May Flowers

 

 

Don't you just LOVE May?  It's such a "just enough" month. 
Just enough rain .... just enough sun .... no  humidity yet. 
It's the best for ushering in summer.

I planted Cherry Tomatoes in a pot.

 

 

I get the best sun in the front of the house.
(I can hardly wait for those little Jewels!)

Quick April Recap.....Did I finish any of my April UFOs?  

Surprisingly YES (well, Almost)!  It was very enjoyable and I think it turned out so darn cute!!

We're On A Roll

 

 

I do still need to *FMQ and Bind, which I would have done last night but Millie has decided to "act up..."

Fussing with that ate up an hour...
by then I was out of the mood.

 

The APQ  UFO Number for May is "8" and the
River's Edge UFO Letter is "C"
and the same River's Edge Quarterly Project W1,
Peggy's Memory Bears (still have one to finish.)

 

 APQ's:  March number is 8.

Quite a few years ago I made a lap quilt for a grand-niece, "Olivia".  HERE 
At that time I had actually purchased TWO Olivia panels....now it is time for panel number two to be completed.

Panels are usually a fast, fun project. But, full disclaimer, May will be a busy month for me** so I make no promises.

 

River's Edge:  May's Letter is "C" 

 

 

I ain't gonna lie....I don't really want to do this.....it's a cut-out doll panel....purchased in a moment of weakness.   Riley Blake Forest Friends.

Why-oh-Why did I do this to myself?

On the Bright side....it's fast, it's easy and I will have a little gift to take to granddaughter, Catalina, when I see her in June. 

 

 

 

 

 

Machine Spotlight:

Miss Millie is taking the spotlight this month for a couple of reasons: 
First, this is the machine I sew on the most, but also I want to practice my *FMQ.

Janome Memory Craft 5200

This is NOT a fancy machine***...not a lot of bells and whistles.  I've had her about 15 years and I bought her used from Craig's list.  But she does what she does and she does it well without a lot of fuss 
(except when she's acting up...(see above.))

I took an FMQ class during Quilt Week and I'm anxious to put some of what I learned into practice. 
Miss Millie is the best gal for the job.

 

 A New Month....A New Plan ... Off We Go!!

 

 

      *FMQ:  Free Motion Quilting
  ** Getting ready for my driving trip in June
*** During Quilt Week, one of the classes used brand new Janome machines.  They WERE wonderful!
The  "show price" was only $6,000 (sticker shock 🤯)

It's a Woman's Prerogative

 ...to change her UFO Challenge list.

American Patchwork & Quilting UFO Challenge number for May is 8.

My original #8 was to finish the memorial wall hanging for Auntie Nyla and learn to use the Flynn quilter to FMQ* it myself.
I've only had this thing about 10 years....about time to either take it out of the box, or pass it on!!

 

BUT, I just learned that my youngest G-daughter is having a half-birthday party in June.  (There are three birthdays and Christmas in December....we'll now celebrate Miss Cata's birthday mid-year.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have this Olivia Panel.   

 

Making Cata a lap quilt for her birthday this year WAS already on my UFO list....
we'll just change the position in the lineup.

 

I made a quilt using this same panel for one of my great nieces, Karter, back in 2014.
Karter is now a grown-up career woman selling real estate....How they DO grow up!

Change is in the wind....and sometimes Change is a GOOD thing!

*FMQ = Free Motion Quilting

Let Me Count The Ways

How many different quilt sites are you following on Facebook?  I bet I follow a dozen, or more.  Some because I want to learn more about that designer, or technique.  Some because I just plain like them.  Here are a few of my favorites:

 

Sew Very Easy:  I LIKE this lady!  She is probably one of my most favorites.
Her YouTube videos are always informative and she has a nice voice, as well as beautiful hands!  A recent YouTube video is a tour of her sewing studio.  Watch it HERE.

 

 

 

Panel Quilts:  I'll admit, I do use panels.  Some are just too cute to pass up.  Some I use for quick baby quilts, such as the one I just finished last night. So, what do you do with a panel to cute-it-up? 
Lots of ideas here.

Here is a quilt I made for my great-niece in 2014, Olivia.  And I recently found this panel again by posting on this site and asking if anyone had it!  Surprise!  Not only did someone have it, she sent it to me FOR FREE!  Gotta love it!

 

 

 

 

 

Scrap Quilt Enthusiasts:  Because scraps happen. When I was a little girl living in Southern California, we'd drive past this "disappearing mountain."  I was fascinated by its shrinking and the bulldozers working, moving "earth" around.  It was called Lime Mountain.  I learned it was part of a cement-making plant and Lime Mountain would eventually disappear altogether.  

Even though I've given away a mountain of scraps lately, unlike Lime Mountain
Mt. Scrapmore rebuilds itself!  More-and-more scraps by the minute!  Start here for ideas.

Speaking of scraps, Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Studio: Who hasn't been inspired by Bonnie Hunter?! Her website has TONS of free patterns and a new mystery quilt each year.  You've seen this one before;  completed by Charlotte-the-Tall a couple of years ago.  On Ringo Lake.  We teased Miss Charlotte to no end about the number of HST and flying geese she made for this quilt.

 

Getting Started - Quilting with Westalee Rulers:  Learning to free motion quilt has been on my bucket list for a long time.  I've been inspired by these rulers....haven't actually purchased any yet. 
Click HERE for a YouTube video.

 Jen Kingwell Designs and Gypsy Wife Quilt Group I liked the Gypsy Wife the very first time I saw it ... at a Desert Lily's Quilt Show in Yuma, AZ with the quilting Auntie.  I have the pattern, it is still on my UFO list ... one of these days....  

Truth be told, I like ALL Jen Kingwell patterns!

 

Quilting Free Patterns: What more needs to be said.... FREE pretty much says it all. 
Plus I do get inspiration.

Here is a log cabin from this site that I really, really like. 
I love the colors.

Even though I could figure out the pattern  and color placement with EQ8*, it's nice to have someone do the heavy thinking for me.

 

Click Here for the pattern. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last, but certainly not least, Quilt Along with Pat Sloan: If you like L-O-T-S of content, this is the site for you.  Lots of questions, lots of patterns.  

Pat, herself, reads these posts and often answers.  Hats off to her!

I could go on...but, truly, there is no end.  Check out some of these. 
You may pick up a new skill or even a new favorite.

*Electric Quilt 8