Simply Moderne!

I really like Simply Moderne magazine.  It's a Quiltmania publication.  I want to make several quilts from each magazine.  Well I needed a table runner and there was the perfect foundation pieced one in the latest issue. 

I selected some lovely warm brights and some  neutrals.

It came together fairly quickly.  Not too much frogging.  The pattern calls for six blocks in a row.  So I shortened it to fit on my table.

I quilted it with a lemon colored thread which is a bit difficult to see in the photograph.  I am beyond thrilled with this.  From start to finish in three days.  

Finishing some Quilt Tops!

Well, the painting continues!  Last week I painted the library.  I will be posting photos soon.  I do get to run into the sewing room for moments of sewing and I have been working to get two tops done.  This one is a simple hour glass quilt using Tiger Lily fabric.  The photo does not do the fabric justice.  It is lovely with little girls and cats on it.  The background fabric is Butter (Moda Bella Solid).  The backing is made as well as the binding.  I will be quilting it soon.

This is a Missouri Star Quilt Company pattern called Double Diamonds and I used Blueberry Park fabric (jelly roll).  The background fabric is White Bleach (Moda Solid).  Of course I kept all the cut off triangles and am piecing a mini from them.  Loving how warm and bright this quilt is.  I will be doing a border in red and using black and white for the binding.

The temperature afghan continues to grow and I am having so much fun checking to see what color the day will bring.  As you can see by the reds, we have had some hot weather recently.  

Hubby and I made a pilgrimage to IKEA on the weekend.  It is a 1.5 hour trip each way.  We had a blast.  I bought this oh so cute box for a project.  Don't you just love it?  It is a fairly big box.  Fun containers are something I just love.  I think this one qualifies as fun.

I hope you are having a good week so far.  Make it count and spend some fun time sewing.  

What I've Been Up To!

I have missed blogging but I have been busy.   I have slowly been painting our house.  We moved in last year to a house filled with dark colors.  Now dark colors don't scare me because I actually enjoy painting.  This was our passage a couple of weeks ago.  What did scare me a little was all that trim work.

This is the passage as of yesterday.  It looks so much brighter and wider than it's already generous proportions.  I am still painting some trim work.  The upper trim, skirting boards and chair rail is done.  I have the 13 boxes left to do as well as three door frames.  You can see they are not as crisp and white as the rest of the trim.  This has been a huge job.  Thank goodness for audiobooks.  At least my mind is occupied while I paint.

This has finally turned into....

this!  So much better don't you think?  I still need to get drapes and a rug for the room, but I am happy with how it turned out.  When I have put the drapes up I will take a better picture to share.

Thanks to the Olympic Games, this has turned into....

this!  I prepped baggies with the blocks all cut out and ready to baste before the games.  I basted a whole bunch of white hexies last night all ready to put the pathway on the second row.  I am really liking how this project is progressing.

I hope you are getting some quality sewing time in and watching the Rio Olympics.  Always so much fun.  Take care until next time.

Painting and Hexies!

I am painting what used to be my daughters room and is now becoming the guest bedroom.  This room might just finish me off.  The paint color has been so hard to cover.  The ceiling was painted 2/3rds of the way by the previous owners.  The trim work needed a bunch of tender loving care.  I am still painting.  Have been for weeks.  However, I am nearing the end.  I am painting it in a color called Lemon Sorbet!  Yes, exactly how you imagine it.  Fresh, light and like a little ray of sunshine.

In the evenings I have been working on Hexies.  I saw this quilt on Pinterest several years ago and fell in love with it.  I had cut and prepped several baggies full of blocks to work on.  Then they sat in the container.  I am having so much fun with this project.  My darling daughter and I are working our way through Gilmore Girls again this summer.  That is our stitching time.  She knits, I make hexagons.

Somebody wants her knitting needles.  He would watch her swish the needle across the seat of the sofa and then POUNCE!  I could not resist getting a picture of those eyes.  100% concentration.  

Well I guess it is back to painting for me.  I have sipped coffee for long enough this morning.  I can't wait to show you the finished room.

Temperature Afghan

I was away at the end of June at a quilting retreat in Texas.  One of the ladies had a temperature afghan with her and let me tell you, I was fascinated.  You record the days temperature where you live.  Then you organize yarn from cold colors to warm colors.  There is no science here.  Do what makes you happy.  Then you make a motif in your corresponding color for that temperature.  Again, pick a shape you love and use that.  Stitch them together in order of the days and you should have an interesting afghan at the end of the year.  One very specific to your home town.

I have chosen to arrange my yarns in 5F increments.  When I got to zero degrees F I changed to 10F increments.  

Here is my afghan for Chester, NH at this stage.  It does not matter where you start in the year.  Mine will be running from summer to summer with fall, winter and spring in the center.  I think it will balance the colors well.  

I sure hope my kids don't read my blog because I am making one for the two married kids.  One lives in Texas and the other in California.  I am so excited to see the finished and different results.  Hopefully this will be a Christmas present for 2017.  Isn't it a fun idea?

Quilt Blocks become Quilt Tops!

I really enjoy making quilt blocks.  The repetition is so meditative and soothing.  I had managed to collect blocks for a few quilts and bagged them.  Well I decided it was time to stitch them together into tops.

This one is a rail fence style quilt - a pattern from Missouri Star Quilt Company.  It uses a jelly roll and some yardage for the frames.  It was a fun top to put together.  It is made of Christmas fabric and a dark green grunge for the frames.  I have made the binding and will quilt it soon.

This is also a Missouri Star Quilt pattern and appears in Block Magazine.  I loved making the Dresden flowers.  I actually still need to border this quilt.  All the rows are stitched together now.

This pattern is constructed using dresden wedges and then the block is squared off and sashed.  This is a lap size quilt and I can't wait to get it quilted to use on fall evenings watching TV.  So fun to make.  I will need to show you what I am doing with the cut off curves!!!

I am really happy to have gotten these tops to quilting stage.  I plan a marathon few quilting months come fall.  Meanwhile, I still have about four tops in progress that are ready to be stitched together barring a block or two.  

Thank you for visiting.

We Had a Wedding!

Last weekend my second born son married his sweetheart in a lovely chapel in Aubrey, TX.  It was such a lovely wedding and we all had such a wonderful time together as a family.   All the kids were together for the event.  We stayed with my eldest son's in-laws and they were so good to us and helped make the weekend a special event.  

Sorry, I forgot to crop this picture before posting it.  

In case you were wondering, I got the last of the doilies finished.  I really don't mind if I do not see crochet thread for a loooong time!

I planted a rose bush this year.  Well I should say a root ball with two sticks.  It has grown so well.  It is a delightful yellow floribunda.  Here are it's first roses.  So charming.  I hope it will become a lovely big bush with time.  If it does well, I will plant more rose bushes.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you get some lovely sewing time this weekend.