Block from class # 3.....

I have to make 3 more and put them together to make a 12 inch block.   It was a fun one to make and not as hard as I thought it would be.  The hardest part was putting it together correctly and it took a few tries!

I started another project.....

...but it is a secret!!

Only thing I can post is that it comes from the Liberated Quiltmaking book.  Quick and easy, so it should be finished soon.

I finished all the Classy Quilted Bottles.....

I know it is a funny name for them, they are not really classy, but certainly nicer than the usual bottle most of us carry around!  I am hoping they sell well........anyone interested??.....http://www.etsy.com/people/firstfruitsdesign?ref=si_pr

Another Candle Mat.....

Very autumn/Thanksgiving on the front, but the back is more Christmas with holly leaves.  This is one of the candles we made.  Chai Latte scent - certainly hope she likes it!!

Quilted Bottles........

Trying my hand at something a little bit different for the Etsy shop.  I cleaned out old empty prescription bottles, spray painted the cap black and glued a stone on it.  Then I quilted a small rectangle and glued it on the bottle with some trim to cover up the raw edges. 
I still have some work to do to make it nicer before I make any for Etsy though.

I figure that most women carry around a bottle for tylenol etc.  Also great for small items like paper clips or push pins.  I thought I might even add a small spool of thread and some needles and make a to-go sewing kit. 

Any comments or suggestions........please feel free to let me know what you think,

Cleaned up my sewing room and closet today...

....LONG overdue!! 

Anyone have selvage edges they would like to send me?  I will pay for the shipping.....just leave a comment below. 

It looks like the wedding is off - sadly - so the black and white quilt top will just sit for a while.  I may post it on ETSY at some point. 

Working on candle mats for Christmas gifts, will be making candles on Monday.

Next project will be something made with selvages.  Looking forward to that!

Finished Flag Block

November quilting class.....

I brought my Dresden Plate quilt for show and tell.  That allowed me to enter my name in a jar for a door prize.....and I won!!!  It is a booklet pattern for WOODLAND STARS. 

Oh...the quilt got some nice compliments too!

This months block is a flag with a border of  'amber waves of grain' fabric.  I am going to turn it into a flying geese border.  Should be fun.

Dresden Plate......here are the pics.......

Freshly washed and dried.  I am so excited to be finished with it!

Quick Posting.....

Just 2 more plates to hand quilt, then its off the the laundry mat (quilt is too big for my machine) and its all done!! Only took me about 11 months?? I never said I was a quick quilter......

Never thought I would see the day......

.....when all the machine quilting was done on my Dresden Plate quilt!  Oh my, does my machine need a good cleaning and rest.
I did a lot of quilting on this one and I love the feel and look of it.  All that is left are 4 plates to hand quilt, then making and attaching the binding.
Will post pics of the finished product very soon.

Finally finished my first block for the class......

It is a 12 inch block,  however our instructor said we would be making some 15 inch ones.  So I used up the scraps and got it (almost) to 15 inches.  Adding anything different, embellishing or changing it up a bit makes you eligible for a door prize at each class.  So heres hoping........

I really like the way it came out!

Power - or the lack thereof....

I was on a good roll....quilting away and getting close to finishing the Dresden Plate quilt when the power went out.   Thankfully we got a generator the last time we lost power so hubby got it up and running.  I dare not ask to hook up the sewing machine when we really need fridge, lights, etc.  At least we can stay in touch with people since the phone and computer are hooked in.

Hope everyone affected stays warm and safe!

Snow????

It is Oct 29 in Ct and we are expecting 12 inches of snow between today and tomorrow.  Unheard of!!  It means not Sunday worship and I hate when we have to miss a meeting! 

I am almost finished with my first drunkards path candle mat.  Just have to hand sew the binding on the back.  Its really nice!  Will be a Christmas present for someone....not sure who yet.

My first Drunkards Path Block....

So, in my last post I mentioned taking a quilting class.  The instructor informed us that we would be making a Drunkards Path block at some point and showed us which ruler we needed.  Talk about intimidating!! I bought the ruler and decided I should practice before I really need to make on.

I made a few, not so great, but not too bad either.  After critiquing my own work I saw what little things I had to pay attention to and this morning I made 4 and put them together.  I am so excited about how they came out!!  Much easier than I had anticipated!

My conclusion....the harder it is, the more time I take and the better it comes out.  The easier it is the quicker I make it and the more mistakes I make.  So now I will look at each block as difficult and really take my time!

Quilting class!!!

So, I started a quilting class this past Saturday.  Its pretty cool how it works, you pay $5.00 the first class and you get a 45 minute demo and the fabric for one block.  If you bring the finished block back the next month you don't pay anything!  After 12 months of classes you get two months to make the blocks into a quilt and bring it to a party.  All quilts are displayed and names thrown into a jar, one name is picked out and they win $1000 towards a new machine from the store!

Of course, it costs more than $5.00 because I had to buy special rulers...but I figure I will get use out of them in the future.

 Maybe, just maybe, this self-taught quilter will learn the correct way of doing things.

This is the first block and I mixed up the colors!  Dark tan was supposed to go with blue and light tan with red.  Oh well, going to be lots of 'character' as usual.

Just had to copy this from my DIL's blog!

Its been awhile........

since I last posted!  I have gotten quite a bit of machine quilting done on the Dresden Plate and it will be ready for the cold weather.  I can say that I am NOT ready for the cold.  Last winter was just.....brrrr.....yuck!

I have a new venture - managing my friends ETSY shop!  Fun fun fun!
We are running a GRAND OPENING SPECIAL - first 5 customers get free shipping, so check us out.

http://www.etsy.com/people/firstfruitsdesign?ref=si_pr

Finally back to quilting......

I told myself that I would sit down and get as much quilting done today as I could.  Of course its hot and muggy...but I am perservering on.

Finished machine quilting the muslin areas and now quilting the large black areas.  The machine quilting goes fast, yet I still have quite a few dresden plates to hand quilt. 

I have hopes that it will be done long before I need it!

In Georgia....

Having a great time spending time with my youngest son,  I will hate leaving him!!  Getting to spend a little time with my dad and his wife also.  No quilting getting done till later on this week.

Post hurricance update......

Well, we made it through with far less damage than other areas.  The rain was incredible starting on Saturday and ending late morning Sunday.  After the rain ended we lost power.  Come to find out there are 3 power poles came down on our road, complete with transformers and wires all over the road. 

The wind was gusting pretty heavily around 6pm,  strange since we thought the worst was behind us.
We still have road closures due to flooding in our town, but nothing too bad as far as I know.

We did get power back on Monday evening, after we spent 45 minutes in line buying a generator.  Oh well we lose power so often around here I guess we may keep it for future use!

There are still so many people without power and some that have lost their homes, very sad.

I did get quite a bit of hand quilting done on my Dresden Plate quilt.  I also moved my sewing room to a different room.  It works much better since the lightening is better and the closet that holds all my fabric is there.  This will definately be ready for winter. (ugh, don't like using that nasty 5 letter word!!)

Saturday Morning......Hurricane is coming!

We are getting ready for hurricane Irene.  Certainly been a strange year for this area.  We had amazing amount of snowfall this past winter, then the tornado a few months ago.  Earthquake in VA last week we felt here and now a hurricane!

Will most likely lose power, wish I had the treadle machine up and running!

1 UFO done......

Okay, so its just the piecing that is done.  Backing & quilting to come later when/if a wedding date is finalized.  I am just happy that this part is done. 

I think I will continue the contemporary look by quilting it in black.  It will break up the large white border.

 Backing will be something of a surprise color like teal or red.  Something unexpected!

Treadle Machine

As you can see it still needs some detailed cleaning of metal parts.  Overall in beautiful condition though!

Finally back to work....

Finally got back to quilting again!  I decided that I REALLY need to finish up all my UFO's.  So, I am starting with the black & white quilt getting the top finished.  Probably won't quilt it just yet.
Then I will finish quilting my Dresden Plate so it is ready for winter (what a horrible thought that is!!!).  Finally I will make a few adjustments in the pinwheel quilt and get it quilted. 

I figure if I write this all out I may actually stick to it!  Anyone want to hold me accountable??

Got the new cabinet all cleaned up.  While cleaning I found the box with all the accessories, feet, needles etc.  Very excited!  Can't wait to get it working, but it may be awhile yet.....

My "new" Treadle!

Picked it up last night, its a NEW HOME in parlor cabinet.  Really cool piece with one big problem.....when I opened the top the machine fell all the way down instead of coming up!  Hoping hubby can build a new support for it. 

Covered in mildew, dust etc.  Cleaning it up this morning and while cleaning found the key.  Considering, the best I can figure from a little research, its from 1906, still having the key is pretty amazing! 

Will post pics a bit later......

I have been slacking........

No excuses except that it is just too hot to sit and quilt!  Today I plan on giving my sewing/computer room a good cleaning up in prep for getting back to work. 

I gave away 2 machines that I don't use, thinking about getting rid of a third one that seems to need work.  That leaves me with 2, my faithful 29 year old Kenmore UltraStitch 8 and my Singer 221-2. 

HOWEVER....I am so excited.....about 2 weeks ago I mentioned to hubby that someday I want to learn how to treadle.   Well, the Lord is so gracious!  I am picking up a free treadle machine/cabinet either today or tomorrow!  So excited to try it!!  I hear it is relaxing and you have alot of control once you get the hang of it.

Vintage Sewing Cabinet



A few posts back I mentioned my antique thread/sewing case.  This is it. I found it at an antique mall in Florida, while visiting, a few years back.  It came loaded with jars full of buttons, threads, darning egg, and lots more fun accessories! 

My new machine!!

Have not had a chance to try it out yet.  Hoping it works well.  If not I still have a gorgeous side table!





Happy 4th of July!! I got a new.......

sewing machine!!!  Singer Fashion Mate 257 in a GORGEOUS cabinet.  I think the machine is from the 1970's, it is super heavy, solid metal!!  The cabinet looks like something from the 1940's or so. 

It also came with an ottoman chock full of old and new sewing items!  Oh yeah, the best part.....all free!

Tomorrow I will post a pic of my new beauty.  This is sure to get me back on track with my quilting projects!

Friday Morn.....matching cell phone case

Would have been so much quicker if my machine did not decide to start skipping stitches!.  Going to have to figure out what is wrong before I do any more sewing.  I wasted a lot of thread.

Oh well, it keeps me from getting bored!

Thursday Eve.....quick project!

I found this adorable vintage needlepoint purse in a local store a few months back and finally decided to start using it.  The only problem is that my wallet was too fat to fit (not due to money).  So I decided make something for my credit cards & license.

Made this cute quilted holder, with snaps, in just a few minutes.  I may have to make another one for my cell phone!

 When looking through my vintage sewing case for snaps I found a card of them marked 5 cents!   I guess they are vintage too!  I will post a pic of my sewing case soon, its really unique!

Saturday Evening - WOW!

Hey all,
Well it has been an interesting few days.  We live in the Northeast and the worst weather we endure are blizzards.  Thursday afternoon a severe storm hit and along with it at least one tornado!!  For the most part we did okay, but there are others that did not fair as well.  2 homes pretty well destroyed and lots of other damage.

We lost power almost immediately and it just came back on.  There were power lines and poles down all over the place. 

I know it does not compare to Joplin Mo or other hard hit towns, but still scary, especially since we are not prepared for this type of weather event!

So grateful to the Lord for keeping our home & ourselves safe!  Hubby was not home and it took him a long time to get here.  He had to drive around fallen trees, downed lines etc.  The Lord kept him safe though!

Okay, so its not quilting..........

I finally finished taking apart the top of the contempory quilt.  Cut up the white and added black strips and it looks great!  However, marriage plans are on hold so I decided to put it aside for a bit and do a couple of sewing projects that have nothing to do with quilting (can you believe that?!?!).

Have you ever seen this site:
http://www.newdressaday.com/
Definately worth checking out, she is amazing!

So, I got inspired.  A friend of mine gave me a bag of really cute clothes but all too big for me.  So for my first project I took a pair of capris, ripped out the inseams, stitched a straight line down the back, took in the sides, added a panel of matching blue to the front and sewed the two halves one on top of the other.  If anyone remembers the 1970's denim maxi-skirts made out of jeans you will know just how I did it!  I took a good bit of length off and now have a great spring/summer skirt!  I may post a pic, but unfortunately I did not do a Before to go with my After!

For my second project I am altering an adorable black & pink shirt.  First, off came the short sleeves as I want this to be sleeveless for summer.  Then off with the BIG buttons on the front, will be replacing them with smaller ones.  Then 3 inches in on each side from the bottom up to the armhole.  Tomorrow I will be restitching the armhole and back neck area and voila - a new shirt for me.  This one is so cute and it is long, so will be great with jeans, capris or leggings.

There is no rest for my Singer!

The seam ripper is my friend...the seam ripper is my friend....the seam...

I decided the white was just too much, so tomorrow I will be taking it apart.  Cutting the white strips into different sizes pieces and adding the black strips to break it all up.

I know I will be happier with it, but I just have to cringe at the thought of taking it apart and cutting it up.  Oh well - it will certainly look better!

Quilt in progress........

Here are a couple of pics of the very top of the quilt.  The camera does not pick up the fabric prints very well.  What looks like solid black are actually a black on black floral and a gray on black swish-ey print.  All of my previous quilts were very country, this one is supposed to be more contemporary and its hard for me to be a good judge on how it looks. 

At first I thought there was too much white, but when I laid it on the bed with the black stripes going horizontal I liked it better and the white did not seem so overwhelming.

I intended to make it square, 100 x 100 so they can use it either way or even as a wall hanging if they desire.

The rest of the pieces are cut and it should not take me long to finish assembling it.  The longest part will be doing the actual quilting!

Its Wedding Quilt Time!!

My youngest is getting married sometime this summer/fall.  No date set yet.  I am very happy for him and love my soon to be DIL!
Plus its a great excuse to start another quilt!  This one will be black & white.  More contemporary than any I have ever made and a very simple pattern.  I 'Googled' black & white contemporary quilts and found one on Etsy that I really liked.  The owner made it wall hanging size but its easily adaptable to any size since it is just simple rows made up of different black/white fabrics against a white background.

Fabric is in the washer now and I will probably get started tomorrow.  Which means you won't hear from me for a while!

Thanks for reading!

Wednesday Morning. Finally finished Pinwheel Quilt Top!!!

WOW - never thought I would finish this one and its really not finished!  There are 2 or 3 pinwheels that I want to adjust eventually.  I am going to put it away for now and won't pull it out till I need it. Then I will make the adjustments, do the border, backing etc.

It does look better in the picture than in real life!

I am glad I perservered through to finish it, as hard as it was for me to do.  I think the pattern is so cute, but there is just too much room for error for a novice like me.

Oh well, whatever baby gets this one will certainly not notice the 'character'!

Thursday Morning

Well, its been a bit since I posted last.  Not much new as far as quilting goes.  The pinwheel quilt will be the end of me!!  Never again.  Looked so simple, yet having so much trouble with it.  I am down to the last two rows.  One row is completed just needs to be sewn together and then sewn on. The last row is laid out but the pinwheels are not yet constructed.  I can't wait to get it finished and then put it away!

I know that someday, when I want to back and quilt it, I will like it.  However you quilters know how it goes.....you spend days nose to fabric, see all the little areas that could be better, taking it apart a million times to redo it, sweeping up all the thread pieces off the floor, and suddenly you don't like it anymore!

I am determined to finish it though and not let it beat me! :)

Wednesday Morning

Hi all,

Well I finally got back on track with the pinwheel quilt.  I almost finished another row yesterday.  Hoping to have it done in a few days so I can dedicate my quilting time back to my Dresden Plate!

We had the most beautiful days last Thur & Fri and I could not bear to be inside so I spent it outdoors raking leaving, cleaning up the winters worth of dog poop (lovely I know!) and just general pick up.   Of course I should have know better!! We had snow on Monday and its coming tonight, predictions of 6 inches.  UGH!

Oh well, its New England and by now I should know enough to expect the unexpected!

Tuesday Evening

Its been a little while since I posted anything new!  I have to admit that I got frustrated with the pinwheel quilt.  I ripped out a whole row and while trimming it the ruler slid and it got trimmed too much!  Now I have to remake a couple of pinwheels and put the row back together.
Normally I would have given up on this one, except for the fact that all pieces are cut and ready to be put together.  I just have to get my enthusiasm for this project back on track again.

I do quilt in spurts it seems.  I will spend days in my sewing room working and then realize that the house is not being cleaned as well as I like so then I spend days doing chores and little projects.  I will get back to this pinwheel quilt this week hopefully.

On the fun side, I got free fabric this week!!  I belong to ReUseIt, its like Freecycle, where people post things they want to give away. A fellow quilter one town over offered fabric and I asked for it and she gave it to me.  Not only that but she asked what colors I needed and added extra to the bag!  Lots of soft flannels in pieces big enough to back a few baby quilts and even some twin sized quilts. 

One of my favorite things is organizing my fabrics.  I love nice neat piles of colors, drawers of scraps etc.  I will have to post a pic of my fabric closet one of these days.

I came across another blog today all about selvedge quilts!  Who knew??  I never heard of this but there are clever quilters out there that use the selvedge pieces to make quilts and other items.  Now I have to get another container to save my selvedge edges. Yep.....I see another quilt project forming in my head........

Found another pic to post!

Good friends of mine had a baby girl a couple of years ago,  Nora Joy.  I had these 4 blocks made but never used them in anything else.  Now I know why, the Lord had other plans for them!
This is paper pieced, I made it back when I had just discovered paper piecing and was making lots of blocks just for the fun of it!  Instead of quilting it I framed it. 

Monday Afternoon

Hi all!  Previously I mentioned needing to make a quilt I saw on another blog.  Well, I started it and its so cute, but a bit tedious and oh so easy to make a mistake on!

I decided to make a couple of pieced tops in baby size as someday I may be a grandma.  I won't quilt or back them until I know boy or girl, but at least the tops will be done.
Okay, lets face it, its just an excuse to try my hand at something new!

This is just a small portion.  It will be 8 pinwheels by 8 pinwheels.  This is just the first 3 rows (third row not sewn on yet) and only the portion that would get in the shot.
Will post a full pic when its done and I can hang it to get a better pic.

Sunday Evening

I have come to the conclusion that reading quilting books and looking at other quilting blogs is bad for current projects!

 I came across a picture of a quilt I just had to try to imitate.  No directions, just the picture.  I will make it small but I just have to tackle it.....and soon!

 I used to be the type of person that needed to finish one project before starting another.    Now I need to learn to balance my projects so I can have more than one going but not neglect any of them for any length of time!

There are probably lots of quilters that understand the need to constantly play with fabric and have up and coming projects before previous ones are finished! 

Thursday Evening

How nice today was!!  In the 50's, so it felt like spring!  I know, it is just a tease.  It is only February 17 so there is more winter to come.  However the break from all the bitter cold and snow was great and taking a walk without needing a coat, gloves and hat was just heavenly!
I did do more hand quilting on the Dresden plate quilt today.  I am hand quilting all the plates, nothing fancy, just along the outside and inside edge.  I won't be using it till next winter so I have plenty of time.
Going to help my daughter-in-law make a couple of simple quilted placemats.  She fell in love with the backing fabric from my gift exchange wall hanging and wanted a tablecloth made from it.  However there is only a little bit left.  Just enough for one side of 2 placemats.  Will have to dig through my stash to come up with something for the back.

Another finished project!

I read something a while back, I believe it was in an Elm Creek Quilters book, where one of the characters stated that they always made sure there was a mistake in each quilt they made.  Well.....I never have to make sure, it happens naturally for me!  I like to call it 'character' instead!
This wallhanging came out better than it looks in the pic.  The letters show up kind of strange, but in real life they look good!  At least I think so and hopefully the recepient will also like it.

Thursday Morning

Wow, been a few days since I posted anything here.  Nothing new, I ran out of ink for my printer and I wanted to use printable fabric on the back of the gift exchange wallhanging.  Ever used printable fabric?  Its great!  Just type up what you want to say in a word document, or upload a picture and put the fabric in just like a paper. Anyway, can't do anything till I buy a new cartridge.  I did get some more machine quilting done on the Dresden Plate quilt, it is moving along faster than I expected it to.  Must be all the cold snowy days we are getting, can't get outside to do anything else!
Hopefully will get the wallhanging finished soon and post of pic of front and back.

Sunday Evening

I just have to say again how much I love my Singer 201-2!  I am doing some machine quilting, just along the seam lines, on my Dresden Plate quilt.  This machine sews so straight and strong!  Even has enough room to push the extra fabric underneath without much trouble.

Gift Exchange Wallhanging

This is just the top and still needs to be trimmed a bit, then backed, quilted etc.
The 4 blocks each represent something of their lives.  Certainly hope they like it!

Wednesday Afternoon

Yeah!! We did not get another foot of snow and we got very little ice/sleet.  We finally caught a break!!
Been working on the small wallhanging today. One block was giving me lots of trouble, mostly because I had to make the pattern myself, and although it is not a complicated one, I am not always good at looking ahead to see what problems may occur a few stitches later.  Conquered it though and will be posting a pic soon.

Tuesday Evening

Well, we got another 3-4 inches of snow today.  That would not be so bad except for the fact that part 2 is coming!!  Predicting a foot more of snow plus lots of ice.  That part is scary! 
On the plus side I sat on my couch, watched a movie I DVR'd and handquilted quite a bit today.  The Dresden Plate quilt is looking great! 

Monday Afternoon

What a nice weekend, no snow!  Of course that ends tomorrow when we get hit again right through Wednesday.  Yuck.
Anyway I have not done any quilting these past few days because I decided to paint my kitchen. Hope to be finished with that later on today.

 I do have a new project started, with be a very small wall hanging.  Just a friends last name and 4 blocks depicting their life/interests. We are trading homemade items and she makes jewelry so I can't wait to see what I get!!

Dresden plate quilt is getting lonely just sitting here so maybe tonight, while vegging out in front of the t.v. I can get some handquilting done.

Friday Afternoon

Tim took the day off and we spent it in the usual way of the past few weeks - shoveling snow!
He is raking the snow off the roof.  Pretty soon our house will be more igloo than anything else as the snow banks are working their way up the sides of the house. The above pic was taken in our backyard.  Good thing we don't need anything out of our shed!
Still working on my Dresden Plate quilt.  Want to do some machine quilting on it soon, maybe tomorrow.

Stained Glass Wallhanging

This wallhanging was made using leftover triangles from my Charming Star quilt.  The colors are vivid and bright and against the black it looks like stained glass.

"Charming" Star Quilt

This is my quilt.  I used a pattern for Charming Star but since a true charm quilt does not use any fabric more than once I will have to rename it.  This is a queen size and called for approx 1400 different fabrics!  I just did not have that many.  This was made 6+ years ago by me and hand quilted by a friend of mine (thanks again Naomi!!). 
I had extra triangles and made a wall hanging from them.  Will post a pic of that soon.

Wednesday evening

YEAH!!  We have a working furnace again.  Now just need to defrost our bed so we can sleep in it tonight! Just kidding, not really frozen but incredibly cold since the room has been closed off since Sunday.

Wednesday Morning

Still no furnace!!  This happens every January when we get a cold snap.  Hubby is trying his best to get it working but no success so far.  On the plus side it gives me an excuse to sit in front of the coal stove and quilt away.  I am slow, but making pretty good progress.  We could certainly use this quilt on these bitterly cold days.  A nor'easter is heading out way for this evening, more snow.  I don't remember a winter like this ever!  We have gotten snow every week since Christmas.  Looking forward to Spring!

Monday Morning

Its a good thing we got the new, higher output, stove in over the weekend because its cold!!  Our furnace decided not to work so the stove is our only heat source for a day or two.  I moved our couch out to in front of the coal stove and will take my dresden plate quilt and hand quilt away.  At least it will keep me nice and warm!

Sunday Morning

The stove got installed and we are toasty warm once again!   I did not get any quilting done yesterday during the installation, mostly did clean up as the old stove was removed and lots of ash was left behind.  A good time to give the hearth a thorough scrubbing.  Have a wonderful day all!

Yeah, my friend loved her wall hanging!  So now I can concentrate on hand quilting the Dresden plate quilt.  Oh, wait, I did a Gifting it Forward 2011 on Facebook and I need to make another small wall hanging.  This one will be simple, persons last name and some blocks depicting their interests.

Today we are switching out our coal stoves, so not sure how much quilting time I will have.  Of course it may be best for me to stay out of the way so maybe I will send myself to the sewing room and stay there, I could get alot done today after all!

Thanks to all those who have commented on my quilts.  I really appreciate it!

Peg's Quilted Wallhanging.

It is finally finished!  I had a few problems along the way but they are all worked out.  I have to admit that I love the pattern but wish a few blocks looked better than they do.  The next step is giving it away.  My friend asked me for wall hanging about a year ago, but she never picked one out.  So, I picked it out for her.  Sure hope she likes it!

I finished the quilting part of the wall hanging today and got the binding made and pinned in place. It should be finished by tomorrow evening at the latest and I will post a pic.

Then it is back to quilting my Dresden Plate quilt. Although I do have one or two other projects taking shape in the back of my head. Seems I need to keep playing with the fabric!!
More snow coming tonight and into tomorrow. This has been a tough winter for sure.

I managed to finish piecing the top and putting the three layers together last night. I was striving for perfection but could not attain it! I read somewhere, can't remember if it was a novel or non-fiction, that a quilter said she makes sure there is one mistake in each of her quilts. Well, I don't have to make sure, there is always at least one mistake! Gives them character is what I say.
Will post a pic of the new creation soon.

its cold and rainy out today. at least its not snowing! I spent hours doing and undoing a row in my wall hanging quilt. Since its a gift I really want each row to be perfect. Why is it that there is always one row or one square that does not want to cooperate?

we have over 2 feet of snow on the ground since last weeks storm.  now another 2-5 inches plus ice is heading our way.  guess that leaves me lots of time to quilt.  working on a wall hanging for a friend of mine.  its another paper pieced one.  will post a pic when its done and before I give it away.

My work in progress!!

Dresden plate quilt.  This is just the pieced top.
I will be quilting both by machine and by hand.  I wanted to use a flannel for the backing and found one with little dresden plates on it!  Will post a finished pic when done.

My wall hanging

I made this a couple of years ago after I discovered the joy of paper piecing!  I stitched it by machine but did all the quilting by hand.  The blocks and the flying geese in a circle are all paper pieced.  If you have not tried that method of quilting yet - do it!  So much fun!!

Christmas present for my son & daughter-in-law

In order to save money they keep the thermostat down very low in the winter.  So, I made this quilt using mostly flannels.It is heavy!!!

My 'new' Singer!

It is so quiet and smooth, you hardly know its on!

Johnna's birthday quilt.

I received lots of fabric sample books and decided to use some to make a lap quilt for my neices birthday.  The fabric was thick and it did not mix easily with cotton fabric.  I had to be creative and use lace and buttons and fabric yo-yos (thanks, Annie!!) to hide the rough spots.

Aunt Gail's Wall-Hanging

My aunt gave me these Dresden plates and they are gorgeous.  This wall hanging was a thank you gift.  She was clever and hung it using a vintage wooden yard stick.

Tory's Christmas Present 2010

My niece's room is all bright greens. This should match well! It is kind of hard to see, but her name is smack in the middle of the quilt. The letters are paper pieced and take a long time, but its well worth the effort!

Adam & Christen's Wedding Quilt

I had fun using Primitive Blocks to construct this quilt. Well, most of my quilts are primitive!!