Hand Quilted Finish

 I’m trying to finish up a few things, before I start something new. I bought this quilt top from eBay last year (or even before) mainly because it was cheap and I liked the happy colors. 

It’s actually a preprinted panel (cheater quilt) to which someone added a couple borders.  My plan was to quickly hand quilt it with diagonal lines in one direction only. 

Needless to say, very shortly into the quilting, I realized I had unintentionally criss crossed my quilting lines. That’s why I had to finish with two sets of diagonal lines. It took a lot longer to complete, but it looks better that way.

See my friendly stray cat

I completed the quilting a month or so ago, but finally put the binding on this week. (Backing is a thrifted sheet and binding also from thrifted fabric.) It is approximately twin size and we will use it for watching tv on the couch.

I found this Christmas colored yarn at a thrift store while visiting my daughter in Mississippi. I’ve been putting trim on a few dish cloths.

I continue to work on Santa Claus. Zoom for a better view.

Linking to Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. Go here to see what others are hand stitching.

I’ve shown this little quilt before and it’s still a favorite. I don’t do much decorating for fall, but I do like this on my table. It took a couple weeks to have  new tile floors installed a few years ago. I sat in the sewing room during the installer’s work hours, locked inside with three dogs, while hand stitching this little quilt together. Two of those dogs are gone now. 🌈🌈. 

About that stray cat, he has become so friendly, and follows me around like a puppy when I’m outside. I have never picked him up, but I can rub on him all day if I wanted. So, I know I need to do the responsible thing and have him neutered. Yikes! Soon, I promise. Did I mention there are three new young kittens coming around these days? The things we get ourselves into ——

🐈‍⬛ 

July is here!

I keep seeing people post that Christmas will be here  in less than six months.  As fast as this year as gone by so far, that makes me a little nervous.  But, thankfully, we don't have to shop and spend as much as we used to when the kids were at home.  Who's started shopping already?

My sister in law called me this week and asked for a little quilted something to put on her nightstand.  I already had this block from an exchange I participated in a few years ago.  (I don't remember who sent it, but if it was you, thank you again!!)  This block has her bedroom colors of gray, yellow, white and teal; so it seemed a perfect match to me.  I quickly sandwiched it together, did a little colorful big stitch quilting, and brought the backing up to the front to make binding.  It was an enjoyable afternoon project.

Do you ever get tired of sitting at the sewing machine or do you  sometimes feel overwhelmed with a big project?  That's kind of where I am right now.  I'm plugging away, making quilt blocks for a large quilt, for my son and his wife.  But my heart wants to do some hand stitching. The project above was a nice break.

This is a terrible picture, but it's the completed embroidery I was working on in my last post.  It's a Kathy Schmitz design and the first time I have used crayons to color my fabric.  I hope to trace out another one of her designs this week.  

SOMETHING NEW AND EXCITING :

SCRIBD

Click here for more:

 Scribd Digital Subscription Service

I received a free two month subscription by invitation from Laura over at Harvest Lane Cottage.  

After two months trial, it will cost me $8.95 a month for unlimited reading of ebooks, magazines, and available documents.   There are also audiobooks, which are great for listening while sewing or cleaning  or whatever.

I already listened to "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens.  It was such a good book.... about a young girl who practically raised herself in the marshlands of NC.  It was a 12 hour book and I finished it in 24 hours... lol.  I even listened in the grocery store! 

But for you quilters.... look what else is there..... included in your free trial: (and subscription)

Beautiful quilting and craft books.  This is like receiving lots of beautiful patterns and instructions free for two months.  Then you can decide if you want to continue. There are so many great books in their collection.  I invite you to go here

here and look around.  If you sign up with my link, I'll get an extra free month and you should get two free months.  

I also want to thank Sluggy at DON'T READ THIS  blog  for the items I received from her monthly giveaway.  She has a frugal living type blog and hosts a give away regularly.  Check her out and maybe you'll get lucky to win, too.

I received a box packed full of goodies:

Zoom in for a look at all these goodies.  It was truly a treat, as these are things I don't normally buy for myself.  I used the nail polish this afternoon!  (and hubby ate the fig newtons)

I leave you with this sweet picture of my daddy, my brother, brother's son, and now his little son, Levi.  Four sweet generations of men in my family.  

April 2019

Annabelle received her birthday quilt from Grandma last month.

This was a quick little quilt to throw together for her big girl bed.  Click to enlarge photo.

The backing was made from a pretty sheet found at a local thrift store for $1.

Annabelle's favorite part was the label with the cupcake on it.

It's hard to believe that this birthday girl is now 4 years old.  She is such a delight and definitely has her Mama's sense of humor.  She loves to make people laugh.

Another local thrift store has been selling books for .10 cents for the past few weeks.  I am a sucker for a cookbook, and am happy that I bought this one.  It is full of good sounding recipes that are easy to make.... no fancy ingredients required.

I made these muffins today and added the notes after I made them.  They were very easy, not too sweet, and I like that it made a smaller batch than some recipes.  This recipe will be a keeper.  Stayed tuned... I may make  something different soon.

**I'm busy working on the quilt for the next birthday girl for next month!!**

Still home and loving it!

I have been unemployed (by choice) since early March.  Can I tell you that I love, love, love being home??  I've been extremely busy unpacking and setting up our new home, but thankfully, all that seems to be slowing down.

 

Today on my dining room table is a long over due quilt top for baby Raegan.  Raegan is my nephew's daughter and she will be celebrating her FIRST birthday next month.   Better late, than never.  Right?

 

Can you see the pretty sunflower quilt on the wall?  Click on the picture to enlarge.  This little quilt was gifted to me by Sunny at Quilting Dreams.  I just love it!

 

Just perfect in my dining room

 

I've been trying to stock my pantry.  I decided to check the expiration dates on my canned goods and found two cans of tomato soup that were out of date.  I could throw them out ...... or be brave and eat them.  I ate one can today (exp in 2014) and it was great!  If I go missing , you'll know the soup killed me. 

 

 

My latest thrift store craze:  looking for thin spatulas that will flip an egg without bursting the yolk.  Does anyone know what I mean?  The newer spatulas seem to have a thick edge on them, making it difficult to turn the egg.  Since we moved back home, my daddy has kept us supplied with wonderful farm fresh eggs!  These aren't pretty, but  they work so good!! 

 

 

 



Barn Quilt

I finally made myself a barn quilt. It's not actually finished in this photo, as I am still cleaning up the edges and adding more paint.  I hope to display on our lil barn this week. 😜

I'm struggling with blogging right now because I really don't know how to do a proper post from my phone.  I have located my camera since moving into the new house, but I cannot find the charging cord.  Oh brother!!  Slowly, but surely, I hope to get it all together soon!

I Sing Because I'm Happy...

I sing because I'm free....

            His eye is on the sparrow, so I know He watches me!

Portion of my dining room

It's amazing where life can take us and how things fall into place.  Hubby and I listed our home for sale and had two offers within 24 hours of listing.  God is so good.  We moved into our new home last month and life is so sweet again.

Will's family
Will, Ashley, Brinley, Avery, Chandler
 

Even though we moved three hours away from our son's family, we are able to keep in touch.  They came for a quick visit during Easter break and I was able to get lots of sweet loving.  (and lots of laughs!) 

Annabelle is ONE
 

 This little sweetie turned one year old last month!  (she lives 12 hours from me!)  The princess props crack me up, because she is all tomboy so far!  She has started to love on her baby doll a little these days, but she loves to climb and she loves her animals.... Lucy (dog) and Roscoe (cat) and an old neighborhood dog, that has started sleeping on their back porch.  She definitely has her mommy's love of animals!

 

Hubby shot his first turkey, ever, last week.  Hubby is a retired game warden and had never been turkey hunting before.  He is enjoying being back home near his uncle, who is an avid outdoorsman.  I cooked the turkey breast and it was delicious.  I was able to put two more packages in the freezer for later.  I have never seen as many wild turkeys as I have seen since we've moved back home.

Penny's goat











I live near one of my best friends now and she invited me to a paint party.  I had the most fun and as you can see, I painted a goat for my daddy.  I told him to hang it in his 'man cave' and that is where he now resides.  I would definitely do this again.... just what I need, another hobby!

 

Letters from Mama







As I was unpacking boxes, I ran across these letters from my mama.  We moved away from "home" back in 1997.  These are letters she wrote to me in 97-98, before she bought herself a computer.  In the letters, she is trying to decide if she wants a computer or not, and I had been convincing her that she needed to buy one so that we could email, and not have to wait on 'snail mail.'  I'm so glad she didn't have a computer that year, or I would not have these treasures from her now.  I sat down and read them all before I went to bed one night.  I giggled a lot, cried a little, and thoroughly enjoyed my 'visit' with Mama through her letters.  I don't have ANY of our emails, but I do have a lot of messages from Facebook.  Letters are precious.  And the sticky note is one that was inside one of my letters... I love her handwriting.

 

 









And another reason I'm so happy, is that not only did we move back 'home', but I am HOME again! I had left my full time job for a little part time job, but hubby and I decided it just isn't necessary.  So I am truly HOME again.  I love Monday mornings.... my slow time, to blog, to clean up from the weekend, to do things on MY schedule.  I am so truly thankful and feel that God has blessed me tremendously.  Not only do I have a new home, but I can now enjoy being home.  There is still so much unpacking to do, but I am looking forward to getting into my new sewing room soon.  I have  one baby quilt to make that is long over due... Sweet little Rae is 10 months old now.  We have another sweet girl on the way (my niece, Holly's), so she will need a quilt very soon.   I am so excited to know that I will get to it soon!  More pic's of the sewing room next post!









Ma's Quilt

Sometime back in the 1990's, my grandmother, Marjorie, mentioned to my mom, that she believed she could make a quilt, if someone would pre- cut the pieces out for her.

I was so excited to know this, because it was a perfect Christmas gift for the lady I never knew what gift to buy for Christmas.  I cut out, with scissors, every strip  using a template from Georgia Bonesteel's Lap Quilting book... my very first quilting book.  I pencil drew a design of the block on an index card, so she would know how to sew the blocks.

I never heard another word about the quilt.  ( my grandma and I were not very close).  But after she died, my mom found the box tucked away somewhere.... inside were all the pieces , with approx. half of the blocks sewn together!!!  Mama gave the box to me and I knew I had to finish the quilt.

I laughed at myself while sewing the blocks together, as I figured out why she probably didn't finish the quilt.  The strips were cut so WONKY; some longer than others, some fatter than others.  I had to trim blocks.... trim....and then trim again!  She probably was so frustrated, she had no desire to complete it.

I added the hexie flowers, leftover from another project that I had made back in the 1990's, just to give the quilt a little more 'something'.   Here's part of the pieced backing.  I quilted it along the seams of the strips on the front side, hoping to  make the quilt more durable.   (yep, I have a few wrinkles on the back)

 



 

The fabric had several yellowish stains on it and it smelled kind of funny.  I wouldn't wash it until it was all sewn together, as I didn't know what might happen to the fabric.  I used Spray and Wash on the stains, washed it on gentle cycle, and it came out beautifully... and smells so good. 

I had planned to gift this to my mom for Mother's Day last year, but had not finished it on time.  She did see the completed quilt without its binding, as I took it to her house on Mother's Day for her to see.  Sadly, she passed away in July, and never received the quilt.

Today I will be delivering the quilt to her sister, my Aunt Carol, who was my mama's best friend forever!  They talked EVERY day on the phone and I'm sure my aunt misses her terribly.  I hope she will enjoy having her mom, Marjorie's, completed quilt.... and somehow feel a connection to my mom and Marjorie "Ma", through this quilt.  It was truly stitched with lots of love from my heart.  <3 p="">

A Quilt for Baby Abel

We have another baby due to arrive in our family in July.  This little boy belongs to our nephew's family and should be here in approx. 4 weeks!

Any baby born in July needs a red, white , and blue quilt.  Don't you think?  ;)  ;)

I'll be machine quilting today and hope to deliver to Abel's grandmama's house  sometime next week.

 

This is what our grandsons have been playing at my house.  If you can't take the boat to the water, just bring the water to the boat!  What fun!

pinwheel quilt: (note to self) made with 6 and 1/2 inch blocks (after cutting and sewing, each block measures approx. 11.5 inches). two inch striped border, 4.5 inch outer border. Binding cut at 3 inches to start.  Measures approx. 45 inches square.

Graduation Quilt

It's June already and that means graduation season for many!  One of my best friends, from work, has a sweet daughter who has become near and dear to me through the years. 

Savannah's quilt

I pieced this one together without a pattern... one of those things I tell myself to never do again!  It all starts out well and then proves to be a challenge by the end. 

Here is the pretty girl opening her quilt.  Her first question:  did you make this all by yourself?  She's too cute.

This is me with the sweet graduate.  Her mom rented the local Bed and Breakfast in town for her graduation party.  I was excited to go, not only to celebrate the graduate, but to see and tour  the large home.  I have always dreamed of having a large old farm house to restore and live in, and still think I would love it.........  But after seeing all the large rooms in this house, all I could think about was having to clean it!!! 

Waiting for Brinley Kate

It's almost time!

 

Grandma has finished our first baby girl grandbaby's quilt.  I bought this quilt kit at least five years ago, as a birthday gift for myself, while visiting a quilt shop during our beach vacation.  (maybe 6 years ago?)  I had promised myself I would make this quilt for my first grandchild.  Well, he is 4 years old now and he is a boy.  The next grandchild is almost 2 years old and he is also a boy.  This quilt looks a little too girly to give to a little boy.  (just because the kit had so much pink and lavender in it)

I'm not crazy about those face 'puffs' on the back side of the quilt, but I really didn't want to quilt through the faces on the front.   I am hoping after a few washes, the puffs won't be so visible.

This is the first quilt back I've made, incorporating a block from the front design.  I really like it.  :)

I didn't have her quilt finished in time for her baby shower, but she received LOTS of pretty outfits at her shower.  She is going to be a living baby doll for us to play with and change her many pretty outfits.   Don't you just love this shower invitation?  Her Nana made these and I cannot bear to throw it away.  I have it hanging in my sewing room now. 

So, Brinley's mommy saw the doctor yesterday and there are definite signs that Miss Brinley will be here soon.  Hopefully, we will meet her in the next 2-3 weeks.  We already love her!!