Two quilts pieced

This one is waiting on the owner to give approval before I quilt it.  It doesn't look like it in the photo but the squares are different sizes so the sashing is different sizes too. 

This one has been taken home and will return the first week of January to be quilted.  There is one square for each grandchild plus some blank squares for future grandchildren. 

The next quilt is on the machine and stabilized.  I'm guessing it will take about 4 days to complete.  I'm a long way from my goal of finishing all the quilts by the first week of November.  That's ok though because it was only a personal goal and not a customer deadline. 

Thank you everyone for the advice on the vitamin D.  I didn't explain myself right.  Must have been after effects of the illness.  I wasn't planning to take as much iron as I was given as a child.  I know that would be too much iron.  Back when I was a child iron was different.  It wasn't concentrated in pills like it is today.  I was planning to take a vitamin that says plus iron.  Something for seniors like maybe centrum silver or a similar one.  I'll add vitamin D too.

One of the things I really want to do over the holidays is make my hints blog a little easier to search.  I'm going to use blogger pages feature to set up some links for the different topics.  For example if someone wants to read only the posts about quilting they can find them all on the quilting page.  Or if a reader is only interested in frugal recipes those can be found on the recipes page.  It will take quite a bit of time to look at 300 posts, decide on which page it should be found, and then write 300 links.   

Actually, I have quite a few goals for things I want to accomplish over the holiday break.  All of them are organizing and cleaning goals.  Everything around me seems to have gotten out of control.  From the stuff on my computer to the stuff in my kitchen to the stuff for crafts.  I want to start the new year off with a clean and organized life..... again.  How much I get accomplished isn't as important as just getting done what I can.  Each day delayed starting is simply a day less to accomplish the goals. 

Way cool!

I couldn't get onto the computer yesterday.  Early morning storm kept me away from electrical stuff again.  When the storm was over I was already into a spring cleaning rhythm.  Didn't want to stop.

I got an email from the owner of a very interesting site.  Check it out..... Anita Estes.  Way cool! 

Hmmm..... I think I forgot to show this little quilt when it was finished a few days ago.  It's a worm quilt.  I did stitch in the ditch on the center area. 

The border got marching worms.  They didn't show up very well in the closeup photo so here's what they look like on the back. 

I had a pretty productive weekend.  Lots of house cleaning of the spring cleaning variety.  I also worked on the remaining roses.  I did the tulle overlays and started the free motion embroidery.  These are not finished yet but can wait for another weekend.  I have the next customer quilt on the machine and getting it stabelized. 

I also cut some pieces for my next cardboard furniture piece.  I decided not to finish the cardboard desk I started several months ago.  It's waited this long.... it can wait a little longer.  I don't need it right away.  I'm creating furniture based on my current household need.  This project piece seems to be telling me it's needed first.  

Hmm.... I hear a quilt calling me from the studio.  Ok, need to make a post on my other blog first though.

Another finished

I'm late posting today.  I decided to work at the machine early instead of getting on the computer.  I want to do some fabric sorting this weekend which meant I needed to get the quilting work done first. 

Here's a close up of the snowball blocks.

It's hard to see it but I did a feather and curl design on the outside border and a heart vine on the inside border.

I did line dancing on the 9 patch blocks.

I did a small heart on the snowball block corners.

There was one special block so I did a heart shape feather on this one.  I guess you can tell the customer wanted hearts and feathers... it's a wedding gift.

We also had a bit of trouble in the neighborhood.  That is from a house about a block away.   

As you can see it put a lot of smoke around my house because the wind was blowing our way.

I don't know what happened.  I guess it will be on the news later today.   Since I still have time left in the day I think I'll eat a bite then put the next quilt onto the machine so it will be ready for Monday morning.   I'm kind of looking forward to fabric sorting this weekend.  I can get myself reaquainted with what I have and rethink what I had planned to make with it.  I believe I've already gotten rid of all that I really won't use. 

If I finish the sorting with enough time left over maybe I can work on a piece of cardboard furniture this weekend.  Maybe not to start making it but more like doing the math for the pieces to cut.  I have several designs I've drawn.  I'm just not sure which one I want to start making.  Hmm.... maybe one priority this weekend should be finding a good place to store lots of large pieces of cardboard in this house.  I can't make cardboard furniture without the cardboard.  Can't have the cardboard without a place to store it. 

Decluttering the bedroom

It feels like a bedroom again!  I've been busy clearing out the stuff that had been stored in my bedroom while my daughter and grand-daughter were here.

There's still some work that must be done in here, like putting the closet doors back up and taking out the bookshelves, but it feels so much more comfortable. 

My daughter bought me a new mattress set.  I need a step stool in order to get into the bed now.  What was she thinking?  My bed was already high with a regular mattress set.  It's an antique.  They were made higher back then.  Now the bed has what is called a pillow top set.  Both the mattress and box springs are double the height of the old set.  Actually, a 3 step stool would be better so I'll have to buy one.

My bedroom may be cleaner.... the formerly empty room isn't empty anymore.  Only for a short time though.  There is still some things of my daughter's in the other room.  When she gets that out then I can put my quilting stuff back into that closet like it was before they moved in. 

Before I go putting furniture in these two rooms I'm going to finish the painting that didn't get finished last year.  I didn't finish the trim around the windows and the doors.  After that I'm going to get the window quilts made and hung.  See.... I'm not quilting.  I'm taking ME time.  Maybe I'll spend a little time blog visiting now.  I haven't done that in awhile.

Looking through the past

I tried sorting the fabrics but it became much too complicated trying to figure out where it all should go. I decided maybe if I choose a pattern first then I can go from there. I pulled out several drawings and pattern ideas from years past. Designs I wanted to create into a quilt but just never found the time for them. I kind of got stuck on this one for awhile yesterday. It's the baby horse that stopped me in the sorting. As soon as I looked at it I knew it had to be changed. The baby horse looks more like a My Little Pony character than a horse.





So I re drew him with longer legs. Baby horses have long gangly legs.

Hmm.... even with longer legs he looks like a pony. Ok, that's the way I draw, I tell myself. Then I went on to finish the map (design) for when I do get around to completing this quilt. It went onto the design wall so I could glance at it now and then while sorting fabrics.

This one is a drawing done by a then 12 year old future artist. I had planned to create it in fabric so he could give it to his mother. He's now graduated from college and has a couple of kids of his own. He became an architect instead of an artist. I'm thinking I should get it finally made and given to him. He probably won't even remember it.

It was kind of fun looking through all the designs and patterns I had planned to create over the years. Now that I have time for creating again some of these will get "finally done" and done is good.

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Ladybug didn't want to play with fabric or make quilt kits last night. She was running a fever again and just wanted to cuddle. Did you know that NaNa has a really cushy lap for cuddling? It's all soft, squishy, and just right for laying a feverish head to fall asleep.

Sorting fabrics

Normally, the week between xmas and new year, plus two weeks after, I can be found sorting and organizing. Getting myself geared up for another year of quilting. This year, I'm way behind schedule. My organizing is getting started late.

Last night I asked my daughter to bring some of the fabrics out of my room (from under my bed) into the studio. Early this morning, before anyone else was awake, I started going through them. Deciding how to sort fabrics is difficult for me sometimes. Should this fabric be a background or a floral? Should that one be a theme or a dark? So many different sizes and types. I have tons more still under the bed and in my closet.



So I'm sitting there going through and fondling all the different fabrics when.... what on earth? Where did this come from? I didn't know I had any Christmas fabric. Least of all a couple of vests. Oh my... a couple of preprinted doll kits too. How could I have missed remembering those? It's a mystery.

Deciding on the quilts to make is going to be the most difficult part of sorting. Maybe it's time I had myself a good old fashioned stay at home retreat? Not just staying home... I already do that. What I mean is some uninterrupted days of just creating quilt kits. A few days of fondling fabrics and looking at possibilities. Looking through quilt books for inspiration and sketching ideas.

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In the past I would turn off the phone, close the curtains, and spend three or four days creating quilt kits for myself. Now days I must confine my retreat to the time when Ladybug is in day care. Hmm... she does love to look at fabric. Maybe I should include her this evening to see what happens? Mommie has class tonight so I could give it a try. We'll see......