The Small Wall Quilt with a Big Story

 

 

 

Long, Long Time Ago...(2019) ...
In a Land Far, Far Away .... (Calif) ...
I made a quilt for my great niece, Savannah.  

The Princess and the Pea HERE.  (Savannah is so grown up now, you would not recognize her!)  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Anyway, I asked my dear friend, Wanda, to make a label for this quilt.  HERE and HERE. 

Being the creative person that she was,
she created this:

Well, it was too darn cute to plop on the back of a quilt, so I kept it. 
It's been thumb-tacked to my Studio wall all this time. 

It's time for a Big Finish with some FMQ.

She Works Her Best ...

 ... when the sun is in the West. 

This was something my grandmother used to say... it means she fritters away the day and works like a mad woman doing her chores when the day is coming to an end.

 

I suppose the same can be said for the last quarter of the year...  Racing to the Finish Line in The Studio.

After Carolyn's and my field trip to Murray last week I have been more motivated.

First I made a small wall quilt with the cute, little panel I bought in Murray.  I used it to practice my FMQ*.  It's not show quality, but it'll pass.

Cheryl, the FMQ teacher from a couple months back (HERE) mentioned she learned by completing one small wall quilt a week for about 2 years.  Not sure I'll go that far, but I thought it was a good idea. And, it's a FINISH!!

Started sashing my Pat Sloan blocks.  Frankly, this part of Quilting is not my favorite.  I like piecing.
Assembling the actual quilt is kind of boring.  But, Let's keep the the finished product in mind.

I'm about half finished.  I hope to finish all the sashing this weekend.

Sashing, QAYG** Quilting, Binding ...My goal is to keep at it until it's DONE!

 

*FMQ:  Free Motion Quilting
**QAYG:  Quilt As You Go

An Afternoon Out and About

 My KY-quilting friend, Carolyn, and I started our Labor Day Weekend with a field trip to the Murray Sewing Center.

Murray is a few miles down the road from Paducah.  We decided to take the trip because this nice store is closing....that's right...another one bites the dust!!  Brenda Freemen, the owner,  is retiring...mostly.*  (Retirement must be in the air.)

Carolyn and I decided to hit the road and see what we could score.

I am well past the age of buying fabric simply because I like it...now, there must be a reason to buy it.  With that in mind,
I resurrected my blocks from the Pat Sloan's Summer Soiree BOM.  HERE

It seems like these blocks have been around forever, but this BOM is only 3 years old! 
Hardly even qualifies as a UFO!!

 

The Blocks on my design wall in the KY studio.

You may recall I pulled these out a few months back to practice my new QAYG** method  HERE. But that all stalled...frankly,
I was not sure what I wanted to do with the blocks so back in the cubby they went to cure for a few more months.

Nothing like a trip to the quilt shop...really, any quilt shop...to get the creative juices flowing.  Carolyn gave me some good ideas and now I'm ready to tackle these blocks and get them assembled into a quilt!!

Procured a batch of fat quarters and a bundle of tone-on-tone fat quarters to use as sashing. 
This will be my September project.

I'm kind of excited...half-way tempted to play hooky from church this morning and stay home to sew...

* Brenda will still be active at quilt shows and such.  She says she "...must touch fabric..."
**Quilt As You Go

Milestones

 

When I became a grandmother, it was the most amazing thing that had ever happened to me.  

Jumping on a plane, I flew from Portland to see this amazing little creation when he was about 2 weeks old. 
I held him for 10 hours straight (only giving him up for feeding and changing.)  

When I left their house that first day, covered with baby spit-up and pee....I was the happiest person alive. 

Here we are...18 years later.  I'm still a very happy and proud G-Ma.

When I See August

...I think of Sunflowers.

One of my favorite flowers. So happy and Sunny!

Now that I am back in a house and have a garden, each spring when I plant Sunflowers...
this is what I envision... Big, Fat, Beautiful flowers.

This is my reality:

 I love seeing the deer in back of my house....but they are rude guests and eat my sunflowers!!! **

They'll probably have these down to the nubbins by the end of the week.

 

 

 

But they can't get the Sunflowers on my door! (MSQC Hat on a Cat)

 

 

 

 

 

 

These days my Friday evenings are divided between two live sessions:  Ukulele Zoom and
Cheryl Sleboda Whited of Muppins Sewing Emporium.

This past week she was introducing all kinds of new items in the shop, among them this fat quarter bundle.

This picture of the Fat Quarters does not do the fabric justice.  The colors are so vibrant.  I just HAD to have them....
My Sister's 32nd wedding anniversary is coming up so I made them a small gift

Quick and easy coasters. (Front and back) The perfect place for a sweaty glass of Sweet Tea
(there is a piece of batting on the inside.)
Find a YouTube video HERE.

In these last days of summer, it isn't too late to to accomplish something in the studio (she said to herself.)

 

 

 

UPDATE:  August  22, 2024  

Miracle upon miracles...I have a Sunflower! 
Shhhhhhh, don't say that too loud, the deer might here!

 

 

*Ukulele Zoom:  HERE 4 pm Pacific Time.  This group is open to all.  If you don't play the ukulele, now is a good time to start.
*Muppin's Live on YouTube:  HERE 5 pm Pacific Time

** I have a new plan for next year...I'm going to plant the Sunflowers with the Zinnias (incognito) in the flower bed nearest to the house.   
They don't seem to eat the Zinnias. See if that intimidates the deer a bit.  And, if not...at least I'm feeding the wild life.

Dog Days of Summer....Indeed!

 

The phrase 'Dog Days Of Summer' is used to talk about hot, sultry days. 

And, Boy-Howdy, have the days been "hot and sultry" in Western Kentucky!!  I've been running the AC non-stop this past week, remaining inside and letting the garden pretty-much take care of itself (with the exception of watering.)

I Found A Quilted Heart

 

I'm embarrassed to admit I have not sat down at my sewing machine in a month-of-Sundays because FILL IN THE BLANK pick your own reason.

Now that we are in the last part of summer with the anticipation of Fall, I'm getting that nesting feeling  and I feel the need to get back in the studio.  

 

I decided on something easy to prime the pump...
Have you heard of I Found a Quilted Heart? 

Basically you make these cute, fabric hearts and leave them around town. 
People find them and keep them.  I found one a few months ago,
and it did make me smile.

Making these cute hearts ticks all the boxes...picking fabric ...  sewing ... getting the thrill of actually completing a project.  And Finally, you can make someone else's day!  

Join Me!!  You can read about them on the website:  Click HERE

Lunation

 A complete cycle of the phases of the moon....that is what it has been since I posted last....

I'd like to say I've accomplished SO MUCH in the last month, but truth be told not much has happened in the studio or on the ukulele.  The tendinitis in my thumb and wrist is better and I'm no longer wearing the brace, but there is still some pain...it is getting better day-by-day.  Just Takes time.

In addition, Life has also thrown a curve ball:  we've had two close family members pass away suddenly, Sal Quiroz, Jr.
(my brother-in-law) and Theresa Quiroz (my sister-in-law, Sal's sister.)  So, we've been attending memorials and paying our respects.

 

Sonny and Terry have been in my life for more than 50 years (I was married to their brother.)
They are my generation. We lose our grandparents...then our parents...then we start to lose our peers...
makes a person stop and think about their life, what you've accomplished, what will your legacy be when you pass
and we especially  consider the  "here after."

There really is a "here after."  What Happens When We Die 

PARTY CENTRAL

Thankfully, for every down, there is an up:  Along with the sadness of losing these dear people was the
happiness of a BIG PARTY! (or two...or three.)

My granddaughter, Gabrielle,  had her Quinceanera*.  It was a weekend of parties and family with lots of eating and dancing, laughter and visiting with out-of-town guests...lots of babies and young children...(And also remembering Terry's Quinceanera so many years ago.)

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

It was a week of remembrances, parties, excitement  and even some one-on-one time
with The Babes before it was time to hop a plane and return to my home-sweet-duplex.

*Define quinceanera HERE