Beautiful Birthday

My youngest grand daughter [as of now] Hannah is having her birthday. Wow, eight already.  Happy birthday girl, have a fun 'Aloha' party in the pool. Don't eat too much pig.

It Just Takes Two Progress

Yesterday I finally got to work on my red and white blocks for the Just Takes Two on line quilt mystery.  I was a little behind and now am caught up until next month. I am loving this quilt and the challenges of the blocks. Certainly makes my mind and abilities grow.

Christmas Trees and Ruffles

When visiting my friend Pat this last weekend we didn't get much sewing done this time but chose other endeavors to occupy our time.

First we bought a quilt puzzle and that kept us up at nights with the world's smallest pieces you could imagine, smaller then a dime.  Very addicting.

Then Pat showed me how to make these Christmas tree ornaments that a friend gave her the pattern. So I have made four now.  Think I will have the grand kids decorate them with some buttons and things.

Then we spent a day looking for yarn and beads for some other projects we are doing. I just love how easy this ruffled scarf is to make and plan to make some for gifts at Christmas time.

My AOTH Progress

I finally finished the center of my AOTH [Affairs of the Heart] quilt.  When my niece, Susan, was here for Memorial Day she helped me with some of the color arrangement.  I took design liberty [don't tell the quilt police] and moved some of the blocks around different than the pattern called for.  That was because I didn't like some of the colors I chose next to each other.  What do you think?

And to Susan, I moved the two red hearts away from each other so it isn't so in your face.  Now on to the borders. She helped me pick a different fabric from stash that will look better on the reverse applique border.

Diaper Bags

This is the diaper bag I made for the new one.  It has pink and green owls on the fabric. I didn't like the way the flap went down but suppose it will work anyway. My daughter wanted this Bible verse on the bag so I had my dear friend Debbie embroider it on the flap. She owns an embroidery and uniform store so I have a lot of things done there.
It is bright pink batik on the inside with lots of pockets.

Bible verse is I Corinthians 15:51b - We will not all sleep, but we all will be changed.

Love it.

Debbie then thought I should have a bag too as I will be staying there this fall to help with the baby.  She made me this bag.

So now my daughter will have to hire me to be the nanny, won't she?

Sewing for Baby

Over the weekend I finished a few more things for the new baby girl.   The pattern for the diapers wasn't easy to figure out, maybe I should have taken a few engineering classes when I was in school all those years ago.  Anyway, after a few frustrating starts I managed to do my version of the cloth diapers. We don't like the disposable diapers [did you know it takes 150 years for them to degrade in the land fills?].  My daughter and I have always used the cloth diapers and now days it is hard to find the plastic pants to go over them.   Thankfully, now someone developed the PUL waterproof fabric and we are good to go for the new little blessing.

These were my first ones.  Now on to some bigger sizes.

Insides are flannel with some cute patterns.

Quilt Blogging

I belong to a quilting blogger group for the web. They are having a contest to bring more quilt bloggers to the group list. So if you have a quilt blog join in. It is an easy way to see all the great ideas out there in the quilting world.  Click on the link on the side to bring up the page to join your blog to the links. 

Secret Pal Gifts for May

Wow, I received some wonderful gifts from my Dear Jane Secret Pal this month. Am so touched that she remembered my daughter and her new baby girl coming in August.

 Cute little monkey bib.

 One of the sayings on the one-zys.  Mommy sure does love her already.

And the pink fabric she sent to make a baby quilt. Then she made 30 yo-yo's to decorate the quilt with.  Will be looking through the pattern book she gave me a few months ago to find the perfect project for all this.

All the bibs and outfits look so adorable. So thank you, thank you, my secret sister.

Baby Things

This week I have been working on baby things for my new granddaughter coming in August. Finished the baby quilt and posted that last Friday.  So I was making up some soft flannel receiving blankets to wrap her up in. 

I founds some fleece in the clearance bin and thought it would make a cute bunting to put her in on cold nights or after a bath.  Just love the chocolate butterflies on this. And it is so soft.

Then made up two nursing cover-ups so can have one at work and one at home.  It has boning in the top so she can watch the baby and no one can see her.  Owls are in this year so found this nice black with hot pink and hot green owls. So adorable.

Then with some green flannel I made up a bobby pillow for her to use with the baby. 

I made good progress on the diaper bag but want my friend to embroidery on that so will post that one after it is done.  A very productive day I think.

Flimsy Friday Finish

Today I finished sewing down the binding on the baby quilt.  As we now know it is a girl I added a few flowers on it.

Yesterday I finished the sashing on the French Rose quilt.  I really like this one and may have to keep it for myself. That would be a change as the grands usually take anything I make.

On my dear Jane signature blocks, this flimsy is ready for this years blocks.  I had done a color pattern for 2010 and then just added 2011 around the outside. This years may just be another border.

New Baby Quilt - post 2

Well did anyone figure out what I was doing?  Yesterday I put the sashing on the top and hung it up on the design wall to take a picture. After looking at it for awhile I realized some of the blocks were in wrong, the triangle color was going in the wrong direction.  So I ripped out the four blocks that were wrong.  This morning I re-sewed the blocks and then put the crazy bear on the backing fabric. This fabric is fun with lots of little critters in bright colors.  Now to get it sandwiched and quilted.

New Baby Quilt

Last week I decided that I needed to start on this new grand baby's quilt even if he or she wouldn't let us know what colors to use. So my daughter and I decided to use the greens and browns that she has in her bedroom. The baby will be staying there for the foreseeable future.

So many patterns and layouts where out there and so many opinions were given that I chose to use combine some I liked and make my own.  Can you tell from this first picture what I am doing? Do you like the colors?

Further progress as I started cutting up the fabric.

And then put together with the nine patches and half triangles.  Can you figure it out?

You will have to wait to the next post.

Flimsy Friday

Today I am finishing up the birthday place mats that are in the basket waiting to sew down the bindings.  Thought I would watch some of the waiting shows on the DVR that have accumulated from all the travel I had been doing. 

On Wednesday it was my daughter's birthday and here is a picture of hers that I sent.

Next week it is my favorite grandson's birthday - actually my only grandsons.

And the back of his, since he is a budding chef and wants to open a restaurant when he is older.  He also asked for another pillowcase and choose these fabrics when he went to the local quilt shop with me.  Obviously, he's not afraid to wear pink. 

It Just Takes Two

Finally got the first section of the Just Takes Two Quilt together. I am using the traditional red and white colors. Pleased with the results and glad that I am caught up to date now. It will be a busy quilt but it is in memory of my mother so want to continue and finish this one up.  You can click on the button on my blog to see how to follow the block of the month program. It is free.

My Flimsy Friday

My Flimsy Friday plans changed this week. I didn't get to the sewing machine at all to work on the chicken quilt. However, it was for a good cause. My church is having a women's luncheon in May and I was wrapping silverware in napkins and tying with flower ribbons. I had to glue the flowers down to the tubes that the ribbon went through. Took a lot of time to make 250 of these.  This is a pile of about eighty of them.  The theme is "Bloom where you are Planted", thus the colorful flowers. Should be a fun lunch.

More Tweets

I finished up two more blocks in the My Tweets quilt and love the colors. Also found a couple more of the wild colors to use in the next block so that should be fun also.

I'm working on the baby quilt for my daughter's upcoming blessing this summer. Although with all the health issues she is having not sure she things blessing is the word in mind right now.  But this too shall pass!

I don't know why with the same camera the pictures look so different. The background is the same fabric.

Confused Retreat - Day 3

Today we got up late for a busy day here at Heritage Hills.  The club house allowed us to have an Upper Case Living [words for walls] party and it was hectic for the few hours we were there. Several people ordered so it kept Pat and I busy.  When we came home, Pat asked me to put up her expressions.

Sewing themes: and she has high, high walls and I had to get up on a really tall latter to  get them up.  She was a great assistant.

These were the two she wanted up. Then she wanted the heart chalk board by her sewing table. Unfortunately she cut the label off right out of the edge of the heart, so she had a patch job on that one.

After a nice lunch we went back to our sewing. There was a nice rain going on outside so we had no excuse to leave the machines.  Pat worked on her Dresden plates and I on the Patchwork blocks. Progress was made and then Pat fixed another nice dinner - pork chops and sauerkraut, baked potato and asparagus.

The design was was full as I packed up my machine after a great few days sewing. But alas I must return home - UFO's are awaiting me there.