Almost Done !

Sometime last year (I think it was June - it's all a blur now) I started a project for the Schnibble Parade using the pattern called 'Doc'.  I had the perfect fabric in my stash . . .  purchased  at last spring's Quilt Rush:  Late Bloomers by Sandy Gervais.   I luv luv luv the colors and prints of that fabric line.  It reminded me of the colors in my sister's newly remodeled kitchen.  So, of course, I had to make this project for her.  It was intended as a birthday present . . .  sadly the birthday has come and gone (Sorry Sis!) I told her it would be on its way soon.  I am so close to being done - should have it ready to ship by the begining of next week. 

I have to say I think this project  ranks right up their as one of my favorite quilting projects.  In fact I loved the fabric line so much that I just had to get my hands on some more for a future project ~ maybe just for me. 

Look what just arrived:

 

 

This picture certainly doesn't do  the fabric line justice but check back next week to see my completed project.

 

Life's Twists and Turns

Anyone who has been 'around the block' a few times knows well that life has many twists and turns.  Yet it still is kind of shocking when those twist and turns hit unexpectedly and pulls the rug right out from underneath you.  While 2012 offered many happy times, gifts and blessings, it also brought one of those life altering times too . . .  the death of a parent.  Most everyone experiences the loss of parents in their lifetime and no matter the family dynamics, the family history or the nature of the relationship, I believe that experience changes you in ways that you never realized until you have walked that path.

It is my belief that in all things we can find God's presence.  So in the midst of my sadness I can give thanks that even though it was difficult at the time, that my Dad's illness progressed so swiftly that he only survived little more than two weeks beyond the diagnosis.  I'm thankful for the three siblings I have and how we together are working to continue for the time being to keep the family business going and support each other in the difficult decisions that need to be made.  As sad as we are, this experience has bonded the four of us as we care for our Mom and support her in the changes life has in store for her.  That's a very long explanation for the absence from my blog but I've never been known for brevity of words. 

 

So here we are at the start of a New Year.  At a recent coffee date with a couple of my girlfriends, the topic of New Year Resolutions arose or rather the braking of those well intended resolutions.   According to the news there is a high rate of depression in people on the third Monday in January.  The reasons:  the weather, the credit card bills that have arrived from Christmas spending and by this time of the month many have failed to keep their New Year Resolutions. . . . My solution - don't make any New Year Resolutions till after that Monday.  Further I'm not even going to label them as resolutions rather I will refer to them as goals.  Somehow that seems more comfortable to me.

 

MY 2013 GOALS

Goal # 1:  Blog about my current projects (be it quilting, needle work, knitting, or crocheting) on a more regularly --- maybe even weekly. 

 

Goal # 2:  Find a balance between new projects & UFO's (Is that what those things are called that are piling up?)

 

Goal # 3:  Challenge myself to try some new skill with each quilting project.

 

Goal # 4:  Look for the gifts, blessings and joys each day has to offer.

 

Goal # 5:  Remember to nurture and care for myself without feeling guilty.

 

It will be fun to revisit this post at the end of the year.

 

 

July's Schnibbles Project

I heard that there would be a  month where those participating in AYOS would each choose a Schnibbles pattern of their choice and was excited when I learned that was the plan for this month.  I chose to make a table runner using Miss Rosie's Little Red thinking a could 'whip' this out fairly quickly -- AGAIN the month got away from me!  While I felt my usual self-imposed frantic rush to complete this project, it did come together in record time.  The blocks in this pattern reminded me of pumpkins so it only seemed natural to turn to my stash of fall colors. I can't make up my mind what type of sashing I wanted to use so I've decided to set it aside and hopefully get back to it before it gets tossed into the UFO box.

April's Schnibble Project

April's AYOS pattern is called Summer Days. 

I seem to be particularly drawn to teal & burgundy fabrics lately.  I was able to find most of these jems in my stash but decided I needed something to make them 'pop out' so I raided my CC's stash and found a gold fabric that had teal & burgundy in its pattern.  Perfect!

I've never attempted flying geese blocks and I made it much harder than I needed to.  Essentially I cut fabric three times before I actually got the right combination.   First I reversed my fabric layout cutting into small squares the fabric I needed for the larger squares.  Next I used the wrong size large squares.  After puzzling over my wacky blocks I finally figured it out.   Guess that comes from working fast and furious late at night at the end of the month. 

Once I corrected all my mistakes, it didn't take long to put these blocks together thanks to a tutorial from Poplun on Flying Geese.

I quilted the top by stitching in the ditch in each of the blocks using my new 'stitch in the ditch' presser foot. (I didn't know such a thing existed until I peeked in the promo sewing bag I got with my new machine!) It made it so easy.  On the sashing I stitched a simple pattern  from a wonderful book:  Quilting Dot to Dot Patterns for Today's Machine Quilter by Cheryle Barnes.



You can check out  the book at  American Quilter's Society or Golden Threads

What would I do differently next time? 

• Not use a pencil to transfer the quilting pattern to the quilting paper (I know better than that!)
• Invest in a Quilter's Assistant Proportional Scale and maybe even a flying geese template
• Not wait until the last week of the month

 Be sure to stop by Pink Pincushion and A Quilting Life to see April's Quilt Parade for AYOS!

April is not going to be my most productive month.

Broken sewing machine / broken computer.  What's next . . . oh don't even want to have that thought!
Sewing machine update:   sadly more than TLC is needed - it's terminal. So began the on-line search for a replacement until the desk top started acting up . . . some times it works and some times it doesn't.  aaaarrrrrgh!
 
When I shared the sad news about my machine with my hubby, he said  "Well get whatever you want."  Did I hear correctly?  And Joanne's was having a sale on sewing machines.  That was all the encouragement I needed.  After 'sleeping-on-it' for a couple of days, I decided to go a little crazy . . . well a little crazy for me. 

Here is my new Viking Tribute 140

We're still getting acquainted but I am sooo happy with this machine.

Oh and the computer:  needs a new hard drive.  New one on the way and until it arrives, using a very slooooow computer we bought for our son when he was still in high school.

Good bye to March



My Sailors:  Sean, Dan, John & Ethan
This picture was a request from a very proud Dad.
The little sailor - wearing his Grandpa Ted's boyhood outfit.

I'm told that the older you get the faster time passes.  I must be getting older because the month of March flew by and April is half gone.

We started the month of March with the 'sort of ' suprise visit from our son . . . the tall sailor in the middle.  Following in his older brother and dad's footsteps, he enlisted in the Navy last May.  He is serving as a Cermonial Guardsman stationed in Washington, DC.  This was his first visit home since enlisting.

. . . And the 'sort of ' surprise, it's a game my boys play called "Can we pull one over on Mom?" For the record, they rarely succeed!  They don't believe that not much slips by me or that  in a previous life I was either a spy or trained with the FBI <wink>

I 'just wuv' this picture- it brings on a smile every time I see it.

March's Schnibbles Project

March's project was from Miss Rosie's Bibelot pattern.  This pattern reminds me of Hawaiian shirts.  So I chose a tropical theme most likely influenced by my March trip to southern California  where I enjoyed some warmer weather and a backyard barbeque at my brother's home. I chose some Batik fabric and decided on using the pattern to make some placemats.  I made sure I bought enough material to make some matching napkins.

I set up two stations in my sewing room;  a cutting station and a pressing station.  I lowered my ironing board to a height just a little lower than my sewing table & positioned it just to the left of my sewing table.  I found that a little starch, my Omnigrid Foldaway Portable Cutting & Pressing station, and my Omnigrid ruler made for quick and accurate assembly of these blocks. 

Sadly my sewing machine is in need of some TLC.  I'm not sure what is wrong with it but the light is pulsating.  Sewing at night to a strobe light is hard on the eyes.

 

If you are interested in seeing what others have done with this pattern, check out the parade of quilts on A Quilting Life and Pink Pincushion