Log Cabin

Now that it's after Christmas, I can post my latest quilt.  It's my first try at a log cabin and was a gift for my mother-in-law, Shirley.  She has a dark brown couch in her TV room and an orange sectional in her living room.  I wanted something that would work in either room.   I had made enough blocks that the quilt was 4-square and my husband and I decided it was too big.  So we made it 3x4 which ended up about 60"x74".  With two of the extra squares, I made two sofa pillows.

Shirley was so surprised by the quilt and loves it.  I think we did good!

Merry Christmas!

Log Cabin

Now that it's after Christmas, I can post my latest quilt.  It's my first try at a log cabin and was a gift for my mother-in-law, Shirley.  She has a dark brown couch in her TV room and an orange sectional in her living room.  I wanted something that would work in either room.   I had made enough blocks that the quilt was 4-square and my husband and I decided it was too big.  So we made it 3x4 which ended up about 60"x74".  With two of the extra squares, I made two sofa pillows.

Shirley was so surprised by the quilt and loves it.  I think we did good!

Merry Christmas!

Folded Star Trivets

Every year, many of my coworkers exchange small gifts and every year I struggle to find something that is both unique and fairly inexpensive.  This year, I found a tutorial for folded star trivets/potholders on the internet.  Using Christmas fabric, I had fun making a dozen of them.  One fabric was printed on the bias and was what I used to make the binding.  It says "Merry Christmas" all the way around the edge and was perfect for this project.  Now I gotta get the baking done!

I have been getting a lot of inquiries for the directions to make these potholder/trivet thingees.  I found the tutorial at:  http://bronzewombat.blogspot.com.  When you get the error message, click on "Go to blog homepage" and you will see it on the left side of her blog.  Hope this helps.

Folded Star Trivets

Every year, many of my coworkers exchange small gifts and every year I struggle to find something that is both unique and fairly inexpensive.  This year, I found a tutorial for folded star trivets/potholders on the internet.  Using Christmas fabric, I had fun making a dozen of them.  One fabric was printed on the bias and was what I used to make the binding.  It says "Merry Christmas" all the way around the edge and was perfect for this project.  Now I gotta get the baking done!

I have been getting a lot of inquiries for the directions to make these potholder/trivet thingees.  I found the tutorial at:  http://bronzewombat.blogspot.com.  When you get the error message, click on "Go to blog homepage" and you will see it on the left side of her blog.  Hope this helps.

Christmas in Hawaii

About this time of year, I miss the smell of the pine trees.  I do not, however, miss the cold and the snow!  I thought I would share the photos of the Christmas decorations outside my office building.  These were taken about 5:45 am.  It amazes me how the building staff puts the lights clear up into the leaves every year.  I hope you enjoy them and Happy Holidays to all.

Christmas in Hawaii

About this time of year, I miss the smell of the pine trees.  I do not, however, miss the cold and the snow!  I thought I would share the photos of the Christmas decorations outside my office building.  These were taken about 5:45 am.  It amazes me how the building staff puts the lights clear up into the leaves every year.  I hope you enjoy them and Happy Holidays to all.

Singer 15-88

This little gem came home with me Tuesday.  It belonged to my boss' mother and they needed to find a new home for it.  And they thought of me!  As far as I can tell, it's a Singer 15-88 built March 8, 1956.  It may have originally been a treadle machine later converted with an electric motor.  She looks to be in beautiful condition, but needs a deep cleaning.

The cabinet is a total writeoff, however, due to termites.  There was no saving it (my husband wouldn't even let me bring it in the house!)  I really liked that middle tilt-out drawer, tho.

If I can get her cleaned up and see how she runs, I may have Scott eventually build a base enclosure for it and get a foot pedal.

Tuesday was my lucky day, wasn't it?

Singer 15-88

This little gem came home with me Tuesday.  It belonged to my boss' mother and they needed to find a new home for it.  And they thought of me!  As far as I can tell, it's a Singer 15-88 built March 8, 1956.  It may have originally been a treadle machine later converted with an electric motor.  She looks to be in beautiful condition, but needs a deep cleaning.

The cabinet is a total writeoff, however, due to termites.  There was no saving it (my husband wouldn't even let me bring it in the house!)  I really liked that middle tilt-out drawer, tho.

If I can get her cleaned up and see how she runs, I may have Scott eventually build a base enclosure for it and get a foot pedal.

Tuesday was my lucky day, wasn't it?

Puzzle Box

Just finished this one called The Puzzle Box.  It was a kit Karen and I found on our shopping trip this summer.  It was great fun to put together and is fairly small, only 54 inches square.

I found the backing during quick trip to California last month.  It was two pieces on a bolt and I didn't look at it really close.  If I had, I would have noticed that the pieces were different dye lots with one lighter than the other.  Another lesson learned.

Puzzle Box

Just finished this one called The Puzzle Box.  It was a kit Karen and I found on our shopping trip this summer.  It was great fun to put together and is fairly small, only 54 inches square.

I found the backing during quick trip to California last month.  It was two pieces on a bolt and I didn't look at it really close.  If I had, I would have noticed that the pieces were different dye lots with one lighter than the other.  Another lesson learned.

Neutral Yellow Brick Road

Oh, and I have been quilting and recently finished a lap quilt in neutrals using the Yellow Brick Road pattern.  I’ve done this pattern before and enjoyed it immensely.  But I’ve never done it in neutrals.  This was a kit we found at a terrific quilting store in Great Falls, Montana.  

One thing I learned about kits was to NOT wash the fabric first.  One fat quarter in this kit shrunk A LOT and I had to find something in my supply to fill in the gaps.  My dad and stepmom will be getting it for Christmas.  

Once I get a quilt on the frame, I have to get over the fear of taking that first stitch.  Sometimes, I wish I could be more like my aunt and just dive in (or, as she says, jump off the cliff)!  Anyway, I think this turned out really well.

Neutral Yellow Brick Road

Oh, and I have been quilting and recently finished a lap quilt in neutrals using the Yellow Brick Road pattern.  I’ve done this pattern before and enjoyed it immensely.  But I’ve never done it in neutrals.  This was a kit we found at a terrific quilting store in Great Falls, Montana.  

One thing I learned about kits was to NOT wash the fabric first.  One fat quarter in this kit shrunk A LOT and I had to find something in my supply to fill in the gaps.  My dad and stepmom will be getting it for Christmas.  

Once I get a quilt on the frame, I have to get over the fear of taking that first stitch.  Sometimes, I wish I could be more like my aunt and just dive in (or, as she says, jump off the cliff)!  Anyway, I think this turned out really well.

This Summer

It’s been awhile since my last post.  The summer has gotten away from me.  We have had a busy few months.  As I noted in an earlier post, I had a great time on vacation in Idaho and Montana, visiting with friends and family and, of course, shopping for fabric.  Living where we do, we often have company staying with us.  It also helps that we have a “cabana” in the back yard.  This summer, we got to know some of my cousins I had not met before.  We thoroughly enjoyed Aaron and Jennifer’s visit and hope they find their way back over here someday.

Another project keeping me busy this summer has been digitizing family photos -- hundreds of them!  I'm lucky to have four sisters and none of us had any photos from our childhood.  So I've been busy scanning them into the computer and trying to keep them in some sort of chronological order.  I've got most of them scanned and plan to get copies to my sisters.  After that, there's a box of geneology/historical photos to do but I may have to save them for later.  I've got quilting to do!

Last month, my husband, Scott, and I traveled to Monterey, California, for a memorial service.  It was a great opportunity for my husband to reconnect with members of his extended family and to revisit the places where he spent much of his childhood.

The beach at Pacific Grove

Deer in the neighborhood

Remembering

This Summer

It’s been awhile since my last post.  The summer has gotten away from me.  We have had a busy few months.  As I noted in an earlier post, I had a great time on vacation in Idaho and Montana, visiting with friends and family and, of course, shopping for fabric.  Living where we do, we often have company staying with us.  It also helps that we have a “cabana” in the back yard.  This summer, we got to know some of my cousins I had not met before.  We thoroughly enjoyed Aaron and Jennifer’s visit and hope they find their way back over here someday.

Another project keeping me busy this summer has been digitizing family photos -- hundreds of them!  I'm lucky to have four sisters and none of us had any photos from our childhood.  So I've been busy scanning them into the computer and trying to keep them in some sort of chronological order.  I've got most of them scanned and plan to get copies to my sisters.  After that, there's a box of geneology/historical photos to do but I may have to save them for later.  I've got quilting to do!

Last month, my husband, Scott, and I traveled to Monterey, California, for a memorial service.  It was a great opportunity for my husband to reconnect with members of his extended family and to revisit the places where he spent much of his childhood.

The beach at Pacific Grove

Deer in the neighborhood

Remembering

Sewing Room

Now that I've finally realized that my eldest son has moved out for good, I've settled into his former bedroom and made it into my sewing/quilting room. For the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to figure out how to make it work for me and this is what I've come up with.

The quilt frame my husband built last fall with a Janome 1600p on it.

Fabric stash is in the drawers on the left, sorted by size. Magazines, patterns, misc. are on the bookshelves. The design wall is a flannel-backed tablecloth suspended by a curtain rod over the closet doors. The drawers on the right hold all the scissors, thread, etc. etc.

Mission Control Center. Note my little sewing partner asleep under the table. Where I go, she goes.....

Sewing Room

Now that I've finally realized that my eldest son has moved out for good, I've settled into his former bedroom and made it into my sewing/quilting room. For the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to figure out how to make it work for me and this is what I've come up with.

The quilt frame my husband built last fall with a Janome 1600p on it.

Fabric stash is in the drawers on the left, sorted by size. Magazines, patterns, misc. are on the bookshelves. The design wall is a flannel-backed tablecloth suspended by a curtain rod over the closet doors. The drawers on the right hold all the scissors, thread, etc. etc.

Mission Control Center. Note my little sewing partner asleep under the table. Where I go, she goes.....

Dakota Pathways is finished!

Just finished the binding on this quilt a few minutes ago. I think this quilt turned out pretty well.

Dakota Pathways is finished!

Just finished the binding on this quilt a few minutes ago. I think this quilt turned out pretty well.

Shop Hop

I had a wonderful time on vacation! I spent several days with my sister, Debi, in Boise before driving to Missoula to catch up with more relatives. My aunt Karen and I had planned our own “shop hop.” In three days, we visited Deer Country Quilts in Seeley Lake. We visited my dad in Great Falls and while there we shopped at JoAnn’s, Quilt-A-Way, and Big Sky Quilts. We had a terrific time at the Quilting Hen in Carter, just north of Great Falls. In fact, after we returned to Missoula, my aunt Karen ordered the Hinterberg frame and Voyager 17 machine from the Quilting Hen!

We visited Creative Stitches and Ben Franklin in Helena. We chose to skip the Creative Closet in Townsend because we were an hour too early! Cozy Mountain Quilts in Whitehall was a great stop as was the Quilter’s Corner in Deerlodge. Then it was on to the Cotton Patch Quilt Shop in Drummond. We ended our trip with Vicki’s Quilts Down Under in Missoula.

After returning to Boise, I stopped in at Hancock’s Fabrics, JoAnn’s Fabrics, The Quilt Crossing, and Quilt Expressions. Quilt Expressions has 5 Gammills set up for classes and renting by the hour!

Below are some of the projects I will be working on. I also purchased a lot of "stash fillers" and fat quarters. I'm so excited! We had so much fun. The stores we visited were great! With the exception of one store, the staff was so friendly and helpful! Lots of stories and laughter were shared by all.