Staycation Day THREE !

It's a happy staycation here...  but not a completely happy one.

Both DH and I are still  bit under from the winter "crud" - but it's nice to just snuggle inside and do a bit of this and that, with frequent naps..........and a lot of hot tea.

I finished up this little beauty last night..........

Isn't it lovely???  It's a little charity kid quilt - and I don't know who made the top - several people send me tops to quilt - when I first saw it I thought it was boring and "ooh too peachy", but quilted up I completely love it, and it was fun to work with so much negative space...  and the color seems perfect now - go figure how that happens.

I'm also doing to de-cluttering - made up a big bag of clothes for Goodwill, and have been filling up trash cans with every piece of paper I can find to throw away.............. 

This morning I have been playing with some crumb blocks - I love crumb blocks - we will see what comes out the machine !!

oh, honey - are there any leftovers ???? 

Kate

It's a Staycation !!!!!

oh hello my friends...

I'm on holiday from work, starting today, for FIVE, COUNT'EM FIVE DAYS !!!

And our holidays are simple - no traveling, no guests - just us home folks.  So, some lovely meals, but no gigantic feast...

SO HERE I AM ON DAY ONE............

woke up - - SICK !!!!    oh ouch, grumpy grumpy....... sore throat, tired, achy...........

thnk goodness I rallied a bit and got a little something done - finished up this little charity quilt:

 

This will go in a box for the organization "Quilts Beyond Borders"...  and I think some child will love its eye-popping orange brightness !  That orange fabric is one of the first pieces of quilting stash I ever bought - when I started quilting again around 1995 or so.... I bought three yards of that tone-on-tone in orange, 3 in blue, and 3 in green.........  and have just chopped away at it.  I think (HOPE) this is the last piece of it - I'm ready to see it be gone !

 

What's next?   hmmm... maybe a nap............. 

 

and then perhaps I'll find something else to do in the sewing room...........

 

good luck with all your pies and cakes and things turning out well !

 

Kate

 

 



Third Time !!!! ??

Sometimes you just have to start OVER - and OVER !!


I made this top almost ten years ago when we lived in Greensboro, NC.  I had just begun to quilt again, and I saw it on the front cover of a book called , appropriately, "Log Cabin Quilts" by Rita Weiss and Linda Causee...  it took my breath away.

I loved the book, cause the instructions were so very clear, and it gave finished measurements of all the different size blocks that made up the quilt. 

I made this almost exactly like the original, colors and all - except I put a plain border on, just 'cause' it felt right to me.

And then I tried to quilt it...........................  one of my first attempts at machine quilting - and I really didn't know how to sandwich and baste properly.......... and there were GIANT PUCKERS on the back.............

So I unstitched, and it became a flimsy again............

Three or four years later.....................  tick, tock............ I decided to hand quilt it.............

I did about 10% of it................. and it sat, and it sat AND IT SAT.........

so yesterday, I UNSTITCHED the hand quilting.................

At least now I am an accomplished machine quilter, and I will be able to do a proper job........

WILL I DO IT SOON ???

oh, I hope so, cause I do love this little beauty.................

Stay tuned...................

Kate

Hi everyone - it finally feels a bit like fall here in Northern California - socks, and a sweatshirt - snuggled down......

I'm tickled to have just finished this flimsy... it's got quite a story... 

The star points began life more than two years ago, as part of a Bonnie Hunter mystery - but after making the blocks, I didn't like the colors, and put these points aside, and used another set of colors...  so they sat, in their little plastic bag..........  finally I fussy-cut some centers, in this cse with these little adorable cats on them, and made blocks.  Then it was a matter of finding an alternating block, and we were off !

As you can see, the minute I put it down for the photograph, Mystic came to see..........  About ten seconds later he decided there must be something UNDER the quilt...........and the kitty game was ON !!

Five seconds later they ran off, leaving a crumpled quilt.................  oh well.

This is a good lapsize quilt, and i'm hoping to get it quilted in time for a Christmas gift - we will see........

oh me oh my, tomorrow is Monday - oh well, it's off to work we go !

Kate

Fabric Wrangler

Fabric Wrangler????  you ask???? what is that????

Well - that's my DH...

for about a year, he's been "wrangling" my fabric.

He washes and folds new fabric.

He cuts scraps (oh my how fabulous !!!!  )

He ironed chain pieced stuff, like four-patches..........

WOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEe

so today the first quilt made entirely from his work came to completion.  And he attached his feet on the bottom of it, ad you see below. 



 

All those 2.5 inch squares came from bins of scraps, strips from quilt backs, etc.  He cut and cut, and I now have bins and bins of squares, 2.5, 5, and 8.5 inch...  this is just the tip of the iceberg !

 

He played "I Spy" with it - oh, I remember that one, and that one, and oh, lots of that one....

 

 

AND THEN HE TOLD ME HE WAS TIRED OF FABRIC WRANGLING !!!

 

 

boooooooooooooohoooooooooooooooooooo

 

I already miss my wrangler !!!

 

 

Kate

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Off on a Tangent

Well - you know how they say a quilt can talk to you?   Well, this one has taken me on a wild ride..........

Here's how it looked in May........... its a Sue Garman pattern, called "Sarah's Revival".   I had one more row to put on the bottom.  But then I got occupied with other things, and it sat on the shelf.  

And then I started to hear it talk..............  the middle blocks just weren't quite right - not quite centered, not quite well done..............  So I decided to take them out............

And then I decided to take out the red sashing.............
So I took it all apart.

Then it told me it wanted to have the blocks set on point !!!!

So - here it is now......  I'm gradually rebuilding it on point, and as a rectangle instead of a square.

And with cream sashings..............

 

It looks really different, doesn't it ????  I like how the applique has room to breathe. 

 

Well, stay tuned, and we'll see what happens next............ 

 

this sure is fun.........

 

Kate