Escaped

It seems as if we escaped bad weather in January this year.  Better watch out for February.  It can be our worst weather month.  And it is always so busy.  Beginning of lent, church convention, quilt shows and retreats.  I guess these are helpful to break the winter.  Some people need to escape even our relatively mild winters.  One relative always schedules a two week trip to some sunny place like Arizona or Costa Rica or wherever.  Not me I love and embrace the cold just not the bad weather.
More time to sew.
I have finished the BH mystery quilt top and it is at the quilters.  It will certainly brighten up my bedroom.  It will be my May June bed quilt.  I also have finished the BH Smith Mountain Morning quilt top and am waiting for backing.  I hope it is what I want.  If not I have alternate fabric.  I know I know doesn't everyone.  I can't wait to see that one finished.  It will be the September October bed topping.  I did make 81 blocks instead of the 49 the pattern called for.  I can say after 5 of her quilts that Bonnie Hunter does a great job with measurements because I had no problem putting blocks, sashings, and pieced borders on each of these quilts.  Everything fit and that makes it easy.
This is four blocks and sashings (green, black, and white).

This is the Smith Mountain Morning layout of my 81 blocks.  

This is Mary's quilt made from fabric we got in Australia in 2012.  I have just started cutting out the fabric for mine and am waiting for the red to be shipped.  Just love the way it looks.  It will go on the wall behind my sewing table.

It may have to share space there with this one when I can make it.  It hangs over the desk at Wish Upon a Quilt.  The designer and owner of this one gave permission for the pic and for us to make one like it.  Can't wait.  All the geese backgrounds are Kaffe circles in muted colors.  Just love this one.

So many quilts so little time.  Also starting dresden plate quilt for M.

Windy and cold quilting today after soup to workers at Habitat House.

Sally

clear blue sky

This is the kind of winter I love.  The sky is clear blue, the temps in 40's, and the sun is out.  Oh yes and I am in looking forward to some more sewing.  Trying to finish the units on BH mystery so I can get blocks put together and finally the top.  It is really nice but busy as her quilts are.

I am not sure how my brights will look when put with other blocks and the sashing.  Oh well what is is. Now to finish the last 34 units of the Clue #1 and I can begin to put blocks and sashing together.  

I am not sure I want a yellow inner border.  Right now I am thinking pink.

I am also trying to finish up Smith Mountain Morning that I started at a workshop in June with BH.

The border units are the leader enders for these units.  It is a wonderful system if you have the pieces cut and thread matches both projects.  Will have to float a loan to get both quilted.  The Mystery quilt is supposed to be 88x88 and the SMM is larger because I added blocks. Yikes I just thought that I will have to make more of the border units for that!!!Arrrrrgh.

Cecil and I are snug in the sewing room glad for strong house and heater!!! God is good.

Bright day quilting

Sally

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

What a joy to have some days at home with no meetings, duties or chores to attend.  Just trying to finish up some UFO's.  Also working on Bonnie Hunter's Mystery quilt.  And that takes time to cut and sew so many units in a busy week.  Not complaining just commenting.

This is all 80 of Clue #4 units.  It is mostly perseverance and a strong back to do all the cutting.
I am doing everything scrappy even the yellows.  Have 66/100 of clue #1, Half of Clue #2 and over half of Clue #3.  Going to work on finishing them today and tomorrow.

This is the top for Harriet's Sampler which I did as a BOM ( I know I said no more but I really liked the store sample just did not realize how small some of the pieces were) for 2014.  This year will be no BOM.  I am committed to finishing all the ones I have started and to do two quilts that have been in the queue for a year.

I have had the border material for a while and really like how it looks with the fabrics in the blocks.

The inner border is dark brown which is homage to all the brown in the blocks. The border is wild because the quilt is not.

Cold, windy and rainy quilting.

Sally

Waiting

Well we are on the way with Bonnie Hunter's winter mystery.  It is fun if hectic and a real change from fighting the crowds for shopping.  I am nearly through and thinking about this time last year I am not surprised to realize I do not remember anything about Oct, Nov and Dec of 2013.  Maybe it is just as well.
November this year found ML SB and me winging our way to the International quilt show in Houston.  If you quilt and have the chance it is mind blowing.  Talk about fabric overload and the talent that went into putting fabric and thread together was amazing.
Anyway we came home with our bags twice as heavy which was ok since they were only half full when we left.  We stayed with SB's sister and her husband who were both so kind and we had a wonderful stay.
I have been trying to finish up some of my UFO's and am well on the way.

This one is waiting for me to finish the binding.  I just love all the oranges and pinks.  It is called Bento Boxes.

These are more of the BOM's at ME's and I am going to do the last one tomorrow and put this together.  I want to get it quilted and put over my sewing table.  It has been fun but some of those blocks had 20-30 pieces and they were small.

This was the batch for September.

December found us at the Vets removing a growth on Mr. C's lip.  He is showing off his stitches.

Someone donated some tops to the guild and I quilted this one with some swirl type quilting.

Here are some of last weeks units for BH mystery.  P and I worked on them Thursday.  C was sick with a cold.  We missed her.

Well that is enough for now.  Have to make my 5th batch of fudge ( the one with evap milk, butter and marshmallow cream) yum.

Tomorrow is a stay in and eat soup day.  Hope you can too.

Chilly quilting.

Sally

Another day in weather paradise

I am really enjoying this beautiful weather.  Back is better but still trying to take it easy. I need to be in good shape for two trips later this month.  I did not get up early enough to see the eclipse of the moon.  Cecil decided to sleep in and did not wake me until 7:30am and that is after a nap yesterday afternoon.  Did get binding done on veteran's quilt for undercover quilters bee.  Also got binding done for guild challenge.  Have started on putting Bento Boxes together but not sure if I want a border or borders.
Here is the donation quilt.

Did not even realize how it would look and should have done sashing rows for top and left side.  Oh well.

So tired of all the campaign ads.  I think there is a point at which people seeing the same add 20 times in one day will say enough and will not vote for that person.  I have watched the debates although the first between Tillis and Hagan was just a repeat of all their ads.  The Aiken- Elmers debate at least was interesting and both seemed to have knowledge about issues.  The second Tillis-Hagan debate was an improvement but I also don't want to hear 96% again either.

The good thing is we have less than a month to go until it stops.

Happy cloudy quilting.

Sally

Will this BOM ever end????

I have been quilting a lot but don't seem to get anything finished.  I have a challenge art quilt still to bind, a donation quilt to bind, and a donation quilt to quilt.  Have finished with the borders of the Hatteras quilt except to do 3 more 25sq patches for the corners of the borders.  It took so much time for this quilt for it to be unusable on the bed.  Too small.  Oh well it will be pretty.I did finish the habitat girls quilts and delivered them.
This is the September BOM from Thistle Bee I started in January.

And the two blocks for October.

I am ready to finish with this and get it quilted.  Have enjoyed it.

This is the Hatteras quilt.  So named because I started it 2.5 years ago at Hatteras.  I have finished the center and borders except for the corner blocks.  

This was taken at the harbor in Oriental NC.  It was a nice day to walk around the houses near the water and listen to different bands playing on some of the porches.

And finally this was my favorite quilt from the Durham Orange Show in September.  It is a wonderful quilting interpretation of Van Gogh's Starry Night.  The work  is amazing.

I am going to try to sew the blocks for Bento Boxes I have had made for 2 months.  We will see.

Cool and Crisp Quilting.

Sally

Last days of summer

I can only hope that summer's back is broken and things will be bright and coooooler.  This is one person who will not dream of the heat of summer in the dead of winter.
Moving along on projects to complete here is a picture of the quilt for Lulu the older of the two girls in the habitat house.

The next picture is of my block for the fall block exchange.  I have finished 10 and hope to finish the rest by tomorrow.

Each year the Arts Council asks us to donate two 6inch square canvases.  We can put anything on them we wish.  I am not as creative as many so I use something I have done.  Here are the ones for this year.  

Sorry I can't seem to turn them around.

Finally here are the BOM sampler blocks for August.  Never thought I would be sewing half square triangles to make a 1.5 inch block.  One thread can really make a difference.  Oh well only three more months.  Some are putting it together as they go but I will wait.

I have nearly finished the blocks for September but will wait to finish them all.  I like most of the fabrics esp the dark blues.

Have a beautiful sky blue day and 

Sunny quilting.

Sally