Mini Samplers

This is for you Packrat :) Here is a Dear Jane quilt. It's a replica of an old quilt that was made a long time ago (won't go into the history - google if you're interested.) A newer version with the same idea is a Sylvia's Bridal Sampler - which is taken from one of the Elm Creek Quilt novels.

Both have 6 inch blocks. Call me crazy, but this looks fun. I haven't decided which book of patterns I'd prefer to get...the Dear Jane gives you those neat triangle blocks on the outside border - but I have an emotional response to the other one since one of my oldest friends (since 5th grade) is named Sylvia....what to do :?

P.S. I just discovered there is also a Dear Hannah quilt as well. Those blocks are 4 1/2 inches, though - that's getting kind of tiny for all the piecing and applique, think I'd rather do the larger blocks for now.

UFOs

Here's a Grandmother's Flower Garden that I've been working on maybe 3 years. It's all hand pieced - the project I take on car trips or work on while watching TV in the evenings. Finally to the part where the green intersections are going in - major accomplishment!

I have a hazy memory of when I used to think a UFO was a flying saucer. I now know the true meaning of those letters.....too well :) Until just a few years ago I would start a project (quilt as well as non-quilt) and finish it to completion before beginning another project, that was just my nature. Not so much any more, I've been brought over to the dark side and now have my goodly share of unfinished objects.

Here's one that is finally going to be finished up. It's a quilt for my little granddaughter that my daughter gave me a picture of, 2 years ago, and asked me if I could make it. After Ashley telling me that if I didn't get it finished by Kinsey's birthday (April) she was just going to go and buy her a bed spread! This is going on my LA on Monday!!! Yippee :) This is actually the first quilt of my own that I will have quilted in 2 1/2 years. I finally decided I just needed to schedule it in just like I do customer quilts. It will be finished on time.

I needed some new projects like I needed a hole in the head, but that's part of the sickness of quilting I've decided, we can't resist getting involved in yet another quilt. Our local quilt guild decided to do a Round Robin exchange and I hadn't been involved in something like that for awhile and it just sounded like fun, so I joined. This is our second month in this and this is the block I made for the woman's packet I got this time around.

THEN...being a glutton for punishment, I recently rejoined an online LA quilting group who had started a BOM group. Again, sounded like fun...I had some fabric that would make a really pretty quilt that would work perfect for this....I joined. Here are the two blocks I've made for that so far.

I currently have 9 of my own finished quilt tops that just need to be quilted...waiting for the time and the motivation to actually do them.

I can't throw fabric away, I keep pieces down to 1 1/2 inch square because they can be used in a quilt (I draw the line at that size though.....well kind of, I will keep strips smaller than that which can be used in a string quilt that I've started. Anyway, here is a Jewel Box quilt that I'm making from scraps. (those little squares are the 1 1/2 inch scraps.)

Each of these pizza boxes contain 2-3 quilt projects in various stages of completion. I'd really like to begin a Dear Jane quilt, and there's the one that Agnes brought to our guild meeting a few weeks ago that she's supposed to get me the pattern for. Will I live long enough to do them all? Absolutely not, but I firmly believe there are quilts being made in heaven :)

3 quilts

Bobbi's Quilt

Katie's Quilt

Louise's Quilt

This was a sampler quilt so I only took a photo of one of the 12 different blocks. These used to be quite challenging for me to figure out how to quilt all the different blocks, it's fairly easy now - guess I'm getting more experienced :)

Cool Needle

I just ordered this! There was an ad on my email this morning for this nifty needle and I'm so excited. Age has taken it's tole on my eyesight, blah!, and threading a needle is such a pain these days. I do have a couple of helpful needle threaders, but I'm especially excited for these needles in burying threads on a quilt while the quilt is still on my LA, and also to use with embroidery thread where there are 2 or 3 strands of thread. I hope they turn out to be as user-friendly as they look. I'll have to let you know :)

1 Quilt

Devonna's quilt. She said she has 2 more just like this that she'll be bringing when they're finished. She's sending them back east to sell - I'll be interested to hear how that goes :)

Haven't taken off my chalk markings yet - but it does make it easier to see what has been quilted.

Normally I'd prefer to have the thread match the fabric on the back, but with all the white fabric on the front I didn't want little black bobbin pokies showing through on the front, so we elected to use white thread on the back. It actually is very awesome looking!

5 quilts + gift

Do you have trouble with your sewing scissors? Someone uses them to cut paper (or a cardboard box, groan!) For years I used the orange handled Fiskars, they were fine, and if someone broke the rules and used them for something other than fabric, it wasn't a huge disaster....once they were dull enough that I wanted to swear whenever I tried to cut fabric with them, they got relegated to the craft box and I gritted my teeth as I shelled out money for a new pair for my fabric. It's been less of an issue since my kids are out of the house, and hubby has learned to ask if he's using the correct scissors. But...it was beginning to be time to invest in a new pair. My sister has a reputation for being a great gift giver, she lived up to it this year with a pair of Gingher scissors showing up for my birthday. I've never owned such a nice pair, and never really thought I would - I used them for the first time a couple of days ago and they slid through the fabric like a hot knife through butter.....what a dream :) Thank you, Carole, and if anyone even looks at a piece of paper with these in their hands - the consequences will be drastic!
Quilt by Louise

I love doing quilting like this, it's so beautiful.

Quilt by Kassie.

Quilt by Agnes

Two quilts by Devona

Quilt by Jone