More Braiding :)

So this is the pile of strings I had to braid with today. What I did was cut a couple of 2 1/2" strips- a 10 1/2" square or 2 and then the 2" strips for braiding. Anything left over was a cut of strings for the next string quilt.

I am so loving this braiding that even the orange fabric from the monster is in it already and I've learned to make a herringbone type pattern which I would love to try again in 2 colors- but I'm not buying fabric just to make rugs- nope not happening. But all those long pieces from backings that I've quilted that I saved so I wasn't wasting fabric etc is finally getting used. Hey I'm down one whole bin already *clap! clap! clap!*





Tomorrow morning I will be sewing down the binding for my secret santa gifty. I got the binding on it this evening. And look for another bin and see what is no longer "loved" BUt Carole- thank you so much for a great idea :)

Wow What a stash buster

All I can say about this process is WOW!!!. I've been cutting strips all day and already I'm running out of 6 yards worth of fabric that was less than desirable than when I bought it! I was looking at the booklet that gave the directions and I couldn't understand why my rug was not looking like the pics in the booklet till it dawned on me....it's not rug weaving , it's rug braiding. And now it's going really quickly and using lots and lots of fabric. I managed to get one backing of 30 blocks pieced today :) and still quite the pile remains. Tomorrow I'll put my borders on the bonus hsts from the pineapple blossom quilt and baste that to be quilted. Yippee!!! I've been piecing pinwheel blocks also today we'll see how many more need to be made of the dark blue ones. But it was a great sewing day and hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Quilt Along Week 3 Blocks

I managed to finish my 2 blocks this morning finally. :) I really like the 2 of each block in different colors. Amanda Jean showed us the quilt it is based on on her blog this morning. I really like the 9 patches going around the outside- something to consider....but we shall see when we get to the end of the journey.

Question for my blogger friends

SO here's my question and I'll leave it till tomorrow to figure out. I made this for a secret santa gift. I love it as a table topper but it would be just as nice as a wall hanging, so the question is....do I put a hanging sleeve on it as I do the binding? Or leave it alone???

I'm off to actually sew something today and make 2 labels one for this pineapple, and one for the monster :)





I didn't spend much time actually sewing yesterday , well except for finishing the monster's binding and the hand quilting on the Christmas pineapple. Well I guess I got more done than I thought *VBG* But I did actually cut alot of squares for backings, 2" strips for rag rugs and 2 1/2" strips for something ala Bonnie in the future.

What Stash did YOU bust today????

Well I spent ALOT of my day gathering paperwork needed to get my son's passport.
Then I cut up probably 3 or 4 yards of 10 1/2" squares for backings. But the big buster of the day was another 3 yards of 2" strips for the rag rug frame *VBG*
I have 2 more yards to cut for squares tomorrow morning and then I need to warp the frame with the strips and see if I can get this baby going. According to the directions each rug will take up to 10-15 yards of fabric. Now how cool is that???
And any questionable fabric can be saved for the next rug's warp fabric as the braiding covers it- WOW!!! I think we all need this frame .

Amanda Jean added the third block to our quilt along. I'll make my 2 tomorrow morning.


LOOK!!! I wrapped the warp fabric and started weaving *VBG*! I also have a nice sized stack of squares to start using for backings and more 1/2 yard pieces of what was I thinking fabrics. Like this Peanuts fabric- not enough for a backing- design too much to fussy cut and get much out of it....so 2" strips it is and it's almost gone and I had 4 yards of it - yippee!!!

The Monster has come to the surface

Just in case you're wondering, this is what 2,500 2 1/2" squares looks like all sewn together in a random order. In only ONE spot do 2 fabrics the same touch. I'm impressed with the size and that fact. I didn't try to do anything except make sure the fabric didn't touch but it happened in the middle when I was joining the 2 big pieces together. I think I can live with it. Didn't Mel do a great job with the baptist fans????





Now when you are ordering widebacks online, or any fabric for that matter, you really need to pay attention to what you are doing. No talking on the phone, no trying to multi task, because when you don't you get this:




Nice huh?? I THOUGHT I ordered black with dots- but I didn't and since it goes against the bed I told Mel just to use it.





This morning was spent putting the binding on this and cutting 10 1/2" squares for backings out. I'm on my third fabric of 10. I might get 4 or 5 done today and then after dinner -the fun begins. I'm going to start cutting the fabric for my rug frame. Which after almost 2 months I FINALLY have gotten it ready to go. I'm so excited - Carole swears it a huge stash buster and that's just what I need right now. As I cut my backing squares, I'm also trying to cut at least one 2 1/2" strip for future projects.Click on scrap control on Carole's blog on the right.

Stashbusting

Judy, at Sunshine Quilts,has a challenge for us to report this week how we're busting our stash and what we're doing to avoid buying more...gulp.

Like Leah I have a couple weird sized flimsies that need backing and a simple width of fabric isn't quite big enough :( So I have a stack of no longer desireable fabrics that will be chopped up into the ever popular 10 1/2" squares tomorrow and Tuesday and pieced into backings for 2 wall hangings. I will need some distraction from the main project of the day which I will blog about tomorrow when I get step 2 done. I did step 1 tonight during commercials of Desperate Housewives....
I also have to see about getting ds's passport pics taken after school and hopefully Tuesday getting the paperwork together to apply for it for him.

We had a family party for my sister's bday here tonight and my sewing stuff is everywhere but in the sewing area...it will take a day or two to get it back to the mess I like. I have all the blocks from Marge's mystery still in a pile on my sewing table waiting to be laid out and pieced together. I might just put them in a container till after the holidays, if it's truely 50* tomorrow I may finally quilt the quilt on my frame...you never know.

Hubby's Question of the day.......

Who/What is the Quilting Pirate and why does he/she hate me so????
roflmbo
as I'm trimming little squares for 16 patch blocks.....

Sat Sewing

I've been working on making 21 blocks of those pinwheels I showed a few weeks back- yep I'm going to cheat and get these quilt blocks done. It's been making me crazy and I'm finishing the first of 10 colors tonight :) . I also managed to finish 2 of the pineapple blocks in the 30's fabrics making 5 total and 4 more to go. We're going to see at 6 how big it is and maybe just add borders but most likely the 9 will be the way to go- that would be 72" square.

I've managed to catch some kind of bug :( so not really feeling like sewing, especially since Moose is taking over whatever chair I want to sit in, computer chair, sewing chair or even my recliner. But I will push on to finish the last of the 4 blocks to finish the color and start cutting parts for the next one.

I've also been working on the bag of scraps that Toni, the Quilting Pirate sent yippee! Those little 16 patches are great leader/enders and since I'm making pinwheels and not depression blocks I have extra hsts for pinwheels so I guess I know what my next quilt flimsy will be.....lol

Tea water's boiling, have a great night

4 things about me :)

This one is a bit different from the rest. Four things about me that you may or may not have known in no particular order. The directions are at the end.


A) Four jobs I have had in my life.
1. Answering phones for a florist
2. Toy Store Manager
3. Receieving Manager for Channel Lumber
4. Liquor Department Clerk

B) Four movies I would watch over and over. (and have)
1. Great Gatsby
2. Pulp Fiction
3. Clockwork Orange
4. It a Wonderful Life

C) Four places I have lived
1. NYC
2. Hawthorne
3. Mahwah
4. Prosepect Park

D) Four TV shows I watch
1. Greys Anatomy
2. House
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Ghost Hunters

E) Four places I have been
1. New York City
2. Philadelphia, PA
3. Daytona Beach
4. Boston

F) Four People who e-mail me
1. Carol
2. Katie
3. Mel
4. Pat

G) Four of my favorite foods
1. Anything Chocolate
2. Most Soups
3. Salads
4. Most anything I don't have to make

H) Four places I would like to be right now
1. On a beach anywhere warm
2. AZ- Tempe :)
3. TX to play at Mel's
4. In bed

I) Four family or friends I think will respond
I'm putting this on my blog - feel free to copy and insert your own answers on your blog :)

H) Things I am looking forward to next year
1. Houston
2. AZ
3. DD's Graduation
4. Hearing DS's take on his trip to Italy


Like I said , feel free to play on your blog

Definatly a Quilty Day

First off I've been working on a 30's pineapple and blocks for the Girl Scout quilts as a leader/ender. Since I only have 6 girls registered I'm making 6 blocks at a time. Getting to point A - doing the pineapples and then pressing everything- getting to point B and so on and so on. I have almost 30 blocks made already. Only 150 more to go. I have 10 color ways made so that would mean 3 of each in each quilt and then borders. I feel so much better to see progress on these quilts instead a bunch of pieces in a container.

I received mail from the quilting pirate, Toni OMGoodness!!!! tons and tons of squares all look to be bigger than 2" so you know what that means right???? Another scrap quilt is in my future. How cool is that???? I'm thinking that patches and pinwheels on Quiltville which kinda the same as the quilt on gypsy quilter's design's blog look under 10/21's post. I can alternate pinwheels and squares in a square row by row. And since I lost one of my girls from the troop and I'm using less hsts in each block I should be able to make alot of pinwheels from the pile but only after I make what I need first *wink*

But the iron's beeping and I need to put the corners on the pineapples so I can sew another blossom together, that would make 4 of 9 of the 30's one.

Registration is Open for Jan 08 Classes

At quilt university. Marjie has a dyeing class and there are two EQ6 classes.
But I signed up for this one :) a Victorian Sewing Box. I'm excited as it's been awhile since I took any classes there. But this looks fun and something that will useful.

Tah Dah

I FINALLYfinshed my top for my sil's bday next year! I did an extra row of sashing that needs to come off but I can forget about it till after the holidays. Snoopy dancing in NJ that's for sure. I really like the pattern and though not my first choice of colors, these strips from connecting threads were fun to work with and the colors kinda grew on my. Now I have a unopened pack and a bunch of leftovers from the other 7.

It was a glorious day for most of the day- I do believe we got to the high 60's so I took the Christmas pineapple and sat outside on the deck, hand quilting it. I got about half of it done and will work on it this weekend.






So as I was doing the tons of dishes this morning, I looked out my kitchen window to see......





I'm thinking she'd rather catch her own dinner :D

Happy Thanksgiving

A holiday tradition here Alice's Restaurant. The kids just roll their eyes at hubby and I- ENJOY!

Not getting the right stuff finished :(

I did sew the Quilt along blocks together this morning. :) Yesterday I saw 15 SB Sue blocks embroidered in pale colors that would go perfectly with these 30's repros. Do you think I can find them today to put in a container with the quilt along blocks?? Of course not :(

Haha !!! I found them *wink* I 'll figure something out to use these as centers of some blocks






So since the 30's stuff was out of it's box I finished another pineapple that was started.





I still need to sew together the bonus triangles into something. I might do a Depression Block this time *VBG*. We shall see. But alas I need to clean this mess up for tonight. When I get back from donating plasma, I have baking to do and basting of the Christmas Pineapple from yesterday. And of course I can't find my bonus hsts wall hanging to put borders on it. And Leah aka Wonder girl is done with her quilt AND quilting her baby quilt from the bonus hsts...Leah you rock!!!


I wish all my blogger friends a very Happy Thanksgiving. I know I have alot to be thankful for this year.

Helping Katie Bust some stash ;)

My guild buddy, Katie, is making one of Bonnie's patterns in all Christmas strips! And she was kind enough to give about 20 2 1/2" strips to make a wall hanging/ table topper for a Secret Santa gift.So since I didn't have any Christmas fabric and she had lots, I'm helping her bust her stash - I need to have this all quilted and bound and packaged ready to mail a week from next Monday :O . I plan on basting it tomorrow and the bonus flying geese wall hanging from my other pineapple blossom quilt ( which still needs 3 more blocks made do to some MAJOR boo boos I made yesterday :(. Hopefully that top will be completed tomorrow. Or Thursday morning at the latest.

Any how, I plan on hand quilting this wall hanging while the men watch the boring football games on Thursday. I'm charging the 'ol ipod and will be good to go.

I haven't done much of anything the last few days as I've had a major migraine. Want to know a secret?? If you forget to pick up the medications last week and don't take them for 5 days- some of them cause migraines when missed!! Hopefully after 2 days the dr said it should go away but I should sleep as much as possible- cool huh! She said sleep in a dark quiet room- wonder what hotel I should check into-lol.

This weekend I will dye the fabric I promised my winners as it's been a wash of a week. First thing tomorrow I plan on sewing my 2 quilt along blocks together I cut out this morning before I went to Katie's to pick up a couple more strips. OMG! She inheritated a bunch of early 70's fabrics from a friend who's sister died. We had so much fun going through the boxes and boxes of "stuff". I mean the muslin was so "nasty" for a lack of better word- I don't like sewing with muslin now- that stuff was rough to the touch- so many panels and pillows- remember the front and back printed sew together and stuff??? She had Strawberry Shortcake and friends, Holly Hobby ( I loved her as a girl reading the little House on the Prarie books) Smurf and Smurfette- we laughed and laughed. If I am to die, hubby's calling Katie too!!! At least she'll get a juki and grace frame out of the deal-lol.
But it's so sad all those blocks and things that never got finished.

I wonder if Leah, the wonder girl finished her quilt ( I bet she has).

Bonus HSTS = Flying Geese part 2

This morning I was sewing merrily along with my bonus hsts. NOT putting the 6th row together with sashing like I should be doing. Just playing *VBG*. I have 8 rows of this done, it will be a wall hanging about 3' square. Cute huh?





All the while I'm trying to play hubby's pacing the house. He wants to go to my least favorite store in the whole world, you guessed it Walmart aka Wally World. I stall making more rows of the flying geese and pinning them together and finally he shuts off my machine - the nerve! So off we go, a few hundred dollars later. Many Christmas presents, food items and stuff I didn't think we needed we 're back and I started beef stew for dinner. Perfect for the blustery day we're having here in NJ. Starting to smell great too. But I managed to get some pics upladed from the confirmantion last week and some quilt blocks. Instead of having space for a nice quilt block wall to work with, I lay everything out on my bed and snap pics of the layout and upload them to the computer and open the pic of the section I'm working on. Sew it all together, open the pic for the next section, etc etc. Cool and works for me.


So this is from the 30's pinapple blossom leftover hsts. Now you didn't think that I would do the same thing with these as the fall ones did you??? I'm surprised I'm repeating the pineapple blossoms to begin with. One of my neighbors fell in love with the blocks she saw.....sigh......so I might not be keeping the throw when it's done. But as I finish the last 5 blocks this week on the fall quilt and the rest of the 30's one, I will be trimming to size the leftover hsts because my back let me know about it yesterday trying to do them all at once.





I got all the stuff needed to dye fabrics in from the garage ( which needs some major tlc in the organization department- might be a job for Black Friday) to dye fabrics this week. A few more rows of stitching and this chick is taking a nap for an hour or two. Most likely reading a quilty magazine or book.

Bonus HSTS = Flying Geese

I want to be Leah when I grow up *VBG*
That girl is so focused it gives me a headache to think about it. The other day she got her connecting threads order of fqs and she has cut all the strips, pieced the blocks- pieced the blocks into a top and basted the whole quilt already *gasp*! I guess that makes me a slacker-lol. And she also trimmed all her hsts and started sewing them together also. Which made me trim my hsts that I had up until this point( and my back is letting me know about it) and then I started playing. This is what I came up with- flying geese. I really like it and will start sewing my hsts together as a leader ender while I finish the last 7 blocks Monday. I've been working on adding sashing to my blocks- that's it!!! She didn't do sashing!! I'm not such a slacker afterall - makes me feel better-lol.

But I'm going to a holiday event with hubby tonight and need to clear up the table for the kiddies to be able to eat dinner tonight.

They're calling for the first snow tonight!! Flurries but still the white stuff- Christmas shopping yesterday and snow tonight! Yikes!!!!

I joined a quilt along :)

crazy mom quilts's blog started a quilt along this week. Like a sampler. We get a new block each week for 12 weeks and then we set how we want - cool huh? I made 2 just so I can have enough to make a throw.

Here's one of the blocks I made for this week's block.



and here's the other.




I went Christmas shopping with the girls of the family. My mom, sister, sister in law and dd. I'm bored with shopping in a couple of hours even when I'm alone, power shopping store to store. But waiting for everyone to check out and decide where to go next...blah I have no patience for it.
But we all got our pic taken with Santa Claus...lol. DD and her gf's are all doing this weird thing and she conned Santa into giving her 2 thumbs up for this silliness *rolling eyes*

Kate !!! Are you ready?????

So my guild buddy, Kate and I are getting ready after the holidays to make Bonnie from Quiltville's latest pattern, Out on A String . I've received my ruler and started cutting my points for the stars. See all those strings??? Thats what's leftover from the retreat last fall(GASP!!!) I'm half done with cutting star points. I'm changing the red corners to black and I "think" I'll use blue and something else for block borders. :)







But lookie, lookie, at the what the nice mail lady brought today! :) Perfect for a dreary,rainy day in NJ. Hubby has to work late and both kiddies are going on a field trip to the Chealsie Museums with school. So I've been alone with Cyd and Moose all day and will be till tonight. Does it get any better??? I think not!!!



So when I started with the black,red,white quilt from the Cyber Quilters quilt that Marge from Delaware quilts designed I had decided to give it to my son. Well DD got her tail feathers in a ruffle over that. Kids *rolling eyes*. So last night when I decided I was using black corners on Bonnie's pattern I also saw this Star Struck design. I think it will be perfect for DD- so now I need to work on more leader/enders to get strips made for this. And the way I'm cutting, from each strip I get a cute little 4 patch piece :). Bonus!!!!