Design Wall Monday

Miss Polly has inspected the blocks for Grand Illusion. She thinks they are all going the right way.

Now her mom needs to sew the border blocks together and get them attached. This is going to be an awesome quilt to snuggle under. I wish she would get to it.

Miss Polly is a little bossy. It felt good to sit down and sew but I didn't just sew....I'm organizing my disaster of a sewing room.  Work for 20 minutes, sew 2 rows together, work, sew, cut fabric scraps, sew...throw in some dinner time and sew again.

I'm excited with the progress on my quilt top. I think this is the slowest I have ever been getting a Bonnie mystery made into a completed top. Sometimes real life gets in the way of the sewing room.

See great design walls at Patchwork Times.  I am going to take a tour of Blogland while I enjoy a couple cups of coffee. Then real life starts up again. Have a great day.

Castle Wall Progress and Saturday Plans

I am obsessed with the Castle Wall blocks. So obsessed that I ran out of blocks to sew.  My original plan was to work on these at my Wednesday group.  But they have taken over my brain and whenever I sit in my recliner, I automatically reach over for my green pencil box that holds my block and sewing stuff.  It's not a bad thing, it is just an all consuming my brain thing and I'm spending a bit too much time in the recliner.

Friday I spent some time cutting a few more blocks. I think I cut  4 more. Last night I again reached for the box and started a new one. Then I set it aside and picked up a shirt to de-bone.  By the time the evening was over, I had cut up 4 men's shirts and had one more block half sewn.

I told myself that was the last night of Castle Wall blocks for a while., I have a knitting project or 3 that I want to work on and a stack of shirts to cut up. Today the box will be put out of my reach. I have a short list of things I want to do and then I will go into my sewing room and lose myself there for the rest of the day.  But first I need to make the blueberry pie I planned to make yesterday.

What are your Saturday plans?

Design Wall Monday

I'm having such fun with the Castle Wall blocks.

I'm going to take these off the design wall one of these days and 

put them in the bin so they don't get attacked by kittens.

The blocks are finally all made for Grand Illusion.

I've procrastinated long enough and now the webbing of the top has begun. 

My top will be completed in no time. 

Then I'll start sewing those border blocks together.

I have a plan......

Check out Patchwork Times for fabulous designs walls.

Castle Wall Progress

I started sewing my Castle Wall blocks last Wednesday. I'm a tad bit obsessed with them right now. Block 6 is half full of diamonds already. I'm sure it will be finished this morning.  Blocks 7-10 are ready with several more fabrics set aside in bundles waiting to be cut into blocks. Crazy, I know!!

I've been hunkered down in the recliner with the dreadful cold/flu stuff. Not enough energy to do much other than watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix and stitch or nap.  Maybe I'll make a cup of tea or throw a load of clothes in the washer while waiting for the dogs to do their outside business but not much else is getting done.

If I make this full size, I need 56 blocks. At this rate I'll have it finished in no time at all.......that is not going to happen. LOL  Life will get back to normal again soon. I'm feeling better but still not 100%.

You can find great Castle Wall instructions at Mickey Depre's website.  I'm loving her 2015 project too.  So far I'm resisting but I'm weak right now so who knows what might happen.

Design Wall Monday

What a week last week was. I spent so little time in my sewing room, that when I finally did go in, I had to think about where I was with Grand Illusion.  I am at block construction.

The block rows are ready to sew together.  Now all I need is some time to sit and sew these together.  I'm excited to get some of these blocks up on the design wall.

I spent time with my Binding Friends on Wednesday and started my new hand sew project, Castle Wall. You can find all the info for this quilt at Mickey Depre's website.

I'm ready to refill my cup and tour a bit through Blogland. It's Design Wall Monday at Patchwork Times.  I can't wait to see what's going on!!

Slow Stitching Sunday

I have an obsession with hexagons.  I admit it freely. I love those little things. I seem to have a hexagon project going all the time now.  After finishing up the hand stitching on Circle of Jewels (I can't believe I don't have a picture of the whole top!), I had to start something else.

I had a bin of strips the my friend Billie gave me. Her friend gave them to her, they were samples of a fabric line. I had kept them all together hoping someday to find the perfect project for them.  This table mat was it. I had ordered a template and papers kit over a year ago and knew it was time to use it.  I have enough cut for another mat but I'm not going to start it just yet.

Today I will put the outside border on and get it ready to quilt. I'll try quilting by hand but no promises.

Last year Mickey Depre worked on Castle Wall blocks as her year long project. This year I am doing it. (Although her new project is pulling at my heart strings!)  I wrote about my Castle Wall beginning here. This is my first block and last night I started my second one. But first I need to finish my table mat so I can dive in and create these.

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts-Slow Stitching Sunday and after my coffee cup is refilled, I'm seeing what everyone else is working on.

Happy Stitching.

The Caste Wall Project

All last year I have watched Mickey Depre work her Castle Wall blocks. She posted them to Facebook quite often. I loved them but didn't have time for another hand work project.  After finishing the hand stitching on Circle of Jewels, I needed a new project.

I had great intentions to start this quite a while ago and ordered the templates, only to have to them sit and age.  While moving some stuff around the other day, I stumble on to a fat quarter pack and thought they would be perfect to use to start Castle Wall.

Every Wednesday, I try to make it to my sewing group.....Binding Friends.  I decided this would be a good project to work on this year.  So this is block 1.  I have 3 more kitted up ready to stitch.  I've also pulled a few more fabrics to add to this.

For more information on Mickey's Castle Wall-The Block & Quilt, go to her website.  She has a tab with all her information.  I can't wait to work on block 2.

2015 Finish #1

I'm so happy to have this quilt finished.

Pieced Hexies started October 2013.

 Finished January 6, 2014.

Crochet Fever

It all started innocent enough.

The weather in December turned bone chilling cold.

I was shopping one day and found Lion Brand Unique yarn.

Oooohhh, pretty, pretty.

I bought 2 skeins.

Knowing Taylor walks alot, I figured she needed a new scarf.

I used this tutorial.

2 skeins was not enough.

I had to wait for more yarn.

It finally came in, I bought 2 more.

I finished her scarf.

Oh so soft and toasty.

On Facebook's The Crochet Crowd, I saw this challenge.

I went in and grabbed a skein of acrylic yarn and got busy.

I found the written pattern confusing but once I watched the video it all clicked.

I used a larger hook than the pattern said

 and for the smaller hat,

I just made it up as I went.

These are for Lacey and Estella.

I hope Estella's fits her.

I'll find out later today.

I love a good trip to town that involves being a passenger and lots of waiting/crochet time.

While getting the scarf yarn, I saw camo yarn and had to buy a skein.

Taylor loves all things camo!!!

I used a V stitch and crocheted until I was almost out of yarn.

She is very excited to wear this one,

I can't wait to give it to her.

What's next?

I have an afghan UFO that needs attention.

I'm going to get that afghan ready for my new to go project.

Night time recliner time is now back to sock knitting.

Design Wall Monday

Last week, after catching up with Grand Illusion Mystery clues, I pulled out Pieced Hexies and decided it was time to get this one finished.  I've stalled long enough!  I sat down at the machine and pieced the back and then it was on to basting.

While pin basting this 80" x 80" quilt using a banquet table, my sweet kittens thought I had made them a fabulous play fort. While playing, one of them snagged my fabric. Of course it's the fabric that I had used every single little inch of.

After whining to my Facebook friends, I decided to find a piece of kitty fabric and create a hexi applique to cover the hole. 

This was started October 2013 and the final border was put on just a few weeks ago. Granddaughter Taylor picked most of the hexi fabric combinations from Fairy Frosts and other sparkly fabrics that was gifted to me by my friend Sharlene. These were the perfect fabrics to use for a teen girl!  The hexi designs came from the books Pieced Hexies and Pieced Hexies Deux by Mickey Depre. I loved everything about making this quilt. Mostly I loved the bond I have with my granddaughter over our love of fabrics, quilts and each other.

I am having a blast quilting this. Cross hatching through the 9 patches, fun swirls through the hexies with echo quilting around the outside. I'm stuck on the outside border. I started something but wasn't happy with it so it's now pulled out. I'll get it figured out.

Monday's work will include removing the center marks from the hexies, quilt the border, trim and put on the binding. Then I can start putting Grand Illusion together.

See great design walls at Patchwork Times every Monday.

On The Needles

 Happy New Year! It's really hard for me to believe it's already 2015. I vividly remember Y2K like it was yesterday! Do you?  I didn't know how to knit then. It was still a dream. I quilted and did machine embroidery and crocheted. Now I quilt and knit. Times have changed--not much though.

I did it, I finished the No Purl Monkey Socks before the end of 2014!

I think I'll wear them today.

Since I was in the sock knitting mood,

I found Mojo.

An appropriate name since mine has returned.

Fun, quirky, something any teen (or their Gramma!) would love to own.

I had to finish the Monkey socks before I started these.

(I think that's the only reason the Monkey socks are finished.) 

I also cast on for a pair of Plain Jane Socks.

But decided I wanted something with some texture.

This morning I went searching through my Ravelry favorites for a new sock pattern.

I found Tadpoles.

A couple rows of unknitting and I will be able to start the design.

Or I can be a rebel and start it where I am at right now. 

I'll probably be a rebel.

I can't wait to see what others are working on.

We are sharing our projects at 

Patchwork Times-On The Needles.