Heartfelt Table Runner

I can't believe it's been 10 days since I entered a new post!  I have been busy.  A number of years ago, I saw this pattern and really liked it.  Finally, I saw the pattern in a store and bought it.  Now, a few years after purchasing the pattern, I finally got around to making one - in fact, I decided to make three.  Two are for gifts and one is for me.  I've finished one and am almost finished quilting the second one.  

BTW, this is my 50th post!  That's quite a few, isn't it!

 

There is a special two year blogiversary going on at Abyquilt .  Go there and leave a comment to win a stitchery book!  

Midlothian Quilt Show

It's 5:00 AM and I can't sleep any more, so I decided to get up and enter another post.  Yesterday, I went to a quilt show with a friend of mine.  Our birthdays are both in July and we always go to lunch, exchange gifts and go to this quilt show.  She is not a quilter, but enjoys going and seeing the beautiful quilts.  I usually get a gift certificate from a quilt shop from her, which makes me happy!

The first quilt is the raffle quilt from my guild - Cedar Hill Quilters Guild.  
We will raffle this quilt off in October.  We picked this quilt because it could appeal to both men and women.  Our guild president, Suzie Harris, also owner of Just Stitchin' quilt shop quilted it and did a magnificent job!  Lots of people worked on the piecing.  I even pieced a little of the paper pieced border!

I couldn't get the pictures in the right positions, but the Christmas quilt is really popular this year.  I know a blogger who is making one and I have seen it in a few shops.

This next one was my favorite from the show and it was stitched and quilted by a man!  He did a beautiful job.  It is based on ME designs and was at least a queen size or larger.

I had to put in this Texas theme quilt!

One of the reasons I couldn't sleep is that I kept thinking about all the projects I need to get done in the next month.  I'm making two Heartfelt Table Runners by Thimbleberries for wedding gifts.  One of the weddings was yesterday, but the other one is in September.  Then, we are going to Oregon to visit DS#1 and family for two weeks and they just moved into a house built in 1885.  There will be a housewarming party for them while we are there and I want to make a wall hanging for that.  My GS (12) wants a quilt for his bed (which my DIL found in a resale or antique shop).  GS likes all things old, so a quilt out of reproductions fabrics is what I am planning.  I bought some fabric yesterday and plan to put a few blocks together to take with me for his approval.

I went to 2 quilt shops yesterday looking for fabric for my GS and my DS#3 & DIL's quilt that I have been planning for a few months.  I haven't gotten too far on that one - it will be a double nine patch also in reproduction fabrics.  The best store for that in the area is Common Threads in Waxahachie, TX.  I was going to take some pictures there, but you can see pictures if you visit their web site yourself.  It is in a very interesting, old town.

My husband just shakes his head when I tell him about the projects I have planned.  I think I'm getting too many projects going.  

Stitcheries, etc.

I made a couple more bags like the one I made for my sister.  I'm planning to put these on Etsy as soon as we get that set up.  We have a few other things we want to put on there as well.  I took this picture in the front of my house.  The bush is a crepe myrtle bush, which are wonderful in the Texas heat!

During my time in Arkansas helping DS & DIL get their house ready to move into, I had some down time to work on my Polka Dot Girls stitcheries - while sitting with Jonah on the porch while he napped, driving home in the car, etc.  I need to get some more traced to work on now.



Whoops!  I just noticed that I forgot to put the yellow centers on the flowers under the teapot!  

This is a set of pillowcases that my Mom embroidered probably 50 years ago or so.  I found them in a drawer after she died.  She enjoyed embroidering and she was really good at it.  I wish I was as good with the satin stitch as she was!  I would never do a buttonhole stitch border like this!  These have never been used!

The second set of pillowcases were ones that my grandmother crocheted the border on.  I have these on the bed in our guest room.  They don't really get used to sleep on!  I love having these old heirlooms from my family.    My sister has more linens from my Mom that she said she might want to get rid of ---  I said NO!  She will save them for me to look at next time I visit her.

Today I went to two quilt shops and to a quilt show in Midlothian, TX.  I will post some pictures next time!  

Potato Salad/Naughty Cat

Creamy Potato Salad

6 large russet potatoes

3 hard boiled eggs

3 green onions

Dressing:

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp vinegar

1 Tbsp Flour

2 Tbsp water

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

1 egg beaten

1 Tbsp butter/margarine

1 cup whipping cream (don't whip)

1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing

Cook potatoes in jackets.  For dressing combine dressing ingredients and cook over low heat until creamy and thick - stirring frequently.  Add butter, whipping cream & mayonnaise.  Blend well & cool.  Combine & carefully fold in dressing.  Allow salad to stand in refrigerator for at least 5 hours to  blend flavors.

I got this recipe about 40 years ago from a friend and I think it is the best potato salad recipe I have ever had.  The dressing makes the difference.  If you double the dressing and increase the potatoes (but not double), it is even creamier.  Hope you like it!

I meant to post the recipe sooner, but we went to Arkansas to help our DS & DIL get their new house ready to move into.  We decided to stay a few more days because there was a lot to do!!  And we didn't have access to the internet - or TV.  Their furniture hadn't arrived yet, so we were "camping out" in the house!  We had a wonderful time with them and our new grandson, Jonah.  He is healthy and growing and was starting to smile and coo before we left!

Robbie, the cat pictured below, caused us a lot of anxiety, though.  We had put Robbie and Maggie (both cats) in the laundry room because of having workers laying flooring, etc.  In the laundry room was a free standing cabinet.  Robbie loves to get inside cabinets.  The former owner of the house had told a friend of his that they could have the cabinet, so when he called, DS got Robbie out of the cabinet.  However, he snuck back into it and didn't say anything when the cabinet was taken out of the house and put into the pick up truck.  The men stood around the pick-up chatting for a while - not a peep out of Robbie.  DS got a phone call a little later and the man said that when he got the cabinet home, a cat ran out and was it ours?  We looked in the laundry room and, sure enough, Robbie wasn't there!!  We raced over to the man's house (20 minutes away) and looked.  Behind the house was a gulley with lots of trees and bushes.  We looked and called but no luck.  Later DS went back with some cat food, looked some more, and left the cat food.  We decided to put up some posters, so about 9:30 that night we went back to the neighborhood with the posters and flashlights.  We thought maybe we could see some eyes glowing in the woods.  My DIL & I (with baby) went across the street to look in another direction, while DH & DS went around to the back of the man's house.  DS called for Robbie and there was a very faint "Meow."  He caught Robbie by the tail - dumb cat doesn't like to be picked up and tried to get away!!  What a relief!!  Robbie is my DIL's cat and she has had him for 10 years.  It was a very stressful day, but we were so thankful to find him!

Now, we're back home and I'll be back at work tomorrow!  BTW, I did get some hand work accomplished!  I'll show you in my next post.

More Stitchery & button bags

I liked the button bag so much I decided to make two more.  They are "quilt as you go" and here it shows the first two rows pinned on the backing/batting.  

I had some of this Thimbleberries (I think) fabric left over and quilted it for the bottom of the bag.
Here is my first big Polka Dot Girls stitchery.  This is fun to do and goes pretty fast.  I'm in kind
of a rush today to go to Arkansas for the weekend to help our DS & DIL get their new house ready.

I hope I'll have a little time to stitch - I'm bringing some with me, of course.  If I don't have time there, I can do some in the car on the way home.

Have a great 4th of July!

Busy Week

I made this bag for my sister to use as a lunch bag.  When I told her she was very hard to buy gifts for, she came up with some suggestions, one of which was a lunch bag.  I had this pattern for the "Button Bag" from This and That Patterns  so I used the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum charm squares to make it.  It was quick and easy to make - I think I'll make some more of these.

My quilt guild hands out a BOM each month and I try to make one or usually 2 of them.  This is the block for July and we will be putting them together to make a quilt for the Fisher House  that is being built near the VA Hospital in Dallas, TX.  All the guilds in the area are making quilts for the beds.  I think it is supposed to open in September.

I've been buying a lot of fabric lately...I can't help it...really!  This collection is going to be used in my Polka Dot Girls quilt.  I am working on the stitchery for the first block, but haven't had much time this week.

This fabric is for the A Tisket A Tasket wall hanging by Liberty Star that I admired at a quilt shop (check out the designers blog here.  My girlfriend bought me the pattern and 2 of the fabrics as an early birthday gift!  I got the 2 fabrics on the top at the Mesquite Quilt Show on Saturday.  I still need more pinks and browns for this project.
I'm busy today getting ready for my DS#3, DIL & new GS to arrive.  They are moving from the Naval Air Station where they were instructor pilots, to another Air Force Base where DS will be stationed.  My DIL will be a stay at home Mommy!  I just took a blueberry pie out of the oven and cooked some potatoes for potato salad.  More cleaning & shopping to do this afternoon.  Have a great weekend, everyone!  I can't wait until they (especially Jonah) get here!  My rocking chair is ready!

Why are weekends so short?

I can't believe it's Sunday night already!  This weekend just flew by, but I want to show you what I have started.  This is my first stitchery from the Polka Dot Girls quilt.  It is really fun to work on!

I also finished 2 BOMs:  Noah's Ark and Capricorn Quilts.

Yesterday I went to a small quilt show and found a few fabrics for the Polka Dot Girls quilt and other projects.  

Tomorrow I will take DH to the airport so he can go to help DS#3 move.  On Friday, DS, DIL & new baby will come here on their way to their new home, so I will get to see Jonah again.  I can't believe he's a month old already.  I can't wait to see him again!

My other GS wants me to make him a new quilt, so I will need to get fabric for that.  Have a great week!

Baby Shower Quilt

This baby quilt is made entirely from my stash and it isn't real "babyish."  I decided to use the fabric in the border because the mom & dad have 3 dogs and at least 1 cat, so I know they are animal lovers.  I bought the fabrics several years ago and wanted to use it.  I had no idea if it would turn out or if I would like it.  When it was ready for quilting, I decided to do an overall design and I had this clam shell stencil - which I had never used.  I started tracing it with a tracing pencil and after tracing it once, my hands were tired and I didn't want to do the whole quilt that way.  So I decided to go out and purchase a "quilt pounce."  The top of the quilt is quite busy, and the quilt pounce chalk didn't really show up too well, but at least it was easier than using a pencil.  While doing the free motion machine quilting, I remembered what Bonnie Hunter said in her 6/10/08 blog post.  She was quilting by hand on a particular quilt and she found it easier to quilt it from the back.  Since the back of the baby quilt is predominantly black (an odd color for a baby quilt), the chalk showed up a lot better and I finished it from the back.

Here's the back view.  It has cats scattered on black.  The binding and green in the top of the quilt is balls of yarn and goes with the backing fabric.
Don't look too closely at the quilting job.  I'm about to give up on doing free motion quilting.  This was a pretty simple quilt pattern, but I still had a hard time staying on the lines.  
Here's a close-up of the border.  This is my favorite part of the quilt.  I love the pet shop!  This is the first time I have ever done a mitered border.
So, for better or worse, this is the shower quilt.  I guess I'm somewhat satisfied with it and hope she likes it.  It certainly is a baby quilt made to be used, dragged and played on.

Another Squirrel Story

Before I go into the squirrel saga, here is my latest stitchery from Capricorn Quilts.  I did the first 4 in blue and decided to do the next 4 in red.  I have the next one ready to start stitching on after I finish the little kangaroo stitchery for the Noah's Ark wall hanging.  That is almost finished (I worked on it while watching Miss Potter last night).

I have 3 pots hanging on the fence in the back yard.  In the summer, I usually put geraniums in the pots (or impatiens) and in the winter, pansies.  As you can see, in the picture below, the squirrels seem to enjoy these pots.  The tree behind the fence is an oak tree and we get tons of acorns in our yard.  The squirrels like to save acorns for future meals, and they found a good place to bury them  - my flower pots.  About a month ago I planted some geraniums in the pots so it would look pretty for the summer.  I would come home from work to find one (or more) of the geraniums on the ground.  Sometimes they pull it out by the roots, sometimes it looks like they chew it off.  I give up!

It looks like he's chewing on the pot in this picture!
This is how my yard looks now.  Empty pots!  I decided to leave them up so the squirrels can play in them.  They seem to enjoy it and we kind of enjoy watching the mischievous little rascals.  
Today I am finishing up a baby quilt for a shower tomorrow.  I will post it when it is finished. I'm not sure I like it or not. 

A couple projects

Last weekend I finished up this small quilt and Monday I took it to my quilt guild meeting where I turned it in for donation to the Children's Medical Center.  These blocks were made by various members of my guild and I won them in the drawing for that particular month.  I got enough to make a quilt.  I hope it gives comfort to someone.

Here's another BOM from Lynette Anderson Designs.

Go to her web site to sign up for a new free pattern drawing.  Or you can download her Noah's Ark patterns.  This one is the third and she added the kangaroo stitchery recently.

There is another drawing at Canton Village Quilt Works.  This one is a really special prize - she will quilt for FREE a quilt up to twin size!

Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there!  

A stitchery block

I was planning to post this sooner, but I don't know where the time goes.  This is one of the blocks from capricorn quilts .  

I have another one finished but forgot to take a picture of it, so I will try to post again soon.  I tried to load three more pictures now, but they wouldn't load.  :-(

Go to Lynette Anderson Designs  to sign up for a free pattern drawing.

I had another picture on this post, but just lost it, so I will try again later.  Hope you have a good day!

Doll Quilt

I finished the doll quilt that I was making for my niece's little girl.  I hand pieced the flowers, appliqued them to the muslin and hand quilted around them.  Then, I kind of cheated and just folded the backing forward for the binding.  I don't usually do that, but wanted to get this finished faster (I guess).  Anyway, it's done and I think it's pretty cute!  I wouldn't mind keeping it, but I won't.

This morning I got up kind of early for a Saturday because I wanted to do a little yard work before it gets too hot.  When I was in front of my house, I heard some cheeping and I followed the sound.  It was coming from the hanging basket in front of my house!  I went to grab my camera and I did see the mama bird land on the basket and go inside.  The cheeping stopped!  I tried to get a picture of the nest, but it didn't work.  Maybe I will get a step stool later...Then, as I went past my front door (inside), I looked out again to see if I could see the mama bird - it's a house wren, I think.  I saw a huge bird standing in the street.  I grabbed my camera again and went out.  He was still there, so I sat down on my steps leading down to the sidewalk and waited.  I saw why he was there - a dead baby raccoon.  Slowly, he made his way over to the raccoon and starting doing what vultures do - I will spare you those details.  I looked in my bird book again and he is a black vulture.  That's pretty much excitement for one morning!

Hope you have a good weekend!  I'm hoping to get some cleaning and projects accomplished.

A Week with Jonah

We spent a wonderful week with our DS, DIL and new grandson, Jonah!  He is such a sweetheart!  We are so thankful for the birth of a healthy baby.  Here he is wrapped up in the airport quilt I made him.  Mom & Dad didn't get a lot of sleep, but they are having to feed him more often until he gets back to his birth weight.  We can't wait to see him again when they come to visit on their way to their new home at the end of the month.  It will be fun to see how he has grown and changed.

I had some spare time (between cooking & doing dishes) to do some quilting.  I got this charity quilt quilted.  Now I just need to put the binding on.  I also worked on some stitchery while traveling back & forth and some paper piecing for my grandmother's flower garden lap quilt that I am working on.
Today it was back to the grindstone.

NEW GRANDSON!

The new grandson is finally here!!!  He was born by C-section yesterday around 1:00 PM.  He weighed 7 lb. 14 oz. and is 21" long - with red hair (after his Daddy).  My DIL went in to be induced on Wednesday and it didn't work (again).  She had her water broken Wed. night.  That still didn't produce good enough contractions, so they did the C-section.  We are so happy for a healthy baby boy!  Both Mom and baby are doing fine.  We'll be going to help them for a week on Sunday - can't wait!

BTW, I ordered the Old Glory fabric from Hancock's of Paducah.  It's on back order, so I hope I get it!

Looking for more fabric

When it comes to buying fabric, I just am not very smart.  When I was at  the Common Threads Quilt Shop in Waxahachie, TX, looking for fabric for a quilt, I happened to see the fabric in the picture below just being opened up and I thought I would like to make something with it, so I purchased just enough to get the main picture so I could make a patriotic wall hanging possibly.  The portion I would use is about 20" by 18".  At the time I wasn't thinking about exactly what I would do with it.  I had other things on my mind, etc.  After considering my options, I decided that I would like to make several wall hangings to give as gifts.  So last Saturday I went back to the shop, and naturally, they didn't have any left.  So I started looking on line and haven't had any luck there either.  If anyone knows where I could get a few yards of this, please let me know.  

Windham Old Glory III Toile

The fabric in the lower right will be used. I'm thinking about making some log cabin blocks to surround the picture.  Anyone have suggestions?  All suggestions will be welcome.

HAND QUILTING & PAPER PIECING

Not too much going on here.  The baby hasn't come yet.  I'm working every day.  But, at night I am working on one project or another.  This one is a doll quilt that I am hand quilting for my grand-niece.  I love to make doll quilts!!

My guild is making a quilt which we will raffle off in October.  the paper piecing below is for this quilt.  It took me about a half hour to do the amount seen in the picture.  I hope I can get it finished by Saturday so I can drop it at the local quilt shop when I go grocery shopping.  The LQS is owned by the president of our guild.  They had two days of workshops there to get more of the quilt done and they passed out some parts to take home.  

Another small project is to get the label ready for the baby quilt, so that when we go down there I can put it on the one I already gave them.  I also need to get some portable projects ready to take with us to work on in the car and any spare minutes I might have between changing diapers!  

AIRPORT QUILT

I sewed the binding on the airport "play" quilt last night.  This will be the kind of quilt that can be put on the floor and as he gets a little bigger he can drive cars & land airplanes on.

My DIL went in to be induced on Tuesday and it didn't work...she stayed in the hospital and got more drugs and it still didn't work on Wednesday, so she went back home to wait.  The doc wanted to induce labor because she is older than the average new mother.  We are praying now that she will go into labor on her own soon.

Weeds (?) and other stuff

We have been taking a lot of pictures with our digital camera lately, including pictures of flowers.  I told my DH that I wanted him to take some pictures of Queen Ann's lace, but he didn't know what it was.  There is a field that I go by sometimes and last year about this time it was covered with QAL, so we took a little ride over there.  It wasn't covered this year, maybe it's too early (or late), but we did get some good pictures.  I also picked some and put it in a vase.  Isn't it pretty?  I love it and it is lasting really well in the vase.

Here's the second BOM that I did from Capricorn Quilts 

When I went to a quilt show a couple months ago I bought a panel of an airport scene for a child's quilt.  I was going to save it for our new grandson's first birthday, but decided to do it right away.  I just added a border and quilted it.  I practiced my free motion quilting some more.  As you can see in the picture, I was quilting the border of cobblestones.  It took a while to quilt around all the little cobblestones, but the good part is that the quilting didn't have to be perfect as it blended in really well.    The last picture is a close up of a small section of it.