And so it ends…

January that is. And I am not sorry to see it go because it means we are that much closer to winter’s end. It is cold and blustery out there today.

No post yesterday. I had training for the job and then worked in the afternoon. I called it an early night and went to bed with a book.

I am pleased to say that I finished one quilt per week in January! That includes 3 Quilts of Valor, a 4 patch wall quilt made from the Chateau Rouge mini charm packs, and  the Abundance doll quilt from the QAL at Humble Quilts. Oh, and I also finished a table runner for my dear MIL’s birthday. Not bad!

So as not to have a post without pictures, I thought I would bring out some miniature’s that I made quite some time ago. These are all made with vintage fabric scraps, except for the second one dow, those are Liberty of London scraps. Enjoy!

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Posted in Doll Quilts, Miniature, Traditional Quilts, Vintage Fabrics | 1 Comment

Put a fork in it…

…it’s done! Well, I do have to sew the label on and box it up.

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Now I am off to work!
Until next time…

Posted in Bed Quilts, Quilt of Valor, Traditional Quilts | 2 Comments

The finish line is in sight!

I am so close to finishing the challenge quilt for the HMQS show. I really don’t care about the challenge, I just saw it as an opportunity to make a quilt for the vet’s home which is where these quilts will end up. This is what I did yesterday:

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This morning I did the hand sewing on the sleeve that is required for hanging at the show.

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I still need to wash it and add the label. I will post a pic of the finished product later today.
Until next time….

Posted in Bed Quilts, Quilt of Valor | 1 Comment

A little of this and a little of that…

I enjoyed a very relaxing weekend with the family. It was Daughter #3’s birthday and we went shopping to celebrate. The place she wanted to go was an hour away so I dug out my sock knitting. I started this pair last September when I traveled to Arizona and finally finished this weekend!

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The yarn is a very soft bamboo blend. I am no great sock knitter but I enjoy it!
I also started on my next pair. I hope to finish these in under a month. That is my goal anyway.

And I made a decision regarding these blocks:

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I am moving these off the design wall and sending them on to a Quilt of Valor coordinator in another state who is having a QOV block drive.
Until next time…

Posted in Knitting, Quilt of Valor, Socks | 3 Comments

Sunday

How happy and fulfilled are those
Whose rebellion has been forgiven,
Those whose sins are covered by blood!
… How blessed and relieved are those
Who have confessed their corruption  to God!
For He wipes their slate clean
And removes hypocrisy from their hearts.
Before I confessed my sins, I kept it all inside,
My dishonesty devastated my inner life,
Filling my days with frustration,
Irrepressible anguish, and misery.
The pain never let up, for Your hand of conviction
Was heavy on my heart.
My strength was sapped,
My inner life dried up
Like in a summer drought in my soul.
Pause in His Presence
Then I finally recounted all my sins to You,
Refusing to hide them any longer.
So I said, “My life-giving God,
I’ll openly acknowledge to You my evil actions.”
And You forgave me!
All at once the guilt of my sins were washed away,
All my pain disappeared!
Pause in His Presence
This is what I’ve learned through it all:
Every believer should confess their sins to God;
Do it every time God has uncovered you,
In the time of your exposing.
If you do this, when sudden storms of life overwhelm,
You’ll be kept safe.
Lord, You are my Secret Hiding Place,
Protecting me from these troubles,
Surrounding me with songs of gladness!
Your joyous shouts of rescue release my breakthrough.

Psalm 32:1-7
The Passion Translation

Journey

Until next time….

Posted in Art Quilts, Thankfulness | Leave a comment

Indecision

I put this small top together last summer. I like it but can’t figure out how to quilt it. Any suggestions? It is about 30″ square.

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Here is another one where the quilting has me stumped:

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Until next time…

Posted in Bed Quilts, Civil War Repro Quilts, Fresh Modern Quilts, Modern Quilts, Traditional Quilts | 1 Comment

Another QOV…

I want to try out all the dies I got with my studio cutter. Last night I cut pieces for these blocks. Not sure where I will go from here but it is destined to become another Quilt of Valor eventually.

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The red is much brighter in reality. I think I need to cut and make at least three more blocks.

Until next time…

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Posted in Quilt of Valor, Traditional Quilts | 1 Comment

Ta daaaa! A finish!

You knew I couldn’t wait! This is the Abundance quilt from Lori’s quilt along at Humble Quilts.  I actually finished this Tuesday morning. I loved how it was turning out and couldn’t wait. She posted the directions for step 2 here.

The quilting is a random grid that I like to use. No marking ahead of time, I just start in the middle and go for it. I do all the rows going one way, turn it 90 degrees and then do all the rows going the other way. I like the slightly wonky look it gives. I actually used a yellow thread for the quilting and I really love the way it softened the look of the quilt.
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I am looking forward to seeing how everyone else interpreted this little design.

This is my third finish in as many weeks. Granted this is a small one but I sure hope I can keep this pace going through the rest of the year!

Until next time….

Posted in Civil War Repro Quilts, Doll Quilts, Machine quilting, Miniature | 9 Comments

Progress!

I was fortunate to be able to spend a good amount of time sewing last weekend and today, I got another section of the bow tie blocks together for the wedding quilt:

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I also completed the top of my challenge quilt for the HMQS show and have it loaded into the frame. Now I need to decide how to quilt it.

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Until next time…

Posted in Bed Quilts, Quilt of Valor | Leave a comment

A little shopping…

Yesterday, my wonderful DH was off work for MLK Day. I always have Mondays off and Daughter Number 3 was off as well. So we headed south a ways to go to Ikea, easily one of my favorite stores. DH had some tricks up his sleeve and surprised me by showing up at another if my fave stores, Tuesday Morning.

I was shocked to find this:

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They had other kits as well. I won’t use this pattern but loved the colors. They are not pure solids. I also found this:

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I’ll let you know how it works. They also had some FQ bundles that would have made nice baby quilts and cutting mats.
At Ikea, I bought these:

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The floral may become the backing for daughter Number 1’s wedding quilt.

Until next time…

Posted in Fabric | Leave a comment