Design Wall Monday

Look, I've been sewing!

Saturday I was cleaning my sewing room and it was time to take a break.

I have a giant bag of scraps that were gifted to me by my friend BJ.

I decided to use my break time by sorting and cutting some of these scraps.

I was also getting things together for retreat next month..

Right there, staring me in the face, was my box with Virginia Bound by Bonnie Hunter.

It's one of my favorites from her Scraps and Shirttails book.

I started it at the fall retreat with plans to work on it again in the spring

I pulled it out to put on the retreat pile.

Maybe I'll just sew neutrals to a few blocks.

There were 2 that the centers were already trimmed, ready for neutrals.

That's when the squirrel came out. 

Oh heck, may as well get the centers to the others trimmed up and ready to work on at retreat.

I'm not sure how many a few are but this is only 2 of a pretty good pile

that I already had the centers done.

They are now all completed, trimmed and depapered. 

Sunday Morning comes around and the Mojo is strong!

Ernie already had plans for the day so I decided to sew more blocks.

And more and more and more.

Just like Lay's potato chips,

you can't eat just one!

I started this audiobook Saturday afternoon.

I'm pretty far into it and it is so good.

I'd never read anything from Kristin Hannah.

I'm really happy with whoever shared this book. 

I headed right over to my library and placed holds on all of her audiobooks.

Her books are several weeks out but I'm sure they will be worth the wait.

I added several ebooks to my wish list for when I'm finished with the series I'm reading.

I LOVE MY LIBRARY!

The ability to down load books to my Kindle and

other devices is priceless to me. 

See what others are sharing at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

Have a wonderful week. 

Another January UFO Report

WhooHoo! Quilting is finished, binding is on.

I'll stitch it down in the evenings while watching tv.

I'm going to call this one a finish.

I'm not the best free motion or straight line walking foot quilter

 but I'm not the worst.

I have fun.

I'm a firm believer in Done is Better than Perfect!

Life's to short to be a perfectionist.

Last night I laid the quilt down on the floor to see if I really should 

quilt in the black half square triangles.

After the quilt inspectors report, 

I decided I should.

This was started in my first Bonnie Hunter class in June of 2014.

When the top was finished, 

it went straight onto Mt ToBeQuilted

where it marinated for a few years.

This will be sent off to a special girl as soon as it takes a trip through the washer and dryer.

I love sending quilts to my special people.

Since this is our day,

I'm going to go in a start quilting another one for a different special girl. 

Design Wall Monday

This past weekend I was a hunting widow.

My plan was to quilt this quilt.

I started on Friday.

Soccer season is ending.

Some of the kiddos are sick of soccer so they asked to stay at Gramma's house

 Saturday morning instead of going to another soccer game.

I seldom say no.

So  no quilting happened Saturday.

They weren't here all that long but I got sidetracked on other things.

I did work on it for a while on Sunday.

Sunday morning I downloaded a few audio books to listen to while quilting.

This one is called A Spool of Blue Thread.

Hmmm, I'm having a hard time staying interested in it. 

I'll keep listening for a while. 

I hope it gets better.

I love these bags from JoAnn's and have several.

While packing for retreat, I noticed the binding coming off.

So I sat down and sewed all 4 seams.

I can't have my bag falling apart.

I am considering this my mending for the month. 

Halloween was treat day for Bonnie Hunter mystery fans.

Good Fortune is the new mystery.

I pulled some of my reds.

The ones in front are my iffies.

Still not sure even after changing to black and while.

The reds are the only fabrics I've pulled. 

I told myself to get that quilt finished first and then find the remaining fabrics.

I'm trying so hard to be a good quilter!

I'm still working on doll clothes.

This outfit will stay on Clella's doll. 

I need to make a few more shirts before Thursday!

Hmm, quilting and doll clothes.

I can do it! 

So with finishing the quilt and the doll clothes,

I need to get things ready for retreat Thursday.

I can do this.

My string bins are packed, the book and the papers are in the bag.

Everything else is in the rolling cart that houses my Featherweight.

Hop over to Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday 

to see whats happening around Blogland.

Design Wall Monday on Tuesday

We've spent the last 2 weekends at the beach.

Our time there now is being interrupted  due to hunting season.

Last week while we were home for a couple of days,

I sat down and sewed up 2 baby quilts from blocks that have been done for a while.

I have the backing and binding ready for one and will get he 2nd one ready soon.

I brought home most of my sewing stuff from there.

It's getting to be the time of year when I can't leave my Little Brother

 sewing machine due to the dampness.

We leave nothing on in the bus so that means no heat.

In the purple case is Wild & Goosey.

I thought I was going to make the flying geese for sashing

but I've changed my mind again and I"m going with the

original layout from the magazine.

Here's the link to the blog post Bonnie wrote about her article in the magazine. 

The pattern is also in her Addicted to Scraps book.

This has been my bus project since September of 2015.

It's time now to move it along at home.

I always get excited about fall time. 

Today it feels like fall with the cool temps and light rain.

Ernie is out scouting with his hunting buddies,

I'm going to do a couple things this morning and then hit the sewing room.

I have plans for hours and hours of uninterrupted sewing time.

Design Wall Monday

I'm late, very late. I have a good reason.

It was hot here so on Thursday, we went to the beach.

Any excuse to go to the beach but this is the best one.

I finished up all the blocks that I was using for my leader/enders. 

These were the blocks for the Triangle Gathering quilt.

I mentioned last week that I had been thinking of doing Quiltville's Chunky Churndash.

It's one of Bonnie's free patterns.

I pulled out the strips I needed, sewed a while, cut a while.

I have several blocks kitted up ready for leader/enders while I work on the next project.

Ernie had volunteer to help our friend Bill put new windows in their house.

So he was gone for 2 days and I sewed on Wild & Goosey.

I forgot to take any pictures.

We took a drive last night because I wanted to see the sunset.

No sunset to be seen, it was soon socked in with fog

The across the street neighbors were putting a new roof on their house.

I was so nervous watching them up there. 

I felt it was my job to keep an eye on them.

So lots of knitting happened. 

This pair of socks was finished and the next pair started.

Today on the way home, I set a couple goals on these socks.

First was to get the ribbing finished before we got to the Rainier bridge.

I finished the last row as we crossed over into Oregon.

Then it was just plain knit, knit, knit.

Love Opal yarn. 

This colorway is Robin Hood.

I'm late to the party but I'm still linking up with

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

Design Wall Monday

No quilting happened this week.

Fabric was touched, sorted, cut and kitted.

I did sew up a new shirt so the serger and coverstitch machine were used, 

but the sewing machine remained off all week.

I'll try to remedy that this week.

I took 2 bins of fabric and rulers with me to the beach.

I used my Easy Center Square and Essential Triangle Tool to cut my square in a square parts.

These will be used for a border on a UFO.

(There is enough cut to border 2 quilts! 

Why stop when you are on a roll.)

Easy Peasy with the right tools!

Bonnie has an awesome tutorial here if you don't have the ruler.

(Quiltville is my first go to for tutorials.)

I was one of the lucky ones and was able to grab the Easy Center Square ruler 

when Bonnie was selling them.

I also used lots of 2" strips to cut a small quilt.

All the parts almost fit into a quart zip bag.

These are my leftovers.

They will go into my Scrap User's System and the garbage.

Garbage on the left, Wild & Goosey parts, 2" squares and strings and strips.

I love taking fabric to the bus and coming home with projects all kitted up.

The only sewing I did at home this week was on the Mischief Quilt.

I have all the rows clipped together.

It's one row at a time,

trying to stay organized and in order. 

This picture is all the blocks for the first row.

There is a safety pin it the top left corner of block one.

The unsewn blocks stay clipped together with a binder clip, 

the next block is taken off the stack and sewn to the right hand side.

I try to stay organized, really I do. 😉

Check out the design walls shared today at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday.

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~

Design Wall Monday

Wahoo, wahoo, wahoo!!!

Midnight Flight is finished and headed to my bed today.

I started this quilt in May at a retreat with Bonnie Hunter.

I am thrilled to have it finished.

My friend Jane quilted it.

I told her I wanted gold thread and swirls and to just do her Jane thing.

I love what she did!

I have been working hard on trimming up the scraps.

I am pleased to report that the backing extras are cut to usable sizes and put away.

Each retreat I stop to take a picture of this snag.

It's on the road into Royal Ridges.

I was a bit disappointed that the leaves weren't all orange yet.

Maybe they will still be there when I go back in November.

Like this photo from November 2015.

I worked on the secret birthday project until all the blocks were complete.

They are now stacked and pinned in rows thanks to help from friends.

Next up was Garden Party #2.

I just took posy block kits and I think I completed 30 more blocks.

These are so fun to make.

All the while, leader and ender Oklahoma Backroad blocks were being made.

I think 21 more blocks were completed.

I'm almost ready to lay this one out for real.

Retreats are fun.

Retreats are energizing.

Retreats are exhausting.

Retreats are special.

I get to spend hours sewing with one of my daughters and a bunch of my friends.

Today is catch up at home day.

Lots to do!

Hubs was lucky and harvested a deer on opening day so today is processing day.

And when that's over, you'll find me in my sewing room.

See what others are working on at Design Wall Monday at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

2017 UFO Challenge Update

Judy at Patchwork Times is doing her 2017 UFO Challenge 

and I'm playing along.

I'm not a great player but I'm trying.

Last month she chose # 11 which is my Scrappy Stars.

I had a bunch of 3" string blocks and crumb blocks so I got busy.

I saw a quilt Bonnie was working on and I loved her stars so I made mine like hers. 

My quilt top is a cuddle quilt,not bed size.

I'm pretty anxious to quilt this one.

I had all the blocks complete before retreat.

I thought it would be fun to show Bonnie how I was setting my blocks.

I haven't seen her finished quilt.

I just know that this is as far as I'm going with mine.

Daisy tested and approved. 

Now I can get  out June's UFO and get busy with that.

I have 6 complete blocks and parts for several more.

This is UFO #7,

Deli Geese Project, a free design from Pat Speth of Nickel Quilts.

I started March 2014

If you search her archives. these are still available.

(While going to get the link, I noticed an new project has started.

Do I dare look???)

I've decided to march forward with another cuddle quilt.

I'll figure out how many more I need and get busy, 

I'm sure I have enough charm packs and squares to make more than enough blocks. 

Design Wall Monday

During retreat with Bonnie Hunter,

one of our classes was Garden Party.

I have a completed top already but want to make another

and set this one with my framed 9 patches making the diagonal path.

Isn't it going to be fun!!!

I chose to use yellow for my flower centers and

I have some really cool yellow with bees on it.

I shared my bees with my friends and saw many blocks with bee centers.

Thank you to my friend BJ for putting this fabric in a scrap bag

and gifting it to me.

This is my completed Garden Party top

and it will soon be under my needle for quilting.

Design Wall Monday has moved to Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Thank you Judy H for keeping DWM going~

I love my Monday tour of Blogland.

Retreating With Bonnie

I'm home from 4 days of quilt retreat and classes with Bonnie Hunter.

I have a long internet friendship with Bonnie, 

from the beginning of her sharing and inspiring from her Quiltville website.

When I found her in the early years, I knew I found my quilting person.

When retreat plans were first discussed among friends for our area, 

I thought it would never happen.

When it did, I thought the day would never get here.

But it did and it was worth the 3+ year wait!

Thanks Robin and Sonya for making it happen.

And for making it happen at our favorite retreat spot, Royal Ridges.

For more pictures and happenings,

go to Bonnie's Blog.

I take a picture of this tree snag on the first day of each retreat I attend.

Day 1 was spent setting up and sewing on our own projects.

Bonnie and Mary hanging Midnight Flight 

which was our first class on day 2.

I have 1 block made and parts for many more.

Table demo.

I sat with Brandy and Trina.

They are awesome friends!

My face and stomach still hurt from laughing.

Day 3 was Garden Party class.

I am making a second quilt using green for my framed 9 patches.

Day 4 lecture.

OhMyGosh, if you have a chance to listen to this fabulous woman talk,

get yourself there any way you can.

After a wonderful lecture and show and share,

I have many squirrels to chase.

The new list is long.

Waiting for lunch to be ready on day 4.

What a wonderful gathering of women.

So many new friendships were made.

The love of quilting is our bond.

As I was leaving last night, 

the sun was setting.

The sky was a vivid orange.

I felt rejuvenated by my time here.