I LIKE Thursday 10.12.23

Joining LeeAnna and others at Not Afraid of Color to share some likes this week. It’s definitely Fall in Wyoming!  We had a freeze last Friday night and that left my friend’s pumpkins and squash showing their lovely orange. And cooler temps and possibly rain and snow are predicted for today! 

I’m participating in Autumn Jubilee over at From My Carolina Home. This will be a candle mat!  Or a Mason Jar mat!

It’s school picture time!  This absolutely adorably handsome lad is related to me. I won’t share his name or where he lives, but can you say “ future lawyer”? He’s in Kindergarten! 

This praying mantis appeared on the wall of the garage last week. It’s the second one this year, and the second one ever, that I have seen. I happened to have my phone in my pocket! 

Rainbow Neighbourhood is back from the quilt show and hanging in our living room. That is my space, where I sit and stitch or write blog posts! It makes me so happy ! 

Mr Busy and I were coming home from running errands and found these four autumn displays on each corner of one intersection on our downtown area. 

This one is in front of Rapscallions Barbershop! A really cool, manly upscale shop that specializes in hot towel shaves! ⤴️

Across the street is a building that is now for sale, but was the post office when we came here in 1977! ⤴️

This corner houses our tallest building. It is a bank with offices in the seven stories. I used to work in Suite 626. ⤴️

And on this corner is a coffee shop called The Local! 

Excuse the photos taken from the car windows! Thus the side mirrors and steering wheel! 🤪. I think the displays are awesome. 

Saw this on a Facebook page! Yup! I think it must be true! LOL!

 And before you’re bored, I should probably answer the prompts from LeeAnna for this week. 

what ethnic foods do you like? ex: most of us like Italian, but how about Vietnamese? Thai? Mexican? Cuban? German? Swedish? others?

My absolute favorite is Mexican, hands down!  I like Chinese too, and have just discovered Thai dishes.

do you get take out, eat at a special place,  or have you learned to make a version at home? 

We eat take out from Taco Bell, and a regional favorite called Taco John’s. Our little town has several Mexican restaurants owned and run by Latinx families. All are great, our favorite is Las Margaritas. And I’m pretty good at Tex-Mex at home. Chicken Enchiladas, Street Tacos, Taco Salad , and of course Chili! We have Mexican inspired meals at least one a week. Even when I was going through Chemo 20 years ago, I craved Mexican when I was home from the hospital! 

ex: I grew up eating Cuban food at restaurants, and still make arroyo con pollo (chicken and yellow rice) at least once a month

I want to try LeeAnna’s Arroyo con Pollo! I’m sure I would like that too! 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!

Finished Not Finished Friday,

 

I really wanted to post this on Friday! But I had one more side to finish the binding on and did finish til 9pm. 

Then it was too dark for outdoor photos. So I waited til this morning. But it was drizzling rain, gray over cast sky and cold, 52F. So I punted. I took pictures with Rainbow Neighbourhood laying on the bed in the guest room. 

My long arm quilter did an amazing job with the custom quilting!  There are clouds in the cloud fabric, every house is different 

Can you see the black cat and spiderweb in the windows of the green house? 

All the roofs have the same design and all the chimneys are bricked. But there is a gift in the Christmas Star and holly on the door. Each cornerstone has a sewing machine. See in the upper right corner⤴️

This house has vines on the front, a really intricate star flower in the quilt block and grass blades quilted in the green.

The red heart house might be my favorite.There are hearts in the star block, hearts in the door and windows, even hearts in the sky!

I am “over the moon” happy with it! The pattern is awesome, thank you Sandra Walker, of mmmquilts.  Here is a link to Sandra’s post about her version of the pattern from mmmquilts! Hers is spectacular. I might have to do that one too! 

This quilt will live at my house with me. I can’t part with it!!

I’m sharing with Alycia’s Finished or Not Finished Friday , late Saturday evening.

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!

TO-DO Tuesday # 158.

Last week, 9-12-23 to 9-18-23 , my list looked like this:

1. If the quilter finishes Rainbow Neighbourhood, get the binding attached to the front and ready for hand stitching.✅

 The binding is started just before the first corner and as of this morning I am nearly finished with the  left side!

2. Make a label and hanging corners for Rainbow Neighbourhood!✅

Because this lap quilt is 60” square, I added two hanging triangles across the top in addition to the corners. 

The quilting shows nicely from the back!

The label is in the bottom right hand corner. 

3. Finish bottom border for spool quilt. PARTIAL

  Yesterday it was under my needle, I should finish it today! Lots of threads to take to the back and tie off! 

4. Stitch on Winter/Christmas Penguin. ✅

It’s hard to tell, but white stitches were placed in his face and tummy area!

5. Start thinking about ABC Table Scraps Challenge in Aqua with “P” or “Z”! ie. Sew some aqua!✅

This is as far as I got. As soon as I get the appliqué done, I’ll get started on these HSTs!

Next Week

9-19-23 to 9-25-23

1. Keep stitching  binding on Rainbow Neighbourhood  

2. Christmas Penguin 

3. Attach borders to Spool Quilt

4. Sew Aqua HST to match Americana Modern border?  

Sharing at Quilt Schmilt! Thanks Carole! 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!

Slow Sunday Stitching and a Birthday ~ Mid September

 I’m working on some slow stitching projects today! And linking up with Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday

This little Christmas Penguin was an interim stitch 

while I waited for some other fabric to be coffee dyed and gridded. It’s a s-l-o-w process! 

And yesterday I finished machine attaching the binding to Rainbow Neighbourhood. It’s an entry in our local quilt show the first weekend in October, so it’s priority! 

The first corner is ready. I always start at a corner, so I only have 3 more! 😊 Corners are the hardest parts for me! 🤨

There probably won’t be much stitching til evening. Today is Mr Busy’s 79th birthday! Our oldest granddaughter and her family are coming over for pizza and cake and ice cream. That will be fun, but I will be tired afterwards! 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!

TO-DO Tuesday. June 20th

 I'm joining Carol at Quilt Schmilt and friends to share my to-dos from last week. It felt like I was spinning my wheels, but when I looked at my list, there are some check marks. I’ll link with Carol when her post goes live. 

Last week 

6-13-23 to 6-19-23

1. Sew Zig Zag Rows together ✅

Trying to decide on a long quilt and make it wider with borders or two baby quilts! I think I have decided to go with the long one. 

2. Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL final post of finished flimsy 6-15 ✅

See my post here. 

3. Spring Stamps stitching done. ✅

I will leave the fabric extenders on until I decide how to to finish it. 

4. Father’s Day Pizza Party!✅ not a single photo was taken. Our granddaughter and her family moved into a new house. Not NEW NEW but new to them. They were exhausted, so we just had a low key, laid back,  pizza out of the box and paper plates party.  Our daughter came home and brought her dad this shirt! 

He thought it was pretty cool!!

 

5. Maybe get binding attached to Long May She Wave and Growing Up Odd! I’m thinking red on both, but I might choose navy blue for the patriot LMSW!❌ 

I layed out the patriotic one and decided it's binding should be red. I don't have enough of the red that is in the stars, but I have one that is very close.  Growing Up Odd is getting a dark red or burgundy binding. Both are cut and joined together. but not attached to the quilt yet. See #4 below. 

Next week 

 June 20th - June 26th

1. Add side borders to Rainbow zigzags . 

2. Find a backing for RBZZ! 

3. Get a backing constructed for Rainbow Neighbourhood throw. 

4. Put the ironing board in the laundry room. Then……

                           Move all necessary boxes and totes, pull my machine out away from the wall in      

                  preparation to adding binding. 

5. Actually attach binding to 2 quilts! 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!

Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL Check-In!

My Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL throw flimsy is complete. I need to make an appointment with a long arm quilter, and decide on a backing. That’s next week’s to-do! 

I’ll link up with Sandra at mmmquilts on her blog and on Instagram #rainbowneighbourhoodqal!  Apparently I am to link up only on Instagram and I can’t for the life of me figure out how to link my IG post here! So you are on your own…I’m on IG @gmaquilts4me. I will link this post to Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts on Friday!

I’m not ultra thrilled with the sprinkle border, it’s a bit light for my taste. But with the medium gray sashing , the border selections in my stash were limited. I’ll frame it with a dark binding. Maybe purple, or red, or even a black stripe if I can find one.

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!

July 1st.       ps: I’m going to try to link this post or my Instagram post to Sandra’s blog today! 

Finished or Not Finished Friday

I always feel badly when I don't have anything to show for my time in the sewing room. I seem to "piddle away", but not much to show. 

I am participating in Sandra's Rainbow Neighbourhood QAL It's been so much fun.  I'm working on the sashing and sewing rows together. 

On the design wall - not very straight. I have to climb on a stool to reach the top of the flannel. I am unsteady so it's not a chore I do over and over. Up, place, pin and down. You get the idea. 

I also finished the last month of stitcheries. December of A Year in the Garden. I've been working on these little beauties for a few years. 

I'm sharing over at Finished or Not Finished Friday with Alycia!  Hop on over there to see her newest QOV and some cute pictures of her cows from Wednesday!

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!

TO-DO Tuesday #142

Joining Carol and friends at Quilt Schmilt - For the Love of Fabric this morning. We gather to share our victories and if necessary our almost victories. It's great to see the progress of others.

May 23-29

1. Trim and bind Precarious!✅ OMG, it's finally finished. Label and all! I had to wait for the sun to come up before taking it outside for a photo!

Hanging on the inside of our fence, cause I still had my jammy pants on!  I was showing it with the pink at the top, but Miss B reminded me , “ it’s red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo,violet, Gramma”!  So red on top it is! 😍

This is a preprinted label that’s been in the drawer for years. If you look closely you’ll see needle and res thread. I’m stitching along some of the flower shading to help tack down the label. I’ve had them get wrinkly and loose in the past. This might help. 

2. Evening stitching on Spring Stamps.✅  the stamps took a back seat late in the week, so I could stitch and stitch  and stitch the binding and the label on Precarious! But a bit of stitching was done. You'll see I have started stamp #6.   Early Bird. 

3. Cut and assemble Houses #7 & #8 

House 7 is done, though it’s not a favorite. There is not enough contrast in the porch cover over the door. The left point gets lost!

The grass looks wavy, it just needs a good press!

And eight is also done! I have number nine done too, I'll show it next week after I write a post for the QAL.

4.  Make at least 2 more orange crumb blocks.✅ 

      There were four extra blocks when I finished all the crumbs!

⭐️    Cut pieces for Sew Preeti’s Positivity QAL!  ❌

Upcoming week:

May 30th - June 5th

1. Start on leaf blocks for Preeti's Positivity QAL

2. Decide on a OMG for June and post about it 

3. Double check the RSC 23 color for June.  And see what the associated UFO's are from my list. 

4. Try to finish the December Year in the Garden Block, so I can begin to think about a quilt pattern to use. 

5. Stitch on Spring Stamps

Stay Busy and Stay Happy and Healthy and Hopeful!