TRYING TO GET ORGANIZED

 I have been a really bad slacker again!  However, I have been busy.  Saturday, I decided to make a list and set some priorities.  I won't bore you with the list, but just let you know there are a lot of items on it.  Things that I need to get finished, some of which go back a long way.  I'm not going to set an impossible goal, like getting this all done before the end of the year or anything.  I just wanted to be aware of them.  I also need to organize my fabric stash so I can find things easier.

Here are some of the things I have been working on.  This cat quilt is basted and just needs to be quilted and bound.  I have made several of this quilt and have sold them.

This Christmas quilt was a BOM at my guild.  I made 2 of some of them in order to have enough for a larger quilt.  It's not large enough for a bed, more like a couch lap quilt.  I need to add a border.

I just realized that I have this red/gold fabric (that I got at a garage sale a couple weeks ago) and I think I'll use it for the border.

This last one will be a donation quilt to a  place that takes in battered women and their children.  My guild makes mostly twin size quilts because everyone that comes in there gets a quilt for their bed and gets to keep it when they leave.  I need to get a backing for it and get it finished.  I have 2 more donation tops that I'm working on - all scrappy.

The weather is changing!  Yea!!  No more 90º temperatures!  DH is making progress slowly from his mini stroke and we are starting to think about plans for the holidays.  Happy fall everyone!

A Mystery Quilt

 I have been a slacker for too long!  My last post was about summer finally arriving and now we are getting close to summer being over.  It has been a very busy time for me.

On July 27 DH had a TIA (transient ischemic attach)  aka mini stroke.  His symptoms were loss of balance, weakness on the right side and I heard him fall in the bathroom at about 5:00 AM.  I got up and he was on the floor and told me he had fallen 3 times prior to this.  I knew we had to go to the ER immediately.  We got there about 5:20 AM and after tests and CT scan they told us of the diagnosis.  He stayed in the hospital over night for observation and is now using a walker to get around.  Hopefully, he will be able to gain his strength back  on his right side.  The veins in his head were constricted but not blocked and no bleeding or blood clots.

Now, on to some quilting news.  I went to a quilting retreat this past weekend which was just during the days - not overnight.  It took place in the activity room of the fire department in a nearby town and was organized by one of the members of my quilt guild.  We had a mystery quilt to make and were told to bring fabrics of certain sizes and amounts, but not having any idea of what the quilt would be like it was just a guess.  At the last minute I threw a FQ bundle in that I had gotten at the quilt show in Corvalis (2 posts back).  It was cheap and was fabrics that I normally wouldn't buy.  But, those fabrics turned out to be perfect for this project!  Here is a picture of the wall hanging that I made - not quilted yet.

It measures about 24" x 16" and is not something that I would normally make, but I really like it!  Of course everyone's was different and they all turned out really nice.  We also had a lot of time to work on some of our own projects, which I did but not finishing anything.  I will do another post about those.  A good time was had by all and that included delicious food!

There were prizes and I won this bundle of 30s fat eights!!  I love it!

I hope to make something with these soon.  Any suggestions?

Last Thursday I was running some errands and while trying to enter a shopping center that was very busy with cars and trucks coming and going, I turned too soon and my car ended up on top of a large bolder with the right tires in the air!  It was very bizarre!  I called AAA and fortunately they arrived in about 15 minutes and I had them take the car to the Buick dealership so they could see if there was any damage to the car other than the body damage on the passenger side.  We only have one car & DH couldn't drive anyway, so I called my next door neighbor who informed DH about what happened and then picked me up.  Just what I needed right now!  The next day I got the car back with the good news that it is not damaged in any mechanical way, so I got it back in time to drive to the retreat!  We will figure out what to do about the minimal damage to the side of the car later.

I'm sorry for being a slacker about posting!  I'll try to be better.  I promise that I have been sewing a lot - mostly some extra orders for Etsy customers.  Next weekend there is an outdoor sale event nearby.

Thanks for visiting!

Summer Finally Arrived in Oregon, sort of!

 We had a very cool spring and up until now, we have only had a few days where the temperature reached 80º or above.  And then, it didn't stay at the high point very long.  This is fine with me as I don't like hot weather.  My garden is doing pretty good.  I have one tomato plant (I hadn't planned to have even one, but when I saw how big it was at the store, I bought one.  It was still too cold to plant it outside so I kept it inside for quite a while.  I also have a rhubarb plant and a very small blue berry bush that has the most berries on it since planting.  Enough for some muffins, maybe!

This is my calla lili, which I had planted when we first moved here 8 years ago.  It lasted for 2 years and then didn't appear again until this year!!!  I couldn't believe it when it came up!  I hope it doesn't hibernate for 5-6 years again.  The iris behind it hasn't bloomed yet.  A friend gave it to me and it is supposed to bloom twice a year, so I hope it does, but maybe not this year.

Some of the flower seeds that I planted have actually sprouted!  I didn't inherit my Dad's green thumb, but I do try.  

I have been keeping busy getting ready for the display at the Cultural Center in Lincoln City that I told you about in my June 10 post.  I have added a few more items.  Here's one of them.  I call it "Windows."

Somehow I was inspired to make it when I got some purple fabrics from a store in Illinois as well as from Two Thimbles in Washington.  Every month I receive a selection of new 1800s reproduction fabrics from two thimbles.com and I have been enjoying them so much.  I use them to make items that I sell at craft shows or on Etsy.  Here's part of one item that I used the purple fabrics on and it sold quickly.

I also make these with a lot of different colors - here's one.  They usually measure about 9 1/2 x 27" but sometimes someone wants longer ones and I make them.

These have been pretty popular.  I love them and have some I use on different places around the house, but I was surprised when I started selling them on etsy and I have sold quite a few.  They look much better in person.

Tomorrow I will be vending at an outdoor event even though I prefer indoors.  The temperature high is supposed to be 79º so it won't be too hot.

Things are changing here as our 26 year old grandson has left to drive to South Bend, Indiana where he will be attending Notre Dame to study architecture.  We will miss having him over for Sunday dinner and for playing games.  He will be visiting friends and family on his way.  

Hoping you are all enjoying your summer and find some time to quilt!

MY FIRST QUILT SHOW SINCE COVID!!

 Saturday I went to Corvallis, Oregon (50 miles from my home) to the quilt show "Quilts in the Garden."  It was at 5 different gardens in a neighborhood.  Between the beautiful gardens and the beautiful quilts, it was a delight!

The pictures will tell it all:

One of the first quilts that I saw - very apropos to have in a garden.

The pictures so far were taken in the first garden and it was amazing!! 

This one is for Love - it's made of vintage linens.

Another one made out of vintage linens.

It was a beautiful, cool day and it didn't start raining until I was on the way home.  I got a new Country Register there and see some other quilt shows coming up!!

Have you been to a quilt show lately?

Some Quilts for the Cultural Center

 My quilt guild, Gone to Pieces, has been invited to present a display of our quilts at the Cultural Center in Lincoln City, Oregon beginning in late August through October, so I have been trying to get some quilts ready for this.  Here are a couple table runners that I just made to hang there.  These measure at 12" x 57" and the falling leaves measures at 12" x 44".

I will also submit these 2 larger quilts:

Spider quilt

Pineapple 9-patch

Just finished quilting and binding the string quilt that I showed in the last post.  The colors don't show up very well in the first picture, but you can see them better in the close up picture.  I quilted it with swirls using grey thread.

Thanks for visiting!  We are having more rain this weekend.  Again.  But I'm happy it isn't real hot and I don't have to water my seeds!!  I also planted a tomato plant.  Unfortunately, I don't take after my Dad and his green thumb, so we'll see if I get any tomatoes and flowers from the seeds.

STRIP QUILTS

On April 19, Lori from Humble Quilts came to my guild and the workshop after the meeting was strip quilts.  I decided to make one with purple, orange, yellow and pink.  I added a green polka dot for the setting triangles and the top is pictured below.  

It is basted now and this pictures shows a little of the top and the Tula Pink backing.  I plan to have it finished in time for the next guild meeting and it will then be donated to a shelter.  It measures 58 1/4" x 76 1/2".

I made a new opening picture out of some of my past strip quilts.  I'll probably change it again soon because the middle quilt is quite blurry.  That quilt belongs to my 14 year old grandson.

This next quilt will also be a donation quilt.  I will keep this one at home to have it available for a need that might come up unexpectedly.  This was a project that I worked on now and then for a couple years.  All the pieces are 3 1/2" x 2".  Great for using scraps!  It's called Bonnie Lass and measures 66" x 89".  I had to hang it on the clothes line sideways or it would have dragged on the ground.

My sister's cat Zuzu has taken a liking to one of the fishes that I sent for Christmas.  She's using it as a pillow!

Isn't she sweet?

My flag is flying for Memorial Day.

Let's all pray for our country.  

 

Trunk Show

 I was invited to do a Trunk Show for the Willamette Valley Quilters in Dayton, Oregon at their April meeting.  I was very pleased to have been asked, but was a little nervous about it.  I think it went pretty well.  Here are a few pictures (some of the pictures didn't turn out so I am getting them from my coputer).  You have probably seen all of these quilts if you've been visiting my blog over the years, so I'm not going to post all of them.

Me in front of my Cathedral Window quilt - the first quilt that I started,
but not the first one finished.

Friendship Quilt made with Blogging Buddies

Dear Jane's Journey from Texas to Oregon

My last large quilt - needs a name

Uncle Henry's Barn

Leftovers, designed by Jo Morton (17" x 20"º

Spider Web

Pineapple 9-patch

Meg's Four Patch designed by Jo Morton (19" x 25")

Baskets of Blue

The Eagle

Colonial Glory

Cheddar Cheese & Crackers (22" square)

Thanks for visiting!