Chevron Zig Zag quilt progress

I got all the 2 1/2" colored strips and white strips pieced together and cut them all into 4 1/2" squares. Ready to start piecing the rows together.

Rainy Day

Today I figured out how to add the tabs at the top of the page. I added the tab "Finished Quilts" and I have started adding photos of some of the quilts I have made. Unfortunately, I did not take pictures of the earlier quilts I made when I first started quilting. My quilting buddies clued me in on that. What a blessing my quilting friendship group has been to me. Wonderful ladies and such an important part of my life now.

My job at the school district required me to have extensive computer knowledge.  I have been retired for three years now and realize my computer skills are slipping  - so, I thought blogging would be a fun way to keep those skills alive. And I certainly need to keep my mind working and sharp!!!

Today was a rainy day. My hubby seems to feel neglected when I hole up in my quilting room all day. So, today I brought one of my Pfaff's downstairs and set it up in the livingroom where he was watching TV. He was pretty happy to have me join him. The two dogs were a bit confused though. They kept trying to jump on my lap and kiss my face. Or, were they just bored because it is raining outside? We live on 5 acres and they have free reign to run as they please, but the they won't go out in the rain.

Here they are as puppies. Abby on the left and Molly on the right. They are 3 years old now. They are Cocker Spaniels (with tails). They are considered field Cockers - more of a hunting dog, not a show quality dog at all. They love chasing all the squirrels and rabbits on our property. They keep me busy cleaning up after them all day. I call this time of year "Mud Season" since I am constantly mopping the floors from their muddy footprints. My kids and grandkids are gown and now I am cleaning up after dogs instead!

Zig Zag Quilt - Fabric Selection

My niece posted a picture on her Pinterest page of a zig zag quilt in blue print fabric and solid white. She said if she could sew she would make herself the quilt. Well, with Christmas right around the corner I thought I would make one up for her. I tried to find blue fabrics similar to what she posted. Here is what I ended up with. Not sure if I really  like all these together, though.Will see how it looks when I start sewing it together. I will use Kona White between each blue.zig zag.  I cut out all the blue 2 1/2" strips today. Hopefully I will have time to cut all the white strips tomorrow. I am using the Moda Bakeshop free Zig Zag quilt pattern.

Which one do you think doesn't belong?

Click here for the free Zig Zag quilt pattern

This pattern uses 2 1/2" strips rather than making HST. No bias to deal with!! I didn't have any precuts as the pattern calls for. So, I had to calculate what I would need. I decided to use five different fabrics and will have three rows of each blue fabic. .I need eight 2 1/2" strips of each blue fabric and 20 strips of white, plus some 5" squares of white.

Summer Porch

I didn't get any sewing in today. I took my mother-in-law shopping and then to the doctors and in for a blood test. By the time I got home it was dinner time and DH wanted to go for pizza. Our treat once in a while - we have been trying to eat healthy and have both lost a good amount of weight since July. DH blood pressure went down to normal and I have so much more energy.

I did spend a little time in my quilting room this morning to measure a quilt top I need to put borders on. It is called Summer Porch and is a pattern from Quilt in a Day by Elenore Burns. I worked on it this summer while at the beach cottage, but didn't get the last white border on it yet. I bought white winter fleece for the back. Here is a close up picture of the top before quilting it. I haven't decided how to quilt it yet.The fabric is from the Lario line.

I made this to go on an old iron antique bed frame that we refurbished. We had it sandblasted to remove all the rust and then painted it a glossy white. So, I wanted a quilt with white sashing. I will post a picture when the quilt is completed and resting on the bed. 

Starry, Starry Night

Today I finished a flannel quilt top that I started last winter. It is made with Woolies flannel by Bonnie Hunter for Maywood Studios. The pattern is called Starry, Starry Night. I also pieced the back and got it loaded on my Avante frame. I decided to use Quilter's Dream wool batting to make it extra soft and warm.

This is a close up shot of the top - unquilted.  The stars are more scrappy than they look here. The quilt is 64 x 88. I decided I will use a pantograph called Cotton - it actually reminds me of clouds - thought it would be nice with the stars and will add some nice curves to the quilt. But, oh what color of thread? Do I want a dark thread to blend with the background, but then show up on the stars, or a light thread to blend with the stars and show up on the background? Hopefully back to that after taking my mother-in-law to the doctors and shopping.