some wip's

Here are a few things I've been working on lately

This just needs buttons and threads hidden and cut off.  This was so fun to work on.

 The family tree quilt for my niece's family -- background pieced, tree traced cut out and ironed on -- ready for some zig-zag stitching and a bunch of family leaves.

All the appliques adhered to this Halloween wall hanging - just needs sandwiching and quilting ---hopefully before Halloween.

Hope everyone has a great week:)

salsa for a little burrito

Saw this free pattern on the sweetest baby and just had to try it.  So, I dug out the old needles, blew off the dust and got busy knitting.  It knits up all in one piece so no seams to sew up. It will button diagonally -- kind of like a kimono.  I love it and the yarn is a cotton bamboo -- very very soft.

  
What do you think?

for whatever reason

Sometimes fabric does something you don't like.  I washed this quilt top in cold water ( yes, maybe I should have waited til it was totally finished but I didn't ), hung it on the clothesline and for whatever reason, the horizontal sashings all drew in at least 1/2 inch.  They stretched like elastic and I guess I could have tried stretching them and pinning more when I sandwiched the quilt , but instead , I'm doing this.

 

Next time I will be more careful.

no red allowed

I washed my raggedy friends quilt top on the delicate cycle in cold water and added these  -- they started out white

and ended up with this

no red in the wrong places !!

nine patch progress

I've been slowly working on piecing and stitching all the basic shapes that will eventually become the blocks for the Scrappy Nine Patch quilt I'm going to make.  It has been kind of on and off but I'm down to the last parts which consist of 48 2-patch pieces made from the dark colors that will be in the quilt.

I can't wait to lay it all out and start stitching the blocks.

In other news, I found a great DVD on Piecing Accuracy.  The lady that made it gives all kinds of tips for increasing your piecing accuracy through cutting and stitching.  Got some really good advice from it.   The title is Sally Collins Teaches You Precision Piecing.  Well worth $20 if you need help in that area.

Back to the sewing room.

design boards

I found a really neat tutorial for some mini design boards at Bee In My Bonnet.  I already had the stuff needed to make some so I did. It is a very easy project.  Just be careful of the hot glue.

The one change I made was to make one larger and then two mini.  I like the way they turned out and will definitely be using them.

ouch

When they say be careful when using your hot glue gun they mean it.

And there is another on the tip of my index finger.

ouch!!

I am all caught up on my blocks for my Kisses for My Beloved Quilt.  We will meet at the end of July for our last two blocks and then get our finishing kit then or maybe in August.  I have learned several lessons with this quilt -- the main two being  1. when you are ready to cut, read the directions one more time and 2. a scant quarter inch seam has been hard for me to learn but , knock on wood, I think I finally have it and, it does make the block come out measuring correctly when you do it right.

rageddy friends

I finally finished the sashing on my Raggedy Friends quilt.  I want to add a border.  There is a little bit of green - a soft lime green in the quilt that I'd like to use in a narrow border if I could find it and then a wider white border.  Then I just need to sandwich and quilt it.  I want to get it done so I can use it:))

texas visit

I went to Cleveland on July 5th and the next day my MIL and I took off for TX to visit my son and his family.   Since I didn't take pictures while I was there, I borrowed this one from their blog to give you an idea of life at the Neal house (at least during June).

Those five TX grands are the sweetest ever.  They are so fun to hang with!!  We had a very enjoyable, although short, visit. It took me three days to get around to unpacking after I got home.  I was either busy or
 lazy -- I'm not saying which.  I have to say I wish Texas was about six hours closer.  Wouldn't that be nice. :)

farmer's wife sampler quilt

I bought this book awhile back because it had all these neat quilt blocks in it and had a good story  behind it.  Then when I gave it a closer look, I saw that it involved a technique I had not heard of  -- paper piecing.  Well, I've been researching paper piecing for awhile and today when it became clear that I needed to clean up my sewing room or declare it a garbage pit  mess, I  dug out the book again and  made my first paper pieced block which also happens to be block 1 in the book.  I pulled out some fabric I've had for awhile from Connecting Threads called Canning Days.  It's kind of retro and I like how it looks in the block I made.  It was fun and I can't wait to make some more but I still have to clean up my messy sewing room.

can you use your fabric storage as a bedside table?

The answer is yes.

 It is covered on three sides with enough on the back to keep it all from sliding off.  The front is a flap that wraps around a couple of inches but can easily be lifted up so the two drawers can be accessed.  Now I only lack the pillows and the shelves for my oriental nick-nacs and my far east guest room will be finished.

 

lesson in precision

See how the middle strip is longer than the two pieces that will be attached .... well, that means

a do over ...  from scratch.

My second attemp turned out much better.  I have to do better making my seams a "scant" quarter inch.  I figured out today -- always move my needle 3 clicks to the left.

have a wonderful fourth of july

mmmmm veggies

I'm excited .....

fitovers are

sunglasses that are awesome for those who wear glasses and don't like clip-ons or don't like constantly taking off glasses and putting on sunglasses then taking off sunglasses to put glasses back on and so on.  Why?? Because they fit right on top of your regular glasses and are quite comfortable.   I'd never heard of them til recently and when I did I went straight to Amazon and found a nice pair on sale for half price.  When they arrived I decided I wanted something to put them in so they didn't just sit in my purse and get all scratched up.  Thanks to a great tutorial, this is what I started out with

and this is what I ended with