It's Been Almost a Whole Month!!

 I'm so sorry that I haven't posted for so long!  I truly don't know where the time goes.  A couple days ago I got caught up on some of my favorite blogs and I need to do that more often.

Some of the things that have been happening:

We went to Newport, Oregon to celebrate our 59th anniversary!  We just spent one night, but had time on 2 days to see some of the sights.  We've driven through this town several times and I even went to a quilt show there several years ago, but had never really looked around.  Here are a few highlights.

Watching the waves come in at Nye Beach

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

We found a great restaurant to eat where we had a perfect view of the Pacific Ocean!  Of course, a quilt shop had to be visited too.  Plus we went to the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Another event was an outdoor craft sale at the Yamhill County Heritage Museum, which is about 10 minutes from our house.  It was a perfect day and the main event there was "Harvest Fest" where they harvest the old fashioned way with horses.

Since I'm looking forward to fall arriving soon, I actually decorated our front porch a little.  An old chair, with a silly looking doll hanging on it and an orange and black quilt hanging on the chair.  The doll even has a matching skirt!

All I have to do after Thanksgiving is turn the quilt around and it will be ready for Christmas!  By that time, I will make a skirt for the doll that will match the Christmas quilt.

Right now, I am in the process of making a table runner - Double Dutch Stars.  It is ready to be basted.  Designed by Kim Diehl.

This pumpkin wall hanging just needs the border put on and then I can baste and quilt it.  It is in the book "Alphabet Soup" that I have had for years and I have wanted to make this for quite some time.  

                                                                                                   

This year my marigolds have done very well (the ones that weren't eaten by slugs, that is).  The good thing is the deer don't like them so no nibbling by them.  

I think I figured out how to keep the slugs away, so maybe next year I will have a longer row of them.

Thanks for visiting!

BIRTHDAY SHOPPING AT MY FAVORITE QUILT SHOP!

I love Kim Diehl's designs and have several of her books, but really haven't made many things from them yet.  However, I was recently browsing and came across this table topper in her "Simple Seasons" book and decided to finally make it (the name of it is "Liberty")!  This is a picture from the book.  I had originally been intimidated by the design, but having more experience with appliqué during the intervening years, it didn't look as daunting!  So, I decided to make it!  

When I went on my birthday shopping trip, finding some fabrics for this quilt was on my list.  The shop (Boersma's) is located about a mile from my house.  The local quilt shop (LQS) in McMinnville, OR gives their customers a 25% discount on regular priced items for their birthday, so last week I went there for my shopping trip.  I had 2 punch cards filled up which gave me a $25 credit for each card - in other words, $50 off my bill!  So here are the fabrics that I bought.

First, I bought 3 navy blue fabrics (which will be used for the eagles on the table topper).  I already have a good blue for one eagle and each eagle will be different.  The color didn't come out very good but they are all a nice navy.

I needed some reds and couldn't resist some Christmas fabric as well.

Actually, when I picked out the background fabric for "Liberty" I picked out the one below that is cream colored.  I didn't notice at first that the fabric is also by Kim Diehl!  And since the same fabric came in red also, I got some of that too.

I needed a couple light blues and a good Christmas background fabric.

And here's a couple more Christmas fabrics.  I got a great variety of fabrics!

For my birthday, we went out to eat with DS, DGS and DGD, then came to the house for cake.  I might as well tell you how old I am - 77!  How did that happen?

Then we played a game of Aggravation on the board that DH made!

Now everything  back to normal and I have started on my "Liberty" table topper.  

Hope you are all well.  Thanks for visiting!

STILL KEEPING BUSY!

 I guess I'm lucky to be a quilter, because the time is flying by!  I'm not bored, I'm definitely keeping busy and while I would like to be able to go out more (let's say to the LQS or something), I'm doing OK.

I finished the top of this mini, Honeycomb, by Kim Diehl.  As I told you in a recent post, I won the pattern from Janet.  This is one of those things helping me to keep busy!  It is very much outside my regular style of quilts, but it was interesting to do.  The hardest part was digging through my fabrics for all the different pieces.  Then I followed Kim Diehl's method of machine quilting with clear thread.  I wanted to do the borders with a similar chartreuse fabric, which I didn't have.  So I went online to look for some and I found the exact same fabric that Kim used for the borders, although I'm not sure it is the same color.  I used something different for the inner skinny border and corners.

Sunday didn't lift my spirits at all because of having church on line, which is very weird.  Plus not being able to have DS & DGS over for dinner.  After DH & I ate, I texted DS to see if we could do FaceTime at least.  He responded:  we're on our way!  So we decided we would just sit on the patio and visit, which we did.  They brought me some tulips from their garden and DGS painted some egg shells for me for easter.

That made the day much better!

We finished another puzzle called "Opera Cats."

I also got this Jo Morton design almost finished - "Nine Patch Chain.  I need to put a border on it but haven't decided exactly what I will do for that.

I hope you are all doing well and that we will be able to be released from custody soon!  Ha Ha!

ANOTHER WEEK OF ISOLATION

I can't believe it's almost 3 weeks since we came home from Hawaii.  I've been isolated since then, except 2 trips to the grocery store and one trip to the post office.  But, somehow, I've been able to stay busy!!

This is the 3rd puzzle that we have completed - not to mention it was the hardest.  I have 2 more puzzles waiting to be made and then I may just have to get a new one.

I broke down and started making some face masks.  I made some for us and family members and donated a few.  I'm not sure if I will make more or not.  If I do, I'll need to make them with tie straps because I'm out of elastic.

In the mean time, I entered a drawing that Janet had on her blog for National quilters' day and I won this pattern!  I love all things designed by Kim Diehl, so I decided to start on it right away.

These squares are the start of the background.  Next, I will need to figure out how to make the Half-Hexies which will then be appliquéd on top of these blocks.  It looks interesting and is something different.

Call me crazy, but I also decided to start this Jo Morton pattern (Nine Patch Chain) from her "Jo's Little Favorites II" book.   I plan to make it a little larger than the pattern calls for by increasing the size of the blocks from 2 3/4" to 3" finished.  Not much of an increase, but I might add more blocks too.

Here are some strips sewn together to make into 9-patches.

I finished quilting my Barn quilt a couple days ago and decided to make a scrappy binding.  I thought I would see what I could find in my "leftover binding" drawer.  I was surprised to see how much was in that drawer.  It seems that I put leftover binding in there a lot, but rarely take any out.  This time I only wanted civil war reproduction fabrics and I got enough from the drawer to bind about half of the quilt, so I did need to cut some more fabrics.

This is the pile of binding ready to go.

I agree with Janet, that even though I'm staying home more, it doesn't really seem like I have more time available.  I have been spending some time working puzzles and probably have watched a few movies.  Other than having a little "cabin fever" I'm doing OK and hope you are too.

SEPTEMBER 22?!?!? WHAT HAPPENED?

Can you believe this?  September will be over a week from tomorrow!!  I must be having too much fun or something - the time is just flying by!

Last year I bought the Quilt Sampler magazine as I always do and in the Spring/Summer 2017 edition, on page 78, I saw a table runner named "Topsy Turvy" that I really liked.  It was from Quilt Haven on Main in Hutchinson, Minnesota.  It only took me a little over a year to finally get around to making it.  It is a paper piecing pattern - not my favorite thing, but not too bad.  First I made one out of civil war reproductions.

Then I decided to make one with Christmas fabrics and I just finished that top.

I also decided to make this "Welcome Wagon Quilted Door Hanger" that is in the Simple Graces book by Kim Diehl on page 88.  I love her designs and I decided to make a couple of these to keep one and give one away.  This is the front section that I have done for 2 of them.  I still have to put them together and make tassels for them.

Does your local quilt shop carry this magazine - Country Pleasures?  It is free at our LQS and it has quilting events (and other crafts) as well as a free block each month.

This is from the May 2018 copy and I decided to use it in a Christmas lap quilt that I am making.

The green blocks are the Disappearing Pinwheel Trinket Box and the red blocks are the Disappearing Pinwheel Roundabout from the June 2018 issues.  The blocks go together quickly and are 14" square, so I didn't need to make a lot of them.  The lap quilt measures 55" x 55".  It isn't quilted yet.

Here's a close-up of the fabrics.

l'm sorry I've been so slack at blogging recently.  I've just been so busy with quilting for craft shows as well as family.  This next week there is a large quilt show in Portland - Northwest Quilting Expo - that I plan to attend, so I will have pictures to post.

Have a great week!

IT'S JUNE ALREADY?!?!

 I have been very lax about posting lately and it's been over a week!  I meant to post this a couple days ago, but I've been busy.  Can't believe it's June already!!!

In my last post, I showed you the "cheater" panel by Kim Diehl, and now it is finished!  It sure goes a lot faster when you don't have to actually do the appliqué!!!  This was a fun project for me.  I decided to make the medallion similarly to the "Faithful" quilt-a-long that Lori had a few years ago.  I do love that and you can see it here.  My finished panel below is a little wonky and I'm thinking about blocking it.

This is the table runner.  I have placed it on my coffee table.

When I was digging through some baskets, I came across some 4-patches already done and decided to make a small quilt (doll quilt) out of them.  Here it is hanging on my clothesline.

Can I brag about my grandson?  He just graduated with honors (Magna Cum Laude) from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota.  We are very proud of him and can't wait till he gets back home in Oregon.  He should be arriving this week!

Today I'm going on a shop hop with my quilting buddy!  We plan to hit about 5 or 6 shops in the Salem area!  I hope I can avoid spending much money.

WHAT HAVE I BEEN DOING?

Yesterday and today I am vending with a friend at a craft show at the Polk County Fair Grounds in Rickreal, OR (which is 20 miles from our homes).  Pictures following.  

This vintage table runner was found when I went to "Vintage, Etc." shop in Northfield, MN.  It is in excellent condition and I might sell it on Etsy or Ebay.

I went to a quilt shop in Des Moines, IA and found this panel (I may have shown it to you already) by Kim Diehl.  I love her patterns and this is a "cheater" panel!  I HAD to get it.  I'm making a wall hanging with the square on the left, which I will put a few borders around, and will make a table runner with the 4 blocks on the right.  I think I'll add flying geese on the sides that have spaces.

I was able to finish a donation quilt top made out of 4 patches that I had sewn together a long time ago - I put 4 of them together with navy blue sashing.  Don't know when I will quilt it.

Here's another EZ Breezy table runner made with more fabric that I bought in Iowa - it is very bright and cheerful.

The back of the table runner.  I'm making another one out of reproduction civil war fabric which is also yellows and blues, but a totally different look.

We are having beautiful weather here!  Have a great weekend!