Finish It Up Friday October

Three days of retreat projects, good food, friends and fall in the air was a wonderful respite.  Thirteen friends gathered at a small center ( The Ranch at Ucross) in NE Wyoming, where we sewed and talked, shared and giggled. I found this pattern online on  Craftsy from City House Studio  I love to read and so this tote appealed to me. I also found the Literary fabric at a regional quilt store. And heaven knows I have tons of scraps for the letters and the book spines.  I decided to make two. One of me and one to donate to our library for their annual silent auction. They offer homemade items for auction every November, and use the proceeds to purchase more books of quilting, knitting, crochet and needlework. It's great fun to participate. 

 Read side - The fabric looks like library cards. Do you remember those.

2nd side.

 Inside with pocket divided into 3 sections for library cards or keys. The fabric looks like old fashioned library stamps/

 Literary by Heather Givans

This is the base of the tote. I couldn't find a "wood look" fabric like the pattern showed, but I liked the Hashtag fabric in blue. 

I'll link this to Elm Street Quilts Bag It 2017

I also finished assembling 5 more Scrappy Susannah blocks to donate to Kat and Cat Quilt's Covered in Love project.  I am so excited about using my extra fabric for such a cause. If you are interested in participating, check out this site. 

And I webbed the squares for a special baby quilt for an expected great nephew due in January. It's the Arithmetic pattern by Jeni Baker.  I purchased the pattern from Connecting Threads. The colors were picked by the parents. It's way outside of my comfort zone, using solids only.

I have a fabric picked for the backing, but I may switch to minkee or cuddle. I'm unsure. 

It was a fun time and I hope to be able  to share some of the project of the other participants soon. 
Oh, and sometimes, cute little presents show up at your sewing station. This year was awesome. Pincushions, towels, stylus pen, peanuts, first aid kit, a small Best Press, a tiny scissors, and a cute candle in an old fashioned spool. If you are curious, we call ourselves "Loose Threads" 

I am linking up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.   

Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

A Quilt Show Win and getting ready to retreat!

Two weekends ago, the first weekend of October,  was our local NE Wyoming Quilt Show. I have served on the committee in the past, but not the last several years. The show has grown under the tutelage of  a committee made up of some newer quilters and some younger quilters.  This year there were 352 quilts on display. This show is not juried.  There are ballots available for everyone who attends and ribbons are awarded for People's Choices in several categories. There are lots of pictures on the Show's Facebook page: Northeast Wyoming Quilt Show

One of the way the committee raises funds to put this show on, is to make and raffle off a quilt.  This year they had 2 quilts, a table topper and  4 place mats and a single table topper. Here is a picture of the large quilt. A double nine patch, they said.

Look at all that scrappy goodness!  

I bought 12 raffle tickets the last day of the show. And surprisingly I won the above quilt!  I was so excited.  I'll share a picture of it on our bed as soon as I  get one taken. 

I have plans to attend a quilt retreat  on the 24th through the 26th.. I am cutting fabric for a baby quilt, for an expected great nephew due in January.  I am paper piecing letters for a library tote X2, one for me and one to donate to the silent auction at the CC Library. There are some squares cut for 4 more donation blocks to be sent to Covered in Love. 

Hopefully I will have some finishes for next Friday!

Until then, 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy

 Judy

I am linking up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts and Finished or Not Friday at Busy Hands Quilt  

ps: I am publishing this post, will link up as soon as Finish It Up Friday is posted. 

A Finish , Finally

I finally got things put back in my sewing space and was able to get the binding put on a project that I have been working on for a few years. This project is pieced, with embroidery and applique. It was a pattern offered on Val Laird Designs. Here is it finally done!  It's called Thoughts In Thread and Val's original was done in pastels. I had a large amount of brown and tan fat quarters in my stash and I am a more brown/autumn girl.

There are 9 embroidered blocks with phrases based on Philippians 4:8

The center square says " Fill your mind with these..."

the remaining squares have thoughts and a motif. Such as a violin and "true thoughts". 

I did not do the quilting myself. I felt that I had put lots of hours in the embroidery and the piecing, it deserved the addition of custom quilting by a local artist. She is the best of the best! 

She custom quilted in each block. 

 The back shows the quilting so well and the label I added.  Val Laird included the embroidery and the lettering to make the label. I love it. It says 2015-2017....so two years in the making.

I am looking forward to entering this wall hanging in our local quilt show next weekend. I will have pictures to show next week. 

I am linking this post to Crazy Mom Quilts  Finish It Up Friday.

Off to check all the other entries.

Family Time, Studio Improvement and a tiny bit of sewing

We have had company since last Friday the 15th. Our only son is visiting from Phoenix. He wanted to be here for his dad's birthday, Sunday and then to stay and help/visit. His job can mostly be done over the phone and via the computer, so it is a working vacation for him.

I haven't been sewing. We picked him up from an away airport - due to Allegiant Airlines flying directly from Mesa AZ into Rapid City SD. It's a 2 hour drive for us, but then we shopped in the "Big City" while there.

Now we have a new TV in the living room. We have done without one since the new flooring went in last year and mostly that has been fine. I don't really watch a lot of TV. But during Hurricane Harvey, I wished I had access to the news while still cooking and cleaning. Then Hurricane Irma arrived and we have several family members and friends in Florida, so I really wanted to stay informed. Guess that was all it took for Mr. Busy to go television shopping!

While Mr Busy and DS were hanging the new TV on the wall above the couch, I hid in the sewing room.  I recounted all my En Provence block pieces to make sure I had the correct amount. Then I stacked them in the block configuration.

  These are laid out on my portable ironing table, it's the only flat sturdy place that was big enough for these 15" blocks. Then a sheet of freezer paper was laid on top and the sashing strips were laid out. Half are sewn and these are the last 12 sets of five . If you are not sure what it is supposed to look like, check out Bonnie Hunter's blog. Her quilt is the header photo.

Sunday was Mr Busy's birthday, so we had a family day. Then Monday, our granddaughter and her family came for dinner because her hubby was home at dinnertime for a change. Yesterday and today, the "boys" are putting extra lights in my sewing studio!  Whoo Hoo!!  I have been using a ceiling fixture with 3 bulbs, circa 1977 when the house was built. I have been supplementing with an Ott Light, and extra light at the sewing machine and 2 halogen lights at each end of my cutting table. I am willing to put a hold on the machine sewing to get new lighting!.  I have hand sewing to keep me busy if need be. I am a pretty good supervisor too!  heehee!

My cutting table still looks like the above pic. " a work bench"

Mr Busy and our son working overhead to attach the third LED ceiling light. There will also be one over my sewing machine. I was having some withdrawal symptoms, so I set up a temporary cutting space on my kitchen counter. I am cutting block for Covered in Love monthly block drive to send to Kat in Texas. Its the Scrappy Susannah block in fall colors. They will be 12" blocks.

All this is happening between great visits, family dinners and DS at his computer for his work. He'll be here until we take him back to the RC, SD airport on Monday morning. I may cry all the way home. "sad face"

We will see if I have a block or two done for Finish It Up Friday. I may have to set up my extra machine at the computer desk or dining room table. I have a binding to attach to a wall hanging so it will be ready to hang at our local quilt show the first weekend in October. I should be able to get that done and then work like mad to get it sewed down. The label is done, and the hanging triangle have to be cut. **sigh**

Until next time.
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Two small finishes- George & Martha and a fall themed table topper

New monthly challenges have been selected, so I have dug into my UFO stash to pull out the projects and see what needs to be done. In the mean time, I did finish the Disappearing Hour Glass project that was started in July. It is now hanging on the wall in our living room. 

I've been experimenting with Instagram from my phone. I don't know if I like it or not. More practice is in the future.

I also finished this Fall themed table topper.

Probably the most amazing part about this project, is that it was in a project bag with the Quilts and More magazine, dated 2012 and the charm pack of fabric. I actually had it all together. That is a bit amazing.  The hexie papers all had to be cut to the same size and that gave me a bit of trouble.  The embroidered motifs were backed with an interfacing. My usual practice and recommended in the pattern instructions. But then they were difficult to get wrapped around the hexie papers to be the same size as the plain fabric. I finally took the backing paper from behind the embroidered blocks and adjusted the seam allowance so they all fit together. This after I had the rows already all whipped stitched together. BUMMER. Anyway, now it is done. I like how it turned out and I have some charms lefts from this collection, so I am planning a set of hexagon folded coasters. 

In between all this sewing, I have been sending leaders and enders through the machine,  making 9 patches like a maniac. Only 95 more to go!  Phew!  


That is all for this week. Next week I will be getting ready for my son's visit. He will be here from Phoenix to spend 10 days with us. We will celebrate his dad's birthday on the 17th and his early. His is the 30th. I am looking forward to that. 

I am linking up to Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts

All this week, praying for the  victims of Harvy, family in Montana amongst the burning forest, and now for family in Florida who have decided to shelter-in-place. They are north quite a ways, but I still am concerned. 

Until next time
Stay Busy and Stay Happy

Saturday Snapshots 9-2-17

Today I am linking up with Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads for"

There are a few rules if you want to post also. Check out Melinda's blog at  West Metro Mommy Reads, then link up your Saturday Snapshots.

I will begin by sharing a photo from our front porch on August 21st. This is Mr Busy and our great grandson, Joe. He is almost 4.  Can you guess what they are doing? We were not in totality, but 97.8% was pretty awesome.

Pa (Mr Busy) fashioned the unique eye wear for J out of eclipse glasses and a paper plate, because the glasses were too big for him. It worked great.


I'm late posting today. We have been at our granddaughter and grandson-in-law's house celebrating our great grandson's 4th birthday. His actual birthday is September 5th.  But his grandma and his Auntie Shasta could visit from Colorado this weekend, so we celebrated today. Also, his Dad was off this weekend. Dad works retail, so lots of weekends he is not around. Here are just 3 of the many photos taken today.

 I am afraid I caught his momma unaware, as I tried to get a picture of the red and black cupcakes for his Mickey Mouse themed party.

A large blow up Mickey joined the party. These were ears for all. Here is Joseph and his Auntie Shasta and Mickey

I made him a super hero cape, with belt, wristband and a mask.  Showing off a bit in this one.

Busy  Busy  in our neck of the woods this week.

Off to check out all the rest of the Saturday Snapshots.

Til next time:

Finished or Not Friday!

Not a big finish this week but a necessary one. I made 2 skinny place mats for our camper. The table in our 5th wheel is not very wide and regular sized place mats overlap. So as I was going through a tote ( looking for my misplaced Fiskars) I found 4 orphan blocks left over from the quilt I made for Mr. Busy in 2009.  He flies RC airplanes as a hobby and I found a log cabin block with alternate setting applique blocks in a magazine. The original had bears in the alternate blogs, but the designer said, use your own idea. So a plane block was born. I found a very basic plane shape in a children's coloring book. We use that quilt in the camper now when we attend some "fly-ins".  Kind of like a quilt retreat for RC flyers. All that background just so you know about why these particular blocks.

They are 9.5" by 16".  They are backed with a piece of leftover denim fabric and bound with the leftover binding from the original quilt.

I ventured out to the camper this morning as soon as there was enough light to take this photo of the quilt on the bed. This angle is from the side of the bed. The slide is in, so I couldn't stand at the end of the bed. 

Sort of standing at the corner. Can you see the wall pocket I made to hang , in place of a night stand. A place for glasses, a book, cell phone and a bottle of water. I had lots of the airplane fabric that was the border of the quilt, the backing, and the binding.

Also a not finished yet.........just back from the long arm quilter.. My disappearing hour glass wall hanging that I did at our WY State Quilt Guild convention. I am calling it George and Martha.
The white fabric has cherries on it, the flowers on the border remind me of geraniums (Martha Washington geranium) and the backing is the Declaration of Independence. Sort of patriotic and maybe it will be added to my July 4th decor.

Still needs to be trimmed and the binding sewed on. I realize looking at this photo, the border looks kind of muddy. Not the image I was hoping for. When I finish it up, I'll try to get an outdoor photo with better light. 

You can just barely see the gray writing on the cream background fabric. I'll shoot for a better photo of that too, when the binding in complete. 

Well, that was a rambling post. Until next time, 

Stay Busy and Stay Happy. 
I am linking this long post to Busy Hands Quilts  Finished or Not Friday linky party.