A Few Finishes

I have given up on a sunny day, so here are pictures of Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll. 

I really like this quilt.  Bonnie Hunter's (www.quiltville.com) pattern.
Here are two baby quilts for Paula:

On the first one, I used my circlelord.  It just seemed to fit the happy fabrics.  The bow tie quilt is made from the mother's (baby due in late February) grandfather's, dad's (both deceased), father-in-law's and husband's shirts.  Really a treasure for the baby!!
And Nancy had this cute wallhanging -- for a family tree -- she will add the names when she gets it back:

Enjoy!

Grandmother's Flower Garden

Another of Paula's GFG quilts.  They are so pretty.  Love the turquoise background!

I believe some of these blocks are blocks she picked up at the antique mall, but I may be wrong. 
Fun to quilt.

Borders - the nightmares of longarm quilters & a new "pet"

When I had my longarm business, I hated, did you hear me -- I HATED -- when ladies just sewed the borders on and whacked the extra off!!!!  Nightmare city!  Yes, I know it takes a little time to do it correctly but it is so important.  Go to this site to see an excellent tutorial on "how" to measure and put on a border and "how not to" put on a border and see the difference it makes.  Not fussing because I no long quilt for the public, but, hopefully, this will help those longarm quilters who do quilt for the public.  www.frommycarolinahome.wordpress.com  Look for the tutorial on borders. 
We have a new "pet".  I saw him on the window one morning and I had my husband put him outside.  Well, it wasn't "him", it was his mate, or brother, or sister that was put outside.  He came out later and I don't have the heart to throw him out in the cold.   He (or it) is a little tree frog about the size of a quarter.  He was transported into the house when he made a home in my Christmas cactus and that is where he lives.  He does come out occasionally and sit on the window seal though and I got this picture:

We also have a stray cat -- black and white like our Litl' bit -- but very, very wild.  It has been around for about 3 months.  I would put food out for it and it ate but would run off whenever we went outside.  Litl' Bit had a heated home on our back porch but the cat wouldn't come into the porch.  Litl' Bit has no need for a heated home because she has become a house cat!!  So I put the heated cat house on the front porch and -lo and behold - the cat is sleeping in it.  Thank goodness.  I couldn't stand the thought of it out in this cold weather.  Well, it has a home.  Since I don't know what it is, I just call it Cat, Cat. 
This love of animals in inherited.  My mom passed it on to me. 
I have finished Roll, Roll Cotton Boll but I haven't seen the sun in so long and I can't get good lighting to take a picture.  That will come later.
All I can say now is "Hurry up, spring!"

Roll, roll cotton boll

I put my Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll on because I was going to do Baptist fans all over and it would be fast.  What happened???????  The quilt started shouting that it did not want an all -over.  Am I the only one that has the quilt change your mind on how it will be quilted????? 
So what was going to be a "quickie" is now going very s-l-o-w.  I've been working all morning and this is all I have:

Not even one-half of the border is done.  Still waiting to see what the quilt says on what to do between the half circles and the edge. 
I hope my next quilt has laryngitis!

Eye Candy

Here is my niece, Paula's kaleidoscope:

Love the white surrounding the kaleidoscope!  Fun to quilt.
And Deb's BOM:

I'm ready to do my BOM now.  I have all the pieced blocks made but haven't made the log cabins.  They are cut and ready to go.  Just need to sit down and sew!!  This was a BOM from The Country  Store (I think that was the name), In Lebanon, TN.  in 2012 and 2013. 
This year Deb and I are doing a BOM that we bought when we were in Wisconsin from JJ Stitches.  Actually, it is four blocks per month!! 

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!!!!