Sew Faster!

I think I mentioned our Sew Eclectic Challenge in my last post.  I finished my second piece, and am very happy with it.  I can't wait to see what the rest of the finished quilts look like.  We have a new deadline of February 1.  Hopefully the other half of the whole will be done by then.  no pressure.  ;)

 We went to the first estate sale of the year, and I found this cutter quilt for $2.  Had to have it.  I thought I would make it into pillows, until I realized that it only has holes on one end.  The other end has already been chopped off.  Maybe I'll chop off the holey end and make it a floor quilt for babies to play on.  We'll see.

 I wasn't familiar with the pattern, but Charlotte looked it up and tells me it is Road to Oklahoma.  In looking at this photo, I see that there are chains running top left to bottom right.  I hadn't noticed that before.  The blocks are set with cornerstones and sashing, so it's a bit tricky to see that the blocks consist of 4 diagonal squares and two arrows.

Other than that, I've been busy trying to prepare for various events.  Tomorrow I give a trunk show presentation at the local Orange Blossom Quilt Guild.  It should be fun, and will be good preparation for my scheduled presentation during the World Ag Expo.

This year has gotten off to a wild and woolly beginning.  Let's hope it calms down a bit, because it's hard to keep up when so much is happening so quickly.  My father-in-law passed away at the beginning of the month.  His memorial service was held last week.  This was the first time to see all of our grandchildren together in one place.  They are a joy to behold.

The baby does not belong to his handler.  That's Penelope's dad, holding her itty bitty cousin.

And I guess that's going to have to do it for now, because I've got lots to do and not a lot of time in which to get it done.  Happy New Year!  Happy Quilting!!

Happy Bloggerversary!

Yesterday was our 11th anniversary.  It's been so long!  Time has flown. I was so busy, I missed touching base with you.  Is "But I was quilting!" an acceptable excuse?

I have a Monday deadline for two pieces for our Sew Eclectic challenge.  Each participant has at least one piece of the picture.  Tomorrow, we put them up on the wall and see what we've got.  What I've got is half done.  And I've got two pieces.

Here is the first section:

 It's actually further along now, almost completely quilted.

Here is the second section:

 The pieces at the bottom have all been appliqued into place.  I still need to choose fabrics, and then cut and applique the second half of the second piece.  yikes!  I'm running out of time!  Quilt faster!  Quilt faster!!

And finally, here is our little grandson.  At two weeks old, he's already gained a pound.  He and his daddy are getting along splendidly.  Such a tiny slip of a thing!

And that's all I've got for now.

oh wait!
Block of the Month for January was returned on Thursday.  The pattern is Broken Dishes, and is the perfect way to use up scrap triangles.  Not everyone read the caution about placement of lights and darks, but most of them did very well.  :)

And that's it for now.
Happy Quilting!!

Sew, sew, sew!

Deadlines are on the horizon.  I doubt I will make the first one, which is this Thursday.  Sacred Threads is one of my favorite venues, though I've never attended.  Despite it being a biannual event, I've not made a faith quilt since the last exhibit.  I'm working to get the umbrellas quilt quilted in time, but I'm going to have to quilt faster.  Quilt faster!!

I have a lot of King Tut threads from Superior, but I was missing some necessary colors for the umbrellas quilt.  I placed an order on New Year's Day, and already this bounty has been delivered to my doorstep.  woohoo!  No excuses!

 Then again, I've been a bit distracted.  Our Sew Eclectic group issued a challenge last year.  We sliced up a photo, giving each person an approximate 12x12" piece to replicate in cloth.  I have two pieces.  Here is my first piece, finally taking shape.  My second is on the left, simply lines on paper.  These are due on January 14.  Sew faster!  Sew faster!!

I've actually finished the applique of the piece on the right, with the exception of the top righthand corner.  I need to create the textured coral-looking thing.  I think I will pad it with a layer of wool.  But I'd better do it quickly, because, just like 2018, 2019 waits for no man...or quilter.  The days are flying by with startling speed.

And just in case you need a deadline, too, Best of the Valley is coming right up.  The entry deadline for the quilt show is February 14.  You can find the information about the show here.

In other news, Baby Jak is home, after a week in NICU.  His bed hasn't arrived yet, so he's sleeping in a doll cradle.  Hopefully the crib will arrive soon.  He's growing quickly, and we would love to see him outgrow the cradle!

And that's the haps around here.  Happy New Year, to you all!!

Happy New Year!!

Welcome, 2019!  What a year this promises to be!  We ended 2018 on a high note, with the surprise arrival of our little grandson.

 His appearance pushed all else into the background, but we did have fun with family in town from out of state.  One activity was to make gingerbread houses.

 None of us had done this before.  I had no idea the gingerbread needed to be made well in advance.  We had cracked walls and sagging rooflines because the construction materials were too moist.  Today, 10 days later, the walls are solid and secure.  Next year, I will bake them well ahead of time.

Our granddaughter loved the excitement of gifts everywhere.  So much fun to have a toddler in the house at Christmas!

 There's the Mama to be in the background, silently laboring away.  She looks great for day 2 of labor!  (She thought it was Braxton Hicks.  oops.)

 All too soon the week ended and everyone headed to their own home.

This morning, husband is off at work.  After all it IS Tuesday.  I've looked at my final finished quilts numbers from last year.  I did a poor job of keeping track on paper.  According to my records, I completed 13 quilts, SUCH an improvement over the 4 from 2017.  I also made 3 postcards, 9 quilted cards, and completed 5 little seascapes.  My numbers are different on the blog, where I was better at updating than on paper.  Either way, my goal to get back to quilting seems to have been a success.

I've begun my UFO list for 2019.  So far I have 34 items on it, compared to 2018's list of 42.  Then again, I've just remembered a couple of other items that should be on this year's list.  I'd better add them now, before I forget.

Here's wishing you a blessed New Year, filled with hope, health, and happiness.  Welcome, 2019!