Design Wall Monday

Quilting Mojo has arrived at my house.

I hope she stays for a while.

After finishing the Gypsy Rose Quilt last week,

I basted 3 more big quilts.

Then I went right in and started quilting.

Cathedral Stars was last month's UFO Challenge quilt.

After ignoring it all month, I got it basted on the 31st so I could report that I made progress on it.

Yes, I really did do that! 😉

I'm doing free motion curves in the star points and half square triangles.

I'm using the walking foot for somewhat straight lines thru the 4 patches.

I'm hoping today this one will be ready for binding.

Tony and Daisy kept me company from the table fort.

Kids and dogs love a good table fort. 

Little dog is cozy on dad's lap.

I really think they are sad when the tables are put away.

Check out the cuteness and the fabulous design walls at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

January UFO Challenge Statis

I am participating in Judy L's UFO Challenge again this year.

January's number was 7.

My #7 is my Cathedral Stars.

I only needed to quilt it.

The back and binding were ready.

I had company as I basted today.
Miss Daisy loves a table fort.

So why did I wait until January 31 to do anything with it?

I've been super busy

and I can procrastinate with the best of them. 

UFOs have been wrangled and a few have been quilted.

As of tonight, my machine is threaded and the quilt is basted. 

I'm ready to quilt.

I promise to do better in February.

Design Wall Monday

I had an awesome week in the sewing room!

A 6 year old UFO was unearthed and the last 6 blocks were cut and kitted,

ready for project #1 at retreat in less than 3 weeks.

Since I was already sidetracked with Garden Party,

I started sewing my blocks into 2s and 4s.

I'm setting this one straight so it goes together pretty fast with chain piecing. 

This was going to be retreat project #1 but now it will be a flimsy show and tell instead.

Now I need to kit up project #2 and #3

I know what I want to do so they won't take long.

I will continue quilting Jamestown Landing.

After my weekend Quiltathon, I'm anxious to get this one finished.

It won't be finished today but will be soon.

I'm so close to catching up with the 2018 UFO Challenge numbers!!!

 Then I notice today's date. LOL

Oh well, I'm close, no panic here.

Check out some great design walls at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

My Quiltathon Starts In 3-2-1

Friday morning 6:30...Ernie has a weekend Hunter's Education Instructor training and left earlier this morning. He'll be home sometime Sunday late afternoon.  I have been planning a weekend Quiltathon for weeks.
And boy oh boy do I have plans!

Jamestown Landing is first on the list. Backing is made, batting is cut, vacuuming will begin as soon as I finish my coffee, grab a bite to eat, feed the critters and throw on some comfie clothes. Then it's a 3 or 4 episodes of NCIS Los Angles (yeah, I know, I'm really late to this party) that I have recorded and the basting party begins.

I plan to update this post throughout the weekend with my progress.  How much fun can I have?!? Let the games begin......

11:25  There was some unpinning because someone layed the top on the wrong direction. Ugh~
Now we are ready to quilt.  3 episodes of NCIS LA and some chat time with a friend.  Not too bad. I'm going to get my chicken in the crockpot and then get started.

4:40  Calling it a day...maybe. I may go back in after I eat something. I'm about 1/3 of the way done. Not a bad few hours work. I never made it back into the sewing room.

Day 2
Starting out after breakfast for a couple of hours before 3 grandsons arrive. It's soccer day for sister and movie day with Gramma. I don't get to see these guys nearly enough! So I do not mind taking time out for them.

I keep this lint brush close at hand.  I don't know how I get so many stray threads. I know where the cat hair comes from though. 😉

My afternoon was filled with boys, dogs, legos, cars and trucks and food.  What Quiltathon???

After a short nap and some dinner, I was headed back in to sew when the phone rang. My niece Katie and her family had been out this way on an adventure and wanted to stop by to visit before heading back in to town. Of course quilting can be put on hold a little longer! We had a wonderful visit and then it was off to bed to read. Tomorrow is a new day!

Day 3
3 pm and I'm calling my Quiltathon over. I've quilted most of the day and I'm tired now. So it's time to turn off the machine and the lights and call it a day in the sewing room. I've had a couple of issues today. By the skin of my teeth, I got this corner quilted without having to add a sliver of batting.

This is where I am leaving off today. I'm about half finished. I thought I was so much farther. LOL  But this is a big quilt and I am quilting a lot more dense that I had planned to. It's looking fabulous.

What a fun weekend but I am ready for Ernie to be home. 

Design Wall Monday

January's 2018 UFO Challenge quilt,

Stars and Strings is basted.

I'm quilting!

Walking foot Ultra Wavy Line Quilting!

This is an excellent tutorial at Better Off Thread.

It's really fun to do. 

Not all lines are perfectly spaced,

there are some wiggle wobbles in there

but I think perfection is highly overrated.

After a few hours of listening to Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts on YouTube,

I am about 3/4ths finished with the quilting.

I took a couple of breaks and by the time Ernie had dinner ready,

I was ready to be done for the day.

I'm so excited to have my mojo back.

Check out the cute cute doll quilt and all the links today at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

2:30 Monday afternoon....hubs didn't feel good so it was a quiet day at our house. He parked in his chair with his book and the remote and a quilt.  I went into the sewing room and TaaDaaa, finished quilting this quilt and the binding and label are on. I will stitch the binding in the evenings. I'm calling this a finish!

Design Wall Monday...

...And a couple of awesome finishes.

It's been a busy week.

My niece is expecting a baby girl in a few weeks and I need to make them a cuddle quilt.

I like my baby quilts to cover Momma and Baby.

Way back in 2013, I participated in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge at SoScrappy blog.

I planned to make a row quilt and true to form, 

I got part way through the year and stopped,

and now I have a box of awesome 6" blocks. 

Then Bonnie writes a post about Getting Serious With Scrap Reduction.

She shows a picture of Dancing Dashes and that's all I needed to get this quilt started.

I grabbed some yellow polka dot for sashing and soft lavender for the corner stones.

I'm hoping to have this top together before Thursday.

Maybe I'll name this Dashing Dashes and Friends. 

Because Friday is Mystery Day!!

I finally pulled my fabrics for On Ringo Lake.

I don't have one single piece of fabric in Bonnie's main colors so I went stash diving.

Red, Blue, Black and Creamy Neutrals

Depending on the clues and sizes of pieces needed, 

I'll pull from my strip bins and deeper into the stash.

Granddaughter Taylor will turn 18 in a few days.

She had hinted about a quilt with black, white and aqua. 

How could I say no.

I knew Bonnie's Scrappy Trips was a perfect design.

This is found on the Quiltville free patterns page.

Fun strips were pulled from the black and white strip bin.

Most of them were from strip swaps at retreats.

I had a blast quilting this.

Somewhat straight lines in a random pattern.

I used gray thread and my walking foot.

Finally En Provence is finished!

These photos are from Jane right after she quilted it for me.

We decided soft yellow thread would be perfect.

The panto is called Lovely by My Creative Stitches.

And Lovely it is!

I used bright pink for the binding. 

It's been dark, gloomy and wet here so no full on pictures.

Check out Design Wall  Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Design Wall Monday

If you stole my quilting mojo,

would you please return it!

I'm having a heck of a time getting the Crabapples quilted.

Mostly is an arthritis issue. 

In my left pinkie finger, of all places!

It is so painful sometimes that I can't move the quilt around.

Then I remembered I had the Fabulous Fabric Glide from The Gypsy Quilter.

What a difference that made.

I'm hoping to finish this today!

I swear! Even get the binding on.

I needs to be finished so I can play!

I was one of the lucky 94 quilters that was able to buy The Easy Center Square ruler

when they became available on the Quiltville blog.

I just happened to read that blog post at the exact right time.

This beauty is right outside my living room window.

It's about 8 feet tall and loaded with buds.

I've spent the winter worried about it because there were so many buds so soon.

I'm hoping the rain goes away so I can enjoy this before the flowers all fade away.

See all the fabulous Design Wall Monday link ups at

Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday

Jamestown Landing is now a completed quilt top. It was my UFO for the month and I can't believe it took me all month to get to this stage. I can get myself off track so stinkin' fast, it will make your head spin. LOL  Will I get it quilted by March 1? Probably not but I"m going to give it a try. Maybe.

When I finished this yesterday, I needed something quick and easy to work on. I pulled out a couple of table runners that are UFOs and need backs made for them. I had been gifted a stack of muslin scraps that are perfect to make backs from so those were made. Just now I remembered I have another table runner in need of quilting. This one was rescued from the scrap bin at a quilt shop that was closing unlike these 2 that were rescued from the UFO bin. I guess I will make another back and have it ready too. 2017 UFO Busting is in full force!

See what others are working on at Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday.

Quiltathon Day Two

Like Judy L, my day 2 quiltathon was a bust. I had forgotten that we were going with the Grands to the Sportsman Show. They got out of school early so off we went.

My body is tired!  Walking around for hours on concrete is exhausting!!  We just got home at 9 pm. That's pj time for this ole gal.

Hoping Day 3 is more productive.

February Quiltathon-Day 1

It's Quiltathon Day!!!

Judy L at Patchwork Times is hosting another Quiltathon.

My plan for these quiltathons is to quilt.

For the first part of the year, 

I'm choosing Quiltville tops.

I need to get these quilted before I retreat with Bonnie in May.

Less than 100 days. 

Here is Grand Illusion with the thread I couldn't make up my mind about last night.

I have since chosen the verigated green.

The quilt is all basted and ready to go.

I have most of the day to myself so that will make it easy.

Lasagna was pulled from the freezer to put in the oven for dinner.

Let the quilting begin.

\
4:30 update

I have about 2/3rds of my quilt quilted.
I don't know if I'll do any more tonight or not.
I'm thinking a nap sounds like a good idea.

It's been a very productive day.
Plans for tomorrow are to finish the quilting, trim and sew on the binding.

Design Wall Monday and...

...Mystery Monday Link Up

It was a fun Quiltathon weekend.

Thank you Judy L of Patchwork Times.

I sewed more this weekend that I have in a very long time.

It's always fun and I had plenty of encouragement to "stay in the hidie hole and work". 

Nothing better to do on a very windy, snowy, freezing rain weekend!

(And someone had complete control of the remote.)

I can't wait for the next one!

Check her side bar for the schedule.

I'm pretty excited to be this far with En Provence.

I hadn't plan to put any blocks together until Tumalo Trail was complete.

Plans changed after my whoopsie.

Instead of fretting and wasting precious sewing time,

I pulled out my En Provence basket and started piecing blocks.

I now have 4 complete blocks and 10 complete sashing units.

They all need to visit the ironing board.

That will happen soon.

First I will complete Tumalo Trail!

After some TV time (when did I start watching football!!) 

and quality seam ripper time,

quilting resumed on Tumalo Trail.

I have half of the last border to complete and

then I will go back to the blocks and quilt around the HSTs.

I'm pretty excited to have this quilt complete, on the bed and off the UFO list. 

The binding is all ready prepared and patiently waiting it's turn.

It's a fun link up day.

Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday

and

Quiltville's Mystery Monday Link-Up

It's going to be an awesome morning in Blogland.

Quiltathon Day 3

It's Patchwork Times Quiltathon Day 3!!!  My mind is screaming day 3? Already! I'm kind of holding my breath this morning as the wind is howling and we are expecting snow and freezing rain today. Please powers that be, leave the electricity on. Does that sound selfish???  If the power goes out, I'll just move my chair to the window and stitch hexies....until then, I'm going in the sewing room and turn on the machine and the book and cuddle under Tumalo Trail as I'm quilting.

9 am...so far the power has stayed on. I have a couple loads of laundry going and Ernie went out to breakfast with his buddies so I quilted. I've made great progress.  One bobbin done. Time for my breakfast, another cuppa coffee, fill the crockpot with soup makings and fold that load of clothes before I go back to it.

3 pm...I'm done for the day. All of the cross hatching is finished down the center of the blocks, the 1"sashing has been quilted with a simple straight line down the middle. Now I am working on the piano key border.  A good start on side 2 but my shoulders and hands are achy and I by back is done. So ibuprofen has been taken, time to settle in on the couch and cuddle with my little dog before I have to fix dinner.

What a great day of quilting. The snow has started and the wind is still blowing and the power stayed on. Yes, it was a great day!

Design Wall Monday

While at the beach last week, I set myself up a sewing station.

I brought along 2 bags of fabric pieces and Pineapple Crazy papers.

I completed 5 blocks and started 5 more.

Here is my sewing station.

The table is too high, the chair is too tall.

I am not complaining. 

I sewed at the beach. 

All was right in my vacation world.

While out thrifting one day, Ernie spots this gem.

She is a New Home 443 single stitch.

Made in Japan by Janome.

I'm guessing early 60's.

She needs a spring for the pressure foot lifter bar but

other than that, after drinking up oil,

she sews a great stitch.

A few days before we left I had basted and started quilting this quilt.

My version on Bonnie Hunter's Sister's Choice

Pattern found on her free patterns page.

With Ernie on his 2nd week of vacation,

I'm doubting much will get done here,

but with a few minutes here and I should make a bit of progress.

See what others have on their design wall at Patchwork Times.

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.

Design Wall Monday

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Quilting has begun on number 3 on the UFO Parade from August.  Thursday morning I cut batting for the next 3 quilts I want to get quilted.  2 were on the list and one needs to be finished before it makes a list. UFO 2 has the backing made but I forgot to cut that batting. Binding for #s 2 and 3 are sewn and pressed waiting in the binding basket.

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This is Scrappy Twin Sister and she is finished.  She has aged from September 2010. I think that's plenty long enough. I found this block design in Quiltmaker magazine as one of Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps Column.  It was so fun to discover all the fun fabrics I put in this quilt.  The back is scrappy flannel squares.  I'll take pictures this week.  Of course I had to have a seam ripper moment. Thank goodness it wasn't more that this little circle.  Aren't those pink poodles a hoot!

 Just for fun, Shirley and Polly have discovered the empty dishwasher. I had to spin the spray arm above them. They are so funny!  No kitties were harmed in the loading of the dishwasher.

Last week's list:

• Finish Tell It To The Stars   Done-waiting for the November clue
• Pin baste a quilt  Not only pin basted but quilted and finished!
• Next block for Wishes, work of border and sashing  Block in finished but didn't start on sashing or border
• Next step for Friends and Companions  Block is finished.

This week I plan to:

• Finish the pinwheel quilt
• Work on Friends and Companions.
• Work on Wishes.

I can't wait to have Monday morning coffee with friends of DWM at Patchwork Times.