different BOM's

 

The top photo is the 8th block from the flower baskets quilt bom that I've been making for my Mom. I've posted about them before so you can look back and see the link if you want to. I think I've only got 3 more baskets to make, but I'm not sure. The colors are very vibrant and I am doing the buttonhole stitch method of applique with mostly silk thread.

The second picture is my Diawabo Houses from Pinwheels in New York. As you can see I'm almost finished. Next month is the last shipment and it's the borders. This is a totally different kind of quilt than I usually do, but I've had so much fun with the Diawabo fabrics. They are so hard to find around here, so I accumulated a small stash last year at the Road2California Quilt Show. That's where I signed up for this BOM as well.

Today was another snow day for the kids and we decided it was best not to open the store this morning. That way nobody can slip and fall and break who knows what in the parking lot. Business would be slow anyway. The only problem is that my paycheck will be small and that means the fabric budget suffers...lol I'll keep finishing up stuff here then!

When you have a "free" day are you stingy with your time. I am getting things done around the house, but I make a deal with myself that I'll work for 30 minutes and then sew for an hour. Sounds fair to me, right?!?!

Well my break is over....back to the salt mines, I mean sewing machine! ;o)

I'm overwhelmed

Thank you everyone for all of the kind, kind words about my Dear Jane quilt. It's nice to have such positive feed back on something that is so part of me.

I've tried to reply to everyone personally, but some of you are listed as "no reply" so I couldn't email you.

I think I'm staying home again today and hopefully I'll be able to post a picture of my Diawabo houses later today.

Thank you again.

TA DA!!!

 

Here it is....my FINISHED Dear Jane quilt! The day is terrible for taking pictures...only dull, gray light coming in from outside. The colors really are much more vibrant in person. I tried to fix that in photo editing without much success. I think I'll stick to quilting!

It's so cold (19 degrees) and snowy and icy here today. Yesterday was an ice storm and the roads and everything else was slick, slick, slick. We've had sleet mixed with snow today and that really helps the traction. Hubby took a fall in the parking lot at work. Nothing much hurt but his pride, thank goodness. School (high school and college) is out today and we didn't open the store either.

I've been working on a quilt that I hope to show you tomorrow with most of the top done. It is a BOM called Diawabo Houses from a shop in New York. It's been a fun quilt to make, although I'm not sure why I picked today to work on it because it's a bit dull and gray like the weather...lol Should have worked on something cheery.

Well back to it I guess...

Applique class...

I don't usually take a lot of quilting classes. One reason is because up until recently there hasn't been a quilt shop in my town. On a whim last month I signed up for an applique class at The Savage Quilter in Oklahoma City. This is a truly wonderful shop where you just feel hugged by fabric when you walk in. Anyway Jessica (the shop owners daughter) teaches this 2 day class on applique and all of the latest and greatest techniques.
I have done quite a bit of applique on my Dear Jane quilt and other quilts that I've made, but I have never considered myself that good at it or maybe I just wasn't very sure of myself. All of that has changed....I loved this class. I loved Jessica and I will be taking an intermediate class from her in the very near future. She is an amazing teacher and so filled with knowledge about her craft. Here is a picture of us at the end of the last day. Please don't look at me, I'm going on very little sleep the night before, no makeup and hair in a ponytail! LOL
Sharon and Kathy also took this class with me and they loved it too. We all stayed with my Mom on Friday night and we enjoyed that.

 

I've been meaning to show you a picture of Kara's new baby Shia...

 

Isn't he cute!!!! He's a rescue dog and he is just precious.

I've got to get busy. I have made 2 Nearly Insane blocks today and organized my pics on my computer. I only have one more side of the binding to sew down on my Dear Jane quilt and then I'll show a picture.

The weatherman says we might get an ice storm tomorrow and the next day. I wouldn't mind some precip, just not in ice form.

Sneak peek for Emily

 

Here is a sneak peek for Emily....what do you think???

Maybe Ranette's Weekly Stitch????

Boy I need to post more often, don't I? I've been busy sewing, working and cleaning, but just not a lot that I think would be interesting on this blog.

Here is my 30 Stars quilt top finished



This picture looks a little washed out and I notice that my quilt model is stretching the top as he holds it, hmmm I'll have to have a little chat with him about that. Today is a cloudy day, so it's not great for taking pictures. I think the colors are much more vivid in person. This quilt was so much fun and went together perfectly. Don't ya love it when that happens?!?!

So after I finished the stars quilt I decided to work on a UFO. I have many (LOL), but I decided on a quilt kit that I purchased at the Road to California Quilt Show last year. I'm not going to mention the shop name or the name of the quilt or the pattern designer, but I will say that this quilt has been a HUGE hassle. I think I started this quilt last February and I wasn't too far into it when I noticed that my measurements didn't match what the pattern said. I rechecked everything and everything I had done added up. I puzzled and puzzled over this and sent an email to the quilt designer asking for help. I didn't receive a reply. Then I realized that I didn't have enough of two of the main fabrics in the quilt. By the way my quilt was coming out smaller than the instructions said. So what did I do but shove it into a box and forget about it...until the morning after my Dad had passed away and I get this call. Well it's the shop owner/designer of this quilt wanting to know what I wanted. This is at least 6 weeks after I had sent an email to her. I had been up 36 hours straight, not to mention the trauma that we had all just been through and I tried to communicate my issues with her.

Well another 6 weeks passes and I get this package with 4, 1/2 yard pieces of fabric in it. No note, no corrections to the pattern, just fabric which I proceeded to shove into the box with the partially put together quilt top. Last night I decided that today would be the day that I'd finish this quilt. And I did...not according to the directions and not like the original, but it's done and it's okay. What do you all think?



He's stretching the top on this quilt too...lol It will make a nice little wall hanging or table topper. I also made the binding for both of these little quilts, so after I get them quilted I'll be ready to put it on!

By the way the Road2California quilt show was awesome last year and I really wish I could go again this year. I think it's coming up this weekend. If I ever do get to go again I'll sign up for some classes.

I'm off to work in my upstairs sewing room before picking up my youngest at the highschool. Then I think I'll come home and make a fire, brrrr it's so cold out today. I know that many of you have it worse than the 17 degree high that we have today and I feel for you.

Quilt Show

No pictures from the quilt show...well that's not entirely true. Here are my purchases




Oh and a note/mouse pad. Not sure why the picture is flipped. I had fun with Sharon and Paulette, but the quilt show was disappointing. It's been at least two years since I've been able to go to this particular show and I think I won't be going back for several more. I used to find all sorts of new fabric and kits...but it was like I'd seen it all before or it was embroidery, which I'm not into. Oh well I didn't need to spend any $$$'s anyway!

I have done a little more on my 30 stars quilt that I started on the other day. My plan is to really work on this tomorrow and Saturday. Here it is with a couple more borders on it



Ahhhh!!! Does anyone know why my pictures keep flipping over??? I'm too tired tonight to try and fix it and so I'd better go off to bed.

Ranette

How the heck did it get to be 2009?????

Does anyone feel like I do....that time has sped up to warp speed lately? I guess I was so busy finishing the quilt that my daughter made her boyfriend for Christmas that I completely missed 2009. We did get it quilted and she did give it to him and he did love it. Oh and I forgot to get a picture of it finished.

I also finished my Dear Jane top and took it to my friend Linda's house to be quilted last night. I didn't get a picture of the top, but will post photos after she adds her magic quilting to it. I'm thrilled about finishing this quilt...two years of working on those precious little blocks & triangles. Even though I've been quilting for 21 years and sewing for most of my 48 years, I learned so much making this quilt. An added plus is the people that I've met online because of the DJ quilt...hi Rosa, Elly, Susan...

As my husband left for CES yesterday and Emily leaves to go back to Lawrence tomorrow, I gave myself a present and I started last night on this




Not sure why the star picture is flipped, oh well. Isn't this quilt pretty??? I ordered it from Country Threads and I've been saving it to make during this particular week in January...weird I know.

The other big news around here is that daughter #2, Kara has moved into a place of her own. She had a friend that needed out of her last 5 months of her lease and the rent is cheap for college housing, so we figured this would be a good "try it" period. If she hates it she can come back home, if she loves it...great! It's about 2 minutes from the store and 5 minutes from home. Kara has it fixed up really cute already and seems to like it fine. That leaves us just one, Allie, at home! My goal is to keep her from taking over the upstairs...lol

Time to go and get ready for work and then to OKC to have lunch with my Mom. Probably won't stop at any quilt shops today because I'm going to a quilt show in OKC with Sharon and Paulette on Thursday. I'm going to try not to buy anything, but we'll see how that goes...lol