Design Wall Monday-October 9, 2017

This past week has been one of finishing things! Shock! In all serious having a project and having a deadline really does help. I spent the week making bindings and binding quilts that I need to mail off to Quilts of Compassion in about 2 weeks. These 5 quilts are from a friend in MO. She had tops and wanted them to go to this group. She was mailing some others to me for a different group so she added them to the package. I got the backings and the batting and my friend quilted them. Spent last week working on the final step-binding. I enjoy the last step of binding by hand. Once the one side was sewn on I could sit outside and work on the hand stitching. More fun to listen to the birds and witch the hummingbirds come in to the feeders. Kept getting buzzed one day-yes had on a red shirt!

                                             
Will have to get another picture of this one later today. This I took while it was on my lap and I was working on it.

I have one more of my friends and some of mine now to bind as soon as they come back from Kerry.

Back to small quilts, Doll Quilts

End of September 2017

Looking back over the month of September I did manage to get a lot of sewing accomplished. Don't ask about cleaning etc! That always needs to be done and done. Clean only last for a day or two!  Quilts, when completed I can move on to another quilt!
Early in the month I made another Arkansas Crossroads.

                                  Made the Candy Land quilt.

Completed the blocks for the String-X quilt. Top is together.

 Made 7 more blocks for the scrappy Courthouse step quilt top and got it together.  

Got 6 more blocks made for the long term swap I am in on another group. Those were mailed off this week. Forgot to take a picture of the whole group with the new ones

Also made the Shuffle Quilt. A free pattern from Sparrow Quilt Co when you sign up for their newsletters. Fun quilt using a layer cake.

It was raining the day day I took this picture. Tiki did think I had put it on the couch for her. Could be why she looks a little sheepish!

A friend also sent be some tops to be quilted and then sent to Quilts of Compassion. Put together the backing and batting for those and gave them to Kerry along with mine to quilt .

Kerry's website

I have the binding made and ready for several of the quilts. Will get the rest cut and sewn so as I start getting the quilts back from Kerry I can get them bound. All but the Shuffle quilt will be heading to Quilts of Compassion for the trip to Texas.

over to Smallquilts and doll quilts

Design Wall Monday-September 18,2017

Some sewing to report for last week. This project that I mentioned last week is getting closer to being a quilt top.

We were supposed to go to LA for a few days but that trip was canceled and instead we traveled in Texas. Went to Uvalde (W of San Antonio) and then north to Junction. I was able to get the background triangles cut and sewn on the strips. That was my project to work on while Galen was out walking and I didn't want to go along.

These pictures were taken at Cooks Slough outside of Uvalde. There was a nice bird watching pavilion that I had all to myself on a weekday.

It is an old landfill site and now part of it is the water treatment plant for the city. It is a beautiful area with lots of walking trails and of course the ponds.

While Galen was out walking I worked on my blocks. I kept hearing a bird so went to investigate. The Cactus Wren must have wanted his picture taken as he sat for me!

Galen did get some great pictures.

We had already made reservations for the girls at camp. Tried a new one in Round Rock. It is very nice and the girls said they would go back.

A Crate Escape

They sent us several pictures of the girls. Here is one

It was a nice few days away but good to get back, pick up our girls and sleep in our own bed! 

Back to Small quilts and Doll quilts

DESIGN WALL MONDAY SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

Between the 2 major hurricanes, Harvey and Irma and the 16th anniversary of 9/11 today it has been a sobering week. I know we all remember where we were 16 years ago today.

I did manage to get some sewing in this past week. Actually quite a bit. As I told you last Monday I made another Arkansas Crossroads quilt. Used Kona snow as the background and backing for this one. Sometimes it is nice to have fabric by the bolt!

I also showed you my next project-Candy Land a Villa Rosa design using a layer cake

I dropped these two off for my quilter this morning.

About Thursday after finishing up Candy Land I dug out a box that had 28 Courthouse Step blocks.
These were from a group I was a member of. And yes, they have aged-2005 was when they started sending them to me. We had all picked out a block that we wanted. I had picked out Courthouse Steps-scrappy and using black to tie them together. I needed to make 7 more so I could set them 5 x 7. Dug out my 1 1/2 inch strip box and went to work. Made the 7 and put them together. I still need to add borders but here it is so far.

It will be a nice size quilt when finished.

While digging through containers I also found one with blocks for BONNIE HUNTER'S STRING -X QUILT. Had made one a long time ago and guess I was planning on making another one! I am going to use this pale blue fossil fern as background.

                               These will also be going to QUILT OF COMPASSION


It is finally starting to feel a little like Fall in central Texas. Cool in the mornings and evenings and not too bad during the day. We have been spending more time outside listening and watching the birds. The Ruby Throat humming birds are migrating through here now. I think we have 5 feeders out in various places in the yard. Love watching them.

Dinner is in the crock pot so I can sew.

OVER TO SMALLQUILTS AND DOLL QUILTS   to see what others have been working on now!

Design Wall Monday-September 4, 2017

Took it easy for the early part of the week and then kicked into high gear the end of the week! Decided to make another Arkansas Crossroads quilt since I still had everything out. It is a quick quilt and I was wanting that as this will eventually get sent to Quilts of Compassion and end up somewhere in south Texas. That top I finished yesterday. Have a bolt of Kona snow and that ended up being my background. This is the third Crossroads quilt and I don't see a dent in my container of  2 1/2 inch squares. I tell myself that is because they are fluffed up from pulling out squares. That sounds good to me. No picture yet, haven't pressed it. Getting tired of this pattern so will put it on hold for a while.

Am planning on getting more donation quilts made so I pulled out a Villa Rosa pattern a friend gave me called Candy Land. It uses a layer cake so I went through my stash of those and came up with a bright one. Should be nice a cheery for some one.

The layer cake is called Bahama Breeze.

It is a simple pattern and will got together quickly.

I have packed a box of 6 quilts from here for Quilts of Compassion. Hoping they will cheer a few people as they get their lives back after Harvey.

            2 Smaller quilts- Tam's Patch and a New Year's eve mystery quilt

                                                The first Arkansas Crossroads scrap quilt

                                               

Large New Year's eve mystery quilt

The second Arkansas Crossroads scrap quilt

Pineapple Blossom quilt

(Bonnie Hunter free pattern)

It wasn't all sewing. We finally found q new bird bath. We had been looking for one that had running water since we got rid of our fountain.

It did not take long for the birds to find it. We now have 4 in the back yard, but this is the only one with moving water. Between 4 baths and all the feeders you could say we are bird friendly! Put out more hummingbird feeders today as they are saying with all the destruction in SE Texas and that is the migration path of the Ruby Throat Hummingbirds they are going to need extra food and to also make it 3 to 1 instead of the usual 4 to 1.

Tomorrow is our 47th wedding anniversary. More than likely a normal day and dinner out!

                                                       Over to smallquiltsand dollquilts

DESIGN WALL-MONDAY AUGUST 28,2017

Hoping for a much drier week now and that Harvey goes elsewhere and is no more. Happy to be in the Austin area but feel really bad for everyone south and east of us. We ended up with a little over 6 inches of rain, minor when compared to others. Our coast has been decimated for now. it will take a long time for them to come back but they will never be the same.

I managed some sewing since I last posted. I am in a swap on a yahoo group and the blocks are due in September. Hooray, they are finished and finished early! Our theme was summer.
                                             

Last week I got my 2 Arkansas Crossroads quilts back from Kerry. With the rain this weekend I got them finished.

                         The sun was shining for a little while just now so got a quick picture of each

the bindings are also scrappy and the backing is the same on both.

For some quilt eye candy go to Small quilts and doll quilts

DESIGN WALL MONDAY-AUGUST 7, 2017

Not much in the way of sewing last week. I did however pick up my Desert Sky quilt from my quilting friend Osie.  These are a few quick pictures I took then. Now I am sewing the binding and then will hang it on the wall in the family room. Have the perfect place for it!

Will take more pictures when completely finished. It was a fun class and I really like how Osie quilted it for me.  Looking at driveway work is not the most exciting thing!  Over to small quilts 

On Friday they started work on our drive way. We had the privilege of listening jack hammers Friday and part of Saturday. Felt bad for our neighbors especially on Saturday morning. But with temperatures in the high 90's and heat index in the triple digits they needed to get to work early. We kept a cooler with ice, water and Gatorade for them.

Thin wire for reinforcement was probably code when the driveway was put in in 1995. 

There was very little base if any in some areas. A little sand at the end of the drive

 Then in 2 spots it was either a better mix or much harder. They ended up drilling holes and when they bring in the bob cat they will get the rest broken up.

Not sure if they will be here today after all. The much needed rain is finally happening. So far a little over 2 inches since midnight! Will take it! It is supposed to stop around noon so they may be here after that.