Odds and Ends

My daughter returned from her mission to St. Louis, MO. So we took off on a trip to visit with friends and family before she went back to school (BYU). Unfortunately we ran into some difficulties in Nelson, British Columbia (Canada). The car would not turn off and shut the motor down, so we had to have the ignition replaced. The car happens to be a Saturn which is no longer being made, so we had to wait about 2 weeks to get the part in and get it replaced. We ended up being in Nelson 2 weeks longer than we intended. So we left there and went to Utah instead of going to California... We had intended to go and visit my parents in California... We didn't get to because of the car problems. Now it's December and it just isn't possible to get over to California to see Mom and Dad. I'm quite dissapointed in that. After the new year (Jan 2) The girl will be back at school in Utah.

I did get the quilt done for my nephew... but things are being difficult here right now, so the picture will have to be uploaded later. I also started a quilt as a Christmas gift for one of my son's. It was inspired by the autumn leaves seen around town there in Nelson, B.C. I took a guide book on plants of the Rockies and selected 3 different leaf shapes, an Oak leaf, a maple leaf, and a leaf from a shrub (gooseberry)... drew them to fit the size of the blocks (10 1/2" unfinished). I went through fabrics and scraps of things I had laying around, with no 2 leaves being the same color. I then machine appliqued them on the background fabric. It was quite fun and a great way to use up scraps and things... It's sort of like a charm quilt in being that no two leaves are the same color. However, then I will put in some lattice work using fabrics I did use for a leaf, and there will be some borders, so the charm quilt ends there.

While I was in Utah, we stopped in the local "Michael's" and while browsing through some of the free project sheets posted around the store. My daughter picked up a project sheet for a knitted sock monkey. Which I decided to give a try as a gift for the new grand-baby we're expecting in our family (the same son who's getting the "Autumn Leaf" Quilt as a Christmas gift.) I didn't like some of the proportions shown on the little Free Project Sheet, so I did tweek the pattern just a wee bit. Also the project sheet said the finished monkey should be about 4 1/2" tall....LOL, there is no way that monkey would ever be that small... not possible with the directions given. I didn't bother with the swatch for knitting to fit the measurments... but I don't think anyone could have gotten that monkey that small. So with my tweeks for proportion, my monkey is about 8" tall. Which I think is just about perfect for a gift for a baby.

I have also started another knitting project as a Christmas gift for my Mother. The pattern comes from the magazine "Knit 'n Style" December 2011 issue. The project on page 84, project number 35 Woven Square Wrap. It's a knitting method I've been wanting to try, and I thought this would be a fun way to try it out. I'm using "Heather Blue" fuzzy yarn from Lion Brand, that came in a 12 oz size... The label says "1, 2, or 3 Kids in a Jiffy". I found 3 large balls of this yarn at a thrift shop for for 1.50$ each ball. I think this project will use just a little more than one ball.

I do love to browse thrift shops and yard sales... I consider the finds there as recycling-rescuing, things some one else would have thrown out. I quite often pick up fabric, and yarn, notions, and more stuff to use.

Welllllllll, for some reason I was unable to load pictures up this afternoon, so I'll add them as soon as possible. I do want to show off all the things I've been up to. I haven't gotten the Winter mini quilt done for my Calander holder yet, but we have an idea waiting drawn by my grand-daughter. I plan to have it done before the 1rst day of winter. Hopefully I can get the photo's of everything I've mentioned uploaded soon. Look for part 2 of this post. It will be the photo's.

playing around with the blog design

I thought I'd play with the site and make a few changes... I'll leave it here for awhile and see how I like it. Next, I've got to figure out how to keep the print closer together without the spacing in between the text lines. That drives me a little bit crazy. I've gone back and eliminated the spacing more than once, and still had it come back up. Just going to throw in a few pictures here for fun. No quilty stuff this time.

A few of my favorite things... Nikita, doorway in Antrossano Italy, and Cinque Terra Italy.

Sorry to say, Nikita (Niki) is no longer with us she was 15 when she passed away a couple of weeks ago. We (me) do miss her, she was a faithful friend and companion for lots of adventures, though we did have to leave her with a son for the 2 years we lived in Italy for husbands job.

This and That

Just some random items I've been working on.

Found the small quilt pictured to the right,

I'd made it around 2002...

It was my 4th of July quilted wall hanging.

I had a lot of the rust colored plaid squares

decided I like the tan and dark blue stars print

with the plaid...

Put it together in a round the world pattern.

Added star applique's in the corners.

I was delighted with the way the quilt seemed to float

when I added the dark blue boarder,

You are actually looking at it sideways,

there is a sleve sewn into the far right side for hanging it up.

When I say found,

it wasn't really lost,

just packed away

because if my unusual living conditions the last several years.

The next photo,

is the Autumn block for my Calendar holder...

The Calendar holder is explained in previous blogs.

I saw a quilt block in a magazine

that had two trees with autumn colored foliage...

Done in the no sew method.

ie.;

iron on fusing,

pieces cut out and ironed onto the back ground.

Since this is for a Calendar wall hanging,

and there will never be any washing,

this was a chance to play with this method with no worries.

I went with one tree,

and if you look closely, maybe you can see

the young child playing in the pile of leaves,

with a rake leaning against the tree

and a pet dog watching and maybe waiting to join in the fun.

I did minimal quilting around the larger objects and a couple of clouds in the sky.

Photo number 3,

is the next applique block

for "My Whimsical Garden."
I've mentioned this quilt many times before,

So I'll not go into too many details right now.

I've got one last many leaved stalk to do

on the right hand side of the square...

You can just make out the sketch on the paper...

It's my travel project,

and I take it with me when I'm off traipsing around the country side.

Not a quilt I'm in a hurry to complete.

But it's getting there one block at a time. This is the third block of twenty.

The last photo is a sweet water color painting

Done by my 6 year old Grandson.
I loved the fat little bird...

and the colors he used.

It is so cheerful and happy-

It's maybe going to need to be a little

Quilted wall hanging someday.

His sister is pretty talented also,

She has a drawing for me of how she thinks

the Winter square for the Calendar Holder should be.

I think her idea is perfect with a snowman at winter.

Looking forward to getting that done...

I didn't take a photo of the other project I'd been working on,

It wasn't my quilt to show off really...

My next door neighbor Marti,

Had taken some quilting classes;

and she has discovered that she likes the quiting part of the process,

and not the sewing together of the quilt tops...

She was stuck after a mystery quilt class,

and just did not want to finish or even look at the quilt top-

So she'd asked me to suare up what she'd completed

and add the borders, so she could get on to the part she likes

the actual hand quilting...

I did get that done for her also this past bit of time since my last blog.

summer continued

soooo, I chose to do this blog in two parts,
this one is the quilty crafty one.
With photo's of what I've been doing.....

This first photo is of the book "Speed-Cut Quilts,"
by Donna Poster.
The book says there are 1200 blocks
but there are actually only 400 in 3 different sizes for the 1200.
I kind of wish it had actually said that instead
(you almost feel cheated out of 800 blocks)
It was published by Chilton in 1989.
I do not know if it is possible to find this book in print anymore.
My husband picked it up for me at a yard sale.
So, I really cannot complain about anything in the book.

Meanwhile,
My nephew was getting married and I needed ideas for a quilt
for him and his new bride.
Their favorite colors were blue and green.
So I poored over my books for ideas and I quite liked
the one I found in the book mentioned above.
In the colored photo section of the book
I found the one pictured below...
originally made by Teresa Kline in Aqua tones at 86 X 103...

The blocks were diagramed out on page 76 of the book...

as shown in the next photo...

it seemed to be a quite simple quilt,

and yet very stunning in it's layout...

And since the sample in the book was already done in the blues...

I could very easily picture it in the blue and green colors for

the nephew and his bride to be...

I went through my stash to find several blues and greens

to use for the project,

I decided to go with the 12" sized blocks,

The center squares are 4 1/2" cut (4" when sewn)

the strips around the outside are 2 1/2" cut (2" when sewn)

the next picture shows the squares in progress...

and that is actually where I'm at as I am blogging today.

I bought a box full of stuff to work on the quilt

while I am here in British Columbia...

I did not have to transport my sewing machine,

because my daughter left her's here in storage while

she's been at University and serving her mission.

So I've been using hers for the sewing.

She has a basic entry level
Viking 325 Daisy.

It's not computerized like mine back home...

but it works great.

I probably should have reversed the last image above,

and the next one below...

But oh well.

The image below is showing the fabrics I chose

for the quilt I am making...

I went with 4 different blues and greens,

pairing them together with the white,

for continuity.

The larger piece of fabric across the top of the

selection,

I am planning for the main larger border

around the outside of the quilt

to tie everything together.

My only problem is this,

I need at least one smaller border

between the blocks and the larger outer border,

and I am struggling with what to use for that one.

I have a gorgeous dark dark blue I'm thinking about,

it's darker than the one in the photo above...

I most likely would look almost black in a photo...

But I am not convinced yet.

I recently saw a quilt show on television

discussing the Amish quilts...

(I think it was a guest on "sewing with Nancy")
The Amish use plain and not printed fabrics...

with beautiful colors -just no yellows.

but then they use a color not used anywhere else in their quilts

as the first border surrounding the squares.

So I am playing with that idea in my head.

What if I did something like that,

and used maybe a purple or red.

Well,

the wedding was in July...

I am behind on the quilt already.

I am going over to California in October.

and plan to have this done so I can give it to them then.

LOL

I think I'll get the blocks done, and sewn together...

then I can audition some of the different color choices

for the borders.

I will try to remember to post them to show the thought

process I went through for the finished project
Hopefully my next blog in September will have that

as a finished project.

I also have planned to do when I get back to Idaho...

1. the neighbors quilt -she'd asked if I could finish it up for her,

that just involves puting the borders on

-it had been a mystery quilt class she'd signed up for.

2. finish the wedding project I mentioned above.

3. the autumn/fall block for my wall calendar cover.

whew, I think that's enough...

We shall go from there and see what happens.

I am still working on my travel

applique hand work quilt.

Though I haven't done anything on it this trip.

Thus no updates on the progress of that one.

I am thinking about the "Farmers Wife" quilt I want to do...

(Or was it -Farmer's Daugher?) I'll have to look it up later.

I have begun gathering fabrics for that one

as I go through my stash.

I want to use 30's & 40's reproduction fabrics for that one.

Then my goal is to begin those blocks as a block of the month kind of thing.

Doing at least one maybe two blocks per month.

I will be blogging about that when I get that going.

I think I am aiming to start it with the new year 2012...

and finish it out by the end of the year.

It will be my new years resolution for 2012.

Plus I need to finish out the seasons of my Calender cover

with a winter block...

I have fabric set aside for another quilt

with a pattern called "Pushing up plaidsies"

I have a few other tops to finish and get quilted.

I have been knitting hats...

I didn't have any photo's to publish here

which is why I'm only mentioning the knitting.

LOL

I will never run out of things to do.

Don't 'cha love the quilting crafty life.

summer stuff

What can I say?

It's been summer...

most likely for everyone and not just me.

Anyhow,

I have been up here at my house in Nelson, British Columbia for all of August.

Where we've participated in a family reunion-

(My husband's family)

and

We have spent a lot of time out doors...

(In case someone doesn't know,

Nelson is located on Kootenay lake in the Selkirk Mountains.)

Our house does not have lake access,

It would have cost 3 times as much to have bought a place on the lake,

But... we can see it through the neighbors accross the street who do have lake access.

And the neighbors accross the street are relatives,

so we can access the lake there anytime we want.

They kind of like us, LOL.

The first photo at the top is of the lake from Uncle Marv's house,

across the street from us.

The dock and boat actually belong to his neighbor.

The second photo at the top is the the River Trail near Kaslo...

which is located up near the top of the Kootenay lake.

Kootenay lake is long and narrow,
sort of north and south...
with a west arm (like a sideways T)
And Nelson is inland on the
west arm.
We live about halfway between town
and the main part of the lake.

I have also been busy with the 2 dogs I have here with me...
They've been members of our family for a long time.
Joneser is my son's dog and he's 16 years old,
Nikita (Niki) is my dog and she is 15 years old.
They came up here with me on this trip only because
there was no one to watch them back home.
They've been with our family since they were puppies.
Now they've both reached an age where they are having a lot of problems
and will probably not be with us very much longer.

Basically we are waiting for our daughter to return home
from her mission for the LDS church in September,
and let everyone have a chance to say goodbye to them.
It is a time of saying goodbye to them for myself.
And they've always loved it up here in Canada.
They've been here for summers since we bought the house in 2000.
I must say that this place will not be the same
when I come back without one of them.
They have been good companions and friends.
I will miss them both.

thrift store find

First of all, an update on my travel work...
I did get square one totally done,
Having embroidered the black of the eye.

I have also completed square two...
and begun square three.

Both from the "My whimsical Garden"
Piece-O-Cake designs...

They are supposed to be pretty scrappy looking

when completed...
not all matchy-matchy in the prints...

At home my stack of things to do has been
piling up....
I have a bunch of things from my sister-in-law

shirts and pants to hem up...

It's what I get for letting the family know I can sew...

Ha ha ha ha ha...

I really don't mind most of the time...

I also accepted a request from my next door neighbor

to help her with a quilt she doesn't want to look at anymore...

She started taking some quilting classes...

I've helped her with a few of her questions before.

But she signed up for a mystery quilt class...

and she got most of the top done,

but not the borders...

She likes doing the hand quilting not the piecing.

She has requested that I help her finish the top...

And she will do the quilting and maybe the binding.

I also took the room apart again to get a bed set up for my daughter...

She's been serving a mission for the LDS church,

and will be returning in September...

too late to return to university

so she'll be staying here until January when the next semester

starts.

now,

as the tittle indicated

I have been to the thrift store...

actually I go quite often.

you never know what you'll find there.

but

recently I found a quilt top

that I just had to rescue and bring home...

it's approx. 62" square.

and some of the fabrics I think I actually have

in my stash...

Mostly from the 80's and 90's...

I think someone went to a lot

of trouble to sew a bunch of fabrics together

random shapes and colors...

then cut them out into the diamond shapes,

trimmed the diamond shapes with the red...

I think there may be a little bit of a problem

in the shapes not laying quite flat...

but I think with ironing and a lot of quilting it will be alright.

I'm excited to finish it...

I don't know who to give credit for the top piecing.

but

I feel good about rescuing it.

And

it was only 3$.

sooooooooooooo...

my pile of things to get done seems to be getting larger,

not smaller.

to do-

-hemming

-neighbors quilt

-thrift store quilt

-my travel project (My Whimsical Garden)

plus not mentioned today

-fix that shirt I made

-make a quilt for my nephew's wedding

-several other unfinished quilts

including my own mystery quilt

and I purchased a book a few months ago

which I really want to do...

"The Farmer's Wife"

which I have started gathering fabric for...

I also want to have it scrappy looking.

I have decided that I want to use

those reproduction fabrics

that look like they came from flour sacks

in the 30's and 40's.

I don't think I'll ever be caught up,

with projects...

there'll always be new ones on the back burner.

Musings from Utah

Lots of things on my mind today...
As you can see by the tittle I'm over here in Utah again.
I've been spending my time getting caught up on some podcasts I subscribe to.
Though I have a long way to go...
maybe I subscribe to too many?
Nawwwwwww.
I just need to keep still and listen;
it's the one complaint I have with my IPOD,
it will play continously through the song list,
but not the podcasts.
I have to tell it to start them each individually.
So I can't really listen to them while I drive,
can't take the time to change from the finished one to the next.
Apple and ITUNEs listen up...
We need to be able to play the podcsts on a continuous loop.
OK,
enough of that.
I have also discovered through the podcasts,
that I missed a whole lot of stuff going on here in Utah.
Annie Smith was here as were several others from the quilting community...
Oh well.
There is a quilt show going on out here in Eagle Mountain
in conjunction with the pioneer days celebrations going on this week.
I've been meaning to look up on the internet other events
in the Salt Lake City area
as well as here in the Utah county just south of Salt Lake City.
I came down here to spend some time with hubby...
He gave me tickets to the 360 tour with The Fray and U2.
That was a lot of fun.
I must admit that I'm a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.
Actually more on the rock and roll side.
Loved U2...
The Fray aren't too bad either.

I did finish the first applique block
in my current traveling quilt project.
Actually, I do still need to embroider the center of the eye on the bird.
(pictured below)

It's from the pattern "My Whimsical Quilt Garden" by Becky Goldsmith & Linda Jenkins.
From Piece O' Cake designs.
Not the first quilt pattern I've purchased,
but,
The first one I've actually started working on.
It's the whole road thing.
I did buy it here in Utah. (Broadbent's in Lehi)
While I was at home in Idaho,
I also finished a shirt
(pictured below)
One of the projects I had on my New Years resolution list of unfinished things to do.
I had promised I'd finish 6 things this year.
This now makes 2 items I can check off.
It is from a Butterick Pattern (B5538).
Which was a multi sized pattern,
and was supposed to be easy to adjust to fit.
I did the 3/4 length sleeve for more versatility,
I think it turned out pretty cute.
But...................................................
It has reminded me of why I don't like to do fashion sewing anymore.
Maybe I didn't follow the instructions closely enough,
but the shirt doesn't fit me right.
It will need some altering before I will be comfortable wearing it.
The sleeves are too tight around the upper arms.
and too loose and baggy around the bust under arm area.
I need to take the side seam in and let out the arm seam.
So I won't be able to wear it until those alterations are made.

Anyway,
While I was listening to the podcasts...
Annie Smith (Quilting Stash) in particular.
I was thinking about my own sewing experiences.
I'm referring to podcasts number 200 & 201.
In 200 she talked about her grandmother's and learning to sew,
and in 201 she was talking to Jenny Wilding Cardin (sp?)
about repurposing used things by sewing them into new things.
I don't know if my grandmother's sewed.
I'm sorry that I don't know more about them than I do.
I lived close to one, but not the other.
The one close by did beautiful crochet work,
don't know what the other one did.
I'm going to have to ask my mom about her.
I''ve often been a little bitter about the one who did the crochet work.
I did not ever get anything hand made from her,
there's a wall hanging in her church of "The Last Supper"
that she had crocheted.
My brother's ex-wife somehow got all of her crocheted items from the house
when she passed away.
They have all vanished from the face of the earth.
No one knows where they've gone.
This is what I'm a little upset about.
I would have cherished the items...
Now they're lost to the family.

I learned to sew from my mother,
I remember learning how to make doll clothes.
I also learned from her to keep all of the scraps of fabric from any project
to use someday in a quilt (or doll clothes, ha ha ha)
I did take sewing in school,
I did a lot of fashion sewing for myself as I grew up.
I made my own wedding dress.
Then the kids came along (6 of them)
and I did a lot of sewing for them.
I took a class when the first 2 were babies,
and the instructor showed us how to use old clothing and things
to remake into clothes for the small children.
(Annies podcast #201 -reminded me of that)
I had a lot of fun doing that.
A friend saw some of the things I had made,
and shipped me a big box full of old clothes they didn't use anymore.
Some of the things I sent on to the thrift store
I just couldn't see making clothes for little boys
out of dry clean only stuff.
But other than that I had well dressed boys.

I did make a few quilts when they were babies,
but they were the whole cloth kind that you lay out and tie with yarn.
There came a time several years ago,
can't tell you the exact date...
When sewing wasn't fun anymore.
It wasn't pushing any of my creative buttons.
I found quilting shows on TV,
and quilting magazines in the stores...
I took a quilting class.
And I discovered that I could fill that creative itch in me.
I've been quilting ever since.
One more thing I want to mention here...
From the time I was a small child.
I wanted to be an artist...
I took art classes all through school,
including a few in College...
I came to the conclusion that I would never be any good at art.
I am not good enough nor driven enough to be any good...
But I believe I've found a place in quilting
to pour out all my creativity
and claim the tittle of Artist.
Even if my family and friends are the only ones who ever see it.