Author: Kelly

Stitch a Long

I’ve decided to join a Stitch a Long that Terry is doing using this pattern from the Moda Bake Shop.  I have so many 2.5″ squares already cut that it’ll be easy to pull out what I need.  Alex and I stopped at Joann’s last night and I picked up 4 yards of Kona Black for the background (I can use it on other projects if I bought too much!).  I will only need to cut the long strips with the rotary cutter, I can get the black 2.5″ squares with my Accuquilt Go.  I’m really loving the die that cuts 9 2.5″ squares at once!  Comes in very handy for lots of projects!  I’ll be back later, I have lots of other things to update you on!

Finally Sewing Again!

It’s been so long I almost didn’t know how to use my sewing machine!  My birthday was last week and I decided to use some cash I had gotten to buy some dies for my Go.  I got the following:

Yesterday I tried cutting a few out using 4.5″ squares I had sitting here.  I just put a couple of drunkard’s path blocks and tumblers together to see how well they worked.  Today I cut out 198 tumblers for a runner for my breakfast bar for Christmas.  Didn’t take me very long and I’ll be putting them together tonight after Alex goes to bed.  I’m hoping this will go together quickly, because I need to decide what needs to be added to the Xmas present list.

I have been slowly working on the cross stitch pieces for presents, I have 2 of the 3 completed.  I just can’t post them until after they’ve been given as gifts!

I’ll be back once I’ve gotten the runner put together, hopefully that will be later tonight! 🙂

I’m still here!

I haven’t been working on much quilting lately, no time at the sewing machine and the hexagon diamonds have taken a back seat for awhile.  I spent most of August and September working on a cross stitch present for my parents 40th anniversary, now that it’s been given to them I can talk about it.  Unfortunately I was dumb and didn’t take a picture before I gave it to them!  I should be going to their house this week and will see if I can get a picture.

I’ve also been working on some Christmas presents, which I can’t talk about until after the holidays.  I have 1 stitched up and I am working on the 2nd, still have 1 to go after that.  We just made some decisions yesterday about presents that I am making, boy do I have a lot of work in the next 2 months!

Still looking for a hand quilting class to take.  I’m debating seeing if there is someone in the guild that would teach me.  I seem to be taking more of an active role in the guild.  I am now doing our guild blog.  I need to go back and put the newsletters going back to January 2012, but I don’t think there is any hurry. 🙂

Alex is now 2 and I can’t believe how quickly the time goes by!  He’s not talking yet, but some words are starting to come out. He’s so smart (I know, every mother says that!) and understands so much!  Since I don’t have any cross stitch or quilting pictures, you’ll have to settle for one of Alex’s 2 year pictures.

Shopping!

I went to Joann’s today because I needed floss for some upcoming projects.  I should know better than to walk around that store!  Besides the 22 skeins of floss I got a few other things that I probably didn’t need.  7 fat quarters (on sale!), 2 packages of precut hexagons (clearance!), a sock loom (on sale!) and 4 skeins of yarn (clearance!).  With all the coupons and discounts I saved a lot of money on it all.  Hubby still might kill me though! 🙂  I’ve always wanted to knit socks, but I don’t know how to knit.  When I saw this loom a few months ago I almost bought it, but today it was 25% off. I just finished cutting up all the hexagons with my 2.5″ square die for my Go, they are just big enough to cut a 2.5″ square and have the corners nipped off.  I have all the fat quarters to cut up still, plus the ones I got in Amish on Monday.  I’m getting ready to “kit” up more diamonds even though I’ll be starting a new cross stitch project soon.

I’m back!

I know, I’ve been gone for awhile.  I wasn’t posting because I didn’t have any updates.  I do today!  I finished Month by Month last night.  It’s stitched on 28 count Zweigart in Pearl Linen.  Now I just need to find the right frame and figure out where to hang it.  Now on to the next cross stitch project!

Yesterday we went to Amish country.  Took my father-in-law to lunch and stopped at Lehman’s.  They have an outlet on the other side of hte parking lot and I ran in to see if there was anything interesting.  I found a couple of fat quarters for 1.25 and a BUNCH of thread really cheap!  I got 2 YLI spools (the big ones) for 2.99 each and 6 spools of Gutermann for 2.95 each.  I couldn’t pass up that deal!

I also finished another hexagon diamond and started the next one. Almost time to kit up some more!  Still trying to find a hand quilting class so I can start quilting the hexagon quilt, but I’m in no hurry.  I have a lot of projects to get done in the next few months, some are Christmas presents I have planned, we’ll see if I get any of them done!

Hope to be back soon with some updates!

Contest – Please vote

I did it again, I entered a quilt in Quilting Gallery’s weekly contest.  This week is memory quilts and I’ve submitted Peepaw’s Quilt.  In 2009 my mother-in-law gave my husband a bag full of buttons and medals from her father’s Marine uniforms (he was in the service during WWII.)  So, I printed pictures of Peepaw and then attached the buttons and pins in the alternate squares.  It hangs in my husbands office so he can see it everyday.  Please head over to Quilting Gallery and vote for Peepaw’s Quilt!!

Working hard

I’ve been working hard on a very old quilt the last few days and I’m happy to say I’ve made a lot of progress!  This is the 2010 Quilt Show BOM.  When I started this I had just found out I was pregnant with Alex and somehow through the year I managed to get my blocks done on time until he was born in October.  Took me awhile to finish the November and December blocks, and I worked on it a little the last time I went to the guild sew-in.  I’ve put on 4 borders and I have 4 borders left to do.  I need to sort out the half square triangles that make up the next border and work on putting them together, but today I’m planning on getting the scrappy car quilt on the frame and quilted.  Since it’s only 36″ x 36″ I doubt it’ll take long to quilt with a pantograph, but I’d like to take something to guild for show and tell this month.  It’s been so long since I’ve shown anything!  I’m also thinking about taking my hexagon quilt, even though it’s not quilted just so I can show it off, I’m really proud of it!  I think I am going to use some already made binding I found in the cupboard for the car quilt, I think it might be enough, and it’s a scrappy binding so it’ll fit with the scrappy squares.

Big Update!

I’ve been busy!  I finished another hexagon diamond last night, and I have the next 3 ready to be basted.  This one is using just Equinox fabric, I have a couple like this – I have lots of scraps!

Yesterday I took one of my new stencils and made my own pantagraph.  I took some of Alex’s drawing paper, cut it in half and taped enough together to get the width I need for the scrappy car quilt.  I’m hoping to get it quilted in the next day or so, I’d like to take it to guild this week.

I’ve also been working on Month by Month from Sunflower Seed. I’m now halfway done, and still have no clue where it’s going to go!  I’m debating taking down a collage frame in the hallway and putting cross stitch up.  But I also have a spot upstairs in the hallway I could put stuff.  I just don’t know what to do!  I finally put up Dream, Hope, Believe, and Imagine in my office along with the Blessed are the Piece Makers one.

Yesterday I also decided to work on my Quilt Show 2010 BOM.  I got the next row of borders put together and I’m planning on working on it today.  Hoping to make some progress today, then I’m thinking tomorrow I can work on quilting the scrappy car quilt.  I doubt it’ll take long to quilt it, it’s only 36″ x 36″!

Please don’t forget to vote for my quilt Patriotic Lone Star over at Quilting Gallery!

Vote and Hexi Update

I submitted one of my quilts into this week’s contest at Quilting Gallery.  Please go over and vote for me, it’s the red, white and blue Lone Star Quilt!

I made a purse for my sister this week (forgot to get a picture) and I will not make another one of these ever again.  The instructions SUCKED!  I had to get hubby to help me figure out what I was supposed to be doing, I just could not understand what they wanted me to do.  At least it’s done and she said she liked it.

I’ve managed to complete 2 diamonds for my new hexagon quilt, slow going because there are more pieces in each diamond, but I think it’ll look really cool when it’s all done.  I’ve already started working on the 3rd one.

I got my stencils yesterday, now I’m going to see if I can figure out a way to make them into pantographs so I can use them on my frame upstairs.  I have a few quilts to get quilted, my sister is getting antsy for hers!

Off to take a nap, Alex was up at 4:15 this morning and I didn’t get enough sleep!