Catching Up..

Working on some on going projects... 

I finished this month's Hip Chicks BOM.  The bottom 3 blocks are for the month of May.  

These are my Market Day SAL by Pam Buda.  Today we will get the next hint.

Now I have something I bought a couple of weeks ago and I love it.

This is a portable Light Table by Crayola Crayon.  I saw this on a group posting I belong to on Facebook.  I took it camping with us and it worked perfectly when working on my applique.

Now for my Antique finds.

These are 4 tulip blocks that are from the 30's.  I'm sure the pattern is one that was posted in a newspaper.  

I was thrilled to see there was a template for the pattern.  I want to replicate this block using more modern fabrics.

My next find was a rather bright quilt.

This is the quilt on my bed.  It is basically a lap quilt.

Here is a close up of some of the blocks.

Next up is a quilt top I found.

The top was made in 1934.  I love that it was dated.  

It is a twin size quilt.  I hope to get it quilted (sometime in the future).

Well that is it for my sew and tell.  I just have to make 3 more Disappearing Four Patch blocks and I will have enough to make a lap quilt.  I should be able to show you the top on Monday.

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you have a wonderful start to your Memorial Day weekend.

Hugs, Cathy

We're Back....

From a week camping in the rain.  We did have a few hours a day with a bit of sunshine but mostly we had rain.  We had to set up our trailer in a thunder storm.  Both of us were soaked.  But all in all it wasn't too bad.

We took walks, went antiquing, visited some favorite quilt shops, read and watched movies.  It was very relaxing.

On one of our walks we encountered another family out walking.

They were so cute.  We left yesterday and I swear the babies doubled in size.

We had Sammie with us on our journeys and had to stop every so often for her pit stops.  At one park I came across this tree.  I was amazed how much Fungi was growing on it.

We stopped at quite a few Antique shops.  I bought a couple of different quilt blocks (I have one set to show you now), a quilt top and a quilt.  I'll show you
the quilts later.

I fell in love with these T blocks.  I figure they are from around the 1860-1900.  

Since it rained so much I had plenty of time to get some applique done.

This is the fourth block in the second set of patterns for Cheri Payne's Common Threads Series.  I am so happy with this block.

A while back I had prepped some blocks for the Sally Post Quilt.  I started block #1 and had Block #2 prepped.

These finish out at approx. 7 1/8".  Tiny pieces but I am happy with the way they look.  I have the freezer paper templates copied for blocks 3 & 4.  Just have to pick out the fabrics.  I was so terrified of applique...but then I took a class with Karen Stone and it changed my life.  I do needle turn applique (although I use a tooth pick to turn the fabric over).

The WiFi was very temperamental where we were staying so I didn't get a chance to keep up with my favorite Blogs.  So I will be spending a good part of the day doing laundry and reading blogs.

I hope you are having a great day.  Thanks so much for stopping by.

Hugs, Cathy

Bad Week

First I had a touch of the flu...then I carried too many grocery bags and pulled a muscle in my back.  I haven't been able to do to much but sit.  I got a little sewing done the last couple of days but yesterday was a noisy day.  I'll explain.

Last year we got new siding on our house.  It was done in January in all the bad weather.  I wasn't too impressed with the work crew...and rightly so.  Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago.  We had some extremely windy weather.  So windy that it blew all the siding off the side of the house.  Called the company...they sent someone out.  Turns out the work crew didn't use the right nails.  So they are going to replaces ALL the siding.  Yesterday they did the side that the siding blew off.  It just happens to be the wall of my sewing room.   They come back in a couple of weeks to do the other 2 sides.  Can't come next week as we are going camping....YES!!

Now for the sewing....

I have the final side half way done.  Hope to get it finished before we go camping.  Then it will be ready to quilt.


I started working on the blocks 5-8 of Cheri Payne's Common Threads series.

Top row is the first 4 blocks and the second is the next three.  The fourth block is an applique block.  I have it all prepped and ready to applique.  I will work on it while camping.

Finally....

Pam Buda's Market Day QAL.  She is giving directions in 2 different sizes.  She post's directions every Friday.

Well that is it for now.  I will try and post while camping but that's not always so easy.  Now I need to get the trailer packed and laundry done.  I can't wait to go.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Hugs, Cathy

Making Progress

I've been busy....

I finished the third applique border of my Lori and Randy QAL from 2013.

I added my initials at the top.  Now I need to prep the applique for the final side and it will be ready to quilt.  My progress was slow but I am so happy with the way it turned out.


Next up is my Sugar Shack BOM.

Here are the first 5 blocks.  The colors are different for me but I am having fun with it.


Up next Pat Sloan's Globetrotting BOM.

The block on the right is May's block.  I am keeping this patriotic looking.


Next we have the Country Threads BOM.

Up to now we have been making 2 blocks a month with 2 different sizes.  This month we made just one block, the one that is bottom right.  This block is 24".  I have no clue how all these blocks are going to fit together.  But I like how they are looking.  I have used mostly scraps for this one.


And finally my Aurifil BOM.  I think I already showed you these blocks.

Again I am using colors out of my comfort zone.  I think I might redo the first block and add some red polka dots to it.

That's it for the first 4 days of May.  I'm hoping to get a lot done this week.  Next week we are going camping.  It is still cool and rains off and on but we can't wait to sit around a campfire.  I plan on prepping some applique blocks so I can get some hand work done and I have a ton of books on my Kindle.  Hopefully it will be a relaxing time.  Until then....it's sew, sew, sew.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Cinco deMayo.

Hugs, Cathy

May's "To Do" List

Not too many big projects this month.

I did get one of my BOM's done yesterday for May.

Now for my May "To Do" list:

1.  Disappearing 4 Patch quilt.  I have 7 blocks made and need a total of 30.

2.  Finish up the applique border on my Lori & Randy QAL quilt.

BOM'S
1.  Sugar Shack
2.  Globetrotting
3.  Hip Chicks
4.  Country Threads
5.  Quilt Doodles
6.  Aurifil DONE

In my spare time I plan on working on:

1.  APQ QAL I would like to get at least one block done.
2.  Cheri Payne's Common Threads series.  Next 4 blocks
3.  Sherri Falls "This and That" Mystery Monday.
4.  Pam Buda's QAL
5.  Sandwich some quilts.

Tomorrow I will have the house to myself so I plan on setting up the banquet table and get some quilts basted and ready to quilt.

I am currently taking a machine quilting class on Craftsy with Elizabeth Dackson.  I'm learning a lot and hope to get some quilts machine quilted.

Well I hope you have a great weekend filled with some wonderful weather and of course some quilting.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Cathy

End of the Month

Last day of the month and I did well with my "To Do" list.

1.  I got my Shoo Fly Quilt top finished.
2.  I finished the Plaid Jacob's Ladder quilt top.
3.  I finished one side of the applique for my Lori and Randy QAL and prepped      another side for needle turn applique.

4. I am up to date for all 6 of the BOM's I'm working on.

5.  I got my doll quilt swap quilt sent and received mine.

6.  I made another block for the APQ QAL.

I am really liking how this is looking.

7.  I finished the first four blocks in the Cheri Payne series called "Common          Threads".

8.  I am also up to date with the latest Mystery Monday by "This and That" by      Sherri Falls.

I want to end the month showing you the quilt I made testing a pattern for Cindy at Quilt Doodle Designs.

The pattern is called "Monkey Shines" and is the perfect quilt for one of my granddaughter's who LOVES Monkey.

The instructions were easy to read and the applique patterns were excellent.  I really enjoyed making this quilt.

I am also doing Cindy's BOM.  She is very talented and has some wonderful patterns both for sale and free.  She is also on Craftsy.


I will leave you with one project that is on my May "To Do" list.  More tomorrow.

This is a Disappearing 4 Patch quilt in progress.  It is made from a charm pack I purchased from Connecting.  Their charm packs are so reasonably priced that I usually order 4 packs at a time.  That way I have enough to finish a larger project.

Well that is it for now.  Thanks for stopping by.  Tomorrow I will reveal my entire May "To Do" list.

Hugs, Cathy

A Flimsy, A WIP and a Find

I finished making the last 8 blocks needed for my Plaid Jacob's Ladder.  Then I got all the blocks sewn into rows and had time to sew the top together.

I really like the way this turned out.  It will get quilted next month and is going to be a Christmas present.


Now for my WIP...back in 2013 Lori from Humble Quilts and Randy from Barristers Block had a QAL.  I got it done up to the appliqued border.

I finished the appliqued vine and yesterday I basted the applique pieces to the bottom of the quilt.  I made the date 2014 since this is the year it will be finished.  

Now for my find.

While scrounging around some boxes in the basement I came across these blocks.  Back in 1999 I took a class with Trudie Hughes.  These are the blocks I made.  Unfortunately I can't find any of the fabric I used for the stars and only a little of the fabric from the logs.  So instead of a large quilt I will have a table runner.  I think I want to try a large quilt with different fabrics.


As I told you in a previous post I finally made it up north to visit my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter.  It was a good visit but....I was sick all the way up, my husband was sick the next day, my granddaughter broke her arm the day we went up and she was sick the day after my husband and the day we left my son was sick.

We did have a day that Terry and I got to go out and do a little sight seeing. When we got up north they had 3 feet of snow.  Luckily the weather was warm and they lost a good majority of it.  Lake Superior had a lot of ice with pockets of open water.  These are pictures taken at a little park by the bay.

These little islands are a favorite spot for NMU college students to swim out too and paint their graduation name on.

Here is the Marquette Light House out on the point.

The sun is shining today and I think we are going to go to Metro Park for a walk.  Sammie too.

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs, Cathy