Applique Thursday 8/30/12

A tiny applique step forward on Anna's Garden Block 4.

Back to a giveaway:  Here's what's on offer this week:

I'm culling my quilt book collection to more reflect my developing preferences in this art form. This is a good book with some great lessons on easy ways to piece the blocks you see or make the sampler. So, who wants it? To win this copy, all you need to do is comment or link to have a chance for it to be yours. Or do both and have two chances. Submissions end Wednesday night. Use the blue link below the photo.






WIP Wednesday 8/29/12

My dear DIL (Deanna)'s mother, Barbara, has now been laid to rest.  Although Bobby had been in poor health, her sudden death August 19th was a shock for all of us.  She had lost her husband April 30th of this year, so you can understand how much sorrow has visited our extended family in such a short time.  Thank you for all your caring words and prayers.

This weekend I was able to get to a little quilting done.  I finished the quilt I was using as my FMQ pratice piece.  It is now with my mother who will bind it, so technically it is still a WIP. 










Next , I made one of the local guild's BOM blocks.  This BOM is all about our city, Riverside.  Here is the Gage canal - a vital part of the local's economy: 

Then I made a DJ block, Abbey's Eye, H-4 I believe.
Lastly, I worked on my craftsy sampler blocks (of which I am terribly behind).  These are June's:

I'm going to be seriously rethinking this project.  I find I'm not terribly keen on making samplers.  Maybe if I'd used the same fabric in each one, but so far, hmmmm.  Actually, I think it is because, other than my charity quilts, I'd rather be doing something with applique as my time is so limited now.

I'm linking to Esther's WOW Wednesday, and Lyn's BOMs Away.  I look forward to seeing what you're up to.



Applique Thursday Hiatus

Sadly, a death has occured in the family and I'll be unable to post for a while until things are more settled.  I did want to announce the lucky commentator of last week.  Msstitcher is the winner and I've sent her an email. Congratulations, Linda.

Keep quilting everyone - it brings us peace as we piece our lives back together again.

Design Wall Monday 8/20/12

Here's Hannah opening her package.
Coming off my design wall (maybe this should be a tuesday post?) is Hannah's quilt - the one whose label you saw yesterday.  The reddish blocks are way more pink than they look in this picture.  And I did take it outside, sighhh.  She picked the colors of pink, purple and blue.



She was very surprised to get a present at her twin sister's baby shower.  That's her mom on the left.  Hannah has been in a wheel chair all her life, but that doesn't stop her - she 's a cheerleader at her high school. 

Next up on my design wall is a BOM block for our Guild's BOM.  I'm only three behind.

What's on your design wall?  I'm linking over at Judy's with all the others.

Stash Report and FMQ Challenge

It's that time again to report how we've done on bustin' stash.  I actually have something to report!  I used a yard of stash for the backing of the third flimsie.  What with all the interruptions, changes in plans and babysitting, I'm not there with three quilts done for tomorrow's shower.  Sooooo, instead I worked on the one for the older sister.  I'll make a card with a picture of the other twoflimsies and give that to the mom.  The little babies won't be home for a while (seven weeks early) so I"ll have those done by then - 'sides it too hot for baby quilts other than sitting or lying on them - LOL.  Here are my numbers
Used/Donated last week: 1  yard
Used/Donated YTD: 95.19 yards
Added/Bought last week: 0.0yards
Added/Bought YTD: 35.5 yards
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Net Decrease YTD: 59.69 yards   Now as to how I quilted this quilt.  I was going to do the 2012 FMQ Challenge piece for August. Wrong!  I just couldn't get the hang of it - I tried and tried.  I did pages of paper drawing to no avail.  The pattern, a jester's cap motif, just wouldn't materialize for me, sink into my psyche.  I think it was the going backwards that got to me.  My brain couldn't handle it.  Once in a while I got it, but then I'd quilt myself into corners or leave behind huge gaps, that I gave up.  So I did some doodling instead for this quilt.
You can click on the photos to enlarge if you want to.  I incorporated some leaves and her initials here and there. 
When I did the border with FMQ, I had a space and decided to put my label there.
Here's how it looks in the border:

Again, the lighting was lousy, so you have to enlarge the photo to see how it fit between the two motifs.  I'm binding it now so it will be ready for tomorrow's shower.  SewCalGal, please count me out of the drawing for this month's prize.  I'll keep trying - maybe I'll get the hang of that jester hat.

I'm linking to Judy's Stash Report, SewCalGal's 2012 FMQ Challenge, and Lyn's BOMs Away.

How did you do with your destashing?


Favorite Flower Friday



Our low temp (I call 99 a low temp) only lasted one day.  Yesterday it was 105 - and humid.  A little town to our east even saw a tornado - fortunately didn't do too much damage, and a house was struck by lightning making a huge hole in the  roof.  Today, it's suppose to be cooler, but when I got up at 6am, it was already 80 outside.

Surprisingly, I have two flowers to share with you.  The one on the right is a pot of spider lilies.  The ones on the left is a stalk from a naked lady lily.

What are you up to? I'm linking to Tootsie's Flaunt your Flowers and Elizabeth's Show Off Fridays .  See what others are enjoying at the start of this weekend.

PS: Don't miss my book giveaway on the previous post.

Applique Thursday Giveaway

The weather finally  broke and reached only 99 today - woohoo! The 2nd flimsie of three is done and I've cut out the third.  Hope to assemble it and start sandwiching tomorrow.

I've had no time for anything else, but I did buy the book:  Baltimore Garden Quilt - so when it comes I plan to drool over everyone of those applique blocks in it.  In the meantime, I've been going over (when I have a couple of free seconds) to http://baltimoregardenquilts.blogspot.com and reading all her posts.  What beauties!

Now for what I know you have been waiting for.  Our winner last week was GG!  I've sent her an email and hope to hear from her soon.  Congrats GG! 

This week's giveaway isn't applique - you know how I like any kind of eye candy - LOL.




This is a great book.  I'm just not ready to play outside of the box I'm in right now.  So, who wants it?  To win this copy, all you need to do is comment or link to have a chance for it to be yours. Or do both and have two chances. Submissions end Sunday night. Use the blue link below the photo.

Design Wall Monday 8/13/12

2nd flimsie of three almost done and on my design wall.  The twins were born Friday - seven weeks early, although the doc is now saying the due date may have been 2 weeks earlier than thought.  Daniella and Lucia weighed in at 4 - 6 and 4-10 and are doing very well.  The pediatrician said they are healthy.  Mother doing fine.  Now I just have to finish the quilts by the 19th if only the weather and life let me work on them.

What 's on your design wall?  Go on over to Judy's Patchwork Times and see what others are doing.

Applique Thursday 8/9/12 & Giveaway

With temperatures of 109, 107, 106  not much of anything is getting done around here what with swimming lessons and playing with Alan a must.  Here's as far as I got with the next block - mind you I came home from CO at midnight Sunday -
What with hardly any quilting getting done, I so need eye candy to get me back in the groove. So this week's giveaway is a book ( a duplicate actually) that I think you'll really like.  Don was featured in SewCalGal's 2012 FMQ Challenge.  He had a great lesson for us.  I've used a couple of his motifs so I'll be keeping the other copy.  To win this copy, all you need to do is comment or link to have a chance for it to be yours. Or do both and have two chances. Submissions end Sunday night. Use the blue link below the photo.
 


Applique Thursday on Hold

Hi, I'm off to Colorado!  See you next week!

WIP Wednesday 7/31/12

Gosh, seven months of the year are over!  Time is just flying by.  Here is my second baby quilt flimsy of the four I have to make.
The twins are scheduled to be born sometime in September, so I decided to use fall prints.  I'll put some applique on it before sandwiching.  The flannel back has some cute pink hearts.  I'll have to make them slightly different so Mom can tell them apart.  They know already that they are fraternal twins.

I'm linking to Esther's WOW, and Barb's NewFO Challenge.  Go see the goodies.

SAHRR Round 5 and 6

  Ready to show rounds 5 and 6. Actually, the prompt for 5 was make 4 of something. So I chose four patch, and actually since that made my q...