Thursday, February 25, 2021

I Like Thursday #92


It's Thursday so it's time for a fun and uplifting post. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to read more positive posts. I took my mother for her second Covid vaccine yesterday. This picture just shows you a corner of this very busy school gymnasium. There are approximately 100 people in the process of being vaccinated at all times. I'm glad to report that my mother feels fine. I went to see her this morning and she's not experiencing any side effects.


We have a cat in the neighborhood that visits my kitties! We call her Blackie but I'm not sure that's her real name. My cats usually run to a window to hiss and growl at her. She doesn't mind. She just keeps returning! I guess that's how some cat friendships are!


Molly seems to like to watch television lately. She gets right up on the shelf and gets as close as she can. She just started doing that this week. She's 6 years old and we've had her since she was a kitten. I have no idea why the she's become so interested with the TV. Who knows what runs through their minds?!


I had my mammogram last week. There was no one there. I think some women may be putting it off due to Covid. It was a quick process. I received my letter 2 days later saying my mammogram was fine. It's always such a relief when I get that letter. I'm always so nervous when I know this appointment is approaching. So glad that's over!

I hope you all have a nice weekend. It was on the warm side yesterday but it's windy today. I think the temperatures are on their way down. Oh well, Spring is coming up soon!

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Finishing Up


I've been working on my projects slowly but somewhat steadily. This picture makes me very happy! The bottom Dresden Plate is the last row of this quilt! I'm hoping this quilt looks good when it's done. The Dresden Plates don't line up at all. That makes my feathers not line up nicely in some areas. I feel the Dresden Plates are the major attraction of the quilt. The quilting just enhances the background. I just hope it looks okay. It's too late now anyways! You can see the background is stained in this picture. The stains show up in a few areas throughout the quilt. Antique quilts are rarely in excellent condition. I'm just doing the best I can!


My second sock is almost done! The heel is turned and there are no more increases or decreases. This is the easy part. I really enjoyed knitting these socks. Who knew German short rows could be so fun?? I'm already trying to figure out what knitting project to work on next!

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's warming temperature. We may hit 50! Heat wave!

Thursday, February 18, 2021

I Like Thursday #91


It's time for a Thursday post! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to read more fun and uplifting posts. I received this cute plant from my mom on Valentine's Day. I'm not too good with plants so if any of you can give me advice, I would appreciate it! It's such a pretty color. I'd hate to kill it!


I got this cute shirt for my son for his birthday. It reminds us that Spring is on the way! It's such a fun shirt that I just couldn't resist!



As I was quilting away, I felt as though someone was watching me! It looks like Molly was keeping an eye on my work. I hope she approves!


Lily lays down next to me every night when I go to bed. I usually read or watch TV for a little while. Lily was in a deep sleep when she heard Molly was in the room. She woke up and just gave her this stare until she left! Cats are so funny! They sure do keep us entertained!

That's my week. It was quiet which is fine with me! Enjoy the weekend. We're getting more snow. I'm not looking forward to that!

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

Color My World BOM Month 2

 



I made this block a couple of weeks ago and kept forgetting to write a post about it! This is the center block of the Color My World BOM from The Quilt Show. It was made from 8 smaller pieces that uses 2 different patterns. As you alternate the patterns, you end up with this great Mariner's Compass. This particular block took me a few hours from start to finish. I used the freezer paper method which is used in this BOM. It's very easy once you get used to it. And fast!


Here are all my blocks for Color My World so far. I really love it. It's neat to make a quilt that's circular. I just hope all my pieces fit nicely! I heard next month will be the rest of the houses. That means 16 more and that round will be done. This quilt is a little different which is what I love!

I hope you all have power and didn't get a ton of ice from yesterday's storm. We got a little ice here in northern Massachusetts but not for very long. It was mostly rain. I would much rather have snow than ice. I would hate to live in Texas right now. I hope they get their power on quicker than they're saying. I didn't have power for 5 days once and it was awful. 


Thursday, February 11, 2021

I Like Thursday #90


 It's Thursday so it's time for an uplifting and fun post. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to read more like minded posts. It's almost Valentine's Day. I received these crocheted hearts from a dear friend. I think they're supposed to be pot holders but I just display them. They're too nice to get dirty!


We're in the middle of a snow pattern lately. The plows have been very busy in our neighborhood. It looks like one plow got a little too close to one of our trees. This branch wasn't even that low. I suppose it's a small price to pay for clearing our street.

This book was just released February 1. I had pre-ordered it and received it this past weekend. I usually read books on my Nook but I like to buy books so my mom can read them as well. Kristin Hannah is one of my favorite authors. I'm only about 1/4 through this book but I can already say, I love it! If you get the chance to read any of her books, read them! She never disappoints.

I think this is the last Christmas gift I received. It's an adorable table topper. I'm going to display it for St. Patrick's Day. I don't have anything I've made for this holiday. I really love it!

That's been my week! As some of you may know, I received my second Moderna vaccine this past Monday. I was sick for a couple of days but I'm feeling well today. So glad that's over! I hope I got some great antibodies!

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

FMQ Dresden Plate Quilt


I've had the worst day. I wanted to write this post this morning. However, I got my second Covid vaccine yesterday and I've been sick all day. I have body aches, chills, headache and fever. Ugh!!!  My temperature climbed to 101 while taking Motrin! I want to accomplish something today so I'm finally writing this post. Here's some of my quilting on my friend's antique Dresden Plate. I decided to use stippling around the feathers. I figured that would work best since the borders are different sizes and the plates are not equidistant from each other. I'm hoping my quilting masks the imperfections.


Here's one of the corners. I like the way it's coming out. It's a lot of work but the end product is worth it. I had planned to start the next row today but I've been laying on the couch the whole day. I was supposed to work tomorrow but called someone to cover my shift. I'm so glad I can stay home and sleep later than 5am! I still think everyone should get the Covid vaccine so don't let my experience change your mind. This is so much better than the actual disease. 


Thursday, February 4, 2021

I Like Thursday #89

 

Welcome to another Thursday post. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color for more fun posts to read. It's been another quiet week here. We did get quite the snowstorm Monday night into Tuesday. Here's a picture of my husband snow blowing the driveway Monday night. We ended up with over 18 inches of snow. He had to use the snow blower a few more times the next day!


We had a nice dinner last night. We made stir fry chicken using Paleo substitutions. We used coconut amines in place of soy sauce. We used sesame oil too which added a nice flavor. And as an added bonus, we have enough left overs for tonight! I love not having to cook!


I bought this cute sweater. I'm going to wear it on Valentine's Day. The little hearts remind me of those little candy hearts. It was too cute to pass up!


My local quilt shop, Bits N Pieces, designates the first week in January to buy a $100 gift certificate that includes one free yard of fabric each month for the whole year. This is my free yard from January. It's from the Cosmos fabric line by Jason Yenter. I just love the colors, So rich and vibrant. I have no idea what to do with it. I just found fabric that I liked and grabbed it!

That's my week! Hope you are all well. Stay healthy and enjoy the weekend!



Tuesday, February 2, 2021

Snow and Free Motion Quilting


 I'm so happy I didn't have to work today. I think I would have hated leaving the house during a Nor'easter before 6AM.  As you can see, the storm seems to be over and my driveway is even a little visible. However, we got around 15 inches of snow. I think that will be with us for a little while.

I thought I'd take advantage of my snow day and get some quilting done on this antique Dresden Plate. There are no borders. There is only extra fabric around the Dresden Plates. Also, each side seems to be a different width. I settled on free motion feathers. I felt the feathers could disguise these imperfections. I noticed I had spaces around the feathers and wasn't sure what to fill it with.

I decided to fill the area with a small meandering. Thankfully, I like it! I don't think I would have liked to rip out all those stitches! It makes the feathers pop a little more. The fabric is muslin and it's stained in a few areas. I thought this would be my best option. I'll use this little filler wherever I need it in the quilt. 


The circles in the middle of the Dresden Plates are not round. They're mostly oval although a few of them do look better than others. I opted for some curved cross hatching. It's quick and looks nice. I just hope this all works out. This quilt is a bit of a wild card. I have ideas that should work but I won't know for sure until I try. Fingers crossed!! I'll update as I make more progress.

Quilting State Fair Sampler

 I'm ready to quilt my son and future daughter-in-law's quilt. It's so big that I loaded it in 2 steps. This is how it looks aft...