Tora is one of the young women that work with my daughter that I have been wanting to make a quilt but I just keep forgetting.  Those ladies work so hard for half the pay they are worth so I like to do something for them every now and then, even if it’s just lunch.

This fabric is from a Kansas Studio layer cake package I got in WV and the colors are so pretty.  The green just happens to be the color of her sofa.   Super easy pattern I wanted to do for an online group – Missouri Star Starburst I think it’s called.   Quilted with a simple outline in the colored pieces and a ribbon border.    She loved it and that’s all that matters.   Didn’t get a picture but it has a pretty chocolate batik backing.

Sen the rest of the layer cake to my sexy sister Jill.  One day that same fabric will likely pop up in one of her quilts.

 

As quilters I think we all have more plans than we have time. We all buy that amazing must have fabric then we buy more and many times it’s years before we see pieces again as they are buried so deep in our fabric stash.   In an attempt to organize, I tried making a list but found it seemed overwhelming.  There were so many planned quilts and pretty fabrics bought that you get to a point where you find you put it aside as there are so many, you don’t know where to start or you can’t make a decision on which is next.  Then, they end up buried again as it’s easier to start on that new fabric you just bought.  At least that’s how it works in mind.  I’ll grab a pattern then think of another or decide I don’t wanna make that one right now then I end up getting something new as it’s easier not to decide.   I also have some eye issues and I don’t know for sure how long I will accurately be able to cut pieces out.  I started worrying I’d have all this amazing fabric and can’t make up my mind, or I can’t cut them.

With that in mind I decided to start pulling patterns and finding fabrics for them.  I especially wanted to cut up all those red, white and blues I had purchased.   So I set about a plan for when I didn’t want to sew.  I took the plastic shoe boxes my wonderful sister Jill gave me, pulled a pattern, added fabrics and set to work.  I cut the fabrics, marked what pattern I was making then made myself pre-cut quilt kits.  This way if I can’t cut later or I don’t want to cut, I have quilts already cut, boxed and ready to start sewing.  Unfortunately by the time I stopped to organize them I realized I had made up 49 kits and never touched the fabric in the cabinet.

This still didn’t resolve my problem of “I can’t make up my mind”.  I pulled one out and immediately said oh I don’t wanna do that one now and put it back.  SOOOOOOO, I had a brainstorm.  I took the labels off all the boxes and added a number instead. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.  Then I made a ticket with each number on it and put it in a bowl.   I’ve committed to myself to make whatever number comes out of the bowl each time. I’m even going to post what it is on my quilting group as a form of accountability.

I have a couple of projects that are already on the to do list like a quilt along starting in November, a queen panel I want to design a quilt around and a few to quilt but whenever I’m at a nothing planned stage, I will pull a box and that one is up next.

Now I just need about 100 more plastic boxes.

Just finally finished this up for a co-worker of my daughter.   I’m not sure why I decided to make her one except I thought of her when I saw the fabric.  When you see her you immediately think of that one cool chick you knew in the 60’s and she wasn’t even born then.  I saw those dots and they were so outside my normal fabric choices but I thought I have to try them.

That was about 2+ years ago then I realized I had lost the pattern.  Turns out the designer had a you tube video so it is finally done and Shannon delivered it Saturday.  Never heard from her so just hope she liked it.   I think it turned out great.

I took the picture outside and it really made the fabrics look drab so I included a close up that shows how bright and fun they were.

Over the past 5 years I’ve raffled one or 2 quilts a year and donated the money raised to a local family that has serious medical bills.  They have always done pretty well just passing it around facebook but this go round it seems to have possibly run it’s course as we have only a handful of tickets sold.   Based on this go round, I may end up putting it on hold for 2019 or simply discontinue it.  I know even if we only sell $100 in tickets that still helps a family but it doesn’t make sense to spend $200+ on fabric and months of work to raise less than the costs to make it.

This is the quilt we are raffling for the 2nd half of 2018.  Tickets sales run thru December 9th with the drawing December 10.  So far we have about $80 in sales and an additional $220 one person purchased.  I was oping to equal the May one that hit $1,300 but it looks unlikely.   It’s a bargello heart made in blues, greens and browns.   Queen size – 100% quilt shop quality fabrics and quilted in white poly thread.  The fabrics are so much prettier in person.

Last year we made quilts for Houston after Hurricane Harvey went thru.   My friend Wess who lives in Houston was kind enough to help us distribute them so I thought he needed one for his new apartment as well.   Unfortunately we had Hurricane Irma after that so I didn’t get any more made so I used some of the red white and blues for his as well.   Hoping to get it washed and in the mail this week.    Quilted this one with an all over star pattern in white thread.

 

I asked our pastor if the church could gift the oldest man and women veteran in our church a quilt for the veterans day service.   Robert made one top and I made one and quilted them both.   I think they came out very nice and hope they will get handed out.    Hoping to wash and deliver to church this Sunday.

This was my first attempt at making a round quilt.  The way the pattern is cut you end up actually getting 2 identical quilts from the same fabric.  I gifted one to a wonderful lady in our monthly craft group since she loved green.  The other will go to my amazing sister Jill.   She has this awesome large round table in her living room so I added a little red to the center so it tied into her red sofa as well.    The orange is just a background fabric, not part of the quilt.

Now that I see making a round one wasn’t that hard, I’ll eventually try my hand at that phoenix pattern I have.

No reason.  I just post him cause he’s so cute.   Any time you get a quilt out to do the binding he and Merlin have to fight over who gets to lay on it.  He always wins cause he’ll just stand there till Merlin gets tired of him breathing on him and gets up.

And speaking of dogs.  It’s never good when your 1000 miles away and your house sitter sends these pictures.  I’m sure they rolled in cat poop.

Not only did I get to see Jill and Mark again but I convinced Shannon and Robert to come along.   We had such a great time.  Jill and Mark came up with some great places to visit.  We spent one day visiting a safari like place where the animals are left to live in their natural habitat rather than in cages.  The next day we went and visited the famous Trans Alagheny Lunatic Asylum.   Wow not only was it really amazing to see how ornate and well built those places were, but to hear the history and things like how simple it was to have someone committed was great.

We got to meet Jill’s mom and dad. What a wonderful couple and so sweet.   I need to make him a pirate quilt.  Our last day we got to visit Aunt Bonnie and hubby Jack in Hurricane WV.  They are just the sweetest couple you’d ever meet.  Even got to deliver her the Blenko glass fish I found in Georgia.    But as always, the highlight of our trip was getting to spend time with Jill and Mark.  Shannon and Robert even found me a little antique iron in a local shop in Ohio.

 

I would like to say I’m too busy but the truth is, I forget to come here and add to my blog.  Trying to get better about that.

I have a neighbor that owns the duplex next door and has been so kind to cut my grass all summer – for free.  Figured the least I could do was make him something that said thank you.  Finally got it delivered yesterday.