Happy Halloween - 10/31/13

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! -

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Wordless Wednesday - 10/30/13

;))

BOB's Tuesday Toast - 10/29/13

Here’s to science nerds -

May they be paid as much as grown men who play catch for a living - ;))

===

Don’t get me wrong -

If a professional athlete can negotiate a multi-million dollar contract -

More power to him - ;))

But I think that it is a shame -

That grown men who play little boy games -

Anything with a ball -

Running -

Jumping -

Hitting -

Catching -

Get paid way more -

Than science nerds -

Who use their brains for a living - ;((

Where is the incentive for kids -

To learn stuff -

And be smart -

When the “D” student -

Sitting next to them in class -

Can get an athletic scholarship -

To the University of his choice -

And go on to a professional career -

Because he can play a game - ;((

And - don’t get me wrong here, either -

I LOVE “The Big Bang Theory” -

And if an actor can negotiate a humongous paycheck per episode -

More power to him/her -

BUT -

Even actors who PRETEND to be science nerds on TV -

Get paid more than the REAL ones -

And somehow that’s not right - ;((



But then again - it’s probably just me - ;))

Design Wall Monday - 10/28/13

DESIGN WALL MONDAY - 10/28/13
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. at Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===

Got a little side-tracked with O Happy Christmas - HERE -

So I decided to get back to this one -

LHQSQ - Left-Handed Quilter Sampler Quilt -
See the page/tab above -

AGAIN - ;))

Need to work up some more sashing -

With and without cornerstones -

So I cut some stuff -

Sewed it together -

And cut it up - ;))

I have to make room on my design wall -

If I want to start on Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery -
Celtic Solstice - HERE -

But I haven’t decided yet -

I’m still going around and around -

With what colors I want to use - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

QJ - 1999

QUILT JOURNAL - 1999

Preprinted Panel - Blocks
Machine Pieced
Machine Quilted
Kid Quilts
Completed - May 1999

I took preprinted panels of blocks -

Cut them apart -

Added sashing and borders -

Then all I had to do was quilt and bind -

Quick and easy!!

I don’t have photos or the original quilts -

But I do have scrapcards for some - ;))

=====

BATMAN
Preprinted Panel - Blocks
Made for Grandson #1 -

=====

RUGRATS
Preprinted Panel - Blocks
Made for Grandson #2 -

=====

MOTHER GOOSE
Wholecloth Panel -
Made for Grandson #3 -

No photo or scrapcard -

I found a Mother Goose nursery rhyme panel -
No need for sashing or borders -
All I had to do was quilt and bind it -
Extra quick and easy!!

=====

BARBIE
Preprinted Panel - Blocks
Made for Granddaughter #1 -

===



QJ - 1999

Meet Bruce -

Hey, guys -

Meet Bruce - ;))

He has his office -

In my office -

And keeps me company -

While I blog -

And sew - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Gearing up -

So -

Are you gearing up to do the Bonnie Hunter Mystery again this year? -

Celtic Solstice? - HERE - ;))

I'm thinking about it - ;))

I LOVE her Mysteries -

But I usually switch them up a bit - ;))

This year -

I LOVE the colors that she chose -

Yellow/Gold - Orange - Green - Blue - Neutrals - ;))

And - if those are this year's colors -

I’m way ahead of her -

I’m already using them for my 4 - Patch Stacked Posies - HERE - ;))

One question, though -

Where's the PINK??!! -

I thought for sure -

That this year’s colors -

Would include some PINK!! - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

QJ - Bears

QUILT JOURNAL - BEARS

Preprinted Book Panel
Machine Pieced
Machine Quilted
Baby Quilt
Completed - January 1998

Made for Grandson #2 -

I took a preprinted panel that was intended for a child's fabric book and cut apart the pages -

I then set the pages as blocks with sashing and borders -

I had to fudge a bit on the second row -

When I was one block short -

And the next part of the story was on the left side -

Of the center page - ;))

I couldn't cut the center page -

And I couldn't rearrange the pages -

Without messing up the story -

So I compensated by moving the Back Page block -

Up to the last block in the second row - ;))


Entered in a local quilt show - January 1999



QJ - 1998

Wordless Wednesday - 10/23/13

;))

BOB's Tuesday Toast - 10/22/13

Here’s to those who love to make “To Do” lists -

May they consider the following categories - ;))

===

Today -
Tomorrow -
This Weekend -
Near Future -
Someday -
Maybe Never -

Now -
Sooner -
Later -
Much later -

Before long -
Before I forget -

After this -
After that -
After a while -
After all -

In a minute -
In a pinch -
In my next life -
In your dreams -

I can't wait -
I don' wanna -
I'd rather not -

Only if I have to -

Never mind -
Not in this lifetime -
Twelfth of never -
You can't make me -

When hell freezes over -
When I get a chance -
When I get around to it -
When I get my act together -
When I get money -
When I get time -
When I grow up -
When I lose weight -
When I retire -
When pigs fly -
When the cows come home -
When the kids leave home -

Whenever -

And my personal favorite -

When I d@mn well feel like it - ;))



But then again - it’s probably just me - ;))

Design Wall Monday - 10/21/13

DESIGN WALL MONDAY - 10/21/13
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. at Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===

So after I realized that I would have a problem -
With the placement of the letters - HERE -

And came up with a solution - HERE -

I was moving right along -

And on -

And on -

It’s hard to see in the photos -

But each line of letters is a DIFFERENT GREEN fabric -

And the swirls and dots are another - ;))

Now that all of the letters are “placed” -

They need to be “fused” to the background - ;))

And I found THIS in my stash -

PERFECT for the backing -

Don’t you think? - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

QJ - Dinosaurs - Panel Print

QUILT JOURNAL - DINOSAURS - PANEL PRINT

Wholecloth Panel
Machine Quilted
Baby Quilt
Completed - August 1998

Made for Grandson #1 -

I found a cute dinosaur print -

All I had to do was quilt and bind it -

Quick and easy!!

I don’t have photos of this one -
Or the original quilt so I couldn't take new photos -

The scrap card is all that I have -

QJ - 1998

O Happy Christmas - Part 3

So I had an idea -

And I gathered up a bunch of my GREENS -
To make my Christmas Tree GREEN - ;))
Sorry for the crappy photo -
The colors are much darker/richer/prettier -
Than they appear here - ;))

And my idea was to iron a long piece of freezer paper -
To the pattern -
Then trace all of the letters with a Sharpie -
Onto the freezer paper - ;))

After the letters were traced -
I removed the freezer paper from the pattern -
And then ironed it -
To the BACK of the background fabric -

Turned it over to check for wrinkles -
And pressed it again from the FRONT side -

Then I pinned the whole thing to my design wall -
So that the letters on the freezer paper showed through -
The CORRECT way - ;))

You may not be able to see the lettering -
From that photo -
But they’re there -

And it sure beats trying to “eyeball” the placement -
From a dinky little picture -

All I have to do is place the letters -
As I cut them out -

And when I’m happy with the whole thing -
Fuse it all down to make the letters permanent -
And remove the freezer paper backing - ;))

Now if I can only remember to fuse the fusible -

To the BACK of the GREEN fabrics -

Instead of the FRONT like I usually do -

I should be good to go - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

O Happy Christmas - Part 2

OK -

I traced all of the letters onto some fusible - ;))
O Happy Christmas Kit - #5723 - 30” x 48” -

The pattern already had the letters printed in REVERSE -

So that part was easy - ;))

BUT -

After I fuse the letters -

And then cut them out -

I think that I’m going to have a problem -

With placement - ;((

I’m used to a pattern being printed on one side -
Turning it over to trace the letters/parts in reverse -
And then turning it back over to the right side -

Then placing the background on TOP of the pattern -
And arranging the letters/parts on TOP of the background -
Using the placement guide lines that show through from the bottom -

Like I did on the Folk Art Christmas Tree - HERE - ;))

This pattern has the letters printed full-size in reverse -
And I just realized that if I turn the pattern over -
The letters don’t show through -

So there is no way that I can put the background on TOP of the pattern -
And then arrange the letters on TOP of that - ;((

And I TOTALLY misread it!! - ;((

The placement guide that is provided -
Is the smaller one in the corner -

To be used along with crease lines in the fabric as a grid -
To lay out the letters to form the design - ;))

And since you don’t use the pattern for placement -

And you don’t need a light/white background to see through -

It doesn’t really matter what color the background is - ;))

So I have to decide if I want to make the words GREEN -

To look like an actual Christmas Tree -

Or use the fabric that came with the kit -

Either way -

The “Arranging of the letters” part of this one -

Should be tons of fun - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

QJ - T's Quilts

QUILT JOURNAL -T’S QUILTS - formerly known as MORE "NOTHING" QUILTS

Wholecloth Pre-quilted Panel
Baby Quilts
Completed - March 19, 1998

Made for Grandson #2 -

The pre-quilted panels only required binding in the color of my choice -

• 2 pkgs of quilt binding for each quilt - or -
• 3 pkgs to bind 2 panels in the same color

Warning!! - Panels may be printed crooked -
Straightening was required on some -

Once again -
Sorry for the crappy photos -
These are scans of the photos in my scrapbook -
I don’t have the original quilts so I couldn't take new photos - ;))

Precious Moments -

Circus Animals -

I always referred to these little quilts as "Nothing" quilts -

Since there was "Nothing" to them - ;))

But the first time I posted some “Nothing” quilts - here -

Both KatieM and Julie Fukuda set me straight - ;))

===

First KatieM -

Katie M. has left a new comment on your post "QJ - "Nothing" Quilts":

No such thing as a "nothing" quilt. You chose the panel, you created the quilt, you gave your time and your love to making something special for someone special - that's really SOMETHING!

I replied -
Thanks, Katie! - ;))
P.S.
What I meant by "Nothing" is that there was not much of anything "quilt" related necessary to finish them up. They were like an "instant" quilt. They were already quilted - so I just added a little binding - a little time - and a whole bunch of love - ;))

She wasn’t buying it -
She came back with -
Doesn't matter - you still thought of the person they were intended for and proceeded to make them special - I'm sticking to my "no such thing as a "nothing" quilt :-)

I replied -
OK - YOU WIN!! - ;)) ALL quilts are something special - even if they are super-easy to put together. But - just so you know - I made another batch of "Nothing" quilts for another baby a couple of years later - so when I post the Quilt Journal entry for those - just repeat what you just said - haha - ;))

That "other" baby was Z - and another few years later - I made these for T - ;))
===

And then Julie added her comment -

Julie Fukuda has left a new comment on your post "QJ - "Nothing" Quilts":

Something like that to be dragged around and loved and still hold up is a whole lot more than "nothing"!

I replied -
Thanks, Julie! - What I meant by "Nothing" is that there was not much of anything "quilt" related necessary to finish them up. They were like an "instant" quilt. They were already quilted - so I just added a little binding - a little time - and a whole bunch of love - ;))

===

THANK YOU, LADIES - for taking the time to set me straight -

YOU ARE RIGHT - THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A “NOTHING” QUILT - ;))



QJ - 1998

Wordless Wednesday - 10/16/13

;))

BOB's Tuesday Toast - 10/15/13

Here’s to those who refer to elderly men and women as “adorable” -
And/or “cute” -

May they realize how rude and offensive that is to elderly men and women - ;((

===

It seems to have become common practice -

To refer to the elderly as “cute” and/or “adorable” -

As if they were children -

And BOB thinks that that is rude and offensive - ;((

The elderly have lived long lives -

Learned and experienced things -

That many younger people have not -

And they deserve some RESPECT - ;))

And - trust me -

Even though BOB has white hair -

And may look elderly -

She is definitely NOT “cute” and/or “adorable” -

And she does NOT appreciate being referred to as such - ;((

Nor does she appreciate being called “Honey” -

And/or “Sweetie” -

As if she were a child - ;((

If you want/need to address or refer to BOB -

You may call her by her first name -

“Mrs.” - ;))



But then again - it’s probably just me - ;))

Design Wall Monday - 10/14/13

DESIGN WALL MONDAY - 10/14/13
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. at Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===

This kit from Keepsake Quilting -

Should be a good one for the little “Race” -

Leisurely Turtle Race to Christmas with Squirrels Allowed - HERE -

That LindaL and I are doing again this year - ;))

O Happy Christmas Kit -
#5723 -
30” x 48” -
(Sorry - it’s no longer available - )

It included the “pattern plus all the fabrics needed for the top and binding” -

The tree is made of a series of Christmas related words -
And the pattern includes six pages of template sheets -
That need to be taped together -
2 across and 3 down -

But - as you can see -

Some of the lettering is SPLIT between the pages -

So I taped them in sets of two -

I plan to trace off the “whole” letters from each section -

Then tape them together and trace off the completed “half” letters -

The taped sheet is supposed to be used as a placement guide -

For the layout of the letters to form the design -

Which should be fun -

Considering that the letters are supposed to be beige -

And the background is supposed to be red - ;))

But hey - that’s what a lightbox is for -

Right? - ;))

OR -

I may decide to make the letters GREEN -

And put them on a WHITE background -

To make it look more like a Christmas Tree - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

QJ - Night Before Christmas

QUILT JOURNAL - NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS

Preprinted Book Panel
Machine Pieced
Machine Quilted
Baby Quilt
Completed - December 1997

Made for Grandson #1 -

I took a preprinted panel that was intended for a child's fabric book -
And cut apart the pages -

I then set the pages as blocks with sashing and borders -

The backing fabric was an all-over Santa Clause print -

Entered in a local quilt show - January 1999



QJ - 1997

Just puttering - Oven Mitt

So after the potholder -

I tried to make a new oven mitt -

Using an old mitt as a general guide -

And the pattern on the Insul-Brite(R) package - ;))

But the instructions on the package didn’t specify -
Whether the shiny side should face the inside -
Next to my hand -

Or face the outside -
Next to the HOT whatever it was that I wanted to pick up - ;))

SO -

I found an updated pattern on their website - HERE -

The newer version of the pattern states -

The shiny side of your Insul-Brite should face the hot or cold item allowing it to reflect the energy back to its source. The polyester protects your hands, while the cotton batting absorbs condensation.

Which made sense to me -

AND answered my question - ;))

I took a fat quarter and cut out the pieces -
According to the pattern -

And layered them like so -
From bottom to top -

Lining - right side down/wrong side up
Warm & Natural batting
Insul-Bright - shiny side up
Cover fabric - fat quarter - right side up

Followed the directions -

And got this - ;))

Not bad -

Might even make some more someday - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

Just puttering - Potholder

One day I decided to make a simple -
Stitch-and-flip potholder -

Cut a square of Warm & Natural batting** -

Stitched and flipped some strips -
To cover the batting square -

Turned it over to trim it up -

Layered it -
Backing fabric square - wrong side up
Insul-Brite(R) - shiny side down
Quilted Top - right side up

Then I changed my mind -
And cut out a larger sized square for the back -
Folded the sides in toward the center square -
Mitered the corners -
And stitched them down with a decorative stitch -

I forgot to add a loop -
So I sewed a plastic ring to one corner -

And then when I used it the first time -
And the ring got in my way -
I took it off and sewed a loop to one side instead - ;))

Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -


**Personal note -
Personally, I’m not a big fan of Warm & Natural batting -
Because It seems to make my quilts feel like mattress pads -
My opinion only - your results may vary - ;))
But it does seem to be nice and stiff for a potholder -
So I think that I may have found a use for my leftovers - ;))

QJ - Stars Over Broadway

QUILT JOURNAL - STARS OVER BROADWAY

Machine Pieced
Machine Quilted
38-1/2" x 38-1/2"
Started - May 23, 1997
Completed - June 29, 1997

Pattern - Stars Over Broadway
"Strips and Stars" by Donna Wilder (c) 1993

Made for the County Fair - August 1997 -
Theme - Reach for the Stars -

Funny story -

I had taken the quilt top to the local quilt shop to show the staff. The next morning, I looked in my sewing room and didn't see it. I thought that I had left it at the quilt shop and called them from work - they couldn't find it. I panicked - where was it!!

When I got home I found it on the design wall - I had put it back up on the wall and hadn't looked at the wall behind me when I looked in the sewing room. I felt like an idiot when I called the store to tell them that I had found it - but I HAD found it - ;)).

At the County Fair -
Once again they didn't find the hanging sleeve -
And put it on the floor of a glass case -

It was the last time I entered anything in the County Fair - ;))

Entered in a local quilt show - January 1998



QJ - 1997

Wordless Wednesday - 10/9/13

;))

BOB's Tuesday Toast - 10/8/13

Here’s to those who post embarrassing photos of others on their blogs -

May they never have an embarrassing photo of themselves posted on another blog - ;))

===

BOB recently saw an embarrassing photo posted on a blog -

And wondered why it had been posted -

In the first place -

Surely it wasn’t intentional - ;))

And the next day -

The blogger reposted the photo -

And explained that the original post WASN'T intentional -

I did post a couple of photos from my phone last evening, but it wasn't until I went to upload them to the laptop that I noticed I caught the lady in the front row with her hand in her shirt…..LOL! Oh, I am so sorry! Hahahaha – it wasn't intentional, I promise!

===

OK -

BOB understands that the FIRST post may not have been intentional -

BUT -

The SECOND post certainly appears to be - ;((

BOB doesn’t understand why the blogger -

Didn’t just pull the original photo -

But instead chose to -

Point out the embarrassing part -

Say “sorry” -

And laugh -

After posting it -

AGAIN - ;((



But then again - it’s probably just me - ;))

Design Wall Monday - 10/7/13

DESIGN WALL MONDAY - 10/7/13
Check out all of us who link up with Judy L. at Patchwork Times on Mondays.
We have some awesome stuff on our walls!
Well, THEY do - ME - not so much sometimes - ;))
===

Last week I told you -
That I moved the top left corner section of my LHQSQ -
Left-Handed Quilter Sampler Quilt -

From the design wall in the hallway -
To my sewing room design wall -
Where I can reach it - ;))

And because I’m not a big fan -

Of trying to wrestle long rows of blocks -

I’m going to try to work on it in sections - ;))

I thought that I would start in the top left corner -

But I changed my mind -

I think that I’ll start in the center -

And work my way out - ;))

What do you think? - ;))



Talk to you later - gotta go - gotta sew -

QJ - Brown Thing

QUILT JOURNAL - BROWN THING

Machine Pieced
Hand Appliqued
Machine Quilted
Hand Quilted
38-1/2" x 38-1/2"
Started - February 1997
Completed - April 1997

Pattern - #40156 - Lotus Blossom
Needleart Guild (c) 1985

Made for a local quilt shop contest -
P&B Textiles 1996/1997 -

Madders Quilt Challenge
50% of the fabric used had to be from the Madders Collection -

I had a tough time finding any that coordinated and settled for the brown and red colorway -

I redid the pattern because of the stripes and tried to brighten it up with the red and the floral fabric -

It didn't win - ;))

I never did name it -

I just always referred to it as the “Brown Thing” - ;))

Entered in a local quilt show - January 1998



QJ - 1997