New York - GC block

Another block got done this week. This time I did the actual size for the Grandmothers Choice BOW at 8 inches finished. I decided that since I didn't have a star print in the purple or green sitting in the stash I would just applique one on there. I think it turned out pretty good! Emily was coloring while I was sewing the block together and her star in the coloring book was the perfect fit. I cut it out (with her permission) and then did some freezer paper applique to get the shape correct for the applique.

I've been thinking that it would be nice in a straight setting to put the block names below each block. I have an alphabet card that came with my machine that I have never used. This was my first attempt at playing with the letters. I just need to make them a lot bigger and figure out how to put a space in there and I think I will go back and make a sashing (color to be determined but I am thinking a cream) for each of my blocks that I have completed so far.  I have a nice green thread that I think will look really nice for all the letters. The cornerstones will probably be various green and purple prints.

How are you coming along on your Grandmothers Choice BOW?

Tiny Tuesday - Grandmothers Choice blocks

I am mixing two of my quilt along's today to come up with my post. I revealed my midget block on Sunday so needed something else to show today for tiny Tuesday. I decided that the Grandmothers Choice block for the week would make a great midget block.

This is the New York block - #10 from the Grandmothers Choice BOW and it finishes at 4.5 inches.

Today is election day here in the US. I am in a much more populated area now so I did an absentee ballot and mailed that back in last week. It was so easy to just go vote in Vermont - no lines and you got in and out. Lots more people here in Florida so I decided to make it easy on myself. Please go exercise you right and vote today! I have to say.... I can't wait for the day to be over so we can get rid of all the political ads and get back to normal commercials!
Have a great day.

Slow down Sunday

Kathy over at Quilter Kathy has a slow stitching link up on Sundays. I have been enjoying working on some hand stitching each week and it is amazing how much progress you can make with little bits of time here and there.
This week I have been working on two things.
Hand stitching down this binding to the homespun irish chain quilt. I love the paw print on the backing on this one. I think Maxie - my black and white cat likes it too as she is usually curled up on the quilt while I am stitching it after the kids are in bed.

Last night I hand stitched my midget block for the week. This one is completely hand pieced. I wish I had picked different fabrics but I am good with the finish and am calling it done. This block will finish at 4.5 inches and is part of my midget blocks from www.sentimentalstitches.com. This is #64 Shaded trail. Since she could not get on my lap, she was at my head on the top of the couch with a paw hanging on my shoulder and one on the top of my head. I think she was claiming me as hers!

Head on over to Quilter Kathy's and see what other slow stitching is being done this week.

Quilt Show purchases

Well, it is official. As my hubby says... I'm an old lady now! Today I turned the big four oh.
For my birthday weekend, I got the weekend off from work at the store. Hubby worked yesterday and today was a short day so our two employees handled things. Yesterday, the kids went to Grandma and I got to go to a quilt show. It was so nice to go and see some amazing quilting and applique. There are lots of very talented ladies in this area. I will show those in another post.

Then it was my turn to help out the local economy. I spent some birthday money and got some pretty neat things. 

Lovely fabrics. I'll be contacting her to get some greens. These will be for my nieces graduation quilt.

Way too cute! I had to have this one.

A little hanger for three little quilts and a pattern.

I have to say, those little scissors in the first picture are so cute and work great. I used them last night while I was hand piecing my midget block.

I hope you all had a great weekend. I have 3 sleeping people in the house and half of  a triple chocolate cake sitting on the counter. I think it is calling my name.......

Feeling Grey....

The last month of color for the rainbow scrap challenge and the grey to black color way was chosen. I was a little nervous thinking I didn't have much of this. I actually found some grey bits hanging out in the stash. Yea!

I spent the morning walking through the Ocala, FL quilt show and it is amazing some the applique and hand quilting on those quilts. Some very talented ladies are in that guild. I'll do a separate post on that next week with my purchases. Must help out the economy, right? Thanks to MIL I had a bunch of birthday cash to spend today.

After I got home to a nice quiet house I decided to do a bunch of prep work. I have all my remaining pinwheel blocks all cut out and marked for sewing.

 I have my next Midget block all cut out and ready for hand piecing and I selected the fabrics for the Grandmothers choice block for the week.

I did go ahead and put one pinwheel together..... I think it came out pretty cute. Of course sewing with the grey got me thinking..... a blue and grey quilt would look really neat. =) Next week it will be decision time with these pinwheel quilts. Time to think of borders..... I've been making little pinwheels with the extra bits thinking they would look good going around the quilt. The other idea is just strips of different colors going around the pinwheels....... Lots to think about.

Head on over to SoScrappy and see what others are working on.

A Friday top finish

This single irish chain quilt is so quick to put together compared to my midget blocks! This is the second quilt that I have made like this. I made a brown/blue one a few weeks ago

and made a red/tan one this week.

These two will go to two boys in a family up in Vermont. My rainbow scrap challenge pinwheels will be made into two quilts for their sisters.

I cut my strips at 3.5 inches and pieced the nine patches using strip piecing. I made 32 of these and then the quick blocks - 9.5 inch squares. I needed 31 of them. So nice that after cutting out the squares your quilt has half the blocks made already! I put it in a 9x7 setting and that gave me a twin size quilt.

I am sew excited....... usually I would work Sat,Sun,Monday this weekend at our store but hubby offered to work for me on Saturday as an early birthday present (Sunday). Saturday is drop kids to Grandma for the day and that gives the non-working parent some much needed alone time for a few hours. I remembered that there is a quilt show today and tomorrow for the Ocala guild quilters. Their meetings are on Thursday nights which is my bowling night but I am so excited I get to go see a quilt show!

Hope you all have a great weekend.

Grandmothers Choice block #9

Block #9 is called Brick Pavement and was very easy to put together.

So far I have eight of these guys put together. One of these day's I need to prep and make the Kansas Sunflower block.

I think I will play a bit with the alphabet card on my sewing machine and see if I can figure out how to put some of the names of the blocks on the sashings. We'll see how I do with that next week.