another dolly quilt (or two)

I've had the past week off, so I know you're all expecting me to show oodles of projects, but that's not what happened.  I didn't have that many to work on (I know I have all those new fabrics, but I'm waiting for the right project to find me) and I also spent time with kitties, cooking (remember last vacation I refused to cook?), watching a few movies and generally taking it easy.

So what did I do?

I made a dolly quilt - June installment:

I was headed for the bench where the dolly quilt parade took place and saw these old rickety steps with grapevines all over them and it screamed "PHOTOGRAPH!" and I'm working on getting better pictures, so I stopped.  I really like it.

With the dolly (she has measles or chicken pox, which is too cute):

The pattern was inspired by an ad in a magazine for a baby quilt.  You can get the pattern here, though I made it smaller.  It's called "Sweet Baby" by Susan Branch.  It finished about 24" square.

This is the fabric that's in the alternate blocks:

We don't use these steps and the entrance to the house they lead to.  The door is all wood and swells so much we can't hardly get the latch to catch.  And it's a weird size and there's a roof overhang that makes a new door nearly impossible.  Some day we're going to put on a new wrap-around deck that will replace this (and more) and add French doors or something along those lines.  (But much like everything else, it's not going to happen tomorrow.)

And then I started a second dolly quilt.  My mom gave me this fabric when I was looking for something to border the May quilts with.

Since this started it, I decided whatever quilt I used wouldn't count as "from my stash," as my goal is for the dolly quilts.  So I went ahead and started a second dolly quilt this month.

There wasn't much and I wanted to sash with it, but it was either sashing or borders.  I opted for borders, but haven't gotten them sewn on yet.  I wish it played a more prominent role because it's such a sweet print, but there was maybe a fat quarter.

The pattern was inspired by this one that Beth made a few months back.  I realize now that I didn't quite do it "right," but that's what happens when you do it from memory...  I like it anyways.

I've run out of leftover batting, so you might not see this one officially finished for a while.  I've also run out of just about every pink you see in both quilts.  Some pieces in that first one were enough for just one or two sashing strips only!  But I really like the overall look.

Next up is to use those Make Life charm squares I won.  This project inspired me to change my plans (again), but I think this one is going to stick...

Last, one picture of what is blooming in my yard.  These came with the house and no matter how much my mom tells me they're not fancy enough for her, I love them.  It makes me wonder what farm wife lovingly dug these up 100 years ago and transplanted them to beautify her yard by planting them along the back of the house and side of the garage.  Maybe it wasn't that long ago, but they were well established by the time we bought the house.

Happy quilting,

Katie

PS I lied.  I have on more picture.  The kitties have an outdoor enclosure and today, after 3 years of expecting this, Skitter (my neurotic kitty, who I never expected this from) came in the house with a chipmunk.  Then she let it go.  Here are Lexie (grey), Emma (white) and Tucker (black) helping keep it cornered...Skitter was up napping by then and Luka had tired of poking at it.  I don't think any of them realized it was FOOD!

It ran behind my desk, so I took out the file cabinet drawer and that's where they all are.

And yes, I would have let them eat it if they had killed it.  Worm pills aren't that expensive and Skitter is the only one I have trouble giving them to.  They're exclusively inside kitties (their enclosure is currently escape-proof, as Lexie-Houdini can tell you) so this was fun.

The hubby and I ended up rescuing it (they tired of it after they couldn't fish out after an hour or so) and letting it go back outside.  I bet that little guy won't make that mistake again!

PPS  Those fabric photos aren't quite right.  I took them indoors with a flash and the colors just aren't right.  The outdoor pictures are much truer colors.  I need to figure out how to get good color from indoor pictures before the weather turns and outdoor photos aren't possible any more...

PPPS  I've got giveaway goodies ready, so look for the giveaway post itself soon!

it's not my fault!

Okay, maybe it is...

I DID sew all those pieces into blocks. 

I DID sew the blocks into rows. 

And then yesterday I DID sew the rows into a whole top.

Scrap quilt #1 finished!!! 

I'm working on a #2, too....remember the grey and red one?  Still only 3 blocks there.  That box is going to fit ALL my scraps when I'm done.  I'll just keep sewing until it fits.

But this probably won't help:

My mom came down and we went to two new quilt shops.  I bought these at one, nothing at the other because I was trying to be good, but this lime green with hearts was SCREAMING at me...(tried to link you directly to the manufacturer, but they seem to think a single web address for EVERYTHING is cool, so this is a random website Google turned up for me...)

I also got these at JoAnn's because McCalls patterns were 99 cents.  They should help a little with my stash reduction, don't you think?

My mom was with me, but I think I may make that little caddy that sits under/in front of your sewing machine for Mother's day.

Speaking of my mom, yesterday was her birthday.  Happy Birthday MOM!!!  The trip to visit wasn't part of her gift, but this book was:

Beth Ferrier (the author - my flash kinda obscured her name) was the speaker at the quilt show I went to a few weeks ago.  This book looks right up my mom's alley.  And inside they have pictures of the quilts with their OWN kitties posing!  How could I pass that up?  I even had Beth sign it for me/my mom!

And I also finished my April installment of dolly quilts:

I don't really like this doll.  I found her on sale and bought her, thinking she was a good price and cute, but got home to find out she giggles (rather annoyingly, if I may say so) when you press her foot or hand.  I don't like battery-operated toys for donations.  I assume these kids are just like my nieces and nephews - if the toy comes with something run on batteries, the toy is deemed broken and discarded (if no further than to the bottom of the toybox) when the batteries run out.  We buy big packs of batteries for the kids we know, but I'll never meet the little girl who gets this doll...

I made it using the Spring Posies tutorial as a guide.  My blocks are smaller and the yo-yos sewn on a little differently, but I have to give credit for my inspiration.  It finished about 18 inches square.

Well, the groceries are bought, lunch will be quick and then I can maybe sew some today.  I'm feeling better, but have a nagging headache. 

The plan for this afternoon: more red and grey wonky stars for the 2nd scrap quilt AND working with more of the fabrics Mary sent with her exchange blocks.  Maybe a nap, too.  Yay!

Happy quilting,

Katie

finished dolly quilts and a suprize

I've finished bindings on the dolly quilts!

First is Double Irish Frogs:

Then Double Irish Raggedy Ann and Andy:

And finally Bento Box in Blue:

I should have shown this one with the doll, but it's so nice outside, I took these on the clothes line.  This one seems washed out no matter what I do.  The blue is kind of pale, but not THAT bad! 

And yesterday I got a fantastic package in the mail:

The hubby went out to get the mail while I was making dinner.  When he got back I asked if there was anything good.  He said no.  Well, nothing good to him, but what a stinker!  I almost abandoned my pot of boiling pasta to look through the magazine, but I managed to make it through cooking and dinner before tearing into it.  So many fantastic goodies - thank you Ann!

And the blocks for the swap all on their own:

I think maybe I said too much about purple...  They're beautiful.  I love them!

Now it's time to make dinner again...

Happy quilting,

Katie

no more nonsense - quilty stuff!

I've actually gotten myself into the sewing room this morning and have a few finishes for you...

First, the elephant:

I want to name him, but I'm not sure what.  Since most of him was made during the Superbowl, I thought maybe Peyton or Drew, but that seems silly...any thoughts?

Then I went on to finish the dolly quilt:

The purple looks darker than it is.  I stitched the faces with DMC #333 if you want a reference.  It matched the purple almost perfectly.  It finished 16.5" square.

I had a small strip of Kitty Cucumber fabtic left from the back.  What to do with that?

Kitty toys!

Probably should have used the close-up option on the camera - seems it thought the scratching post they were leaned up against was my focus, but you get the idea.  Kitties LOVE them!

And this past week, I finally got the last of my books (remember how I beat the hubby by losing 4 pounds?).  I bought it for one pattern in particular, but I love just about every one in the book.  It's all I can do to keep myself from starting another project!

I'll probably go quilt some more L's in the pink and brown stars/log cabin quilt now...

I won't show you picutres of snow.  It happens here every year and sticks for about 6 months.  Sticks long enough to get pushed around and turn dirty and yucky...

I may end up helping my brother finish fixing my car.  In October it shredded (not just broke) the timing belt.  Now I don't exactly understand what it is, but it's at least part of what makes the engine go.  And in my car and particular engine, it's not just a replace-it job, it bent stuff inside the engine and (thanks to my ability to have worst-case scenarios happen) that cracked the engine itself.  My brother is a mechanic by day, but did this at home on evenings and weekends (much cheaper labor that way!) and it took until just this past Sunday to get back.  Then a seal went bad (one he'd had trouble with) and it started leaking oil.  He's supposed to be down later today to replace the seal (for once, a relatively easy fix) so I can keep driving it.  I LOVE my car.  It's purple and almost 12, but there is NOTHING I'd rather drive.  The hubby tried to talk me into something else when it initially broke and the price to fix it was $1200 IF the engine wasn't cracked, but my brother gave us a good deal on labor (a big part of the cost) and got a steal on the "new" engine when it needed it.  I've been driving the hubby's car (he also has a pickup) and we have a mutual dislike of each other.  Every time I go to Wal-Mart, it stalls.  I seem to be at Wal-Mart a lot...

Okay, time to do something productive...

Katie

Love is Blind...2nd finish of 2010

No, not our quilting buddy...

This is the second dolly quilt in my series.  The January installment.

I call it "Love is Blind" because those hearts quilted around the outside are lumpy.

I know, I know, if I hadn't pointed it out, you might not notice.  But you also might click on it to make it ginormous on your screen and then it would smack you in the face and you might wonder about me...that is, if you haven't already...

Overall, I like it.

When I finished machine sewing the binding on, the kitties were looking at me like they were sooooo neglected, so I pulled out a few scraps previously in the trash (I don't do itty bitties)...

Three of my beasties wanted something.  Emma tried to help put the catnip inside.

I think they're all lost now.  It only takes a few minutes to get them under something...  Ah well, plenty more scraps where these came from and come summer, I'll have a crop of homegrown catnip to harvest.

Time to go make dinner and catch up on what you all wrote!

Katie

A new year, a new blog!

After quilting for many years and one day sitting down to realize how many I've made and not kept track of (not even with a picture!), I decided I needed to do something about that. I'd been following a fantastic group of quilt bloggers at the American Patchwork and Quilting website, allpeoplequilt.com. It wasn't a full-blown blog, so it wasn't too intimidating for me to join for my first effort at web publishing. So I decided it was a place to start, promising myself that as I posted pictures of quilts (as I gather them), I would also create a scrapbook. It's been going well for over a year...

But last week, they announced some changes that have us all reeling. Many of us have moved here and I decided it was time to get a "grown-up" blog, too. I'll be learning as I go and hope the friends I've made through apq will find me and I'll make a few more as I go!

I may double post for a while, but that seems like a lot of effort. But to get things started, here is my most recent post from my other blog. Thanks for stopping by!

Katie


Hello quilters! Looks like we're in for a blogging change. I'm not sure I'm ready, but I've never been a good one for change...

I haven't been quilting much yet this year. For some reason, I just don't have the motivation right now, but maybe it's because I'd rather be curled up under a quilt with a good book than sitting in my sewing room (which can get a little chilly when the wind blows up from the south) working on one.

I've got some motivation on the way and I'll get to that in a minute, but I thought I'd share my first finish of 2010. I've decided to squeeze the budget a little each month for a doll to donate for Christmas this year and make a quilt out of scraps. This one I got for a fantastic deal just before Christmas, so this is my December doll and her quilt:

I don't think the picture does the doll much justice, but she is a cutie! The quilt pattern came from the "book" "The Little Box of Baby Quilts" by Jenny Wilding Cardon. I say "book" because it's the cutest little box with individual laminated cards with simple baby quilts on each one. Such cute marketing, so of course I had to have it! I've been eyeing this "Little Log Cabin" pattern for a while, but didn't have reason to make it until now. It's completely made from leftovers...can you tell I make bright baby quilts?!

Now for my upcoming inspiration. My brother and his (quilter) wife got me a gift certificate to Connecting Threads. Now I often drool over their catalogs, but never order because I can't justify my purchases. Well, with a gift certificate, I can, but then I couldn't decide. Nothing was jumping off the pages (paper or web) screaming "BUY ME!" (Isn't that the way it goes when you have money to spend?!) Until the latest catalog arrived in my mailbox Monday. Birdies on a Wire was on the cover and I knew that's how I would spend my gift certificate. I ordered it yesterday and it's already on the way! I also ordered a sampler pack of 2.5" strips of the fabrics and a half yard for lining because I'm going to make myself the Jelly Bag I made for my nieces for Christmas (only this time, I'll use strips instead of a solid piece for the outside). I can't wait!!!!!

I hope you are all busily sewing away. I understand it's cold down in Texas where some of you are (above-mentioned brother and wife are visiting family there right now and complaining!), so stay warm under those quilts and remember, it's not going to stay that cold where you are nearly as long as it's going to stay this cold where I am!

Katie

PS I almost forgot my other inspirations! The hubby and I had our own "Biggest Loser" contest because he had gained back much of the weight he lost doing the same contest at work earlier in the year. Well, I won...all 4 pounds I lost (I didn't really work at it until the last month and I really didn't have much to lose - just a little belly pooch, but apparently the hubby worked even less hard...I don't think he took me seriously as competition because I wasn't making a fuss over choosing juice over pop, salad over fries and gum over snacks)...so I bought 4 books as my prize. One is a bread baking book, one is quilting but on pre-order and the other two are also quilting. I'll try to remember to get a picture for my next post!