HAPPY NEW YEAR & Look back on 2013

WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Reflections back on Quilting 2013.
I finished 17 of my quilts -- bound, washed, and ready to use!!!!
And I bought 102.25 yards of fabric!!
Used 212.75 yards of fabric!!!  Yeh!
Which means my stash has diminished by 110.5 yards!!!!!
What is so sad is that I can't tell that any has been used.  I think fabric breeds like rabbits and multiples while we sleep.  Either that or there is a fabric fairy that doesn't want us to ever run out of fabric and replenishes our supply nightly!!!

2014 is not starting well -- It is January 1 and I just purchased 14 yards of fabric on the internet!!! But it for backgrounds so I can diminish my stash even further.  Does that excuse fly?????
I leave you with this little cartoon.  Hope no one got "plowed" last night!

String Quilt, e and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

My string quilt is finished except for the hand stitching the binding down.  I used C&T Publishing's wash-away applique sheets for the applique.  I'll let you know how I like it after it is washed.  It sure was easy though.  Just ran the sheets through the AccuQuilt Go, ironed them to the back of the fabric, cut out a scant 1/4" around and then glued or starched the edges down and machine appliqued.  I like this technique so sure hope I like how the quilt "feels" once it is washed.  Suppose to wash away to just a light weight fiber.  We'll see.  I did not like how Ricky Tims' wash away applique felt after it was washed.
Enough.  Here are pictures:

I need a better place to take pictures!! 
I used a piped binding on my red, white & blue quilt.  Really like it!

I made this a couple of years ago but since it is Christmas, here is my snowman wall hanging:

And my Christmas quilt (I believe it is a Sue Garmon pattern) and pillow:

Y'all have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Winter Storm

Thank goodness we didn't get ice as bad as a lot of areas.  Here are pictures
 of our woods:

It was so pretty!  Not lot this morning's dreary rain, rain, rain!!!
Lit'l Bit never gets on Bruta's bed but for some reason she decided to and Bruta refused to lay down until we moved her!! 

What a pathetic look on his face!!  He isn't doing well at all, but he is still hanging in there.  With him on lassix, it is like having a new baby.  David & I take turns at night taking him outside. 
David's friend has an English bulldog he wants to give to us.  The bulldog is one year old.  I haven't seen him but David says he is so ugly that he is cute.  Don't know if I'm up to another dog with Bruta so ill.  We'll see what happens.

Christmas time is for sharing

Wednesday, we had my sewing group and their husbands for a soup or chili
 dinner.  We had such a great time.  I don't know why I didn't take pictures.  Just having too much fun!
I did get my Christmas decorations up.  Here is the tree.  (My walls are not that yellow!!)

 



Our boxer has cardiomyopathy.  We are hoping he makes it through the holidays.  He has lost so much weight even though he is still eating.  Vet says it is taking all of his energy to pump his heart.  So sad!! 
Not much quilting.  I did get the last of my great-niece's quilts finished.  She has taken her deceased father-in-law's shirts and made them into small quilts for each of the siblings.  I didn't take pictures of her other three (only did a meander on them) because my battery in my camera was dead.  This one has a camo backing so I thought I would do a panto.  I have probably only done less than 10 pantos since I started longarming in 1998.  You can see why.  But I do like the leaf panto.  Looks like the ground of the woods when hunting. 

I have great respect for those who do pantos.  I just don't like the back of the machine -- or following lines.  But some of the pantos are so darned cute that I buy them and then they just lay in the drawer.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! 
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Red, White, Blue Quilt plus

I knew I was going to take awhile on this quilt but not nearly 3 weeks!!  But it was not because of all the marking ---  I just needed a break from the longarm to get my creative mojo back!! Here are some pictures of the quilt -- just lack the binding but my machines are in the shop so that will have to wait.

Littl' Bit has found her spot during this cold spell:

And my Christmas cactus -- how do you say cactus in plural?????

Here is the back of the quilt:

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!!!  Ours begin today when the kids get here. 

Red, white & blue

Happy Veteran's Day!!!!  We need to honor all of our veterans every day not just on Nov. 11!!!
So apropos that on machine Monday I have my red, white & blue quilt on the longarm. 

 

Six hours of quilting and all I have accomplished is the first 4 borders!!!!  It's going to be on awhile.  There is a lot of marking to do the red border.  I started this before 2004 -- don't know exactly what year but it was before we moved to the country.  The pattern is from an old Fons & Porter magazine.  It is going to be a pretty masculine quilt. 

Snowman Quilt Finished

I have no idea who did this pattern but it is pretty darn cute! 

Some close-ups of some of the blocks:

And more:

Well, you get the idea.  A early 2000 quilt finished!!
And another 2003 project finished:

I have it made into a pillow.  Just need to get the "stuffing" for the pillow and it is finished!  Ten years in the making!!!!