Middle of November already

 A simple post.  I'm well and happy. 

I'm catching up again since getting away for a 10 day respite with friends, One friend, Maureen, who is tried and true and I've been blessed with for 50+ years,  the other one Ernie, a new and so very nice and a very very handsome man.    Lucky ME!!!

As for the sewing - here's a pic of my current WIP: Mom's spiral quilt that I'm finishing.  

After getting home from the Outer Banks, NC I just finished sewing the binding on.  And yes, you're not seeing things.  Those pipings contained within the grey binding are 4 different colors - one of my  episodes of thinking "WHAT IF" has been created into a reality. LOL   Umph... Not bad!

Planning on doing a more thorough post at a later date but I noticed my last post was months ago in June.  Jeesh! Where does the time go?  Sorry about that.

TTFN

Thankful, Grateful and Blessed

 A finish finally after many humps and yikes along the way.   Not sure why my craft is giving me hiccups along their progression and am still trying to know the why of it all, but alas this one is done!    

My attempt at "Ruler work"ed into the quilt design:

Placed it on one pepper plant that must have given us over 50 plus peppers!
Tried a new to us recipe from the family freezer for sausage stuffed mini peppers
in Marinara and it's a keeper.

Small sampling of the quilting behind the motifs after echo stitching:

A detail pic and hint of the binding finish:

Full project finally finished:

Used a couple of different threads for those wheat stalks inserted in the hat brim - am happy with it.

Feeble attempt of an art shot on the flowered boxes on the deck:

Thankful Grateful  and Blessed  that it's done.

TTFN,  Jane

It continues

"Orange" Phlox bloomed this year and loved them.

 

I will share a snap of the Dragonfly Carnival wall hanging with the piping treatment she got.

Am loving how this looks, NICE!

I also am progressing on the quilts I need completed by the 11th of October. 

My list of 4 "chores" that need completion this week are:

1. Label the Dragonfly Carnival and finish sewing the binding to complete it.
2. Finish quilting the 10 minute block quilt I've named the Batik Reprieve.
3. Make binding and get it machine sewn on the Batik Reprieve and a small label done for it too.  Then next week I can start attaching the sleeve.
4. Rip out one row on the Tweet Camping, aka the camper quilt.  I have been hesitating putting all the borders on this one because it just didn't seem right that it was so long.  This will allow me to have all four sides with borders and with the top and bottom borders being narrower in  width than the side borders.  Hopefully by Friday I can get this layered at my grandson's preschool where I don't have to move that much furniture or crawl around on the floor to do it.  Just move a few chairs in the dining hall area and slide a couple of tables together.  Now why didn't I think of using them before? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

See the angel in the swing shot photo?  Guess what he did?
 

 

Yep!  He gave himself a HAIR CUT.  God bless.  He knew he did was wrong quickly.  You can tell by this expression that he got in trouble too.  So it went from a nicely style hair cut to a buzz cut given to him by his Papi.  His Dad didn't want him to feel bad so Papi cut Daddy's hair too,  (that's something I would never do unless a severe illness and then I would do it for solidarity to help with the healing).   

 

 

His sister had her first day at school.  For a minute or two that morning I thought, then asked if  McKenzie would be going with her.    And this was the answer I got. 

 

 

 Talk about an angel flipping her switch.

Meme, I am not bringing my doll to school!

On Wednesday, Papi and I were able to go on one more field trip to the local orchard.  This will be the last time for this younger generation with preschool.   We had a nice time and all the preschoolers were very attentive about the grandfather "snow" variety tree in the orchard when Brian explained it.

After the field trip we enjoyed a picnic near Lake Champlain, at the Samuel D. Champlain's monument with another activity of feeding the ducks afterwards.    The lake near the mouth of the Saranac River was a hive of activity with all the seagulls swooping down towards the water.  We think there was a hatch of lampreys just floating by since one seagull landed on a concrete abutment near us and had a 4" long resilient worm-like creature he was trying to kill for his dinner.   We should have grabbed the camera and snapped that photo.

 

Also I'm sharing a couple of the finished projects that PGD#1 completed.  She started these with her cupcake kids sewing circle group. 



10 minute table runner for her bedroom

 

We had a modeling session and both of us had a blast.


 

Anthology bag I shared on my blog previously without her.




 

 

She adds her own bit of style with the bag though, it's so much cuter!






Notice the band aids.and I'm not sure why she's closing her eyes,
perhaps her attempt at being coy.



Don't know what this pose was all about.

But it brought out a big smile though

 








 

 

 

 

PS: I'm smiling right now just remembering our shoot.  I Love you Girl!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy your blessings, I do mine.

Jane

Also PGS#3 just started his speech sessions and I'm impressed by his willingness & attentiveness to go every time. 
Can only hope this trend lasts.

March es past... now onto April Fools, 2013

Since it's the last day in March I'm summing up the list of four (plus extras)  that I listed at the beginning of the month.  Not great but not that bad either.

1-Stitch Me Up Project - DONE
2- Kindle Bag - Didn't even start, will be relisting this for April perhaps this is  a New FO whenever I start it.
3-Quilt Convergence Wall hanging - Started, the pieced center is quilted now that I figured out what it was calling for.  Have all the borders yet to quilt, then pipe, bind and label.  this too will be relisted in April.
4- A Little Something Jacket- Started and so close to being finished,  Hemming is all that is left.  This too will be relisted for April.
5- The Baby Quilt didn't even contemplate!

The apron and the 2 Superman capes that were finished  were on my list for May. Ah hummm... Can I say I'm ahead of schedule there!

Boy, can I ever fool myself!  Only one completely done out of the 5!  How foolhardy is that thinking that it wasn't so bad?  Progress was made on all but one and I did list five so I am content none the less.  Now onto my hopes for this month.

My four focuses  for April for the Getting It Done challenge are:

DONE  1: Finish the A little Something Jacket made from the tropical foliage rayon.
2: Kindle Bag designed and made.
3: Convergence wallhanging totally quilted.  Have a stalled and very cold engine for this baby.
4: Embroider another lil' Miss Shabby Block (that project has stalled since February but one more so close to being done).
5: Piping and binding for the Convergence.
DONE  6: Shake Your Pom Poms project, my date to share is the 29th.
It actually was one of the top two projects that day.
DONE  7: Batiks Quilt blocks made out of the 10 minute block pattern.  20 made.
8: Make another "A Little Something Jacket", perhaps the orange with the cream and black print. Reminds me of Butterflies.
9:  The "Straight grandbaby quilt", have the flowers appliqued onto center of the quilt, it'll be an original design but still a simple.
DONE  10: Pillow case(s)  made for PGD#1 to match her Field of Flowers quilt.  Perhaps this will be a nice sewing project to do with her this week since she's out of school.  Made 3.

NO, this list is not an April's Fools Joke, it really is my intention.  There are so many other items I could  and perhaps should have written but I'll limit myself to these.  If those others creep onto my sewing table and demand my attention well then, I'll be forced to comply and will add them at the end of April. 

What projects are on your horizon?  To see what many other bloggers are pledging, follow the link to Judy Laquidera's blog.

Sometimes I feel like such a slacker with many of my friends and my Mom, who is absolutely amazing shall I say. They all seem to get quilts done lickity split.  For example:  Like my  BFF Trudy, last week I stopped by to visit and enjoy a cup of tea and she had just started a baby quilt for an expected in May, great grandbaby, her first!  then BANG!   Saturday  she showed up at our little quilt group stitching the binding on.  Talk about gorgeous and quick!  She had even sent it out to be quilted!!!   Boy, I am not worthy.    Mom makes a quilt every month and gives it to Community service at her church and she doesn't make wimpy sized quilts either.  Those quilts are at least 50" x 68" and done with her scraps and yardage she's  pushing through.  Besides the other quilts and projects she completes each month is astonishing.  I really am not worthy.   Yet here I am, all smug in my feeble creative attempts and loving these little projects of mine.   

But my most important project is the time spent with my grandchildren.  Any  projects not completed are a small price to pay for the priviledge in holding them, playing a game, creating something and just  guiding their development that I am content.   It's such an honor and priviledge that I cherish  doing in this life and hopefully doing so with grace (my other intention).

Jane 

Auditioning the Big EZ

 

I was able to finish the August block of Lil'  Miss Shabby Chic and now I'm starting the November block Stitchery of the same LMS.

As you see it's not yet pressed but will be when I start assembling these stitchings into quilt blocks. 

Maybe I'll start that when I start stitching onmy last block,  the 12th one.

 

 

I was able to finish quilting the Big EZ two days before I thought I could get it done! 

Can I get a Hoot Whoot!!!

 

 

This is what I used for the backing and it shows the quilt design nicely.

The quilt feels wonderful so far with the quilting done.

Weighty,

but not that heavy, just right!

                                 

I wish I had just a bit more of this fabric because then a biased binding of this would work beautifully,

but I don't.

So I'm audtioning which combination of fabrics to use for  the piping/binding.

 

I found this stripe fabric in my stash and the colors work nicely with that large floral focal fabric. So an option is Striped piping with a white Binding? I really like the look of this so far, but white on the edge???!!!?


Stripe Piping w/ White binding, Option 1

Aqua pipng w/ white binding, Option 2-


















Striped piping with Aqua Binding, Option 3?











Perhaps the stripe piping with the aqua binding which would be much easier for housekeeping purposes since this is for PGD#1's bed, and I've never used a white binding before or have seen too many others that have either.  The down side to this is that her bedroom is a softer pink and that aqua may not look the best.   Also since orange is her favorite color and the orange in this quilt comes out more of a dirty yellow in the pics it's a nice blend to introduce it in her bedroom. 



From a distance this is how the quilt top looks with the auditioning white binding showing how both the aqua and the striped fabbies look as the piping.   It's a nice clean look and the one I am perferring just now.  In my eyes, the quilt seems to be asking for white edging. 

 Please help me out, which one?
Any ideas to help me out of my dilema? 
Have you ever seen or used a quilt bound with white? 

I'll be ruminating over this, so any wisdom or ideas you 'd be willing to share, I'd appreciate.

I have 'til Sunday before I'll be cutting and starting to sew the pieces together. 

All of my pictures can be enlarged for a better view if you wish,  just click the pic to see more of the details.




Ahh....., it's so nice not cooking the Thanksgiving Dinner today.  DH and I will be  going to a restaurant to have our Holiday dinner.  DS and his family are celebrating with my DIL's family and DD and family were going to spend it with SIL's  home, ( that was actually  cancelled  last moment just before our getaway, and now they are on there own).   Glad I had time to post this though truth be told, I am missing the aroma that once spilled out of my kitchen on the years gone past and the warmth of family surrounding us.     

Enjoy your blessings, Jane