Goodbye to Mina Kitty

<3 My little, furry, ever present Quilty Helper <3

If you have been reading my blog for sometime, you have seen many pictures of Mina helping me with my quilts.  Today she quilted her last quilt with me.  


Poor kitty has been getting thinner and very frail for sometime now and today she stopped eating.  Mina had a strong heart but she had cancer and was starting to show signs of suffering so my hubby took her to the vet for the last time today.  There was really nothing more anyone could do.  When she came to live with us over eight years ago, she was nine years old and on her way to be put to sleep. My daughter and her friend brought her here instead.  She was frightened and angry and it took her a long time to trust us.  Feeling abandoned, she sought refuge in My Boys' room and eventually learned to love again.  One of the things she loved best was my fabric and my quilts.  Mina had here own little basket of quilty comfort in my sewing area, but she was always hopping onto my sewing machine or table to help me with my work in progress. 

Today she sat with me and kept me company one last time.

Often she would sit on my shoulder while I typed or stitched.

<3 I will miss you, Mina <3

<3<3<3

Quilting Sunflowers

I have been quilting the bright summer wallhanging I pieced with the Clothworks Sunfower Kit two summers ago.  With my constant eye problems, it is very slow going.  I am enjoying my slow and steady progress.  These are still some of my favorite fabrics.  I love the colors and design and am trying to use the sunflower motifs and straight line effects in my quilting.

When I take a break from quilting, I have also been sorting through my quilty abundance of fabrics and patterns and books and magazines.  When did all this stuff get here?  I think it has been growing with sponantious quilty combustion of its own in my closets and drawers.  LOL.  ;)

I have enough quilty goodness to keep me busy for many years to come.  Sometime soon I will be setting up my very own sewing room now that the nest is almost empty.  I am spending my computer time looking at sewing rooms and studios and have as many thoughts in my head as I have fat quarters ... which is too say many too many. I am loving the fabric fondling and dreaming of my quilty paradise.

I have also started reading the Cobble Court Quilts series by Marie Bostwick and am enjoying the stories and characters.  I am about halfway through the first book,  A Single Thread. Again, this is slow going because sometimes my eyes just cannot quite focus.

This weekend my guy and I are escaping to the north country to enjoy the beautiful Green Mountains, Lake Champlain and attend the Vermont Quilt Festival and stopping a few quilt shops along the way.  So some more quilty goodies may  somehow follow me home. ;)

Be back soon !

Until then, be safe and happy and healthy and
take time to enjoy the fabric of life.

<3<3<3

Table Quilt Complete

I have finished the small table quilt made from the last of the extra border blocks and some scraps from the blue and brown quilt.  I decided to add some red into this mix to add a bit more color.  I love red in a table quilt.  Always so inviting.

Close up of the quilting details ...

Mini-Mina as always was my constant quilty helper.  For the small squares in the scrappy border of this quilt I decided to quilt just smaller squares in the centers and for quilting templates I just stuck down post-it squares and quilted around the edges.  The rest of the quilting is just straight line quilting following the lines on the block pieces. Quilting made easy.

Then I packed up the table quilt, the two mug rugs and the eight tie backs I had volunteered to make and delivered them to their new home today.

It has been very hot here in my quilty corner of the world for the past few days.  Good weather to stay in and let the sewing machine hum along with the AC.  I am packing away the rest of the scraps and moving on to my next quilty project tomorrow. 

I am going to quilt a UFO while I have the walking foot on my machine.  Something bright and summery ...

... and has been sitting in my quilty queue for over two years, the Sunflower Wall Quilt and Tablerunner that I posted here in my blog in April 2010. Time to get these done!

<3 Happy Quilting! <3

<3<3<3

Quilting ... quilting ... quilting ...

Ready ... Set ... Go!

It has been so long since I actually machine quilted anything on my home machine that I had to read the manual again to figure out how to install the dual feed walking foot for straight stitch quilting. So I needed a refresher course.

I practiced yesterday by quilting and machine binding two mug rugs made from scrap units from the blue and brown quilt. 

I found my skills were a little rusty.  Far from perfect. Nonetheless, I am pleased with the results and am now working on the table quilt.

The sun is shining so brightly in my window this morning that the shadows are making a bit too much contrast for my eyes to adjust so it is break time.  Tomorrow it is supposed to go up to 100 degrees F in my quilty corner of the world, which will be a very abrupt change from the cool spring we have been having. Tomorrow the AC will be humming and will be staying inside for sure.  Think I will go outside and enjoy the end of spring. 

Then back to quilting later in the day.

Have a happy quilty day ... :) Pat

<3<3<3

Ready For Quilty Gifting

The blue and brown quilt bed ensemble is ready for gifting!

I made two pieced border pillowcases following the easy Pillowcase Tube Method from APQ ...

... and I made designed and made two toss pillows with the four extra medium triangle units left over in the pattern instructions ...

I still have this small quilt/pillow cover .... ???? ....large block which I made from the extra Delectable Mountain units that I made with the darker blue sky fabric before I realized I was not going to have enough of this color to do the whole quilt border. 

I want to finish using up as much of the scraps from this quilt today before I put the rest into stash and scraps.

Butterfly is still trying to tell me, "You will not give away this quilt.  This is MY quilt." 

Have a happy quilty day ... :) Pat

<3<3<3

Quilt Complete and Kitty Approved

I put the last stitches in the binding last night.  Mina, of course, was my ever present quilty helper. Mini Mina is getting very old and frail.  I treasure our quilty time together.

Butterfly likes to test completed quilts.  In this photo I think she is trying to say "Look into my eyes.  You will not give away this quilt.  This quilt is mine.  Repeat after me.  This quilt belongs to The Butterfly."
 

Sorry, Butterfly.  You already have a quilt. ;)

Just have to make a couple of pillowcases and a toss pillow from a few extra border blocks and it will be ready for gifting.

<3<3<3

Sewing ... sewing ... sewing ... quilting ... and pie

I finished this top late last night ... er ... early this morning ... ;)

Since it is now an oversized queen, I took it to my favorite local quilt shop, Bits 'n' Pieces, and rented their long arm for a few hours. Always a nice place to spend some time.  Thanks, Liz and Co.  

Butterfly has inspected and approved this quilt for binding ...

Of course, I decided that the best fabric for the binding is not the one I saved some of for this purpose, but one I do not have quite enough of ... back to the shop tomorrow ... ;)

While I was at the quilt shop, Super Hubby went strawberry picking. Mmmmmmm ... fresh picked local strawberries!  So good!!

Wait, there is more ... then while I was taking a nap to rest up after my late nights and quilty adventure, he baked a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie ...

Yum!

Finished quilt piccie coming soon ... :-)

First ... another (small) piece of pie ...

Yummy!

Quilty Friends Are Bound Together Forever

 In Memory of My Friend, Gerda

Thank you, Gerda, for all the help and support you have given me. I am a better quilter and am a richer friend because we met online.  You have left a legacy in stitches and patterns generously shared with all who knew you.

You will be missed.

You are loved.

<3<3<3

Thanks to all who sent me blocks in the Q& N 3.5 inch Signature Block Swap in 2010.  Although they are still not stitched together, these blocks are a treasure.  

Hmmm ... maybe they are waiting for more blocks.

If you are reading this, do I have one from you?

I would be happy to make and send a block to all my online quilty friends.

:) Pat

Eureka!

I have the border plan!

Delectable Mountains

... the "Easy Method"  ;-) 

Time to sew ...

... Pat

Mystery Solved!

The "Unexpected Twist" Mystery top is done!  Ah ... almost ... I want to add about a 6 inch border all around to make it larger for a queen size bed.  I have some left of most of the fabrics, but only enough of the dark brown for the binding.  No idea for this border has popped into my mind. I am feeling stumped. This is going to take some thought.

I am open to suggestions. 

The twisty bands of all the colors extend all the way to the edges.

Maybe I just need to take a cap-nap under the top like Butterfly here and see what I might dream up ... ;)