Design Wall Monday - December 26, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

It’s the last Monday in 2022, and I will be spending this week planning how to tackle my UFOs next year, how to organize my quilt room to enjoy my time there more, and how to finish quilts without long pauses during the process.  It is an exciting time in my quilting journey, so I hope to have weekly plans and goals to share with you in the new year.

Did you have a nice Christmas? We did!  I was singing…..”The weather outside was frightful but the fire is so delightful”…….We spent Christmas day at our son’s home in front of their very big fireplace, all cosy and warm.  Grand Rapids got slammed with a blizzard over Christmas with frigid temps, snow, and high winds blowing the snow all around.   Blizzard warnings were in effect for the first time in over 10 years here.

I enjoy seeing all of your Christmas pictures so I will show you today some Christmas pictures from my house.  Merry Christmas!  I hope you enjoy them.

This is our tree topper, that was a UFO for a long time, but is now finished, and on top of our tree every year.  (Needlepoint from a kit)

A picture of Penny Lane on the front porch with a red and white “crossed canoes” pattern quilt that I purchased as a top, and finished into a quilt.  I love red and white quilts.  This picture is from a Christmas past - when we didn’t have very much snow.  (This year there is nothing on the front porch except the white bench, covered with a thick blanket of frigid snow!)

A picture of Penny and me, taking a nap together under a vintage quilt that I purchased a long time ago.  The red and green feathered stars are all hand pieced and the quilt is nicely hand quilted.  I bought it from another quilter while I lived in Virginia, and I don’t have any history on it.

On our bedroom dresser is the snowman collection.  I am not adding any more snowmen to this collection, but I treasure each one, as some were hand made for me by friends over the years.

I’m looking forward to reading your year end posts, hearing about your Christmas, and how much snow you had, or didn’t have.  Link up below and let us know what you are doing in this last week of 2022.  Thank you so much for joining the Design Wall Monday Linky Party this week.  Please mention it in your blog so others can join us.  

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Design Wall Monday - December 19, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

Santa visited our family Saturday while we were dining in Frankenmuth, Michigan.    He told me I AM on his GOOD LIST this year, and he also said it’s been quite a few years since I’ve been on the good list, so he was very proud of me!  I was so happy with the good news I asked him if I could have a photo:

The quilting has been slow this week around here, and is probably going to continue to be slow until the new year.   I did take a redwork square with me in the car to work on while we were traveling.  It is a little log cabin:

We had 12 inches of snow Friday night and Saturday.   Sunday morning I took a picture while sitting in my bed, looking out the window toward the woods behind us.  It is so beautiful, and looks just like it should for Christmas week.  I love it.  

What is happening in your quilt room during the holidays?  I am excited about the new year starting soon, and am planning on setting new goals for getting more quilts completed.  

Merry Christmas to you all!  I shall share some of my Christmas decorations with you next Monday.  But for now, let’s see what you are up to.  Join in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us.  Do mention our party within your post and invite others to join us.  Thank you.

 

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Design Wall Monday - December 12, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

We drove back to Virginia to visit friends there, specifically for a memorial gravesite service for a dear friend of ours, who passed away very suddenly.  We are mourning her loss,  and we were very glad we went to visit her husband and family.   She was a Proverbs 31 woman, a wonderful wife, mother, and grandmother.

While we were back in VA, we visited our “extra” son, and his family.  Ben lived with us when he was a young man, and he feels like a son to us.  He and his wife have three beautiful little girls.  As I knew we would be meeting them for dinner one night, I took yarn with me and crocheted three Santa hats while riding in the car.  Here is a picture taken with them in progress on the dashboard during a rest-stop break.  

And a picture of the finished hats, completed the night before I gave them to the little girls.  

Post edit: Some have asked me about the pattern:  It is a free internet pattern that I found here:

https://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2019/11/easy-crochet-santa-hat.html

And here are the three cute little girls wearing their Santa hats:

We were sitting in a restaurant and I thought about taking a picture of all three together in their hats, but that was pretty impossible.  They are 5, 3, and 1, and kept their parents (and us) very busy all during the meal.  Soooo cute!

While on the trip back home, I visited all of your blogs, and as usual, you all impressed me again!  So much talent and so many beautiful quilts being made.  Thank you for sharing with us.  Please link up below and let’s see this week’s pictures and posts.  

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Design Wall Monday - December 5, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

I played hooky this week from the internet.  Didn’t respond to your comments, didn’t comment on any of your blogs…..I am sorry.  But I have great progress on an ancient UFO so I hope you will forgive me.  The Jane Stickle quilt (in the Bennington, Vermont museum) has been a favorite of mine since I started quilting long ago.  (Info here)

Well, this week I hauled out all of my blocks that have been constructed for some time, and decided it is time to put them together into a quilt top.  I am making great progress in assembling the quilt, and have one more border of triangles, and two corner kites yet to attach.  I have learned so much over the years, by making blocks for this quilt, and when I visited the museum, I just sat next to it, admiring it for the longest time.  I don’t remember seeing anything else in the museum, it was that special to me.

And soon, I will have my own version of her wonderful quilt to look at.   Here is a picture of my design wall today:

Every once in a while something wonderful happens, and getting this quilt moving along to the finish line was wonderful for me.  I hope you are having wonderful happenings this week also.  It is the season for miracles!

We are traveling this week, and I am taking a small crocheting project with me, so I will have no quilting progress to report to you next Monday.  However, with my iPhone in the car, as I sit in the passenger seat, I will have plenty of time to look at all of your blogs and see your progress.  And post some comments.  Thank you for being so faithful with our Design Wall Monday Linky Parties.

Sign up below, and let’s get this week’s party started!

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Design Wall Monday - November 28, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

Thanksgiving week is now behind us, and November is almost over.  On Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, we were at our son’s home, and for the first time in many years, I didn’t cook, bake, or prepare anything.  It was very different, but as one friend told me:  You earned it, for all your years of turkey preparation in the past.  It was a wonderful day with family.  We met our new 3 week old Great Grandchild, Bennett, and got to hold him.  He is just perfect, and so tiny.

Yesterday, back at home, I decided to make an apple pie.  I ate a piece of pumpkin pie on Thanksgivng, and am now thankful to have a pie here to enjoy all week!   Apple pie is my hubby’s favorite, so I earned points with him too.

The big bag I started last week is now finished, and here is a picture of it,  now holding two crocheting UFOs.   Yes, I have those too.

I like how sturdy the dog food bag lining makes it.  I plan to make more bags.  I plan to sew it together a little differently next time.  But it is nice to recycle the plastic bags.  I did take out my sewing machine needle and saved it to use exclusively for future “bag” projects.  

Here are two pictures of the apple pie.  We each had generous pieces as a treat last night.  Delicious!

What are you working on this week?  I see Bonnie Hunter has started her annual free mystery quilt clues.  I am copying the clues and watching from the sidelines this year.  There are so many UFOs in my quilt room that I want to finish before I do any more BH mystery quilts.  I do enjoy seeing others participating so I hope some of you are joining in.

Please join in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below, and show us a picture from your quilt room.  Please link back to this blog post from within your post, so people can get here to see the other blogs.  Thanks!  If I could, I would send you all a piece of my apple pie this morning, in gratitude.  I appreciate you.

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Design Wall Monday - November 21, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

While at the retreat I attended recently, a friend at a nearby table (Connie Wass) had a large tote bag that interested me.  I have been looking for a pattern to make a large tote because I was wanting to try using Penny Lane's dog food bags as a "stiffener" and liner for a large bag. 

I hate to add more things to landfills, and dog food bags look indestructible, and are not recyclable.   So I had saved some of Penny's bags to see if I could use them somehow.  The bag pattern Connie  used is called the Venti Tote Bag.  It is available on the internet from www.purse-strings-patterns.com

Connie changed the pattern to sew the lining and the outside together at the side seams with French seams, and I did too.  Here is the beginning of my dog food bag project:

I put pieces of cotton batting together with the two main pieces of the bag, and also for the bottom circle of the bag.  I then quilted each of the three pieces using a simple crosshatch pattern.  I used masking tape as a guide for stitching.  (I'm a pretty simple quilter).

Then I sewed the two side seams on either side of the bag, using French seams.  The seams were sewn through six layers, with the seam on the outside of the bag...then turned to the inside and another seam sewn, capturing all the raw edges inside the second seam.  I do like French seams.

Here is a picture showing the dogfood bag used in the project:

And here is the bag, finished except for the binding part.  I will add binding around the handle holes, around the top of the bag, and also to cover the seam that attaches the bottom. 

As you can see, the dogfood bag makes a good fairly stiff lining, and should be water-resistant.  Not entirely waterproof, because there are tiny holes in the bag made by the sewing machine seams.  But it will be a useful bag for carrying lots of things.

Finally, here is a picture showing the outside bottom of the bag.  The binding will cover up the raw edges shown here.  I will be working on making the bias binding today, and it should be finished soon.  I am thinking I will be making more of these, as I do like big bags.  If I remember to, I will show you a picture of the completed bag next week.  

We sure got a lot of snow this past week!  Here's a picture taken out of the window of the study, showing my front porch and yard.  I love the large pine trees when they are covered with snow.  Later when the wind blows, the snow on them will be released, and it will "snow" all over again.  

What are you doing this Thanksgiving week? I am thinking of all the things we have to be thankful for.  I feel so blessed to visit all of your blogs and see what projects you are working on.  Thanks for joining in on the Design Wall Monday Link Party below.  You are appreciated.

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Design Wall Monday - November 14, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

I’ve just returned from a quilt retreat, and had a fantastic time.  It is so much fun to be in a room full of quilters, each at her sewing machine.  

Here are two projects I worked on.  #1 was the pattern for a fall wall hanging that I talked about last Monday.

I think I’d like to make this one again, and use a background for the embroidery that is the same as the outside border background.  And use softer colors for the nine patches.  It was fun to do, and the embroidery was fast, so I may make it again.

The other project was to make my UFO maple leaf quilt bigger.  The blocks are sewn 9 across and 9 down, and I made 51 more maple leaf blocks.  In the picture I’m holding up the 51 new blocks in front of the UFO of 49 blocks. 

It will be 10 by 10, with 100 blocks.  I will be playing with the new blocks on the design wall this week.  This should be fun,

Here’s another picture with the new blocks all scattered over the old blocks.  They look more like real maple leaves this way, don’t they?

What is on your design wall?  I hope to see your post later today.  Please link up to the Design Wall Monday Link Party below, and join in on the fun.  Thank you to all of you who  join in.  Please remember to link back to this blog post from somewhere within your post, and also mention Design Wall Mondays, so others can join in.  I appreciate you.  I wish I could go on a quilt retreat with all of you.  But the linky party will have to suffice.  🙂

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Design Wall Monday - November 7, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

Today I am packing up and heading to a week away with other quilters.  It is so exciting seeing old friends and getting caught up on their lives again.  I have packed UFOs that don’t require a lot of brain power on my part, as I want to enjoy the other quilters and not think about a complicated pattern.

Two UFOs coming with me are fall themed.  Maybe I will get them finished to enjoy during Thanksgiving.  One is a maple leaf block with a black background behind the leaves.  It came with me last fall on this retreat, and moved further toward the finish line.  This year I am sure I will get all of the blocks made and assembled into a quilt top.

The second project is smaller and combines some embroidered blocks and some fall colors in nine patches.  It is a pattern that was in a magazine many years ago and someone from the St. Louis MO guild gave it to me, with a piece of fabric for the outer borders.  It has been a UFO of mine for at least 25 years!  This last week I started on it, and am looking forward to finishing this UFO too.  Here’s a picture of the 16 embroidered blocks, in progress:

The written instructions are to use three strands of embroidery floss, and I usually use two.  I am using three, and following directions like a good girl.  It does give the embroidery a different look than I am used to. 

Since the magazine page copy I have is undated, I wondered when it was published.  On a whim, I looked up the name of the quilt designer on the internet.  I found her and we had a nice conversation on the internet.   When I asked if it was her pattern, she said “Possibly, It must be pretty old”.  I told her I’d had the pattern for a very long time, and that I was old too.  haha.  She said “Wow, I had forgotten that one!  Yep that was me.”   I told her I would send her a picture of my project when it is complete.  The internet is a marvelous thing sometimes.  

I will give you an update next week after the retreat is over, and show you how far I got with these two projects.  What have you started, or finished, or moved along toward finishing?  I’m looking forward to seeing your pictures and reading your blogs.  Thank you for joining in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  You are appreciated.

 

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Design Wall Monday - October 31, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

It's Halloween tonight, and I have great memories of making costumes for my children and the fun they had trick or treating in the neighborhood years ago.  There are no little children in our neighborhood now, and we don't get any visitors to our front door.  I don't even buy any candy. as I find I am the major consumer of it.  

I am doing some cleanup of the quilt room, and looking at what projects I want to take with me to a retreat that is coming up soon.  There are plenty to choose from, and I am having fun deciding.  Aren't I lucky to have so many UFOs to choose from?  lol

I also had a quilting "Squirrel" event this week; I saw a cute pumpkin pattern on Instagram.  You can find the free pattern (Here)  It was so cute that I made three of them the same day that I saw the pattern.  After making three that day, the weekend was spent making more of them and turning them into coasters.  It's a very nice pattern and I enjoyed making them.

Pattern:  Lowandbeholdstitchery.com

Since this is the last Monday in October, and there are only two more months left in 2022, I am feeling the need to tidy the quilt room, look again at the UFOs and decide on what ones I want to finish next.  The other thing I am going to do this week is take one of my machines to get serviced.  I think it's past its 10,000 mile tuneup!  

What are you working on this week?  I have really enjoyed all the pictures you post on your blogs.  We are a productive group!  Please link up again this week for our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  As always, I ask that you mention the linky party and provide a link back here from within your post.  I appreciate you.  

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Design Wall Monday - October 24, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

My post will be non-quilty today because we are traveling.  We saw our youngest Granddaughter twirl her baton during the halftime show of the Texas Tech University football game Saturdfay.  Lubbock, TX is a beautiful town and the weather was perfect.  

In the car on the way I did some crocheting for my daughter’s Etsy store.  It is a poncho for a little girl, and I am on the last round.

At our destination, the home team won on Homecoming weekend!   Sophie and the other twirlers twirled fire lit batons at the Pep Rally Friday night.  Scary and amazing.

Here is a picture of Daughter, Granddaughter, and Grandma at the game:

The “gun” hand signal is Texas Techs’  “Guns Up” done by every fan in the stadium to cheer on the Red Raiders.  Lots of cheering enthusiastic fans.  Much fun was had by all.

What are you having fun doing?  Please join in below for today’s  Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  We love to see your quilts and hear from you.  Thank you to all of the bloggers who participate.  You are appreciated.

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Design Wall Monday - October 17, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!  I am in Virginia this morning to meet with The Churn Dashers of Tidewater Virginia.  Unfortunately, it is our last meeting, as we have decided to disband.  We are all getting older, and feel this is best.  There is a time for everything, and as we get older, we realize there is a time to let some things go.

But, since I am now in Virginia, and not at home, I wrote this post Saturday before I left.

And when it's the Third Weekend in October, I must talk about this quilt again.  It was a lot of fun to make, and it now resides with my Grandson Hunter.

I blogged about quilting it  (Here)  and again (Here) when I repaired a hole that his dog chewed through it.

The designer is Ruth Powers and her website if you want to buy the pattern is (Here)

And this is a picture of the backyard woods taken from the living room window on Saturday:  

Hope you are enjoying the beauty outside wherever you are.  There is always something beautiful to see in nature.  

What quilts are you working on during this beautiful October day?  I hope you will join the Design Wall Monday Linky Party and show us.  I appreciate all of you who participate.  Thank you so much.  I will be back home on Tuesday, and will catch up with reading your posts then.

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Design Wall Monday - October 10, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

This week I made lots of square-within-a-square blocks.  All of the smaller ones (2 inch square finished size) are now attached to the doll quilt, as shown below:

The doll quilt is now 20” by 28”.  I don’t know yet how it will be quilted.

The larger border blocks  (4 inch square finished size) are all made for the large quilt, and the top and bottom border blocks have been added to the quilt.  There are 24 blocks made for each side strip that are soon to be added to the two sides.

80” by 96” will be the final size of the big quilt (in theory)….I will measure it when it is finished.

FYI:  The paper-piecing method I used to make the border blocks requires cutting off little triangle corners.  You know I couldn’t throw them away!  Here is a picture of the cut off pieces, which will go into a future small quilt/doll quilt with lots of hsts.

October is really a beautiful month in Michigan.  Here is a picture of the start of the color show from the Maples in our yard.

What is happening on your design wall?  I really enjoy reading your blogs and looking at all the pictures.  Your participation in the Design Wall Mondays Linky Party is really appreciated.  Thank you so much!

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Design Wall Monday - October 3, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

It is now October, and I planted three big mums out in front, and brought out the terracotta clay jack o 'lanterns and put them on the front porch.  Fall here we come!

I got a lot accomplished this week - although I changed plans a bit on the border for the two May Day Baskets quilts.  I made 4 inch square-within-a-square blocks for the small doll quilt, put them around it on the design wall and took a picture:

Something is not right.  I decided the border blocks were too big, and so I took them down and put them around the big May Day Basket quilt.  And I liked the border there much better!  But that means I need to make a lot more of the 4 inch square-within-a-square blocks to go all the way around the big quilt.  I haven't figured out how many yet - but a bunch!

Please excuse my feet in this picture, I didn't notice this until I posted it here, and hope you will excuse my socks.  My design wall was the floor, since the Benjamin Biggs Wedding quilt was on the design wall.

And back to the doll quilt, if the 4 inch blocks were too big, I decided to try 2 inch square-within-a-square blocks.  I made two and put them on the design wall for a picture.  I felt like Goldilocks trying out the three bear's porridge.  The small blocks are just right! 

Which of course means I have to make about twice as many blocks, to go all the way around the doll quilt.   Maybe 44 blocks.  But since I have made 2, I only have 42 to go!  But now I know it is exactly what I want and I am excited to  get these two quilt tops finished.  Yeah!

What have you been doing since October started?  I so enjoy reading your blogs and looking at all of your pictures.  Thanks for joining in our Design Wall Mondays LInky Party.  I appreciate you.

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Design Wall Monday - September 26, 2022

 Good Morning Quilters!

I got a little bit further toward my goals this week, and plan to have  the border on the May Day Basket Doll Quilt by next Monday's post.  

Here is my progress on the doll quilt border:

And here is my one flower and its four leaves start on a Benjamin Biggs Wedding Quilt block.     I will try to have it finished by next Monday.

It has four flowers like this and four separate oak leaves.  I feel I am getting a little bit better at needle turn applique.  Hurrah!  It is true that the way to learn something is practice, practice, practice..........and this quilt is giving me practice.

What's up on your design wall this Monday?  I have enjoyed reading your blogs this last week.  Such a mix of different projects and I like all of them!  Your fall projects have me itching to make something with fall colors.  Maybe I will sneak in a little fall doll quilt before the weekend.  

Please join in the Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and tell us what you are doing.  As always, I would like you to link back to this particular blog post (not just to my blog in general) and it would be extra nice if you invite others to come here and see all the other Design Wall Monday blog posts.  Thank you for participating.  

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Design Wall Monday - September 19, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

I am back to spending time in my quilt room and it feels so good.  I did finish the block I was working on for the Benjamin Biggs quilt.  Here it is:  

The next block I am going to work on:  Block #8:

It has a funny shaped little flower and two kinds of leaves.  I am sure it will challenge me.

The other quilt I want to pick up and finish is adding borders to the May Day Basket quilt.  I finished the companion doll quilt and am experimenting with it to see if I like the border (before I tackle the large quilt border).  Here are two pictures….(1) of the doll quilt 

and (2) my preliminary pattern for a border.  A square within a square that will finish at 4 inches.  It will be green in the center with four white corners.  I need to make 24.  I thought of making them 2 inches square, but that would mean making 48.  We will see how these look. 

What are you planning for this coming week?  And what did you do since last Monday that you can show us?

I so enjoy looking at all of your projects.  Thank you for joining the Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  And double thank you to those of you who mention Design Wall Monday in your post and also link back to this post.   

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Design Wall Monday - September 12, 2022

Good Morning Quilters!

Here is a picture of my design wall, and it has been at this stage of progress, or should I say “non-progress” for a while.  My goal this week is to add another block.

Very slow progress, but this week I am enthused again to make more blocks.  This block only needs three flowers appliquéd and it will be ready to add to the wall.

I am still sorting and cleaning out my “stuff” left from combining cabin things and home things,  My first goal is always to sort:  “put like things together”. “like with like”.  When I do that, my next step is to shake my head and wonder why do I have so many things?  For instance, lint rollers….why do I have five?  Who knows, there may be more, I’m not finished cleaning all the house.    It does feel good to sort and make order and donate extra things.  I am keeping two.  One and a spare.

What are you working on this week?  The blog posts were great this past week.  You showing me your progress was the inspiration that got me back to making blocks for the Benjamin Biggs Quilt.  Thank you.  

Please link below to join our Design Wall Mondays Linky Party.  You make me so happy.  Thank you for your faithfulness.  We are blessed!  You get a gold star on your forehead if you link back to this blog post from within your blog, and also mention Design Wall Monday in your blog.   (It is just an imaginary gold star, but I give imaginary ones to myself all the time, and they really make me feel good.)

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