Lets talk quilt math!

I have to kick myself in the bottom!! We all know that 2+2 =3 (quilt math friends!!) So why in the world did I keep adding them up and coming up with 2... I will never know!

See the laser!! 

64 pinwheels!

The other day I made pinwheels! LOTS of pinwheels! I made them an inch and a half smaller than they needed to be to get me to where I wanted to be! OK I guess I can go back and make MORE! I am pretty much winging this quilt! Letting it flow and seeing what happens!
 Have to say... I LOVE some of the features on my new machine! On of them that I like to use is the laser guide! When doing HST I draw only one line down the middle of them, set the laser for a scant 1/4 inch and let it guide me! LOVE!!!

2 more rows added on!!

OK so I got off my rocker there for a minute! So after I realized that one of my planned rows was WAY to short I decided to come back to it later! Oh, I know I'm going to make 4 squares... and I made WAY to many of them! (back to the beginning there!! 2+2!!!)
Well I GUESS I could have
1) scrapped a few... OR
2)  come up with another row to go in between!!
YUP!! I'm going to go with option #2!!
I drew up a template for the triangles (because I needed them to be 3 7/8 inches! I know I know make fun of a gal!!) and away I went!
Last night I officially ran out of Kona black so today I will have to make a run to the store before I can continue on!
I spent the better part of last night (hold your hats friends) Getting applique ready for this quilt!! YUP!! The next row is not going to be near as quick! I decided I love the bright on black applique so I am going to try to free hand something!
I am home today with the sniffles, well other than my trip to get more fabric of course!! But I think it will be a great day to sit on the couch and do a little hand stitching!
I have rambled on long enough! back to my coffee and off to start the morning!
See you later!
Till then...
Quilt on friends!!
Josie

Busy Mind

So, a little bit back I made a square for a swap! Silly me.... I made backwards!!
The rainbow colours should go clockwise and these go counter clockwise! Any way! Into the orphan block pot it goes!! (I'm sure EVERYONE knows all about that!
A while back I had been reading a blog (and for the life of me I can not find the picture) and there was a modern scrappy quilt done in the round! I decided that this block would be a great jumping off point for that!
I have it all drawn up and math ROUGHLY done! But oh.... it is swiming in my mind and I can not get it out!!

Yesterday I decided I have to take the plunge and start this thing! I thought about trying to make it a quilt along, but I don't have fancy soft ware to make up a mock sketch and well the way my mind works you don't want to see those scribbles! LOL
I have two of the rounds started, but I used the last of my Kona black last night and will have to get more before I get to into the rest!!
I hope to have a few little tidbits to show tomorrow!!
Till then...
Quilt on Friends,
Josie

Goals and such!

So, I think the best way to achieve goals is to hold yourself accountable! Right??? I have so much on my plate and I just have to stop for a minute and remind myself what I want and where I want to be!

Well, here they are, because if I write them down they become a little more real, theoretically!

I have ELEVEN quilt tops that are finished and need quilted!!
-Impromptu
-Bento Box
-Honeyman's Swoon
-Star Surround
-Halloween QuiltUberFest (and the back is pieced and ready to go!)
-Easy Street
-Twisted Sister
-Rainbow Round
-Brown Blocks
-Modern Orange/brown/green
-Luke's Shirts (pictured below)

Never mind the baby sumo wrestling going on here!!

These are the tops that are DONE and ready to go! I do have to say I prefer a pieced back to a plain back to that does take me a minute to figure out what I want to do! My QuiltUberFest Has a back all ready to go!!! So I might just start with that one! I be thinkin I need to get a move on these tops before I start on something else! LOL The last one on the list I do have to decide if it is done done or if I am going to put a sashing strip on the outside of it! It is a gift for the little curly top you see in the pic! He is my little guy who recently left me! And I miss him (and his sister) like crazy!!! I think it needs something to finish it off! Ideas??? Suggestions?? I would LOVE to get this one done first! But since it is not yet how I want it it might have to get pushed back!

OK, I think this is enough for goals for right now! LOL Well, quilty goals anyway!!

Hope to see you all again soon!
Till then...
Quilt on friends!
Josie

Where has this year gone???

Sew just a McRazie catch up on my year!
Spent Jan and Feb not really feeling the best. Not sure why! but I pressed on!! To be honest not a whole lot of quilty stuff happened in those 2 months!!
Honeyman took pity on my and tried to make me feel better, he is the sweetest!! Anyone remember my DREAM... well Honeyman bought me on, SQUEAL!! To be truthful there was not a lot sewn on it in the first month!
In May our oldest Daughter turned 18, graduated from High School, and moved out! WOW what a change!
Our biggest thrill of the summer was camping for almost 2 months! (not straight, but all together)!

Lil and her bike!!

Lillian was THRILLED because Grandma and Grandpa bought her a set of wheels!!! However she spilled it the second week she had it and we thought she broke her arm! We dodged a bullet and it was just sprained REAL bad!! Thank the lord for small miracles!

The guy in the red cap is our director!

I did spend quite a bit of the summer going back and forth d\between the Quad Cities and Maquoketa this summer as the Timber City Band that I am honored to be allowed to play in had FIVE performances this year!!  (I play flute if y'all don't know) One of the performances was the big band festival in Boone, IA. It is a 4 hour drive! So my day was 1 hour drive to Maquoketa, 4 hour bus ride to Boone, played and listened to AMAZING bands for 7 hours, big dinner, 4 hours back to Maquoketa, 1 hour back home... This gal was counting the miles as it was 5 AM when I got up and ready and it was 1:30 AM when I HIT the bed! I really did have a GREAT time!

Darien and Archie

School started in Aug and for the first time since our oldest started kindergarten we only have to deal with
ONE school!!! Lil is in 8th grade this year and Darien is in 6th! Both in Middle School!! Yippy!

Honeyman on vacation

Honeyman continues to be my hot fireman, but this year he has also taken on a teaching position! Getting the next rescue heroes ready! hehe!

I continue to watch kids! However 2 of my babies just left and I am down to the last 3! This is it! I mean it NO MORE! LOL I have a Connor (5, happy birthday today to him!) his sister Ellie Jo (2), and Miss Charlie Tuna (11 months)!! I have told the Mommies (and Daddies) 1 year 8
months and 6 days till I retire!! And then...

I am setting goals! I will be back with goals friend!!
Till then...
Quilt on friends,
Josie

Star Surround Quilt Along FINISH!!

So, I really am still here! I have been so busy with ... well everything! I have made a little time here and there to quilt But my latest I do have to take a moment and share!
I have been following along with the Star Surround Quilt along over at Happy Quilting. I do so Love Melissa's quilts! And when I saw this one I JUST had to!!
I decided if I was going to do this I was gonna go BIG!! I went with the Queen size top! Now I have to decide how in the world I am going to get this bad boy basted so I can quilt it! My kitchen floor is not big enough! LOL maybe I can move the fridge! Oh, the things we do!!
I chose Kona Black for my background because I just LOVE how the black POPS! The fabric (most anyway!) is M'liss from Hancock. I just LOVE how bright and fun her colours are! I have to say I am not really into the whole Asian theme that goes along with it but the bright colours are SO me!!!
I hope you pop over and check out the parade on the 16th!!!

Quilt holder #2 was not tall enough to hold it up! LOL 

Maybe I can get back into the swing of blogging! Till then...
Quilt on friends,
Josie