September 22

And here it is almost the end of September already.

Mostly this month has been devoted to designing new patterns.  The first four are finished, printed and ready to ship.

Jewels on the Wind Butterflies will feature ten butterfly blocks and one flower block for the center.  Here are the first four.

Thanks to Linda for the inspiration and Mary Kay for help in color selection.

Next up is a quilt show the first weekend in Oct. so must get busy with that as well. 

The new patterns go up on the new web site next. So until next time 

Hugs to all.

August 18, 2015

Another busy week has gone by with some progress.  Yesterday I actually got four (count them 4) things actually accomplished.  I paid bills, went to the grocery store, downloaded two audio books from the library for our evening entertainment, then finished my pillow for August and made the insert to go in it.

Add to that this week I finished another of my quilt guild BOM blocks. Yep still behind three, but did get the latest one drafted up and sent off to some of the other members. 

Then I made mug rugs.  These are out of scrap trimmings from a pillow and a design test for another wall hanging I am contemplating.  I made the pink ones larger because some people use the large drink coolers instead of just a cup.

Check out the pillow talk tab above to see this month's pillow, and the web site tab to see the latest additions on the new web page.

Please have a great day.
Geri

August 9, 2015

Wow July just flew by without me even noticing it. 

I have been buried in things to do and I'm still not caught up.

The first of July I spent a week with my mom in Missouri.  At least it was a productive week, I got to see three of my four children a couple of my grandchildren and worked on paperwork for mom.  She is 94 now and pretty much can't see.  Otherwise she is doing well.

Once I got home I have been buried.  I had two weeks to make a decision on my web site, and decided I needed a new one.  That learning curve is pretty steep but the new site is now up.  There is still a lot to do, but you can now go and see.  Any comments are welcome.  Just click on the tab above to go and take a look.  Also until I have everything loaded there is free shipping on everything.

I am a month behind on my FMQ pillow for July, although I am making some progress there.  I hope to finish that this coming week.

Then I am three months behind on the guild BOM.  Started but not anywhere near finished.

So what else have I been up to you might ask?  The answer is below.  Three custom pieces for a customer that really likes to quilt but not applique.  So I do the applique send them to her and she quilts and frames them.

Last but not least I finally got my pegboard organized.  You know one of those projects you are going to do someday.  Here is the finished project the before was not pretty. 

Well off to work more on the web site, my July pillow, and BOM blocks.

June 26, 2015

Today I finally finished a pattern inventory so now maybe I can find what I need.

Earlier I finished a piece for a friend .  The center is a piece of cotton sateen that worked up really well.  The knot work is a poly deco thread with the background done in #100 kimono silk, outlined in gold metallic and beads, lots of beads.

Diane Gadinsky's celtic circles really set it all off even though each one is a start and stop.

Next week I am off to visit my 94 year old mom.  She keeps perking along.  So I plan on taking at least one of the BOM projects along.  That is if I get it traced off.

Contest Results

Am I on Cloud 9?  You bet I am.  Yesterday I got the ribbons, and judge's comments back from the Smoky Mountain Quilters on the quilt I entered.  THIRD PLACE in the Art Quilt Catagory and, a ribbon for Surface Embellishment.

Today the quilt came back in as good a shape as it went.  Well it needs to hang a day or two from being rolled up so tightly, but no damages.

Competition was pretty stiff too.  Authors of books and winners of some major contests, WOW.

The pictures of the show winners are not up on the guild site yet tho.  Just a listing of winners.

Well off to peel labels off the mailing tube so I can send it off to Indiana in a couple of weeks.

Enjoy the pic. below the Surface Embellishment rosette is fantastic, quilted and beaded.

May 17, 2015

And another month has gone by.  I finished my BOM in time for our guild meeting this month.  Here is the finished one for April

Haven't started the one for May yet but will use the same colors.

The new pillow for May is posted above under the Pillow Talk tab.  Each month has been very fun and challenging.  Quiltshopgal.com is hosting the monthly pillow challenges come join.

Next up is a cuddle quilt for the guild.  The one I had for last month needed larger batting than I had on hand so it went back unfinished and I picked up another one that is really cute for a baby.  Will post that picture when it is finished.  Right now it is still on the cutting table ready to sandwich.

Until next time quilt to your heart's content.

Geri

Finally Finished

Whew!!!
Finally finished the latest pillow/cushion on Quilt Shop Gal's freemotion quilt challenge for April
to see the finished pillow and view the process check out the Pillow Talk tab above.

Pillows are not all though I actually went through all the drawers in the chest I use in the sewing room, amazing how much stuff just gets stuffed away.

Still waiting is a cuddle quilt for our guild, and I am currently working on a BOM at the guild too.

Slowly I will get it done this month.  Of course red is my new black.

Thanks for visiting.  Geri

Spring is here

Spring has arrived although we are expecting rain over the weekend.  Pretty standard for us Easter almost always has weather.  After that we can plan on pretty nice weather although we need rain BADLY.

My lilacs are in bloom and the butterflies are busy which inspired me to make up this little wall hanging.

It is a challenge to figure out a design for 1" sashing but the little flower and leaf vine worked well.  On the borders the celtic circles one of Diane Gaudynski's designs worked very well although there are a lot of starts and stops as each spiral begins in the center and works out.  Over all kind of fun to do.

Next up is to design another pillow for April.  This has been a fun experience and challenging.  To join this Linky party go to www.quiltshopgal.com 

Until next time have a great weekend.

March Happenings

March has been a busy month for me.  Two weeks had three days of the seven out and about.  Add to that DH and I celebrated our 53rd. anniversary (yep still have the same one.)

Three weeks were spent on this.  From the time I finished the Train Pillow till March 11 our anniversary.

The name of this one is Something Old is New Again.  The center doily is old.  Background fabric is a pale blue Fossil Fern.  Threads are YLI silk, Isacord poly.   I got really lucky and found the lace edging  at Beverlys  then spent three days beading.  The lace edge is beaded on, the diamonds have beads in the center of the cathedral windows and the inside oval is beaded twice.  Over all I am happy enough with it to enter it into the Smoky Mountain Quilt Show in Tennessee.

Oh yes MAJOR blunder not once but TWICE.  I ran off the vinyl overlay I was working on to figure out my feather spine and got Dry Erase marker on the fabric.  First time just a little, second time BIG TIME.  Back to the internet.  Murphy's Oil Soap!!! It works.  Other soap doesn't even touch it.  No trace left.

Next it was on to this month's pillow.  Just finished today.  So check out Pillow Talk above.

February Pillow

Just thought I would let everyone know that I have posted the pillow for the February FMQ Challenge on the PILLOW TALK page above.

My Doodle

Last week was busy.  Bobbie and I worked at our local quilt show for three days.  We usually do the Boutique for a couple of  hours each day which is fun, but by the time we go down and come back most of the day is gone.

We finally got some rain too.  So badly needed.  Now this week it is sunny and warm.

Yesterday I was kind of under the weather so didn't do much, just doodled some.  Here is what I came up with.  No real effort as I keep some test sandwiches sitting around.  So I just pulled one of them out of the stack, marked the circle and one diagonal line and free handed the rest.  When I started quilting I just tried different things.  After dinner I started the beading and got all but part of the flower done.  Finished that this morning.  Turned out kind of cute.


Original doodle.


















Here it is finished.  If I were to seriously do it again I think I would trapunto the flower head with the stipple on the trapunto layer then just outline when I added the final backing.  Yesterday was just a play day and no real effort involved.  I do like the way the zig-zag worked for the edges of the leaves.

 

Now I am off to contemplate a design for the FMQ challenge that www.quiltshopgal.com is sponsoring.

Have a great day.  Geri

Thank You

First of all Thank you for all the terrific comments on my pillow.  It was fun to do.

Sorry it has taken so long to post but my isp cut our speed down to less than a snails pace.  Guess we used it too much.  With two of us using it and we download "a lot" of books from our library.

Anyway I have been busy with a couple of things.  I got back the Card Trick quilt from the quilter so took three days and got the binding done.

It is a twin/full size machine pieced and quilted with wool batting which is great to work with.








Although it doesn't show well in the photo the border is quilted with oak leaves and acorns.

This is the back. I like the pieced back.

Other than this I spent another three days doing a cuddle quilt for our guild.  All I had to do is quilt it as another person did the piecing.  These are great practice pieces to improve your quilting or test out a new design.

Now I am working on another small piece.  I will post that story later.

Again thank everyone for their great
 comments.

Geri

My First Pillow

Finished!!!
Today I finished my first pillow for the FMQ Challenge.  And it has been a bit of a challenge the last couple of days. 

First my Bernina decided to let me know it needed attention.  A few drops of oil later and it was humming right along.  That is until my thread started giving me fits.  Sewing right along then up pops a loop, thread shreds and breaks.  Problem the cone I was using had been wound wrong.  A phone call to Superior Threads and a new cone is on the way.  Terrific customer service. 

In the meantime I decided to remedy the problem by winding a bobbin and using that in the needle.  This works fine as long as your bobbin is wound very smooth and even.

Anyway to see the finished piece check out the Pillow Talk tab above.

Have a great day.

Geri

Happy New Year

Happy New Year
Not being one for resolutions that I probably won't keep anyway I thought I would try at least one new challenge a month this year.

So I have decided to join the quiltshopgal.com Free Motion Quilt challenge for January.
It started on Jan. 1.

If you would like to follow my progress please click on the Pillow Talk tab above.  There is where I will post my progress.