Squeezing in one more!

I have one more finish before the year ends in a few hours! 

A Blackbird Gathering---this was a free Block of the Month on the Quilts by Cheri--Friendship Group Facebook page.
This was also on my fourth quarter Finish-A-Long list HERE

I had lots of fun quilting it with some freehand primitive shapes.

Since it's a small quilt (35"x 40") the backing didn't need to be pieced--a big time saver for sure! I've had this piece of Blackbird Designs sampler in my stash for ages and thought it would be a good time to use it up. 

It feels so good to have some projects finished completely!
Now I have some time to get back to the 365 Challenge blocks--right after I finish appliqueing some details for a link up on January 2nd--see you then!
Have a sip of bubbly for me--I'll be sleeping--lol!
Happy New Year! 

Another Finish!

Today, I am officially 8 blocks behind on the 365 Challenge Blocks (these are from the previous week). Why? I've been busy quilting! Oh, and there was a holiday in the mix too--lol! 

I'm pretty excited to have Let It Snow finished and ready to hang for the rest of the winter--even though I don't totally agree with it's sentiment-- I'm really am happy with the amount of snow we already have! 

It's a total snow storm on the back! 

Let It Snow was on my fourth quarter Finish-A-Long list HERE. It was a free Block of the Month from Buttermilk Basin during 2016.
FYI:  I changed up the finishing instructions by using parts from other blocks to make the top area of trees and the snowman. I also added a narrow border pine branch using part of the cardinal block so my quilt would be a bit more rectangular.  

December UFO/One Monthly Goal

I wasn't sure I would get a chance to get Circa 2016 quilted during such a busy month, but the stars aligned, and I finally got a chance to finish up the quilting. 

I forgot about getting outside to take a photo until the sun was so low in the sky causing a shadow from the power pole across the street. It would have been better to do my pictures in the morning, but I totally blanked it out. I also forgot to brush off the chalk line for the feathered border--yeesh!  Apparently, the little gray cells aren't in tip-top shape--time to start doing those brain games again. 

At the same time, it didn't help that those icicles were dripping on my head and freezing into my hair while pinning up the quilt. It makes me wish I had nice lighting inside the house for photos--lol! 

I got to use up some big chunks of fabric for the back--always a good thing! 

This shot is in the shade--much better--and no icicles!

Circa 2016 was my One Monthly Goal selection--I'm linking up HEREand Circa 2016 was also on my Fourth Quarter Finish Along List HERE

Happy Holidays!

Sunday Stitching

This is a quick post--I'm not making a lot of progress on my December UFO, as well as the other projects on my Finish Along list, so I need to get stitchin'!! 

I have Circa 2016 loaded on the HQ16 and have been procrastinating getting to work on the quilting. 

 

The last two weeks of blocks from the 365 Block Challenge have been living up to the title--challenging!! I'm definitely giving myself a pat on the back for getting through the Twenty T's block on the far left--almost 90 half square triangles in that 6" block--very stressful, but I did it!!

I posted my Let It Snow on Facebook, but haven't shared it here. I changed up the finishing and using lots of elements from the blocks to make the pine branch and top border. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I somehow find the time to get it quilted before the end of the year. 

 

I needed a new hand stitching project since I've finished all my wool applique projects, so I was forced to spend a couple days laying out my wool hexagons and sewing them together. Now I have a lot of stitching to work on today--another excuse not to work on Circa 2016--lol!

Linking with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

Snowy Sunday Stitching/December UFO

My December UFO candidate for One Monthly Goal is this Circa 2016 quilt top. I was worried about how the parts would all go together, because I had been reading that others were having problems getting it to fit correctly. I  must have done something wrong--mine went together perfectly--lol! I did configure the half square triangles differently from the pattern--the consensus at quilt camp was that they should point outward. 

I took this photo a couple days after our 16 inches of snow. The tree that fell on the shed is gone now--and thankfully, so is all that snow. 

Friday I went to applique group--lots of fun chatting and yummy treats.
I had to share Sandi's little stitchery--so cute!!
(A Primitive Gatherings pattern) To Plant a Flower

It's snowing again today, so I am hoping to finish up the stitching on block 3 of A Primitive Garden.
(I'm loving my new Primitive Gatherings mug I snatched up during their Black Friday event--it's usually filled with hot honey and lemon or chocolate tea.
 I hope you find some time to do some Slow Sunday Stitching today too! 

Linking with One Monthly Goal HERE and Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

Front Porch Progress

A quick link-up:

I'm linking with Humble Quilts for this month's Front Porch block--I call it the Front Porch Trike.
This is a huge block and it kind of gave me fits. There is no layout to trace, so it had to be "eyeballed"--I think I got pretty close as to how it should be. 

I had to share the cute packaging and label from an order I placed with the 1894 Cottonwood House all tied with a tiny sprig of dried herbs! 

Linking with Humble Quilts HERE

Weekend Update

This month is all about being thankful, and I can tell you that I am extremely  thankful that my cataract surgery went off without a hitch (I was pretty worried--lol!). There are just a couple more weeks of eye drops and then I will feel like I'm back to normal. I'm so pleased--no pain and I don't even need my cheaters anymore (I opted for special lens) except for up close stitching. Such a far cry from the days when they made you lie flat on your back with your head immobilized with sand bags for days! 

I finished quilting Walking on Broken Glass before my eye surgery, just in case--haha!
This is my November One Monthly Goal--happy to have it complete. 

The quilting was done using a large leaf pantograph so it was finished in a flash. 

The rows of Walking on Broken Glass are staggered and the ends get trimmed off. There were enough of these cut-offs to play around with and make into another Meals on Wheels place-mat with more fast quilting--clamshells. 

I completed the stitching on the big Buttermilk Basin Let It Snow snowman after my left eye surgery, so I pretty pleased at how he turned out considering the right eye hadn't been done yet ;-) 

This is how my blocks will be arranged.
 I had read on a few blogs that the two T's in the first and second rows lining up were bothersome. It never occurred to me that it was a problem, but after reading that it was, it started to be bothersome to me also--you know how that is--oh, the power of suggestion!!! 
The finishing instructions are on the website, and I will be working on getting this done ASAP. I'm hoping to be able to hang it yet this winter.
(That won't be a problem here in Minnesota since winter lasts until April!)

Block two of Primitive Garden is finished and I have been stitching on the next block-- the blackbirds on barbed wire. 

The finishing instructions for A Blackbird Gathering have been released, and my top border is fused and ready to stitch. 

I'll be working on this today--my Slow Sunday Stitching.
It's so nice to stitch on wool and occasionally check out those melting icicles! 

 Linking with One Monthly Goal HERE and Slow Sunday Stitching HERE

Walking on Broken Glass was also on my Fourth Quarter Finish-A-Long list HERE

Scrappy Happy

Warning! Photo Overload Ahead!

I've finally started to go through my photos from quilt camp way in the beginning of October. If I remember correctly, my camera battery died in the middle of Show and Tell and I couldn't locate my spare (turns out it was in my pocket--almost as bad as those sunglasses I couldn't locate yesterday because they were on top of my head--doh!). Soooo....these are just some of the quilts--the rest of them are on my phone, so hopefully they will be coming later. 

We always have an awesome Show and Tell because you may end up doing the Hokey Pokey if you don't have something to show!
 Enjoy!

Of course, a cyclist needs a quilt with bicycles on it! 

This photo doesn't do justice to the beautiful paper piecing and colors. 

Cool batik blocks

I'm imagining some wonderful quilting in those open spaces!

Fun scrappy....

...and a fun back!

Love this blue and white one...

...and it's lovely toile backing and fan quilting!

I'm not the only one to succumb to the Temecula Olympics Challenge.

I almost caved on this one too--maybe it's not too late!

A wonderful vintage find.

A new meaning to a Charm Quilt...

...See?!?

Love this stash burner! 

I have a "thing" for 60 degree triangles--this one is on my bucket list.

Love this block--britches?

Cool Gypsy Wife in repro fabrics.

I think you can see how enormous this one is--super king size with amazing piecing! 

Yes, those are tiny bow ties--wonderful!
I wish I had the stamina to make one of these.

I think I heard that this quilter bought an entire bolt of cheddar fabric--

and is using it to make some awesome quilts!

Love the scrappy colors in this one...

..and this one!
This is when my battery went out--more to come soon.

My birthday was the same week as retreat and my cousin Barb made me this fun pin cushion presented in this vintage cheese box!  The box is the perfect size to hold my small rulers that I use everyday for the 365 Challenge blocks--how cool is that?!?
Do you remember when cheese (well, sort of cheese) came in these boxes?
I do--guess that shows my age! 

 These beautiful blues were gifted to me by Miriam (piecer of those tiny bow tie blocks)--love them! I think I've already used up a couple of them in my 365 Challenge blocks. 

This is my 365 Challenge top so far--it's already so big I had trouble getting the whole thing in a photo. We are almost ready to add the next round of dark blocks--not too many 3" dark blocks left to make! 

Linking with Scraptastic Tuesday HERE
and Let's Bee Social HERE