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Thursday, December 31, 2015

NEW YEARS WISHES







From our family to yours, we wish you the happiest of new years!!

I can hardly wait to see what the new year will bring.  I hope we all have a healthy and productive 2016.

Thursday, December 24, 2015

ONE MORE SLEEP ~~~~~

 
 


As I sit here in the quiet of early morning on Chrismas Eve I'm feeling that all is well with our family and my soul.  The busyness of the past few months is done and now we can settle in and celebrate our Christmas. 

I make handmade gifts for friends and family every year and this began in June.  Everything I made is in the hands of the recipients.  The house is in order, the tree has been up for a few weeks, Christmas cards were sent and the marathon baking and cooking is done.  We even managed a little get-together in our home last weekend.  Dottie and Olive have enjoyed the Christmas preparations and extra treats.

The one thing left for me to do is to wish you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas and New Year.  If 2015 was difficult for you, I wish you a much better 2016 filled with joy and good health.

Warm Wishes, Barb & Jeff




Monday, December 14, 2015

CHRISTMAS QUILTS


It has been our pleasure to give our friends their Christmas quilts so they can use them during the holidays
Our neighbors and friends, Steve & Cindy, received the Curved Log Cabin that I started in late summer.  Cindy loves the fabric almost as much as I do.


Steve & Cindy have been our neighbors for a few years and they helped us so much during Jeff's recovery from hip replacement.  A quilt is a small gesture compared to their friendship and help. 

Another of our special friends is Kim.  She's one of our tenants and she is referred to as "Our Kim" because we love her and feel she's part of our family.  I made her a Morse Code quilt from a pretty jellyroll and she was totally surprised ~~~~


That's Our Kim on the left.  She's a new quilter and so far has made a queen Log Cabin for her bed and one for her Mom.  Kim pitches in helps us with anything we need....she's a great friend and wonderful person. 

I hope you are blessed to have great friends in your life.  If so, treasure them because they don't come around often.

Wishing you and your loved ones Christmas Blessings and a wonderful 2016!





Wednesday, November 25, 2015

THANKSGIVING 2015


Wishing you and your family a very Happy Thanksgiving.  Ours will be simple.  We will give thanks for our blessings that are too numerous to count an also spend time calling friends and family that are far away.  Then there's the food.....
        
                      Peace & Plenty ~~~~  Barb & Jeff

 

 



Monday, November 2, 2015

Another Curved Log Cabin


Yesterday I finished binding the second Curved Log Cabin quilt made from Incarnadine by Robyn Pandolph.  This one was made from the scraps from the one I made a few weeks ago.  The difference is that the outer border is a slightly different brown print and the prints in the logs are scrappy.  Yes, making doubles of the same the isn't the most exciting thing but the end result made me happy.

We have never had a Christmas quilt and this can be used for Christmas and beyond.  It measures 7 5" square although it looks oblong in the photo.  I have enough fabric left to make a pillowcase or two.


Wishing you a blessed day ~~~  Barb

Sunday, October 25, 2015

PLAYING HOOKY





I guess you would say I have been playing hooky from here lately.  Actually I've been busy in the sewing room making  Christmas and Halloween items.   I have had Christmas spirit since mid Summer.  The Morse Code quilt in my last post is done.  I made a matching pillowcase also.  It's stippled and has a nice light gray scroll backing.





So many things are in the works I had to make a list to keep up with myself. 
 
I took a week from sewing and did load of machine embroidery.  Here are a few of the gingerbread men I plan to turn into banners.  These were fun to make except the tedious trimming.  They will be cute when they are strung together and embellished with satin bows ~~~



Our neighbor wants some Christmas pillow shams, so these embroidered and quilted pieces will become shams for her for Christmas.



There are stacks of bindings for table runners and small projects everywhere. 



I hope your holiday projects are coming along well. 

Wishing you and yours a great day!

Saturday, October 3, 2015

ANOTHER FINISH



I've spent a bit of time sewing the past two weeks.  I finished a 60x70 inch quilt using the Morse Code pattern.  I picked up a random mini jellyroll and have no clue what fabric line it is.  Please let me know if you know.  I would love to buy more of this gorgeous fabric.


The border fabric is not part of the jellyroll line.  I added a strip of the border fabric to the body of the quilt so it would "make sense".  The colors in this quilt are soft and frosty with quite a bit of silver metallic (a bit challenging to work with).  Yesterday I took this top to my quilter in hope she can finish it before Thanksgiving. 

We are off for a busy day of work.  Wishing everyone a blessed day.






Sunday, September 27, 2015

A FALL SUNDAY





It promises to be another beautiful Fall day here in the Ozarks.  Hubby and I took the weekend off to slow down a bit and give him time to recover from a bad outbreak of poison ivy. 

I have been busy in the sewing room working on Christmas gifts and items I need to turn in to Reggie, my quilter, before the end of October.  After that date she won't accept anything else until January. I'm thinking of making a few table runners and embellished Christmas stockings.  I already finished a quilt for our neighbors and I'm working on another one for a special friend.

Meals have been real simple around here lately.  I made a large pot of chili last week and we enjoyed it as bowls of chili with toppings, chili dogs and finally as chili mac.  Today I will be making a batch of stuffed peppers (red) that will give us two meals plus a meal for the freezer for later.  In the Fall and Winter we enjoy homemade soups and stews with homemade bread and rolls. 

Life is especially good right now.  I wish the same for you and yours.

Friday, September 4, 2015

HAPPY FALL!



Fall is slowly edging out our summer days.  The trees know it's time to begin turning colors and the hummingbirds have all but moved out.  Last week they were eating two quarts a day and now we seldom see one at the feeder.

It will soon be time to change out the summer quilt for a warmer Fall one and before much longer socks, sweatshirts  and flannel shirts and pajamas will become my uniform ~~~ I can't wait!

Our food in the Fall is a little heavier.  Homemade soup, stew and chili, huge pots of beans cooked with ham will be on our table almost every night along with skillet cornbread and homemade rolls. 

In the sewing room my thoughts have been on Fall.  I'm working on a small Halloween quilt that can be thrown over the back of the sofa or on a kitchen chair.   I love the colors of Halloween. What are you making for Fall this year? 



I love reading your comments.

Happy Fall Y'All!!



Thursday, August 27, 2015

A LITTLE SHOPPING TRIP ~~~~


We live in a very small rural community but we have a nice fabric store geared mostly to quilters.  This week the quilting cotton was $2.99 per yard so a trip to town this morning was very much in order.

Despite my self-imposed fabric diet I had to sample just a few of their offerings. 


Two darling Halloween prints.  I've used the bat print before on table toppers I made recently.  The cute ghosts with the toothy smiles are really cute.
 
 

These Christmas prints are so pretty.  I'm especially fond of the gray/purple/gold combo.  Nice for table runners for girlfriends.
 
 
 
 This print reminds me of Cotton & Steel fabric.  I will make a jellyroll quilt and incorporate a little of the fabric into the strips and use it again in the border. 
 


Not to be outdone, this darling Happy Haunting layer cake came in the mail today. 

I see lots of happy hours sewing in my near future.  I think I did very well without breaking the bank.

What are you making for the holidays??

Saturday, August 15, 2015

CURVED LOG CABIN


The Curved Log Cabin I made for our neighbors for Christmas is finally done.  It took a few days for me to hand hem the binding but I enjoy the process so much it was worth it.




I wanted to make a Christmas quilt that wasn't totally Ho-Ho-Ho.  The fabric I chose is the luscious Incarnadine line by Robyn Pandolph.  The cream fabric is French Vanilla by RJR.  I seem to have a knack for falling in love with discontinued fabrics, but after a bit of internet searching I was able to come up with enough fabric to make two quilts.  Yes, I will be making another one for us.  The machine stippling was done by my LAQer Reggie, who always does wonderful work.

The Curved Log Cabin pattern is a basic log cabin with half of the strips 2.5" (prints) and the other half 1.5" (cream).  This particular pattern was built on the center square adding strips and trimming them as I went along.  I prefer this to having to cut stacks of pre-measured strips.  As long as the seams are a consistent 1/4" everything works out well. 

This is where I have to say something about the fabulous Stripology ruler I bought recently.  If you cut a lot of strips for your quilts I can't recommend this tool enough.  It's a little on the pricey side ($50) but worth every cent.  Yesterday I cut three yards of fabric into perfect 1.5" strips in 20 minutes without measuring anything!  The bonus for me is that the edges are clean cut rather than pinked, which I really prefer for accuracy. 

It feels odd having a Christmas quilt done in August but I prefer this to burning the midnight oil the night before the gift is to be given, which I've done so many times in the past. 

Wishing everyone a sweet weekend!


Tuesday, August 11, 2015

HEAD START ON THE HOLIDAYS....



I've been binding a few pieces I just got back from my quilter, Reggie.  I posted pictures of these items before quilting and here they are quilted, bound and ready to mail off. 


 
My daughter has a birthday this month and she wants the topper with the gray inner border as part of her birthday gift.  I made both toppers from half of a layer cake pack plus a little black and white and borders.

The curved log cabin I posted pictures of is in the process of being bound.  The hand hemming is torture on my hand so I have to take a day or two off from hand sewing.  Someone asked me if I got arthritis....I said no, I just got old!

Happy sewing everyone!



Wednesday, July 22, 2015

ANOTHER SUMMER FINISH

It's been a while coming, but I finally finished the Pinwheels On Point & Fence Rail quilt this morning.  I had to take several days off to give my hand a rest.


 
 
I used one jellyroll plus assorted pieces of Civil War fabric from my stash.  I loved making this quilt.  It was stippled by my LAQer and friend, Reggie.  The border was made from the trimmings from the pinwheels.  I just squared them up and sewed them in rows.  The white is French Vanilla by RJR.

Thanks for looking.  I would love your comments.

Peace & Plenty to you and yours ~~~  Barb

Sunday, July 12, 2015

DOG DAYS OF SUMMER


Our rain has stopped for a while and we are playing catch- up with outdoor chores.  The grass is almost tall enough to bale, so it will need two cuttings rather than one.  Our weeds really took advantage of the rain and have doubled their size since last weekend.  If you need me you will find me on a mower under the big hat.  These are our Dog Days that are hotter than blazes and we lay around like lazy dogs.  Actually this is the time most snakes shed their skins, so they have a tendency to strike at almost anything.  We are extra cautious with the Girls during this time.

So, did I take advantage of the down time to sew?  Maybe just a wee bit..... I worked on organizing my stash shelves and added the inner borders to the Halloween table topper.  It was going to be a quilt but the size was going to be awkward so I opted for two toppers instead, both for gifts.  I bought twenty 10" squares for this project. 


It's time for our breakfast.  I cut up some fresh peaches to put on top of our waffles with a smidge of whipped cream.  This treat will be served with bacon and sausage.  I didn't say it was healthy ~~~ just yummy!

Enjoy your Sunday everyone!

Friday, July 3, 2015

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY





From our family to yours, we wish you a happy and safe 4th of July weekend.  Our plans are to stay close to home and relax.

I pushed myself a little today and got the borders on the patriotic quilt I have been working on.  Now it needs a good press and threads clipped, but this can wait until next week.  I am anxious to see this one quilted.



Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend!

Thursday, June 25, 2015

SWELTERING


Today is another sweltering mid-western Summer day.  After doing laundry and running errands early I decided to sew a little more on the patriotic quilt.  The picture below is the center panel of the quilt.  There will be an inner and outer border, which I will likely do this weekend.


The inner border will be the same off-white (French Vanilla) in the pinwheels and the outer border will be made from trimmings from snowballing the Rail Fence blocks.  I've said this before, this quilt looks more difficult than it is.  Missouri Star Quilts has a great tutorial on making this quilt on YouTube.

I hope you are working on something that makes you happy.

Stay cool....Barb




Tuesday, June 23, 2015

MAKING PROGRESS


Our weather has been brutal for several days with extreme heat and humidity.  It's the perfect time to stay indoors most of the day and tend to the hummingbirds and other critters we feed in the cool of the morning and evening. 

I have been working on the Pinwheel On Point & Fence Rail quilt a bit.  I'm to the point of sewing the blocks into rows.  This has been fun to make but has taken me quite a bit of time.  Here's what I have so far ~~~

 
 
This pattern looks more difficult that it really is.  The pinwheels are formed when four patches are joined together.  Note how you can see half pinwheels on the bottom and top rows.  You can watch the tutorial at Missouri Star Quilts.  I used a patriotic fabric line called Heart of A Nation and added some Civil War prints from my stash.  It's still very much a work in progress.  I did something a little out of the norm and cut and pieced the borders before I have the quilt center finished.  Yesterday I went to our local fabric shop and bought the batting and backing, so I must think I will finish it sooner than later!  Jeff really likes the look of this quilt.
 
 
What are you working on this Summer?  I love hearing about your projects.
 
 
Wishing you all a blessed day.....Barb

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

NOSEPRINTS



Our summer weather has arrived in all its blazing glory with humidity. 

I decided to wash windows this morning and even before 9 am it was really hot and humid.  Our precious Girls, Dottie & Olive, love looking out the living room windows and storm door.  They think nothing of pressing their noses on the windows when they get excited.  We have the same issue in our vehicles.  So, the windows are sparkling clean for the moment.  Isn't that the truth of all housework? 



Today was also the day the winter linens and quilt were washed and packed away until this Fall.  A pretty lightweight quilt is on our bed now.  I didn't make this quilt but it's one of my favorites. 


I have been sewing some Halloween blocks for a small quilt that will be used in the kitchen on the table or on the back of a chair.  I had 18 10-inch squares of Halloween Magic fabric and I decided to make some Four-Patch Frenzy blocks.  You can tell at a glance how simple the blocks are ~~ a black/white four-patch sewn onto a strip of Halloween print.  You can find the tutorial at Missouri Star. 


I have about an hour of sewing time before Jeff gets home.  I hope you are doing something that makes you smile.  I'm off to work on the Halloween blocks.

Stop in again soon.....

Thursday, June 4, 2015

A QUIET MOMENT OR TWO



I spent a few cozy hours sewing together the rows of curved log cabin blocks together yesterday (I will post pictures after the borders are added). The house was quiet except for some background music and I sewed and pondered life.  Sometimes I try to imagine how different my life would be if I didn't have creative work to do with my hands.  Again I thank my precious grandmother and great-grandmother who taught me to sew, embroider, crochet and knit.  I'm positive I was a challenge to teach, but my desire to learn and do everything they did was enough for them.  Thank you, thank you Nan and Grammy.

The weather in our area can't decide what it's doing.  The farmers are frantically cutting hay and crossing their fingers that it will dry enough to bale it before the next rain, which is predicted for tomorrow.  This is a very unsettling year to be a farmer....when is it not!

I have a sick scottie girl today.  I believe our Sweet Olive must have eaten a frog or a lizard because her tummy is giving her fits.  She's our little huntress.  Dottie sounds the alarm and Olive bursts into high gear.  After a little Pepto this morning she seems a little more settled, but she wants me to hold her while she whimpers.  At times like this I give her drops of water from a short straw and allow her to nap on our bed and she feels extra special.  I'm quite sure she will be hunting again tomorrow.

I hope all is sunny and warm in your corner of the world.  Take care and share a smile with someone you don't know...it makes them wonder what you're up to!

Note:  I love it when my readers leave comments, even brief ones. 



Monday, May 25, 2015

TWO FINISHES

I finished two quilt projects this past week.  The first is the scottie pup quilt.  It was quilted with a simple meandering. An extra block became a pillow sham.  I love 1930s reproduction fabrics and I had everything for this project in my stash.



The second finish was an Illusion quilt I pieced last Fall.  I bought the beautiful Grunge fabric while we were in Hamilton at Missouri Star Quilts last October.    The object of the Illusion quilt is for the blocks to give the Illusion of floating above the background.  The flash on our camera washed out the 'floating' a bit.  I think my quilter Reggie did a great job with the scroll design.  The Grunge fabric is beautiful.  Miss Dottie can't seem to leave it alone and has claimed it as her own personal quilt.  I let her pose on it and she grumbled when I took her off.  Jeff took the pictures for me.




I am currently working on a Curved Log Cabin quilt that will be a Christmas gift for our neighbors who helped us so much last winter when Jeff was down with his hip surgery. 

I hope you found something wonderful to do this weekend.  Until next time, I wish you happy sewing. 

Sunday, May 24, 2015

MEMORIAL DAY 2015

 
 
 
 
 


In grateful memory of the men and women who have served our country and especially those who gave the ultimate gift of their lives. 

Wishing you a safe and enjoyable Memorial Weekend.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

WORKS IN PROGRESS




It's been a busy few days.  Hubby has been home from work with an infection but he is beginning to feel better. 

I picked up a couple items from my LAQer Reggie.  She always manages to bring even the most humble offerings of mine to life.  I still have to add bindings but the pieces have been trimmed and are ready to be finished up.

Here's the little patchwork scottie quilt and sham I made for a future great-grandchild.  I love making baby quilts and thought I would make a few and squirrel them away for later, much later....




I still have to find binding fabric for the quilt and sham.  Fortunately almost any color will work.

Here's the Illusion quilt made from the Grunge fabric line.  I will bind it with the gray that's in the blocks.


Then, here are two rows of the Curved Log Cabin blocks sewn together.  I have all the blocks made to finish this quilt if I would stop letting myself get distracted with other quilted pretties!


I got excited over a new line of fabric that was a Daily Deal at M* yesterday, so I will probably get off on another quilting tangent when it gets here!

Wishing you all the best of the best.....Barb