Tuesday, September 11, 2018

2018 September

From spring on through the summer, we have been busy with one house project after another.  Three trees removed because of this bummer of a disease the local Monterey Pine forest succumbs to, replaced skylights and added copper flashing, replaced a broken washing machine.  Exterior of the house painted, fencing added to the back fence. And then finally to have the side "dog" yard resurfaced and a wood shed built for firewood storage.

Luke wanted a sun deck.










 A little bit more yard work and we will be caught up outside. This along with dog walking and needed attention to kitties has not left a lot of energy for sewing.
But I have stolen moments here and there 😊

I have almost completed the Disappearing Nine Patch top after making it a row wider and longer. I still need to add borders to it but this is how it is looking...before pressing.  I'm still thinking about how to quilt this.



A fat quarter bundle had been percolating in the stash and was finally sewn into a Half Baked pattern that I've used a few times. The fabrics were so cute, I didn't want to lose the pictures on them.  This is going as a gift to our veterinarian family as a Thank you for all the great support and help they give our family. They recently moved from the shore to inland a ways.  This will remind them of their time by the sea.




Marianne helped me with the photo shoot.
And here's the whale backing material.
The sun back lit these photos so much. I may try to get more pictures (after it's out of the washer/dryer).

Before I get back to the longarm for some QOV work, I pulled more fabric from my stash and am sewing up a Diamond Dash quilt (by MSQC) that was inspired by Vicki in Minnesota. This will be a quilt for a young couple here getting married in November.
I am off in a couple of weeks to quilt retreat with Lynn Wilder again in the mountains. So next time, I'll be back with some good times to share.
This week, my friends on the east coast are bracing for Hurricane Florence and they are in my thoughts and prayers. I hope the storm lessens before it arrives and that everyone finds a safe place to stay. Take care, everyone!


Friday, August 10, 2018

2018 Pets on Parade

The Pet Parade has started and you can see all the posts here at Lily Pad Quilting!  Fun pictures of our animals on quilts and prizes too!
I'm entering a fun picture of Luke for Dogs on Quilts.  Feel free to vote for us :-)
Here he is modeling on my Lil' Orphan Scrappy. Luke is a beautiful sweet boy that likes to run about 15 miles an hour a lot! 
More pics from our group...
Elinor, with her green eyes matching the quilt.  This is a good picture of her for the Cats on Quilts entry.  She is mostly just seen in photos by the rest of the world as she is a sweet but very shy girl. 
Marianne is seen here blessing the Lil' Orphan Scrappy
And last but not least is Sammy here showing off his birthday bow.  Not on a quilt but a cool plaid rug that is made from recycled plastic bottles but feels like wool!  
So that is our current group for the parade though we are missing our Sabra who we lost to cancer in January 💔
I hope you enjoy the pictures and win a prize!
Thank you Lily Pad for hosting and to all the sponsors cheering us on!
Also linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Thursday, August 2, 2018

2018 August

Last month I was able to get going a bit with quilting projects in addition to the usual home projects and critter care. 💕  I completed Lil' Orphan Scrappy and even got it quilted. During the process, I was a bit overwhelmed with the pinks, purples and gold!  I felt I had not done the pattern or the fabric collection any favors.  But then when I started adding the darker edge, it all started to look better to me.  I had a bit of trouble with placement and had to re-do rows because this quilt is a BIG one! I didn't have room to lay it out properly before I started stitching.  But eventually I got passed the unstitching and on to a finish.
I quilted it with a feather panto that is a favorite called Feathered Curls. I have other designs I like but they all seem too big.  This one always seems 'just right'.




I finished another quilt top which I will save for later as it is on the longarm waiting to be quilted.  And rather than get that done....I started another top from a pattern I got out of an AQS magazine which is a disappearing 9 patch. It uses 3 charm packs and some yardage which I just happened to have.  The charm pack is from Jo Morton and the brown is an aged muslin.  I have been having such fun as it all comes together so quickly.  I just have photos of the steps and today I hope to actually sew the blocks together.







I'm loving it :-)
I'm also loving that I have managed to fix some blogging glitches and stay connected with other quilters.  My profile was messed up awhile and I couldn't comment on blog posts...even my own!  I think it had something to do with cookies and my sign in but it is working for me again.  I have to check for comments awaiting moderation rather than having them emailed but I am easily able to retrieve them and even have the email to respond to them.  So life is all good again in blogland!
Life was particularly good when I got a sweet treat in the mail from my friend, Julie at JulieKQuilts!  We both love plaids and she sent me some gorgeous, soft flannel ones :-)  Thank you, Julie!



So Yay! these will be fun to sew with.
I leave you today with my sweet Marianne adorning my finished quilt.  And I'll mention that starting August 10th there will be a fun Pet Parade going on over at LilyPad Quilting.  So you may see her picture and some from the other critters in our family there too.  Come join us!

Linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Fridays.

Friday, July 6, 2018

Pictures from Seven Sisters Quilt Show


The last weekend in June is when the 7 guilds in the San Luis Obispo area present the Seven Sisters Quilt Show at the Madonna Inn Expo Center.  The weather is usually beautiful and just driving up to the site is something I enjoy as it is also a working ranch.  I was treated to sites of cows, horses and dogs.  Right where I parked, there were lovely creatures that were crazing and I got to pet one :-)  This kind of made my day happy!





I had helped hang the quilts on the day before but quilt show day is always fun as the cards have been placed identifying the quilters and reading what they had to say about the quilt.
This year I really enjoyed lots of interesting pieced borders that quilters had used as well as some wonderful and different fabrics.

















































Our guilds are encouraging young quilters to participate and we enjoy new quilters each year.

This was my favorite in the show.  Using a pattern by Yoko Saito, the quilter did an exquisite job choosing fabrics and doing the applique.








Another favorite.













I participated by entering my Double Wedding Ring...which in all my cleverness is exactly how I titled it  :-)


So I will see with this post if I have managed to fix the Blogger change and actually get email notice of comments.  For some time now, I have been having trouble having my sign in recognized on other blogs so that I could even leave comments.  So if you haven't heard from me on your own blog, you will know why.  I have tried work arounds...like looking for just the email attached and sending a note to comment and I've even gone to YouTube to comment on the Wooly Mammoth blog.  It's a bit frustrating as connection seems to be an important part of blogging.  Blogger and Google is not making it easy for me. I hope your own challenges are getting resolved.  
Happy July y'all!

Monday, June 11, 2018

June Catch Up

At the retreat last fall, Sew'n Wild Oaks had kits for these table mats.  I couldn't pass this one up for my friends roostery kitchen.  It was fun and fast to make. 


With leftover fabric and blocks from the black and white quilt, I sewed up this little table runner.  I still have leftovers I'm playing with.  More later...
And from Confessions of a Fabric Addict...not only are we blessed with the good feeling of creating and giving during the Hands2Help event...there are sponsored gifts.  I was treated to this bundle of fat quarters. Beautiful fabric and colors!  Thank you, Sarah and thank you to the kind sponsors cheering us on!


In the sewing room, I've been working on my Lil' Orphan Scrappy.  I finally have all the blocks sewn and am trimming them up.  I'm hoping to get it sewn together this week.  Here is my Marianne, assistant to the stars ✸




Friday, June 1, 2018

June Starts

I'm trying to work in more sewing this month so I'm starting with my Lil' Orphan Scrappy blocks. My fabric choices are looking a bit bright and ...pink but as I'm adding an edging of darker blocks I'm hoping it balances out.















Marianne is helping me.














I won a giveaway from Okan Arts. This is such a beautiful gift to receive.  The fabrics and thread are just lovely.  Thank you, Patricia Belyea!


















We had birthdays here last month.  Luke turned 6 and Sammy is now 14 years old.  We celebrated with treats and trips to the beach. 


















I'm linking to Confessions of a Fabric Addict