It's about time!!

Once again, who knows where the time has gone??!!

I've done some sewing and am excited to share with you my progress.  But first I want to share this adorable picture of Eli, my son's 3 yr old.  I went to visit them two weeks ago in DC (waiting for the new baby to be born) and found in Eli's room the quilt I made for my son back in 1991 after I had just completed a very lengthy and exhausting murder trial.  I made each of my kids the same pattern but different fabrics.  Talk about full circle!

I know the year because I embroidered 1991-- no labels in those days!  I noticed that the binding is fraying a bit and I might borrow it to repair it!


We drove back and forth to the cabin a couple of times in August and I got a fair amount of my hand sewing done.  These are two more blocks for the Primitive Gatherings Twilight quilt from last year.



This one is almost done.  I will take it with me for the flight back to DC this weekend, as we are going for my son's graduation from the next phase of the Marine Reserve program he's been participating in since January.  I've already started prepping the next block to take along.

When we were at the cabin, I learned that someone I used to work with was diagnosed with liver cancer so I quickly went to work to finish up a quilt I could send him.

This is from Bonnie's modified trip around the world.  I started this several years ago and have been collecting 2-1/2" strips just for these blocks.  They go together so quickly.  I had some extra blocks so I pieced the back!

But then I decided I didn't want to wait until I got it back from the long arm quilter so I looked through my piles and found this quilt, made from a cheater cloth, and decided I'd give this to him instead.  I delivered it last week and he and his wife were in tears at receiving this gift, since he's always so cold now. ;-(


My builder's wife was elated with the quilt I sent her last month and sent me this adorable picture of her with the quilt I sent.

I love sending quilts to people who are ill;  getting a picture of them with the quilt is a bonus!  I have one more person just diagnosed with breast cancer (she used to work at the Memory Care where my mom is living and I never met her) who needs a quilt!  It's one of my favorite things to do with my quilts!

I also did the cheddarback blocks for this month, although I haven't figured out the letter blocks.  I thought I had a book of letters but can't find it.


My most recent progress has been on the Moda 
Blockheads II.  I'm determined to finish all the blocks and start to put them together!
I worked on the appliqué blocks this week.  I was unsure if I was going to do them or opt for alternatives but, in the end, I just pushed on.

I'm doing my quilt in red/white/blue and found a homespun for the basket, so I'm happy with that.





I also got a bunch of the pieced blocks finished!



Can you spot the mistake?  I saw it after I hung it on the design wall... easy fix, if I'm motivated!  

This last one I made isn't one of my favorites.  Kind of a hodge-podge but it'll work.  there are a LOT of blocks so I don't think this one's busy-ness will matter.


Doesn't seem like much progress, I'm sad to say.  We had the grandkids with us at the cabin until late August and then we drove them back to SF and then turned around and went back up to the cabin for Labor Day.

Hope you are enjoying the last vestiges of summer-- and that everyone in your world is healthy and doing well!  That's the most important thing, isn't it??!!  We need to appreciate what we have, every day we get to enjoy.

I'm becoming more philosophical.  I am done with people who aren't positive or appreciative of the good things.  I for one am grateful I'm alive, I am healthy, I have a wonderful family and more love from friends and family than I could ever dream of.  

August mini almost in the books and another kid project

In anticipation of my driving back up to the cabin, I decided I needed to get my August mini done since the month is drawing to a close fast and furiously!

I found these blocks in a zip lock bag on a bookshelf in my sewing room and decided I could just put them together and call it good.  I'm meeting my friend Sandy who does my long arm quilting on Monday and I wanted to have something to give her! Note that it needs to be pressed!



I pulled a couple of stash yardage to put it together and have to say that to me, it's MEH!!

So I scouted for a floral border and grabbed this French General:

I think it's still BLAH... Maybe it's the blocks that are just boring;  I don't even remember making them, to be honest!

Then I thought maybe I'd perk it up with something wild and crazy and give it to a kid.  

Any thoughts?  Or suggestions?  It is definitely going to be a donation quilt, I'll tell you that!  But I did use up random blocks that were sitting on a shelf...that zip lock baggie is now empty and ready to be re-used... so that's something, right??!!

I have also been slowly playing around with a panel I bought last month, with the intent of making it into a kid quilt.  My son's wife is due to deliver their baby in a couple of weeks and I think it might make a cute baby quilt for the new grandson!

It was a large panel with lots of cars;  I cut them out at 8" and am adding bright and fun sashings.  Cute, don't you think??

Hope you're having a great weekend!!  I'm looking forward to getting some sewing done this week before our friends arrive.

The cabin is EMPTY... I see ghosts everywhere--the kids just left on Monday and my memory of them taking over the cabin is so fresh... I see them doing everything.  But that's life, right??  They are already back in school and their month with us at the cabin is a memory.  

Loving my long drives

Our cabin is about 500+ miles from our house in California and it takes 8+ hrs to make the drive (that's with one QUICK potty/gas stop only).  My dh loves to drive so it gives me an opportunity to work on my handwork during the trips.

I've finished many small projects over the years.  Recently I've been working on the Primitive Gatherings Summer Block of the Month (from 2018!!) and am enjoying it immensely, even though it took me almost a year to get started.

I'm almost done with the second block!


The red is much more burgundy than it shows in the picture.  
I've prepared the next block for the next drive back up to the cabin, which will be tomorrow!  Yes, it's a round trip in just 5 days... we had to return the grandkids to SF because they started school today;  we are going back for the next few weeks because I LOVE being there for Labor Day (the weather always has a dramatic change and you can feel it in the air!);  we also have some friends coming to visit.

On another topic, we love our cabin and we had a phenomenal builder.  I ran into him a couple of weeks ago and he told me that his wife was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and has to undergo the usual chemo, radiation and surgery.  Immediately I told him I'd send off a quilt to her.  So when I got back to California, I finished up this quilt, which had been waiting to be sent to a needy person and it's on its way to her now.



I think I need to make smaller quilts which would function as a lap quilt!  Know what I mean?  Maybe these large quilts are over-rated!! ;-)
This was a jelly-roll type quilt that I made using left-over scraps from a much smaller project. 

I still am needing to do my Pam Buda monthly project for August AND my August mini... my favorite "task-master" will be wondering what's taking so long!!! (just kidding, Wendy Reed!! You know I love you!!  You keep me on task!!)

Great challenge

The Mt. Bachelor Quilt Guild show yesterday did not disappoint!  First thing I saw when I approached the park was the gorgeous Singer 99!  YUP, I had to have her... that's even though I've been selling all my old machines to downsize. OOPS!!  It was $89.  How could I pass that up?  Its original owner was there and showed me how to open the case and get the machine to work.  It operates with the use of a knee lift rather than a foot pedal.  I'll let you know how that goes!  If nothing else, it's a beauty!! 


 I really wanted to share pictures of this fabulous challenge they hosted.  The quilts were fantastic!!



This was my favorite in the entire show, so I'm showing you this one first.  The others were pretty amazing as well.




















They also had on display another "challenge" from a small group called "Blockin' Robins".  Their quilts were equally amazing, I thought.








This was not part of the challenge but I loved these little birds.

Perfect wins out

What great thought-provoking solutions everyone sent.  The entire process was really interesting to me.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I opted to removed the incorrect sections from the bears paw block and resewed them.  It probably took me about 5 minutes to "unsew" the offending sections and less than that to resew them back together.



Now they look "right" but I will admit that I think they were more interesting with the two sections going the "wrong" way.  Now there's nothing to really get excited about in this block.  Unless you look closely and see the little coping strips I added to make the sections the right size. VBG

I also did get to a small block for the same project.  I didn't have dark thread in either of my machines so I hand-sewed the center square (I opted to make it as a pinwheel with the center square appliquéd onto the center rather than use the templates offered!)


I was cutting the pieces for the next block at my cutting table and got a different view of random orphan blocks on my design wall.  For some reason they called out to me to put them together as is!  So I think that may be my next project when we get back to the cabin.


When I visited Cyndi Black's shop in Maine last month (The Busy Thimble), I bought some of her cheater cloth fabrics, which I believe were on her sale rack!  I've seen some people use them on backings or as part of other quilts.  I think they're lots of fun, and once they're quilted, I think they'll make nice donation quilts!





This will likely go on the back of the Moda Blockheads II that I've been making in red/white/blue.  I'm even thinking I may give it to my son once he graduates from the Marine Officer's Reserve training at the end of the year.




This was on the back of one of the quilts in the teacher's tent at the Sister's Quilt show last month. 





Several years ago when I used to go to Wisconsin regularly we visited a quilt shop which reproduced antique quilts into cheater cloths.  It was done beautifully and artfully;  I don't think it was inexpensive to reproduce, either.  So I'm saying this so you won't poo-poo these cheater cloths.  I think there's an art to reproducing them.  I had bought a larger version of the squares a few years ago and had it quilted--I have to say with a flannel back, it's super comfy and looks awesome.

Yesterday little Emma (who turns 7 today!) had her horse show at the camp she's attended this summer here in Bend.  She's not a large child and the horse is plenty big so it's pretty impressive to see how well she handled Josey doing various maneuvers!


I'm off to Bend this morning for the local guild's quilt show (a few years ago I snagged the Rocketeer machine for $75 at the show!) so I'm sure I'll have some great quilts to show you, hopefully tomorrow.

Our 3 weeks with the grandkids at our cabin is drawing to a close as we have to drive them back to SF on Monday for them to start school.  We certainly loved our time with them.


  My dh and I, however, are returning after just a few days in California back to the cabin for the last vestiges of summer here in Central Oregon.  The weather always changes right after Labor Day--very chilly mornings, which I just love.

This was a sunset this past week!


Have a great weekend.