Design Wall Monday

I am on a (slow) roll!

This is finish #3 for me this year.

I am on a mission to quilt at least 32 quilts this year.

I have my UFO Challenge list from Judy L's challenge up in a tab.

I must confess that so far no action has been taken on January's quilt 

other than to get it out of the bin,

choose the backing and buy the thread.

I'm hoping to baste today.

I have a plan of 20 Finishes before 2020 that does not include the Challenge list.

Seriously, I need to not even look at a new project for a while.

I wrangled the UFOs and will not confess the number because it is shameful.

I am very embarrassed to admit how many I actually have. 

Maybe one day but not today.

So this gem is almost complete.

(I  didn't note the book the pattern is from.

I know I still have it in my stash of strip pattern books.)

There is only one more side of the binding to stitch down.

That will happen sometime today.

Then it's a trip through the washer and dryer and 

into the mail to our oldest.

Notice in the upper left corner my glove.

I use gloves even with the walking foot.

It sure helps my arthritic hands not to hurt so much.

I won this jelly roll in 2009 from Sue Hecker.

(Check out her beautiful sewing room.)

It's called Gypsy Rose by Fig Tree.

When our oldest was young, her horse's name was Gypsy Rose.

How could this not go to her.

 I feel so guilty that she has not had it for all these years.

But she will have it soon so no more guilt.

I love being able to surprise people with packages in the mail.

I'm hoping to get good outdoor pictures today.

Of course there has to be a problem with all UFOs.

The binding was cut and with this quilt.

As were the extra fabrics from the jelly roll but nothing from the binding fabric.

No big deal, just pick another piece of fabric and make it work.

Here's a little cutie from 7 year old Corbin.

The kids love word search puzzles.

Corbin is working on his the other morning with his dinosaur watching.

As that thing moves it's head and growls,

I asked if Dino was helping find words.

Without looking up or thinking at all, he says

"No, he's thinking about cupcakes ."

Check out all the great projects at

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts Design Wall Monday. 

Have a great week.

Design Wall Monday on Sunday Night

After last week's pickle situation,

I am all excited to be sewing on a found project,

 better know as a squirrel.

Did you all see there is a Squirrel! Club?  

I love it!

I've had these 4 gifted blocks for quite a few years.

I've always known I wanted to continue and make a quilt with them.

I pulled out my 30's fabrics to bust more of these scraps.

Then I got online and ordered yardage for borders, binding and backing.

That center block on the top row was from my very first project using the Tri-Recs rulers.

I made a table mat and made enough to make 2 but only made 1.

It's being used in the bus. 

I still have 8 little blocks so I using 4 as corner blocks on the outside border.

I sat down at the computer and chose a few blocks.

It was lots of fun to choose and kit up these blocks.

It was more fun to sew them. 

I have these 2 blocks to sew up and then I can set them.

We are headed back to the beach with family this week, 

so that won't happen until the weekend.

As I was cutting, 

I noticed all the rulers I had out. 

I like to call these the tools of my trade. 😉

I like the Essential Triangle Ruler but on occasion, 

I grab the old standby Easy Angle and Companion Angle. 

Another UFO is being busted!

It felt good to make great progress this weekend. 

It was so hot here that I didn't mind spending all that time 

in my air conditioned sewing room.

Check out all the great things happening 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

The only sewing that happened this past week looked like this.

I made parts of 9 patches, 

lots of parts and pieces, blocks and framed blocks.

All for Garden Party #2.

Except that one piece by the Tootsie Roll! 

That is my Oklahoma Backroads leader/ender.

 2 more blocks went into the l/e box.

(***The advantage of blog photos is seeing where you need to unstitch.

That dark green on the left is sooo wonky!)

After last Monday's blog post, 

I packed my car and headed to Crystal's house to stay with 4 kiddos while they vacationed.

Let me tell you,

after 4 days, I was one tired Gramma!

But we had lots of fun.

Saturday I spent most of the day in my sewing room.

At the end of the day,

I had a good pile of pieces and parts sewn.

In my basket I have 30 framed 9 patches,

30 more waiting to be framed and

the bed of my machine has a lot more ready for the next steps.

These tools are usually on the bed of the machine.

I call them the tools of my trade.

I buy the seam rippers and thread snips in bulk from Amazon. 

I can't live without my reverse tweezers for pulling threads.

The stiletto is the skinny extension of  my chubby finger!

Bonnie shared the instructions on her blog here.

Funny story...

I was shopping at Winco one day after she posted this.

I always buy canning lids when I shop there.

As I was getting my lids, out of the corner of my eye,

I saw packages of the turkey lacer things.

Marked down to 25¢ for a package of 8.

I don't remember how many packages there were.

I took them all.

Lots of friends now own stilettos. 😉

Design Wall Monday posts can be found at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Oh my, there are some fabulous pictures there and I can't wait to go visiting!