Design Wall Monday. June 27, 2011

On the Small Design Wall today are the blocks I made and realized they weren't the right proportions to the original Shoo-fly block. They are Churn Dash Blocks or Hole in the Barn Door.  Since I'm a Traditional Quilter, I didn't distort the blocks in my Challenge Quilt pictured on the BUTTON on the left sidebar.  I think these will make a nice baby quilt with the soft colors and I can use the border ideas I didn't get to use. I like how these look on point! Watch as I finish this one before it becomes a UFO. I'm taking suggestions for the setting and corner triangles. Then it will be ready for Borders.  It's fun to be able to show the whole process.  I'm glad I could keep my Challenge a secret, as directed.  That's a requirement of the Contest. That means I can't ask your opinion. You can go to the Link and comment on my Challenge Quilt  there.

This week I found my Crayon Blocks and they will be a TOP by the end of June, that is all I can so for now. 

Thanks for taking the time to look at my Design Wall and if you choose to click the BUTTON and Vote, I'll be one VOTE closer to making it to the Challenge #2.

HERE is where you Click to link to the other Design Walls

Stash Report - June 26, 2011

Used this week: 2 yard

Used year to Date: 99 yards

Added this week: 0 yards

Added Year to date: 98.625 yards

Net used to Date: .375 yards
Back in the Black this week barely.  I have been so busy trying to clean up after moving my sewing area around not much stitching going on.   It's the week I've been waiting for the McCall's Quilt Design Star button is up so you can see my Quilt and Vote if you are so inclined.  Every Vote helps!  THANKS!!!

Check out the Stash Reports at Judy L's Blog HERE.

2011 McCall's Quilt Design Star-Challenge #1

 

The time has come to VOTE.  That also means I can finally share my Design!  I made several (11-15) quilt designs in EQ and this one kept coming back.  I made a few changes along the way and adapted it to what it is at this point.  We only needed to make a 'quilt top' or Filmsy for this Challenge.  I wanted to use the Maywood Fabric that Lynn at Thread and Bolts (aka: Quiling buddy) has in abundance.  I love the pastels and how they look in this quilt.  The secondary pattern is fun, see the spinning stars, the yellow chain box and Blue chain that makes the X and ribbon circle in the center...?  I played with the blocks that were required making one the border treatment as well, see the Shoo-fly borders repeated two times? 

The process of making this will be more detailed on my Monday Design Wall next week. 

I thank you all for voting to make me a FINALIST and hope you will consider a Vote for me once again. One Vote Per day per IP address.  I Vote on my Computer and my Phone.  HERE is the direct link to the Contest page.  The Button is on the sidebar! THANKS!!!

Blocks for a Blogging Friend

There a Fellow Blogger who is having health Issues and a few her blogging friends told us they want to make her a quilt. Here are the links of her Blogging friends.

http://sweetp-paulette.blogspot.com/

http://allie-oopssweethappylife.blogspot.com/
http://lesquilts.blogspot.com/

I follow Sweet P and her Blog already.  That's how I heard about it.  The recipient is Kaaren from The Painted Quilt. As a Quilter who has loved her designs from the First Friday Freebie and the Raggedy & Friends BOM, I want to make a block but am helping to spread the news too.  You can contact Allie from her BLOG to get her snail mail address.  There's a Tutorial of the 6.5" square in a square Primitive Block they've asked us to make there also.  It's easy peasy.  Thanks for helping a fellow blogger. Here's mine, it only takes a little while to make!

Been Shuffling STUFF

And guess what?  I found them~!  My Crayon Blocks are no longer MIA.  I still only have 7 but I'm thinking of a way to just get them into a flimsy before the month ends.  Marlene, Which one is your Mom's?

I am preparing for my Family/company that is coming to visit.  It's been a while since #4 son has been home and he might want to sleep somewhere while the Idaho family is here too.  Had to drag the Hide-a-bed out of the corner so it will open up.   Hope he'll let me watch my shows, if not there's always the DVR!  But we might be too busy visiting and celebrating! 
These allergies are getting me down and stirring up the dust isn't helping much...  I am very glad to see the carpet again and will get the sewing area more organized.  Clearing the BIG CUTTING TABLE is next, SCARY!!
Tomorrow night Voting starts! 10 PM MDT, for all my "Nightowl" family and friends, Ready -Set-OK? I can hardly wait to start so I don't have to keep my Challenge a SECRET anymore.  That has been not as hard as I thought, but I'm used to Blogging each step and that part was difficult.  This one is ALL mine!  I had no input from my Quilting buddy and other than the Peanut gallery (DH) that didn't see the switched blocks last week when he helped me take the picture NOBODY has seen it!  It's nearly Impossible for him NOT to see it, he lives downstairs with me.

2011 Father's Day

Paul got to celebrate Father's day for a couple weeks. NaDell and Andy came over the week before and brought him Socks.  He took the kids for a walk up by Mill Creek, but we didn't send a camera with him so no pictures.  The only one I took that day was of Abigail playing under the $10 toy that all of my grandkids have laid under except Ben, Jacob and Derek (we forgot to get it out when they were here last).  Joe came and visited last Saturday while Dad was helping Roof a house. He got lots of Phone calls and made his weekly call to his Mother and Father in the evening. 

Here is Grandpa C with Milton and his children.

Milton and his family joined us at Church to share the pew with me and came for Sunday Dinner.  G-ma had to get her pictures taken while the potatoes finished cooking. The older kids know how to pose, don't they?

A Milton Crowther family Photo

This was the treat that was handed out after Sacrament Mtg to the DADs in the WW #3 Ward.

It was a good day overall. It was Grandma suffering with allergies this time, I got a nap in spite of the nose blowing...  I have great sympathy for those who suffer with this all the time like my DH.  It really isn't fun to have the fuzzy head from the meds and still not be able to breathe except through your mouth.

It is gratifying to me to see how well my Grandchildren are being raised and how they are Loved!  The Children we raised are doing a great job of parenting.  I credit it to following their Father's good example.

Design Wall Monday

I thought I could pull out a #8 UFO to put up for today.  Trouble with that is I can't locate where all of the Blocks I already made for the Candy Jar Quilt and Fast Flip and Lid Fabrics that went with them.  I guess I could just make more... I have already cut two rectangles of each Candy Fabric when I cut the first ones so I could make one for myself.  HUMMMM do I or don't I... I know I'm dragging my feet big time on this month's UFO Number.  So for today I'll post the stack of Candy Fabrics and Hope to find the others before month end. Pictured are 20 Rectangles cut and ready to stitch this week.

8-A blocks are MIA also- I think # 8-A Crayon quilt is just not ready to be done.  It is aging somewhere unknown for another time.  I need to make two more blocks to go with them.  I think that Block Lotto was back in 2006 or 2007.  They could be anywhere.

Click HERE to go to Judy L's Blog and see all the other Quilters posting Design Walls, Floors and Beds this week.

Stash Report - June 19,2011

I can't say the DEVIL made me do it. I have lots of  Enablers.  I didn't have any INDIGO fabric for the Monochromatic Challenge. I can give credit to my Secret Pal for some of my additions to the STASH this week.  Plus I forgot to add in the Fabric I bought with my Hobby Lobby Card last week.That puts me in the RED since all the other fabric I used for the McCall's Design Star Challenge has been counted already.

Used this week: 1 yard

Used year to Date: 97 yards

Added this week: 6.75 yards

Added Year to date: 98.625 yards

Net used to Date: -1.625 yards
I guess I could have cut a backing and binding out for some other UFO, huh? That would have used up a bit more. 
Go HERE to see other Stash Reports.

Power of Suggestion -SUI

Thanks Melinda for suggesting I reward myself and go fabric shopping.  SUI = "Shopping under the influence". That is what they call it on my Quilting Groups.  I don't really need a reason, but I thought since I finished my McCall's Design Star Challenge #1, what the heck...  I went with the intent of finding some INDIGO fabric for the MONOCHROMATIC Challenge with Judy L.  First stop the Paint stores for Paint chips, not easy to find, I must admit.

I went into STASH to see if they had the fabric with Walla Walla written on it.  Sad to hear that it doesn't ship until August...  With paint chips in hand I found the fabrics shown above.  What do ya think?  I know I'll have to add in into my Stash report this week, Oh well!  Now to find an idea to use the 1/2 yard pieces and make something small for the month of June that is half over now.  EQ, here I Go!

How do I spell RELIEF?

SUBMITTED!  My Challenge #1 is Done, Finished, Finito, Completed!  And  pretty even if I say so. I hope everyone likes it as much as I do! I had to use the seam ripper to frog after taking some of the first pictures and saw an error.  I hate when that happens.  I couldn't ask anyone to check it for errors.  I'm glad I caught it before I clicked the final entry button. Voting starts next Friday, June 24th at 10pm MDT  and goes until Monday July 18 at 1:00am MDT. I'll post the LINK next week here and on FB as soon as it is available! And you can count on Pictures here the following week. I've taken several pictures of the Challenge process.

New Favorite Tool- this week

Here it is... I posted that I had found a new favorite Tool on Face book today and boy did I get some comments.  I showed the tool at Quilt Guild and figured I'd better share it here too.
I have to say it isn't new, just my new favorite this week. It's a Quilter's rule Quick Quarter by Betty Gall 1991. Makes marking the HST's so much easier.  I had to make a bunch of HST's so I tried marking just one line down the center and this worked much better. It's so much easier to stitch on the line.
Still working on the final parts of the McCall's DESIGN STAR Challenge #1. Go and check out the other Finalists.  Bookmark the link if you want to. Or just come back to my BLOG and click on the LOGO each day to VOTE.

 This is NOT the Fabric I'm using in the Challenge. It's one of the pieces of Fabric from my Secret Pal at Guild.  She gave me a Jelly roll, some pens and some other fun stuff too. I bought my Fabrics at THREAD and BOLTS.   Voting starts in 10 days!  June 24th at 10pm MDT. I can hardly wait to see what everyone has to share.

Design Wall Monday, June 13, 2011

 Here are four of the "Peace and Plenty" 4.5" blocks I made to replace the ones I SWAPPED with the SBS and Other Elm Creek Quilters.  I made and mailed the Year's Favorite-- Blocks the first time.  My page got turned in the book, Opps!

Guild is this week and I got my LOTTO blocks made early.  Pretty fun blocks to make 9 Patch Variation.
I'm still playing with the quilting from the back on the Red and White D4P.  It's not a easy as I thought it might be.  The Bios are up at the McCall's website.  Click my Picture to read more about me.  A little over Two weeks before Voting starts again.

Go to Judy L's website HERE to check out more Design Walls.

Stash Report - June 12, 2011

Used this week: 3 yards

Used year to Date: 96 yards

Added this week: 2.5 Yards

Added Year to date: 85.375 yards

Net used to Date: +10.625 yards

Not a big use of fabrics this week. Had to buy more fabrics for the challenge, big BOO-BOO. I made some more 4.5" SWAP blocks and Lotto blocks for Guild.
Click on the Links HERE to see more Stash Reports.

Ballerinas in the family

 Tonight we were invited to see the Ballet Rehearsal for our two Ballerinas.  Elizabeth finished her performance before we got there.  Her's was 2nd on the list.  Olivia had to wait until the 24th group to dance.  She is pictured here with her tutu and headband ready to go on stage soon. NaDell comes prepared for everything. She had snacks, Coloring books and markers and blankets to play  cars on and sit on. There are a bunch of Busy MOMs at these events.  The  Ballet recital will be Friday night there in the park.  I saw quite a few who had young babies to take care of as well as getting their Ballerinas on stage at the appointed time.  Aunt Torrie came and helped Olivia and her friend go up.  I'm grateful that their Grandpa George loves his grand-daughters and helps them have this opportunity to participate in Dance. We saw a few old friends from our Basin City and Burbank days there supporting their grandchildren.

The Busy MOM with Vincent.

This is Olivia in a dress I made for Elizabeth a few years ago. It was a model garment from my working days at Hancock Fabrics.  I finally got the ribbon replaced so Olivia can wear it a few weeks.  She has the perfect Purple jewelry to match. 

Olivia took the picture of Paul and I with Vincent and Elizabeth. Grandpa Paul took Vincent and Abigail for a little walk. Elizabeth  also joined them when she got bored with waiting for Olivia's turn. After the rehearsal part we went up to Mesa to visit with Gordon & Zora (G-pa & G-ma C). We sure don't miss the MOSQUITOES!   Our windsheild is covered with them and a couple found their way into the car.  Hay is being harvested and Paul enjoyed seeing the progress on the Potato, Peas, Wheat and Corn crops along the way.  It's fun to drive up and remember the old days we spent on the Farm.  I don't miss them as much as Paul. Late nights out checking for Dew to bale the hay and early mornings changing the water and feeding the cattle.

Saying So long, Farewell, Good Bye...

Me with 4 of the 5 graduates from my Sunday School Class.

L-R: Carl, Nick, Me, J.T. Julia 

I'm late in posting this to the ol' Blog!   I still choke up thinking that my Sunday School class will be markedly smaller this week.  The Seniors did all they needed to do to Graduate from High School then, Seminary this past week-end.  Shelby even graduated with her AA from the Walla Walla Community College on Sunday.  She is missing from the group photos.  I'm as proud of them as I know their parents are. They deserve the all the best and I will miss teaching them.

Here they are with Bishop Crowther, my Dear Hubby!

Tomorrow J.T. leaves Walla Walla for his new abode in Tacoma.  In October he will leave there to go on his 2 year LDS Mission. Julia & Nick will attend BYU-Provo in the Fall. I'll have to ask Carl about future plans.

The future is in good hands. I'm not just boasting... These are great Young people who will represent us well.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY- June 6, 2011

The BLOCK LOTTO Red and White D4P is on the Design Wall again this week. It didn't get the quilting done as planned. Too many ALL-NIGHTERS working on my Challenge for the McCall's Design Star. These are the border fabrics I have decided on and since I had to buy the RED, I got enough for the backing too.  I'm thinking I will quilt this quilt from the backing following the design in the fabric with red thread. 
Click on the links HERE to see more inspiration at Patchworktimes.

Stash Report, June 5, 2011

Used this week: 14 yards

Used year to Date: 93 yards

Added this week: 13.25 Yards

Added Year to date: 82.875 yards

Net used to Date: +11 yards

My new "Secret Project" project and the Red and White Quilt required a purchase of fabrics this week.  I found a perfect backing and border fabric for the Red and White D4P from Block Lotto Blog. It was in the $5.99/ yard SALE section at the LQS.  Pictures will be on Monday's Design Wall tomorrow.  I spent all week working (at least 2 all-nighters) on my Challenge and didn't get the Red and White D4P quilted, but it is ready to load.  Borders, binding and backing is all cut and ready.
Click the links HERE to see other Stash Reports this first week of JUNE.

Thrifting...

I am not a VINTAGE junkie, but I do like to go and look at old stuff in Consignment shops and Thrift shops.
I've been in my basement pretty much all week, partly because of the weather and because I was busy sewing on my "Secret Project".  I'm nearly done with the top and am ready for another Sunny Day to get a good picture of it in natural light.

Anyway... There is a NEW Consignment Shop that I hadn't ever gone into locally.  I thought I had a bit of free time to go and have a peek... I wasn't really looking for anything in particular. The first thing I saw was this TREADLE machine.

It has two boxes of attachments that are for sale too.  I used to have an old Treadle and this one is pretty nice, if I had room for it and knew it would work it might have come home with me. I asked to look  at the machine itself and it was made by a company called Wheeler and Wilson.  I was interested to know if they had any other old Sewing Machines and was directed to a booth that had these two.

This first one is a regular table top portable machine made in 1881, a SINGER in the original box.

The second one is another Treadle made by the WHITE company.  Isn't the decal pretty??!!

The next two are Children's sewing machines in the glass cases of collectables.

There were several Old Pickle Crocks.  This one was one of the smaller ones.  I had to take a picture of it.

Cute, but I didn't buy any of them...maybe someday.

I looked around for almost 30 minutes and even went upstairs to see what was there.  I couldn't leave a couple of things without buying them. Here's what I did BUY!

Isn't this just perfect for a dolly Quilt?  It has Sun Bonnet Sue on the pillow.  I think I might have one or two dolly Quilts that might fit, but think I can make a vintage looking one to go on it.  I got an Apron that is Purple and has some cross-stitching (Chicken Scratch) on it and a Doily.
 I will definately be going back in to visit this store...  It was a nice break from my stay at home all day/week.

Wild Wednesday, UFO # 8 for June

Clover Seam-ripper
aka: "frog- stitcher"

I pulled an all-nighter last night so today has been WILD!  I worked until I made so many bloopers I had to finally quit.  When you pull out the seam ripper it's time to go to bed...Taking blocks off the wall and turning them the wrong way plagued me all evening.  My Clover  "frog-stitcher" had gone missing so I had to use a different one. Un-sewing is not my favorite thing, but it is even worse when I can't find the right tool.   Lynn and I rigged up the nifty cover for it with a pencil grip and a ball-point pen cap.  We have showed it to CLOVER, but they having made a good cover for them YET! You should not have to ask why I need a cover on it... The forecast outside has been pretty wild too! Thunder and lightning, rain, hail...you name it.  Enough that my sewing machine light went out in the middle of my sewing project.  Time to put the sewing machine on a different surge protector. I found the good seam ripper now so I'm hoping I won't need it again.  I figured out what I had done that made the block look so wrong.

Judy L has chosen #8 as the UFO number for June and I have two stacks of blocks to make quilts with on the list.  My "Crayon" block's from a long ago Lotto at Guild.  There weren't enough of them to make a nice sized quilt.  The  second #8 on my long list is the Christmas Candy Blocks that I didn't finish when I made the Christmas Quilts for everyone except Jeffery.  He'll be home for his Birthday this year so it would be a good time to get them out and finish that quilt for him to use this Christmas.  It's been a VERY LONG time since he was home to Celebrate with the family.  The joined the ARMY in 2005, so at least 6 years. 

Other than that I just have a few other "Deadlines" this month.  3 weeks until the Voting starts again for the McCall's Design Star Contest.  My Challenge quilt is coming along, I don't want to rush it.  If I can keep from changing it again I think I'll be able to get it submitted well before the date it is due.  Until then it's still UNDER WRAPS!  TOP SECRET!  & Classified...

 Happy JUNE! Time for Graduations and Weddings and Birthdays!   The year is half over. [I've been corrected... after June the year is half over...]