Monday, May 29, 2017

Monday.. progress but still not done.


Well, I did manage to get the third section quilted, and attached to the first two parts. I still need to machine quilt the border... which I think decided how to do it. 

The next decision..... the binding. Hmmmmm it will need lots of fabrics as each side is 92 inches. I'm thinking scrappy... if I can find enough of the hand dyed fabrics. Fingers crossed I can find them otherwise I'll have to grab the purple I know I have a good chunk of.




Emily wanted to show how comfy it is! Silly girl.

We did hit the park this morning. This was before Emily's friend from school arrived. Boy - 9AM and it was already dripping hot weather. I guess summer has really hit.





Sunday, May 28, 2017

Sunday and a holiday weekend to kick off summer....

We are settling into summer this weekend with the kids. The change from school being out is new but..... both kids had a later bedtime last night and slept in this morning! Aidan was 7:30 and Emily was 8AM! That is unheard of with my kids..... so the 9 bedtime might not be too bad! They were in the pool until close to 8 last night so I think that helped with sleeping.

Today they are off to Grandma's and I hear the temps will be 'feels like 100'! I guess summer is now officially here in Florida.

I'll pop into the garden quickly before it is unbearable and rake the weeds out from tilling yesterday and plant a few things after adding to the soil.

A quick pick up of the house and then a trip to the Pet store.... should leave me an afternoon of playing with my sewing machine to finish off the quilting on the third and last section of the 2015 RSC Challenge quilt. I really hope to be stitching that last section onto the first two this evening so I can quilt the final border tomorrow and attach the binding tomorrow night!  This is the first two sections together. I think this time I will create a sashing for the back and sew it onto one side by machine as I attach the top. I had extra backing last time and just turned under and stitched that down on the first connection... but I think I liked adding with the pre cut and ironed one better. We will see how that one goes! It is a learning process after all!

Linking up with Kathy's Quilts for the Slow Sunday Stitchers this weekend.

Saturday, May 27, 2017

RSC in green.....

I took a break from tilling the very green weeds in the garden (going to try and plant watermelon, pumpkin, zucchini again - nothing from the last try and maybe cucumber) to get a little green sewing in.

Three 16 patch blocks got made.....



which led me to think I need to move some of the green out of the shelves and get them into a quilt.

Some of these (with solids and whatever else I find - maybe the blue and maroon plaid too?) might just get made into Bonnie Hunters Bricks and stepping stones. I made one before which my nephew has..... we will see where this one ends up!

Linking up to the RSC Challenge. Hopefully later today I can pin the last section of the 2015 RSC quilt so I can get it quilted tomorrow and attach it to the first two sections. I'd love to get this one completed by the end of the month!




It was the last week of school - the kids are officially 3rd and 4th grades now. They both got some awards this week at school - Aidan got all A honor roll, writing award and one from PE. Emily got E/S honor roll (A/B), one from PE and she got the high honor of the girl Golden Bear from her teacher. Her first time winning it and she was so proud!


Last night was my last cooking club (silly me signed up for another one starting next Friday!!!!)
We made breakfast for dinner - it was yummy! Recipes can be found on the Pampered Chef Website.
Berry Pancake Puff

Lemon Cherry Crumble Cake - we used raspberry jam last night but I hear we are making this tonight for dessert!

Ham 'N Eggs Brunch Braid


Sunday, May 21, 2017

Sunday already!

Long time no post! I really need to get back to my 15-20 minutes a day of stitching.... and less time on the computer reading the news..... more relaxing stitching and less stressful news stories.

I have not done too much sewing this week but..... I did get to repin the middle section of my RSC 2015 quilt and started machine quilting that on Thursday. All the X's got put into each block. Just need to go back and add the petals around each section. I was so hoping to do that today (and still might?)
Edited: I took an hour and got the petals machine stitched onto the middle section. The two sections done and the back to see the petals! Just need to pin back the batting and backing on one section and prep the back 'sashing' to connect the two parts by hand.




I really want to get the two sections sewn together in the quilt as you go method... which will be some relaxing slow stitching on the backing. The car also got taken in to get the tire light to turn off.... and since I was downtown I called the hubby and asked if he wanted to do Olive Garden for lunch.... since it will be the last time available before kids are out of school next week. I have Thursday's off... and next week they get out at noon the last 3 days of school. Yes, I am already counting down the day's until August 10 when they go back to school!

I have been slowly working on step 4 of the crochet mystery from a few years ago. I finished the last 3 yesterday. The next clue is an easy one so all 20 blocks should have a middle flower added to them by next week... as long as I make 4 little middle sections instead of the 5 I managed to add to the second one I did. Oops.... need to take that out and fix it. I have been looking at some completed projects  and it is growing on me! They get joined together in the next step....


The kids got their soccer trophies Thursday night so the soccer season is officially over. This was their photo from soccer this year. I really need to distribute these to the grandparents.

Saturday was a girl scout trip to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa with the troop. The 9 girls that went had a great time. Then bridging ceremony is Monday night. I'm picking up pizza's for before the ceremony and then the girls wanted to make sunday's after so all those things need to get picked up too. I think I have everything ready for the bridging ceremony.... then done with girl scouts until August.... except for the planning of course.

Happy news... I booked 2 weeks up in Vermont (hope we don't drive you nuts Mom and Dad!) this summer with the kids. So happy to get out of the oppressive Florida heat to the nice green mountains and the lake out at camp.

Unfortunately I need to get some working hours in today to meet a deadline and make up for honor award ceremony Wednesday with Aidan, Thursday with Emily and half day releases on Wed-Fri with the kids.  I should get some relaxing stitching in at some point today..... I'm thinking my trip around the world quilt needs some attention. Poor thing has not been worked on in weeks and it is pouting in the corner. Time to give it some attention so I can get to the next 3 colors with a roll soon.


Linking up to Kathy's Quilts, where she reminds us to take some time for us each week to breathe, relax, recharge and regroup for another week.

For slow stitching.... sharing a photo I took at the playground a couple of weeks ago with Emily... he was eating as we walked on the trail.

and then at the Aquarium yesterday in the cage with the lemurs were these two.




 Have a great week!




Saturday, May 13, 2017

RSC Saturday....

 It's Raining! We are in dire need of rain and the nice soaker we are getting today is a blessing! I just love the relaxing sound of the rain drops splattering on the roof. So calming.

I have not played with green scraps this week but, I have been working on one of my RSC tops. I got this section (28x92) of my 2015 RSC Challenge quilt pinned this week.

Then I made the X machine stitched through all the blocks. This morning I finished up the petals around the X in each block. 


This is how it is looking on a green one. 


I am leaving the border section quilting for after I have the three sections sewn together.  Which means I don't have to decide on that quilting design right now! I was thinking the rounded petals all around... but it might end up to a free motion flower with a loopy loop connecting it..... we'll see. The walking foot is working really well for the X and petals (I change the stitch length to 3 on my machine) and the section is not too bad to work under my machine. The next section will be 36x92 with 3 full 12 inch blocks in each row. 
I really hope this quilt as you go method works well without a sashing on the front. I am leaving 1/4 of an inch on the edge and hope it will work when I sew it together. Wish me luck!
This pattern is available for free under the RSC 2015 tab on Angela's block at the RSC Challenge link up. Mine was done using some beautiful hand dyed fabrics from Vicki Welsh. I highly recommend her fabrics - luscious colors and they are a joy to work with. 

I have a feeling I will be contacting her to purchase fabrics later this year to make this quilt for my niece who is graduating from HS next June. She searched patterns and asked for either the pattern star struck by Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville 
(like her cousin Mindy's quilt only in teal, blue and deep purple)  or this one. 
My  break is over.... time to plan the next graduation quilt.

The link to the graduation quilts I have made so far:
Ben - Labor Day Stars 2010
Kristin - Yellow Brick Road 2011
Mindy - Star Struck 2012
Jillian - Kaliedoscope 2013
Rebecca - Kaliedoscope 2014
Alex - Hunters Star 2015
Left to go - Sarah 2017, Sally 2019 and Charlie 2021... then my kids!


Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Something new...



Well, not new really. A UFO from a 2015 crochet mystery that I never finished. I seem to be avoiding the sewing projects so I guess it is time to mix it up a bit! I have this on my 17 in 2017 UFO list... so I have been going back the last couple of days and reviewing the video's Mikey made for each step. I have figured out I am on step 4 with 11 of the 20 blocks done out of 10 steps. I think I have watched most of them... and will watch each section before I begin the corresponding step. I have learned some new techniques with this and new to me stitches. So nice to have a video to show how to do it - which is the way I learn best.

I need to weave in some of the strands from step 4 and finish the other blocks.
I wrote down my colors to the corresponding letters so I know what color goes where.  A = main color of medium blue, B = light blue, C = cream and D = dark blue. Now to get started on them!

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Lazy Sunday....

Everyone slept in this morning... I know, that never happens! Sleeping in means after 7AM for my kids =). I think the temps getting down into the high 40's helped with the sleeping. Too bad we are back to 'normal' Florida temps  today in the upper 80's. I was rather enjoying the 70's of the last 2 days.

The kids were looking at the cookbooks again today. They made a coffee cake - all by themselves. Yup - took them over an hour to get it into the oven and then the cook time and cooling time. Around 10AM we had breakfast! They did a good job. While listening to them in the kitchen (open area kitchen and living room so I can see them from my recliner) I got a few stitches in on my 1857 appliqué block. I know - the stem is a little off kilter.... so I might just add another little stem to connect it! That and one more leaf on the stalk should have this one completed today..... and maybe I can get the corner peels on too!

What are you planning to stitch today? Head on over the Kathy's Quilts and see what people are relaxing with on this beautiful Sunday.

Saturday, May 6, 2017

RSC in GREEN!!!!

I was so happy Green is the color for May. I was in the mood to make some of the birds in the air blocks and I just happened to need some bright/light green ones! These got started in the sewing room this week. They should get finished off into their blocks later today.


Edited....I got them sewn together. Now back to outside and weeding while the temps are in the 70's! Well, shoot - I guess I have a boo boo to fix later! 




These will join their siblings that are waiting in the box for the brown and black ones to get made up.

Then they can become a nice large quilt top. I started making these for my 'own' quilt after I sewed up the last batch to make a wedding quilt for my nephew and niece back in 2015. Here is a photo of that one. These are so fun to make with the RSC Challenge concentrating on one color at a time. I used the pattern from Sylvia's Wedding Quilt but it is a standard 6.5 inch block using 2.5 inch strips for the small triangles and a 6 7/8 square cut on the diagonal for the other half.

Linking up with the RSC Challenge.

We have been Buddy sitting for Grandma's Boxer while they were over in Clearwater for Papa Andy's surgery on Thursday. Things went well and they are headed home this morning. The kids will be sad to have Buddy head home tomorrow.... but the cats and guinea pigs will be oh so happy!.
Buddy and Aidan this morning.

Emily walking Buddy last night.

Monday, May 1, 2017

April 17 in 2017 recap

Where did the month of April go and how is it May already?

I did get  my Grandmothers Choice quilt finally finished .... ok the binding is not completely hand sewn yet but that will happen soon so I'm calling it done!


I also got all the mice appliquéd in April so that I was able to put  the cats and mice quilt together into a top!



Then I pulled out the RSC 2015 Challenge quilt... which will eventually finish at 92x92 I believe. I started sewing blocks together and then into sections. The right section is sewn together here with the other two sections in various stages. The goal is to machine quilt this in three sections and then put them together since it would be way too big to push and shove under my little sewing machine. Fingers crossed for a finish on this in May!

Linking up with pomegranate and chintz for the monthly check in. Head on over and see how everyone did!