Hubby's Quilt

Thanks to Lori Holt for a great idea for a husband gift for Christmas.  Mine loves his Kubota tractor almost as much as he loves me...so this quilt is for his office...for all the times he is at his desk, wishing he were outside riding his tractor.  Lori Holt  has a tutorial for this tractor on her blog.

I used a mix of Architextures and Comma...some of my favorite lines ever!  I had to make it Kubota orange instead of John Deere green.

Still here..........

I'm much better at getting a few things done than I am at blogging.  It seems to take forever for me to download my photos...there must be an easier way.  I have been at least keeping up with the gifts I need to make and have finally started the Weekender bag!!!

These were for friends becoming new grandmothers...can't wait until it's me!  I already have the "Jennifer box" for when I get the news.

From sew alongs..............

Finally, Finally....haha...hope to finish by the end of the week!

Finally............

This quilt is finally done and hanging in the family room.  I saw this pattern on the cover of a Quick Quilts magazine while getting groceries and had to have it.  I hadn't sewn anything besides curtains in 30 years but got a new machine, ordered the kit, and made this quilt.  Then it sat, as a flimsy, while I made several other quilts as to give as gifts.  I finally took it to be quilted and am just now, about a year and a half later, enjoying it!

At the last minute...........

I am sneaking in at the last minute on a couple entries.  I haven't had much time to sew lately as we bought a new office building for my husband's Engineering Firm and moving has consumed all the time ( that I am not at my nursing job) that I would usually spend doing some sewing or knitting or even my wool applique.  Today, I managed a few hours to complete a Market Tote from the Patchwork, Please book that I so love.

I used Essex Linen, some of my coveted Japanese fabric and polka dots, my favorite go-to for any project.

I am linking up with Debbie at A Quilter's Table for the Zakka Along 2.0 sew along and at Craft Buds/Craft Book Month with my project from Patchwook, Please!  Have a great week!

4 months later.........

Even though I haven't posted since May, I have done a little sewing...but not nearly enough.  I have made 3 or 4 items from the Zakka Along 2.0, but never in time to link up....except for now.  Who would have thought that my 21 year old son would be the one asking for homemade items!!  Boggles the mind, but he did request a quilted bag for he and his girlfriend.  They had each bought a Kindle Fire, then picked their fabrics and I started in.  Was so happy to have them finished and called him to stop by after work to pick them both up.

Imagine my surprise when he called after getting to his apartment.  First thing he said was "Ever hear the saying of measure twice, cut once?" My first thought was "What did you do now, Luke?" as he is always trying to hang something new in his apartment.  Laughing, he then let me know that the Kindles were about a half inch too big to fit in the pocket.  I did measure and adjust the numbers for their kindles, but I guess I didn't figure in that the quilting would shrink things as much as it did.  Then I began the fun job of adding gussets to the pockets to save me from re-doing the entire project.  Lesson learned....too bad its from a smart-ass 21 year old.

Zakka Along 2.0

Finding Antiques

The hubby and I spent the weekend doing yard work at both the house and camp.  On Friday, after helping him put the boat in, I took advantage of being in Oakland and stopped at a little shop on my way back to the house.  I have been to the Kozy Cottage a couple of times but not since it opened for the season.  I've found some Depression glass and vintage linens in the past so was thinking that was what I may find.  Instead, I found this wonderful china hutch and buffet!

I wanted to move my smaller corner unit from the dining room into the living room to house my quilts, pincushions and linens, and find something larger for the dining room.  Unfortunately,  my dining room furniture is light oak, and all I kept seeing were darker finishes.   Plus, the new ones were upwards of $1500.00, more than I cared to spend.  This one has light oak shelving (even though it is black on the outside), and has been newly painted.  It's all solid wood and has drawers for silverware in the center section..all for $250.00!  There's room for my Depression glass and it was just what I had been looking for!....I also managed to find a cute little dresser, that I plan to restore, and some 1950's tablecloths.  This is the old china cabinet, now a nice place to display a cute baby quilt I found at a local antique shop...all one inch squares and all hand pieced and quilted....I love it.

Yard work is pretty much done......if you look closely, hubby is relaxing with a beer!

Not much sewing accomplished, I did finish the April block for the Lucky Stars quilt along and a small mini quilt from a Primitive Gatherings pattern.

Hopefully time to sew now that the household things are done.  Have a good week!

April Finishes

I had almost 2 weeks off from work...you would think I would have accomplished more!  I did, however, get to spend time with my hubby, ride in my convertible ( with the heated seats on and the heat blasting BUT the top was down), and visit some wonderful old friends in Connecticut.  Oh..there was also a spring shop hop going on in Maine, so I did visit 15 out of 37 shops and did my best to help stimulate the local economy.  These are a few of the things I did manage to complete:

A new table runner for the kitchen table from some Tilly fabric I won from Blend Fabrics a few months ago.

A computer sleeve for my son, who actually asked me to make it for him!  I was thrilled to do it and found the perfect fabric as he is a television weenie.  One of the shops in the hop gave away FQ of The Three Stooges....how appropriate for a guy project, I used it as lining.

Then there were pincushions.................

And lastly wool....which is the most relaxing thing I do!  This was from the Primitive Quilts and Projects Magazine.  My photography does not do justice to the beautiful hand dyed and mottled wool from Attic Heirlooms and Pins and Needles Quilt Shop.

  What didn't get done was the quilting and binding of my Starburst Quilt.......oh well!

A Quilt for Camp........

I'm trying not to get too excited for spring.....in Maine, there's always the danger of an April snow storm.  I did, however, make the cutest quilt for camp.....once we open it for the summer.  I used a charm pack of Lucy's Crab Shack and some dark gray Kona and then gave spiral quilting a try.  Wow........quick and easy!

I'll just keep it in my new gray living room until camp is ready!

I also tried the divided basket from Noodlehead, using some of a Notting Hill FQ bundle I had been saving.  I found some yellow polka dots for the lining....and one of my favorite prints for the divider.

More completions to come..............

Ready for Spring!

Had lots planned for the past two weeks, but plans changed when my son needed unexpected surgery.  He may be 21, but he's still my baby.  He is doing much better and is back to school and to his own apartment so I am back to sewing.

I finished this little wall hanging for one of the CNA's at work...she's a self-proclaimed "adopted daughter".  When my own daughter left to live in Europe for awhile, I was feeling lost and Rachel came to me at work and said not to worry.  She would periodically give me some attitude and let me take her shopping and it would be like Jennifer had never left!  We still laugh about it years later, and since she and her little family are raising chickens and one big rooster, this seemed appropriate.

I also did a little decorating for Easter...this little Easter quilt is a pattern I bought last year from Quilts by Cheri and never got around to doing until now.  I did my first meandering on it....after being washed and looking at it from across the room.... without my glasses on.... not too bad!

Some other Easter wools.......

And some Depression glass from some antiquing........

And my formal living room is finally back together after a new paint job...loving the gray, makes me wonder why I waited so long to change it.

Well, that's what I've been up to...besides my nurse job, haha...which is not as much fun as the above!

Starburst Quilt-a-long

Sadly, the day has arrived to show the finished product.............and all I have is a partially finished product.   I tried to get the quilting done but my repertoire is pretty much limited to, basically, straight line quilting.  I did try a meandering stitch with FMQ and picked out the mess I made and went with my old standby...which is taking forever.

Top half quilted, bottom half only pinned.

My scrappy binding is done and ready....does that count??

In my defense, I did manage to paint my living room...to make it look nice when I finally display my new quilt.  I changed the yellow for a pale gray for the walls and deep gray for the mantle.  Still have to put all the furniture back in place.

 And I shoveled more snow....yuck........

OK...done making excuses................