Showing posts with label Box of Chocolates. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Box of Chocolates. Show all posts

Thursday, January 8, 2015

It's Frigid Out

Baby it is cold outside.  A good day for blogging, sewing and quilting....and maybe a finish or two.


Box of Chocolates is finished.


I really love this quilt.  I did it in muted shades of pink, brown and tan.  I machine quilted it using a serpentine stitch.  It took me 2 days to cut out and stitch and one day to machine quilt and do the binding.

My second finish is "Simple Stripe" by Temecula Quilt Co.  Just before Christmas I saw on their blog that they had a 2015 Calendar which gives you a mini quilt pattern for each month.  I thought this was going to be a wall calendar and was originally disappointed that it was individual cards that are approximately 4" x 5".  Not any more.  I have a small plastic picture frame just about the same side.  I put this months calendar in and then made this sweet little quilt.




The quilt is 12" x 14" and will eventually hang on my table quilt stand.  It took 2 days to make.  One day to cut and sew the strips and one day to machine quilt and do the binding.  I only showed you this months calendar.  I show you a new quilt each month.


Part of my New Years Resolution is to finish some UFO's and if I start a new project....finish it right away.  Mini quilts make this possible.


Speaking of finishing UFO's......


This is a wall quilt I made last year, I even managed to hand quilt it.  Then it got put away.  Today I hope to get the binding sewn on and finish it up this evening.  Woo Hoo....I'm on a roll.


Each evening I try and do some hand work.  I am making a dent in the hand quilting on my Henrietta Whiskers.  I'm hoping to finish it this week.


I said I wasn't going to do any BOM's.....well.....I'm not working on anything big or anything that will last a year.

But I am planning on doing Quiltmaker's Bitty Blocks.  This link will take you to the blog.  They are also doing a Mystery quilt.

Another project I hope to start on comes from Sharon at Color Girl Quilts.  She has designed some super simple sampler blocks.  These blocks are so cute.  I just happened to have acquired a FQ bundle that I am going to use for these blocks.  She just posted block 18....but don't worry she has a link on her blog for all the other blocks.


Now for something other than quilting.  At the end of October I went to the doctors for my usual 6 month diabetic checkup.  I have Type 2.  The doctor said my sugar was higher than she wanted and was going to put me back on lantus.  Ugh...I hated putting needles in my belly.  I asked her what I could do to not take the shots.  Easy she said....loose weight.

Well to me that is not too easy.  I'm 65, overweight and not very active.  I was told I had to loose 6 lbs. a month.  The first month I lost 4 lbs.  Good for me, I have such a hard time loosing weight.  The second month was December.  Not good...to much celebrating.  I didn't loose a pound.

So now it is a new year and a new start.  In December I joined Planet Fitness. My daughter Kelley is my workout buddy.  We didn't do well last month as she was busy and I was sick.  But we are doing much better.  I lost a pound this last week.  The goal is 1 1/2 pounds a week.  I even got a fitbit.  Yesterday was the first time I wore it.  This thing is amazing.  It keeps track of steps, calories burned, calories consumed and even monitored my sleep last night.  I have it sinked with my Fitness Pal and is keeping me motivated.


Well that is it for today.  Thanks for stopping by.  Keep warm and keep quilting.

Hugs, Cathy

Monday, January 5, 2015

A Year Of Finishes

At least that is what I hope it will be.  I want to finish old projects and if I start a new on it will get finished right away....maybe....lol




Last night I finished hand quilting another block of my Henrietta Whiskers quilt. That makes 7 total.  Tonight I plan on quilting around the figures of the last two blocks.  The plan is to finish this quilt this month.


Last year I signed up to join Huckleberry Stitches to make a mini quilt a month.  Sadly I wasn't too good at keeping up.  New year new resolve.  This year each month we will be making a quilt from the book "101 Fabulous Small Quilts".  The first quilt is called "Box of Chocolates".



I finished the quilt top yesterday.  It will measure at 14 x 21.  Today I plan on getting it machine quilted and up on my living room wall.  


If you remember I was a member of Quiltmaker's Scrap Squad.  Well Paula Stoddard of Quiltmaker Magazine contacted me about a new free monthly quilt blocks they are starting in January.  Each month they will give directions for a 3"-4" block.  



The first block has been published on the Quilty Pleasures blog.  The first block is an adorable 3" Bow Tie block.  This is going to be so much fun.  I hope you will join in and I will share my blocks at the end of the month.


Well I just got done un-decorating the Christmas Tree.  I usually get it done on New Years Day but since I had that lingering cold I didn't get to it till today.  By the way I am feeling MUCH better.

Speaking of Christmas.....We got this Christmas card from our Son and Daughter-in-law (they live in Virginia).



It didn't come as a complete surprise as they called us before hand.  But I think it was a wonderful way to announce it to friends and family.  They know it is going to be a girl and have chosen the name Ella.

So naturally I will be making a baby quilt.  I have the pattern and fabrics.  Now I just need the time to work on it.  LOL

I'm typing this in my sewing room ready to start working on Box of Chocolates.  I have one of my favorite old movies on "Unconquered" starring Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard.  Love my old movies.

I hope you stay warm and get to spend some time doing what you love.

Hugs, Cathy