Welcome to Gramma's Quilting Room.

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Tiny Tuesday


Block 28 was fun! 
It's always fun to pull something out of the scraps and
turn it into something bright and happy.
These scraps were left from making rice bags.


Block 31 was a bit of a paper piecing challenge.
The center has been taken apart and redone.
3 times.
(3 times is my limit, if it doesn't work, well I tried.)
It really does look better than this, 
not perfect but better.
Perfection constantly eludes me.



I redid block 34.
I'm lots happier with this one.

I'm having fun with these Midget Blocks.
Lots of them are still available for free at
Sentimental Stitches under her free patterns tab.

I'm hoping to finish an applique block for next week.


Monday, December 29, 2014

Design Wall Monday and...

...Mystery Monday Link-Up



Quiltville's Mystery
Grand Illusion Part 5...
Easy Peasy
Super Quick
Super Fun
I love 4 patches.


I wonder what this will become.
I haven't even played with any layouts other than
the Part 5 4 patches to take a picture.

Oh do I need to buy a new camera.
One of these days!!

Linking up today at 
and
I love Monday in Blogland.

Friday, December 26, 2014

On The Needles


I'm still working on my No Purl Monkey Socks.
I am so slow....
but I am determined to finish these before the end of the year.
I think I have one more set of 11 rows before the toe decrease so
maybe by the end of the week.
Maybe!


I told Mae that these socks make my feet happy.
Her socks make her happy too.
So we had to take a picture of our socks.
Happy Feet is one of our favorite movies.
I think it's time to watch it again.




Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Tiny Tuesday


I went to my notebook and pulled out 4 pages which equals 8 block designs. When putting some things away I found a sandwich bag with these batik scraps inside the batik bin. Perfect fabrics for Merry Go Round-Block 33.


Block 34 has proven to be a giant pain in the keester! This is the 2nd block, block 1 was so wonky bad, it's is in the trash! This is supposed to measure 5" unfinished, this one measures 4 1/2".   It will go into either the garbage with the other one or the orphan bin.

I was so frustrated last night and decided to just pass this one over, but at 3:00 I woke up with a brainstorm. I have EQ7, create the stupid block there and resize it to the size I need. And paper piece the darn thing!  It took forever to go back to sleep.

I got up about 5 and played with EQ7.  Now I have papers printed for a block that will finish at 9" because I only drew out 1/4th of the block and sized it to print at 4 1/2".  LOL.........It's a bit early for my brain to be working this morning and it hasn't had even a sip of coffee yet. I changed the size to 2 1/4" and now I can be on my merry way to a new block.  It printed out 6 quarter units for me, just in case I have another bad day.....I need to remember to save this block, the way my luck has gone with it, I may need to print another page.  I will get this! I will!!

Here's hoping I have a better sewing day today.



Monday, December 22, 2014

Cascadia


Today Lori at Humble Quilts is hosting Cascadia Quilt Along Show Me Your Quilts.

Here is mine....finished!
Ignore the quilt past the red binding. 
My little quilt hangs right here beside me at my computer desk.
It covers up the calendar. 
That's a good thing.

Thanks Lori for another great Quilt Along!
Can't wait for the next one.

Sunday, December 21, 2014

Design Wall Monday....

...and Mystery Monday Link Up


Grand Illusion Clue 4 is finished!
I love how my cute little clothespins fit in with the colors of the blocks.
(Except that red one. I guess it can be called deep pink.)

I'm now working on another Midget Block.
I'll show that on Tuesday.


I loved seeing all the clues together to show off all the colors.
I can't wait to see what happens next.

Monday morning I'll be linking up with Patchwork Times and Quiltville.


Merry Christmas
I hope yours will be merry and bright.

Friday, December 19, 2014

On The Needles



It's been a while since I've done an On The Needles post......October 10th!  I hadn't been doing much knitting until  one day I got a phone call from my daughter in love. She requested new dishclothes for her Christmas gift. OK, easy peasy!  I pulled out my laminated patterns and got busy.  I was keeping track of how many dishclothes I made this year and stopped counting in July at 11. These for sure put me into the 20s. I used up all the stash and gifted yarn and was able to buy more yarn for these. There is a bit leftover from each color but it will be used up into one dishcloth for me.  

My favorite patterns are DW Dishcloth and Grandmother's Favorite.  Both are free on Ravelry.


I did work on these socks a bit more.  They will soon become my evening project again. Maybe I can get them finished before the end of the year so I can say I finished 3 pair of socks this year.

Find out what other knitters are working on this week at Patchwork Times.  Aren't Judy L's mittens just the cutest!!! I want a pair for myself!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Tiny Tuesday Time Again


Today I finished up with clue 3 for the mystery and while putting some things away, I came across my notebook of Midget Blocks from Sentimental Stitches. I haven't touched these since January of last year! Almost 2 years ago. Talk about being a slacker!  It was fun working with these tiny pieces and now this is all I want to do. Not a good thing since I need to finish my Christmas shopping.  But I don't really want to, I'd rather sew.


Blocks 25 and 26 have joined the others in the notebook. I am missing block 23 so I'll either recreate it or do something else.  I looked at all the pages I have printed and I stopped at 136.  I see now there are 196 blocks. Oh My! Will I print them all? I don't know but I will look through them to see if there are some I want.  But I know myself and I will probably print them all.

I've procrastinated long enough. Now I must go do some shopping. Yeah! You know I'd rather sew. :)



Leaving A Little Hint


I spent some time Sunday evening working on Grand Illusion. I had just a few more short strips to sew together when I ran out of bobbin thread.  I pulled out my trusty little bobbin saver for a new bobbin only to find all my gray ones are now empty. Since I was sewing with black fabric on the bottom, I just finished up with a black bobbin.

Now I'm ready to quit for the night. I have to remember to wind bobbins before I start sewing again. I left myself a little reminder.  It was time for a new needle and some oil and the dust bunnies need to find their selves a new home. I think this whole process took 5 minutes and I am set to sew for a few more hours.

I love that short stubby screwdriver but I forgot it's too fat to fit the screws of the throat plate. The little pink makeup brush is the best for holding on to those dust bunnies.  Of course I don't remember when I changed the needle last but I knew it was time for a new one.

A clean machine is a happy machine and that means I can sew, sew, sew!
.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Design Wall Monday and ...

...Mystery Monday Link Up


This week, after finishing part 2 of Grand Illusion and a tis the season project, I spent my weekend working on part 3. I love checkerboard designs and can't wait to find out where this fits in to the grand plan.  I came across this piece and was thankful for the oh so subtle reminder.


Quilting is fun for me. I love each and every process about it. It makes me happy.  What else makes me happy is a fun pile of pieces waiting to be put under the pressure foot.  I stack mine up on my ruler to transport them from the cutting table to the machine.


Fresh off the ironing board are some of my blocks, counted and clipped into bunches of 10 of course.  I need 12 of these clipped stacks, I still have 8 clips to fill. Did you see Angela's tip about the clips?  You can read about it here.  I've been doing it that way for a long time.  Sure saves the brain.

It's Monday so that means I'm linking up to Patchwork Times Design Wall Monday and to Quiltville's Mystery Monday Link-Up

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Monday, December 08, 2014

Design Wall Monday and

Mystery Monday Link-Up



I need background noise while I sew. 
This weekend it was Netflix sweet and sappy movies.
I sit my little tablet and speakers right behind the machine.


After a while, these parts were finished for Grand Illusion.


Time to snip dog ears and get those wonky blocks in shape.
Most of mine turned out perfect but
there were a few that needed work.
I even had to use the ripper on some of them.
Now they are all pretty and ready for a partner.

Today I'm linking up at Patchwork Times and Quiltville.
Two of my most favorite people. 


Wednesday, December 03, 2014

The 2014 Bonnie UFO Challenge Finale


 TaaDah!
Two quilt tops finished!
Two quilt tops added to Mt. ToBeQuilted.
Bindings are made, labeled and stored away in the binding bin.
Plans for backings are drawn out.


It started here with a bag full of parts and a note to myself.
(Notes to myself are one of my best ideas ever!)
Actually it started in March 2008.
These quilts will be finished and gifted this summer.


It's always nice to have help from Miss Polly.
Not really!!

Thanks Jo for doing this challenge again this year!
I'm excited to have this one out of the bin!
Soon these will  be UFOs no more.

Check out Jo's beautiful quilt and 
see how others did with this challenge at Jo's Country Junction.