Some of This; Some of That

The fat quarter giveaway is still open until next Thursday.  See previous post for details and linky.

People have asked me about the quilt in my header.  Here's the story:
    Back in 2009 (I think) a good friend of mine who was the after school program teacher where she worked, asked me to have a session once a week teaching 3rd - 5th graders how to sew.  I said yes.
    We first made a needle holder. They learned to couch yarn making their initials on their felt holders.  On the inside they learned the running stitch to hold the little pad in place.  I gave them each a pin, a needle and a safety pin and a bit of history.  Once we were done with those, we made tissue holders to give to their moms.  They were really keen to do more hand sewing.  I decided they would make blocks for a quilt.  So I brought a huge bag of scraps and taught them to make simple log cabin crumb blocks.  They used the back stitch and away they went.  Next I brought this rose fabric to which I had ironed on fusible web. They cut out the roses and some butterflies. In the mean time I added some leaves and stems. They put their cutouts on the borders and ironed them in place.  I took the borders home as well as the blocks and sewed the top together.  They were thrilled!  As we were running out of time - I went ahead and sandwiched and quilted it for them, but I had every confidence they could have done the hand quilting (big stitch of course),  too. The quilt measured about 42" square.  At first we thought to raffle it off and give the money to the library to buy books, but all the proud parents wanted it to be hung in the library to show off their students' work of art.  It's still on display.
     One thing I learned from all this fun we had was kids just need something to do - boys and girls.  In the group I had was a boy - the Dennis the Menace of the school.  He was very skeptical about being in the group, but once he tried it he was one of the best 5th graders sewing.  He never missed.

As to my destashing, I used .68 yds to make a St. Anne's top, 3 leader and ender blocks and one side of my UFO challenge quilt - not such a productive week as I'm still enduring that pain in side which isn't a kidney stone, but may be an inflamed bile duct - sigh. So energy draining.  My new YTD is
44.07 yds.

I'm still hand stitching my applique block and have cut out a few hexagons, but not much progress there.  I hope you get to quilt this coming week.  Blessings to you, kind readers.

WIPs Be Gone Almost

This Quilt Along WIP that was my April project for Judy's UFO challenge is almost done.  One more side to go.  I started this in 2014.  My "to be quilted pile" is getting a lot bigger!

One of the reasons it isn't all done is that I stopped to finish another Nearly Insane top. Can't seem to get enough of these.  Here's my fourth one:

In actual fact, it is the 9th one in the book of 98 blocks.  However those between 4 and 8 were too much the same and I wanted a few more pieces in the top, so that's why I made #9.  I call it my Lady Bug top - it will be a 30" quilt for the Neonatal unit.

We've had a return to cooler days - low 80s; upper 70s.  As a result, my one remain rose bush bloomed. Yippee!

Here's a close up of one of the lovelies
What are you up to?  I'd love to come by and see.  Link up and leave a comment.  I'll announce the winner of last week's book giveaway Sunday.  Want a fat quarter?  Link up and maybe you'll be the winner.  This giveaway ends next Thursday near midnight. Blessings!

Some of This; Some of That

First, the giveaway is open until Thursday.  You could win a book.  See the previous post.
I'm back to working on my hexies.  This will be my hand stitching in front of the TV for the week.

Onto stash report:  What with leader and ender blocks, a Stars and Stripes sampler block, and two baby quilt tops and one backing, plus a charity bag, I used 3.45 yards from my stash.  The YTD total is now at 43.40 yds.


I leave you with a view from my garden.  These are Mexican primrose that despite my neglect came up and bloomed for me.

Blessings on this second week of Eastertide.  Christ is risen! Alleluia.
Keep lighting your Easter candle during this season.



WIPs Be Gone and a Giveaway

Here's the quilt I'm working on now for the two UFO challenges I'm participating in this year.  This is my rendition of Karen's Soupçon Quilt Along (second one down at her site). Was started in 2014. Have to add the last round which is paper pieced. I'm more confident about doing paper piecing after all the blocks done by that method in the Splendid Sampler.

One side done:





Center of the next baby quilt. Pattern from a book titled Quilting for Joy by Barbara Brandenburg and Teri Christopherson.  I'm hand stitching that applique block I was working on last Sunday.  Getting more done as I finished my ancient one from 1987 - yes, 30 years ago in Sept I started my 2nd quilt of the 280+ quilts I've made in that time span.


Made all the mistakes a beginning quilter makes - chose a queen size quilt, pattern had set in seams,  didn't know how to quilt, etc. I took a hand quilting class, but that was too slow, too.  I made the blocks in no time, but the hand quilting took forever. Then I discover big stitch hand quilting and really started to make considerable progress.  Back then, I bought seven spools of hand quilting thread having no clue how much I would need.  Turns out I had just a few inches left on the one spool I had to use.  Anybody want six spools of hand quilting thread - LOL.

I've always wanted a whole cloth quilt.  Here's the back and the closest I'll ever come to a WCQ:
She's bound and on my bed at last:
I chose to bind it in the light green leftover from the blocks and border.

Lastly, I made a large bag for our Riverside Area Rape Crisis Center.  They are given to victims when they report the crime.  Everything they have on is kept as evidence, so they need a lot of things, IE: sweat pantsuit, flip-flops, underwear, toiletries, socks, etc.

I lined it with the black of the print:







Think I'm caught up on sewing news.  Now for the giveaway!  Since it's been a while here's the scoop:   What have you been working on?  Link up and show me.  You can win a mystery book.  I'll be sending the winner a list of three titles from which to pick of her/his technique preference. So link up for one chance. Follow me for another chance.  Leave a comment for a third chance.  And for a fourth chance, visit Michele here.  Let me know which of her quilts you like best. And for a fifth chance - follow Michele, and let me know for a total of six chances to win! Remember if you don't have a blog, you can always post a photo from a photo stream.  Please be sure there is some way for me to contact you.  The linky is below.  I'll be linking to several parties - Tab above.

Blessings as we approach the end of the First Week of Eastertide - when Jesus walked among us. We rejoice in His Resurrection and 
remember the joy of the life to come because of our Lord.

Design Wall Monday

This is the first Monday of Eastertide - the 50 days after the Resurrection.  It is a joyful time! Hallelujah!

Today I'm celebrating Design Wall Monday. All that meditating produced a lot of sewing since housework was out, laundry was out, even cooking was low key. We did feast on Easter Sunday, but a friend had invited us over.

Coming off my wall is one of my UFOs for the 17 UFOs for 2017 - the top is done!  I had to redo 4 of them from the stack I won (think it was in 2009). Those four were very well made. Unfortunately, they were 1/2" too small.  Maybe I'll make a table runner from them.    It's now sandwiched and ready to quilt.
40"square
Also ready to quilt (a St. Anne's baby top) is my rolling nine-patch top. These are 15" square and are perfect to highlight a large print. I call it a rolling nine patch because that's the block I started with, but I changed it up a bit.  Actually, it is a 25 patch with a nine patch in the middle.  I've seen them as 6", 10", and 12" blocks.  But that was too many pieces for me, so I figured out how to have only nine. Did it by making flying geese instead of a square and two half square triangles. Much easier - you can see the pattern under my free patterns tab.  I used the triangles I cut off from stitch/flipping to make those flying geese in the border. No scraps left - yeah!
36" square
Next was a square for the Fall Festival QAL that Lori at Humble Quilts is hosting.  I'm not doing the one everyone else is doing - just a similar one that happens to be a WIP for me. They were suppose to make a house block.  Mine has a house block, too, so that's what I made.
12" square.
As I watched Father Brown, this evening, I did some hand stitching on an applique block, too. There's more, but I'll save those for another day.  Since we're celebrating Eastertide,  maybe I'll have a giveaway this Friday.

Linking up to some parties.  See the tab above.  Blessings, and thank you for walking with me during the past Holy Week.


Alleluia! Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Holy Thursday


,..And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood.…"
                                                                                   Luke 22: 19-20

Silent Wednesday

 On the Wednesday (in the Orthodox Church) before his death, Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the Leper. As they sat at the supper table, a woman named Mary anointed Jesus' head and feet with costly oil of spikenard.
woman-anointing-jesus-feet.jpg (400×354)

But otherwise scriptupre is silent of what Jesus did on this day... Lord I am preparing in the silence of listening for what is to come.

This Coming Week

As well as my meditative sewing, this is what I'll be doing this coming week before the Easter Triduum:


Destashing:  .65 yd (bindings) - 0.0 + 1.0 yd = 1.65 yds destashed. YTD: 40.05 yds  



Quilted.









The fish motif came from the backing enlarged 300%

Not attic window this time - Aquarium view.



















Will be delivered Sunday.

And in the garden - the Cecil Brunner is gloriously in bloom:
Blessings to all.

5th Sunday of Lent

A hymn from today's mass that reflects our Lenten Journey:


Destashing:  ..47 yd  - 0.0 + 1.0 yd = 1.47 yds destashed. YTD: 38.40 yds

This week's meditative work:

Above is  my project #5 for Judy's UFO challenge and 17 UFOs in 2017 project for March.  I got this far with it:
Now to add borders and start quilting.
Next Nearly Insane quilt - this is 30 1/2" square.

15 1/2" block for a St. Anne's quilt - need four.

A center for another St. Anne's quilt.


I finished the hand quilting on the Ancient One.  Now to bind it.  So, maybe I'll get back to my Bliss hexagon quilt.  I've started to FMQ the Laurel Burch wall hanging.  

Blessings to all my readers.  May this be a restful and uplifting, spiritual week for you.

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...