TaaDaaa!

Finally! My first finish of 2011! I got the binding and the label on late this afternoon on my brother's shaded nine patch! I decided to name the quilt "No Flowers Allowed 2" The first "No Flowers Allowed" I presented to my son last year. I decided to make another one in the same theme (slight variation of pattern) for my brother. It took me almost a year to collect enough fabrics to make these two quilts. It is soooo hard to find anything that doesn't have flowers on it.

I am so excited! I drive down to Florida on the 21st to present it to him. I will (hopefully) also be giving my niece her's during the same visit. It is supposed to be back from the longarm quilter Wednesday. I will post pics as soon as I get it done.

I started my next major project by washing the fabric and starting to cut out the pieces this evening. I am embarrased to say how long (let's just leave it at years) I have had this kit to make this quilt. The pattern is called "Trellis Rose" and was designed to go with Alex's Anderson's cottage rose fabric line. This one is earmarked for my sister-in law.

I also cut out a leader/ender quilt project to sew in between the Trellis Rose off and on during the past week. I plan on doing a postage stamp quilt as the leader/ender. I am doing it in soft cottage rose fabrics. I wanted to keep the theme going, hehe!

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

My sewing area is coming together!

Our house was built back in the days of formal living rooms. For years it has been underutilized. When people come to visit they always headed to the family room to sit and talk. So I decided to take over some of the space as my sewing room. I gave away the old 30 year old furniture and did some rearranging.

When I finished my lone star quilt I really wanted to display it. I just couldn't seem to find a spot in my house where it would fit and look like it is the center of attention. I decided that it would be a perfect backdrop to my sewing cabinet.

Of course Jake had to jump up and ham it up for the camera!

My sewing cabinet with all of the extensions out.

And finally holding my brother's shaded nine patch while I sew the binding on. I love this spot! The hardwood floor makes for easy rolling of the cabinet and is easy to vaccum up all the threads.

Still more work to go on the room so will post more pics later! Hubby is still working on my cutting table.

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

I think I might give this bloggin thing another shot!

Here it is almost a year later from my last entry. Where to start? So many things happened and didn't happen in the second half of last year.

We have been wanting to move to Florida to be closer to our aging parents and we thought that our chance finally came. My dearest hubby applied to a tailor made job position (or so we thought) for him. We were so confident that he would get the position that we put everything on hold to get ready to move at a moment's notice. As time passed we were in disbelief that he didn't get the job. It took them almost 2 months to notify us that he hadn't gotten selected. It really deflated us. We both got so down and it took us quite a while to regain our footing.

We had started remodeling some of the rooms in the house at the beginning of the year and we just put that on hold because we thought we would be moving. So with the start of this year we readjusted our attitudes and decided to go with the old addage "Bloom where you are planted". Even though this is not where we truly want to live, we have to "bloom" because this is where God has his plans for us.

My quilting took a back burner also. I just had no where to sew except the kitchen table. I hated pulling everything out and then having to put it away every evening. I did manage to finish "Chocolate Obsession" during those down months. I will post pictures of it later.





In December 2010, I finished piecing the quilt top for my brother's nine patch I started back at the beginning of the year. Here it is before quilting.

And after quilting. It turned out wonderfully!

I also finished my nieces quilt top at the beginning of January and it is now at the quilters.

Of course Sunshine had to ham it up for the camera while I was sewing the borders on!

We have also started putting things back away and finishing the remodeling that we started. It is still a mess but I now have my own sewing area. It is not finished yet, but I will post pictures as it progresses! I am very excited about finally having my own space.

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

I'm back!

Well technically we have been back since last Thursday, but I was recovering from a nasty, nasty, (seriously nasty!) cold that my dear sweet hubby decided to share with me. This picture is of my handsome son! He is now a pilot in the Air Force! (and a jet jock to boot!)

He seemed to really like the quilts I made him! I also made him a small photo album with pictures of the quilts throughout the creative process. I included small swatches of the fabrics I used and where each piece came from. He sat and spent a lot of time looking at each photo and swatches and laughed as he remembered each item of clothing that the pieces came from. He seemed especially touched that I had included pieces of cloth that his Momma Soon Ohk had used to make her doll clothes with. He would look at each swatch and then find the piece in the quilt. I was so happy he liked the quilts.

I have done hardly any sewing since our return. Mostly just slept and rested. I did go and pick my "Baby" up from the doctor. I had my Bernina serviced whilst we were away and the serviceman gave her a clean bill of health! So hopefully now that I am starting to feel better I can get back into the flow of sewing!

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

Two finishes! (last post for a few weeks)

The gentleman I used to do my longarm quilting really let me down by taking forever to get these two quilts back to me. I told him I had a deadline, but for some reason my quilts kept getting pushed back on his list. I am not happy.... on top of that he changed the pattern in the border of my son's shaded 9-patch without talking to me. I am not crazy about it, but I didn't have any options considering I am leaving Saturday for Texas and he only gave them to me Tuesday night...... not happy at all.

So, for the last two days I have been working hard trying to get them finished and also trying to get ready for our trip. I have a bad hand so it is hard for me to do non stop hand sewing. So now I can hardly close my fist, and I am popping Motrin like crazy. Sigh...

On a positive note, I am so excited about our trip and getting to see our son! I hope he likes these two quilts!

I will not be posting for a while as our internet access will be spotty.

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

It's done!

Well the piecing is anyway... hehe! Now to pick out a border and the top will be complete! I really like how this turned out. The fabric is all guy type, no flowers, swirlies, no fru fru at all. I think my brother will really like this! My hubby already said if he doesn't he wants it, so thats one guy vote, hehe. Let me just say it was a hecka lot of pinning. my hands look like I have a rash from sticking myself so much.

Now off to the couch to rest and spend some time with my sweetie.

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

We interrupt this day.....

It was one of those days. I sit at sewing machine.... phone rings. I sit at sewing machine, dog wants out.....or cat decides it has a hair ball.... or the phone rings again..... on and on and on....I kept losing my place and made so many mistakes and ended up unsewing way to much. But even with all the craziness of yesterday I was able to get another row on my brother's shaded 9 patch.

Because I had to rip out so many mistakes... I got to know my new BFF "Jackie"(I had to name her a female name because of the lavender and purple handle). "Jack" my old tiny seam ripper got relagated to my portable quilt box. I wish I had bought this seam ripper a long time ago! This ripper is made by Dritz and it's handle is rubberized and the ergonomic curves are easy to grip. I highly recommend it to anyone who has trouble holding on to small things like me.

My sweet Greg is back home so it's back to dragging things out and putting them away again. Hopefully today will be more productive and less interruptus.

Happy Quilting!
Cindy

Chopping away...

Spent most of today cutting up fabric. I wanted to start my wee Schnibbles "Madeline" quilt. This is my first time using charm packs and I have to say I found it a bit nerve wracking cutting out all the tiny pieces. I am a "rounder" person, if a pattern calls for a yard, I buy 1 1/2 yards. I make mistakes and it is a safety net to have that extra fabric I know I can fall back on.

When I read the fabric requirements and it said 2 charm packs, that is what I bought. I wouldn't let myself buy a 3rd for the safety net. So the entire time I was cutting the pieces, I kept checking and rechecking the measurements. Whew, a bit stressful! But I think I got it right..... I hope.....

Also had to replenish all the 2 1/2" blocks for my leader-ender shaded 9 patch that I am working in between projects. There is another shoebox full that I didn't get a picture of. So I should be set to get sewing.... but first I promised my Maggie Mae I would take her for a walk since it is such a gorgeous day!

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

Got my sewing mojo back!

After the attack of un-sewing I had, it was so nice to make progress again. I was able to get 5 blocks of the leader-ender quilt (shaded 9 patch) done. This quilt will be for my brother so I again am using male oriented fabric. I really like this layout of the shaded 9 patch pattern. The contrast between light and dark is much better than the last one I made.

I also got another "Quilts for Kids" sewn together. I had to make one for a boy after making the butterfly quilt for a girl. I had a bunch of 50% off coupons for JoAnn's so I was able to get the cute sports novelty and the blue marble fabric for a song. I have enough to make another, same as the butterfly. I will probably wait to make anymore until after our trip to Texas in April. JoAnn's will have batting (warm and natural) half price next week. I am waiting to score some of that before I machine quilt them. My hope is to get these two quilted and in the mail with the original quilt before we leave.

So nice to be making progress again!

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

Shaded 9 patch borders finished!

On a roll!! (so unlike me, hehe) Finished the shaded 9 patch quilt top tonight. I am very happy with the outcome. My sweetie helped me pick out the borders this past Saturday and I have to admit, he has a great eye. I wanted his opinion as this was supposed to be a masculine quilt for my son.

It has some very special fabric included in it. It has some of his favorite shirts, pants, and some pieces of fabric that used to belong to his mother. She passed away when he was four from leukemia. I came into his life when he was 5 and have been his lucky mom ever since. She was such an artist. She painted, was crafty, and made dolls. When I found a stash of her fabric she used to make doll clothes, I stuck it back and held on to it all these years. I finally figured out what I wanted to do with it so that he could have it.

Because I wanted to include so many different fabrics, I had to go with a scrappy pattern. I picked the shaded 9 patch because I could use very small bits of a bunch of different items. I would have liked for the contrast to have been more intense, but because some of the fabrics were neither real dark, or real light, the contrast is more muted. Not one of the fabrics has a flower on it, so I have decided to name it, "No Flowers Allowed!"

Happy Quilting!

Cindy

A productive day.

Woke up this morning feeling like sewing, so decided to put the flag quilt together. It was straightforward and went together without a hitch. It took me about 3.5 hours to sew it, taking a few breaks to stretch. I still need to put the border on, which shouldn't take very long. Somewhere in my stash I have a backing fabric that will be perfect. It is a fabric with sheet music on it with "The Star Spangled Banner". Will try to find that in the morning.

I used the horizontal layout. I really, really like it and wish I had bought more than one kit from Amy. I plan on giving this to my son as a gift when he graduates from Air Force flight school in April.

Then hubby and I went down to Loving Stitches to pick out border fabrics for the shaded 9-patch. We must have pulled 20 bolts looking for something to go with the busy look. We finally settled on a red inner border and a marbled black outer border. I think it will frame the craziness that is the middle, hehe. That is my project for tomorrow during the super bowl.

Had my eyes checked yesterday and had to have new reading glasses. Boy oh boy, did they make a difference sewing today. I hadn't realized how blurry things were until I put the new ones on.

Until tomorrow!

Happy Quilting!

WIP #3

Good morning! Yesterday was quite productive. Did some house cleaning, laundry, etc... and still was able to sew on another flower plus about 10 of the white hexagons on my Grandmother's flower garden. I also called my quilter, whom I hadn't talked to in a year, and found out he is still working. I put my name on his waiting list, which is about a month long, for the Jacob's Ladder that I showed yesterday.

I had planned on going to JoAnn's today to get batting, since I have a couple 50% off coupons, but alas I am stuck waiting at the house. One of our heat pumps has gone out and the repairman is coming "sometime" today..... So I guess I will get cracking on sewing whilst I wait.

My 3rd WIP is a recent start. I have been slowly over the years making quilts for all the members of my family. I did a "trip around the world" for my mom, a "bowtie" for my in-laws, (it is the one in the header with my precious Sunshine laying on), and a log cabin for one of my nieces (the one in my profile picture). My son, whenever he comes to visit, loves to watch TV on the couch covered up in one of my quilts. I wanted to make him a quilt that he can take with him.

I wanted only masculine fabrics. I also wanted to incorbarate some material from his childhood. I had saved some of his shirts and pants and chopped those up. Also there was some other special fabric I wanted to include. So I picked a scrappy, "shaded 9 patch" to make him. For the last year I have been collecting masculine style fat quarters. Every time my local quilt shop, Loving Stitches, threw a sale I would go buy a few.

I cut all the 2 1/2 inch squares in 2 days and sewed it in 3 days

My DH and I were planning on going to the quilt shop tomorrow to pick out the border fabric, but a winter storm is headed our way. I hope it doesn't hit us as I would really love to get this WIP done.

I did learn quite a bit making it. If I make another one, I think I will make the contrast between light and dark a bit more prominent. I really wanted to incorporate all the "special" pieces in this one, so I had to blend it more and the contrast is not as bold as I wanted.

Ok off to sew!