Time Keeps on Slipping, Slipping into the Future.

The title of my post is from a favorite Steve Miller band song.

I guess I am dating myself!

My granddaughters turned 5 and 9 in February.

Where did the time go? 

My daughter had a small family only party for them.

These are my grands +1 cousin.

I got my first vaccine shot without an issue 

and to celebrate I put pandemic purple highlights in my hair.

It was a fun experiment and is fading fast.

It will be a one and done though...

too long in the salon chair and too expensive.

Just going to have to let those grays shine through!

My back and neck issues are resolving slowly, so not much sewing going on.

This is Carrot Sticks by the Pattern Basket.

It will be for my DIL's seasonal quilt wall.

Quilted one block of my Year of Stars quilt by Natalia Bonner today.

Learning lots from her free Youtube videos and her Patreon page.

I have been able to do a little hand stitching on my Making Waves by Ariane Zurcher.

This is my favorite corner of the project.

I went rogue on these 2 shapes.

I wanted them to look like the shore of the ocean after a wave.

The cream shapes in the blue look so much like seafoam;

however, I see the ocean in almost everything.

And I am so excited about the future...

a trip to Sanibel Island with my daughter for Mother's Day and to see my sister.

Then off to Santa Fe for a week seminar with Sue Spargo.

It will feel so good to live a somewhat normal life for a change!

Sweet Treats

 I have been a fanatic in my sewing room the last few weeks.

With coldish temperatures,

a COVID-19 scare in my family,

and being a real homebody,

I have been quite productive.

This fun project I made without a pattern 

for my daughter to put above her fireplace mantel.

However, I give credit to Wendy Williams for the inspiration.

A You-tube video by Material Obsession showed her method.

So I drew a template heart and just went for it.

It is much smaller and simpler than her design.

Calling this one Conversation Hearts, 

adapted from a pattern called Love Actually.

I made it larger so it would fill the space on my DIL's wall.

But my favorite finish...

The final blue gray border was done with the computer,

but the rest of the quilting was hand guided free motion and ruler work.

I was obsessed with this one and worked on it non-stop for 3 days straight.

I will be taking a break though while I get my back out of spasm and 

regain the strength in my right hand. 

PT and steroids should do the trick.

Lesson learned...slow down, take breaks and stretch!

My granddaughter's diamond quilt is a flimsy,

 but it will have to wait to be quilted since it needs custom work.

On the donation quilt front,

my friend, Betty, and I have supplied the homeless shelter with 4 more baby quilts.

Working now on piecing cuddle quilts and pillowcases for the grands for Valentine's Day.

 Thank goodness I can still use my sewing machine

and Wanda Joy can quilt all by herself.

It is finally raining in the desert!

Looking forward to more staying home 

and sewing in my PJs.

First Flimsy of 2021

 During the break between Christmas and New Year's, 

I finished a quilt I started almost 7 years ago.

This is Gather Around by Debbie Roberts.

It was fun to revisit some of the fabrics I used from my extensive reproduction fabric stash.

My motivation was to be able to quilt it!

Like everyone,

my goal for this year is to work on finishing some things and de-stash,

just like every year!

But, I am off to a good start.

My reward...I get to start a new quilt for my granddaughter.

    A very modern quilt that will have lots of open space for quilting. 

Diamonds on Display

by Quiltachusetts.

I am happy to report that I found a home for my charity quilts.

Our local Presbyterian Church sponsors a homeless shelter 

and, no surprise, they have had a huge increase in homeless families.

So my second goal is to piece at least 1 quilt to donate each month

 and to quilt all the flimsies my friends bring me for donation.

Haven't figured out which UFO will be next.

I have so many to choose from.

But my promise to myself is to use up my stash in whatever way I can.

I don't want to say I am a hoarder,

but it has gotten to be ridiculous! 

And last, but certainly not least,

my little loves.

Handmade gifts galore!

This year the majority of my gifts are handmade.

For the littlest grandkids...quilts.

First, Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartmann for the baby.

My youngest granddaughter gets Le Jardin by Bunnyhill.

 

I even wrote her name in the corner. 

Both of these quilts were hand guided free motion and ruler work 

with Le Jardin having some computer borders.

The baby also gets this quilt from my daughter. 

She designed, drafted and pieced it using a purchased pattern for the fox.

And details of the quilting I did.

My daughter's family will receive this cuddly quilt backed in minky.

Quilted it using one of my favorite edge to edge patterns.

                                   I made two of these collage quilts from Laura Heine

...one for my sister and one for my DIL.

The hardest things I made were these pencil cases with a pattern ByAnnie called Flipping Out.

I am still working on charity quilts; but alas, with the pandemic, no one will accept them.

 I will hold on to them to gift in the future.

So what is next...

I am piecing a sampler quilt using stash fabrics for 

A Year of Stars,

a year long tutorial on free motion and ruler quilting by Natalia Bonner starting Jan. 1st.

I'll have a red and green quilt to gift next year!

Wishing you all a happy holiday season! 

Productivity during the Plague!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I did. 

I got to be the guest for the first time in many years.

                                              Bringing Home the Tree by Buttermilk Basin.

A hostess gift and early Christmas present for my DIL.

She hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the first time and it was delicious.

We even had Jalapeno stuffing, which was the best!

She always appreciates the quilts I give her

and loves to display them in their home.

Makes me smile.

Lori of Humble Quilts posted info on how to donate to the Oregon fire victims.

Wanda Joy quilted up a bunch of charity quilts donated by Monica J.

 and then my quilting teacher and good friend, Betty O., bound them for me. 

I will mail them Monday after 2 more get their bindings sewn down. 

If you would like to learn how to contribute,

here is Lori's post.

Since I spend so much time in my sewing room these days,

I am finishing up most of my UFOs.

Harvest Moon by Heart to Hand is quilted! 

My first all wool quilting job.

Botanical Sketchbook by Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Designs.

This is wool on homespun and was my first attempt at free motion quilting.

Of course, they both need their binding, which is my least favorite part of the process!

So I guess I cannot officially call them a finish,

yet.

What is next?

Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartmann

for my new grandson.

Yes, one thistle is missing. 

Today's goal is to get this guy finished up.

I have this darling fabric for the backing.

I can hardly wait to try ruler work on this one.

Then there are several more modern quilts in my queue.

Oh, how my tastes have changed!

I even purchased some Tula Pink fabrics and a special ruler for a quilt with curves.

I don't do curves or notions, so this is something new for me! 

I know Jan is smiling right now.

Finished up Sue Spargo's Squash Squad this week. 
Waiting to see what she designs for the borders.

As my friend Betty says, "Thank goodness for my sewing! Without it, I think I would go crazy."
All I know is the pandemic, which I have gone to calling the plague, has made me productive. 

Stay safe, and sew on!

The Circle of Life

 My longarm machine is in its new home. 

I named her Wanda Joy, after my mother.

This used to be her bedroom when she would come to visit.

My next goal is put a few pictures I inherited from her on the walls.

She loved modern art and had the most eclectic collection.

Right now, I am just learning how to load the machine and do edge to edge quilting.

I pieced some simple quilt tops and will donate them to LINUS...a good way to use up stash.

I plan to take some classes soon on free motion quilting and ruler work.

This edge to edge stuff is very useful,

but I feel more like a computer operator than a quilter.

Still embroidering...

6 of 9 Squash Squad blocks.

I am so thankful for projects like these on social media.

Without them, I think the anxiety and isolation would overwhelm me.

I said goodbye to my mother this year and 

welcomed another grandchild.

The circle of life.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race!

 Remember that wedding quilt I added to my priority WIP list?  

It is a flimsy and will be one of the first quilts I quilt on my new longarm once I gain some confidence. I pieced the majority of the hexie blocks the year my daughter was married (just to refresh your memories and mine, that was 9 years ago.) My DIL isn't planning on getting her wedding quilt anytime soon...it is still in the box. 

I still do a ton of embroidery. I finished my Rock Gardens pouch, a variation on a Japanese Rice Sack, designed by Ariane Zurcher. 

Then I did a challenge project I am calling Lichen. Ariane Zurcher presented a few of her followers a picture of lichen on a tree branch and challenged us to interpret it in any way we desired. I am so representational; therefore it, hopefully, looks like a tree branch covered in lichen. Then I delved into the world of drawstring bucket bag making. Just warning you...bags of all sorts seem to now be on my radar.

Including this tote made from one square from the Aussie Stitch Along on Facebook.

Next up on my list of projects is to work on both of my lifetime projects...Yoko Saito's Vases of Flowers wall quilt and Edyta Sitar's Sunrise Scraps...one hand appliqued and one machine pieced.