Finally...2009 finishes!

I'm done with the Valentine/February quilts! I think. Why is it that we always end up trying to get things finished right before the holiday? I decided I'm starting the Christmas quilts next week! lol! Seriously, I am!

SO here are the big guys...

Hugs and Kisses
53" x 53"

It's from a very old pattern by Cheri Saffiote Payne, like 1997 or so, when she was with Indygo Junction. Don't know where to find it now, although someone found one through ebay! It's not rocket science to make the blocks either..just a center and 4 rounds. I used muslin for the letters and circles, which are muslin circles with red circles on top. Very quirky circles too!

Folksy Hearts
29 x 43

Cheri again, I finished this a few months ago and wanted to hand quilt, but the arm just wouldn't cooperate, so I did a free motion baptist fan pattern using 8 concentric card stock arc patterns. It takes a long time and a steady hand. Not again until I have a longarm and the quilting template! This pattern I'm sure you can get either through Country Loft (who still has this in their pattern section) or Fat Quarters Quilt Shop...email or call Michelle and I'm sure she can help you out.

Now I need to do some serious work on all my bom's! I have a few new ones waiting for me to complete Month One. A couple waiting for me to catch up, and two that need to be finished. I'll make a big list soon so you can follow along. Back to the machine!

Not a bad finish...

Got it done including the machine sewn binding. I am finding that easier in these smaller quilts. Zip right around and ready to go!

just a quickie quilt....

Monday afternoon the UPS man came and delivered a surprise. I signed up for Jan Patek's Mini quilt club and we got our first kit in late December, so I didn't expect another so soon. There are only 6 or 7 in the whole year, so I figured every other month. But, I opened the box and out popped the mini kit for a sweet little valentine quilt.

Yesterday I started cutting the pieces and prepared the applique hearts, sewing as much as I could before starting the applique. This morning, I finished up the applique and got to putting the top together. Simple as pie. It's supposed to be a bit larger, but they didn't give us enough light background to cut all the block without piecing some so I went smaller and as a result left off the wording that went around the inside heart. It's cute and will go with the others for the holiday.

Now to pin it and do some simple cross hatching. I'm almost finished sewing the binding down for Folksy hearts and the other February quilt, so I'll have plenty to show later this weekend!

Cheri fans, heads up!

Betty aka Fudge left me a message that one of our fellow bloggers named Julie Isa had posted pictures of a great big Cheri Saffiote Trunk show was currently going on at Fat Quarters Quilt Shop. Now I do love me some Cheri...as you are all aware, so I tootled right over and begun drooling! I have almost all her books, so I've seen pictures but the quilts in person looked wonderful!! Who knows, but I might need to email Michelle and get the last couple books to round out the collection. WOW, that shop is great. Michelle has gotten Cheri patterns for me before and couldn't me nicer to deal with long distance. I think this is where Libby gets those cute bundles of homespuns!! Right?? YUM!! Wish I lived closer.

Speaking of California....Looky what came from the Country Loft yesterday! My 2 new Blocks of the Month. I signed up for the new stitchery Baskets of Life from JoAnn Mullaly and the Deck the Halls wreaths from Donna Yackey. I also went ahead and purchased the thread packet for the stitchery. You can do them in anything, but don't you just swoon over those variegated Valdani threads?? Okay so maybe it's just me.

Well the big quilt is done and needs to be trimmed and binding sewn on, it's slow, but making progress...sometimes life just creeps up and demands some attention!! Now after doing a test run on freemotion MACHINE baptist fans, I'm all ready to do it on the smaller Folksy Hearts quilt this morning. Back to sewing!!

LOSER Monday...week 3

Hey I'm still doing it...DOWN 2 pounds! I would have lost more but I just had too many chocolate kisses. Now no fingers wagging, I have to have something chocolate or I'll hunt the house and end up eating 5 pieces of cinnamon toast!! So 3 or 4 kisses a day keeps me sane.

I also craved meat this week! Finished off the most wonderful New York Strip ever! I don't usually eat red meat, but somehow I just wanted real meat...so that's what jumped into the cart at Trader Joe's. Not something to do all the time, but wow it was good.

So my plan is to cut out a little bit more this week.
Too many pretzels with salt...water gain.
Too many kisses of the chocolate variety..we know the others burn calories!
No more white rice!

I'm also gonna check out this blog for some great vegetarian recipes to make in the crock pot. Check it out, I bet you can find something you will enjoy!

GHI block

Finally had a few moments after getting the latest top done to finish my GHI block by adding the ice cream cone and the tiny blocks. What are they actually? J's? I realized just now that I forgot the tiny grass and flowers beside the house! Have to go back and add those. I also must sew on the big initial J also before moving on with assembling the top section and then KL & MN. By then I'll be all caught up with the bom.

*** As usual...you can find a more detailed explanation of how I made the block here in the section for this quilt.***

I think I somehow gave you guys the impression that I hate pinning. I don't really. It doesn't bother me except for the back hurting from standing for all that time. But working them really goes super fast and with a good tool...my handy serrated grape fruit spoon... to click them shut, it's a piece of cake. I have tried the spray and just don't really like how it keeps everything stuck...which sounds absurd. What I mean is that I don't always wash my quilts right away and I don't like the look if I don't. SO on quilts I do wash immediately it would be fine. But I really don't mind the pinning...honestly. Hopefully in a year or two I'll have a big frame that won't require anything but rolling on the fabrics.

becoming one with the pins....

Here's where I am...me and the pins are getting VERY acquainted. I figure if I'm gonna lug Daisy Mae up to the table...and she's not a thin girl....I better have loads of stuff to quilt! This one is all done and I got the Folksy Hearts quilt ready too. I was going to big stitch quilt it and I really wanted to. But after trying several times, the arm had other thoughts. I'm sure I could get it done by next year, but I want it up now. SO I'll sacrifice hand quilting for seeing it on the walls completed.

I also hope to get my Blind Man's Fancy pinned too, so I can get it finished. I'm still not sure what I'm going to do with that one, but it will hopefully come to me when I'm ready. Also waiting in line is the Patriotic Top Hat but I don't want to kill myself quilting...it's tough on the shoulders and back. We'll just see how much I get done.