Thank You!!!!

For keeping my family in your thoughts and prayers.  My brother's surgery was a success.  It only took an hour instead of the expected 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  An hour after the surgery he was awake, alert, smiling and joking with us.  He came home on Sunday and we are all happy.

I didn't get to go back to the hospital to see him because I woke up with a sore throat and congested.  I just can't seem to get rid of this.  I will feel well, then I go outside and bam....it's back.  I guess I'm going to have to go see my doctor.

Anyway...enough about me.  I got some sewing done.

Remember this is my Autumn Monday Mystery Quilt.  It is from October 2013.

Well it is all quilted and the binding is made.  I'm hoping to get it done today so I can post a picture of the finished quilt.


I worked on the Super Simple Sampler Blocks from Sharon at Colorgirl Quilts.

I have 19 blocks made.  She just finished posting #23.  I'm going to take a brake and make more next week.  This fabric is so out of my comfort zone. But it's nice to push yourself.


I started working on Quiltmaker's February Bitty Blocks.  Sweet baskets.  They are 4" finished.  Again I am using the same charm square's that I used last month.

I took a little applique project with me to the hospital to work on while we were waiting.   Best laid plans....  We were talking so much I didn't get a chance to sew a stitch.   So I finished this up yesterday while watching NCIS.

It is from a pattern by Renee Plains called Petals & Feathers.  The block is 5.5" by 7.5".  I need to add a very narrow border and then a larger border.  It may stay with me or it might fly away to some else for Christmas.


That's it for today.  I'm taking cough medicine and sinus medicine.  I have my personal humidifier going strong in the sewing room.  I'm hoping to get some more sewing done and hoping to get rid of this whatever it is.

It's another cold day here in Michigan...cold front is here to stay for a while. So keep warm and keep busy.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Hugs, Cathy

P.S.  Yesterday was our Wedding Anniversary.  I want to thank my husband for being so supportive to my quilting addiction...He's the best.

Another Finish

My 1996 Signature Quilt is finished.  It's not perfect...but it won't be entered into a quilt show.  It will be hanging in my sewing room.  In my haste to finish this quilt and to use up some batting on a roll I had...I used too thick of a batting so it has a puffy look to it.

It looks a little wonky because it is up on my design wall.  It feels nice to finish something that has been lingering in my UFO pile for so long.


I finished this month's #Bittyblocks.

Don't you just love Bow Tie blocks.  I can't wait to see what next month's block is.  These blocks finish at 3".

I finished the first 10 blocks of Sharon's Super Simple Blocks.  Not my usual color combinations.  But I'm looking forward to making the next 10 blocks.  I will finish up next month.

I want to give a shout out to my daughter Kelley.  She ran a 5K race this morning in the cold.  The race took place in Detroit.  She took up running this year and is doing fantastic.  She is also my workout buddy.  We go to the gym together and she inspires me.  Love you Kelley.

Well stay warm and keep busy.  I'm off to the sewing room to get my spool table topper ready to machine quilt.  Have a great day and thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Cathy

I've Been Busy

Doing what I love best....sewing and quilting.

Every evening I've been doing some hand quilting on my Henrietta Whiskers quilt.  I've gotten the outline quilting done on the 2 remaining blocks.  Just need to mark them for the cross hatching.

I got the binding done on my Scrappy Bears Paw quilt.

It is now hanging on my living room wall.  I love Scrappy.

I started my QM's Bitty Blocks.  This weeks is Bow Tie Blocks.

I decided to make mine using charm squares.  Once started I realized that I only had 2 packs of these charms.  Tried to order more but couldn't find any so I ordered 3 packs of similar charms in blues, browns, and neutrals.  I will intermix them and it should be fine.  These little bow ties are 3" finished.

I also started on Sharon's of Color Girl Quilts Super Simple Blocks.  She just posted Block #20.

These blocks finish at 6" and I have made blocks 1-7.  They go together quickly.  You may notice the fabric I am using is not my usual style.  But it works so well with these blocks.  I'm using a coordinated fat quarter bundle.

Now I know I wasn't going to do any on going projects with so many projects that need to be finished.  But I couldn't resist these blocks.

I have chosen the next UFO to finish.

This quilt top dates back to 1969 oops I meant 1996.  I've mentioned before that I was a member of Interquilt (an Internet quilt guild) for quite a few years.  I must have signed up for every block swap they offered.  The blocks in this quilt is from one of these swaps and the blocks are signed by the maker.  My plan is to get this machine quilted this week.  Wish me luck.

Well it is very cold here in Michigan.  My son lives in Marquette and it is -2 this morning.  Brrrrr....it's a good day for quilting.

Thanks for stopping by, keep warm and get lots of sewing done.

Hugs, Cathy

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