On Ringo Lake Mystery

Boy have I been busy. I have been working on completing my Associates Degree through BYU-I in Family History Research. I am so close to being done. I have three more weeks of this semester, then I will only have 16 more credits that I will break up into two semesters. I am excited to be done. This has been great, taking college classes, but this boat has sailed. It is time to be done. HA HA!! 

I have been doing a little sewing when I get the chance. I had finished Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt earlier this year, En Provence. What a great learning experience. That is my sweet little doggie, Chomper!

Then as time got closer I decided I wanted to do her new mystery, On Ringo Lake. 

 You can follow the link back to her blog and to the instructions for the mystery. Be quick though, after the mystery is over, the instructions will be removed and you will have to buy the pattern if you want to make the quilt. 

I wish I had a bigger stash, but alas I had to go shopping!! HA HA! I went and picked out colors that matched to her suggestion and waited for a month for the first clue. 

Her first clue hit the net the morning after Thanksgiving. She will be adding one clue most Friday's until it is over. I jumped right to sewing as soon as I was up that morning, before I did my homework! Now my step one is done and I am just waiting for step two in a few days. 

Now hope back over to her blog from here and see all of the yummy 9-patch goodness from all the crazy wonderful people out there sewing along with Bonnie Hunter!!

TTFN

Hands 2 Help 2017 Challenge Completed

It is that time. Time to link up all of the H2H Challenge Quilt finishes. I just finished the binding on my three quilts today. I have had a lot of fun watching these quilts come together. (I have posted about these quilts in previous posts.) I used the same fabric for all three quilts. I quilted them on my regular sewing machine and machine sewed on the binding. I have learned, that for quilts I know (or hope) will be used a lot, that machine and not hand binding, will last longer. I sure hope that each of these will make someone happy. I have chosen to send all three to Emily at Em's Scrap Bag for Happy Chemo. I have had a lot of family members with cancer. I hope that as the people that receive these quilts fighting cancer, will be able to look at the happy bright colors and gain some strength. Linking up with Sarah over at Confession of a Fabric Addict. Go check it out and have a good time looking at all the quilts. 

TTFN

Old Fort Boise Days Raffle Quilt

In my home town, every year, we have a small community festival, Old Fort Boise Days. And every year for the pasted few years, my quilting group has put on a quilt show. We have always offered a quilt raffle. This year, I wanted to do something fun with some leftover blocks that we had. Missouri Star Quilt Company had a tutorial for a Disappearing Hourglass. Our blocks had been hourglass blocks, so this was perfect. I chopped them all up and sewed them all back together. Here is my first block. I looks harder to put together than it really is. 

As I was putting the rows together, I realized I had the center square a quarter turn to far to the right. I had to pick out 16 center squares and put them all back in. That was a heck of a job!

This is how it turned out. I love it!! I think it is wonderful. I will even be buying tickets, HA HA!!

I can't wait to see who wins this fabulous quilt. 

TTFN

H2H Charity Check-In #2

I have been working on getting all three of my quilts finished for the H2H Charity Challenge. I have all three tops done now. I used a tutorial Sarah made for her Stunning Stars Quilt Along, A Star is Born. I had to make this quilt smaller than her pattern. I was running out of white after I had finished the other two quilts below. I love making wonky stars. The are so liberating from trying to have perfect points all the time. 

This quilt below was so fun. Basically it is a very large disappearing 9 patch. I found it on Pinterest. It is Meadow Walk Quilt Pattern by Sarah Nunes from berrybarndesigns.com on FaveQuilts.com. I just used the fabric I used for the other quilts. I loved how it turned out. 

I took the quilt I showed a few days back and redid it. I wanted it to stay square. I used Sarah's pattern, another quilt she made for the Stunning Stars Quilt Along,  Interlocking Stars. I love how it looks now. 

I have learned a new way to baste my quilts, with Elmer's Washable Glue. It works so nice and now I do not have to use all of that awful spray baste. I followed this tutorial over at Sarah's Quilting Corner. I still use my bed to lay out my quilts as I am basting them. I don't have the room to use a table. Besides my bed is at the right height I can iron on it, and not worry about the surface. Now to buy more glue and get to basting and quilting. Not much time is left. 

TTFN

On the Road to Spring

Another of my UFO's that has become a quilt top is my On the Road to Spring. It started out as the Designer Mystery Block of the Month through Fat Quarter Shop. I loved the fabric, but did not want to make another sampler quilt. I have decided over the years that I do not what to make sampler quilts. I love repetition and order. I love also balance and equality in my quilts. Scrappy is very hard for me, but I am loving the process and the look of those kinds of quilts. Anyway, after I decided I did not want another sampler quilt, I just collected the fabric. One day while I was reading different posts, I came across this pattern. I loved the quilt! I decided I wanted to make this quilt and I knew just what fabric I wanted to use. So, I got busy cutting up the fabric and started sewing.

I made a small and large quilt. I will be using the small one as a baby quilt and I am not sure yet what will happen to the large one. 

One day I will get these out and quilt them. I am so excited to get old UFO's finished. How are you doing on your UFO list?

TTFN

Black and White Garden

I am happy to finally say this is now a completed top. It has been a UFO for a very long time. I started working on it about 2010. I started it at my LQS as a Saturday Sampler. I made a few blocks and then got sidetracked. Then I broke it out of UFO purgatory and finished the top around August of last year. I would like to get this finished and use it as a donated quilt for H2H. I think this would make someone very happy. I will have to break it back out again and figure out the dimensions. I then will know if I have to make it any bigger. I am happy that I can find this quilt a home. 

TTFN

Daughters Double Wedding Ring Finish

I had a lot of fun finishing my daughter and her husband's quilt. She did not want a scalloped edge so I had to figure out how to create a straight edge. I cut some strips of fabric and then appliqued the edge of the quilt to it with my machine. 

Here is how it turned out. 

Now, a corner before trimming. 

After trimming. 

I knew I was not ready for quilting without lines. I took the time to draw them. The little double fish at the top, is the couples symbol. I made them in every melon and the flower in each of the weird diamonds. 

I started quilting at our group's Sew-In. I got about 1/4 of it done. 

Working on it at home. It tool me a while to do the quilting. I did not keep track, but I would say it was about 18 hours. I did all the quilting on my Singer Patchwork. It does not have a very big throat, but it worked just fine. 

 Finally finished!! My husband is standing on the top step, on a chair. He is very tall, but it is much taller. It turned out about 95" x 105" or so. I forgot to measure it. 

Here is is draped across the steps. I love this shot, except for the AC unit in the window. HA HA

 Folded and ready to go. 

They loved it!! I asked her if she makes their bed. She told me no! HA HA I told her that was a shame, if she made there bed, I was going to make pillow cases. Oh boy, they both promised to make the bed. I guess I need to make pillow cases now. I do have a few extra blocks, so I will make some decorative pillows as well. 

TTFN

H2H 2017 Check-In

Wow does life get busy sometimes. I thought that after my last child went off to college that I would have lots of time. Well between taking my own college classes, babysitting my granddaughters, and my parents moving in, I have not had too many quiet moments. 

I decided to join H2H this year again over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. I love this group. I love how Sarah get all of the members together and helps to what we love best, to make and give away quilts. I am also very busy in a lot of other quilt projects. But this adventure hold a special place in my heart. Below is one of the quilt tops I have made. 

 I am also very busy with a lot of other quilt projects. I will show some of them later. For now, know that this community has not been very far from my thoughts and I miss being here.

TTFN

Getting Closer to Being Finished!!

I have done a lot of work on my daughters wedding quilt. I almost have it done. I need to make borders and then quilt it. This one will not wait until this summer to be quilted. I will want this one on its way to her and her new husband as soon as can be. I am excited to have this one finished. I love this pattern, and I will do one again, but for now I want it out of my hair. HA HA!! 

Here are the fabrics I started off with.

This is me using a nifty little tool that someone from another group sent to me. I did not think I would use it, but it has become invaluable to me during this process. I know I will use it again with other curved piecing. 

Some of the hundreds of tiny seams all being sewn together.

One set of arches sewn onto the melons.

I had to draw dots on all of the points to help in knowing were to stop sewing. I started doing them one at a time, it did not take me long to move to this kind of "dot making."

These are all of my pieces ready to be put into a quilt.

All nine rows sewn together, stacked and waiting to be made into a quilt. 

WOW!! The top is done. I have not, at this point, sewn the points of the arches together. Again, big husband in the back. 

This is where I am at now. I have all of the points sewn together. I will start working on the border next. She does not want the scallops. Darn her! HA HA!! I have an idea of how to do the border. Well I am off to figure it out. 

TTFN!!

My En Provence!!

I am done with my top. I love this quilt. I loved following Bonnie Hunter as she put these clues out one at a time. I loved not knowing what it was going to look like. I loved working hard on repeating many of the same pieces over and over again with no picture in my head of were they were going. I loved the reveal. I love the conversations on her Facebook page. I loved how many people kept the quilt the same, like I did. I like the quilts that were changed. I loved everything about it. I can not wait to do this next year. It will be fantastic. I am linking up with the final link up party for this quilt. I have not quilted it yet, that will happen this summer, when I can get outside to spray baste it. I can't wait to have it on my bed!! Below are pictures of a few steps along the way. 

Fabric is selected with more added as needed.

Making hourglass blocks with hot chocolate.

A few pieces stacked up in little piles.

My first block finished.

All of my sashing pieces finished in a nice stack.

Pièce de résistance!!!

The final top. With of course, my little helper in the front, Chompie, and my big helper in the back, my husband. Love them both and this quilt. Thank you Bonnie Hunter for everything you do. You are a very special person and those that love you, know it!!

TTFN

Parma Quilters Anonymous 2017

 The quilt group I run is starting a new year of fun. We will be doing a repeat of something we did a few years back, Mercy Border Quilt. You start of with a block or a piece of fabric, your choosing of style and size. Add this to a box and any fabric you want in your quilt, and every month, this box moves to a new person. The person adds a border of any size and style, using your rules. Then it switches to a new person the next month. Finally at the end of the year you get your quilt back. You are totally at the Mercy of your partners all year long. 

That is how I got this quilt!

We are also doing another year of Copy Cat Block Swap. 

On the Road to Spring

I am trying to get a few thing fixed in all of my records: quilty-things I have finished, quilty-things that need to move to the next step, and quilty-things I want to start. I have a few things I feel need to get done this year, and this is the best place for me to keep it all straight. 

Back in 2012, I started the Fat Quarter Shop's Designer Mystery Block Swap. 

 I made one block and stopped.

Then I started cutting it all up into different usable sizes and sewing them together. 

I used On the Road to Spring Quilt Along to make my own quilt with the fabric I had bought.

I loved it!!

I ended up with a smallish quilt,

and a very nice lap size quilt. 

I hope to get these two quilts finish. I will only count them as one finish. 

TTFN