This and That

My sister-in-law, Geri, had a small boutique for Christmas. I found out that all she had to sell this time were hair bows. I told her she needed to have the whole family or friends make things to sell in it and came home and started making a few little things for her next one she said she was having in the Spring. Then she called a couple of days ago and said she decided to have one today! So I hurried and made 34 hotpads for her to sell. Good thing they are easy and fast to make.

Then I made another quiet book and a few "tag alongs". The tag alongs are favorites of babies. The fabric is minke or flannel so is soft and cuddly. Then the tags of ribbon sewn all around have texture also. Of course I didn't have time to get a few little baby quilts made for it but I'll be working on them for the Spring.

My grandson, Spencer, called me a couple of weeks ago and told me he needed a new Indian costume. I made him one a couple of years ago and it had worn out since he wears it so much. This time he told me to go up in the mountains, kill an animal, skin it and use the skins to make the clothes because that's what real Indians did. Like I'm going to do THAT. So I used flannel that looks a little like leather. It turned out pretty good. Luckily you can't see my mistakes and I hope he doesn't notice them either.

This is a Christmas quilt I made a couple of years ago for a store to advertise their pattern and fabric. It turned out pretty good.....EXCEPT....the store added the backing and quilting. I was quite disappointed in the fabric they chose. PLAIN WHITE with red thread quilting. A nice soft green or red flannel would have been so much cozier.

Best get busy and finish my Christmas shopping so it will get to families on time.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

What? More bindings!!!

Even I am tired of bindings (and I really enjoy sitting in the cold evenings with a quilt over my lap as I bind away). This red and white, all Minke quilt is for Janine too. The binding was a bit tricky. We were told to just fold it over and tack it down but it automatically wanted to roll under so that is what I did. It's a thick quilt and will be a warm and cuddly gift for someone.

And this quilt, also for Janine, is just about the last of the CrAzY EiGhT fabrics. She used green Minke on the back of it.

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Now to finish off some little items for a craft boutique that my sister-in-law is having on Wednesday and work on an Indian costume for one of my grandsons for Christmas. That is all he wants! I made one for him a couple of years ago and he has outgrown it.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

Bindings!

Bindings, bindings, bindings! I got a couple of bindings done for my friend, Janine. These are quilts made out of "Crazy Eights" fabric that we bought a year ago. She uses Minke on the backs of her quilts and it makes them so soft and feel good.

Same fabrics for 2 of mine. I added a border and used flannel on the backs. One is dark green and red and the other is light tan with green pinecones. These will be in the mail to California today to a couple of our sons. That makes 4 sons with Christmas quilts this year. Not as I had planned in January but I am quite satisfied.

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Now back to 2 more bindings for Janine (one of them using the same fabrics!) and the other all Minke. Janine came over last night and said she still has about 4 yards of the fabric that I used on the borders. She tried to pawn it off on me but right now I'm a little tired of looking at it!!!

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Happy Quilting! Lynda

Oh the JOY!

You all know the type of person who is such a JOY to work with or be around. That is Natalie! She makes coming to work fun because she is always so upbeat, happy and excited about everything. We always tease her when she calls patients at the end of the day to see how they are doing and when they say they are doing well she says....."Grrreat" (just like Tony the Tiger). A couple of nights ago Janine and I gave her "Uniform Wonkyness" and boy was she excited. She has been excited to see it ever since she gave me her old worn out uniforms. You should have seen the excitment and joy on her face when she opened it up. It was worth the effort to make it for sure! She made us feel like we were the best ever. What fun to give to someone who is so appreciative of the gift.


Happy Quilting! Lynda

Look and Feel Quiet Book

DISCLAIMER: My photography skills are really lacking. . . . forgive the sideways, blurry pictures and my fingers in the picture to hold the book open.

Several years ago I made a quiet book for Nicky to use at Church to keep her entertained and quiet. Now that she has Ellie she wanted to make one for her. So we each made one this weekend using her book as a pattern. Here is the cover. . . . little bears reading books....perfect!

Look and Feel.......so many different textures in the book.

Monsters are Hairy! We looked all over for fur in bright colors but could only find brown, white and black. So I dug through my sewing room and found this pretty pink. You can't even tell it had to be pieced to make a big enough piece for both of us.

Sand is Scratchy! We used a very fine grade of sandpaper for the sand so it wouldn't hurt little fingers but would still be a fun texture.

We loved the bumpy worm.

I found this fantastic bag of feathers with polka dots on the ends. Don't know if you can see how fun they are by my poor photography.

I had plenty of leftover fleece in my stash so used it for this little soft mitten that she can put her hand in at the bottom .

Years ago there was a material called art foam that was squishy. We looked everywhere and found the new art foam that isn't so squishy. After several stores Nicky thought she could slice a hunk off a sponge and make it work. She used the electric knife and cut off and fairly thin slice of the sponge, then we cut out the shape. It got pretty squished down under the sewing line but we think it looks great.....and it really is squishy.

My button wheels are just plain but Nicky found some buttons in my Mom's old button box that were red and white. She put them on top of the dark buttons and they look like spiffy hubcaps.

Blurry but Nicky's favorite page when she was a little girl. She thought it was funny that a bunny tail said the "end".

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It is always great fun to work on craft projects with Nicky. It's even more fun that we could find most of the supplies in my sewing room.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

Nothing to do is BORING

So I was ordered to do nothing for a couple of weeks. Doing nothing is really difficult! My 3 daughters took turns taking care of me, cooking, cleaning, entertaining me until yesterday. Now I'm on my own but I feel great. I know, I know, don't overdo it (I've been told by numerous people). Believe me I am eating better than I ever did before the surgery thanks to wonderful neighbors and my daughters cooking for 2 days and freezing me meals for the next long while.

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While I was resting I put the binding on a couple of quilts I had prepared before the surgery. The first one is "Uniform Wonkyness" made from the worn out scrubs of Natalie, a co worker.

Didn't it turn out amazing! I know she is going to love it.

I tried to include some of the pockets with the name brand attached.

The quilting was done by American Quilting, a quilt store just a few blocks from my home.

We put Minke on the back. When I saved out a uniform in teal for the binding we hadn't decided on the back yet. The teal and navy clash a little but that just makes it more wonky.

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This 2nd quilt is 1 of 2 that I made a few months ago. Finally got around to putting the binding on one of them. I love the flannel back that has the same bright pink and lime green. Toma, of Orem, did the quilting with lots of loops and flowers.

You probably recognize this fabric, my friend Janine and I have made 4 or 5 quilts out of it so far. When Janine buys fabric she wants to make sure she has enough!!

I sure have missed my sewing room and can't wait to get back down there to do some serious sewing again. A life of leisure sure gets boring quickly.

Happy Quilting to you all. Lynda

More Scrappy!

Another small baby quilt made from strip scraps. These are more of the strip scraps that I cut a couple of weeks ago following Pleasant Home's blog on using up our scraps. It is a small quilt only about 34 inches square but I made it to fit the piece of yellow minke that I had left over from another quilt. Of course....I still have lots of these scraps left over so I'll be making more things out of them in the future.
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I will be taking a week or two off from blogging. I am having surgery Monday morning and will be in the hospital for a few days. As I understand, I will probably not feel much like blogging or anything else for a few days. But I have sewn the bindings on a couple of quilts so while I'm sitting around doing nothing I can hand stitch the bindings so I won't go completely bonkers from being away from my sewing machine.
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The only thing wrong with doing nothing is that I won't know when I'm done! ( a quote from Linda at Stray Stitches blog).


See you in a couple of weeks. Happy Quilting! Lynda

Several years ago I made this quilt for my oldest son and his wife. At that time I was using a cow for the quilt information on the back.

This is a Christmas quilt that my Bee made several years ago and put in a quilt show. Several of us made blocks for each other and then an extra one to make and sell at the auction.

This is a cat quilt I made in 2 days for a friend who was moving away. I cut and sewed frantically for 2 days so it would be ready before she left town. Don't know why I put things off and do them at the last minute.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

Yes, I've Got Scraps!

I'm having so much fun with my scraps thanks to Pleasant Home blog (on my sidebar...yes I've forgotten how to make a click thing right here! I'm feeling like that old dog that can't learn a new trick) Anyhow.... I put 25 8 inch blocks together for this cute little baby quilt. Of course, my scrap piles didn't seem to go down at all. So I started the next one with a variation of the first theme. Oh it's going to be a cute one too.

Happy Quilting everyone! Lynda

Got Scraps?

I am joining along with "Pleasant Home" (see in my sidebar) who is helping many of us use up some of our scraps. I started cutting my scraps up into strips of various widths over the last couple of days and just started sewing some of them together today. The blocks are 8 inches and go together so quickly. I have 10 made already and only need about twice that many more for a quick and easy baby quilt. I used blue, green, purple, pink and yellow for mine. I noticed that some of the other joiners are using all one color or just 2 colors etc. What a fun project!

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Also...my header quilt is one I made several years ago with the help of a round robin in my Quilt Bee.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

I Won!!! I Won!!!

What a day! Had a doctors appointment....miner stuff. But after the poking and prodding and blood draining needles and tests and taking off and putting on clothes for 3 hours I was happy to leave the hospital. Then I get home and waiting for me on my porch (yes, one year my daughters and I painted the porch to look like tiles) was this wonderful box of goodies from Leona. I won one of her giveaways. Boy, if you ever want to enter a giveaway it is one of hers! She gives amazing stuff.

Look at the cute Santa ornaments kit. My daughter, Nicky, and I will be working on them soon. How about the cute Gift Boxes quilt top left of the picture. And the easy scallop template that I can't wait to try....and the Holy Snowballs quilt pattern that may change the look of my Snowball quilt I have been working on as leaders and enders....and the bag pattern...and can you see that jelly roll of Christmas fabrics?

If that isn't enough.....Looky looky at the cute Christmas coasters...made just like I make hotpads but smaller. And that lucious Christmas fabric!!

Thank you thank you thank you Leona!!!

I sure am a lucky quilter. Lynda

2 down....2 to go (well, really 6 to go but who's counting?)

This is one of the Christmas quilts I took along on our drive last weekend so that I could hand sew on the binding. I really love the soft greens and rosy reds in this fabric. I'd tell you the name if I could remember!

Here is a small baby quilt I am taking over to a young girl in our neighborhood who had a baby girl last week. Another friend and I are taking in a meal. There are the father and mother, new baby, 2 year old brother AND 4 brothers of the father that live there. Needless to say we are making lots of food to feed all those teenage boys!

This is the 2nd Christmas quilt that I got the binding on while riding to Washington and back. I have 2 more of this same top but with different backs at the quilters right now.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

"IT" is home!

Can you believe it......IT's here.....at home now. Can you guess? A hinge........

A slightly fuzzy picture, but fancy decoration.....

What......a wheel..........

No way......a treadle! ( you can kind of read the brand..White)

Yes!!! My grandmother's sewing machine.

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A few months ago my Aunt Vera in Portland, casually mentioned that she had my grandmother Moen's old treadle sewing machine. What did she say? Did I hear her right? Then she said I could have it if I wanted it but it was old, missing some wood, scratched, DiNgEd, not very pretty etc. etc. Was she kidding? Of course I wanted it. My grandmother just thought I was the perfect child. She passed away when I was only 2 years old. She told my Dad that she didn't think I would remember her. Of course, I don't remember her personally but I do remember her from pictures and from my Dad talking about her.

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Friday morning my husband and I hopped in the car about 6 a.m. and drove 15 hours to Astoria, Oregon. The next morning we drove through the pouring rain to Seaview, Washington ( wonderful little town on the coast) and found the old cabin that it had been stored in for the last few years. With help from a couple of other men, they carried it down steep, narrow stairs, through the rain, and loaded it into our trunk. All the way home all we could talk about was "IT". To me it is beautiful because it belonged to my Grandmother. The bobbin with thread is still in place. She stitched a piece of fabric around the machine, probably to put her pins in. There is thread in one of the drawers and a couple more bobbins. We don't know much else about it but it has a patent dated 1905 and 1912 on one of the metal plates. It really smells old and musty. I love it!

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I also finished a couple of bindings on the drive and finished the Uniform Wonky quilt too but they will have to wait for another post.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

Happy Birthday to me.......

Long day at work. On Mondays I am there by myself and even though I get a lot done calling delinquent accounts or insurances, it gets quite boring being there all by myself for 8 or 9 hours! I got home and there sitting on the table is this wonderful package from Leona with gifts for me for my birthday!!! I didn't get pictures of the package because I was so excited to rip it open and see what wonderful things she had made me. Wow...look at the darling tissue holder and zippered bag she made just for me. I love the delicate white flowers on the bright pink background. And the bag has a cute pink lining with a key tag. Thank you so much Leona. I love my birthday gifts. Aren't quilters the most generous people.

One thing I have found out about myself over the years is that I am not the most patient person. I gave the Uniform Wonkyness blocks to Janine to add the sashing.....she hasn't had time yet to work on it so I begged them back from her. Wednesday is my day off so I will try to get them all sewn together. So. . . . in the meantime I have been working on a few things that need to be done. I got 2 Christmas quilts back from the quilter, sewed the binding on so I can have some hand work to do in the car this weekend. My husband and I are taking a quick trip to Portland and Seaview Oregon to visit my aunt (my Dad's twin sister) and to pick up something she said I could have. I will share a picture of "IT" when we get back. I'm so excited!!!

I also got the next 2 backs and bindings made for 2 Christmas quilts so they are ready for the quilter. Remember in January when I was so gung ho about getting 8 Christmas quilts made. . . well I had 4 tops made by the end of February. But here it is October and I'm just getting the backs and quilting done. Guess 4 of the kids will get their Christmas quilts next year! I had such good intentions.........

Happy Quilting! Lynda

Uniform Wonkyness

I finished all 63 wonky blocks and passed them off to my friend, Janine, to start putting on the sashing. I've been working on the border made from the leftover wonky strips. Hopefully next week we can finish putting together the top and get it to a quilter. This has been a fun quilt to make.

Here is a pile of the leftover original boring blocks I started with. I had to unpick a lot of them to get enough strips for the border.

This bag of discarded seams, necks and waistbands is ready to be tossed out. I think we have enough of the teal blue uniform left to make the binding.

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These next couple of days I'll be spending time with my brother, Mike and his wife, Kaye. They drove in yesterday from Seattle. Kaye's Mother passed away after a long illness and they are here to plan and prepare the funeral.

Happy Quilting! Lynda

A Little Bit Wonky

I think we've found what we were looking for! 3 strips seemed just a little boring; 4 strips with different widths looked a little better; but 7 strips sewn at angles seems to be the best.

35 done......28 to go! I'm going to run out of the pink but I'm searching now for someone else at work who has a worn out or too small (which happens to some of us) set of pink scrubs to donate to the cause.

If you are wondering what is in the little baggie hanging on the side of my design wall.....it is the binding for some quilt that I have at some quilters right now. I seem to use the fabric set aside for binding if I don't put it somewhere safe so I won't lose it or use it!

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I'm off to spend the day with my daughter, Nicky, and granddaughter, Ellie, in Park City today going to the World Market and several outlet stores. Love days off from work where I actually do something fun instead of just cleaning house.

Happy Quilting to you all! Lynda