Flower Gardening

Wow, I really missed the boat on the hexie craze.  I started this quilt in 2003.  I purchased a little pack of paper in Paducah at the AQS show.  I finished it 6 years later.

I decided to use all Asian prints and different blacks.  Even the border is is all hexagon pieces.

It is hand EPP and also hand quilted.  I used to call it my Asian Torture quilt.

The label

Gardening:  Rich and I added 6 more perennial plants to the front border of house.  Unfortunately the previous owners were not gardeners and filled the whole border with red rocks. ouch.

We figure we'll just keep adding where we can (it's very under ground too).  We added all this last year.

I like to clip the tops of the hydrangeas off and just place them in a shallow bowl or basket.  They will dry out nicely.

Here is a dirty little gardening secret that was an accident.  I wanted a pop of red in the front garden island, so I got a 1/2 flat of impatients.

but I never got around to actually planting them!  They looked great this way all summer!  I'm doing this next summer too.

Here are some critters I found this year out here in the country~

Mr. Mantis.  He really looks like he's praying in this photo.

I was weeding and out wiggled this snake to say hello - eeek.

We treated ourselves to an outdoor fireplace from Lowe's - I love it!  I can't wait to use it this winter when it snows :)  

And lastly, I ordered this floral, machine washable slip cover form SureFit.   The fits is not perfect, but I really like the look of it.

This weekend is the big 9-patch swap!!  I'm waiting for 4 swappers.  True Confession:  I haven't finished mine, but I will have them done on time :)

Happy Pumpkin Season

I started the week by switching the quits on the first floor.  Here is my "Obama for President" aka "Olympic Star" which is at the end of the kitchen.  I usually hang a bigger one here, but I kind of like the green framing it.  Audrey and Angie started a wonderful blog dedicated to Eagles!   See it here - Quilt Like an Eagle

In the Dining Room on the table.  This is a reproduction of a quilt in the NJ state book called "Sumptuous Stars" 2009.  This is a quilt I wish I had made full sized.

In the Hall (with the) Poisoned Apple 2012.

This was such a fun quilt to make.

Yea! My Hot Flash top is done.  Let us pretend that it is hanging in the right direction - ha ha

Here is my morning glory - going strong since May.

Tip:  Press your applique' on terrycloth towel with the applique' face down and use steam.  I sort of mangle my work while I sew - I've always had a tight hand and envy people who's work stays nice in progress.

See how lovely it looks? you don't get the seam allowance shadowing.

Kyle remarked recently about my American Girl Doll; Annie being in the closest.  I got to feeling bad, so I made a little vignette for her.  She can watch me sew....is that creepy?  I don't talk to her....not much anyway.

Thank you Carrie P.!!  I won this lovely Iphone cover in her recent giveaway.

On the nine-patch front, I'm getting closer to having them all.  If you haven't sent them yet (and you know who you are) you have 10 days to get them to CT.  Please let me know soon if you can't make the deadline.

Whew, I guess that's all the randomness I have today.

The Winners Circle

Thank you all for your nice comments about Jill's beautiful blocks.  I've come up with a plan and I will share it soon.

Thanks for joining in the giveaway.  Rich pulled the winners.

#1 - Halloween 4-patch Posie

ChantalSeptember 17, 2014 at 10:06 AM

What a special UFO to have received. It is beautiful too. What a great way to bless your friend by taking her work to a finish when she can't.
Thanks for a chance to win a great giveaway. I choose #5! I also really like #1.
Have a great day!

#2 -  Jack 'O Lantern

LoriSeptember 16, 2014 at 8:42 P

I have made that block of Jill's before and it wasn't easy! lol I have blocks and a diagram of the block as well, but had no idea what the "plan" was.
I'd love to win something. In order, 5, 4 and 2. Enjoy the show!

#3 - Sunbonnet Sue

NormaSeptember 18, 2014 at 2:04 PM

Would love #1 or #3. You're always thinking of something wonderful to do!
Norma

#4 - Jo Morton Top

CherylSeptember 17, 2014 at 9:44 AM  What a special UFO you have inherited being a part of! Love the graph she made was preserved, too. It is gorgeous so far. I would choose #4 - Jo Morton workshop piece if I were to win.

#5 - King George Leftovers

audreySeptember 18, 2014 at 12:21 P  Those are very beautiful blocks! So very special to get to work with them. I'm sure you'll do them justice.:) Great drawing too! #4 or #5 looks wonderful!

On Saturday I volunteered at a town event:  Pouches on Parade.  It was a fundraiser for our library.  Here is our Ring Master.

coco won a Blue Ribbon for tallest Chocolate Lab.  The other categories were longest ears, shortest tail, you get the idea.  It is all just for fun.

After judging (which was measuring, not judging)  I was able to walk her in the Chocolate Labs parade.  There were 4 in her category.   Doesn't she look happy and proud or is that me?

Congratulations to the UFO winners - please email me your home address at barb.vedder@gmail.com and I'll get them in the mail this week -

Back to working on finishing my nine patches for the swap.
Happy Sewing~

Unfinished Projects, Past, Present and Future

Thank you all so much for the nice comments on my King George quilt.  I so appreciate it when you take the time.  Rich, the cats and coco and I have been enjoying it with the cooler weather here in CT.

So what's next?  One thing I've been looking at are these beautiful blocks that were made by my very dear friend, Jill Reid, before she passed away last spring.  Our friend, Susan, gave them to me to finish.

This was the last project on Jill's design wall.  The block is called "Wheel of Fortune".

Susan and I don't know much about this quilt, or what Jill intended.  Susan also found these large pieces of coordinating fabrics.

Here is the block that Jill drafted and colored.  It makes me so sad every time I look at her notes.

Quite by accident I found this quilt with the block in it.  I had never seen this block before.

So I'll have to see how things turn out with this inherited UFO.  It's a special project near to my heart.

BIG UFO GIVEAWAY!!  

#1  Halloween Four Patch Posie.  Comes with finished blocks, strips to make more blocks and some fabric.   Finish, or use anyway you want.

#2 - Tumbler Jack 'O Lantern tumbler top I made last year.

#3 -  A set of 30's/40's Sunbonnet Sue blocks and pink fabrics.  The blocks are old and some have some staining, but they are cute and well done with button hole stitching.

#4 - Jo Morton workshop piece.  about 36" square.  Machine appiqued.  Comes with a little fabric.

#5 - a non-UFO giveaway.  These are fabrics that were left over from my King George quilt and a brand new spool of Aurifil brown #50 weight thread that I didn't need.

So to be in the giveaway - just leave me a comment and tell me which one you want to win.  You can enter all - but can only win once.  I'll ship anywhere and you don't have to have a blog, just an email.

Here are the nine-patch packages so far.  Please be sure to mail them to arrive  by October 1st.  Thank you everyone for your nice thank you cards, notes and gifts.  It's going to be a great swap!

Have a great week!  I'm off to the Pennsylvania Quilt Extravaganza show, maybe I'll see you there~

Long Live the King!!

Because I'm not making another one!

After being away for 5 days, I hustled this week and finished King George!

These shots were taken outside on this gloomy afternoon.  Here is the backing.  You can hardly see where I pieced the three sections.

I thought I might have to go to the launderette but I washed it at home.   In the dryer after washing.

I did check it after washing to make sure that all the markings came out - ha ha, let's not even go there!  You must use CLOROX 2 in the wash when you use the Crayola markers.   Looks good

I had to pull it out and regroup it about every 7-10 mins.  It took a long long time to dry.

In the Family Room - no flash

Here you can really see the texture.  One of the things that made machine quilting on a home machine possible is that I never turned the quilt - all the quilting is vertical.

Miss Lady Hummer came to check things out during the shoot and have a nip.  I used canned goods to hold the quilt on the deck rail.

Yesterday coco was so annoyed at how much time I was spending on this quilt she had a sit in.....okay a lay on....

I actually spend a lot of time and thought on selecting bindings.   At one point this week I thought "I HAVE TO BUY SOMETHING JUST RIGHT".... am I really that insane?

If I can't find something acceptable in this closet, there is no hope.  The problem is I buy mostly FQs or 1/2 yards which aren't large enough for a king sized quilt.

I put a brown print with little blue berries on the sides, a tone on tone brown for the bottom and zippy red, blue and black print for the top.  I like to do old fashion binding on scrap quilts...especially ones that use so many repros, hence the non mitered corners.

Here is my label

On the bed to show the extra wide size - I'm going to so love having the extra this winter. (don't judge my mint green carpeting, it's getting replaced soon).s

with the pillows.  I think I have to make some pretty pillowcases.  I bought the toile' valences on ebay...cheap)

The eye level view of the quilting texture is really good.

Thanks for all your encouragement and interest.  It was a real challenge.  I am thrilled with the results; a finished king sized quilt made all by myself.

p.s.  thanks 9-patch swappers for sending your packages - deadline is firm at October 1st.  They all look really great!