The Wedding Gift

My niece is getting married tomorrow. Here is the quilt I made as a wedding present for them. It was a kit I purchased a couple of years ago - Garden Charm. My first attempt at applique which wasn't an easy feat because of my wrist issues but I modified a bit & viola, I did it! I think I've finally graduated from Novice quilt maker to maybe Intermediate?

Queen Size but still couldn't get it all in the pic.

Closeup of center

Complete w/label.

It's doesn't match any decor she has decided to use and ironically the backing is actually a better fit. They are going to be living in a small one bedroom tiny house (my Mom's) & already has her white comforter set. She will undoubtedly store it at my sisters. I hope when they build a house she will find a use for it.

I also made a pillow topper, made w/leftover fabric, but it is waaaay to busy to be used w/the quilt.

I will finish this & use it on the island at the Barn Apartment & will make her another that is more toned down.

We've got a wedding to attend!

February 2018 - Lots going on.

Last week I went to my annual Featherweight quilt retreat in SC & got 2 quilt tops done. I used the same pattern but different fabrics. The blue one is for my 87 year old FIL who is recovering from having his hip removed but is finally home from re-hab. Hopefully we'll soon find out if they will be able to put in another hip. I finished it this morning & will gift it to him this afternoon. 

The earth tone one is for me! My friend Jenny found the fabric for me & the squares are made using the 4 patch posey technique. The lines inside are more green than grey. I hope to finish it before fall of next year!

When I got home from SC I went to an Estate Sale that had an original Featherweight table for sale. It is only 31" x 31" & is portable & was reasonably priced. The top is all wood & the metal hardware to hold the machine is very sturdy. I think it's very cute & will keep the FW off my dining table, making room to lay out more quilting projects.

And, here is a picture of the T-shirt my Greg got me for Valentines Day.

I forgot to mention in my last couple of posts that my niece got engaged, to a really great guy, in early December.

It was a complete surprise as you can see by the photo. No, it wasn't staged. Her BFF (who knew about the engagement) was taking pictures of their group at a plantation they were visiting for the day. She had been taking 'artsy type' photos all morning. She had asked these 2  to stand back to back & take 2 steps before turning partially around. Of course the soon to be groom kneeled instead of taking the steps. The wedding is in November & the planning has begun. We went Wedding dress shopping last Sunday & she found exactly what she wanted. She will be such a beautiful bride.

Hope everyone is having a good week. We have a few house & land projects going that I hope to post about soon.

Quilt Gifts & Merry Christmas

I finally finished  & gifted some of the quilts I have been working on. Some, for a very long time. It feels good to have them done so I can begin work on a few new projects next year. Although, the tendons in my wrist (from thumb) have gotten worse so I will be taking the entire month of January off. Other than surgery, the Dr. said that non-use is the only thing that will heal them. Oh well, such as it is with aging!

Here are photos of the finished quilts.

Step Mom Quilt

 I used leftover weave fabric to create the binding for this one.

Two friends Quilt

I finished 2 of these for friends. Only difference is the borders & binding. I still have mine left to finish.

For a dear friend who loves Christmas.

Wish I had swapped out the upper right block with the lower left one to make it more balanced. But, you don't notice when it is wrapped around your legs keeping you warm.

Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas & Happy New Years Celebrations. Stay safe out there!

November! Where Did October Go?

I try to post at least once a month but somehow October came & went way too fast. Nothing major going on just a few random things.

While cleaning up from Irma at the Country House we ran across a Muscadine vine by the road, that became accessible after a tree fell down. We picked 2 huge bowls. I gave one to MIL & I juiced the other, after I had my fill. It made about 2 1/2 pints of delicious, sweet juice. We also picked a few persimmons from a wild tree but not enough to do anything with & I forgot to open one to look at the seed to see if winter will be mild or not.

I went to the Jax Quilt Fest in late September & as usual saw some amazing quilts.

After that, I went to SC to a surprise Birthday Party for my friend Debbie from
Fox Trot Farm. I stayed w/her on the Farm & finally got to meet Porkchop, their adorable & very friendly pot bellied pig.

Then, in mid October I worked the Ag Expo at the Hoss Sustainable Living Center. The weather was perfect this year! The plants were also pretty spectacular.

5 Different kinds of okra (zinnias to the left)

Broccoli & Cauliflower

6 kinds of Eggplant

Buttercrunch & Red Leaf Lettuc

There was also corn, cucumbers, micro greens, kale & rainbow chard.

Last weekend I decided to clean up my 3 raised garden beds in the City. They were all in terrible shape.

Here's a pic with them all cleaned up. The 3rd one on the right has some horrendous weeds growing that I couldn't get out. Will cover w/black plastic over the winter to hopefully kill them.

I also had a couple of whiskey barrels filled with Amaryllis that were falling apart. So I separated & put them all in pots to take to the country next spring. No pics but when I was putting them in the plant hospital in the corner of the yard I looked up & there sat this guy.

I finished placing the pots & went inside to get my camera. I was sure he would fly away but he stayed there for about 30 or 40 minutes. I was literally about 8 ft. from him! Note: Broken fence courtesy of Irma.

We are in the process of having the siding replaced on our city house. with Hardy Board. It was cedar & rotting in spots. It was over 30 years old so I can't really complain ... about the product.... but I can complain about the contractor. Will get into that in another post.

I think that gets me caught up on what's been happening. Still working on Christmas gifts, will also post about those soon.

Just Plain Stuffed (Plus a Quilting Update)

A few weeks ago I attended another quilt retreat at Homeplace Bed & Breakfast (SC). As always it was a lot of fun, food, laughter & a good time spent with friends. I made my first 'big girl' quilt.

It's a king size! I used some fabrics that were gifted to me & some I had gotten at garage sales over the years. I finished the top at the retreat then had one of the quilting ladies there, quilt it on her long arm machine. She did a beautiful job! It's 108" x 112" & there was NO WAY I was going to tackle this behemoth! The pattern is called "Broken Star", a variation of a Carpenter's Star.from a booklet published by Debbie Maddy of Calico Carriage Quilt Designs.

Close up of center star.

Once I finished w/this I decided to make a laptop quilt out of some vintage reproduction fabrics I had in my stash. Pic is sideways but you get the idea. It's called a ribbon box quilt, free pattern from Coud9 Fabrics. It is 56" x 62".

Since I got home I've finished up on my Christmas Table toppers that I will be using as a lining for baskets of goodies to give away this year.

While at the retreat my sewing machine wasn't working very well & I had neglected to take my Featherweight. My friend Debbie (the enabler) kindly loaned me one of hers to use. Otherwise, I would have been twiddling my thumbs the whole time.

Now I have to get my mid arm machine (another post entirely) set up so I can get all these projects quilted & bound before Christmas time rolls around.

On another note, I actually planted a few things in my garden beds here in the city. As usual it is proving that only about 3 or 4 hours of sunlight is NOT enough to produce prolific results.

String Beans & carrots in the pot.

Squash Zucchini, Cucumbers, more carrots & marigolds in front.

Onions taken over by weeds.

I had waited way to late to plant the onions & scallions so most just died. I still have a couple at the very back of the bed, we'll see if they hang on. Too darn hot for them.

The squash & zucchini have lots & lots of blooms but never product any fruit. No pollination happening & I'm not doing it by hand. One of our neighbors has gotten bees but their scouts haven't come down to visits. Sooooo, since they aren't making baby squash I decided to stuff some of the blossoms.

Cheese mixture in bag.

Decent sized blossom. Most were smaller than this.

Stuffed with cheese mixture.

All stuffed & ready to fry.

I picked & stuffed yesterday & as the last pic shows, I had a bit of cheese left over so I picked a few more this morning & finished up the cheese. Will fry them up tonight using a tempura type batter. We've had these before & they are delicious!

Well that all that been happening around here ... until next time.

p.s. I have been scrounging the Internet looking for this discontinued fabric.

It's called Anastasia by Robert Kaufman (orange, black & gold colors). If you have some in your stash or see any for sale, please let me know. I'm more than willing to pay for it. 

Featherweight(s) & Christmas Gifts

I just realized that I've never posted about my new obsession - Singer Featherweights. My friend Debbie (THE ENABLER) introduced me to them a couple of years ago. Here's the Wikipedia link: Featherweight Sewing Machine. And, here's a pic of one of mine (standard size stapler there for size comparison).

They are the cutest little machines weighing in at about 11 pounds making them the 1st true portable sewing machines. But, what I like best about them is that they are workhorses! I started looking on Craig's List & lo & behold came across a guy selling 2 for a great price last August (2016). I bought them & once I got them home found out that one was made in 1935 & the other in 1950. I stowed them until further notice. Then "The Enabler" decided to host a Featherweight only Retreat this past February so I decided it was time I learned how to use this little gem.

Group Photo

Debbie & another lady taught a session on how to clean, oil & lubricate. I discovered there was a problem with my 1950 but pulled out the 1935 one & it ran just fine. I think it sews so much better than my new (cheaply made) Brother that I bought a few years back. Yes, you have to oil & lube it on occasion but I think it's well worth it. I eventually acquired a 3rd one but I'll post on that later.

While at the FW retreat I decided to go ahead & get a head start on some Christmas gifts. I always plan on making friends small handmade items but always seem to run out of time. I got a few table throw tops made.

These will be quilted & then gifted to former co-workers/girlfriends for Christmas this year. For two of them, I decided to add a few more blocks for a lap quilt for a long time friend who absolutely loves Christmas.

I had started a project several years ago that I am bound & determined to finish this year.

This is one of 3 larger lap tops that I've made (2 for different friends & 1 for me). They are made out of old conference shirts that we all had to wear during shows. 

The shirts were changed out & a new color was introduced for new conferences. They are a heavy twill fabric & very hard to work with. Especially when trying to join seams. I cut up each shirt, then cut them down for piecing the star blocks. I started sewing them on my Brother but finished on the 1935 FW. I sure wish I had that FW when I started these blocks because it sewed through the seams like butter.

I still need to quilt all of these pieces & will start on that next month. We have another retreat coming up at the end of this month & I plan on making a Queen size quilt while there. I'm currently obsessing over fabric choices & placement for that. Will post on that later.

Ridin the Storm Out

Well, it's not technically here yet but is expected to increase to a Category 1 hurricane - Hermine. It's will come ashore then pass over the country house some time late tonight/early tomorrow morning & be just west of the city house a bit earlier. With the city house being on the East side, we are expecting heavy rain, high winds & a possible risk of flare up tornadoes. The kind that hop, skip & jump. Most schools in the area (far & wide, as this is a big storm) are closed on Friday.

I can't remember a time when there wasn't a storm on the horizon on or around Labor Day. It's the peak of the season. We are planning on leaving for the country tomorrow, for the weekend. Not sure what time we will be able to leave, all depends on the bands & when they will leave the area.

While waiting on the storms arrival I decided to finish the siblings quilts that I started a couple of weeks ago. Here's big sister's:

And you may remember the top that I made at the last quilt retreat:

I decided that the blocks didn't stand out enough & took it apart to create this for big brother:

I was please with both of them but especially the blue & yellow one. I'm still not great at binding (I get in a hurry) but I'm getting better.

Oh well, gotta go finish packing my car while it's not raining. Please keep those that are in the storms path safe.