OOOpps...Christmas Quilt Along Starts on the 12th not today

Hello Everyone,

I'm looking forward to the Christmas Quilt Along so much that in my mind I moved it up a week. Sorry, check in next Saturday, February 12th for the Quilt Along.

I've been working hard all week finishing up loose ends on some quilts and re-doing other quilts.  I started out with this grouping of fabric for a block for the Toyland Tree quilt that I'm designing.  Most of it is still on paper, but it is coming along quite nicely. 

I got out all of my applique supplies......and I discovered that my stiletto (and I don't mean shoes!) and my glue stick and other applique necessities never made it to the cabin.  They are still at home on my sewing table.  So improvise it is......a meat thermometer works just as well as a stiletto.  In fact it has a dual purpose.

While preparing the tiny applique pieces, it registers just how hot the little Hobbico irons get!  Wow, 190 degrees!  No wonder I have a few burns on my fingers.

I got all of the little pieces prepared with the meat thermometer, and turned this.....

....into this.  I'm still working on his little face but I really need my applique glue for that.  Applique pins work well for the rest.  After I took this picture, I realized that I needed to move his right arm down.  He's looking much better now.  He reminded me of the Tin Woodsman in the Wizard of Oz who said, "My arm, my arm, I can move my arm."

For those of you that have been following my blog for awhile are familiar with this little guy.  I first started making the quilt with a green background....then I changed my mind to a black background.  It's a whole new ballgame in black and I'm much happier.  I think the blocks are much more striking and will achieve the look I want for the quilt overall.  I had stopped working on this quilt as I just wasn't happy with the four blocks that were done.  They won't go to waste, I'll make something with them.

So, as Quilt Sue says, "I've got my mojo and quiltivation back."  I'm ready to applique the day away with my meat thermometer!!! 

As always,

Lynn

Summer's Blush #2 is Done....well almost

Hello Everyone,

It is amazing how much I can get done when I'm sequestered at the cabin surrounded by peace, and pine needles! I had a long to-do list and I'm working my way through it task by task.  The blocks for this quilt go together so quickly.....the hexagon flowers are another story.

What a difference a border makes!  I cut it rather close on my inner border fabric.  I brought what I thought was a half yard of raspberry red.  When I opened it up, I realized I had used a portion of it in another quilt and I didn't have a full half yard.  It was time to get creative or drive to the quilt shop in Angels Camp.  So I got creative with piecing the inner border.

I love to make these flowers.  Now that I'm done, what am I going to do?  This is a good picture showcasing the flange material against the red and black borders.

All of the fabric used in this quilt was from my stash.  I incorporated Civil War fabrics, brights, Thimbleberries, a little of everything, and Blackbird Designs fabric for the background from the Chelsea Boutique line.  Some of this fabric is at least ten years old.  I'm always telling my husband, fabric doesn't go 'bad' and the style for what I like hasn't changed.

I'm getting prepared for the Christmas Quilt Along that starts tomorrow.  It will be a fun day working only on Christmas projects.  Check out the site and join in if you can.  It is so much fun to see what everyone is making.

Have a wonderful weekend.....as always,

Lynn

Fabric Weigh In

Hello Everyone,

Let me set the stage for this story.  I packed up all of my Christmas fabric yesterday to bring with me to the cabin.  I carefully packed my treasured Christmas fabric into two In Between Stitches bags.  The extra large bag and the next size smaller.  I just left them on the floor in my sewing room for my dear husband to cart downstairs and out to the car.  My husband never complains about anything and rarely will you hear a cross word (unless he's working on the plumbing!)......until yesterday.  He carried a bag in each hand, so at least he was balanced!  What's the problem?  When we arrived at the cabin, he had to carry them again, down the driveway through the snow.  Again, I'm hearing complaints and a few blue words coming from this very mild-mannered man and there was absolutely no plumbing involved!

Under the darkness of dawn, I conducted a weigh in on my antique Standard Computing Scale while dear husband slept.  Here are the contents of extra large bag #1 ready to topple to the counter.

.......drum roll......over 23 lbs of fabric.  After the scale gets to 23, it goes back to Zero.  So I stopped piling it on at 23-1/2.

Medium bag #2 , along with the extra fabric from bag #1....

....over 19 lbs of fabric.  If you notice, the calculations on this old meat scale are in two-cent graduations!  My fabric is worth far more than 2 cents per pound!  My husband begs to differ on that point!

And it all has to go into this little cabinet that I bought for $5.00 at a garage sale a few years ago.  First I had to take out all of the grand kids toys, and put in Grammy's toys.

A couple of hours later and I'm finished....while hubby slept.

The way I look at it is this.  I was conducting a bag strength test for the shop for Melissa and Leslie.  The extra large bag will hold at least 25 lbs and the medium one is good for 20 lbs of fabric.  The very scientific test is complete, let the quilting begin.

As always,

Lynn  a.k.a. "The Bag Lady"