Flimsy's Complete and Another Project

The third of the 3 I've been working on is a complete flimsy now.  I ordered the border fabric from Hancock's of Paducah and I'm very pleased with it.  It's blackberries.  Now on to working on the backings, etc. 

Yesterday we went to the local quilt shop and visited their $5.00 table.  I love the bargain areas.  On the top left is a fabric that I just liked for me, but the other four I thought would make a nice big girl quilt for my great granddaughter, Mackenzie.  She turned two in December, and really doesn't have her big girl bed yet, but she and her mom and dad are going overseas for 3 years, so I figured I could make it and send it with them.  Where they are going it can be fairly cold and I thought I'd use fleece on the back.  Has anyone quilted a quilt with a batting and fleece?  How did you like how it turned out?   Unless I find a different pattern that I want to try, I may make this another leader ender quilt and fussy cut the blocks on the top right to use for the alternate block centers.

Mackenzie got her bangs cut and I think she looks even more adorable.  She's a cutie if I do say so myself.  She has one of those little faces that just make you feel happy to gaze at.

First Quilt Finishes for 2011

Finally, two finishes.  This one is for my cousin Michelle, who is the age of my niece.   These were her wedding colors.

And this one is for Tina, my granddaughter-in-law's mother who is an expert on geneology and who did our family a very important favor and service.   Now, I am torn between finishing my Paintbox quilts, finishing my Iowa (Carolina) Christmas, or working on my RRCB.   I have a sneaky suspicion that I'll be finishing my Paintbox quilts.   I'm on a roll now for finishing projects. 

Flu and Misc.

We had planned the dinner for my DD and her new husband, but it wasn't to be at this time. The day they left for their honeymoon the flu started and then we were dropping like flies. DH and I had flu shots, thank goodness, as it was still very miserable and had hold of us for several days although the first day was the worst. We try not to go around where there is illness, but the baby (13 months) had it, and we were happy to help with her. Poor little thing, she had it the worst and the longest, even to the point of an emergency room visit, but she is doing well now, too.
I did manage to finally get Tina and Michelle's quilts basted after starting to feel better. Tina's was finished this morning. Now on to prep my machine and myself for the free motion quilting. I do enjoy it even if I am rather challenged, lol.



















I was very excited to win Kathy's giveaway from Kathy's Quilts. I had admired her Ho Ho Ho quilt and wallhanging and now I have one all cut out and even partially sewn and ready to go, and she did the work for me, lol. I had made a pumpkin table topper for fall and then gave it to the lady who has cut my hair for the past 4 years, and so I hope to get another table topper and my Ho Ho Ho wall hanging done in the near future to be ready for next year's fall and Christmas seasons. Isn't the Ho Ho Ho ornament that she sent with it adorable. There was also chocolate candy, but even sick we managed to finish that off.

Backs Ready for 2 Quilts

Flannel backs seemed right for these 2 quilts (Tina's and Michelle's) as they both live where the winter's get cold. A while back Penney's had a sale (don't they always) and I got a good deal on a set of twin sized flannel sheets. They feel very nice and soft, so the quilts should be comfy. The quilts should finish at 62 inches by 78 inches and I got a back from the top sheet and made a pieced back from the fitted sheet, and I still have the pillowcase for something else. I love it when I feel like I got a bargain.

















The colors are off in this picture, they are more like the picture above.













Now, I'm anxious to get basting and quilting, but alas, my DD is on her honeymoon, a cruise, and they are coming back Saturday and my DGDIL and I are having a reception, welcome home dinner for them on Sunday. I think I need to put the quilts aside and work on the dinner. The day my DD and her new husband left for their trip her youngest woke up with the flu (or at least flu symptoms). DGS and DGDIL and my great grandbaby are staying with the youngest while his mama is gone and now this morning DGS woke up with the flu. Oh oh, I hope it doesn't go any farther. I am kind of wondering if we will have to postpone our dinner, hope not.
Tina does genealogy, that is why the thank you quilt, she was able to go back farther in DH's family than anyone else had gotten, and Michelle is a teacher. I thought the wheat and the apple were appropriate.

Leader Enders Quilt Top

I finished my top this morning, and also the binding.  Just need to embroider the name on the back, press the backing and it is ready for basting.  Only problem, I'm out of batting so it will have to wait til I get some.  Meanwhile, the first clue for Bonnie's mystery Roll Roll Cotton Bowl came out last night, so I need to get to that, but it may be tomorrow as I have a grandson coming over this evening to entertain a young lady that he has liked for quite awhile.  It's her birthday and we will be one of their visits.

New Project with Leaders and Enders

Not very fancy, but I'm making a lap quilt from my Leader and Ender sixteen patch blocks.  I think that it will finish up at about 60 x 76, so a nice couch quilt size.  This is just 9 of the 48 blocks hanging out on my design wall while I finish the other four patch blocks.  They are all cut out, sewn and ready to be framed.   

 

This is the border fabric that I have ordered from Thousands of Bolts.  I've always been satisfied with the fabrics I've gotten from them, and hopefully this will be no different.  It should be a very feminine quilt.

Winner, Baby Quilt, Schnibbles, and Leaders and Enders (In Short, Misc.)

 Whew, I'm finding this new way of doing pictures on blogger very challenging, but I think I've got them in the right order now.
I saw a really neat giveaway on Heidi's blog "Handmade by Heidi" and you've probably guessed by now, that I was fortunate enough to win it!  I've followed and enjoyed her blog for quite a while now, and if you haven't visited her she has a new tutorial on a curling iron holder that she has just added.  Here is the information on my new block tool  http://handmadebyheidi.blogspot.com/2010/03/time-for-giveaway.html
I'm really excited to have won it and since I just received it I haven't had time to really look it over, but it looks like it is just as awesome as I had hoped.  Thank you so much, Heidi.

I'm ashamed to admit that this is my first actual quilt finish for the year.  I have finished other things, but not a real quilt.  This is my new Great Grandbaby Mackenzie's quilt, she just turned 3 months old, that's pretty good for me, lol.  The top is sock monkeys, and the back is assorted baby flannels and nice and soft and cozy. 

It's sitting on the back of my nephew Robert's quilt, I hope to have it finished by Monday, as he and his dad and my other brother are coming to visit and I'd like to give it to him then.  I just finished pressing the top and back with my new spray that I got the recipe for on one of the yahoo groups.  I like it a lot, it smells good and does the job.  I'll put the recipe at the end of the post if anyone is interested.

The picture above is of my new leaders and enders project, I haven't finished the old one yet, but this one came to mind.  It is the little leftover half square trianges from the Iowa (Carolina) Christmas.  I am going to make doll quilts with the little 3 inch pinwheels alternating with plain blocks.  I'm thinking either more of the neutrals with the prints, so the pinwheels float, or the gold below.  What do you think?

I've been seeing the Schnibbles quilts on different blogs and decided I want to play, too.  I was hoping to have this one done this month, but it doesn't seem to be in the cards, as I need to do other things first.  I have several of the Moda charm packs, Hollywood and Vine by 3 Sisters, as I got them about five years ago thinking my granddaughters might be interested.  Alas, only one showed interest, and hers seems to have waned.  I think they will be perfect for a Schnibbles though.

Here's the recipe:

SPRAY STARCH

2 cups distilled water

2 ounces vodka

6-10 ounces essential oil

1/3 cup liquid starch

oh, Fransson Paintbox Quilt Along Week 10 and Leaders and Enders

I ended up with 41 and 1/2 blocks from my 2 1/2 inch squares. Next step on my leaders and enders is making approximately 328 HST's. Also, I'll be needing to cut up lots of 2 1/2 inch lights for the blocks for my Chiclets quilt.

Yeah! No more photos of Paintbox blocks, I have my 80, plus 4 extras. Now I just need to wait for the 10 weeks to be up. It's really only week 5. Whoever would have thought I'd be ahead, lol. Not me.

Housecleaning Day?

Today was supposed to be housecleaning day, but DH isn't feeling well, and I got sewing this morning and didn't stop. I guess the dust will still be there tomorrow.

I started out by cutting out my next 8 Paintbox Quilt-Along blocks, and then decided to cut 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch squares to sew together in Leaders and Enders. I used some today, and as you can see, I still have quite a few left in my basket for next time.
Here is my sewn together patches from today, a good start for something I think, but not sure what. Yesterday, I ordered Bonnie Hunter's new book "Leaders and Enders" and hopefully there is an idea for them in there.












Now, I am a little ahead on the quilt-along, I have the second weeks blocks done.
Next project is to hopefully finish the Monkey Quilt. MacKenzie and her parents are out of town now visiting her family, and it would be nice to have it done when they get back.