I Like Thursday #197

Welcome to I Like Thursday. Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more positive posting blogs! My daughter went to London a few weeks ago and made a visit to Liberty London. She chose these 4 gorgeous fabrics. I think they measure about half a yard or half a meter according to the UK! I think my daughter did a great job of finding some gorgeous fabrics especially for a non-quilter! I have to think of a great way to use these fabrics!

Here are my blocks so far for the Schoolhouse Dash Sew Along. I'm doing my version scrappy since I'm trying to use up my stash whenever possible. Each block measures 12.5" square. I've always liked the pattern and was going to make it at some point. So glad I waited!

I went to JoAnn's this morning to buy batting. While I was there, I bought these kitchen towels. They were marked down 70% so I couldn't resist. While I was walking around, I noticed all their Halloween merchandise was already on display. Isn't it too early for that?? I was a little surprised! It's not even July yet!!

This is the front of my house. It's been raining so much that everything is growing great! Maybe a bit too much but that's fine! No rain is forecast for today. I hope that's true. It's been a soggy and dreary June in the Northeast.

This week's prompt is State/County Fairs. I haven't been to the Topsfield Fair since my kids were little. I always did enjoy it but just haven't had a chance to go. I remember lots of people eating apple pie with a slice of cheese on top. I had never seen that before but it seemed to be a fair favorite! It might be nice to go this year but that won't happen until fall. Fairs are always such fun!

Have a great weekend!!

Some Progress

Although a bit wrinkled, I think you can see this block is almost done. One corner left to go! These shapes are not easy to applique. The shapes are quite curvy and on the small side. It's actually getting easier now that I'm almost done. Figures!

 I now have 4 blocks done for Picnic Flowers. This quilt is made up of 16 blocks so it's moving along quickly. Each block measures 20.5" square. 

It's been hot, humid and very wet. It's been great to stay indoors and sew with air conditioning. I'm hoping this pattern breaks and we get some better weather soon.

I Like Thursday #196

It's time for I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blogs posting happy and uplifting content. This is the first year our peonies have blossomed. I love making little bouquets and inhaling that wonderful scent! I visited the cemetery for Father's Day and put a few at my dad's grave. I gave my mother a little bouquet too. I've really enjoyed them.

Not only was it Father's Day, it was also my husband's birthday. I made my usual white cake but I added strawberries this time. It came out so good! This cake didn't last long! The strawberries added a nice little taste.

My husband and I had to go to Logan Airport to pick our daughter and her friend. They went to London for a week. That airport is so difficult to navigate. I'm glad we made it home in one piece. Her plane was delayed for an hour and a half. We were there on time but customs took awhile. I might be getting a package from Liberty London! I'll post that when I receive it. I can't wait!

This is the first block I made for Picnic Flowers, a pattern by Victoria Findlay Wolfe. A friend of mine bought me a kit a couple of years ago and I'm finally making it. These aren't my usual colors but I'm loving it so far! This block measures 20.5" square. The quilt should finish about 94" square. Nice and big!!

The prompt this week is the ice cream truck we used to have in the neighborhood as kids. We always called the guy "Charlie". I think one driver may have had that name and from then on, they were all Charlie! I used to get Buried Treasure. It was some sort of ice cream on a plastic stick but there was a surprise at the bottom. I can't even remember what that surprise was! I used to like Hoodsie cups too! It was always a treat to get these items from the ice cream truck. My parents thought they were expensive and cheaper from the grocery store. But it wasn't as much fun!!! Nice memories!

Have a great weekend!

Blast From the Past Quilting

I'm just posting these two pictures to show you the quilting on the Blast From the Past Mystery Quilt. I tried a few different designs and experimented with some new ones. I like the end result although I would have done a few things differently. I suppose that's the only way to learn!

I have all my quilt tops quilted. I guess that means I have to start working on a few more quilts! I do have a couple of projects going. I'll be back to the longarm in no time! I hope you like my quilting!

I Like Thursday #195

It's time for I Like Thursday. LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color hosts a bunch of us bloggers to make happy and uplifting posts every Thursday. Go visit her and link up with more blogs! We planted peonies last year but it was rather late in the season. They're all starting to bloom! It's so nice to seem them all blossoming. I just love that pink!

I gave my husband an early Father's Day gift. We kept putting off buying a new umbrella for the deck. I figured it would make a great gift! I saw this one that included solar lights. We put it on the deck as soon as we received it. It looks so nice! There's a switch so you can turn the lights off or on. It looks great on our deck.

I started a new scrap project. It's sponsored by Craftsy and Stitchin'  Heaven. It's called Schoolhouse Dash and it will last for 13 weeks. I'm such a sucker for these freebie quilts! Anyways, I'm making mine scrappy. They also offer kits to buy. It will measure 72" X 72". I may add a border to make it a little bigger. We'll see. 

I read this book years ago and recently watched the series on AMC. I couldn't really remember much about the book. I know a lot of people complained that the series didn't follow the book very closely so I decided to read it again. I completely forgot how thick this book is. It's over 1000 pages! It's a great read but it's just so long! I read pretty fast but this one is going to take a while.

This week's prompt concerns fathers. There's a lot I remember about my father. He was a tailor and when I was a baby, his sewing machine used to be in my bedroom. When he sewed, the machine would lull me to sleep. I think I get my love of sewing from him. He tried to teach me to sew but he didn't have much patience. He always worked more than one job and was constantly busy. I feel close to him when I'm sewing. I sometimes wonder if he would like whatever project I'm working on. He saw my longarm but I'm not sure he understood what it was used for. He had a few strokes towards the end of his life and didn't communicate very well. I like to think he's looking down on me and smiles as I work on quilts.

Applique and Ruler Work

It's taken a while but I finally made some progress on this block called Pride of the Forest. All those peaks and valleys take a long time to applique. It's so hard to keep it from moving since it's so long. It's not perfect but it's done! Much better!! I have another curved piece for the opposite side. It's quite relaxing (most of the time) and great for watching TV.

This is the last block I quilted on the Blast From the Past quilt. I love combining ruler work with free motion quilting. It makes every block look good! This quilt is coming along nicely. I'm probably about 2/3 done. I'm really enjoying this one!

I Like Thursday #194

Welcome to I Like Thursday! A bunch of us bloggers post happy and uplifting content every Thursday. Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more of these blogs. My mother received this from an old friend. She was so happy to get it and couldn't wait to show me. I thought I would share it with all of you. We might not always remember this but it's so true! Your friends are out there if you need them even if you forget!

I tried to create some movement with my quilting in this block. It's tough to come up with a quilting plan for every block but this one didn't take too long. There are only 4 shapes in the block so I just repeated the same motif in each shape. I think I like it!

I'm collecting fabrics for the Alaska quilt. So far, I have these 4 blues. I think I like them but I haven't decided for sure. I'm still keeping my options open! I still need the contrast color to go along with the blues. 

 I know many of you have seen the movie but I read the book and loved it! It was such a great story. I cried my eyes out at the end.  I always feel if a book makes you cry, it's a great book. When a book evokes so much emotion, it has to be well done. I highly recommend it. I plan on watching the movie soon.

The prompt this week is any memories associated with ice cream. I do remember going out for an ice cream when I was in grammar school. My brother and I were very excited. My brother ordered his usual vanilla and couldn't wait to start in on it. Well, he may have been a little too enthusiastic because he sent the ice cream flying off the cone. I think he wanted to cry but he was afraid he might get my father mad. I remember he just showed my father by holding out his cone to him. Someone standing near us told my father to go right back to the window and tell them what happened. He said they would replace it. He was right. My brother looked much happier with his second cone. He also ate his ice cream a little bit more cautiously! Live and learn!

That's been my week! Enjoy the weekend!

Applique and Rulerwork

I put together the first row of Carrie Hall's Sampler Quilt. You can feel like you accomplished something now that a few blocks are actually sewn together! My second row is almost complete too. I'm working on the last block for that row right now. This one is big and will take some time. 

I'm making great progress quilting the Blast From the Past quilt. I'm using a combination of ruler work and free motion quilting. 

I really love being able to combine a few patterns to enhance the quilt block. I love the texture as well as the designs. I'm close to halfway done this quilt but this one is also on the slow side. Each block is different so I have to decide what to do each time I start a new block. I'm having a great time finishing this quilt. 

I Like Thursday #193

It's Thursday once again! A group of us bloggers post happy and uplifting posts weekly. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blog posts. My son and his fiancee went to visit friends who just bought a new house. He sent me this picture of a koi pond in their backyard. Isn't it lovely!! I would love something like this in my yard. It's just so pretty. I'd love to sit next to it and watch those fish swim around. I bet it's very relaxing. 

Summer must be here because I had my first lobster roll of the season! It was so good. I'm already looking forward to my next one!

The cats have too many toys but I just couldn't resist these! They're just too cute. They make all sorts of crinkly sounds. The cats played with them but then just walked away. Bad kitties!

I finished one mitten! They're quick, easy and fun to make. I'll be making the left hand mitten next.

The prompt this week is about your favorite ice cream flavor. I don't eat dairy so I try to find a vegan or non-dairy version. My favorite is always chocolate. However, back in my college days, I found a place that made their own soft serve and I just loved their vanilla. It was just so creamy and had the best taste. I did eat dairy back then. I usually buy Ben & Jerry's non-dairy ice cream nowadays. I like anything chocolate. 

I hope you have a great weekend! This week went by way too fast. The holiday was great but made the week way too short!