Design Wall Monday 12 - 14 - 2015

Yep, another full week passed without me posting anything to the blog.  Someday, I hope to do at least 2 posts a week.  Evidently, it isn't happening during December! 

This is my design wall after taking down my Easy Street.  The rows were all sewn together and I have a plan for the borders but no action on that plan.   Wow, nearly naked design wall! 

Let's get up close to the one project currently on the wall. This is the antique 9 patch blocks with the some of the snowballs that I've made from the extra fabric. I was going to make it square but realized I had enough blocks for another row.  The next one I'm going to use the solid fabrics for the snowballs which will calm it down a little.  Hopefully the blocks will actually fit together because a good quarter inch seam with accurate cutting wasn't in this quilter's skill set.  

I will be working on Christmas presents most of this week but I still hope to get more done on this quilt and the bigger quilt. Ha!  Who am I kidding.  I doubt I get anything done on either of these projects.  But maybe....

Yesterday afternoon we went to Williamsburg because Pat's barbershop chorus was singing at a church.  We went down with Amanda and Hardman.  Amanda and I spent an hour strolling through the downtown area into the historic section.  Really, I was going to look at the wreaths Amanda had seen on an early trip that celebrated the original Star Wars movie.  What do you think? 

Yoda

Han Solo

Luke Skywalker

And my personal favorite. . . 

Princess Leia

And, the door had a wreath detailing the various Star War movies. 

Door wreath detailed the time period/release of the movies.  I didn't read the written information.  I haven't paid a whole lot of attention to the movies since the first 3.  Hum, maybe it's time for a movie viewing weekend

And just so you know what a "normal" Williamsburg decoration looks like -- here's a beautiful window decoration.  Pat and I went to Williamsburg during Christmas one year.  Since living within easy distance we've never thought of going down just to see the decorations.  Must remember this for next year.    

The chorus did a wonderful job with Christmas songs.  Before we left the area we had a great dinner.  Our dogs weren't happy to be home by themselves so much but they got outside and were fed right on time by our wonderful neighbor.

It's time to get going this morning.  We're doing a little but of Christmas shopping and then I'm heading to the studio to do some embroidering.  

I've been plugging away on all my goals which are mostly getting the Christmas presents done. I had a great time fabric shopping with my friends.  I went wild buying fat quarters -- why not they were a dollar each. 4 yards were used as gifts to give the quilt guild board members who serve with me. 

December 6, 2015

Quilt charity quilt√

Finish another mitten pair√

Sew rows together of Easy Street√

Fabric Shopping with the girls√

Work on quilts for Stacey√

Get packages ready to mail√

Keep counting those cross stitch items!√ 

And for this week . . .    

December 14, 2015

Mail packages

Embroider and make hats for grands

Finish ornaments

Wrap presents

Work on Stacey’s antique quilts

Prep and send Christmas cards

Embroider secret items…

I'm connecting up with Monday Makings,  Main Crush Monday and Design Wall Monday. Take a look at what is going on all over the Internet.

Happy Quilting All! 

Square Root Day Squared....

I am sure my family is laughing their heads off at me.  I am nearly hopeless when it comes to math.  Well, I can add, subtract, multiply and divide but don't ask for too much in the way of higher math.  I think it is because I went to 7 different schools from k to 5th grade.  In those days schools didn't test the kids to see where the gaps in the knowledge was.  And I'm pretty sure there were BIG gaps in my knowledge.  That's my story and I am sticking to it.  

But since it is still square root day - 3/3/09  here's another 9 patch to ooh and ahh over.  It is one of my favorite quilts even though it is getting a bit worn.  This is another quilt that Sharon and I made together.   The side that is over the bannister mirrors the side showing. It is a beautiful quilt if I do say so myself.  We gave it to our church in Columbia to auction at a live auction about 10 years ago.  DH went to the auction to support the church while I was in California visiting.  I'm not sure how it happened but he ended up buying the quilt to the tune of $190.  Wow! And it is only a lap quilt.  Sharon and I liked this design so well we also made a miniature version of it that we put in a silent auction at our quilt show.  It went for about $100 if I remember correctly.  Amazing.  Now, the quilting is coming loose on the lap quilt.

We chose to machine quilt it on the diagonal.  And, anytime someone tries to anchor their feet and then pull it up it pops stitches on the back.  Now when I do diagonal quilting I almost always use a rounded zig zag stitch.  (I don't know its real name -- it's used for knits mostly.) But it gives a nice look to the quilt and so far, the stitches don't pop out.  

The birds and squirrels have been missing from the bird feeder and the ground under the bird feeder as of late.  Well, until the snow storm yesterday.  This little guy's face is covered with snow because he was rooting around in the snow looking for some of the seeds that fall from the bird feeder.  He's a pretty timid squirrel because when he saw me looking out of the window with my camera in hand he scurried across the yard and up this tree.   I was lucky enough to see a squirrel jump into his nest when I was visiting in Maryland. (no camera around to capture it...)  Squirrels have big, messy nests.  I've been looking for one in our trees but so far haven't seen any. Hey, I'm not going outside in 10 degree weather to look for squirrel nests.  

I have the border quilted on the Nickel mystery.  And, I was figuring the amount of fabric I needed for the binding. (see notes above re: math ability.... I needed my calculator... which kinda belies the concept I can do the 4 basic functions...) Perhaps tomorrow I will get that done.  Time will tell. 

BLOGGING hint of the day:  I go crazy trying to get the pictures where I think they should be. And, sometimes as I fuss around with spacing I lose the picture entirely.  It vanishes.  After way too many months of blogging I figured out I could go to my internet program, which happens to be Safari on my Macintosh, click on Edit> undo typing.  If I hit it a few times the photo usually comes back.  YEAH -- no uploading the pics again.  I know the pics sit in some location but I haven't been able to figure out how to get it from the photo site to the blog. One of these days I'll figure that out... 

Happy quilting all.  Bonnie (and another happy birthday to Jenny.... :)