SOME FINISHES AND BINDINGS TO REPORT

This post has a couple purposes in addition to the normal quilting post.  First of all, QuiltShopGal has a Creative Goodness Weekly Linky Party to show what we have been working on, so I am showing 3 finishes and a WIP (work in progress).  Second, tomorrow I will also link this post to JulieKQuilts for her linky party for January's Binding Blitz report.

This table topper was shown before I put the binding on, so now it qualifies as a finish for the week as well as a binding for the month!

I liked the pattern a lot, so I decided to make another one in other colors for spring and I am almost finished with the quilting on it.

I bought the lilac fabric several years ago and had never used it.  The other fabrics were acquired more recently.  I love lilacs as we always had them in our back yard when I was growing up.

This month I joined a quilters guild in McMinnville, OR and they make baby quilts for the local hospital.  This quilt will be donated to that cause.  I had the scrappy 4-patches already put together, so I just layered, quilted and bound it this week.

I love the "cow" fabric on the back - I got it at a garage sale a few years ago and was holding on to it for the right project.

I also finished this table runner this week.

I hope you will check out these blogs and maybe link any finishes you have.  BTW, prizes will be drawn for with each one!

A WIN AND A WELL TRAVELED BOX

In December I won a giveaway from Frederique in France!  It was a gift certificate to an online quilting store.  I was so excited and went to the site and ordered fabric.  Naturally, I spent a little more than the gift certificate, so I paid for the rest via Paypal.

Unfortunately, when we moved, Paypal decided it liked our old address in Texas better than our new one, even though DH changed our home address to OR.  When I paid the small amount to get my prize, I failed to notice that Paypal used our old Texas address.  After a couple weeks, I decided to check up on my order and I got the tracking number.  That's when I figured out that it was probably sent to Texas.  When I checked the location of my purchase, it was in Raleigh, NC!  What?!?  The tracking log showed that it had left Alabama 12/18/2014 and was sent to Texas.  From there it was forwarded to Oregon and then it was sent to Raleigh, NC.  My suspicion was that the yellow forwarding sticker came off, but I have no idea why it went to NC.  I even went to my local Post office and the picture of the box that they were able to pull up didn't show a forwarding label.  They said that there was nothing they could do.  

So I just waited.  Well, yesterday the package arrived.  It had a yellow forwarding label on it, but that label was just hanging on by a thread, so it is amazing that it made it here.  The box literally traveled from coast to coast and took exactly one month to get here.  

Box was pretty beat up.

The items inside the box were in perfect condition!

Thanks, Frederique!  (BTW, she is having another giveaway, so you have until Feb. 8 to enter)!  I love the fabric and charm pack that I got!  And I thank the U.S. Postal Service for getting my package here even though it was sent to the wrong address!

A QUILT SHOW IN FOGGY OREGON

Sunday I went to the Oregon Garden Quilt Show where I had entered my civil war reproduction quilt.  My DIL and GD went with me.  Oregon Garden is in Silverton, OR and is about an hour drive from my house.  You can look at their web site here.  It was foggy in the morning and when we left after church, it was still foggy.

Fog in the Oregon Garden

This picture shows a rusty bell with an awesome sound to it in the garden.  There was a frog croaking from the tree on the right.  Maybe he was protesting all the people walking by.

I love mossy rocks and there were lots of them in the garden.

My GD and DIL looking at the elephant quilt - it won a viewers' choice award for appliqué.  

I love frogs - and frog quilts!

The next 2 quilts were part of a "Blue" exhibit.

I thought of Katie when I saw this one!

Wool applique

Cute monster quilt!

This is the one we came to see!  I know you've seen it before (ad nauseam), but here it is again!  Would you believe that this might have been the only quilt made with CW reproduction fabric in the whole show?  I'm not positive about that, but thinking back, I don't remember any others!  There were a lot of Art quilts and Modern quilts.  I left the picture un-cropped on the left so you could see what quilt was next to mine.

Yes, a Dear Jane quilt!  Made and machine quilted by the same person!  It was amazing.

When we left the quilt show at 3:30, the fog was still there and only cleared up when we drove back through Salem, then appeared again north of Salem.  It was fun to have a "Girls' Day Out" with my DIL and GD!

TABLE RUNNER AND TOPPER

One day while looking in my closet, I noticed this zig zag table runner that I had pieced, so I decided to get it quilted.  I had bought a large stack of charm squares when we were in New Hampshire for our anniversary in 2012.

I'm going to put this up for sale in my Easy shop.

In the mean time, I had an idea for another table runner.  I like to keep one on my coffee table and I like to have several to change out for the seasons.  I'm not sure if I'm going to put these three blocks together like this or not, but I like the colors and fabrics.

We have a round table that has two leaves.  In Texas, we had a larger dining area, so we always kept one leaf in it, but now in a smaller house, we are keeping it round.  So, I decided to make a table topper that will be more suitable for a round table.  I had this pattern by Atkinson Designs that I had bought a few years ago and decided to make the medium sized one which measures  30" x 35".

I wanted to use reproduction fabrics - of course!  It took me a while to figure out how I wanted to quilt it, but I'm happy with the plan.  You can see the quilting better from the back of it - especially for the dark border triangles.

You can see the dark border triangles a little in this picture.

I'm getting in the swing of things again and it feels good!  This week just flew by for me.  I can't believe it's Saturday already.  Have a good week-end!

I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!

I wanted to get Scrappity-Do-Dah off my design wall, so I finished piecing it together.  I thought it was going to be 18 blocks across (90") and 20 blocks long (100").  I kept sewing and sewing.  It seemed like it was going on forever!  

Well, it turns out it is 24 blocks long - which makes it 120" long!!  Even at 100" it was big enough to tuck in the pillows.  I guess I got carried away!  

I also have some blocks that I will sew into the backing.

I could take a couple rows off and make it 110" long.

It was too big for DH to hold up, so I draped it over the couch and coffee table for this picture.  Don't forget, I started this 5 years ago on a trip to Florida.  I'm going to put it in the closet for a while before I quilt it.

Is anyone having problems with Blogger?  I can't get this to post.  I had problems yesterday also and had to re-type all my words.  *Later*   I think it will publish now.  I had to copy all of it, save it, then paste it on top of what was there, do a little editing and now I think it's OK.

WHAT AM I DOING?

I forgot to post this DJ block before, so here it is.

B-5

I prepped some templates for DJ blocks that I plan to work on soon.

I like the spray starch method for appliqué - I can't do needle turn very well.  First, I place the template on the wrong side of the fabric and outline with pencil.  Then, I cut around it leaving about 1/4" seam allowance and glue (with a glue stick) the template to the wrong side of the fabric.  Spread some spray starch with a small paint brush and then fold it over the template and iron until it is dry.  Then you can remove the template and it is ready to appliqué!

This is the mylar template plastic that I use - it doesn't melt or warp.

On my design wall is the "Scrappily-Do-Dah" quilt that I started in Dec. 2009 while on our trip to Florida right after I retired.  I got the pattern in a McCall's Quilting magazine advertisement and really liked it - because I love scrap quilts.  I cut fabric from just about all the stash that I had at the time.  I've had the blocks finished for some time and want to get this finished!

Here's what my sewing table looked like yesterday.  I had the urge to finish a doll quilt that had been started a long time ago, then had been looking at some lilac fabric to make a table runner, also some other fabric for a possible custom job.  My Dear Jane book is sitting there with various implements, etc.

I'm feeling my normal self these days except for having tendonitis in my right thumb.  I'm trying to rest it some and putting ice on it.  Unfortunately, it's pretty hard to rest a thumb.  What's on your design wall and sewing table?

RED DJ BLOCKS

By the time my sister left on Monday, I was feeling quite a bit better, but still didn't want to do much more than sew (in other words, no hard work).  I have been working on my Dear Jane blocks and have finished 3 of them.  Another one is in process.  

B-8

C-5

This one is rather wonky.

B-6

I forgot to mention in my last post that my sister gave me this miniature sewing machine that is perfect for Miss Malinda Dalton, the doll I made a few years ago.  While my sister was here, I finally got Malinda's braids put on her head.  Here she is sewing while baby sitting the little doll in the buggy - sorry you can't see her very well.

The reason I know her name is Malinda Dalton - it's printed on her slip!

I'm trying to get organized for the new year, but haven't made much progress or set any goals.  I just hope to get some UFOs finished.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year to all my faithful followers!  We have been sick here since Tuesday, the day after my sister arrived from the Chicago area.  

I made her a zippered bag that she will use to carry her lunch to and from work.  She works as a Suzuki piano teacher and teacher trainer in Wheaton, IL.

"Lunch Bag" and mug rug that I gave my sister for Christmas.

She gave me this puzzle (among other things) and we made it up already.  Then we made a different puzzle and we'll probably start another puzzle today.  We like Springbok puzzles the best.  If you like puzzles and you haven't ever made one of these, you ought to try one.  The pieces are not all the same shape and they are much easier to work with than some other puzzles.

Puzzle I received from my sister

 On Tuesday we drove to Aurora, OR to visit the Aurora Colony Museum and browse some antique shops.  It was cold and clear that day and we were able to get this great picture of Mount Hood!  It isn't visible most of the time due to clouds.

Mount Hood on 12/30/2014.

My sister and me.

I haven't made a list of my 2014 accomplishments (other than on the side bar) and I haven't made a list of 2015 goals since I've been too busy with company and being sick.  Of course, my main goal will be to finish some UFOs! and to try to use up fabric.  I have tons of scraps as well as several quilts in progress, so I think I'll manage to keep busy in 2015!  I'm trying to decide if it helps to make a list or not.  :-)

Happy New Year to one and all!