Square in a Square Quilt and tutorial link

I finished sewing together all the rows on the square in a square quilt. i still need to sew on the outside borders. I may use 4" borders on the sides to widen the quilt a bit and just use 2" borders on top and bottom. without borders it measures 57 1/2" x 80". Wider side borders will make it fit a twin bed. I am not real crazy about this quilt right now. I am hoping quilting it will bring it to life. Also, I am considering unsewing one of those dark blue blocks that are so close together. See them? That was sure an oops placing them so close. Or should I leave it and that will be my "humble" block? But, the placement bothers me. Why didn't I see it when they were laid out at the quilt retreat? Too many distractions with all my quilting sisters around? No one else picked up on it either. Darn. Here is the link to the Square in a Square tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company: Tutorial

So, would you move one of those dark blue quilt blocks to another spot?

UFO Progress using Morning Tides by Free Spirit

I completed one UFO while at the quilt retreat last weekend. The Valentine wall hanging. However, I still need to quilt it.

After completing that project I decided to work on a bright fun quilt using a charm pack and a jelly roll and 1 1/2" strips. I saw a tutorial on Missouri Star Quilt Company. The tutorial is called "Square in a Square". It is a very easy pattern and I was able to complete all the blocks and sewed the rows together before it was time to leave on Sunday.

The fabric is Morning Tides by Free Spirit and I used Moda White for the sashing. Not my usual palette, but thought a teenage girl would love it. I have six teenage granddaughters and two teenage great nieces. So I have plenty of options for a home for the wild quilt. Here are the swatches of the fabric.

So, that still leaves the other two projects on my UFO list. Darn. Hoped that list would shrink more.

Happy New Year 2014 - Friendship Group Quilt Retreat

Do you ponder over the past year as the new year rolls in? Well, I sure do. What did I learn from my life experiences this year? How can I improve? What goals do I have for the new year? I spend a lot of time reflecting back on the many different areas in my life.

In my "quilting life" I am blessed to be involved with a wonderful friendship group called TGIF. We meet twice a month on Friday evenings to work on projects, eat, and visit. These great ladies have become very special friends to me. I can't imagine my life without them. Often, some of us get together to have sew days as well, or even shopping trips for quilty things or we go on quilt hops together and quilt retreats. A few times a year we have get togethers so our hubbies can join in. How many of you have a friendship group? Kindled hearts - what a blessing. 

On January 3 I will be joining my friendship group on a quilt retreat for three days.It is being held at a local nunnery in wine country in Temecula, CA. It is a beautiful setting and so peaceful. Wonderful rose gardens and other flowers and beautiful views of the mountains. They feed us well and provide humble accommodations for us. No TV in the rooms and simple furnishings, but all we need - we are there to sew and enjoy our time together, not spend time in our rooms. We have a nice big gathering room open to us 24 hours. It is so fun to sew in our jammies and slippers if we want! I am so excited! So far I have pulled out a few UFO's to take to work on:  a red/white/blue star patriotic table topper, a Valentine wall hanging or table topper and a pumpkin/fall table topper. I am gathering fabric for some cute little coin purse's to make. I think I have plenty to keep me busy! It will feel so good to get some of those UFO's done at the beginning of the New Year!

Here are a few pics of what I will be working on.  I am trying to figure out why the pictures are sideways or upside down. They weren't that way when I took the pictures.

I chose Civil War fabric - Patriotic red/white/blue table topper.

Using red scraps for this Valentine wall hanging or table topper.

Homespun fabric for the pumpkins.

Abby gets new jammies

I recently gave Abby a haircut. I try to keep my dogs shaved since we live on five acres with lots of dirt, stickers and bushes. I don't want stickers to get stuck between their toes or in their fur. Plus their furry feet track in so much mud. But, poor Abby was so cold at night that she wanted in our bed and wanted to burrow under the covers. She usually is so good about staying in her own bed at night. So, I decided to crochet her some jammies. Here is Abby modeling her new jammies. This was made using scrap yarn I had.

I found a great tutorial that shows you how to make this for any size dog. It was very clear and easy to follow using any type of yarn you want and any size needle. It is based on your dogs measurements, so gauge is not important. You crochet until each section reaches the measurement you need. Here is a link to the tutorial: any size dog - sweater tutorial. I am now making the jammies for my other dog, Molly.

Crocheted Christmas Tree

My quilting friendship group was having our annual Christmas get-together and gift exchange. Everyone brings one gift and each draws a number to see the order they get to choose the gift they want. The gift can be stolen three times before it is frozen. I decided to crochet a Christmas tree and decorate it for my gift. I have been making these trees for over 20 years and had not made one for a few years since crocheting hurts my wrists. When finished it was obvious that I had crocheted very loosely (I guess to keep the pressure from my wrists). The tree was double the size it was supposed to be. Oh well, a nice big tree isn't so bad! However my 12" styrofoam cone was way too small. My hubby had to put extensions in it to make it fit. Thank goodness he could retro fit it - I couldn't find a larger cone. They were all picked over since it is so close to Christmas. Here is the finished and decorated tree.

The tree went to a good home. They asked for the pattern, but I had this pattern for over 20 years and didn't have a clue where I originally got it. So, I searched the internet and actually found it at Michaels.com. Here is the link for the crocheted Christmas Tree pattern. Here is a link to the pattern: Crochet Christmas Tree  It calls for two colors of yarn, but I used a varigated green yarn for the whole tree. I think it turned out just as nice, if not nicer, than when I used two colors. And, it was sure much easier and quicker to crochet without having to change colors every few rows.  

Christmas cheer: A homeless quilt and an elderly homeless lady find each other

I started making these batik 9 patches a couple of years ago. I finally sewed them into strips but didn't like how it looked.

So, out came the seam ripper and back to the drawing board to figure out what to do with them. Gosh, so many wonderful things to do with nine patches. You can't tell from the picture, but they all have the same neutral blocks - a golden dimples. Mixing dimples with batiks proved to be challenge for me to find a setting that I liked.

I finally decided on a pattern called Paris Flea Market Find by It's So Emma. Here is a link to the pattern: Paris Flea Market Find quilt . I adjusted the pattern and made a full bed size quilt.
And, here is the finished quilt.

I think I ruined the quilt by using tea dyed for the sashing between the stars. It was too dark and harsh with all the batiks. Since I was not real happy with the end results, I decided this was a good opportunity for me to practice free motion quilting. I am comfortable with using pantographs, but not doing free motion. I learned a lot from this experience so it was not wasted time. One thing I learned is that I need to stitch in the ditch around the blocks before free motion quilting the blocks. I was in a hurry to finish, so I skipped this step and the finished quilt lacks a nice clean finished look. Lesson learned. Here is a close up of the quilting.

Soon after I finished the quilt my daughter told me a story about an elderly homeless woman that hangs out by her workplace. Each morning the homeless lady would great my daughter with a smile and say good morning. One day the homeless lady was crying. Someone had stolen her cart with all of her belongings. She was devastated. She has never asked for anything in all the years my daughter has seen her. This touched my heart and I decided then that I would give this quilt to the homeless lady. It was meant to be. I had just finished this UFO quilt that wasn't made for anyone in particular. I have never made a quilt that wasn't intended for someone, so I knew this quilt was meant to go to her. A homeless quilt for a homeless lady. I quickly crocheted up a scarf and beanie and found a pretty plastic tote bag for the goodies. I packaged them up for her and sent them off with my daughter to deliver them. For three days my daughter didn't see her. It was raining, so we guessed she was somewhere protected from the weather. When the rain finally quilt she appeared again and my daughter presented her with the gifts. Here she is holding her bag. You can see how happy she is! She was so surprised and excited!

The homeless quilt now has a loving home and hopefully helps to keep its homeless owner warm. I know it warmed my heart to see her beautiful smile. 

Chevron Zig Zag Quilt finished

Wow, can't believe how longs it's been since I last posted. I was busy with getting ready for Christmas - finishing up gifts and decorating. Here is the finished Chevron or Zig Zag quilt I made for my niece for Christmas. The backing is tie dyed fleece. I used a pantograph called Posies to quilt it. Finished it up the day before Christmas!