Not just one... but two!!

November

All caught up on one of my BOM's!! YAY! or BOOOO Now I have to wait till the 25th to get the January Pattern :( !!! Darn BOM's They suck you in hurry up and wait!! LOL

December

  November has to be my favorite so far!! It is from Stephanie Dunphy - Loft Creations If I had it to do again... wait for it... I would do flying geese for the sides instead of HST! I know that from me right!!  (Oh, looking at these pics... Ireally need to wash and/or replace my oroning board eww it's gross!! LOL)



OK December is from Pat Sloan - The Voice Of Quilting.Whos idea were those teeny tiny squares! LOL There was a LOT of pinning involved in these little buggers!! And I think there is a little flesh imbeded in the back!! HEHE!! OK now onto the next catch up! hhmmmm what fabric to use??? Thanks for following my rantings!!
Josie

Getting caught up

September

So, I have all these little linky guys over on my side bar! No they are not just there because they are cute! I really am going to do them!! LOL Well I started with my Canton Village Quilt Works Blogger BOM I have gotten September and October done!! Yay me! I have the next one cut out and hope to get those done Tuesday!!

October

EXXTRA!!!

Each block is 8 1/2 inches unfinished (8 inch finished) so I did do two of each and plan to continue this! I am doing each one to coordinate with the other, not match! I am silly this way! LOL
           I did the silly flying geese (and we all know how I LOVE those... not) and there are all of these little triangles left over! So what do I do with these I asked myself! I could not find it in me to throw them away! That is a LOT of waste!! So I made tiny pinwheels!! Oh, and notice the teal and white material that I used on Mrs. Pickles Amish Diamond Block well I must have REALLY liked it becaues I had purchased most of my teal and brown material last October (or November) and as I was straightening my stash (and putting away my material that came from Connecting threads Saturday) I found another cut of it!! LOL I crack me up!!
OK enough for now! More Tuesday!! I think Sunday and Monday were very productive days! I got all of my material out of boxes and organized, I got all of these blocks done, and I wrote down what I have to finish (or catch up on!! I am getting there!
Blessed day!!
Josie

FMQ Challenge Jan

First Sammy!!

 OK, so I have never done any FMQ (Free-Motion Quilting). I have done a little stitch in the ditch and a little straight stitching on small projects. Sew when SewCalGal decided to have a FMQ Challenge I said ummmm yes! Of course I will do something to improve, or in my case learn a new technique!! Sew Jan has come and here we are! I have to tell you mine is NOT pretty!! And it has reitterated the fact that I cannot draw!! hehe But you know I will keep trying and someday I might get a little better!  OK maybe squint and look at the screen and they might look a little, I don't know, blurrier anyway!! LOL

To the right is my first quilt sammy.  This is the front I got slap happy and tried doing little 'flowers' just to keep it real and because I am a nut that way!

Back of sammy 1

I had A LOT of tension problems with my machine on the  first sammy.  I adjusted it as I went along and did eventually get it to where it should be. My little machine DID NOT like doing this!! My feed dogs don't go down, instead there is a plate that goes over them, but then you can't put the presser foot down. Well I guess you could, but they you can't move the material! Trust me I tried! LOL

Front of sammy

 By the time I got to sammy 2 I was getting a better hang of it! I know my leaves are, well to be honest misshapen, but that is how I draw as well!! And let's not mention the crazy flower that is in the middle here! Hey, Honeyman was watching his stupid fooseball (football, I am not a fan sorry) so I was getting a little silly with my machine!! I informed him that my next machine will have #1 the button to keep the needle in the down position, #2 the abibity to put the feed dogs down and #3 well I don't know what else I want, but it will be a nice machine!! hehe! I am not complaining about my machine! I have one! That is better than nothing! But a girl can dream, right!!

Back of sammy 2

What kind of machine do you sew/quilt on?? I am always interested in knowing! Did you switch from one to another and like one better than the other?? These are all questions I am here to get answered!! Ok Back to my sammys I am so easily distracted! To the left is the back of my second sammy. Much better tension, there are a few places that I obviously hesitated and got little knots. I know that with more practice (oh, and taking my foot off of the gas pedal, hello) I will get better at this! I call last nights work a success!! I tried something new! I am no pro at it, but I didn't become a floutist extrordinare or a vocal phenom over night!! LOL (I really do sing and play the flute and sax but that's another story)

So I leave you with a few little flowers I did at the end just because! Thanks for visiting!! And being true with me!!hehe! It is all about learning something new every day! If you have not checked out SewCalGal and her Challenge... do it!! I think it is a great way to learn! Have a blessed Sunday!
Josie

Mrs. Pickles' Amish Diamonds Block

I LOVE working with black! Can I say that!!

Done with my other block for my other swap! I had to hide it away from my son who is in love with this block! (Honeyman also took a real shine to it) I have to keep it real and tell you I had to rip out the little center guy because I don't know what I was thinking I cut him at an angle and well that just would not do! So Pick you are going to be getting a stray piece in there! Surprise!! It was my goof! Not that I can not use the extra piece, but ya'll know I bought enough material I could make more of these!!

Siggy block over there, too!

I did not know what size the center block was and did not realize he would be that small in there, but I do love this little guy!
I do so hope he is well loved! (what am I saying who wouldn't love him! LOL)
Had a great time working on this block! Went together very easily (after my one goof)!
Have a splendid day!!
Josie

January Bee Creative 2012

My bee is in full swing and Laura chose a ... challenge for the first block! We are doing a Union Jack. I have finished mine and will send it out on Monday! I have to go today to get teal for Mrs. Pickles block. I have blue, but nothing I like for her block! So off to the store I go today while Honeyman is watching Football (darn fooseball LOL)

Extreem close up!!!

Laura gave us freedom to use whatever colours we wanted! I think I am on an Easter/spring kick! I call mine Jack on Crack!

Siggy Block

Ready to go!!

I had a great time working on this block and challenging myself with paper pieceing! Thanks Laura for choosing something I would not have chosen myself! I think this makes for a successful swap! It is all about growing as a quilter!!
Have a blessed day,
Josie

Twisted Sister

Went crazy over the holidays buying fabric! Really I had gotten money from a friend as a gift and this is normally a bad thing because I had a habit of spending it on things NOT for me! But this time.... nope spent it all on me! I went to JoAnn's and Hancock and bought fabric, batting, and my BIG purchase was an OttLight. This one is regularly 79.99 but it was half off and I had a coupon for $5 off of a $35 purchase! So I feel like I stole it from them! YES! And I have to say the room I work in has horrible lighting and I LOVE this light!! plus it has an extra outlet in the back of it (who doesn't need an extra) and it folds up all compact, the cord wraps up nicely in it,  and has a handle to tote it. Who wouldn't love those features!! Ok done with my soap box and onto my work hehe!

Cut and prep

I bought this material that was VERY on sale and I loved the bright colours! I was not sure what I was going to use it for and a while back I had bought a jelly roll book! So.... strip I did!! LOL They are very busy materials, so it did not quite take on the look of the on in the book. That one was made with all burgundy and tan materials, so there was a LOT of contrast. but I like the kind of wacky way mine went together.

Just a hint

It was a very simple pattern. just sewing the strips together and cutting squares and then cutting them in half and sewing them back together! Honeyman kept asking why I was cutting apart after I had already sewn. He is so funny! Also asking what I was making it for! Well heck if I know! I was making it because I like the pattern, I bought 1/4 yard of each of the fabrics and only paid $.25 for each cut! Why the heck not! It is like practicing!

The book calls for a simple white 2 inch border, but I think I want more than that. So I am kind of stuck with what to do next. This kind of looks like the easter bunny threw up, so maybe I will see if I can't find an easter print! Or I might just go back to the store and, wait for it, buy more material! ha! OK twist my arm I might just do that anyway! The pattern was called Playmates, but I might (if I can get it finished) use this as a donation for a friend who is having a benefit for her sister who is going through chemo for breast cancer. So I thought Twister Sister sounded better! I am a nut I know it!
What are you working on? Today I am finishing up my two blocks for the swaps I am in! Finish it up Friday, right!! have a great weekend!
Josie

Goals for the new year

Good morning! I have to start by saying you know I am not a morning person.

Liz and I at her wedding doing the shopping!!

I get up in the morning and HAVE to have my coffee. I watch kids so my work comes to me and the first two get here just before 7. I normally meet my friend while still in my bathrobe! (Liz and I have been friends for well as long as I can remember & I was in her wedding) I hurry my kids along the way normally I have to take the Brat to High School at 6:45 so I can be back for the other kids and then breakfast fix lunches dress yadda yadda for my other two and get them to two different schools and then back to my house for the bus to picl up Liz's little man who just started pre-school! And then it is 8:15 and just about ready for my other little one to get here for the day!! (however in about six months there will be two and not just one)
OK with all of that said... my favorite part of the day, is the morning. before anyone else has gotten out of bed and my house is still quiet and I can be on the computer and noone is talking or yelling or asking me for anything! This is my time! Why oh why does it have to come so early in the day! LOL I have never lived by myself and the closest I have gotten to that is when the kids are asleep and my Honeyman is on shift. Oh, he is currently off work because he hurt his back lifting a patient. So I have not had late nights alone for a while!!!
Did I mention goals?? OK I am going to keep it short and sweet
1) Finish a quilt to have for the guild show in (I think it is November)
      I am new to the quilt guild. but they have a big show every other year and each member is asked to submit something! It can be a wall hanging it can be a quilt. Your choice! You can also either have it judged or just have it participating! (please do not judge me)!! So my one and only goal is that! Simple enough!
alright so I guess I have like subgoals if you will!! I am hosting a bee and I want it to bee successful! I want to bee a great participant in the other bee I am in and I have three quilt alongs I want to keep up with!
ONE

My Honeyman offering Liz support!!

TWO
THREE
GO!!!!
hehe there you have it! Happy New Year! let it be MUCH better than last year because I am not sure I can take another one like 2011! I just have to say I am glad it is done!!
Josie

I had not opened up Liz's wedding photo's in a while and I laughed as I went through them! This one was at the end of the night as we were cleaning up and the one that follows it Liz has picked my Honeyman up and he is making a not so very nice suggestive well You can only imagine!
Have a great day all!!