IT'S ABOUT TIME!

I haven't posted for a while, so here is the finished HST lap quilt measuring 60" square.

I quilted it with hooked swirls from Angela Walters book "Free-Motion Quilting."  The border has feathers.

I need to make some Christmas items to sell, so I got out the bin containing all my left over flannels and Christmas fabrics.  In it there were some strips of pink and black flannel that was super soft.  It was just enough to make a doll quilt.

Among lots of scraps and larger sized pieces, I found these 2 strips that were on the side of a panel of winter birds.  I made place mats out of the birds part of the panel, but didn't use these cute bird houses.  So, I think I will make 2 narrow wall hangings out of these.  Not sure how I will do it yet.  I'll put some sort of border around them.

I'm also working on these wall hangings that I am making out of my Grandma's tulip blocks that I have shown you before.  I have written to my cousins and some of them have responded, so I am going to send some of these to them.  On the back I'm putting a label about my Grandma.  She was always making something:  pajamas for her grandchildren, crocheted pot holders. knitting mittens, tatting on handkerchiefs, etc.

I just quilted this one and need to bind it.

This one is partially quilted, except for the blue corners.  I really love the triangle of blue and orange flour sack fabric under the tulip.

Saturday I was a vendor at a craft/quilt show and my friend and I have 4 or 5 more lined up for November and December.    On Tuesday I had oral surgery for the 3rd time on the same tooth (endodontic treatment).  Ugh - what an ordeal!  Hopefully, this time will do the job.

Fall is here and the trees are beautiful!!

DESIGN WALL

I've been busy quilting and piecing lately.  When I got the top of the unicorn pillow finished, I figured I might as well go ahead and finish it, so now I am ahead on my birthday gift for DGD Abby who will be 11 right after Christmas.  I decided to give her the pillow for her birthday so that her friends will be there when she opens it!

I wasn't sure how I was going to quilt it and just started by quilting around the unicorn head.  Sometimes when I don't know what I will do, it helps to just get started with something.  I thought that wiggly lines of quilting down the mane strips would work.

Here's a close up of the head.

 The backing fabric is by Tula Pink.  Can you see the unicorns in it?

A closer up picture of the unicorn in the fabric.  I quilted the back with cross hatching.

Then on Sunday I decided to get busy and start on this Christmas quilt and I cut out all the pieces.  This was a kit (by Maywood Studio) and I hardly ever buy quilt kits.  All the pieced blocks are done and the next step is to stitch around the appliqué pieces.  I'll use a blanket stitch on my machine.  The setting triangles aren't cut yet, but it's a gold fabric.  I will have to buy the backing fabric.

My married DGD has been in town this week and she went to my quilt guild meeting with me.  She really enjoyed it!  The program was presented by a special speaker from Quilts For Empowerment, a group that works with women in Kenya.  My DGD went on a mission trip for 2 weeks to the same area of Kenya and spent 7 years early in her life in Africa, so the program was of special interest to her.  She has also been helping me with some hand sewing.  I love having her here.

DH had a new pacemaker installed yesterday, so I spent all morning at the hospital.  It went well for him and I got some knitting done while there.  Today he is having quite a bit of pain, so I hope that will subside soon.

COLUMBIA RIVER AND QUILT BLOCKS

On Wednesday DH and I met my BIL/SIL at Cascade Locks, Oregon to go on a 5 hour cruise of part of the Columbia River.  We got there kind of early, so drove around the town a little.  I noticed a quilt block on the museum and as we continued down the road, there were lots of quilt blocks on houses, etc.  (didn't see any barns).  What a pleasant surprise!  I wondered who organized the placement of so many blocks.  I suppose there are a lot of quilters in town.  It's a small town and we didn't see a quilt shop or I would have wanted to stop to see if they knew.  Anyway, here are some of the quilt blocks that we saw.  The first 2 were on the same house.

This one was in front of city hall!

 Unfortunately, some of the photos didn't turn out very well and then I forgot to take a picture of the one on the museum.

This is the boat that we went on - it's a sternwheeler (paddle boat).

It was a beautiful day and the scenery was awesome!

Now, for what is on my design wall.  I showed the pattern for this unicorn pillow (or quilt) here.  I'm making it for my DGD for either Christmas or her 11th birthday (which is 3 days after Christmas).  The pillow will be 26" square.

I wouldn't want to make a whole quilt with 9 of these blocks!  It was fun, but kind of tedious.  I want to get it finished in plenty of time.

I think our weather is going to change now.  Next week the forecast is for highs in the 70s!  Yea!!