The Pieces Are As Pretty As The Whole

Whole quilts are beautiful, stunning, gorgeous, pretty, cute.... all kinds of wonderful things.  But it is so pleasing to work with all the pieces too.  They look so pretty.

I really want to see this one finished but all the little teacups that need to be made for the borders seem daunting.  I'll probably tackle those some day when I'm putting off a bigger task.

This On Point BOM is so close to being finished.  I wouldn't have started this one if I had seen all the cutting instructions but I'm so glad I did it.  I learned some things (seems I learn something with every project) and I stretched myself a bit.  The fabric choices are so pretty (I can't take credit - Sandy at the LQS did all that, and she does a great job).   Hopefully this one will wind up on a bed in one of the guest rooms, if I can make the borders a bit larger without ruining the whole look of the quilt.



Even the little piles from trimming look pretty. This last one is a sneak peak for someone.... I wonder if they will recognize it from the colors.

But maybe if I spent less time admiring the fabrics and more time sewing I could enjoy the whole quilt a whole lot sooner!

Birdie Quilt Finish

Since September this quilt top has been sitting, waiting patiently, chirping occassionally, only needing to be quilted and bound.  I snuck it in on the frame really quick between customer quilts.  A little blue thread, some swirls and some flowers and the quilting was finished.  The binding is all by machine...sewed to the back, then brought to the front and finished with a decorative stitch...nice and strong (at least that's what I tell myself so I don't feel lazy not doing it by hand).

If the size is acceptable, this one will be going to Quilts For Kids.

Periwinkle Lane

Isn't it cute?!

This block took a long time to make.  First you trace the pattern with a Pigma pen.   Then you color with crayons - fun! Then press with paper to remove extra crayon.  Then color again, shading some areas - again, fun!  Then it's finished with hand embroidery. 

Hand work is not my favorite thing because I'm so impatient.  I want to see a finished project. Now. But it's growing on me.  I sure like the end result.  The block looked pretty after it was colored and then I could see it come to life as each bit of embroidery was added.  It was a good project for sitting in front of the tv. 

Only eleven more houses on Periwinkle Lane.  This neighborhood quilt may not be finished in my lifetime!

I Spy Squares

My I Spy squares are all cut and ready to mail to Wendy.  The stars that are not cut in the pic are my 10th fabric and are now cut. With 100 different squares I figure I can make two I Spy Quilts if I use enough sashing.    It was fun finding fabrics for this swap. 

I'm going to keep looking for fabrics because I don't want to stop at two quilts. I'll be hosting on of these swaps soon.

Sneak Peek for Sara

Sara sent me another (actually two more!) quilt tops to be quilted. It always amazes me that you can take simple squares and HST and make such an impact.

The thread looks white in the pics but it's really a tan.

Another beautiful quilt top, Sara.

Wendy's I Spy Swap

I was thinking of doing an "I Spy" swap when the current swap is finished. I've been wanting to make an I Spy quilt (or two, or three) for a while now but the thought of collecting all that novelty fabric seemed daunting. Well Wendy way over down under in Australia is hosting one!

Now I don't have to wait! She's taking the first 19 'comment-leavers' so if you are interested head on over to Wendy's I Spy Swap....

WHY ME?

Why do I have a nice warm house?

Why do I have a passion for quilting AND the time to enjoy it?

Why do I have a husband that is still my best friend?

Why do I have three kids that became awesome adults and found awesome mates?

Why have I been blessed with five beautiful, healthy grandchildren?

Why do I have a husband who has always striven to make my dreams come true?

Why do I have a husband that deals with his MS with grace and a sense of humor?

Why did I have two parents that loved each other and raised me and my siblings by example? In spite of the fact that a common momism was "do as I say, not as I do!", all we had to do to learn to live right was to follow their example.

Why do I have so many siblings, all of whom I love to be around?

Why am I healthy?

Why me?

I don't know.

But I sure am thankful.

On Point Center Block

This . . . .

became this . . .

The largest block I have ever made.  24.5" square. 

Now I need to find all the other blocks for this BOM and I can start putting it all together. 

A Pleasant Hour

What a pleasant way to spend some time. Snow falling outside. It's warm inside. The tea is sweet. Music is playing.

I'd been afraid of cutting all these pieces for the center block of the On Point BOM.  Now I don't know why....it's all cut and stacked in order.  Time to sew!

Pink & Green Blocks

These blocks are so different from each other.  Just the two together wouldn't go but I think when we get all our different blocks together it'll make a difference.  Two different blues in a quilt need to be complementary but put several blues in a quilt and it doesn't matter.   That's the theory anyway.

Pink/Green Poll Closed

The poll for what variations of Pink and Green in the Pink/Green/White Swap has closed.  The clear winner is ANY shade of Pink & Green (in spite of some attempts at manipulation...

"...I voted 4 times for the pastels...what? I'm from Chicago, you know...vote early vote often, right? ;)

I shall now punish myself by going to my room......where all my stuff is;) "

nice try, Karen! Have fun with your punishment)
 
Results: 
Pastel Pink / Sage Green      18 votes  39%
Bright Pink / Kelly Green       5 votes  10%
Any Pink / Any Green          26 votes  56%
 
I'll think / hope we'll all wind up with a pretty scrappy quilt!

No Sew Block Swap ... Fun, Fun, Fun

Two groups of Red, White & Blue and four groups of Pink, Green & White will be the sum of the No Sew Block Swap.  Entry to swap is now closed. Thanks to all of you who have also posted on your blogs the interest was fast and furious; the groups filled quickly. I plan to do this again in a couple months so if you have fun this time you can do it again. If you didn't find out about it soon enough you can try it next time.

It's been fun discovering new blogs. I've been to all of them, but I only had time to peek - I need / want to go back and explore more! Some swappers have been blogging for a long time and have so much beautiful, interesting content on their blogs. Some are new to blogging or were busier in real life than in blogland but hopefully they'll blog about the quilt that comes of this swap and we'll get to see pictures!

When you have time be sure to visit everyone's site. Such a cross section! From all over - east to west, north to south, country, city, Canada, UK, Germany. We have all ages and stages of life....Grandmas, Moms, and People-That-Still-Own-Their-Own-Life*, pet owners and People-That-Still-Own-Their-Own-Life*. We have experienced quilters and newbies. Thrifty people, creative people, business people, cooks, bakers, (I haven't seen a candlestick maker yet but wouldn't be surprised!) knitters, collectors, a minister, world travelers and RV travelers. One swapper runs a beautiful bed and breakfast (it's perfect for quilt retreats!!). One swapper sells beautiful quilting fabric at great prices AND has sales. One swapper sews LOTS of quillows and "makes" her husband help.  More than one has an etsy shop. . . .

Enough!  Check them out.  I'm going to stop writing and do just that.


* yes, I know it just seems that way to us pet-owners and moms & grandmas.... kind of like when we were kids it seemed like the adults ran everything and had all the fun!

Kitty Witty Bitty

... came to live with us in 1996.  Scott walked into the station one day at the end of his shift and there was Kitty hoping for a home or else he was heading for Animal Welfare.  Kitty came home to be Sarah's cat.  She named him Brendan. (The name is on his records at the Vet's but it never stuck - he's Kitty.) Kitty liked Sarah so much he sprayed her several times ('til we got him fixed) to mark her as his own.  The spraying seemed to get in the way of Sarah and Kitty's relationship . . . apparently Sarah can't take a joke ... and they never did get too close.  So Kitty became the family cat, and mostly Scott's.  He and most of the dogs that came to be part of our family learned to tolerate each other.  Kitty and Scout - close friends.  Peach has always felt pure, strong love with lots of enthusiasm. . . Kitty, not so much.

When we lived in the city he was allowed in the backyard but only on a lease.  He proved the nine lives theory by hanging himself a few times by trying to go over the fence.  We finally shortened the lease to prevent that from happening again. 

When we moved to the farm he was at first intimidated by so much outdoor space.  He'd hide under a bush right near the house.  But he soon got over that and learned to enjoy exploring the barn yard, the barns, all the other buildings and the hay field.   Every night, weather permitting, we'd walk the dogs down the lane to the road and back.  Kitty would follow like he was one of the dogs - it was kind of cute. I think he, like the rest of us, really enjoyed life at the farm.

When we moved from the farm to town, outdoor exploring was limited to the back yard.  A big back yard but still not the same as the farm.  Poor Kitty.  He developed some early morning antics (that you can read about here) and every few months would manage to escape for a short adventure.  Sadly (for him) he was captured each time within minutes.  Poor Kitty.

The last few months we've seen an older, slower Kitty. 

The last couple days, a distressed, breathless Kitty. 

Today, Kitty Witty Bitty is no more.

RIP Kitty.