Design Wall Monday - June 16, 2025

 Good Morning Quilters!

Yesterday was Father’s Day, and also our wedding anniversary.  We have been married 62 years!  It seems impossible, but there it is.  June 15, 1963……..to June 15, 2025…….and as in the story books, we have lived happily ever after.  I am so blessed.

Quiltwise, I have had another productive week.  First, the Cousin’s Walk appliqué quilt was worked on again, and I made progress on finishing up one of the border corners.  Here is a picture of my progress…..a yellow flower to sew down, and another leaf to add on the opposite side of the vine, and this part will be finished.  There is one more border corner to work on.  

Re the design wall, I finished the first six rows of the Indigo/Shirting Jane Stickle blocks, and took them off the wall.  I am excited to get the final seven rows up there to see what blocks I am missing.  Here the six rows are before I put them away.

But the log cabin blocks were stacked on the floor, staring at me.  So, I put the log cabin blocks up, and here is a picture of the design wall now:

The block arrangement is called Barn Raising, and I found I needed two more blocks to finish the plan.  So I made them, and am now sewing the blocks together into a quilt top.  The blocks finish at 7.5 inches square, with the logs at 3/4 inch wide.  Do you like a border around a log cabin quilt or not?  I haven’t decided yet.

The little doll quilt (half the size of these blocks) has been moved to the “design floor” area near the design wall.  It will be assembled next.  So it was a good week, and I am happy.

What is happening in your quilt room?  So many great projects going on at your house.  I really enjoy reading your blogs and looking at your pictures.  Thanks for participating in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party this last week.  Join again below and show us “whatcha got”

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Design Wall Monday - June 9, 2025

 Good Morning Quilters!

Today I am having cataract surgery on my right eye.  Please pray that it goes well, and that my eyes will be well again soon so I can continue quilting.  The surgeon said I should be able to see colors more clearly after surgery, so that should be a good quilting thing!  If all goes well, the left eye will be done two weeks from now.

Progress has been made on my two UFOs up on the design wall.  I made the remaining four blocks for the log cabin doll quilt.  Next, it will be sewn together into a top.  The blocks finish at 3 and 3/4 inches square with the little “logs” finishing at 3/8 inch each.  The doll quilt should measure 22.5 inches square before I bind it.  It was fun to make.

The large log cabin blocks (over 100 of them) will go up on the design wall soon.  The larger log cabin blocks will finish at 7.5 inches square.

The Jane Stickle indigo and shirting quilt squares are coming along nicely.  It is true that seeing it on the design wall makes me want to finish squares to fill the holes.  I next need to make five more blocks so that the row A through F are complete.  Each little 4.5 inches square block is a challenge to make and I enjoy filling up the holes in each row.  When the next five blocks are made, I will take this half down and put the rows G through M up on the design wall.  Here is a picture of what the design wall looks like today:

And here is what the rows looked like last Monday:

What are you working on this week?  Please join our Desgn Wall Linky Party below and show us.  Thank you all for participating so faithfully to our Monday  group gatherings.  You are all so amazing.  

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Design Wall Monday - June 2, 2025

Good Morning Quilters!

June is here and my quilt mojo is back, so I’ve been very productive.  The log cabin blocks have multiplied to more than 100 blocks.  These blocks will finish at 7.5 inches square.

They are awaiting their time on the design wall.  There is no room because the design wall has my indigo and shirting Jane Stickle quilt blocks on it - at least the first six rows:

I have made at least five blocks since I last took a photo, and having it on the design wall is motivating me to fill in the gaps.  Three rows are now complete.  I could even start sashing them.

The doll quilt log cabin blocks (that finish at 3 and 3/4 inch square) are almost completed.  I need only four more blocks, and that won’t take long.  

The doll quilt blocks are on the design wall:

And my red work “Snowmen A to Zzzzz” quilt blocks now number four completed ones:

So I am feeling very productive once again.  But it is all part of the ebb and flow of life, isn’t it?  Some weeks are filled with other parts of life, and some weeks are filled with quilting.  Life is good, either way.

I hope you will be encouraged by my progress.  I know you all encourage me when I look at your blogs and see all of your quilts and blocks in progress.  Thank you for joining our Design Wall Monday Linky Party and showing us what you are working on.  We appreciate you!

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Design Wall Monday - May 26, 2025

 Today is Memorial Day.  A day set aside to honor those who gave their lives in service to our country.  It used to be called Decoration Day and I remember going to the cemetery for a memorial service each year.  My father wore his Army uniform from WWII and was proud to be part of the memorial service.  I also remember the 21 gun salute and how loud the gunshots were.

Now, as I age, I do not go to the cemetery on Memorial Day, but I pray a prayer of thanks for all the brave ones who gave their lives for our country.  

The Flanders Field American Cemetery and Memorial is located in Belgium and has graves of Americans who died in WWI.  

This week I sewed more Log Cabin blocks and also embroidered another redwork snowman block for my Christmas quilt.  It was a very productive week.  How about you?  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and let us know what you are  doing this week.

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Design Wall Monday - May 19, 2025

Good Morning Quilters!

This past week, I worked more on appliqué leaves and flowers for the Cousin’s Walk quilts.  I have one end of two of the borders yet to do, and am feeling the surge to finish it.  So glad that I am working on it again.

Here are the ends of two borders that are now finished:

The second project ongoing is the UFO of Log Cabin.blocks.  I made 10 more blocks that will finish at 7.5 inches square.  While sewing them, I wondered what little blocks would look like.  You know I like to make little blocks.  

So, dividing the measurements in half, resulted in little blocks that finish at 3 3/4 inches square.  Here are two blocks side by side:

And here are ten of the little blocks on my design wall:

I had fun making them, and have started the next 10 blocks in each side.  There is something soothing about adding strips to a block on the sewing machine.  And batching them in tens makes the completion count go faster.

What are you working on this week?  There were lots of beautiful pictures and interesting blog posts last week.  Thank you for participating.  I am looking forward to reading what you post this week.  Join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below.

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Design Wall Monday - May 12, 2025

 Happy Mother’s Day to you!

Last week I got out my UFO log cabin quilt blocks.  I looked back on my blog posts and the last time I had this project out was February, 2021.

But last week, the simplicity of adding strips of dark and light fabric around a center red square was just what I needed.  Here is a picture of the 200 center squares that were the start of this project many years ago:

I had only about 16 blocks (that will finish at 7.5” square) before this week, and made some good progress on 10 more blocks.  Here is a picture of the 10 blocks partially finished:  

 

When complete, there are four lights or four darks around the center.  I hope to get these 10 blocks completed this week.  It is fun to use so many different fabrics in a quilt, and I am once again having fun quilting.

How about you?  Hope to see your blog posts and project pictures in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  Thank you so much for participating.  And Happy Mother’s Day!

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Design Wall Monday - May 5, 2025

 Good Morning Quilters!

I worked a little bit this week on the unfinished border on Cousin’s Walk.  Slow and steady is the plan for this project, as somehow, I don’t want it to end.  

Here are the two borders I am working on:

I have still been knitting dish cloths and tried a pattern that looks like herringbone.  I made one in turquoise and it was not the size I like, and I also made some mistakes in the pattern.   Then I tried another, but ran out of  yarn before finishing it.  I have started my third dish cloth in this pattern, and I know I have enough of this yarn to finish it.  And by working this pattern three times, I have figured out the pattern so I don’t have to refer to the directions all the time, (and not make so many mistakes).  Here is a picture of all three:

Thanks for joining our Design Wall Linky Party again this week.  My design wall has my blue and shirting Jane Stickle blocks on it, and no blocks joined the ones already there this past week.  I hope to see some pretty quilts on your design walls.  Or just pictures of what you are working on.  I appreciate your participation every week.  Thanks!

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Design Wall Monday - April 28, 2025

Good Morning Quilters!

I confess I am in a quilting slump right now.  There was no progress on the two UFOs that I have out this month.  But I did make a little progress on a Snowmen A to Z redwork block.  This block is finished except for the shading of lines on the big letter B:

Since I was not working on the Cousin’s Walk appliqué quilt or the Jane Stickle blue and shirting quilt, what was I doing?  I knitted dish cloths.  They are made of 100% cotton yarn, and are easy to make.  I made one……then another……and am half way on a third.  I shall continue until my quilting mojo returns.  Here’s a picture:

I have a notebook full of dish cloth patterns collected through the years.  

What have you been making this week?  It is always so interesting to read your blogs and look at your project pictures.  Thanks so much for joining our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  Click below to join again this week.

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Design Wall Monday - April 21, 2025

Good morning Quilters!

Happy Easter!    

This week has been busy with family and church activities, so quilting has taken a back seat for me.

All I have to show you is a little progress on my redwork Christmas alphabet quilt project.  Here are two completed blocks and a third in progress:

C for Candy Canes

H for Holly Berries

And the one I’m working on now….B for Bells

As I said before, it was a slow week, quilting wise.  As for humor, there was an abundance of that with me, as usual.  Here is one example.  

Every Easter I make a lamb cake,  using a mold in the shape of a lamb.  I decorate it with white frosting, coconut, jelly beans for eyes, and usually a necklace.  A grandson helped me dye coconut green for grass, and we spread jelly bean eggs in the grass around the lamb.  This year’s lamb was listing a little bit to the left, but seemed to be stable when we finished.  Our son took a picture:

Well, about a half hour before dinner, my son laughed and told me that the lamb’s head had fallen off!  The Grandkids thought it was very funny, and the Great Grandson was only 2 and took no notice of the tradegy.  Here is the lamb before we served him as dessert:

Happy Easter cake was enjoyed by all.  What is happening in your life this week?  Please join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and tell us what you are doing.  I am so happy you all participate and we get a peek into your lives.  Thank you.

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Design Wall Monday - April 14, 2025

 Good Morning Quilters!

Last week, Rebecca Grace  (RebeccaGraceQuilting.com)  talked about Jane Stickle’s quilt on her blog, and also linked her post to our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  Thank you Rebecca for that post.  I recommend we all read her post…..lots of info about this quilt.  If you want to read about my first Jane Stickle quilt, you can read my post about mine (Here)

I put my second version Jane Stickle Quilt blocks on my design wall last week, at least part of them.  I hope this will give me incentive to finish this quilt.  I started by randomly picking a block to do, when I found one that looked like fun.  But now it is time to fill in the holes, and get complete rows finished.  There are 13 blocks in each row, and what you see here are the first 6 rows.  I have row A and row F blocks complete.  This quilt is quite a journey, but I enjoy each block - they are so interesting, and I learn so much.

I made this quilt in the colors and fabric designs very similar to the original quilt when I first made it.  My second version, above, will be made with shirting fabrics and blues.  If I had thought about it sooner, I would have planned dark/light blocks to show a “trip around the world” pattern in the block layout.  I could do it now, if I changed the order of the blocks, to put the darker ones in some sort of diamond order.  I look at this quilt as a great learning tool.  I have learned so much making the first one, and am refining my skills in this second version.

The weather is getting warmer finally, and I worked out in my flower bed yesterday.  It was so nice to be outside.    The wreath on the front door had some wrens perching on it and singing, so I have taken the wreath inside for a few days - to help them find a more suitable place to build a nest.  

My birthday is Wednesday, and I will be 82.  There are still so many quilts that I want to make, and time passes so quickly.  I may have to give some UFO’s away as I think  about all the ones in my stash.  But I love them all.  

To start my birthday week, hubby and I are going out to breakfast today with a dear neighbor and her husband.  She and I have the same birthdate…. (but mine of course,  is several years before hers).  So the four of us celebrate by going out for breakfast sometime near our mutual birthdays.  

What are you sewing…..starting, working on, or finishing?  Join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us.  Thank you all for participating.  It is a pleasure to read about your projects and look at your pictures.  Hope you have a great week.

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Design Wall Monday - April 7, 2025

Good Morning Quilters!

I just got home from a quilt retreat.  Each time I go, I work on blocks for a Jane Stickle quilt.  I cut the book “Dear Jane” apart, and have each of the book’s block picture by each of my blocks.  I am a little over half way making the 169 blocks for this quilt.  Here are the blocks I completed at the retreat:

The blocks finish at five inches each.  Since I got this UFO out to work on at the retreat, I think I will leave it out and work on it some more.  I am re-inspired.  Yeah!

Several ladies attending the retreat are each making the same quilt, Cousin’s Walk.  I have been struggling to finish mine up.  Here are pictures of some of the ladies and their versions of the quilt.  Each quilt has a charm of its own.

I think I missed a few of the ladies and their quilts, it was an impromptu show out in the hallway.  They are all so interesting.  

What is on your design wall this week?  Mine is empty, but I will be inspired by your pictures.  Thank you so much for participating in our Design Wall Monday Party.  You are a blessing to me.

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Design Wall Monday - March 31, 2025

 Good Morning Quilters!

My design wall is empty today, but I am nearing the end of an appliqué quilt.  The last time I posted about this quilt was in early February, and at that time, I was nearly finished with the borders.  See post (Here). For some unexplained reason, I quit working on it, and put it aside.  I don’t know why, but sometimes when I am very near the end of a quilt, I slow down.  

Anyway, I am working on it again, and I am showing you here.  The larger tulip flower was only on one of the borders in the original pattern, but I liked it so much that there is going to be a larger tulip on all four of my quilt borders.

The borders are sewed on to the quilt center, and I have two corners to add a few flowers to.

Have you ever stopped working on a project when you are right near the end?  It might be “fear of failure”  or “ fear of success”.  I think I have a little bit of both.  lol

This week I am getting ready to go on a retreat.  When I go on a retreat, i usually make a small gift for each person sitting at the table with me.   I will show you my project next week, as I want to wait until they are gifted before I post about them.  I am curious about quilty gifts you have received/gifted.  What was a gift you made for others, or received that you really liked?

Thank you all for your participation in our Design Wall Monday Linky Party.  There is so much talent in your posts, and I look forward each week to seeing and reading about your projects.  Thank you!  

Link up below to join in again this week.  

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Design Wall Monday - March 24, 2025

Good Morning Quilters!

I have no quilting related blog post today because I watched basketball all week and have nothing to show you.  The good news is our team won yesterday and is going on to a Sweet Sixteen game this coming weekend.  So please carry on without me and I will enjoy your blog posts.  Hopefully, I will make some progress this week.

For a picture, I bought some spring bulbs in bloom because I am so ready for spring and it hasn’t come yet.  So here is my cheerful group of flowers on the dining room table:

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Design Wall Monday - March 17, 2025

Good Morning Quilters!

Yesterday the teams were announced for the NCAA Basketball Tournament know as “March Madness”.  I am working on a red work project during my basketball watching month.  While I watched the Big 10 tournament this last week, one block was completed and another one partially completed.  

The quilt will be made of Christmas alphabet blocks, and here is the letter C is for Candy Canes block:

Partial completion on the letter H for Holly Berries block:

My design wall continues to be empty.  But I will show you the last quilt that was on it.  I am helping my friend Claire’s granddaughter, Sammy, with her first attempt at a quilt.  Here is Sammy and her quilt start on my design wall at our last meeting:  

She cut off-white sashing pieces, and is at home sewing the quilt top together.  She is practicing her 1/4 inch seam sewing skills.  She hopes to visit me next week with a completed quilt top.  

What is on your design wall?  Join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below and show us what you are working on.  Great participation last week; thank you all so much.

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Design Wall Monday - March 10, 2025

 Good Morning Quilters!

This week starts the “mini-March Madness” with all the college conference basketball championships……before the grand 64 team “March Madness” that follows all the conference tournaments.  I looked through my UFOs to find a project that I can work on through all the game time-outs and half-time breaks.  This is what I got out:

It has Christmas themed alphabet blocks with snowmen.  Have any of you made this quilt?  The pattern has been in my stash for quite a while, and I have prepped a few blocks to get me through the Big Ten Tournament this week.  It is from 2009 by Meg Hawkey for Crabapple Hill Studio.  I plan to embroider it in all red floss, as it will make it much easier to work on, and I like red on a Christmas quilt.  

I prep embroidery using a light pencil drawing using a light box.  My embroidery floss usually covers the pencil lines completely.  Here is my first block, just penciled on fabric, using a light box:

What are you up to this week?  I encourage you to keep working on a project or two each week.  Even though progress seems slow some weeks, the reverse is also true; some weeks progress goes very fast.  Also, your posts are so inspiring to the rest of us.  Thank you for participating each week.  

It is supposed to get up to the mid-70s this week in Grand Rapids, MI, and I am so ready to feel the warmth.  Spring always makes me feel better, and I am ready.

Join our Design Wall Monday Linky Party below, and let us know if you have any signs of spring at your house.  

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Design Wall Monday - March 3, 2025

Good Morning Quilters!

Spring is not here yet, but I am so ready for it.  The birds are singing outside, and the sun is shining brightly, so I know it is coming soon.

My design wall is completely empty right now, but I am in the process of getting out another UFO to put up there.  So rather than show you an empty design wall, I will show you a picture of a spring themed quilt I made and gave to a friend a few years ago.  Here it is:

We are big fans of college basketball, and were given tickets to watch Michigan State play Wisconsin yesterday in East Lansing. 

Here’s a picture to show you we are great fans of MSU:

It was a close game, and Michigan State won, so it was a fun day.  March is filled with basketball games for all the college teams, so the next UFO that I get out to work on needs to be something that I can work on while sitting thru halftimes of basketball games.  The Bg Ten Tournament is coming soon, and then the NCAA Tournament, March Madness. 

This last week’s linky party had lots of participants, and one was a mystery to me.  Somehow my blog was one of the linkups to our Design Wall Monday Linky Party!  I have no idea how I joined my own link up, but it was a mistake.  So, not counting my entry, we had 27 linkups.  Great job ladies!  I appreciate all of you so much.  Thanks for showing us what you are working on this week.  Please join below and we can see what you are working on.  You are all so talented!

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Design Wall Monday - February 24, 2025

 Good Morning Quilters!

The Collection for a Cause - Community quilt is now sewn together into a quilt top.  Despite all my mistakes, I am happy to have it ready to be quilted.  It turned out to be 78” by 80”, almost square.  If I had cut the diamonds correctly, the kit should have resulted in a quilt that would be 69” by 83”.  So I am happy with it, in spite of  all the twists and turns,  If you want to know more, you could search my blog for previous posts in January, 2025.  

Here is the quilt top on the design wall:

I am also making progress of sewing the borders on the Cousin’s Walk bird quilt.  I decided to sew the borders onto the quilt before I finish the final flowers at the end of the borders.  Here is my first mitered corner:

What are you moving onto or off of your design wall this week?  It was great participation on our  linkup last week, with 25 blogs showing lots of beautiful quilting projects.  Thank you all for participating.  I appreciate reading about and seeing your work.  

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