Happy Birthday to me ..... tomorrow!

I don't know where the last week has gone. i've been trying to catch up on customer quilts and work my own quilts in there, too. and keeping the grass mowed and digging out the weeds in flower beds. it is freakin' hot out there, too; naps help. LOL

Tomorrow is my birthday.....they seem to come around much too quickly. i'll be leaving tomorrow morning to go to my sister's and then on to the Duck. we will check out a great book sale in Greenville, Illinois on Saturday. then i am spending 2 or 3 days at the duck. A dumpster is being delivered on Saturday.....it is time to get rid of those mountains of trash, plaster and slats. i have 3 guys coming to fill the dumpster on Sunday. i tried to tell them it was too hot to work that hard but they were all excited....so dumpster day is upon us.

It actually will be nice to get that garage all cleaned out. and i have a guy coming monday morning to give me an estimate on blowing on wet foam insulation. i believe it is rather expensive but hope it is within reach. that way will be a lot quicker and easier on me than my usual caulk and strips of insulation that itch. we'll see.

And it is time to tackle the basement and see what treasures might be down there to unearth. hubby has found a camping lantern that seems unscathed that he has already marked as his. LOL  not that i wanted it. but i did see a door down there i might be interested in. i hope the basement is dry so i can get down there and explore the possibilities. most of it is just trash....so i am bring large trash bags with me.

Today is errand day....going to the bank....getting Duck supplies and home supplies...stopping at the grocery store...and going out to eat for the birthday. i think we are doing Chinese food today. and perhaps a stop at Sonic for ice cream. i like their ice cream with the bits of butterfinger candy bars in there. so tasty and so not good for me. LOL

Then come home and pack up another truck load of barn wood to take to the Duck and stack in the garage for future walls. i already have packed my bag full of work/sweat clothes. LOL  why is it that you always need all this 'stuff' to go off anywhere for a few days. So, i'll be off for a few days having fun.....but i shall bring back pictures to share with you next week. probably be home about wednesday. .... unless i wear down before then.

Stay cool

Just June Janes

Say that fast 3 times....Just June Janes....LOL

Here are the rest of the Dear Jane blocks that i have finished in June. i didn't do all of these last night.....i just found a few that i forgot to post. but i have them together in rows so pictures are not as good as i would like. and, in counting, i have 27 blocks done for June...plus 1 border triangle. so, June's number is 28.  WooHoo!!   i exceeded my expectations. now i feel good about myself and my self esteem is up. hahahahahaha

Here they are:

A3...simple applique....by hand no less

A4...paper pieced


A8...paper pieced

A9...paper pieced...check out those tiny, tiny pieces.

A11...paper pieced. i sort of simplified this one. the middle should have been 3 pieces and i made it one. and some of the background white pieces should have been 2 squares instead of 1 piece. doesn't bother me to change it and make it simpler. it still reads the same and from a difference....who will know.

A12...paper piecing more tiny pieces

A13...applique...this one i stitched down with a stitch on my little Janome piecing machine. the stitch could not be made smaller and i think it might be too large for this. perhaps if i had used invisible thread. but it was an experiment. i won't do it again....but i'm not taking it out either. LOL

And that concludes the first 'A' row...i have this row all stitched together. you use 1/2" finished strips between the blocks.

Here are the B's that i have finished this month.

B6...was paper pieced all in one whack...from the middle out. BUT....i SHOULD HAVE cut it in sections and did the middle in 2 pieces. i did some creative folding under of seams and top stitched. may take that top stitching out and use a less obvious thread choice. we'll see.

B7...applique

B8...another applique...with hand dyed fabric

B9..block basically paper pieced with applique center piece. wasn't watching and stitched that center down with a dark thread. dang it. you know i don't take stuff out and re-do. LOL  and i cheated here, too. there were more pieces...with Y seams....so i just made it all one piece.

B10....more tiny paper piecing. i like this block a lot for some reason

I have one more block to finish and then the 'B' row will be finished.

And i did a few more.

D4....applique with fussy cut pieces

D11...more applique with fussy cut pieces....love those dots

And, that, ladies and gentlemen...concludes the Jane show for June.

My sis thinks i am wrong for not making the block as shown....that i shouldn't short-cut pieces or change things. but i do want this quilt done in my lifetime and don't want to put it in a bag because i am aggravated with it. so i think....all in all...having it get finished is better than another UFO. it works for me.....how about you? what do you think? i'll still like you if you think i'm wrong. LOL

July to-do list:
.. i have Laurie's quilt on the frame.
.. i am going to the Duck on the 8th and probably won't be back until the 13th.
.. Judy pulled Blue for the monochromatic color challenge this month.....i don't have the blocks pieced yet....shoot...i don't even have all the pieces cut out yet.
..Judy pulled #2 for the UFO challenge this month. i previously quilted that one but have substituted another in its place...just needs to be quilted.
.. quilt at least 2 customer quilts.

Dang.....that sounds like a lot. better go get started right now.

Now, that list was just the studio to-do list. we won't even count the home list. but hubby just came down to weed-eat the studio property....bless his heart....and gave me a couple things for my evenings to-do list.
.. trim grass around trees down driveway
.. cut up leftover lasagne to put in freezer for future dinners. we've eaten it for 2 days already
.. bake him a cake

Later

Jane and Laurie

Last night i glued some applique blocks together for the Dear Jane quilt....and this morning i machine appliqued them down. i did three...

B2

B3

and, C11

I am trying not to put the same color side by side....but am not doing too good at it. in the first row i have 3 or 4 browns next to each other. and now i have done B2 and B3 both in browns. sheesh!!   that is one reason i decided to start doing them in order....so each block would be a different color.....it doesn't seem to be working out yet. i better pay more attention.

This is what i am working on now.....a beautiful blue and white quilt from my friend, Laurie..

She always does a great job....

I'll show you the whole thing when i am finished with it....i just started yesterday. it is a pattern that my friend, Marilea, designed. it is called For My Sister, Jewel, Who Loves to Dance. all the different blocks have names of different dances.

This morning i went out while it was still cool.....about 6am.....and finished trimming up the trees so we can get the riding mower under them without getting whacked by a branch. every year i go around and whack off the lower branches. .... but they all just grow back. why doesn't the tree just grow taller and quit putting out those lower branches?  we have a hissy fit every year .... me and those trees..... but i am determined to win. LOL

I still have more yardwork to do....perhaps tomorrow morning. it took 2 hours to tame the trees today. maybe i'll tackle some flower bed weeds tomorrow.

But right now.......back to Jewel.

June UFO Challenge is finished

JudyL picked #8 for June's UFO Challenge. i was worried....it was a quilt that was in pieces in a bag. i had pieced the 4 patches but that is all. there was much to do. i considered switching it for another one ..... but, NO....that would just put off the problem. so i dug in and pieced and pieced some more. and quilted. and here is the result.

It's a 4 patch posey with black and pinks. i don't like it as much as i did when i started it. i guess that is why they wind up being UFOs. LOL

But i stuck with it and got it finished.

I think it looks better in person than in the photos. i couldn't seem to get a really good picture.

But done is good. the back is pieced with some pink, red and black that i had. quilted with the Baptist Fan templates from Quiltazoid. and i got to use up some pink thread...lighter pink on the top and brighter pink on the bottom. what was i thinking..buying pink thread.

I have no idea what that yellow dot is. i used the flash on my camera....so i think it has something to do with that. maybe its gremlins....who knows.  and, no, it is not a yellow flower head pin. LOL

I am pretty proud of myself for sticking with the challenge and getting things done. half the year is over....so it is all downhill from here. most of the rest of my UFOs are already pieced....so it will just be a matter of quilting them. i hope Judy does this again next year.....i have boxes more of UFOs to do...but they are very first stage...pieces just cut.....or maybe just fabric and pattern in a box. much more work to do.

So, i am ready for July. it will be a tough month, too. i will be out of town about a week....and then there is the dreaded mowing and yard work. but, somehow, it all gets done.

Are you in the UFO challenge......is your June project finished?   if not.....you better give up sleeping and get with it.

I need help deciding.....muslin or color

Whenever i get an hour or so.... and remember....i am trying to work on my Dear Jane blocks. it doesn't look like i will get my 25 blocks done for June....but i have a few.

This is A7. it is all appliqued.

This is A10....it is appliqued, also. still has pencil marks on it...but they will wash out. it looks smaller but is the same 5" as the rest. some of these seem to be sort of optical illusions...depending on the size of the pieces and how they are set. interesting.

B4....this one is paper pieced... quite easy

This is B5....the block was paper pieced and then the tiny diamonds appliqued on top of it.

D6...very simple. i actually reversed the coloring on this one. i didn't like it the other way.

D12...a simple paper pieced block with applique arrow shapes on top.

I1...another simple paper piecing...just tiny pieces.

This is I4...paper piecing once again. the middle piece is appliqued on top.

This is another of the border pieces....in blue....top row, second from left.  

This is the two border pieces that i have put together. i find it strange that she pieced the border pieces that point to the outside of the quilt but just used plain fabric for the pieces pointing to the INSIDE of the quilt.

Now i'm thinking.....should i use pieces of muslin instead of the plain fabrics....where the pink piece is?  i think i would like the muslin better......it would match the background of the blocks.

What do you think?
Would you use the muslin in place of the pink or different colored fabrics for each triangle....like Jane did?

Have you done a Dear Jane quilt?  have a picture you want to share?

I gave away 4 quilts yesterday

When Judy Laquidara went to Joplin to give away a dozen quilts i thought it was a great thing to do.....i even thought of doing it myself. but she lives much closer to Joplin than i do.

But yesterday i took quilts to our own tornado victims. friends of ours got their home demolished last week by a tornado. the only home in the area that was destroyed.

All their friends and neighbors and relatives showed up to rebuild their house. it reminded me of the Amish when they all get together and build a barn in a day. there were about 30 people working on the house. as of yesterday it had walls, a metal roof, 1 window and they were working on the porch. i am just amazed at how quickly they can build a house. it was awesome.

So i had hubby take me out last night with a tub full of quilts so they could choose their favorites.

The little girl chose the puppies. i didn't know if it was too babyish when i packed it.....but she pounced on it first thing. her mom says all the kids like dogs....they have 3 of them....dogs, that is.  well, kids, too. LOL  isn't she just the cutest thing?

The middle boy chose the 1600 inch quilt in batiks. i was surprised but he said it was 'him'. LOL

Although the oldest teen wasn't home....his brother picked the red, white and blue for him. he and his mom both said that it fit him. hope he likes it.

And mom and dad got a scrap quilt with applique flowers and vines. they were all very appreciative and it made my heart feel good to know that i contributed a bit of comfort to them.

When i was speaking with her she said they hadn't found all their clothes yet. there were some things that she saw hanging in the trees way across the pastures but hadn't the energy to go after them. she said perhaps some animal could use them for a bed.

It is so sad to drive onto their property. there is a couch sitting in the yard....a chair sitting over on the side of the driveway...the dogs just wandering around - looking lost. but everyone is smiling and seems to be as well as expected. the two youngest kids slept through the whole thing until their parents woke them up to go to the basement.

I think her greatest regret was her wood floors. the water just warped them all up and they had to be torn out. she said they saved their money so they could pay for them in cash and hadn't had them very long. her basement was ankle deep in water but she has it all cleaned out now and dry. she had clothes hanging on the lines. the washing machine has been working.

Although Joplin was horrid....it just seems so much worse when it happens to someone you know. hubby went over to help build the last 2 days...i figured i wasn't a carpentar...i'm better at demolition....but i could quilt ....so that was my contribution. i hope this family never has to live through this again.

Indigo challenge is finished

June's monochromatic challenge color was Indigo. the only fabric i had that was indigo was a 3 yard piece. so i decided to do something different this time. i cut the fabric in half...used the back side for the front...and the other half for the back.

I got out some rulers and templates and drew out a pattern and then quilted it up....wholecloth style.

It's about 40" square. sorry about the fold lines.....it was folded up overnight. i took it for show and tell for my quilt class.

I like how it turned out. i started out with a darker blue thread but didn't like how it was looking. so i switched to a pale baby blue. then the darker blue didn't show at all...so i went over all of that with the pale blue....much better.  took me a day and a half to quilt.

It was rather fun to just play and see what came out of my head....scary, i know. LOL

I had an even number of spaces around the center medeallion, so decided to do them alternately with curved and straight line quilting.

I was sort of running out of ideas after a while and had to pull out some books to jog my memory.

I think it turned out pretty cool and will hang it in my studio for a while.

I used a black thread on the back and you can see absolutely nothing there. if you look at the binding on the front....you can see what the back looks like. it has tiny, tiny white leaves.

Now i need to finish piecing the #8 challenge and get it quilted up. i just need to add 2 more borders and it is ready to go.

I am just so lazy and uninspired these days. i think i'll go to the house and take a nap. LOL  don't laugh...naps are good for you.