Ending out July

  I'm ending out July a day early.....in hopes of having my computer re-built in the next couple of days.  Sir Old Man has taken on another challenge for me---with the enlisted help of  Hunter, Wonder Geek,  from next door!  Computer parts are arriving daily and a newly created computer will arise from the mass of stuff sitting in the office and hallway.  At least I am telling myself that----fingers, toes, and eyes crossed.

 

July 2014:  Quilted donation for Habitat for Humanity; Cascade wall hanging for guild auction; Pot Luck Supper completed;  Quilted donation quilt for Quilts of Valor.

   Two donation quilts were quilted, one donation wall hanging made and quilted, and a finish for the Let's Book It monthly challenge.  Hot Legs had a work out this month.   

   This is Pot Luck Supper that I started in May for the Let's Book It challenge.  Here's the post where I began.   The pattern is Hot Dish, but in the South we love to hold Pot Lucks.....bring your favorite recipe in your prettiest dish and share.  Throw a quilt on the ground and dig in!  I used a new to me motif to quilt this one.....the swirl flower in an all over pattern.  

   So that leaves one quilt to be quilted, and one on the wall.......the scrappy trips.  I added a few more blocks.  And yes, I am absolutely loving this one.  I have about 20 more strip sets selected to sew, so there is still a ways to go. And I have not made much of a dent in the floral stash....those strips just keep multiplying.   

    Still more prep work for the feathers workshop and trunk show.....I am dragging my feet there, so that's got to be my push for the next week.  Then I will be ready for some fun and a new project......and absolutely no idea where that will take me.  I also need a good day to take some photos of some very special doll quilts that came from Mrs. Claus in Arizona.  Stay tuned, you don't want to miss them!

Happy stitching.  

The quilts we give

  I am fortunate to be able to give quilts and receive some too.  The doll quilt project, Get Your Mrs. Claus On, is on-going and the small ones keep arriving.  I appreciate all the support and help that comes from individual and groups of quilters that want to share their heart  each year.
 

  Mrs. Claus from Michigan, aka FayeJean, sent two adorable doll quilts.  Faye is a member of the HGTV Message Board that keeps this rolling on.  Mrs. Claus used decorative stitches for the quilting on these.  A clever idea that is really cute.  Thank you, Faye!

      A cute golden checkerboard quilt, and a printed panel  of puppies were sent by Mrs. Claus of NY, Sharon of Vrooman's Quilts.  Sharon has been piecing up a storm this year, and does the most wonderful small quilts---doll quilts are a specialty of hers.  Check out the next 2........












 
  I am so in love with the tiny pinwheels!  You can see that she does not waste a scrap of fabric  She used a soft color palette in this simple design that has that wonderful old quilt feel to it.
  Mrs. Claus loves pink!  She  used leftovers I know for this cute bargello style doll quilt.  Thank you, Sharon, for sharing your talent and such a variety of  doll quilts with us.






    I mentioned that a friend of mine, Suzanne, gave me a little something to quilt for her.  Suzanne is the Upstate Coordinator for Quilts of Valor.....it is her mission in life to wrap every veteran in this area with a quilt.  She had this quilt turned in...basted and ready to quilt....with all that wide open space just waiting to be filled.  :)

I probably went a little over board....but I wanted that beautiful star to jump right out at you.

   The quilts we give cover young and old, warm each heart, and touch each soul.  The quilts we give say things, like we love you, be encouraged, and we thank you for your service.  The quilts we give, whether small or large, may not change the world, but I believe they make a difference in lives that we touch.
  Thank you all.
Happy stitching.  

Bound and determined!

   Bound for a Habitat for Humanity home.......made by a guild member from donated fabrics.  I only did the quilting and binding.  At guild, Susan said they gave 11 quilts in one weekend this month to new home owners.  That means their quilt stash is low.











    Bound for the guild's Auction..... I finished up another cascading watercolor wall hanging  that will be donated for the auction booth at the guild Quilt Show in October. I really like the banner size.  This one is 12" by 36".   I used a swirl quilting instead of the usual meander which I tend to do on these.  Just for a little variety.



   So two are cleared out....and one added.  Susanne said she had a little something for me at guild meeting Monday night.  Her something little was a Quilt of Valor that needs to be quilted.  So since I have nothing else on my plate---ha!----I brought it home.  I will consider it an honor to quilt it so a service man/woman can be "covered".   It is a striking one, and I will be featuring it when quilted.  And I am bumping it to the head of my list....my two can wait a few more days.











  That leaves the design wall project.   I sorted a lot of strips into sets to be sewn....about 20 stacks of those.  Eventually they will be added to these.   My photo just does not capture the glow that is developing here.  The arrangement will change as I progress, as I keep twisting and turning the blocks.  But I am loving it so far.

    I am working on the database/listing of quilts I have here that I will narrow down for the trunk show.  I keep finding ones I over looked/rolled up/stored away/absolutely forgot about!  I realize there is no way to show them in chronological order.  I would be jumping from one focus or influence  to another.  So I think I will figure out 3 main influences to focus on and find quilts to show how I grew in these areas.   Just putting this idea into words helps.....thanks for putting up with that.     So far, I think my break is working.
Happy stitching.  

Just odds and ends

    I have made a little headway on my to-do list.  The second donation project  is ready for binding  now.  Two quilts are pinned and ready to go.....time to uncover Hot Legs.   Some strips sewn and sub-cuts un-sewn for the Many Trips in florals.  And I discovered the unfinished French Roses blocks......they have been added to my to-do list.  

   And we added a little something to our stable.....Hi-Ho Silver.  Sir Old Man got the one he wanted.  It even has a plug in for the Featherweight.....that's a standing joke around here.  He drives and I can sit in the back and sew. Anyway, we will be ready for the road trip this fall to Michigan.
   On a fun and funny note......do you follow Connie at Free Motion by the River?  If not, hop over there for a sweet story and saga that is going on with her and a pelican.  The story begins around July 5th after the storms.  The young pelican got lost and now considers them family.  She shares some touching photos and funny videos.  It now seems the entire town is following the story.
  Heading to the sewing room for some therapy.....happy stitching.

Doll quilts, and new wood working item

    Two doll quilts from Mrs. Claus in Ohio arrived this week.

Precious pink bow ties are so cute and cheerful.  They really make this doll quilt sing.
Her second quilt is a cute checkerboard.....so scrappy and filled with great prints.














  Karen is Mrs. Claus in Ohio.  She blogs at K's Quilting Korner.  Stop in and say hello.   Thank you, Karen, for helping with this project and sharing your time and talent.





   Did you notice the new prop in the first photo?  It is made by Sir Old Man....that handy woodworker that hangs around here.
  I have whined about needing a sturdy---safe to sit or stand on---footstool for the sewing room for a few years.   Sir Old Man finally gave in and made one just for the sewing room.....and a spare one for the laundry closet.  Those shelves are too high for me to reach anything stored up there.   The little cut out area makes it easy to grasp and move where you need it. Very handy to have around.
   The pattern is based on one his Dad made about 50 years ago that we have in the kitchen.  Remy knows that is his stool to play with when he visits. He flips it over and piles his toy trucks and cars in it and pushes it around!



  I am going to be taking a summer break.  A hiatus from beginning new projects is overdue.  I want to just concentrate on finishing up what is in the sewing room......I have two throw quilts to pin and quilt, and a stack of strip sets to sew together for the scrappy floral many trips around the world.   Plus, there are 2 donation quilts needing binding and finishing, and a couple of doll quilts I have almost completed.  
  On top of those things, I am putting together/planning a workshop for the fall on the Endless Feathers....and a trunk show.  I need some clear headed time to make some sense out of my variety of quilts and projects to share.

  I may pop in with a small project or item to share.....no plans, but you never know.   I will post any doll quilts that arrive.....look for those posts about once a week or so.  I will still be reading and visiting....I don't want to miss anything!  Anyway, enjoy your summer and happy stitching.

Instead of Fireworks

  Instead of fireworks, we had a power outage.
  4 pm:   A monster storm cell moved through the area with winds and hail.  Power flickered off and then came back on.  About 10 minutes later the flickering started again---off/on, off/on---- and Sir Old Man ran to the breaker box and flipped off all the breakers.
   At 7 pm he hooked up our small generator.  The power company could not find the downed line.  We ate sandwiches and iced tea.
   At 9 pm, the power company estimated a restore at 10 pm.    I pulled out a small fan and we ran another extension cord to it.  I went to bed.
   1 am:  Power restored....disconnect all the extension cords to fan, freezer and refrigerator, light,  and disconnect the generator.  Finally, we got to bed about 2 am.
  Thankfully, it looks like all is fine with no damage to electronics, either.  In the grand scheme of things, we were fortunate.  This was really a blip on the radar....... But a bigger generator is on the next shopping list.