Mini quilt in a bag challenge

Here's a swap I have joined. I think this will be a fun and challenging. It is an international swap of mini quilts. The sign up ends soon (Nov. 1st), so if you are interested you should sign up right away. Just click the title of this post and it will take you to her blog.

Fabric baskets

I made this little basket today. I think it is rather cute. And I like the way the little handles hold your scissors. I just sewed bits of fabric together, to make my blocks. then squared them up to 6x9" added 1.5 in red strips to both sides and the top of the blocks. then sewed a 6x9" piece of fabric between the blocks to make the bottom. It should look something like this.

Layered pellon, batting and the fabric, then quilted it. Made a black lining 11.5x18.5. Next I folded the quilted piece right sides together and sewed down both sides, done the same with the lining. next I sewed box pleats in the basket and lining. Turned the basket right side out. Made handles, pinned them to the side of the basket. Slipped the basket (right side out) into the lining (wrong side out) sewing most of the way around, leaving and opening about 6' to turn the lining over the bag and into place. Last step to sew a seam all the way around the top of basket to close the lining.

My dottee dolls and CQ ornaments are done.

WOOHOO, I was really getting worried about finishing these on time. So I decided to not do anything else until I got these done. So glad I did, it took me longer then expected, but they are done and the deadline is still 3 weeks away. I have just one more thing to make and I'll be completely done with all my swaps.

Paintbox block tutorial

Here's another great tutorial for the paintbox block. I love this quilt. Simply but pretty.

Wonky Log cabin Tutorial

Here is a link to a great tutorial for making a wonky log cabin block.

Just Us Quilters

Just Us Quilters
Here's a great way to find other quilting blogs, you can also add yours to the list. Click the just us quilters link and it will take you there.

Almost done, here's a peek

I finally have 5 of the CQ ornies for the swap complete and 6 more nearly done . Here's a peek.

If a picture is worth a thousand words

Then this one is saying "Nana we've heard your "How we should behave" speech a million times. Can't you see how close they are paying attention!

What am I doing today

I stared making these little fabric baskets. Like I needed to start more projects. I felt the need to make some small gifts. I think we all like to get little unexpected gifts in the mail, and I thought these were cute and useful. Any one who does crafts or needle work of any kind can never have enough storage and or places to stash there things. I plan on embellishing them in some sort of way. I post my progress when I get to that point. I just took strip of fabric all sewn together and twist and sew with zigzag stitch.

Day 3 of things I'm working on

The is one of the 4 patch posie blocks that I made for the tutorial on Quiltbea's life and times blog in the list of blog I follow. She has some great tutorials.

Joining the binding tutorial

THE PIC IS ABOVE THE INSTRUCTIONS.............................

First you would start stitching your binding on leaving at least 8-10" of the end not sewn down, Also when you near where the binding started you would stop stitching , about 10-12" from the start. Leaving a gap in the binding, so you have enough space for the joining part.
Next you would bring either end of the binding and lay it as shown. These next two steps here allow you to get the exact size for joining.

Now bring to other side OVER the top of the first side and flip up the same way as the first side. If you click the pic you will get a close up view.

This is how you determine where to cut. Cut those two little doggy ears off directly across the top of the binding strip. As shown.


Now open the ends up and place them right sides together, make sure not to twist them the wrong way. Put your pins in as shown and check to make sure they are not twisted the wrong way. Now stitch on the diagonal. Just like you would if joining strips to make the binding. You can draw a line or just aim and shoot.

Now before cutting those little corners off, it is a good idea to check and make sure it is not twisted and the fit is good. I've never had the fit to be wrong, but I have on occasion twisted in the pinning process.
This is how your binding will look when finished and will lay completely flat, and is ready to stitch to the quilt.

Day 2 of projects

This is one of the CQ ornaments for a swap on the HGTV quilting board.

I'm working on many things right now so I'll post one a day for the next week.

If you click the images, it will enlarge them for a better look. First is the healing heart I made for a quilting friend on the HGTV MB. I added a ribbon through the bottom stitches since the pic was made. It has since been mailed. I hope she likes it.

The Gift

First, I must say if you double click the image it will enlarge it.
I got the most amazing gift in the mail today. My DS is a oil painter and she sent this to me via UPS. Now how lucky am I to have such a thoughtful, loving, talented sister. I just wish you could see this in real life and not just a small snapshot. My camera doesn't take the best of pictures but I wanted to share it with the world, and this is the only way. This picture brings back so many memories for me from when I was young. It gives me a feeling of serenity, those carefree days when we are young and would spend the summers at my grandma's. Me and my sister use to sit on her porch and play for hours. We would put on her bras and she'd give us a cup of coffee, boy we had the best times playing grown up. I remember one day me and her sit there and laughed so hard I peed my pants. My grandma was a hoot. We had a step grangfather we called Bill. And he drank a lot, so when he get drunk and pass out, grand ma would tell us if we would go get Bill's checkbook at of his pocket she'd take us to town. Now, going to town back then was a big thing for us when we stayed with her., She usually only went to town on special occasions. She lived on a farm and raised most everything we ate. We drank goats milk, and had laying chickens. I remember eating things like squirrel and dumplings. Bill even made his own brew, and shotgun shells. For me those were some of the best memories of my childhood and to look at this brings back so many.

They are growing up

My 2 grandsons both got their first hair cuts and they are just handsome fellows. These 2 are different as day and night. Johns the blue eyed and Keiths the brown eyed. Now when John was a baby he was a hand full. He had colic and was a very fretful baby, but now he is the sweet child and so easy going and actually goes around picking his toys up and putting them in their rightful place. Guess he gets that part from his mother she is such a neat freak. But on the other hand Keith was the best baby, never cried just lsat there and entertained himself most of the time. If he fussed I knew he was either hungry or tired. Boy has all that changed, this child is a dare devil always climbing, even uses devices to get on top the taller stuff. And he loves nothing more then to be getting into things, he won't touch his toy for nothing. I'm so glad my daughter is soon to be moving into her new house where they will have their own room. I can't let the older ones get some of things out that they most love to play with because he is such a menace. Don't get me wrong I love him with all my heart, but he does get put in time out a lot. Most of the time I think I'm the one that need time out. Oh, I'm sorry back to the hair cuts.. .

The good and the bad," The Bumpy Road"

Good news, I finally finished piecing my sisters quilt. Boy was I proud of how it turned out. I worked hard at cutting all those pieces so each one would be different. Well 2000+ pieces later and all pit together, It's measured a 96x103, I thought this will be just great, looked so lovely spread across my bed, until the bad news I learned that she has newer bigger pillow top mattress and the 96" won't be long enough for the drop at the foot of the bed.But back to the good news, it's not quilted so I'll just remove the border and add some more rows. Now some more bad news, it will be too big for my quilting frame. Guess I'll call this quilt "The Bumpy Road"