March 17 for 2017 progress....

 Well, not as much as I hoped but some progress was made. That is the goal after all!

I got  a new Gracie EZ3 hand quilting frame this month. Hubby was kind enough to put it together for me. After countless watching  of youtube videos... I took the plunge and loaded the frame with my hand pieced trip around the world quilt. I have made progress on this and if I do one roll a week I hope to have this quilt finished by June! I love how the stitches are looking on this and it is so nice to be able to quilt without having the quilt weight and warmth on me! 17 more blocks to stitch in the maroon before I get to roll up a portion of the quilt and move onto the next set of rows!

I had hoped to finish off my Grandmothers Choice quilt this month but it did get to a top stage and then decided it wanted some borders. Stubborn quilt. I had already made the backing when it decided this... why couldn't it have told me sooner? Oh well, I have more of the green checked fabric to make the backing bigger. This is the completed top without the borders... will be a little tan one then a mottled medium value purple.

I got a few more mice completed this month.  I think in April this will be the only appliqué that I work on to see if I can get all of them done. 5 down.... 9 to go! The cats are getting anxious to get the mice onto their quilt for them to 'chase'!

I did get an official finish - the binding got finished on Wednesday evening on my Quilters Scrapbook quilt - pattern by my friend Joanne over at Canuckquilting.com. Ok, some threads still need to get taken care of but it is done!

Linking up with Pomegranate and chintz for the 17 in 2017 UFO Challenge. Hopefully April will see more sewing time for me..... my bowling commitment is done by mid month and that gives me a day to sew while the kiddo's are in school! I can't wait. 

Moda Blockhead Wednesday....

I caved. Well, I lasted into March before starting something new this year!

Kathy (I'm going to start calling her dangerous Kathy) posted a few weeks ago about this free new block a week that will be posted on Wednesday's by 6 different designers. It will run for 48 weeks and ..... I'm joining in. I really, really want to get my Grandmothers Choice quilt DONE first..... but since I got it to a top over the weekend, I did allow myself to sew up block #1. They released block #4 today... so it is not too late to start in.

I was originally thinking to do a blue quilt...... but instead I looked over at the stash wall and saw this bundle of fat quarters from Connecting Threads called SweetGrass Prairie.

I seem to have ordered it a few years ago 'just because'. It was pretty colors and fabrics and it has been waiting patiently to get used.... since 2012!

Wow... poor fabric has been so patient.  Well, I think they would look great in this sampler quilt so decision made and block #1 is done. It is called Whirligig and is so darn cute! The blocks will finish off at 6 inches so it will be a nice little quilt when done. I know, he needs pressing.

So... after picking up children from school... you will find me rolling the already ironed and pieced top and backing onto the boards. The batting will get cut off the roll and then I'll clear off the banquet table I sew on and grab the pins for pinning. The 'plan' is to wiggle stitch this guy tonight....and then make and attach the binding.

That gives me 2 nights to attach the binding to get a finish this month... then I can really start in with this new project =).

Oh, and the FB group for it is very dangerous seeing all the pretty blocks popping up. Must hurry and finish that quilt =)

Sunday.....

Kathy reminds us each week to take time and rest and relax. This is an important reminder as we (me especially) are always go, go, go.
Here is Aidan's bulb that finally bloomed. Very pretty dutch iris.

Yesterday, the hubby was feeling under the weather so I took Aidan to bowling with Emily for her league. Then we stayed after and bowled a couple of games with another girl on her team and her Dad. It seems Emily practiced on the league and then bowled out of her tree with us - getting a 103 and 92! Aidan did well with a 105 and 114. I got over my average so was happy.

Then it was home for a visit with Papa A who comes over Saturday afternoons for his kid fix. The kids decided to jump in the pool - way too chilly for me but at 70 they got in and played.

 A little down time - Emily helped me make a spaghetti sauce to clear out the crisper for dinner. We added some meatballs and salad and called it a meal.  Then it was off to the drive in theater to see Beauty and the Beast. Great movie and the kids had fun watching the movie from the front seat of the car. They played air hockey before the movie at the arcade.

It was a late night - didn't get home until 10:40 but the kids went to bed good and slept until 8AM! Unheard of in my household. They are off to Grandma's today.

That allowed me to finally prep 4 needles and start hand quilting my trip around the world quilt that is loaded on the Gracie frame. I got 4 needles in and prepped another 4. I decided I will echo the diamonds in the trip for each block.... we will see how it goes. I can't wait to get this one finished and onto my bed - it will be  a completely hand pieced quilt when it gets done!
Linking up with the slow Sunday stitchers.

Last Saturday in Red.....

My goodness, I had not done any red sewing until Friday afternoon! A big Thanks to Grandma who took the kids this morning and still has them until after dinner (they didn't have school, you know cause they were off last week and needed a day off already!).

I did manage to get 2 of my blossoms done.

I also whipped up a few.... or 9 friendship stars. I'll probably pull out some maroon over the next week and add 2 more blossoms and 3 or more friendship stars to the mix.

Sometime I'll get some bow ties prepped and sitting next to the machine for some mindless piecing and leader and enders.

The big news... I finally got my Grandmothers Choice into a top - ok, sew I added a smudge of fabric to 'fit' one side and sewed two seams together as it was in 3 parts... but hey, it is a top! I am debating calling it done or adding a border. Right now... I just want it done and off the pile so it might just get pinned and wiggle stitched this weekend with a binding added to finish it off in purple. That's the plan anyway. How is your GC quilt coming along Quilter Kathy?

Linking up to the RSC Challenge on Saturday morning.

Wednesday....

It is officially loaded and basted on the edge. Ready for some hand quilting stitches to happen this evening. =)

It's Sunday.....

And I'm happy to say I survived girl scout camp this weekend (Friday and Saturday night) with 7 of my troop girls - aged 6-8. Big... deep... breath. They were great and had a wonderful time despite the unusually cold Florida weather (low 40's the first night and 50's the second) They were disappointed I nixed the pool time - hey they were still in 3 layers of clothing and 2 girls had ice cold hands! Instead we searched for letter boxes and hiked in the woods finding interesting plants, bugs and tree shapes....earning me 23,000+ steps yesterday on my fitbit!  That is a first for me.

Today.... I unloaded the truck and made Emily and I omelettes and hash browns for lunch with a big cup of coffee... my first for the day!

Time for a shower since I didn't at camp... way too cold for me! Then I think I'll throw in some laundry and  grab a needle and thread and work on something while becoming reacquainted with my recliner this afternoon. Emily will nap I am sure (something about the fire alarm going off in the room next door at 6AM this morning.... and the girls above us running and jumping until 11:30 + both nights....).

So many decisions for hand work.... I will load the backing onto the quilt frame and get that set for hand quilting. The top is already pinned to the leaders. Now that camp is done.. I am ready to tackle quilting on a frame! My trip around the world quilt is patiently waiting for some loving stitches to be added.

I'm going to finally pop my red dresden onto a batting and backing and place in my hoop for hand quilting.

I have some embroidery work to do to make my mice come alive... then need to prep a few more to work on.

Another red ... I did get 2 maroon 16 patch blocks sewn up Friday for the RSC Challenge this week.

I also did a little hand work last week and got this block from the 1857 album quilt finished... I need to prep more of these to work on too!

Linking up today with the RSC Challenge and Slow Stitching Sunday. Please excuse me, while I sit and relax with my feet up for the rest of the day!

Slow Stitching Sunday...... quilt frame time!

I finally took the plunge and attached the leaders to my Gracie EZ3 frame this morning! After watching various videos yesterday and this morning I finally got them on and I think I have them on the right rails.

 Next up - making a quick fix to this quilt top - there is a seam or two on the edge that need to get restitched before I can press and attach it to the leaders. The backing needs a trim and pressing as well. This is my hand pieced trip around the world quilt top using 2.5 inch squares. I made this with the RSC Challenge a couple of years ago.

First up - a shower and breakfast before taking the kids bowling. Emily needs to pre bowl since she will miss bowling next Saturday while at girl scout camp. Then we have a birthday party this afternoon at the park. Hopefully the rain holds off until after the party. I might bring some hand work with me to work on while there. Then home to pin and baste my quilt to the frame! Finally.
The kids are on spring break this week so hopefully I can get some sewing time in during the afternoon/evenings instead of helping with homework and carting them to various activities.

Linking up with Kathy's Quilts  for slow stitching Sunday.

Free Pattern from Judy Martin - a pretty log cabin

Got this in my e-mail yesterday. I have downloaded the pattern while it is free. Figured I would pass it along - it is only available until 3/11/17.

I'm blaming Kathy....

She always manages to find all these quilt alongs. Since I am going to finish that other one this month.... I get to join in on this one by Moda!

I just downloaded the first block - Whirligig. I'll plan to sew my other sampler into a top (2 seams to go!) then I can start by making the first block!

This also got put together for me last night while I was was at a cookie booth last night! Ignore the messy room. Hopefully that will get loaded sometime in the next 3 days with it's first quilt. My 90x90 trip around the world since that is completely hand pieced so far... might as well hand quilt it too!

Wednesday already?

I had a little time yesterday and visited Kathy's blog. It seems her monthly goal (again) is to finish her  Votes for Woman quilt from the Barbara Brackman quilt along a few years ago. I too, have one of those that is still not finished. I seem to have issued a challenge - I'll finish mine this month if she finishes hers! Silly me..... so I pulled it out.

I have it in three sections. I see why I stopped.... not all my blocks were the correct size and I need to fudge with a little added fabric on one section to get it to fit together. Hopefully I can do that at some point this week and get the three sections sewn together. Then..... find batting and backing and see if I can get it quilted.

Busy week this week (scouts monday night, soccer practice last night, cookie booth tonight, first soccer game Thursday night and our last cookie booth Friday night) but.... not much planned for next week other than working as the kids have the week off. Maybe, just maybe I can get this quilted and finished off in the next week? Wish me luck! Yes, the frame is still not together. I started it on Sunday night -and got stuck. I'll have to wait for free time on Saturday afternoon to try and figure out my issue.

RSC in red....

Red is the color selected for March in the RSC Challenge. I didn't really finish my plans with teal.... but they will be there when I get around to making them! (maybe with a blue month?)

For red... since I have not done anything yet, I'll show the two red dresdens that I hope to hand quilt this month.

 I made the dresden fans a couple of years ago. Last year I added the circle and appliquéd to the background... and decided to 'frame' each one with 2.5 inch squares. This is the year to hand quilt each square and then I'll sew them together using the quilt as you go method and a white sashing strip. It worked well for my Lori Smith sampler last year so I'll use that method again.

This is the finished purple one... from January.

Linking up with the RSC Challenge today. A full day at Seaworld with the 2nd grade class had me sleeping before 8 last night and through to 7AM this morning!

Emily and Me on the way to SeaWorld at the crack of dawn.

Today is bowling for Emily, then practice bowling with another girl and her Dad after. Then... we are manning the girl scout recruiting booth from 2-5 at the Ocala Strawberry Festival. Another full day for us.