July Wrap up

The month is over, I have made such progress on my quilting projects. I finished a baby quilt that I started in the spring of 2001, I hand quilted it. My early stitches were so big and uneven. my finishing stitches look pretty good. I am getting the hang of this hand quilting stuff. I also finished several tops to the basted stage. Pictures are in my earlier posts.

I started the month off at Quiltville for the July 4th holiday. Believe it or not I haven't pieced a thing since returning home. I have been busy quilting by hand and machine, and basting up a storm. My friend, Dawn and I got 3 of my bigger projects basted one Saturday. I have finished the machine quilting on my stained glass hearts and will have the binding finished if it kills me by August 1, That is tomorrow.

I also had a birthday this month. Birthdays sure have a way of making you take stock of your life. I know many have done what I did this month. I took a look at all my stash, yarn included and realized that I have enough to stay busy without buying anything for a long while. I do mean any thing. Not thread, batting, fabric or even patterns, thanks to Bonnie Hunter @ Quiltville and a big supply of quilting magazines and books plus all my internet friends that are so gracious to share free patterns and inspiration on Stashbusters, Quilt talk and Marcia Hohn at Quilter's Cache, my E Q and block base oh my I could go on forever naming. I sound like I am practicing for an award.
I ran across a phrase that came out of the depression. "use it up, wear it out, make it do , or do without" Eleanor Burns put it in her new book Victory Quilts 1940's Sampler Quilts. I have decided to try to live that motto for a while at least until I can see some floor space in a few closets and shelf space in the bookcase that I have yardage and yarn in. I don't want to try to keep track of what is used. I want to measure it by all the things made.
OK so now that I have board everyone to tears I will say Good night and I hope to post some pics in the very near future
Charlotte

Here is one of the reasons I get up every morning, Her name is Avory, she is 10 months old. Not walking yet. She has a big sister that just turned 2 in May. I was in my quilting habitat piecing when they came over and of course Avory wanted her Nana, she reached for some fabric, it is in her right hand and that is a ruler in her left. Both wound up in her mouth.

I haven't posted for several weeks, My 4th of July weekend at Quiltville was wonderful. Here is a picture of Bonnie hard at work on one of her customer's quilts. She posed for this one but I really wanted to get one of her working. She quilted 3 quilts for that customer that weekend.

I love her DJ behind her. She has more talent in her pinkie than I will every have in my whole body. She is too generous with her talent and fabric. She picked boarders from her stash for 2 of my quilts. Insisted it was my birthday presents. I have since gotten them basted and ready for quilting. I really had a wonderful quilting retreat. They, Bonnie and her husband, Dave taught my husband Jerry and I a card game that is really fun. It is called hand and foot. Oh Bonnie, I was sorry for the scorch on your ironing board.Then you posted that is was a new one and I really felt bad. You are a trooper. Thanks for not making me pack up my stuff and head back to Columbia. Instead she hands me a sharpie and ask me to sign it. I took a picture of it too but haven't loaded it on my computer. You my see the autographed ironing board cover on Bonnie's blog. She has also posted about the great fun at Prissy Polly's BBQ.

Time for bed. PS I did have my 52 birthday this week. The Birthday Block swap that I am in is another whole post. I am waiting for a few more blocks to come in.

Charlotte

Here is what Ihave worked on this week. I am involved with the Birthday Block swap on Quilting Board. I am a little late getting my June blocks done and mailed off but here they are. My Birthday is next month. I can't wait to see what comes in the mail for me. During our bd month.

each of us are to receive 12 12 inch blocks.

I am over 1/2 finished with the binding on the other wall hanging that I have been working on. I also have the 9patch and crazy quilt blocks put together. Just have to decide on the boarder. I was thinking of putting my crumb blocks around it. But then I thought that it may wind up way to busy looking.

Time to get back to the sewing machine.

Charlotte

Need a little help from my friends.

I need a little help. In a very senior moment the other day I could and still can't remember the name of this flowering plant. This is a close up of the flowers. Anyway a complete stranger stopped and asked what the name of it was and I told him the first name that came in my head. And right now I can't spell it so would someone please help me.

On another subject Quilting. I didn't know about Bonnie's challenge to finish a ufo until I read her blog on Sunday. Well, All you Quiltville addicts me included. Here are the two things I am going to work on. I have had those hearts on that wall for way too long. And the other blocks are random 9 patches that I had made way back when and didn't like them so some bright idea came into my head to border them in black and I then couldn't figure out how to set them. I have 10 of those made and the other blocks were my first attempt at a crazy patch. So I put them together in a crazy thought last night. I am going to trim them all down a little to fit. Even if I don't use that one for anything but a picnic on the grass with the grand babies, That will be 20 blocks out of my orphan drawer.

I don't know how this popped in here but this is the one I have been playing with. I loved the blue and yellow CC I made so I decided to make another blue and yellow quilt.

I have the borders cut out ready to put on my last string quilt. Oh and I left my OC material at Quiltville the other weekend. Honestly, I hadn't missed it until Bonnie emailed me to get my snail mail address. I am still puzzling over what to do for the borders.
On another note. I guess you guys have figured out that I am having just a bit of a problem getting my photos in a pleasing order on the page. HELP.....

Quilty Dreams,

Charlotte

What's in a name?

What's in a name so many have asked. In my case it was a good size piece of material that I just couldn't throw away and the label was attached so securely that I would have ruined the fabric trying to get it off. So I used it. I think it is sort of cute. You can see how big that triangle of fabric was and that is after trimming the block.

My Saturday on call wasn't half bad. I was near a Joanne's after my last patient so of course I stopped in. They made me spend $56.00 I had not planned on spending. Not on fabric either. I needed to go to the bathroom and asked where it was in this particular store, I don't go to this one often it is located on the other side of town from me. Anyway they told me they didn't have one for the public to use and I would have to go down to Big Lots. Which is what I did and where I got into trouble. I bought the cutest yard swimming pool sprinkler fun park for my sweet Grand babies. I also found a baby monitor so now I don't have to have them bring theirs with them when they stay at Nana's house. Oh and a pocket Elmo bib and some lady bug dishes and cups. I can't wait till they are here again. I did go back to Joanne's. I found a couple of shirting's that was on sale. The big sale starts tomorrow. We will be with family tomorrow celebrating Father's day but the sale is all week. The flyer looked interesting. I don't think I will go back this week. As I was walking the dog a little while ago it hit me just how short some of our lives may be. You see my next door neighbor passed away early Sunday morning. It took the whole family by surprise and as you may guess they didn't contact all the neighbors. She had been diagnosed with Cancer just a couple of weeks ago then she had a stroke the very next week and was then placed in a hospice facility. I believe she was 72. She loved all the kids on the street and the ones that visited the mall carousel. And speaking of all the kids on our street , I have observed 2 moving trucks moving 2 of the older ones out of their parent's houses. They both graduated college in may and I guess have now gone on to their jobs and new places to live. They do grow up. Any way I had the thought that I really should use up my stash I have cause I don't want my quilty friends fighting over it. LOL. More likely it would go to free cycle cause no one would want it. I still have hopes that Kimberly my daughter will learn to quilt one day. No I am not holding my breath.

Charlotte

I have a finish!

I have a finish, Charlotte's Red Fern Baskets is on the wall.

It has been too long since I wrote. Thanks to everyone who has visited my blog and commented. I am going to post a pic of the basket wall hanging. I promise this will be the last one. . See how blah my walls are. It makes me smile each time I see it. The binding up close has some flaws but for never having done anything like this type before, I can live with it.

I have to work tomorrow. So unless I can get finished early no sewing for me this weekend. I am on call and they were short handed so I have 4 visits to make. I can't complain too much because the last few times I have been on call I have sewn all day.

Last Saturday my friend Dawn and I got together for a few hours to sew some. We wound up going to Lexington to the LQS called Patches and Pieces. She was hoping to find a piece for a boarder. They have an old trunk against the wall with scraps and strings. 1 small bag (you fill) for $1.00, a large quart size baggie (you fill) for $2.00. After my recent string quilt my string container looked like it had been on a major diet and most of the strings left in it were tired. Tired because they were in both of my string quilts. Anyway I got a lot of good chunks and strings stuffed in that bag for $2.00. I came home and a lot of them once ironed and measured went right into my sorted size strip containers. 2inch, 2.5 inch. My cat, Garfunkel thanked me for the new supply too. He had stopped sleeping in the string bin. I guess it wasn't comfortable anymore. Guess where he is now? In the bin.

I haven't worked on my border for Strawberry Limeade AKA Orange Crush. I am going to put a plain border on. One small black and then a big pink. Bonnie's little print out from the EQ design had plain borders and I liked it too. Don't hold me to that plan, I love making those little half four patch blocks.

I was bad last week and started cutting fabric for another quilt. It is in the Fons & Porter May/June 2006. Called stepping stones page 68. I am doing it in blues and yellows. I played with the colors in EQ the other night and I believe I will like it. But I am going to turn the 4 patch blocks the other way with the light going on the diagonal. Then it will have 2 roads. That block is usually called Road to something. So I will have Blue roads and Yellow roads in my quilt and In EQ I loved the way it looked on point. Bonnie's influence sure has rubbed off on me. And to tell the truth since I did both of Bonnie's mysteries I am no longer afraid of doing an on point setting. Thank you Bonnie. I also tried one of her size 11 Roxanne needles. She gave me one while I was at her house the other weekend. She is so right it doesn't bend as easy as some of the others and the eye is easy enough to thread without a needle threader. I picked up a container of them today. I have to say for something so unglamorous as needles the company sure knows how to market them. The container had a little shell on top and the card in the little plastic envelope was gold embossed. Such little things like that I can appreciate.

Charlotte

Weekend at Quiltville

My goodness where did this past week go? I was so stressed out last week that it was good to get out of town. I had so much fun sitting and sewing with Bonnie. Sewing with a good friend is the best medicine. She is an amazing friend to let me re-energize at her home for the weekend. I didn't take any pictures. Her home and sewing room are awesome. I worked on my Crush. Don't hate me but I got my top put together. I promised I wouldn't reveal anything. I will say this. When my 2 year old grand daughter saw it she said and I quote "I yike it" and she politely climbed up on it and smiled the biggest smile. I guess I will gift it to her. There wasn't enough time to do all the things we wanted to. She wants me to come back for a Friday through Monday. I would love to. I also got the machine part of the binding done on my basket wall hanging. I have been hand stitching it in place a little every morning before work. What was I thinking when I chose to do it that way and not make it square or rectangular? We were even able to do some hand quilting while watching a movie on HBO. Her son was so funny. He watched about 3 minutes and said I think I am going to my room. Of course it was a chick flick. It was an old one that neither of us had seen so we enjoyed sitting with our quilting in our laps watching and munching on mints. Chloe even came up stairs to say hello. She let me pet her and give her a good neck scratching on Sunday. On the way home my husband drove and I quilted some more on my other wall hanging for my office. I have unpacked everything but haven't machine stitched anything. This is getting far to long without any pictures.