Milk bottle

A week or so ago i found a cool bottle at a yard sale. it says absolutely pure milk and has a picture of a cow. i thought putting the pellets in it would allow the words to show better. but they are part of the glass and not printed on ... so i guess that is why. under the picture of the cow says milk container. LOL

The bottom has a label that says handmade in Spain from recycled glass. i thought that was cool.

I was looking for styrofoam pellets to put in the jar but my friend, LindaS had some weighted poly pellets that she was good enough to sell to me. they worked perfectly. i like those better than the styrofoam would have been....they would have been hard to control.  thank you again, Linda, for your generosity.

The weight will keep the bottle from getting tipped over easily. .... 2 pounds.

I have a little bit of pellets left. i think i need to find another small jar to use them up.  yard sale finds are so much fun.

Later

Winter Wonderland

Yet another UFO box is emptied. this was a kit from JoAnns.  they sell them in 'steps'. this quilt top has 6 steps. i happened to find them when they were trying to get rid of the last of them for $5 each and all the steps were there.

I really like it. I changed the way the center was put together. their instructions had you sewing pieces together. i just cut out all the pieces and fused it all onto a background. works for me. i love the little snowman in front of the tree.

It is created in rows. but i don't like that the rows don't line up 'properly'. i wouldn't have put that blue strip on the top and bottom of the tan strip with the ribbons and berries. to me, it doesn't flow properly. your eyes stop at the blue strips. and those 2 little blue pieces on the outside of the log cabins in row 2 .... i would have moved them to the inside ... to line up more with the vertical blue strips around the center. wish i had looked at that before i sewed it all together. i must be more observant. it's funny how you don't notice things until you see them in a photo.

But it was easy to construct. all the fabrics come with the steps and the pieces are mainly cut out for you. the snow in the center and the snowflakes are a white flannel. that was a nice touch.

The trees are fused, also. as are the holly and berries and ribbons. 

It is wall hanging size and hopefully it will get quilted before next Christmas so it can go for sale.

I've had enough fusing for a while now. i'll try something different ...

tomorrow

Helper Bears

Another set of embroidered blocks has been pieced into a top. little bears in overalls .... handing tools to Dad (or Mom). LOL

I'm nothing if not colorful .... so the child that gets this better like bright colors. LOL

But, I think all little boys like to help ... and probably like bright colors, too.

These are so cute with their wrenches, screwdriver and saw and such.

And this one is the carpenter's helper.

This one is the plumber's helper with his pipe wrench.

Now it will go marinade in the to-be-quilted cabinet for a while.

Next up is some Asian lady panels .... got to think on how to piece that for a bit. hope an idea comes to me by ....

tomorrow

UFO Parade

UFO List …. As of April 15, 2013


19 sets of embroidered blocks to be pieced into 19 quilt tops

4 panels that need to become 4 quilt tops

3 partially hand quilted table runners (1 partially finished)

7 sets of quilt blocks to be pieced into 7 tops

2 kits –
..Friendly Folks
..Winter Wonderland (partly pieced)

2 Paper piecing projects
..A Circle of Geese … 1 block done
..Veggie blocks … several blocks done

3 Patterns with fabrics … not started
..Deep in the Heart of Texas
..Curve it Up
..Paper Dolls

14 Patterns cut out but not started or 1 or 2 blocks finished (to see how it would look) LOL
..Gazing into Clear Water
..Black and White Crazy Quilt
..Pansy Parade
..Simple Pinwheels
..Red and black log cabin
..Atomic Bloom
..Feedsack Patches
..Blue and yellow florals
..I Spy
..Blue and yellow tumblers
..Tumbler Fish
..Geese in the Field
..Fathers Fancy
..8” red/white/blue flag strip blocks

6 Projects partially finished
..Santa, Piecemakers Calendar

..Japanese Reversible
..White/neutral crazy quilt
..Red/purple/black crazy quilt blocks … only needs 3 more blocks and then pieced together
..Brown scrappy strips …. working on piecing these all together

..Nine patches

2 Projects being worked on here and there … when the mood strikes
..5” crumb blocks
..Flower Garden

2 ongoing BOM/online projects
..Back to Square One
..Mary Lincoln Mourning Quilt (class quilt for 2013)

3 Projects I’m currently working on
..Dear Jane, hand quilting
..10” strip blocks, Mass Confusion, 50 finished
..6” Garden strip blocks, 73 finished

So, in conclusion, that makes 67 projects that have not been started or are in some stage of being worked on.

And 67 tops to be quilted, 12 of those from my Aunt Sophie inheritance

A total of 134 UFOs as of April 15, 2013.

Let’s see….1 a week and in a year the projects could be almost all finished…..then quilt 1 a week and in another couple years everything could be finished. That’s the goal….April 2016 there should be no UFOs in my studio. hahahahahahahahahah LOL hahahahahahahaha

Sigh!!

Japanese Ladies

I hate when i buy a fabric because i love it....and buy a lot of it....and then don't use it right away....and then later i don't love it any more. 

That is what happened here. I got this Japanese fabric with geisha girls on it. looks like i bought at least 10 yards. i was making 4 patch posey blocks....made lots of them....put it all away.....got it back out about a year later....and don't like it any more.  

So, i embroidered some blocks and put them together with the 4 patch posies and this is what i got.

I still don't like it much ..... but it is together .... and perhaps by the time it is quilted....who knows what year...i might like it again.

The designs are kind of hard to see. Japanese pond scenes and flowers

The border is the original fabric. and i still have a yard or more of it left. sigh!!

When i started the embroidery .... i used a pale orange fabric ... .then ran out of that .... so half the blocks are a pink/salmon color. 

All i can say is it used a lot of fabric. LOL  it's about 84" x 101"

But, i still don't like it. I'm gonna work on something i like...

tomorrow

Mary Lincoln Mourning Quilt

In quilt class we are still working on the center medallion for the Mary Lincoln Mourning Quilt. i thought i would show you my progress thus far. it is coming right along. adding these 3D elements makes the block rather weighty. i think i might add more batting behind this block and do some trapunto when i quilt it.

There is a red ruched flower....made from fabric. the leaves are silk ribbon. the stems going down are embroidered with yarn.

This rose is twisted wired ribbon. and we have lots of little blue and purple forget-me-nots. i have more to add of those.

The yellow flower is ruched fabric. i haven't sewed it down yet. not sure it will stay there or be moved. and two-toned leaves are needle turned applique fabrics.

And there is a large white ruched flower from fabric and a smaller rick rack flower made by twisting a pink and red rick rack. the leaves here are gathered fabrics.

I still have more ruched flowers to make from different patterns. and we have made some stumpwork red berries. 

Actually, we have pieced some log cabin blocks, also, but i don't have pics at the moment. i'll have to show you...they are red and blue with fussy cut centers. 

It is taking us a while to learn all the elements but it is coming along nicely. it is going to be a fabulous quilt... it just won't be done ...

tomorrow

Spiderman

I had a Spiderman panel and coordinating fabrics sitting around for a while. don't really remember where i got them....i know i didn't buy them. it was his time in the queue.

Glide black thread for most of it....So Fine turquoise on the background

I just stitched around everything.

It just seems that it is upside down to me. if the name wasn't on the quilt....i would have had him the other way around. guess i never watched Spiderman as a kid .... i presume he spent a lot of time upside down. LOL

He was in the Marvel Comics family.

This is the piece i used for the backing. it came with the panel .... along with the binding fabric....spiders and webs.

I have probably a yard of the binding fabric left and about a FQ of the backing fabric. don't know what i will do with that....but will hang onto it for a bit....perhaps something will come to me.

Spiderman needs a home. do you have a child or grandchild that needs a Spiderman quilt to drag around? it's for sale. i believe it measured about 35" x' 45".

My list of things to do for April is coming along nicely. i only have one more quilt to do ... it's one for my sister. probably start it ....

tomorrow