Tuesday, August 30, 2016

DONE!!

My little UFO Challenge Quilt from  2014 is done!  It's always a nice feeling to stitch on that binding... but that feeling is even sweeter when the quilt top has been sitting around for awhile!

 I BIG stitched quilted around each round of logs and then stitched around each leaf and flower...twice!


Here's the top right corner...You can the wee red flange border acting as a little pop of colour before the black star border was added.


Bottom left corner....


Now I'm off to the next UFO!  This is the year to get'er done!


How about YOU?  Have you finished off any UFOs lately...?  And please don't tell me that you don't have any!  My fingers are in my ears..."Lalalala..."  Nope.  Don't want to hear it...

Have a terrific Tuesday and Happy Stitching!~P

Saturday, August 27, 2016

Slow Stitching Saturday...

Nothing new here...I will be doing more of the same...lots of slow stitching today...

 This little guy called for some BIG stitch hand quilting! I know...it's hard to see!   I love the look of the BIG stitches...
 and stitching helps to keep my mind off the heat!  UGH!  Only two more blocks to go!!

I'll keep you posted!

Have a super Saturday and happy stitching!~P


Friday, August 26, 2016

Gold, Silver and Bronze!...

Medals all around for these three wee pillows, stitched while watching the Olympics!  You can't beat good Buttermilk Basin patterns...true they are oldies but definitely goodies!


Love this one teamed up with my wee strawberry pillow...PROVING that you can never have too many berries in one bowl!!  YUM!


 And some close-ups!  Yikes I need to buy a new lint roller!


There you have it!  The patterns are from a series called "Crows Thru the Year" by Stacy West and being old, they may be hard to find!  I found mine at a Thrift Shop sealed in a ziploc bag looking very tattered and torn...but for 50 cents it was a SCORE!  Happy hunting and remember to dig deep!:o)

Have a FUN Friday and Happy Stitching!~P

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Another One Bites the Dust...

Put your dancing shoes on and form that Conga Line....we have another finish!

I can't believe that this one is DONE!  I got it finished relatively fast in my world of UFOs! :o))  as I started it in 2014!!:o)  Slow and steady...well maybe NOT that steady!  I tend to stitch the wool blocks, let it sit, stitch the machine pieced blocks, let it mellow and sit, stitch them all together, let them stew and SIT...well you get the idea..there's always A LOT of sitting!

This is a Primitive Gatherings' pattern called 'Home For the Holidays'.  I made the quilt entirely from my stash...and ordered the border fabric (online) as it is a Primitive Gathering fabric and has the little reindeer on it... just like the wool reindeer in the bottom left row...just too cute not to!

                                         
I didn't want to mess up the quilt so I kept the quilting simple...a meander around the wool motifs.  Not the greatest but she is done!



 This one I am keeping and will hang in the dining room every Christmas!  It's just too cute not to!

I caught up with hubby out in the backyard...he was painting the deck bench so I roped him into holding the quilt for pictures!  Sure hope his hands were clean!!  Oh well, paint or no paint, she is done!  Start up that band, grab the person in front...and kick those feet nice and high! 

U-F-O kick!  U-F-O KICK!  U-F-O KICK!  Yup, getting a UFO done is always reason to celebrate!!  

Have a terrific Tuesday and happy stitching!~P

Monday, August 22, 2016

Older than Dirt...

No the title to this post is not referring to ME...although it could be!  I'm talking about this UFO...it goes back to PRE-blogging days which is over seven years ago!  Yes, the first reference to this quilt surfaced at the Buggy Barn Quilt Shop (2009) where I bought the border to go on this quilt!  Read about it HERE...

 So yesterday I finally found the tote that contained this quilt, bits and pieces of the fabric, the paper templates and that FREE piece of border fabric that I 'won' from the Buggy Barn!  No... the border is not on YET but it will be and SOON!  Here she is getting her first pressing in over SEVEN YEARS!  She had more wrinkles than ME...which is a lot!
 I remember buying this pattern at my first Road to California Quilt Show which I attended in 2008!  I started stitching the hexagons IMMEDIATELY as I had caught the Hexie bug....but (alas) it has been a UFO for the last seven YEARS!! I think we will have to call her the 'Seven Year Itch' because I have definitely got the itch to get 'er done!  She is out of the box and will be next in line for completion!  Yeehaw!

Have a magical Monday and Happy Stitching!~P


Thursday, August 18, 2016

More GOLD for Team Canada!

It was back to back GOLD medals for Glynis' two spectacular finishes!  

 This wonderful red work received full marks and was a group effort, as her hubby made the Clipboard to hang it from...Canadian Teamwork at its finest!
And Glynis crossed the finish line before the rest of us even left the starting line...Perfect stitches were executed giving her a perfect TEN for this sweet little Robin pillow...a nice addition to her Autumn/Spring bowl filler pillows!  

Well done, Glynis!  Wear your medals proudly!
(Do you I think I need a rest from watching the Olympics?!)

Have a Thrilling Thursday and Happy Stitching!~P





Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Slow Stitching...and finishing last!

Well, I think this is what you call 'slow stitching'...and I'm not winning any races but I DO have one row stitched!  (and the crowds roar!)  I'm afraid that I haven't been very productive while watching the Olympics...I have to stop my stitching to watch...and of course critique the performance!!  haha You should hear me...like I KNOW what a good somersault looks like...:o} 

 Here are some close-ups...


 The blocks are small... about 5 1/2"...
The name of the patterns is....
                                      
And I found it in this Quiltmania Magazine....
Now back to the Olympics...keep those fingers loose, thread tight, and flex those wrists!

Have a wicked Wednesday and happy stitching!~P

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

UFO Busting!

I started this wee quilt almost two years ago...not very old in the life of a UFO ...at least in this household!  I have much older UFOs...MUCH!  But this one has been hanging on the design wall in bits and pieces...staring me down...and I couldn't take it any longer!! 
So on the weekend I got it together...


The fabric in this quilt was part of a challenge!  While at The Sands RV Park in 2014 I got together with six other ladies and had a ripping good time!  The only rule to our challenge...we had to bring one yard of earthy toned good quality quilting fabric.  I brought the red civil war fabric (the dirt is red in Sedona!)  We stood in a circle, each quilter ripped their yard in half, kept one piece and passed the rest to the quilter on the right.  We continued to pass and rip, pass and rip, always keeping one half, until we were on the last piece, which was the size of a charm square. Our challenge was to create a quilt using this fabric!  You could also add any other fabric that you wanted.  
Do you see your fabric?
It's funny...the fabric that wasn't 'my style' makes this topper shine!  I love it!  The log cabin blocks are small...the logs being 3/4" finished.

Last night I added a bit of applique...just to add a bit of interest which I will hand stitch while watching TV.  This one is going to get finished!  I have started another UFO mission!  August is the month to get all of my UFOs finished!...Huh? WHAT DO YOU MEAN AUGUST IS HALF OVER?  Geeze and I was on a roll too...

Have a terrific Tuesday and Happy Stitching!~P


Sunday, August 14, 2016

Pet's On Parade...

Yahoo!  It's Lily Pad Quilting's Annual Pets on Quilts Parade and I can FINALLY participate!  This year I completed a dog quilt for a VERY special, dog-lovin' baby!  I know, I know...you don't have to have an actual dog quilt to enter... I could plunk my own (very cute) dog onto any quilt that I finished and enter the parade...but somehow if you have an actual Dog Quilt, it makes it SEW much SWEETER!

  My loyal readers have already seen this quilt...(sorry)..but for the rest of you, this will be new....


This was a FREE pattern put out by Fons and Porter!  You can get it HERE...

                                        

I love that the ears of the dogs really do flap...causing the dog to change facial expressions!  I also like the fact that the eyes are appliqued on...no buttons make it a safer quilt for wee babies!


YIKES!
Don't you want to take him home with you?  He's potty trained too and won't chew on furniture or toes...
I put minky on the back so he is soft and cuddly... like a real dog!

And you don't have to get off your couch to walk...all nine of them!
Here's the whole quilt...stars and all!

Even folded up, they speak to you!  
                            
Love the expressions....can you hear them?
"Ok...she's gone!!  It's time to jump off this quilt and have some FUN!!"

If you want FUN, then jump off this page and head over to Lily Pads and see the rest of the critters on parade...real and not so real...hmmm?

Have a magical Monday and Happy Stitching!~P


Saturday, August 13, 2016

SCORE!

With the loot tucked under my arm, this Garage Sale had me yelling....




..."Start the Car....START THE CAR!" 

Have a super Saturday and Happy Stitching!~P  



Friday, August 12, 2016

A Slice of Summer...

Thank goodness I finished this quilt off while there is still a SLICE of Summer left!

SEW...What do you think? CUTE?!

I ended up breaking up the green and red border with a wee red checked flange, for a pop of colour!

 This quilt REALLY reminds me of my Grade One days...I often did a
Welcome Back to School Bulletin Board where the kids made watermelon slice booklets (they would draw a picture of their favourite Slice of Summer under the watermelon cover flap..and maybe print a few words...:) and of course they had to include the ants...and sing the 'Ants Go Marching' song....ahhh yes, the good ol'days! haha
 I love this sweet quilt...I did improv slices so each slice is just a bit different... and those ants...just out and out...adorable!
 Did this bad boy Ant just use my quilt for a bathroom? haha (I know, I know...my audience has changed! BUT my Grade Ones would have LOVED that comment!)
 Oh well...Life's a Picnic...even in Grade One!

I hope your Slice of Summer is sweet and delicious...AND the good news is... there is still plenty of it left, so get out there and enjoy it!!



Thanks for marching by...keep on stitching!~P