Back In Action

Bernie is back home and I've been busy sewing.  I had no idea I was so addicted to my craft.  Alas, I am so just go with it, right?

I did some more practice with free motion quilting for the FMQ Challenge.  

 I'm getting closer to applying it to the FMQ Challenge sampler and posting.  Diane Gaudynski is an awesome free motion quilter and her books really gave me confidence.  I got both of them, Guide to Machine Quilting and Quilt Savy from the library.  I ended up buying Quilt Savy for my personal library.  Whenever I need a boost in confidence, Diane will be in my sewing room to help me out.

I finished the New Beginnings Mini Quilt Swap and it's ready to send off.  I gave you a little tease of the fabrics a while back when I was cutting for this project.

 Here is the finished project.

 You can't see it on this picture but I machine quilted circles inside the dark squares and smaller circles inside the four-patch lighter squares.  Instead of marking the circles with a marker, I used freezer paper.  I have a love/hate relationship with markers of all kinds except the air erasable kind.  But with dark fabrics, that type of marker won't do the job.  The freezer paper approach works really well.

 I used a turquoise metallic thread in the top and the bobbin.  The trick with using metallics is to sew slowly so you don't saw through the thread.  I put a greenish-blue batik on the back and the thread gave it a nice bling.

 The photo doesn't do it justice.  Sorry for that.  But, I'm very pleased with the end result.  

The pattern is called "Batik Fun" and is in Fat-Quarter Quilting by Lori Smith.  Lots of neat projects in this book.  I've done two of them and they turn out beautiful.

My valentine took me away from the stove yesterday but it's "hello, stove" today.  Time to start dinner.   Let's see..meat loaf or burgers?  

It was a foggy, foggy night

Woke up this morning to fog, again.  It's been foggy around here for the past few days because of warmer temps than normal and a cold ground, I suppose.  I took this picture late this morning when it wasn't too foggy anymore.

 This was a close-up of the cattle in the field.  There is the roof of the barn behind them but you can't see it.  Those girls are starting to have their calves already.

Yesterday I took the Bernina in for a checkup.  Haven't done that in a while and decided it was time.  This morning I set up the Featherweight because I wanted to get the border on the scrappy quilt I started.

I really like this little guy.  I wish it could talk and tell me where it has been.  It's over 60 years old and it still hums along  nicely just like me.  I purchased it from a quilter who was moving and needed to downsize a bit.  I didn't think of asking her where she got it.  I did get the border on the quilt top.

 I am so pumped about using my scraps to make quilts.  I had just enough of the border material to apply 3" borders.  Woot-Woot.


Bernie won't be ready to pick up until next week so I should use the time wisely.  Let's see, I could sort all the laces.  I have wayyy too much of that.  And my sister informed me that when she moves she's giving me her stash of French lace that she has collected over the years.  I can't say no to that, although what I will do with it I haven't a clue.  I could cut one of my projects waiting for me in the project basket so it's ready to sew when Bernie comes home.  Or, I could work on cards.  I have everything spread out and ready to go.  Or, maybe doing disgusting jobs around the house?  NOT.

Scrappy Result

Remember this?

Some of that is now this

The pattern is called Friendship Stars and it's from Sally Schneider's book Crazy for Scraps.  I used 2" blocks and 3 1/2" blocks.  It's not backed or quilted yet but I'm so happy that my scraps are being used.  Whoop-Whoop.