Hardest post to write

As some of you know i have a quilt buddy Jackie

Last June she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer

Here we are in happier times talking quilting

And taking a roadtrip to the fabric store

She tried to keep me restrained from overbuying

As we loaded the cart to the brim

LOL

We sewed outside in the summer in the screenroom

Or inside working on our Lori Holt farmgirl quilt

When a friend Colette came to visit we hammed it up at Elvis's place

We inspired each other with our projects

I am so thankful we were sewing buddies

We had lots of good times

And heard each others husband bashing so we could move on with our day

I got the dreaded call just a few minutes ago from her husband that she passed this morning

Part of me is glad she is now with the Lord and not suffering any.more

Selfish part of me is sad and wanting my buddy back

Rest in peace Jackie

And you better save me a seat in the big sewing room in Heaven

Love ya girl and miss you

 

Lookie what i found

Looking for my yarn or fur for miss bunny i find a few low volume 4 patches

What a gal to do?

An idea hit marble head......

Pillow but how can i make it not bland?

Applique?

But what?

THEN this book literally falls

Look here......

ROSES

3D

PERFECT 

So then I of course had to quickly sew up the rest of the squares needed for the top

Next i will quilt it

Then do the roses

Then add the envelope back

And another pillow idea is born

Am thinking one like this and 2 bird ones for either side maybe tying in the roses somehow

I know......another project started

But i figure i DID finish a lot so far outta the stash so deserve it for a distraction 

Just some low volume 2.5 squares

4....4patches across and down for a 16 inch pillow

I can see this in many ways

Could replace some with 1.5 4 patches here and there too

Or make another design

Maybe by midyear i can play with it

I am thinking of those pixel snowflake designs maybe?

Oh boy........focus......focus.   lol

Made some good old fashioned chicken and drop dumplins soup

Dreary rainy here so this my Grams recipe is comforting

What is distracting you these days?

 

Here comes Peter cottontail

I started taking this dollar tree bunny apart to make her pretty

Does anyone watch Barb from the shabby tree?

She makes beautiful things out of nothing

She is on facebook, instagram, youtube and has a blog crafting with the shabby tree

Anywho she inspired me to do this

So........off comes the tinsel stuff

 

No this is not a snack

Believe it or not it is plastic

Cant tell you the looks i got when it was in my cart

Thinking i opened chocolate and put it on my things

Found these suede yarns in my stash

The rust may become the new carrot

We will see

I was gonna use this

But white fake fur may be used too

Forgot i had these gems

I had better create faster huh.

Will let you know how she comes out.

Barb wrapped hers in jute with a black gingham bow and it was adorable

Are you decorating for Easter?

Gods creativity is awesome

Look closely  at  this  picture 

It is the ice pattern on my windshield one cold morning

Feathers

I am thankful for all the beauty God creates around me

Isnt this fun? 

This was the pattern on my car

A swirly design that looks like someone painted my car

I could not stop looking at it

So beautiful and inspiring

Saw this HUGE egg when I got hubs prescription 

No i didnt buy it. But i would have had a ball painting it for decoration

This batik became the back of my brothers placemat pillows

Yeah THESE

the fox

Oh my if you ever see placemats you would like as a pillow

GRAB THEM

these were 1.99 each.I got a set of two foxes 

And with fabric from the stash that has the colors in it I made 2 envelope pillow covers for 12x16 inch pillow forms

Easy peasy and i love them!

My brother will too for his woodsy cabin in Maine 

I had gotten the pillow forms one time half off at joanns

Now wish i had bought a bunch

I cut my backs 11 x the width of the placemat. Mine was about 13x18 which left a generous half inch seam allowance when sewing

I finished one edge on each back, overlapped them right sides down and stitched away. Literally a 5 minute project

Great gifts ladies

Keep your eyes open for cute placemats at the stores

I cant wait to make my Fall pumpkin and leaves ones

****update mine are done too ****

My goal is to have seasonal pillows but with only a few forms

I can store the other pillow envelopes flat to save space 

Quilted pillow ideas will follow

I always wanted yellow finches and there is a pattern for a pieced bird i can use

A huge snowflake block would look cool

A blue churndash to go with my couch

Oh the possibilities

 

Mugging it up

Mindless mugrug sewing

I found this extra crumb piece

Mugrug size so i grabbed a brown for the back

Quilted it up

Grabbed scrappy binding

And another utility mugrug is born

Hubs and i use them all the time

And toss  in the wash each day or so

A fun pop of color in a rather dreary rainy Monday for sure.

This post is preposted so will show end of week

What is going on in your sewing room?

We are doing a cleanup here

Anything that falls or gets in my way gets attention  lol

So far so good.......getting a full stack of finished things so far

 

Did someone say pouch

Another pouch in the box

This was a crazy quilted piece 6x8

So i quilted another 6x8 piece 

Found a lining

Zipped it and done.

Sewed up the cutoff into a cute strap

Liking it. Into the box you go my pretty

 

One runner down

One corona runner down 

These blocks made 2 runners

This is the smaller one

And it is done done done 

The quilting isnt the greatest but hey

Practice makes perfect right

Here is the back

So far Feb has been a good month for finishing 

How many hours have i got till March???

Lol

 

Like a ninja

Finished these pieces into a pencil case

Filled it with pencils and notepad

Another one bites the dust

Giving to big bosses grandson

Loving my scrap stash this year

 

Quilters are the best of friends

Would you look at this ricrac?

Its chenilly if that is a word

Soft

Velvety 

My friend Julierose sent this to me

A threadcatcher

Embellished and all fancy like with lace and fancy fancy ricrac

And just how did she know that I dont have a thread catcher???

I cant wait to use it

Thanks Julie for letting me know that no matter what we are not alone

Others are thinking of us

And helping us on this path called life

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being my friend

Quilters really are the BEST

 

Running

Its runner time i think

As i was cleaning looking for my birch trees which by the way must have been cut and hauled off by a logger as they are nowhere in sight

But i came across runners

And i must finish them

Pineapple one

Strawberry one

Two running from corona ones

The beige truck with black accent one 

Red truck joanns kit one

Thankful one

I think you get the idea

I need to have a runner week and get them done

Most just need backing quilting and binding

Some need the top finished with borders

Imagine if i finish them all? 

A good start to finishes in March me thinks

 

Papers galore

This guy is done

Ready to wash done

Quilted, bound

Yay

Ready to keep someones legs warm done

I used a lot of scrappy binding too

Love when that happens

Just organic quilting about 1.5 inches apart

And lined in comfy fleece

I am taking paper off the back of the string kitchen sink blocks

So excited to play and use my brain to put this together

February so far.......

4 zippy pouches

4 mugrugs

One wheelchair 

quilt

One pear potholder

Not bad.....not bad

 

Playing

 

Found these blocks too

The paper needs to be removed

They frame the dresdan nicely

Am thinking of making the rows first then cutting the center for the applique

Is that what  you are thinking Dunks???

No???

Oooooooo

I LIKE the way you think

Would this make a great center or what????

 

Brightness

This is very vibrant

Not my usual palette 

Thinking maybe i need to put this into a zip bag

Look at this 3 d raindrop fabric

So cool

And look

12 of these 

And some navy pindot 

Hmmm this may make its own quilt

We will see how far it will go with sashing

Any ideas???   Are these parts talking to you? I need a quilt whisperer i think

 

Sorting

This dresdan sunflower is huge

About 24 inches wide or more

Thinking it should be in the center of a kitchen sink quilt

These green blocks are ufos too

There are large geese

Small geese

And i am trying to tbink if i want to color coordinate it all

Or let it go scrappy

What would you do???

 

How would you.....

 

If you had lots of parts.......how would you start a kitchen sink quilt?

From the middle?

Would you add to make different size blocks all the same?

Would you start with color?  Or a pretty block?

Or draw your eye to that area?

I have been finding all kinds of things as i clean

One block.....a gorgeous huge sunflower type dresdan applique

A few blocks but not enough for a quilt. . ..

And blocks from mindkess sewing

Even strips of blocks sewn but that quilt i am no longer interested in 

Do you color match?

Go scrappy?

Make it look planned?

How would you tackle it?????