One Monthly Goal Success!

What a great month December has been for us!  My last post was 3 weeks ago -- Friday, December 8th.  The weather was gray and threatening snow.  Here are some highlights...

Spotsylvanians' dress rehearsal . . . a canceled Saturday night concert due to icing . . . a packed house for the Sunday matinee including our kids and grands . . . pizza at the house for the 10 of us after the show . . . finally, throwing everyone out of the house by 7:30 because we were going on vacation! (There was a big reason why my goal's list showed wrapping presents in late November!) 

First stop was a hotel near the airport so we wouldn't have to fight traffic in the morning.  A flight to Miami and another hotel.  Finally Tuesday we got on a ship and headed to the eastern Caribbean. 

 The view from our balcony arriving at Cozumel, Mexico. 

The tourists on a tour of Cozumel. (This is the only picture of both of us on the trip -- except a few selfies.)

Mexican dancing. 

I've got quite a few more pictures of our 10 day cruise but it's time to get back to quilting.  I'll share more pictures over the next several posts.  

I'm tickled to say I finished my OMG for December.  I was pretty careful picking the hand appliqué -- there wasn't a lot to do and it was portable!  Here's the apples and the pears all done. Hum, it looks a bit wonky to me.  I think the left pear may fall over before I get it in the quilt!  No picture of the bird but he's got his body and wing finished. Now to figure out the setting.  Then on to the borders that will have appliqué vines and flowers on them. 

I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop.  I'm looking forward to getting back into checking blogs for inspiration and to keep up with my quilting friends.  

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie  

Monday Meanderings -- OMG December 12 - 4 - 2017

Even December seems to be streaming past me too fast!  I usually blog early Monday morning or late Sunday evening.  Not this week.  It's almost time for dinner on Monday and I'm just getting around to it.  Anyway, my blog this week is all about the December One Monthly Goal. 

I'm picking, what I hope will be, an easy goal for me to achieve.  I've got so much going on over the month that I'm hoping I'll have time to finish two small hand appliqué blocks.  (and one is about half done!) These are the two blocks -- front and back as I am doing needle turn appliqué on them.  The bird and the branch one is well started.  The pears and apples I've done a little bit of the big basting stitches around the two pears.  (sorry, no picture of the front...you aren't missing much.)

Front

Back, showing what the bird will actually look like.

Apples and pears, just two pears basted on.

We'll see how successful I am when January rolls around again. 

Here are my goal results for last week. 

November 27, 2017

Start Christmas cards√

Wrap presents√ started

Finish the baby doll outfit and shirt for AG doll.√

Make matching jewelry for Natalie and her doll√

Sing first full concert!√ 

And for this coming week!  Yikes lots of things taking me away from my quilting and piecing.

December 4, 2017

Embroider 2 more shirts for grands

Finish and mail cards

Sing 2 concerts

Wrap more presents

I'm linking up with my normal parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Makings, Main Crush Monday, Moving It Forward and One Monthly Goal December Link Up. Take a few minutes to see what folks are getting done this month. 

I'm off to get dinner and get ready for the last rehearsal before the weekend concerts. 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie

Monday Meanderings 8 - 7 - 2017

Late in July I finished a really old UFO, A Tisket, A Tasket.  It was designed by Bunny Hill Designs and was a free block of the month in 2009. The whole pattern is for sale now.  I was surprised that there is a new Christmas block of the week going on at Bunny Hill Designs. I'm saving them but heaven knows I don't need another Christmas quilt.  A Tisket, A Tasket is all hand appliqué in quilting cottons and some wool.  There was a lot of hand embroidery which I also enjoyed.  After looking at all the wonderful designs I realized I could use a new appliqué wall hanging for Easter.  Hum... 

Here it is hanging in the guest room. I won the quilt on the bed from Northern Virginia Quilters Unlimited show in 2001.  I attended the show with a group of guild buddies and as I walked in I stopped to buy tickets (6) for the quilt.  No one else bought tickets. You have to buy tickets to win!  I try to support guilds by buying raffle quilt tickets -- especially if I like the quilts.  Do you buy raffle quilt tickets? 

Current projects are being moved forward!  Here's a peak at the table topper that is almost done.  It just needs binding. (Actually, it still needed trimming when I took this picture.) 

And the back which shows off the quilting quite well.  I can imagine using this side if I'm tired of the orange and navy! (Most photos on the blog can be enlarged.) 

It was part of my goals list this past week.  I'm very happy with my overall progress from last week.  

July 31, 2017

Work on Christmas TAW√

Keep hand quilting Civil War Quilt√

Get serious on finishing floral wallhanging√

Figure out and quilt the orange and navy table topper√

Make a fabric box

Here's what's going to be worked on this week.  

Aug 7, 2017

Finish the floral wallhanging to top stage

Bind orange and blue table topper

Keep hand quilting Civil War Quilt

Enjoy a few days with the grands at the beach

I'm linking up with my regular Monday linky parties:  Monday Making, Main Crush Monday and Moving it Forward.  I enjoy spending time during the week looking at what others are doing across the internet.  I'll update inactive links as I find they are available. 

That's it for me today.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Monday Meandering 7 - 24 - 2017

I was able to get two borders on Grid Lock which is exactly how many I had planned!  But boy, was it close on the bigger border. 

This is all I had left of the 20" of fabric I used for the 2nd border. I made the border the size that my fabric allowed. Do you ever do that? Size the border to available fabric?  I'm happy to report that the entire top has come from stash.  Now if I can just find enough material to get a backing from my stash I'll be thrilled.  

I turned A Tisket, A Tasket on the long arm and finished up the quilting.  Next up binding!  I'm pretty sure I've got fabric saved for the binding and I have the label already made.  (At least I think I do!) 

Once these two quilts are done I'm going to focus on the floral wallhanging and the new TAW. (TAW, better known as Trip Around the World.) 

I was surprised I did well on my goals.  I spent most of Sunday in my studio that allowed me to check off several items.  Here's the results. 

July 17, 2017

Sew borders on Grid Lock √

Finish quilting A Tisket, A Tasket quilt√

Keep working on the floral walhanging didn’t get to this

Hand quilt another block of the Civil WarQuilt√ making a little progress

Enjoy Natalie’s Birthday adventure √

And this week I'll be working on these projects.

July 24, 2017

Make backing for Grid Lock

Quilt Grid Lock

Bind A Tisket, A Tasket

Work on Christmas TAW

Keep hand quilting Civil War Quilt

Do something on the floral wallhanging

Make a fabric box

Natalie's birthday adventure was great except poor Natalie wasn't feeling well.  For the most part she was a real trooper.  I sent her an invitation to meet me at the American Girl Store so she could pick out her own AG doll.  Mom didn't give her the invite until that morning when she also got some accessories for the doll.  We took her all around the store and introduced her to all the different dolls.  I thought she might like a doll that looked like her but in the end she chose Julie, a doll from the 1970s.  WAIT!  I lived those hippie days in California.  Well, no, I wasn't really a hippy but I remember all the events that were going on. Were you a hippie in the 70s?  Here she is waiting for our lunch reservation.  She was doing pretty well.  But as the day progressed she was starting to feel worse. 

I'd invited her other grandma to join us so Nana and Grammy (that's me) got her the doll and one outfit.  Lunch was at the American Girl Cafe.  There were little chairs for the doll to sit up at the table.  The goodies included a decorated pony tale holder, a tea cup for the doll, a tiara for both the BD girl and her doll and a new T shirt for the doll.  I'm sure I left something out. Oh yes a birthday cake with ice cream.  I'm sorry Natalie wasn't feeling well but she did really well considering how she felt. 

I'm linking with my normal parties: Monday Making, Main Crush Monday and Moving It Forward. I really enjoy spending a bit of time surfing the links you see so many inspiring quilts. Sometimes there are tutorials and/or directions to make all sorts of fun things.  I know there will be some 18" doll clothes in my future -- I've already bought the book with patterns in it.  Christmas is coming! 

That's it for me today.  Time to get on with the morning. (Or spend a little of that time checking out those links!) 

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Progress

My mojo is back. I may not be moving ahead at full speed but I have definitely enjoyed some time in the studio the last few days. 

First up is progress on Scrappy Gridlock. The diagonal rows are sewn.  I'm in the process of adding white setting triangles.  The yellow and turquoise are thoughts on a border.  Yellow would be about an inch while the turquoise -- maybe 3".  A lot depends on how much fabric I have.  Beth was over Tuesday morning and we dragged out all sorts of different colors to audition the borders.  We liked this combo the best.  But, I'm planning on having the inside sewn together by this coming Tuesday and we'll be auditioning fabric again.  This quilt is coming from the stash.  I'm really hoping to finish the top and get it quilted this month.  Time will tell. 

The Scrappy Gridlock pattern is available for sale on Marge Gordon's Delaware Quilts Patterns page. Marge uses her patterns to raise funds for the American Cancer Society.  For a long time she ran a Mysteries for Relay group and held retreats.  She is no longer doing those, but these patterns remain for sale on her site.  I changed up the pattern just a little by putting setting triangles in white instead of scrappy triangles. 

Next up is my flowers wall hanging. You remember it -- the one that I put away so carefully I couldn't find it for a few weeks!  I got the flower stems on and added the last border.  The funny green things pinned around the quilt are little wonky squares that get appliquéd down.  I'm trying to get the colors sorted so I can actually do some zigzagging or buttonhole or however I decide to do the finishing.  Above it is one of the blocks that goes to my FCQ Equilter this month.  Out of her fat quarter and my added fabrics I was able to get 3 12" fin. blocks.  I still have some left and I'm thinking about whether I could make one more block! My design wall is chalk full of projects.  I think I need to finish some so it isn't so crowded. 

That's it for now.  I'm linking up with MidWeek Makers, Needle and Thread Thursday, and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop. (Links will be added as available.) 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

OMG Done √√

Yes, sir, I am tickled to be done with my March One Monthly Goal, to sash and put together this block set.  Here is my finished top, A Ticket, A Tasket:

These blocks were a free block of the month from Bunny Hill Designs in 2009. Each block represents a month. I chose to put them in order.  Looking back at the blocks I realize just how much work went into each one:  all hand appliquéd, embroidery added and buttons and bows attached as needed.  I'm pretty impressed with myself even if it has taken me quite a long time to finish.  I just barely eeked out the rose colored and pink borders from the fabric on hand.  Here's what is left from the light pink final border.

And now, some close up of a few blocks. 

March block with a wool bunny and shamrocks.

More wool for the April block.

The October and November blocks both done with cottons only. 

Time for me to quit goofing off and start planning the quilting.  I'll probably use a cream or white backing fabric since I have a couple of pieces that are just the right size.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the quilting.  Any suggestions especially for the white backgrounds? I will have to stitch in the ditch around each block.  Hopefully the stitching will be really close to the ditch and look good.  Then I'll need a plan for the borders.  

I'm linking up with March OMG Finish Linky party, Mid Week Makers and  Needle and Thread Thursday.

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Yippeee!

I have diligently been working on A Tisket, A Tasket appliqué blocks.  Guess what?  Yea, I am two ears and a tail away from being done.  Ok, and a little flag but the end is in sight.  Here's two blocks that are now done but weren't when this photo was taken.  I hope to have the last block embroidered by the end of the weekend.  

The rail fence star quilt came off of Ruthie earlier this week.  I'll be making the binding and getting it on before the end of the month.  The next baby charity quilt is ready to go on... in fact the backing is already on the frame, I need to hunt for the right size of batting to put on next.  

Just did a quick review of my goals and I should be able to put a lot of check marks next to my items on Monday.  Now, time to get off the computer and in to the studio.  

Happy Quilting All!