13 in 2013 UFO Challenge

This coming year my dear daughter-in-law, Donna, and I decided we needed to complete some of our long standing projects that seem to mount each year. So this is the challenge - we will finish one project a month = 12, and one to each other that we won't tell each other. That brings our total to 13.

If you would like to join us, please do, and comment on my site and I will list my finishes as well.  Donna - the deal is on.

JUST TAKES TWO & NEW MYSTERY

I finished the top of it Just Takes Two before I left NC last week.  Loving the red and white and it is a reminder of the family quilt of my mom's that was lost. I will have to decide on a name for it and how to do the borders.  It was a great mystery follow along quilt to do this past year.

Now another mystery for 2013, the Easy Street Quilt by Bonnie Hunter [Quiltville.com]. 

 I have the first step four patches done in golds and browns.  Here is my pile.

 A close up [sorry for the blurriness].

 And a view of the twist on the wrong side of block.

Now off to start step 2, am a few weeks behind on these put hope to catch up.

 

Christmas Tree Skirts

Here are views of two of the Christmas Tree Skirts I have made this year.

 

Daughter Grace wanted a blue and silver for her new white tree. So this is a Judy Niemeyer paper pieced star pattern that I used. It looks better in reality than the picture.

The back side is blue and white snowmen. My daughter took the picture on her kitchen floor. Sorry about my feet in the picture.

This is another one for my son and daughter-in-law in red and black.

And the Stockings were Hung

This summer I worked on making new Christmas stockings for the family. My friend Debbie did the embrodiery of the names for them. GREAT JOB, Debbie.

This past weekend the last of the family were together and so everyone now has their stockings to hang and I can now post the pictures.

My son, Richand, and daughter-in-love, Donna, live in Kirksville, Mo and they have three children. ie. corgies.

 

My daughter in North Carolina has four children and a little maltize.  I am staying with them now taking care of Katie, the newest baby blessing.

 

 

 

Here is a close up of Timothy's.

The girls live in Tenessee and their little dog is Keanu's brother, Harley.

They all seemed to like the stockings. Here is Nana's and Papa's but I don't know where I will be at Christmas yet.

 

Fun Station

 

My grand daughters came to visit me in my quilt/bedroom on Friday night and found me sewing.  They decided to play with the fabric and declared that this was the funnest room ever.  Hannah decided I needed a sign on the door saying that.  So she picked out different fabrics for each letter and the back ground out of their fabric box I had brought for them.

 

After I free cut the letters, they sewed them down with a zig zag stitch.  Both wanted to keep sewing and loved to work the machine. I wrote down all the steps on the wall board for them to follow:  pressure foot down, back stitch, Go, stop, back stitch, cut, snip and lift the pressure foot. Hannah got it quite fast.

Amber wanted to change colors after every letter and was good at the turns.

 

On Saturday, we finished it up, put a backing on, then Hannah sewed on rings to hang it up.  They were both very proud of themselves. Me too.

 

While Amber was sewing, Hannah decided to make some outfits for her beanie babies. I was quite surprised at the creative nature of them.

 

This is a wizard.

Then they decided to play with my dolls.

 

It was declared that it was truly a 'FUN STATION HERE'

 

I did threaten to put a 'CLOSED' sign on the other side, but was just kidding.

 

Row by Row Swap

Yesterday I received back my rows from a friendship group swap that has been working this year. My theme was Owls. Three of my granddaughters like owls in their bedroom so I picked this theme to do a quilt for them.

 

I did the starter row of three bright owls and sent it around to the next person for them to make a row. Then Linda made lots of tree branches in paper piecing and appliqued little owls in the trees. Angela did the HOOT row, so neat and she put hearts on it for the girls.

 

Next came Cindy's row with a long branch with cute bright owls that her daughter's designed for me.  My friend Pat did a row with three trees and three little girls under the trees to represent my three granddaughters, reading and using the hula hoop. [does anyone do the hula hoop any more? showing my age here]

 

Terry did three more owls in my favorite colors and framed them with some bright colored strips.  Her blanket stitch around the tummy's and wings really bring out the stitching. Great job Terry.  The seventh row was by another Cindy and she pieced the blocks in owl fabric.

 

I am very lucky to have such great friends to do this amazing work on the quilt. Thanks so much.

 

 

Katherine

My grand daughter Katherine is more beautiful each and every day.

School and Sewing

My granddaughters started back to school last week and we were happy about it. They were excited to meet their new teachers.

Amber started middle school in sixth grade.

Hannah started third grade.

 

Hannah also started to put the siggy doll quilt together. Oh my, she had a time arranging and re-arranging them.

First we measured our doll and the bed to see how many rows and columns we needed.

 

Then it was this way, Oh no, maybe this way.

 But then I like this one over here, but no, this color is wrong, let's move this one here.

 Hum, no, maybe here.  No, over there, but I don't like that one there. Let's move it.

This was the final layout that we sewed together.

 

Now it will probably be another decision on how to pick out the sashing and binding.  Oh no, then its the back color.  Why does quilting take so long Nana?  Gee, I don't know Hannah!

 

 



My New Digs

Now that I have settled in at my daughters home to be the nanny to the new baby I thought I would share my new home.

This bedroom is part of an apartment in the basement.  It has a man cave where my son-in-law and grandson play their video games, complete with kitchen and separate bathroom. The bedroom is mine.

 

The bedroom set belonged to my parents since they married in 1934 and I love to look at it when I wake up and using my moms dresser. It really makes it seem like home.

On the bed I have my Dear Jane Signature quilt so that reminds me of all my quilting friends. I have collected them since 2010 and the center of them are set on point and then the ones from 2011 and 2012 around them.

 

Then I purchased a sewing machine table and set it under the window for light. My son-in-law set up shelves for my project boxes and material.

This dresser was my childhood one and I have my rulers, thread, etc in it. And of course a bassinet for my Katie when I watch her downstairs.

 

 

Katherine's arrival

My new grand daughter Katherine Corrine Elizabeth, born on Tuesday, August 21st.

And the happy Nana

Sister Hannah

Sister Amber

Brother Tim

Family

 

She is a cutie pie.

 

 

 

My grandson, the CHEF

I made a chef jacket for my grandson Timothy as he loves to cook and wants to open his own restaurant someday. We have been making dinners together each night. He doesn't like to clean up so will need a good sou-chef in his kitchen.

Biltmore Girls

Yesterday I met a new friend. One of the gals on my on-line quilt group came to the US from London England to Ashville, NC.  Since I am only fifty miles from there at my daughters I drove in and met her at the Biltmore House.

Tricia is a delightful American/British gal with a cheery personality, dry wit and very knowledgeable in so many areas.  Since she is an Architect I learned a lot during our tour of this lovely and very big home. My bones are still aching from all the stairs and walking we did.

Of course the views were amazing of the countryside, and Tricia missed the golf course and tennis courts that should have been there to make her happy.

But I digress, we started our visit off in the Wine Tasting area since we wanted that before lunch. Tricia is a wine master and now I can swish the wine with ease like a pro. But I swallowed she spit.  Except for the one wine she really liked and we ended up buying that one and having some more at lunch.  It was the Biltmore Sangiovese.  We had a wonderful lunch at the Bistro and learned about each other.

So a very nice day with a new friend and we plan to meet again before she goes back to England.  Or baby arrives.

Oh yeah, this is for my grandson, Timmy the turtle. He likes to spit too.