The Morning View

DH had a business dinner out of town.  He took me to the big city for a little jaunt…..over 1500 miles in 24 hrs.

This was the breakfast view this morning.

This afternoon back to the quilt.  This is needed for a Benefit on November 30th.  The binding is being put on by the top maker, so I need to keep working.

I wanted to show just a bit of how I did the loop-d-loo’s.  These look way harder than they are.  First draw a line with something that can be removed later, my favorite is a grey pencil. Stitch along the line you drew.  You do not have to hit the line exactly….once the line is gone no one but you know whether you hit it dead on.  Stitch the loops back along the line so the connection lands on the line you stitched. As you look at my sample some fall above the line, some fall below the line and some hit.  Remember the overall look is more important than each individual stitch.  The tension will be better is you don’t rush, I tend to rush at the top of the loop, try to slow down at the top. After the loops are done, stitch another straight line and use your foot edge to keep a consistent width between the lines.  Follow that line up with the loop-d-loo’s back down the line.  To alter the pattern, try different size loops, different distances, or something besides a loop (hearts or leaves work).
I am making sections with the double lines and loop-d-loo’s and filling in the sections.  So far the sections include Baptist fans, meander, spirals and now the “railroad” looking thing above.
It is nice to be home, but after 2 long days in the airports, I am off to bed.

Happy Quilting,
Just Another Quilter

Linky Tuesday Project

Here is the latest quilting project.  The top maker requested the bright raspberry thread. Goods and bads to that...you can see every stitch.  I like the results so far. What do you think?

Check out the other links at Linky Tuesday.

Happy Quilting
Just Another Quilter

A Little Charity Work

One of the things that I want to achieve with the new schedule of no work…more charitable activities.

Here is this years Christmas Traditions Quilt.  Traditions is 3 weeks away and this is the earliest we have ever finished the quilt.








Our guild supplies 1000 doll quilts each years to the different local organizations.  Here are a few that just needed quilting.  It is a great chance for me to work on my free motion quilting and some more to be finished before the end of the year.





Here is my work for the day.....The picture does not do justice to these beautiful intense batiks.  These are great plums, lavenders and eggplants.     
This gorgeous 1600 quilt a friend/coworker made and is going to a benefit for another coworker.  She has had several strokes and is young with a family.  The benefit includes trivia night and auction items and is scheduled for November 30th, so I better get to it.
Stop over to Judy L's. That Patchwork Times and check out the other design walls. 
Have a Good One….
Just Another Quilter

Autumn Update

I can’t believe that it has been so long since I have posted.  So much has happened that kept our family busy.  I have certainly lurked and am up to date on all the blogs. 
So the biggest news first…..I quit my job.  I work 2 more times and then I am done.  I have worked for the same company for 20 years.  I have 5 years of schooling and always wanted to put my education to use.  My husband has a good job and I do not need to work.  Because I have always enjoyed work and loved the stimulation, I have stayed.  In the last few months (since February), the work has become more monotonous and the schedule more unpredictable.  I did not sign up for concession stand duties for fear it would be one of the few days I might work.  I needed a change.
I need to find something to do…another job (Lola is disappointed I did not have a job before I quit my job.), volunteer hours or something to just keep myself motivated.  I am starting here!


Here are most of the graduation girls and their quilts.  All were done before each arrived at college…Lola’s about 5 miles from campus.

 

I did some gardening…I had 2 of these.
And since you made it to the end of the blog….to celebrate the ending of an era…I am having my first giveaway. This pattern was used for my Brown & Turquoise Diamonds quilt.  The pattern, 2 fat quarters and a spool of matching Aurifil thread can now be yours.  To enter leave a comment for an entry and “follow” me for another.  The drawing will be on Tuesday, November 26th…my last day of work.  US entries only please.  Be sure that I can get to your email information.

Happily Quilting on my own time.
Just Another Quilter

Upcoming Quilt Show

Looking for Something to do in September!  This is what I will be doing.
Come visit the Quilt Traditions Quilt Show located at the Port Byron United Methodist Church.  This church is known in the area for their Christmas Traditions Open House.  A luncheon is available for your convenience.
The Quilt Show will showcase Upper Rock Island County Quilters.  It will be held on September 14th, 2013.  The doors will open at 9am and close at 4pm.  The show is in conjunction with the East West Riverfest. 
Please take some time to come out.  I would love to meet some of you.
Just Another Quilter

One Graduation and One Promotion. Done.

The girls have finished school.  Lola gave her speech…did great.  A few laughs in just the right spots.  MJJR has been promoted and will attend the high school in the fall.  Things here are a little slower.  Still teenage drama, but good.  The Graduation party is a couple weeks away.  The nephew has his graduation soon.  The cement guys have been here for a level pad for the new basketball hoop.  The furnace guys were here for a new electronic air cleaner (our allergies are awful).  Made 27 strawberry-rhubarb pies for our Christmas Traditions open house, in the freezer they went.  Payment…more rhubarb…made rhubarb/strawberry cobbler.  MJJR starts 2 basketball leagues next week and has school bball camp to boot.  We also have college orientation this month.  Did I mention, Lola decided on a school 5 hrs. away.

Quilting side of life.

Another finish for this year.  This is going to one of the graduates.  I think this was started in November, pretty fast for me.  Each of the sets of stacked coins has a different quilting motif.  It was fun trying out new patterns but with little commitment, and little ripping if it didn’t turn out as expected.  The outer border is quilted with Baptist Fans.  I love how this pattern turns and flops when made in a confined space as this is.  This is now becoming my go to pattern.  The meandering in the middle and fans around the edges make for a fast and simple quilting finish.

The next quilt is already under way.  This has the grid quilting done and is ready for something cool…..any suggestions. Please!!  I am a little scared to put black thread in the lighter shaded batiks.  I do have a variegated thread that has the right colors, but I was thinking of possible a celery green or grey very thin thread that might not show so much.  This pattern is the same as another quilt.  That quilt, the pieced blocks were only 2 colored and I matched the thread and meandered it all (purple in the purple and gold in the gold).  Again, suggestions please!

Note…check out the deck in both pictures.  Our manufactured decking is old, last fall I spent a few days staining it.  What fun…but it looks much better.  Both quilts are hanging on the exact same section of the deck. Really should put another coat on it….maybe in the fall.

I always check out the other blogs, but rarely comment.  Just love to see what you all are up to, but usually look on my pad that I have problems typing on.

OH, but the way!  Volunteered myself to run a quilt show in September, “Quilting Traditions Quilt Show”.  We are having it at our church.  When things get a little more organized I will post the link to the site, once it is created.  It will be Saturday, September 14th, 9 am.  Our community has other events the same day in conjunction with East West Riverfest.

Happy Quilting, gardening, photography, or just smiling in the sun!
Just Another Quilter

House and Home

Things have been a little crazy around here.  We have a graduation coming up.  We found out yesterday, Lola is the valedictorian!  She has worked sooo hard to accomplish this.  She has way more driven than I ever was at that age. She has 1  A- for her whole high school career.   She will be attending school in Indiana, about 5 hours away.  We have been busy trying to get the house ready for company.  Nine family members from out of state will arrive starting on Friday.  We have gutted the kitchen and reworked the landscape for the event.
Today is a beautiful day in the neighborhood.  Here are a couple pictures showing the new status of the beds.  The house is 14 years old and lots of plants were overgrown and needed to come out.

The magnolia tree shown here probably still needs to come out….it has very little growth on the lake side.

We reworked the step area with these stones.  The larges stones on the left side are over 250 lbs. each.  See the stain touch ups that still need to be done before the party.  The staining took about 3 days last fall.  The bracket on the side of the deck is for an old satellite dish, works works great an umbrella fits in there to shade us while we cook on the grill, so we kept it.

What do you do when one of the established plants die?? Stick a decorative stone there and hope it looks like a design feature.

The quilts for the graduates are coming along nicely.  Here is the latest finished one.  The is the “Brown Quilt” by Judy L. over at the Patchwork Times.  I did a little manipulation to use a cake layer that DH had purchased on one of his travels.  I love how this turned out, it is for my nephew.

See the pot on the right….my leaf lettuce.  The garden is in and 2 pots of leaf lettuce are starting to produce.  We have had a long cool spring so it took a while before I dared harvest any of it.
Soon another quilt will be done (over half quilted) and the first one to get handed out is possibly Saturday.  I can’t decide whether to have a sleep over for all the girls or gift wrap them and take them to the open houses.

This is the one in progress.  Name suggestions from all of you helped me choose, "Caribbean Blue Sea".  Thanks for the help.
Happy Quilting,
Just Another Quilter