Design Wall Monday

I've been watching Anina of Twiddletails on Instagram as she's sharing her Garden Party progress.

Soon I was chasing an old squirrel. 😎😎😎

I got mine out to lay out a few blocks just to see.

(I'm laying this one out straight instead of on point like my red one.)

I had planned to take this to our retreat that's coming up in a few week but

once I pulled it out, I just had to make a few blocks.

Soon I had my remaining 9 patches complete and started framing them.

I love setting up the next Triangle Gathering block for my leader/ender.

When I sew on my framing strips, I work in groups of 10.

Sew until one side is finished on all 10, 

grab a l/e to make progress on that block too.

Win, win!

Of course I had to make a Diamond Tile block from Bonnie's Addicted to Scraps column.

Are you sewing along?

Read her details here. 

I have a few more cut and ready to sew.

You all know I'm not starting any new projects, right?!?

Bahahaha

I'm headed over to have my morning coffee with Blogland friends at 

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

Enjoy your day~

2018 UFO Challenge Update

I'm quite please with the progress I've made catching up with the UFO Challenge.

This was for January and it is now finished.

Then I immediately picked up February's UFO to keep my momentum going.

It is now finished.

The backing has been pieced for March's UFO, Jamestown Landing.

The batting is cut and after this weekend, it will be basted and quilting started.

We went to the beach last week for a couple days so I took April's Mischief Quilt project with me.

All the pieces that were cut are glue basted now.

I even got a couple more blocks sewn together.

I have no intention of finishing this in April,

there is too much yet to do but I do plan to make progress on it.

It is now my only hand stitching project.

If I were to grade myself on this project of catching up, I'd give myself a B+.

I am also excited to report that On Ringo Lake will not become a UFO,

it is at the quilters right now!

Here's a story for another time. 😉😉

I Like Thursdays #1

Leanna at Not Afraid of Color does fabulous I Like Thursdays blog posts full of things she likes. She invited me to do the same, so here I am with my first post for I Like Thursdays.

We are empty nester people parents but no animal parents.

This is Polly Cat and Jessie, the spoiled rotten little dog.

It's hard not to like them. 

In our bus (motorhome), dogs sleep on the couch.

It's Tony's turn.

Daisy takes up all the floor. 

(Pardon hubby's shoes.)

I like to can.

This week I canned turkey in broth.

I pressure cooked a whole frozen turkey, and the next day I canned it.

I like to have good food on my pantry shelves.

I like to eat off of the fun plates I buy for my Grandkiddos.

This morning it was scrambled eggs off the fish plate.

Makes my day start with a smile and warm fuzzies in my heart.

I like my coffee.

I like my coffee in special cups.

This was a gift from my grands recent vacation.

"We got you a coffee cup from Cracker Barrel cuz it has a chicken on it." 💗

I like sunsets at the beach.

Final like for this week is knitting socks.

Oh, I also like a challenge.

It's a challenge for me to knit from a chart and I've always thought of cables as scary.

So my challenge for this pair of Orzival Socks is to conquer the chart

and just do the cables.

Which really are only cross overs and not big awesome cables. 😏

Check out Leanna's post today. 

Be sure to watch her video at the end!

Design Wall Monday

Last week we went to the beach for a few days.

One afternoon we went for a drive along the ocean.

In Washington, you can drive on the beach.

It was super windy and rainy but that's fine with us.

Because we were only there for a couple of days,

I just took a cutting project to work on besides my knitting. 

I needed to cut more half square triangles for my newest leader/ender project.

Last year, Lisa Bongean shared Triangle Gatherings.

I printed off most of the patterns and I'm glad I did.

They are no longer available on line as she is publishing them in a soon to be released book. 

I love using my Marti Michell template for cutting my HSTs.

I just snip off that dog ear as I'm cutting them out.

I took pictures with my phone of a couple of my completed blocks 

but for some reason unknown to me, my phone and blog aren't syncing up. 

I'll have my tech guru work on that for me.

Why did I choose this for my new leader/ender? 

Because a few weeks after Jamestown Landing was finished,

I found a bin with oodles of blue and neutral HSTs that I had forgotten about.

And I am in Use It Up Mode!

Since each block uses 16 HSTs, 

and I have lots of blue and neutral strips from swaps,

this was the perfect project.

I already have my quilt designed, 

using these blocks with cool connector blocks.

Speaking of connector blocks,

 I decided to pull out my Garden Party #2 connector blocks.

These poor things have been shoved away since last September.

Since we are headed back to the beach this coming weekend,

I will take these and my new l/e with me to work on.

I love sewing at the beach in the evenings while we watch a movie or 2. 

Or all day long if the weather is nasty!

Check out all the quilty goodness today at 

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

WhooHoo, I figured it out all by myself!  

I lay the blocks out on my little design board.

Then sew them into quarters, 

then in half, then the whole block.

When it's finished,

it goes into the page protector in the notebook.

I think I have blocks 9, 10 and 11 layed out ready to stitch.

But I might hold off until I have more variety with the HSTs.

Design Wall Monday

After Saturday's quilt finish, 

I decided to finish this table runner.

I picked this top up when the quilt shop in Long Beach, WA was closing.

It was in the dresser that held all the scraps that I loaded up on.

I knew it would be a good piece to practice quilting.

I started at the end of February and became frustrated with thread breaks.

The blue and dark green quilted nice,

it's that green Sulky in the front that did not.

I powered through and just kept rethreading the needle.

After all I am in UFO Busting mode!

Thread, batting and backing scraps all being used up.

The quilting was finished, 

now to choose something for the binding.

I looked in my fat quarter bin and found this fun black and white batik.

I took almost a whole fat quarter to bind this table runnner.

The extra is added to the scrappy leftover binding roll that is waiting for it's next project. 

After some Sunday evening TV time, this one is marked off the long UFO list.

This is totally not my style but I'm going to use it

at the beach on the picnic table. 

I'm headed over to Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday 

to have my morning coffee with quilter friends.

February UFO Crossed Off The List

My quilting mojo is being good to me.

I finished my February UFO from Judy L's Challenge.

Well it's almost finished.

I still have to stitch down the binding and the label. 

That's for TV time.

I'm not the greatest at free motion quilting designs but I had fun with this.

I know I put a bit over 16 hours into the quilting because

that's how long it takes to listen to Come Sundown by Nora Roberts

on YouTube. 

I don't include the taking out of half a border of this.

I  didn't like my quilting with the black thread.

I told you I wasn't very good at the designs. 😉

So I went with a medium sized meander and 

I'm happy with it. 

Next up is Jamestown Landing which is the March UFO.

It feels good to be making progress. 

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!

2018 UFO Update

I had such great intentions when I wrote my 2018 UFO Challenge list.

Then my life happened and most of my sewing mojo went missing.

And then with the 2 cowboy quilts completed for the brothers,

the mojo has returned.

My focus is first going to catching up on the UFO Challenge.

I read Judy L's post UFO Push! and that really put me in the mood to get going.

The back was made recently for the January UFO, Strings and Stars.

So when I cut the batting for the 2nd cowboy quilt, '

I cut some for this one too.

It is now basted and ready for a rainy day of quilting-probably Monday. 

I can't wait to lay the thread I want to use on this.

Variegated yellow.

Maybe. 

Since the table was set up already and I was in movie mode,

I decided to get the borders pinned on to Circle of Jewels, my February UFO.

It's lots of fiddly work and border 1 is pinned and glued in place,

ready for some machine applique.

Border 2 is cut and ready to add.

I purchased a wide back for this one so I only need to cut batting.

For March's Jamestown Landing, 

I have 4 pieces of wide back that I am hoping is enough.

When I cut batting for Circle of Jewels, 

I will cut for this too and maybe April's, depending on what it is.

So that's it in a blog post!

No UFO finishes yet,

but I am ready to knock them off the list now.

Can't wait to see what the April number will be.

(I know what I don't want it to be.)

Please be nice Judy L. 

It's no April Fool's joke.

April's UFO is #5, Mischief Quilt. 

Which is good since it is my only hand stitching project in progress. 

Canning & Freezing Chicken

Monday was chicken canning day at our house.

I ordered 80 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts from Zaycon Fresh.

Gosh when there's a good sale, buy it!

Pick up time was between 8 and 9 am.

We were there before 8 and was 2nd in line.

Hubs wanted to be 1st. 😊

We borrowed a pressure canner from our DIL so we could have 2 going and get this knocked out.

At the end of a long day, we have 28 pints and

72 half pints on the pantry shelves.

5 pressure canners full.

Ernie watching in the shop, me in the house.

Without his help, I'd still be working. 

 

After all jars were filled, 

9 quarts of chicken chunks went into the freezer.

This morning, lids were removed, jars wiped with vinegar and lids labeled.

Everything is put away!

This will last us at least a year. 

Hooray for a full pantry.

I need to find more jars. 

Tuna season will be here soon.

Design Wall Monday

I finished and gifted both quilts to the boys I talked about here and here.

We delivered them to Gramma on our way to the beach.

Going to the beach means passenger seat knitting.

I've been working on these Circle Socks for quite a while.

They are so full of mistakes but I took my husband's good advice and 

didn't pull the needles. 

"They are socks. Is anyone gonna know you got the pattern wrong?"

"I'll know but I can live with it!"

Sometimes he gives me great advice. 

At retreat last year, I picked up a little embroidery kit.

I took it with me to the beach.

This was the only sewing I did while we were there.

I mostly had my nose shoved into a book.

Nora Roberts can really hold my attention!

It was a very relaxing few days.

I came home ready to quilt.

Instead I did a couple of experiments.

I tested all the colors from my box of Crayola Ultra Washable Markers.

I also tested a home made basting spray that I read about on Chatterbox Quilts.

If you are interested, search her blog for basting spray.

Then I washed my sample.

I was not happy with the markers.

They did not all wash out.

The red is a definite no.

Too many colors stayed in the white/cream fabric.

I don't think I'll be using these markers.

But the spray baste is a definite yes for small projects.

I sprayed the backing,

then layed it on the batting and pressed dry.

Then sprayed the top and layed it on the batting and pressed dry.

I was very happy with it.

I fiddled quite a bit with it before I did a bit of quilting.

Then I washed it and found no residue from the spray.

Wish I could say the same for the markers.

Check out Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

Judy H's Heart Quilt is AMAZING!!

Design Wall Monday

I finished the Warm Wishes quilt except for about 36" of binding.

It was a super nice day yesterday so I layed it out on the deck for a picture.

Last night when I looked at the pictures I laughed at the shadows. 

I think we are headed back to rain today so I'm glad I got the shadowy picture.

When I was talking to a friend about this quilt,

she said I should make one for the brother.

So that is my project I'll start today.

There is still enough gifted cowboy fabric that includes some panel pieces

that I can come up with a great quilt for brother.

This week at Binding Friends group, I showed off my

On The Road Quilt.

It's nice to have a full picture.

There are some awesome projects being shared at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts-Design Wall Monday.

Design Wall Monday

Last week I ran into a friend. 

She told me about her little grandson who had spent a long time in the hospital

and has had numerous surgeries.

On the way home, I told Ernie I was going to make that baby a quilt.

I needed to.

As I was working on it, I constantly thought about how lucky we were

that our children and their children are all so healthy.

I am thankful and very blessed.

So with sewing and thinking and thanking,

this cute cowboy Warm Wishes quilt top and backing has been handed off for quilting.

The binding is ready to attach. 

Thanks to my friend for the fabulous bag of fabric.

I knew it would be perfect for someone and I'm happy I found the someone.

Check out all the fabulousness over at 

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.