Fit For a Hero quilt top...pattern by Judy Laquidara

I got JudyL's pattern, Fit For a Hero completed....at least to a top. a great quilt for a QOV. When it gets quilted, i will donate it to the local Veterans Home in St. James

This was a mystery type quilt....so we got a clue every week to make part of a block. apparently, i read the directions wrong at some point. the red in this block is supposed to be the same as the light blue next to it. but i didn't know it was wrong until i had all the blocks together. at that point...if you know me...i was not taking it apart. so, mine is a bit off from JudyL's pattern.  Sorry, Judy!!

This is the red block. i managed to get that one correct. 

Judy likes borders. most of her quilts have multiple borders....like 4 or 5 or 8 of them. hahahaha  these borders were very cool...i like them.

One more in the to-be-quilted cabinet. i swear, i am going to have to buy another cabinet. hahahaha

I need someone to quilt those up for me....but, you know.....for free.

Quit laughing.

Brown Selvage Quilt Top

When the selvage drawer won't close any more....it's time to piece a quilt top. brown selvages won out this time. 

Here is the whole top. 72x92"

I had some fabric that had little pictures of garden scenes. so i cut them up....4 together. that is the middle of these 10" blocks.

Just went around and around the center until i got at least 10" in each direction. i started out with any color, anywhere...then decided i liked it better with controlled color frames around the center. 

The borders are 6" wide....selvages sewn onto a base fabric. 

It used almost all the brown selvages. i put all the pieces that were less than 7" in a bag, so the remaining selvages are 'sort of' sorted. I love the dog bone fabric...this is the last of it, i think.  it says good dog on the bones.

One more to add to the already stuffed to-be-quilted cabinet. 

Next up is green selvages. wait till you see what i have planned for that.  it works in my head...hahaha....we'll see.

Tell it to the Stars .... January

This is our project quilt from Judy Laquidara for 2014...it is called Tell it to the Stars. 

Here are my fabrics...3 shades of pink, a rust with leaves and berries, a yellow stripe and a green that has some yellow/gold in it.

And here is January's block. we made 2 of them. i am not going to worry about the direction of the stripes. 

I think i will wind up with a pastel kinda quilt...which is so not me....but it's all about using the fabrics i have. 

Each month on the 1st we will get another block to make and by the end of the year....we will have a quilt top.

I am putting the last border on last year's quilt tonight. Judy makes some amazing quilts. you might want to check her out at www.patchworktimes.com   lots of patterns and recipes and funny stories about her life.

Now, a long wait until February first for the next block. but, not to worry, i have a couple other things to do. Like Bonnie Hunter's Celtic Solstice....OMG...it has about a million pieces. i have a few steps cut out and working on cutting more. don't know when that will be finished. 

Back to it.

My Goal for 2014

I don't make New Year's resolutions...they only get broken. they were always the same as everyone else's....lose weight...save money....do whatever. 

I have been making and reaching goals for a few years in the quilting part of my life. keeping track of fabric yards used.....counting thread spools emptied...finishing UFOs.  i decided that a GOAL is what i needed for the new year for my life. i need a life's goal. i need a way to sneak up on some weight loss.

I have tried every diet and lifestyle change and every other quackery out there. yeah....i've lost weight. sometimes 50 or 60 pounds. the problem is not losing it....it's hiding from it so it doesn't find it's way back.

So i shall try a Goal this year. my GOAL is simple......EAT RESPONSIBLY. 

Sounds do-able, right? sounds easy. you see advertised...drive responsibly.....drink responsibly.  well, my problem is food. so, i shall eat responsibly. i'm not saying i won't eat potato chips....just not the whole bag. not saying i won't eat pizza....just not half of it. i shall be conscience of HOW MUCH i eat. and in doing so, will hope that will keep me out of the junk food continuously and i might actually lose some weight. 

I shall work on it responsibly....and.....EAT RESPONSIBLY.

For breakfast today i ate an orange. 
For lunch i had a bowl of cereal, 1/2 a banana, soy milk on the cereal, and apple juice. i used a small bowl, only filled the juice cup half full. only ate half of the banana. it's a start.
Dinner is home made chicken vegetable soup with dumplings. i will have 1 ladle full....not 2 or 3. no second helpings. Lord help me....it is in the crock pot and smelling good. LOL

2014 shall find me in the responsible lane. 

How about you?

189

For folks who keep track of such things....like me....hahahaha

I emptied 189 spools of thread in 2013.  that figure is up from 2012....which was 160.  

Let's see if i can't make 200 in 2014. I'll bet i can.

I am on a mission to use up fabric and thread. i cleaned out the studio today and filled 5 boxes with fabrics that are going to the thrift store. along with a few more things that i know i will never get around to....embroidery blocks....baby quilt......cutouts for dresden plate. something has to go. so i pitched everything i KNOW i wouldn't use or didn't like. i do use a lot of ugly fabrics for a base when i am doing selvage blocks.....so i kept a bit for that. 

The idea is not to buy any fabric in 2014 and keep track of how many yards i use. 

The goal is to use:

200 yds of fabric
200 spools of thread

and quilt up those 100 tops in the to-be-quilted cabinet. 

I am going to be very busy in 2014....starting tomorrow.  i may have to give up sleeping. i really don't need 7 or 8 hours of sleep every night....do I?

Happy New Year people!!

December Git 'Er Done Challenge

It might be a good thing that this year is coming to an end. this was a tough month to get everything accomplished...but i did it. 

My 4 projects were:

1. Piece some batting parts to make whole battings to use. i only managed to get one finished...but 1 is better than none. this is 85x90" and it already is pieced with a top and backing...ready for quilting. 

2.  Finish any one of my UFOs....done.  I finished this one and called it Blue Country.

There are 6 machine embroidery blocks...this is the part that i had already and created the rest.

And 6 blocks of blue and white toile fabric.

And some wild blue and white sashings and border.

Now it just needs to be quilted.

3.  Quilt any of my quilt tops.  I quilted up My Tweets. it is a hand applique quilt....with wool felt...on a flannel background. it was pieced in 2012-2013. and finally finished quilting it yesterday. 

Lots of fun

Lots of small applique pieces.

4.  Cover chair cushions for the Duck with burlap coffee sacks. this was one coffee sack from Hawaii. i cut it in half and covered 2 cushions. it was really easy. 

I let the cushion ties hang out so i could tie them to the chairs.

I have another coffee sack that i was going to use for the other 2 cushions, but it is very coarse and heavy. i will use it for something else and find another nicer sack for my other 2 cushions. i'm on the lookout. hahaha

I don't know if there will be a Git 'Er Done Challenge in 2014....but i managed to keep up in 2013 and got everything accomplished. sometimes it was rough and i was pushing on the last day or two of the month. but i guess that is why it is called a 'challenge'. 

I think i am ready for 2014. i have lofty plans....as usual. i have about a 100 tops to quilt. and am seriously working on using up my stash of fabrics.....and scraps.....and selvages.....and threads.  sheesh!!   i think in about 10 years i'll use it all up. hahahahaha

See you in the New Year.

Have a safe and happy New Year.

Some hand applique blocks

Another couple blocks got finished this week.

This is Tree of Paradise from Robert Callaham's Floral Garden quilt. i am appliqueing them in wood felt on a muslin background.

And this is block 5, Columbines, in the Garden Gatherings quilt. more wool felt.

I am also working on my Mary Lincoln Mourning quilt but it is slow going. i have to make more ruched flowers and fancy leaves. at least the applique is going quicker.

Hopefully these 2 quilts will have the blocks all finished in the next 3 months or so. if i quit starting new things. LOL

Later