'm not wearing the wool, I am usually okay. Sometimes, if I am doing a lot of wool applique, my eyes get itchy too, but not enough to deter me from my wool-y therapy!
Anyway, yes, my wool mat was the culprit. Upon close inspection, I could see my white pumpkin was covered with wool fibers. Probably all the other applique was too, but it's not so apparent on the darker colors. I had been using a press cloth on my wool mat whenever I would use Best Press or sizing just to keep it clean, but now I have made a little "pillow" case for it--super simple since I used the selvage edge at the opening, so no hemming!  Problem (and mystery) solved.  
Friday I was invited to help present some Quilts of Valor to a group of WWII veterans at the Brainerd High School. A couple of quilts that I had donated for QOV's had been chosen to be given out at the ceremony. so I was extremely honored to be there at the presentation. There's  a short video HERE of some highlights. Marcia Steven's organized the quilt presentation and did an awesome job! If you ever have an opportunity to particate in a QOV presentation, do it! 
Yes, tears were shed! 

I'm hoping my Slow Sunday Stitching today will calm my nerves. I'm pretty hyped up due to a course of Prednisone from an allergic reaction to a laundry detergent switch. My usual brand (that we've used since the early 1970's!) has been taken off the market and it's been a struggle to find a replacement.
 If it's not one thing it's another--yeesh!
Slow Sunday Stitching
Linking with Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

Wednesday, November 1, 2017

New Month, New Goal

My One Monthly Goal this month will be to get this little Palmateer Point quilt finished.
I'm toying with the idea of hand quilting--maybe I can handle something this small?

The main reason I want to get that little quilt off the design wall (where it's pinned up to avoid being lost!) is so I can start to play with these Little Boys Britches blocks. I got these made up at the Keepsakes Cabin retreat last month. 

I also got the Mrs. Billings Coverlet Borders 11 and 12 sewn up.
Well, almost.
 Some of the background triangles needed for Border 12 were missing. I was hoping that I would locate them when I got home, but no luck. And apparently no more of the Jo Morton Toast II fabric is to be found either.
I guess I am having another "make do" moment! Sigh. 
This is what I got done at the Green Lake retreat.
I spent the entire time making the hourglass blocks and tiny stars needed for the sashings on my Primitive Garden quilt. A bonus was getting them all sewn together along with the blocks--lots of crazy partial seams, but easier than I expected. Whew!
Finally my Patches of Blue book by Edyta Sitar has arrived--it's beautiful! I pre-ordered it months ago and didn't think it would ever get here--lots of eye candy to drool over.
I couldn't resist showing my new book with some of the lovely gifts I received for my birthday in October: a bundle of gorgeous fabrics from my friend Miriam and a fun Edyta Sitar nail file (it's also a lint remover on the back side!) from my cousin Barb. She also made me the adorable mini Lucy Boston block pin cushion--awesome and adorable!!!

I guess I better get to work on my November goal before I'm distracted by something in my new book--ha-ha!
Check out more One Monthly Goal's for November HERE