These are all my completed blocks CW diary block so far. 18 made and about 6 more ready to sew. I have to start thinking about what to sash these with at some point and finding the fabric.
Now today I hoping to get a new top done, if I can get off the computer to work!
I swear I really can do other things besides just the diary blocks, but since I've been spending so much time with these fabrics this week it's hard to not grab some of the lovely colors and do the new blocks. Since I had 7 to do this week from Dawn's list, I stared cutting. It's so easy to cut them out and having them sitting ready for me sew when I have 20 minutes here and there.
and how they look on the back.
I made sure to cut a 1/4" seam line on the edge and then started to pin so the 2 halves could be sewn back together. To do this, the easiest way for me is to stick a pin right through the spots on one piece where I want the seam to hit. Then take the other piece and stick the same pin through the exact spot on the opposite side. It will line right up once you do this. Here's the pins through the seam junctions:
And Voila!! A Little Broth....The finished block that looks so pretty! I actually trimmed from the front making sure I had a 1/4" from each point and with a little fidgiting, it worked out.
Libby asked to see our ironing boards. I have my Grandmothers regular stand up ironing board which looks totally normal with it's new flowery cover from Walmart. It rarely comes out of the laundry room. Most times I use a little 14" board on the rolling cart. This past week I've been using the larger board balanced on 2 rolling carts. It's the perfect size for ironing FQ's and half yards. 
Homespuns on the left, CW on the right. Regular on the bottom shelves. It's changing! Gotta have room for the new stuff and I have been lazy lately and just sticking the ones I use back on the shelf at the top of the pile. It takes no time at all for all the colors to mix together like fruit salad. The cabinet on the left is also filled with fabrics too that need to be re-organized. Yikes!
Now to sew the ones for this week and the ones I picked out for next week. If you'd like to join us and want to know the list of suggested blocks, you can pop over to Kathie's and check them out. Scroll down for the list week by week. Oh and click on the sidebar link called Civil War Blocks to see each one up close and personal.
Not the ironing, that's fine. I love to iron, but the pulling the pieces from the washer in a tangled mess, and having to lurch over the washer cutting the strings...not so much! These are the first piles for the wash. Believe me it's only half of the haul I got. Yes, I went back for another few things today. Never done that before, but the wool was calling me. I've never seen wool anywhere near my house and I simply had to have a few more pieces...oh, and some red and navy from the Liberty Homestead lady...and another bundle; pink and brown. And I forgot to check Marcie's quilt at my local Nancy's Quilt shop booth...and that last booth on the way to the door out that had tons of CW FQ's and Jo Morton ones in particular. I blame it on the bundle lady, she told me they were not making poison greens at the moment, so I grabbed every one I saw. Got some lovely ones.
The coolest booth was Liberty Homestead. Beautiful hand dyed cottons and wonderful patterns. I got her 25th anniversary book with 54 patterns, 2 patterns, and quilt hanger (with the stars) 2 color FQ bundles and 5 total yds of different color backgrounds. Yum! Over on the left are 33 FQ's of CW reproductions that most of you have but I missed ages ago and I was able to find them at one of the booths...buy 10 get one free! I also found my Bohin needle pullers!! *s*
Picture number 2 shows my new quilting hoops that stand on their own! a size 10" and 14" they fit together but come back apart and now I can lay it on my lap and have nothing resting on my arm trying to balance. They are made from the same resin I like but really cool. The yummy wool pieces I got on the left, and then my biggest purchase!! These are the CW bundles that I specifically went to find. I bought 8 of them. Blues, browns, rusts, loads and loads of patterns I have never seen before and probably will never again! I loaded up with shirtings too. There's a bundle in the first picture!!
Close-ups of the FQ Civil war bundles...where is all this stuff going to go???
I don't have loads of pictures of the quilts...sorry. I actually looked at most of the quilts, I just forgot to take out the camera all that much. I'll share those in a second post. But I did want to add the 3 blocks I made yesterday afternoon to this post. I can't wait to open up some of those new bundles and get sewing!
D - Love Letter. An extra block I just loved..
More blocks to follow, and more projects finished in the upcoming days. I'm waiting for new packages from BOM's and such too.
Today I am showing my finishes on other sections of quilts. I must keep up with all the others too. I finished Lady Liberty on the right there and sewed the section together for this months completed allotment. I wonder where the next section is??? I also got started on the embroidery for the Four Seasons Month 2 and it's about 75% done. If I get off the computer, it will be done and I can start cutting block pieces for the CW diary blocks. Yippee!
So that's 6 blocks done and after I make the last two blocks tomorrow I'll have 8 of them done..not too shabby for a days work. Thanks for the idea Kathie! I understand she and Meghan are making a ring so you can follow along with the girls making these blocks. As soon as it's ready and I add it to my sidebar, you can follow along, or join in!
Can't start it tonight because I want to get the last SLOL block done for this month before that package arrives and makes me feel bad for not being done on time. Here's the hand block as they call it, and then the pineapple block...
I goofed on the hand block. I should have laid it out and made sure all the reds were scattered, but I just grabbed and sewed. Then because 2 sides were a tiny bit longer than the other 2 I got stuck with like colors next to the same and Oh well, I'm fine with it now. Not coming apart to do another one. In the scheme of the whole busy quilt it won't matter.
I've seen every ones packages come in and today I hit the jackpot myself! Got my order from Z&S of Civil War Backgrounds and a whole mess of 30's prints. I love that you get a 2 1/2 inch wide strip tied in a ribbon. It's a free piece of fabric. I use them in all sorts of things! The red is what I wanted for the binding of my string quilt, so now I need to get it quilted and bound...maybe this weekend!?
Hubby also brought me a nice Priority envelope in with the backgrounds I ordered from Fabric Shack for doing embroidery blocks on. I realized I was seriously lacking in nice backgrounds for all these stitchery patterns I'm doing over the year, so I stocked up. No reason to show you 10 different colors of pretty lights. Imagine them...I'm sure you have several in your own stash too!
I put Annie next to my flowers...which show up red, but are a wonderful hot pink and white.
Hope you all have a wonderful Valentine night!
Seriously it was 64 degrees yesterday! I went to the mailbox before dinner and didn't realize it had dropped so much, then I think hubby said something about a possibility of snow. Yea, right! First I knew of it was a phone call from him waking me up to tell me I could have this stinkin' snow of mine!! He was stopped in the car 55 minutes into a 25 minutes drive to work. Hey, I did not order this stuff. People saw flakes and stopped cold, stupid drivers. It's about all gone already.
Tiny paw prints. Noodle stuck his head out the door and ran for the snow like it was a rug or something that he wasn't supposed to be on. He literally pounced on it! Idiot cat, then he fled back into the house after I screamed to get in the house.
Do you see her tiny bunny? She even has a blue check underskirt under her lovely dress.
And just so you know I am sewing, I'll show you my first block of the Four Seasons quilt...it needs the fabric parts sewn on today, but the needlework is done. I'm doing the embroidery for a block from Cheri's SLOL quilt now and then I'll do the second Four Season's block . Carol and Beth are way ahead of me and I can't have that. Sharon is not far behind them too. SO I gotta keep up!
I sewed the binding on this little baby and sewed it down. It's all finished and waiting for July to come out and play. I don't think I'm even gonna add any quilting stitches because it's only 12 inches square and the batting was sewn through when I did the embroidery. I'm working on more embroidery at the moment for several quilts but nothing done enough to show.
Last thing you thought you would ever see on my site huh? The day before Judy admits herself, voluntarily, to the hospital and gets put to sleep?? Maybe I should have opened with a death mask or something! *s* But that's not what the happy dance is for folks! It's for the 6AM "gotta be at the hospital time slot"! Y-e-s, you heard me right! Be here at 6 am...I'M FIRST people. 7:30 time to start. First in line for surgery, no waiting all day while I pass out from lack of food or water, no waiting all day while I pass out from a-n-x-i-e-t-y!! I'll still be asleep when I get there. I won't even be hungry! Thank you! Thank you! Now if only my heart would stop beating through my chest I'd be an even happier gal!
All done and ready to be trimmed and have the backing and a red check binding put on. I don't even think I have to quilt this one since it's only 12 inches square. I might take a few stitches inside the star, or around the teapot or outside binding. Thanks to Sharon for this little beauty. She showed the picture from Country Loft and I drew it up. The pattern it came from is made by Donna Yackey and it's a whole quilt.
I've gotten mail all week at my house too! Today they UPS man dropped off this little bundle of sunshine. Aren't they fabulous? Just like a little drop of sunshine! These are the new Little Darlings 6 collection of FQ's. Just yummy!
OH, I need to answer some questions. First someone asked before if I had a long arm. Nope very short arms! LOL! No, I just use my trusty Bernina. I'd kill for a real longarm but I live in a condo and we like sleeping in a bed.
Another package brought Carol's swap 9 patches and P9P's. So sweet and pretty. I think I have about 65 -9 patches now and over 100 P9P's.
Then of course, the last package...which arrived first actually, early in the week, was a guilty pleasure. Okay, so I know I'm supposed to save money, but it's not really my fault when they keep popping up over there on the site and begging to be bought. Honest...it says BUY ME right under their names! Besides, I'm done for a bit now......right after my special order Easter Annie arrives. 
I'll see you all in a few days. I'll pop open the Mac and check up on you all from time to time, so behave. OH...one last thing. Thanks so much for all the answers about the fabric round-up. I think I do the same thing mostly but I need a super clean up. Mostly I think I need to do something with all the fabric that I bought years ago that I no longer would ever use. Stuff that's fine, but so far from my taste now. I'll have to do some sorting and searching and I'll make sure to share all the results right here!
How does everybody else mark your Lazy Daisy stitches for leaves? The first time I marked them I drew the loop, then after a few stitches failed to follow the lines perfectly I got smart. Control freak people...remember? Now I mark only the beginning and the spot where I will come out and anchor the loop. That's what makes it look like I have tons of random dots in the pattern. Some are satin stitched dots, but most are lazy daisy leaves. I just love the curly mouse tails!
If you want to find them, just type in mini wholecloth in the search engione of eBay and they will pop up! I ordered 2 of them and they were reasonable and really great for my practice works. They aren't masterpieces or anything so don't get your hopes up. but I can get my stitches more even and have something great at the end. I figure by the time I get them done and washed they will end up about 15 x 15. Just perfect for sitting on the table under a bowl or something.
I was about to iron this when it dawned on me I think that sets the blue stuff? Doesn't it? That would be just like me. Lastly, I'll leave you with a nice picture of my quilting buddy this morning. He still won't get that he's too fat for the top bunk. Keep stuffing it in the hammock fat boy. Demand the top bunk! Momma loves that sweet face!
