Plaids top is done!

This evening I finally finished the borders on my Plaids quilt top. It is a smaller top, baby size. I am thinking in all of the muslin blocks I am going to hand quilt an animal. Maybe a bear in one, an elk in another, then a moose. One block may have a cabin in it. Just make it a real "woodsy" feel. I have the binding all ready for it and it is leftover plaids that I am going to join in 6" increments. That will give it a real scrappy look I think. Any thoughts on that???

Today also saw me getting my new Keepsake Quilting catalog! It is like Christmas when I get these! I sat down and immediately ordered almost $100.00 worth of fabrics to make a quilt for my first grandbaby. We do not have one on the way yet, but Nicole and Bryan have decided to start working on a family. So, in anticipation of a new grandson, I am going to make a cute pirate quilt. I did check with the kids and they said they would decorate in a pirate theme if they have a boy. I also ordered the cutest pattern to make a penguin quilt. Still not sure when I am going to have time for that, but it may be something I work on occassionally when I am in a "funk".

I had to attach the most adorable picture of my buddy, Barney. Barney is my Beagle. He is just over 2 years old and is a total lap dog. He keeps me warm when I need it and snuggles like no other! He is spoiled rotten and I love it that way!

Anyway... need to get to bed and see if I can kick this cold I have had for a week now. I am so tired from not sleeping because of coughing and sneezing. I honestly did not know that one little nose could make so much snot! YUCK! I gross myself out!

Have a great day. I hope you all get to quilt to your hearts content.

Denise

Some kids...

Hi again! I do not have any new pics yet to post. That will come later tonight after I get some borders on my plaids quilt. But I wanted to post some pics I got this weekend. The first is (left to right) myself, my oldest daughter, Nicole, and then Nicole's friend Gretchen. They came over for the weekend and we had a great time. Nicole's husband was also here and ran around with my hubby, Dave, and the dog looking for some turkeys (it is going to be turkey hunting season soon). The other picture is me when I am not quilting! Looks like a rough job, huh? For those that do not know, I do daycare everyday from 7:45am until 11:30pm. LONG days, but I do get to play with babies all day! The larger child wallowing on me is my youngest child, Kady. She is 8 now, but loves to sit on my lap still. Trust me, I will hold her as long as I can!

Nicole gave me some real exciting news while she was here. Her and Bryan have decided that they will work on having a baby now. Can you believe it???? Maybe soon I will be a grandma :0 I am so excited!

So, that is all I have for this morning. I will try to get the borders on the plaids and post a pic tonight. Depends on the attitudes of the babies today!

Have a great day and happy quilting!

Denise

New Project

Well, here are the pieces and parts for my next project. Don't you just LOVE my directions? I had lost my original so copied Teresa's while she was here cutting her's out. Thank goodness I do not rely on straight lines in my quilting doodles!

Thanks for dropping by!

Denise

Tonye Phillips- Gifted Quilter

I warned Tonye that I was going to put her on my blog. So here it is...

Let me begin by pointing out that the cross hatching Tonye is doing on the one close up is 1/4 inch cross hatch! Can you believe it? She is amazing!

Tonye is one of those quilters that inspire greatness. She has a style that makes you say "Hey, that's one of Tonye's works". You can always pick out her work from amongst a whole wall of quilts. She definitely has her own style. I love it!

When I began attempting to quilt about 8 years ago Tonye was always there to help me along. Questions... I knew I could go ask Tonye. She never made me feel inferior although I knew I was (and still am!). She could always be counted on to go "Oh my, that is beautiful!" even with my pathetic first attempts.

Tonye is a great quilter, but she is an even greater person and friend. I am honored to call her one of my friends.

Camp Sherman Quilt Show

Today I had the joy of attending the Pine Needlers quilt show in Camp Sherman, Oregon. For those who have not been... YOU MUST GO! It is truly awe inspiring. This group of fun loving ladies host 2 shows a year! One in February and one in July. And this is the funny part; the husbands of the quilters serve food in the back of the building along with refreshments. They call themselves "The Pine Nuts". They sing little jingles and make jokes all day. They are a real pleasure to be around.

The show today was, I think, one of their best yet. The variety of styles, colors, and overall extraordinary workmanship was incredible. These ladies are a step above your ordinary quilters. Along with the quality is the fact that a majority of the quilts are hand quilted! You do not see that very often anymore.

Tomorrow I am having Teresa over and we are working on our next Stash Basher quilt. It is going to be a nice and easy 9-Patch quilt. Small enough for a baby. I have chosen to use some real nice plaids along with some Ecology Cloth for the solid background.

Have you heard of Ecology Cloth? Teresa and I just bought a whole bolt of it (40 yards)! It is an excellent dense muslin that we discovered while making Civil War blocks. The fabric, when on the bolt is VERY stiff. When washed it shrinks quite a bit and loses the stiffness, but has a great texture and is very easy to work with. It is originally $4.30 (I think) a yard but of course there is a discount when you buy a whole bolt.

So, I will be posting pics of more of the Camp Sherman quilts over the next few weeks. Keep checking in.

Happy Quilting!

Denise

Well, I finally have something to post here! My wonderful friend Teresa and I decided to make quilts for the fire department to raffle off. This is my creation. Let me tell you: I had a heck of a time deciding what to use for the inner border, but my wonderful husband decided for me. We went with the black. I am very pleased with the results! He has wonderful taste. (Well, he married me didn't he??? LOL) But now I have to do the backing and get it quilted and binding put on. I am excited. The photo does not show it very well, but I used a bunch of different whites and creams and then the blues are also a bunch of different blues. The reds though are all the same.

I have an easy quilt to do for Stash Bashers this month. It is a simple 9-patch and you actually cut the backing while you cut the blocks. It is very cool. I will post my fabric choices later this week. I have decided to go with plaids.

Did you all see the link for the potholder swap? Well, I signed up for it and have been e-mailing my swap partner. She happens to live just 25 minutes away from me. So, we decided that we were going to meet in person to do our swap. Isn't that fun?! So when she gets her potholholder done she is going to call me and we will meet for coffee and swap. I am very excited to meet her.

So, now I am working on another pinwheel quilt. This one is using scraps from the raffle quilt. I will post as I do things on it.

You all take care and stop in now and again to see what I am doing. Remember to post a comment so I know you were here...

Denise