Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

I worked on these blocks this weekend--

Disappearing Pinwheel by Missouri Star Quilt Co.  Its a group project with the Iowa Sweat Shop Ladies.  Missouri Star has Disappearing Pinwheel or Disappearing Hourglass with different versions of each one.  I am making two baby quilts, one with pink background and one with yellow using 30's fabrics.  Since these blocks have bias edges when working with them, using lots of starch before cutting will help keep your blocks from stretching.  There are many different brands of starch, I use--

My iron is "used and abused" (okay, I drop it or knock it off my ironing board a lot) so I buy a cheap iron.  I don't put water in my iron, eventually it leaks and makes a mess on my fabric/ironing board, instead I use a spray bottle from the $$$ store.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

I had another fun purchase, somewhat quilt related.  At the QOV sew day the coordinator used this to haul her supplies--

I had to have one, its is being "tested" by the boys!  It hauls up to 150# and collapses easily and fits into a storage bag.  Remember when I said I hauled lots of "stuff" to take along for grandma duty?  Ken kept track how many trips he made loading the pickup.  20!   Yes, this might get lots of use.  

Weekly Goals--

Bind two quilts
Sew on 30's baby quilts
5" challenge

The weather is going to be much nicer this week.  I foresee playing outside with the boys, riding bike with Mason.  Laura Beth is looking forward to taking Maxwell out in the stroller.  There is RSV and Influenza going around like crazy so Maxwell doesn't go anywhere.  Last night I stayed home with him while the rest of the family went out to eat and shop.  That was such a hardship for grandma. :-)

Its Easter week and I hope to color eggs with the boys.  Maybe make "bird's nests"--I bought some speckled jelly beans.  

Sunday Stash Report

New numbers this week--

I purchased 11 yards for backing, binding and a pillowcase.

I finished Summer Nites at the Lake--that used 18 yards of stash.

Stash in this week--11 yards
Stash in YTD--100 yards
Stash out this week--18 yards
Stash out YTD--110.5 yards

I'm ahead  10.5 yards!

 

Summer Nites at the Lake

 

 

 

 

It was windy when I took the picture, I used rocks along the edge to anchor it down.  Didn't want you to think I had some funky piecing going on!  Summer Nites is 84 x 100, an Evelyn Sloppy pattern from this book--

I used my 30's stash and a navy solid.  I altered the size by using 2.5" strips instead of 2".   The backing is a medium blue I dyed.  Quilted with navy thread that hides on the top but shows on the backing.  A simple panto called Hibiscus was used, the yardstick shows the size of the quilting.  Although its a big panto, the quilting lines are never more than 2" apart.  Its still soft and cuddly but the batting should be anchored down and not bunch.

Hibiscus panto

I have three more projects to bind.  Five actively being pieced.  Three ready to quilt.  Life is good!  Please see everyone's stash reports at Patchwork Times.

Rainbow Scrappy Saturday and Goals

This is the last yellow Rainbow Scrappy Saturday.  I found time to make one more yellow block-

This week I finished by 2014 Rainbow Scrappy Challenge quilt--I'm posting the picture again because I really REALLY like it!

 

Please see everyone's RSC posts at SoScrappy.

How are my goals coming?

Bind two quilts--one done

Piece baby quilts--worked on them
5" challenge project--nope

Grandma duty is going well.  Today I am going to run a few errands.  Its cold but sunny.  

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

I finished the binding on my album quilt this weekend.  

Rainbow Scrappy Challenge 2014 Album Quilt

I made album blocks for my Rainbow Scrappy Challenge in 2014 and this is the finished quilt.  The blocks were so much fun I'm making them again for 2015!  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Bind two quilts
Piece baby quilts
5" challenge project

Still on Grandma duty, but I was able to sew Wednesday with my guild's QOV group.  Saturday I sewed with the Iowa Sweat Shop Ladies.  I took a few pictures--

Rhonda appliqued sheep on this darling baby quilt

and pieced a Vikings quilt

Sharon is embroidering a project designed by her son

Kathleen is piecing a fall table runner

Karla machine quilted on her Japanese quilt

Lorri2Rs sister posed under the quilt Lorri2Rs made her--Lucky woman!!

Donna is cutting our new group project

Gina--well, I'll let you guess how Gina's day is going!!

The Iowa Sweat Shop Ladies sometimes work on a "group" project.  This time its either a Missouri Star Disappearing Pinwheel or Hourglass.  There are different versions to both blocks and with the YouTube videos easily accessible it makes a great group project.  I can hardly wait to see how different everyone's project will be.  Maybe we need a mini quilt show after our projects are done??

And a few grandson pictures--

Mason on the Climbing Dome

 

Asher with the "scooper"

Grandpa and Maxwell sleeping

This week is more grandma duty.  Life is good!  

Sunday Stash Report

Time for new numbers.

Purchases were 14 yards, all backing and background fabric.

I finished three quilts for 48 yards out.

Island Chain--15 yards
Album Quilt--17 yards
Birds in Air--16 yards

Stash in this week--14 yards
Stash in YTD--89 yards
Stash out this week--48 yards
Stash out YTD--92.5 yards

I'm ahead 3.5 yards!

I had a quilty purchase that wasn't fabric.  A 60" wide roll of lightweight batting for baby quilts--found it on sale for $29.99 and free shipping.  Forgot to warn Ken it was being shipped but he found it right away.  The baby quilts will be backed with fleece (or at least that's the plan) and a lighter weight batting will be better.  I don't use a lot of batting less than 90" wide but at this price it can go in the batting closet.  Please see everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

 

Rainbow Scrap Challenge

The color for March is yellow.  I love yellow!

Yellow Album Blocks

 Please see everyone's RSC at SoScrappy. 

I brought lots of binding projects with me.  Three quilts fit in the plastic sleeve a roll of batting comes in--

Binding projects in batting plastic tube

Nice heavy plastic, it worked perfect as I hauled all my stuff in the back of the pickup.

Its been busy here on grandma duty.  A few pictures--

Visiting Mom in hospital--trying out the bed

Maxwell in swing

Big Brother Mason

Asher left alone in bathroom--a budding artist with Mom's makeup?

Mom napping in chair

Today will be perfect weather, I plan to pick the boys up right after school and go to the park and play.  Its going to cool off by tomorrow so we will get all the outside time we can!  Tomorrow I'm going to sew with the Iowa Sweat Shop Ladies. 

Design Wall Monday, Weekly Goals and New Baby

Yesterday I finished binding Island Chain.

Island Chain

Its from a Kim Brackett book.  I enlarged the pattern and adding additional chains gave me a headache.  I used Hard Candy Tonga Treat strips--about 1.5 packs.  This is a challenge with my friend Pat.  Pat--I have mine done--how is yours coming along??  Its a queen size, about 15 yds of fabric.  I dyed a bright blue wide backing to match it.  

Grandma duty gives me bits of time to hand sew.  Birds in Air was finished on Friday.

Birds in Air

Its been ready to quilt for a long time.  90" square and about 16 yards of stash used.  Green flannel wide back I dyed a color called "sea glass".  A soft green.  Whatever appealed to me from my stash went into the quilt.  Next week I can deduct these from my stash report.  I also had some purchases but I'm pleased, I've only bought wide backing to dye and some background fabric.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Bind two more quilts
Start piecing baby quilts

That is all I might work on this week.  I am on grandma duty!

Meet Maxwell Arthur Thomas--

Maxwell and Grandma

Born Wednesday with no complications.  Grandma gets lots of snuggle time. 

New Family Picture

Mason, Laura Beth, Maxwell, Asher and Nick.  

The boys keep Grandma busy!  The weather has been gorgeous and we spend as much time outside as possible. 

 

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

A Bricks and Stepping Stones top is loaded on the Princess.

Bricks and Stepping Stones

I will quilt a bit today and use it for stress relief.  B&SS is a free Quiltville pattern, my favorite "go-to" without a lot of background but uses a lot of scraps.  (and no diagonal seams makes me like it even more!)   Thank you Bonnie Hunter!  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.  

Saturday I made some "healthy" muffins.  Maybe more "improved" muffins.  

Healthy Muffins

I've had terrible carb cravings--these are Pumpkin Bran Raisin Oatmeal muffins with mostly sugar substitute.  They are pretty good.  

I've been digging through my pantos and found one I had never done--a western theme.  Cheddar Delight was quilted with it, the top is pretty busy so you really won't see the design except on the back.  But on one block the Sheriff badge shows really well.

Sheriff Badge on Cheddar Delight

Tomorrow I leave for Grandma Duty.  Not sure how much sewing I'll get done this week, but I'm taking a huge stack of binding to hand sew.  Packing my machine and piecing too, but I might not get to that this week.  

Weekly Goal--

Bind ONE quilt

RSC yellow album block

I plan to be playing with Mason and Asher.  The weather is going to be beautiful--60's and maybe 70 this week.  That means playing outside and riding bikes and walks.  No blizzard for this baby!  Yippee!!   

Design Wall Monday and Weekly Goals

No piecing done this week, but I finished quilting Summer Nites at the Lake--

Summer Nites at the Lake

Navy thread front and back.  The quilting is hidden on the front, but on the medium blue back it shows--

Back of Summer Nites at the Lake

Its a simple large panto called "Hibiscus".  The ruler is to show the size of the quilting, not too dense, but not more than 2" until another stitching line.  This will hold any batting in place for the life of the quilt.  Its also super easy and fast to do!  I'm not a heirloom quilter.  My style is "hold the backing to the front with batting for heavy use and washing"!  The backing is one I dyed.  Please see everyone's design wall posts at Patchwork Times.

Weekly Goals--

Load/quilt another top
Binding for Lake quilt
Binding for Cheddar Delight
Cut squares for baby quilts

I am concentrating on quilting with the baby arrival date moved up.  A stack of binding will be my stress relief project.  Easy to pick up and put down with NO BRAIN needed!

I have been punching buttons too.  Used books, more colors of dye, and some 118" wide white backing to dye.  I thought I had WIDE backing but its only 90" and two tops are bigger than that.  30% off at JoAnns and free shipping.  When I figure gas and time it was a bargain.  

I thought I might need some needles for the Princess.  Have you ever done this?

Seriously?  Was I crazy?  There are 60 new needles!  A new one every other quilt or at the most every quilt.  So--am I going to quilt 120 quilts in the next couple of weeks?  

Plans are to lock the doors and sew/quilt like mad!  9 days until baby arrival and counting!  

 

Sunday Stash Report

New numbers--

Stash in this week--11 yds
Stash in YTD--75 yds
Stash out this week--0 yds
Stash out YTD--44.5 yds

Stash is ahead 30.5 yds

I bought 11 yards of wide white fabric to dye for backing.  The Birds in Air quilt is on the hand sewing pile and I loaded another top--

 

 

Summer Nites at the Lake is being quilted.  I hope by Sunday night it will be done.  Please see everyone's stash report at Patchwork Times.

And in all the chaos I have planned two new starts.  A niece is having a baby and Ken suggested I make TWO baby blankets and have one on hand, just in case.  Good idea!  But, no Mojo (as he's a Snowbird in Houston) and I just didn't have any idea what to make.  I was reading Alycia's Wednesday QOV post and saw a quilt made by Linda--Quiltin' Library Lady.  I KNOW Linda so fired off an email inquiring about the pattern.  WOOHOO!!  She used the Missouri Star disappearing hourglass block.  I will use my 30's fabrics.  Rats.  No solid background except for PINK or BLUE.  Grumble Grumble Whine.  Liz suggested "dye some white fabric YELLOW"!!  The background is ready, all I have to do it cut my fabrics.  This project can travel with me to work on during "grandma duty".  My selection of 30's is slim--all the smaller pieces are gone but Liz is sending me some squares for my project.   Thank you Liz!!