Sunday, January 19, 2014

Moving

I have decided to try a new blog host.  I keep reading good things about WordPress.  So, I am trying it.

Had to choose a slightly different name.

MaryMakesIt.wordpress.com

If this doesn't work out I may be back here.

Hope you still follow me.

Mary

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Saturday Sew-In

Hello, all!  I had hoped to make a post for yesterday, but alas, I failed.  I wanted to do the Friday linking parties but I was just worn out.  So, here I am.  A day late and a dollar short but happy as a pig in a wallow.

Today I had a Sew-In at my house.  It started with just my sister and me and that ended up being all it was but it sparked so much interest on FB I am going to do it again with more notice.

I set Sharri up in my living room.


My sewing room is on the second story.  I was even nice enough to go out to the barn/garage and bring in my old ironing board and set up on the ground floor.  Sharri was working on a quilt called Clovers.  She started it at a class but couldn't go to the next one due to an injured child.  She managed to get four blocks completed today.



Her goal was six but there were a few problems that involved some unsewing.  Yuck!

Mid-afternoon one of our cousins (actually a first cousin once removed) stopped by. She had seen on FB that Sharri was at my house and brought by some hats she had crocheted for Sharri's granddaughters.  Sharri just sent me a picture of two of them.  Not a great picture but the hats were so darn cute I have to share!


When I saw them I said, "Where's mine, Lois June?"  She said she would make me one.  I have a stash of yarn, too.  I dug out some red I wanted a hat in and gave her that and three other skeins for her.  She was happy and I think I got a deal.  She ended up visiting for about 40 minutes.

I totally lacked focus.  Storm front moving in was messing with my head and I was sending messages back and forth with a couple of friends that wanted to come but things weren't working out.  So, I got three sides of one border added to a quilt!  I did have to piece the border but still....I am embarrassed.

After supper I sat down in the LR with my husband and took a power nap.  I woke up refreshed.  Better make hay while the sun shines.  So.....


I sat down at Agnes and began to sew.   I am not sure why I thought treadling would be better than climbing the stairs to my sewing room.  But, I did.  It is warmer.  Treadling helps warm you up.  I am working on using up some fabric I mistakenly over cut.


One morning coming off of night shifts I didn't have enough of these squares for the quilt I was doing.  So, I began to cut and cut and cut.  I think I ended up with literally 400 in excess!  I was on auto pilot and apparently thought I was covering Montana with this quilt.  So, I am sewing the extras on my treadle for practice.

I just read a post that Melissa over at Happy Quilting is doing a Star Light Star Bright quilt along.  I am thinking of doing that.  I don't need another project but it would get me going again, I think  I swore this would be my year of finishes but .... I swear I won't buy fabric for this.  Has to be from my stash.

So, what did you work on today?  Are you like me and a bit wintered out?  All these weather systems play havoc on me. Or, it could be the crazy shifts I work.  Or, it could be my age but I seriously doubt that.  I know my driver's license indicates I am 49 but that HAS to be wrong.  It was only yesterday that I was 24, wasn't it?

Keep stitchin'!

Mary

Sunday, January 12, 2014

A Slow Start

Hello, all!  I am back.  It has been three months since I blogged.  I have done quite a bit.

I made a quilt for my cousin that had a double mastectomy.


It was self designed and a little wild for me but I liked it in the end.  On the back I included a Jacob's ladder because it is my family name.


That thing is 3'x3'!  The red portion is a Snoopy fabric because she says, "Snoopy is the man!"

I used a fun design in red thread for quilting in case she hated the front (she did not).



I made a baby quilt for my manager's grandsonsongrandsongrand.



I caught up on my BOM.


I went to an auction with my DIL where I acquired this cute sewing box.


And, this folding table with a yardstick embedded in it.  I collect yard sticks.  So, I couldn't resist!


I also helped my son clean his newly acquired rental house in a snowstorm.


Made a couple of neck gaiters for my husband and myself when the polar vortex  or winter storm Hercules was approaching.


Speaking of that storm, we were without power for two days.  So, I cooked on the woodburner.

Breakfast:

Those are pancakes, scrambled eggs, smoked sausage and not pictured are the hashbrowns.

Lunch was grilled cheese, tomato soup and chicken noodle soup.



I had made tacos and refried beans the night before and that evening I made skillet meal that I fix but I can't get the pictures off of my camera.  It is made from polish sausage, potatoes, onions, peppers and green beans.  We had the leftovers for lunch the next day.  No one was starving at out house!

While the power was out I sewed on my treadle.  So, now I am trying to complete that quilt on the treadle.  I have a lot of goals for this year and one of them is to get back to blogging.  So, here is my start!

Hope someone is still with me.

Keep stitchin' and stirrin'!

Mary

Friday, October 4, 2013

Finish it up Friday: The Lady in Red

Hello, all!  Been a busy few weeks.  Last Sunday I just HAD to sew.  I finally put the binding on this lovely lady.


This is where she lives.

It is nearly impossible to get a decent picture of a full size quilt by yourself.  To top it off it has rained here and everything is covered with bees' wings from the grain leg running across the road.

This is the pieced back I made.  I used the scraps I had and I am not displeased with it.  The solid is actually the "wrong" side of a print from Connecting threads.





I tried to make the quilting something special....as in attractive, not that polite way of saying something looks like 20 miles of mud fence after a rainstorm.



This is on the back because it shows up better but this is what fills the outer red border.



The next border on the front has the little flowers.  The body of the quilt has the "Hearts A Flutter" design.



I used bamboo batting.  I did like how it quilted but it feels heavy on the bed to me.  Hubby likes it and winter is on its way.  So, it will be good.

Today we went to Indy so that I could see my neuro.  Then down to IUPUI so that I could have a chest CT.  I swear I will soon glow in the dark after all the damn x-rays and CT scans I have had.  But, if this one is clean I get to skip my December CT.  YAY!!

I hope to sew tomorrow.  I have a cousin that had a double mastectomy this week.  I want to make her a quilt.  Red is her favorite color (and mine!) I am thinking of making a black and white print quilt like this one with a red border and red flowers appliqued on it.  What do you think?  Too modern?  Too cutesy?  I want cheerful but not pink ribbon.  I think that can be overwhelming.  My LQS has some black and white jelly rolls that I think would work.  I, of course, have a lot of red fabric.  That is my plan for tomorrow.

Going to try linking up with some parties.

Crazy Mom Quilts
Richard and Tanya
Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

What did you finish this week?  Nothing?  That is okay.  Have fun looking at what others did.  Check out some of the links.

Thanks for stopping by.

Keep Stitchin'!

Mary

Monday, September 23, 2013

Make A List Monday

Hello, all!  I am a week late with this post but I did NO sewing this past week.  I did not complete my list but I didn't do too bad.



1. Finish Fun and Done quilt (would do Wednesday at its class but just asked to babysit my grandson!)
    Completed.  You can see it here.
2. Complete Ugly Sister top.  Did not touch this.
3. Quilt at least three quilt tops.  I know I did two but I can't come up with a third.
4. Final border on 2012 BOM.  Still working on it.
5. BOM for August and September.  Did August but had to skip September meeting so....
6. Owl pin cushions for BOM. Completed - on time - you can see them in this post.  Scroll down.
7. Use D9P for leaders and enders I did this.  I still need to add a border and then it is ready for quilting.
8. Earth tones quilt completed to take to NY. Completed.  It morphed into more work than I planned (thus some of the others being put on hold).  It turned out great and they loved it.  You can see it here

So here is my list for the remainder of September and October.

1. Binding on French General
2. Complete Ugly Sister top.  
3. Quilt at least three quilt tops. Should be easier because I have some laps ready and I am going to do edge to edge instead of the custom stuff I did on the two from this month.
4. Final border on 2012 BOM.  
5. BOM for September and October.
6. A set of Owl pin cushions for my cousin's wife.
7. One of the special projects for my BOM.  Will probably be the quilt due in November.  I don't know that I want to do the baby quilt for next month.
8.  Take Five from my Fabric Uglies.
9.  Start a coin quilt from my scraps as my new leaders and enders.
10.Clean the big sewing machines.
11. Start a farm animals book for Blaine for Christmas and maybe a teepee.

Okay, that is a lot.  We will see how it goes.  Today I am off to the oncologist. Should just be a check up.  Wish me luck!

Keep Stitchin'!

Mary

Thursday, September 19, 2013

No Sew "Weekend"

I really wanted to bind my French General jelly roll this week.  I got off work at 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday.  I slept for a couple hours and then I started canning.  I go back to work tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m.  This is what I got done.


That, folks, is 43 quarts of tomato juice, 13 quarts and 3 pints of apple pie filling and 20 pints of applesauce.

I also received a call today telling me our beef was ready a week before I expected it.  So, I cleaned and defrosted the freezer.  With all that going on I ended up sweeping and mopping our full basement and reorganizing my food storage.

I am beat!  Not a stitch of sewing.  Don't know when I will get back to it but I will.  Hang in there with me.  Monday is my one day off and I am going two hours one way to see my oncologist.  Tuesday I am back on nights.  Next Saturday I am hosting my 30 year class reunion.

My Civil War BOM is having sign up for next year.  I just can't decide.  I love going each month to be with the women and seeing their work but I can't NOT do each month and I am getting overwhelmed.  Work really interferes with my fun!!

So, what are you up to?  Can't wait to see everyone's links for Friday.

Keep Stitchin'!

Mary

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

WIP Wednesday: French General Jelly Roll - It's BACK!!


Hello, all.  I am making another post about my Jelly Roll 1600 in French General.  I think I will get one more post out of this quilt.  You can read the first two here and here.  I really wanted to have this quilted today BUT my current migraines is laughing maniacally and saying, "No way, sister!"  So...here I am, posting about quilting instead of actually doing it.

I like to do edge to edge designs because they are quick and easy.  But I have done enough of those that I feel like I should break out of my box and try harder.  So, I have three different border designs. First I did swags.  Then, I went back and filled in with straight line quilting.


Sorry for the shadows.  It is still on the quilting frame in my basement.  I am doing all of this with rulers.   The swags show up better on the back but they are now rolled onto the take up roller.  For the next border (the cream with the red print) I am doing a floral.



For the body of the quilt I am using a design called Hearts A Flutter.


Now for my confessions.

1.  I took a class with a Handi Quilter educator and she told us, "Groovy boards are quilting for idiots."  Thanks!  I am an idiot and I am fine with that some times.  The heart design and the floral design are Groovy Boards.



There is a stylus attached to the machine carriage and you move the machine and follow the design.  Because I am not doing edge to edge and am mixing designs I have to do a lot of adjusting and pay attention to get them in the right place.  Hopefully, that saves me from being a complete idiot.  Not that I really care.

2.   I royally screwed up the back but found it too late to fix.


See the puckers I sewed into the back?  That made me HAPPY!  NOT!  Since this is for my bed, I just take it as another lesson learned. Hopefully it will be less obvious after it is washed.

BTW, here is the backing for this quilt.



Yes, I know.  C- R - A- Z - Y!  I made the fabric I had on hand work and sort of satisfied my OCD.  I am using bamboo batting for the first time ever.  A lady in my quilt group kept extolling its virtues.  Since I have allergies and it is hypoallergenic I thought I would try it.

Linking up with Freshly Pieced for WIP Wednesday.

What are you working on?

Keep Stitchin'!

Mary