Wednesday, August 23, 2017

More quilting going on!

I've been busy...when am I not! I completed block #8 from Pat Sloan's Grandma's Kitchen Quilt along. It took me a little longer as I was trying to finish up a lap quilt. I started that in the spring and finished the top, but just laid it aside after quilting another lap quilt and little T's quilt...after that monster quilt do you blame me! Well I needed a show n tell for the quilt meeting and I figured I'd just finish it right up, fat chance! I even did a simple quilting on it. Well I guess the design could have been bigger! The design is actually from Angela Walters (love her quilting philosophy). If you are wanting to learn Free Motion Quilting I strongly recommend her videos. She is wonderful and makes it fun! I can't get enough of her videos!!! We also had a sew day with my quilting guild. Only about 6 showed up, but it was still fun. I worked on three civil war blocks for a quilt the guild is putting together. It will be raffled off at the Perryville Civil War Reenactment that goes on in October. So here is the lap quilt...

I believe it's called Jelly Roll Race and here is Grandma's Kitchen block #8...
 
 
and here are the civil war blocks...
 

 
I'm pretty happy with how everything came out. I'm getting better with every new project and for being a quilter for less than a year, that's not bad!

So this is me quilting!
Sheila

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Life in motion

How in the world did it become 2017? It's crazy how fast time slips away from us! So much has happen in the last 3 years. My mom came to be with us!!! We now all live together and have the perfect set up. She never thought she would have a dog, but as much time as Indy stays down stairs with her you might as well say he's her dog too!
He's a good dog. Happy as can be, especially when it's cool out. Actually the colder the better as far as Indy is concerned! Our house sits on top of a hill and Indy is the happiest sitting on top of the hill and keeping an eye out on all the land he can survey. After all if he can see it, it must be his! His baritone bark sure gets the neighbors attention! We have wonderful neighbors so it's all good! Our one neighbor has show dogs...6 to be precise! So our one noisy pup isn't too bad.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned what I do. I'm a rubber stamp maker, designer, Etsy seller. I enjoy what I do. I like to take an image or drawing and turn it into something that can be used over and over. I also like that I can share my designs. This November will be 10 years of making and selling stamps!!! Hard to believe I've been doing this for 10 years!!!

This past fall I found myself on a new creative path...Quilting! I've been wanting to try it for a very long time.
Well, one day I went to Hobby Lobby to buy some fabric to make Little T a new pillowcase for his body pillow. Apparently 14 year olds don't want Thomas the Train pillow cases anymore. hahahaa While I was looking at all the beautiful fabric I thought how fun it would be to make a quilt of places he always talked about going when he was younger. And then it started! I went online and looked for travel, adventure themed material. I found so many different fabrics that I had a hard time decided what I wanted. I decided to put a plan together and limit color choices (didn't work so much!) and to find a pattern that would be easy for a new quilter, but would also show off the travel material. I found a version of Turning 20 Again and altered it slightly to accommodate what I wanted. After all the material arrived...I purchased most of the fabric online to get the best variety, though picking the right color was a challenge! I started working on it in November and by February Little T's quilt was finished!...well not quilted, but the top was done. I joined a quilt guild and met a bunch of wonderful women and thanks to them I found out about a exhibition (no ribbons or judging). I worked feverishly to get the quilt done in time for the show and by June it was done. Here's a picture of my first and second quilt...front row!
So as you can see I'm hooked! I have made a few more and I have another large quilt I will be finishing up as soon as the backing material gets here. That's the bad thing about ordering online, the wait!
Do you want to see what I'm working on now...
It's from Pat Sloans blog. She does a quilt along and I'm having so much fun following along. She put's out a new block every Wednesday...boy it sure takes long to get here! So to appease my desire to quilt I also decided to do the Solstice quilt she has there. The good thing about it is they are through with that quilt a long so all the blocks are up! In fact I just finished that top and that is the one I'm waiting on the backing fabric for! If you are a quilter or your interested in trying it out check out Pats blog. People post their version of the blocks they have made and let me just say they are beautiful! Well off to quilt!
and This is Sheila! slightly lost, but found!