Alaska Quilt Top

 I just finished sewing the last row onto my Alaska quilt top. I really love this quilt! It measures 49.5" square. The pattern is so pretty and intricate looking. However, making one block at a time, it's manageable and works out very nicely. I didn't add the border in the pattern. The pattern has a 4 inch border of the lightest fabric on each side of the quilt.

I found this picture on Edyta Sitar's website. The border is made by making Block #2 and sewing it all the way around. The four corner blocks are altered to keep the dark fabric on the outside of the quilt. I really love this border. The bad part is I didn't have enough fabric to add this border. But, I did find the fabrics on various websites so I'm all set! I wish I had seen this picture when I was buying my fabric. Oh, well,  it still works out!

I Like Thursday #231

 Welcome to I Like Thursday! Please visit LeeAnna to link up with more fun bloggers. I've been diligently working on my son's wedding quilt. It's been a little difficult but this one came out beautifully so I thought I'd share. Natalia Bonner very graciously shares her quilting on her YouTube channel. She has helped me come up with ideas so often over the years. This was her idea on quilting an octagon shape.

We've had a warm and sunny week. The trees are getting their leaves, My lilacs should be opening any day now. Unfortunately, it's sort of cold today. I'm hoping we get the sun and higher temperatures in the coming days. My kitchen window is right above the lilac plant. I love smelling them when I open that window.

I just started reading this book. It weighs in at a hefty 577 pages! I watched the movie awhile ago and thought it would be fun to read. It was published in 1958 and chronicles the lives of a 5 women working in New York City. There are scandals, relationships and heartbreak. It reminds me of a soap opera which I'm sure I'll enjoy.

Our prompt this week is whether you prefer chewy or crispy. I'll have to say it depends on what food we're talking about. I love chewy chocolate chip cookies. But, I love thin and crispy pizza crust! I suppose my answer is both! I guess that's not really a decision but that's how I feel. There's too much food out there to pick.

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Alaska and Ruler Work

 The 4th row for Alaska is ready to be sewn to the rest of the quilt. I saw a picture of Alaska online that included a pieced border using one of the blocks from the quilt. I really loved how it looked. The pattern only includes a border made from one of the lighter fabrics. I wasn't going to do it but then I found myself googling and finding the fabric I would need to complete the quilt with the pieced border. I wish I had seen the picture earlier. I just hope I ordered the right fabric. I had to use 3 different websites to find the 3 different fabrics. What a pain!! I think it's more practical if I make the quilt a little larger. I'll be able to put it on my bed. I just hope it works out okay.

I was so excited to start quilting this quilt for my son and future daughter-in-law. I'm starting to not like it as much. There are some huge areas to cover with quilting. I found this Pleat Block to finish this square. I like how it looks and it wasn't too difficult to quilt. Each block is different and there are so many decisions to make. Yesterday, I probably ripped out more than I quilted. I just couldn't remember how I quilted a certain portion of the block. I had to unroll the quilt a few times. I tried taking pictures but then I have to figure out how the block is oriented. Ugh. 

There was so much open space in this block that I had no idea what to do. Thankfully, Natalia Bonner and her YouTube channel saved me again! The Pleat Block is also her idea. I feel I'm getting great practice with my rulers. I'm getting there but it's just not as enjoyable as it was when I started. 

I Like Thursday #230

 It's time for I Like Thursday! I posted quite a few pictures of the baby quilt I had recently made. Well, here it is being given to the parents-to-be at their baby shower! They're such a nice couple. I hope they use this quilt and enjoy their baby. It was so nice for my future daughter-in-law to send me this picture from the baby shower. 

My son travelled to northern New Hampshire to catch the solar eclipse in totality. This is one of the pictures he sent me. So great to see! He thinks that's Venus below the sun. I have no idea. He went up the night before and stayed at a friend's house. The day of the eclipse they went to the house of a friend's aunt where they could sit and watch the eclipse. It took him almost 12 hours to get back home! The highways were completely jammed with traffic. At one point, they were travelling at 2mph! He was dropped off at a nearby town where his fiancee picked him up. He got one hour of sleep before he had to start working.

Alaska is coming along quite nicely! The first two rows are sewn together. The third row is complete but has to be sewn to the top two rows. It's slow but steady. It's only 7 rows so it shouldn't take too long. I still have to figure out the border. 

I like reading the old classics every so often. I just finished this one yesterday. It was quite wordy but worth it! It was interesting to see how much society has changed over the years, especially to women. The main character is in a bad marriage and wants to support herself and her son. Divorce is never mentioned. She has no way out and would have to run away to get away from her husband. Times have certainly changed!

That was my week! Make sure to visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more fun blogs to read. Have a great weekend!

More Quilted Blocks

 I've been working on the State Fair Sampler steadily. I usually don't think of what I'm going to quilt until I actually have to do it. Maybe I work better under pressure! I just quilted lines and loops in this one. These smaller blocks don't take long at all.

This is considered a pinwheel but it seems to have too many pieces. I again used lines and one big loop!

I was hoping to make a little movement within the block. 

I just tried different motifs in each area. I used wishbone, loops and arcs. I found that middle pattern in a book and thought I'd give it a try.

I've seen this design before but had never tried it. I wanted to try something different in the middle square of a 9-patch design. This one is easier than it looks. You start in one corner and quilt to one inch out from the next corner. You just keep repeating it until you're done. Not too awful!

I have 2 larger blocks to work on next. Not only are they large, but they're made up of weird shapes. I have an idea but hope it works out. I'm getting better at ripping out my stitches. Ripping out seems to take much longer than it should!

I Like Thursday #229

 I bought this new Spring wreath for my front door. I don't remember Easter  coming this early and I didn't want to put my Summer wreath up just yet. So, I went to Jo-Ann's and got a great deal on this wreath. Well, I guess the joke is on me. We're in the middle of a Nor'Easter complete with wind and snow. Ugh! Our lights flickered for a few minutes but came back quickly. I think the wind is dying down but who knows?! It's not my idea of Spring! Anyways, my door looks nice!

I made this Easter bread for our Easter dinner. I'm not really good with yeast. It doesn't always work when I use it in recipes but I was lucky this year! The bread was nice and soft. I could have placed eggs within the braid but I always threw them out when I was a kid so decided against it. This bread goes great with coffee!

This is block 12 of the Alaska quilt. I'm all done sewing the blocks! Now, to put this quilt together is going to a slow process. I'm hoping to line up all the seams so the pattern will emerge. I admit that I really enjoyed making these blocks. Although a bit challenging, the directions and illustrations were well written and easy to follow. These blocks had to be made slowly. I don't think I've pinned as much as I have for these blocks but I think they definitely helped lining everything up correctly.

I tutored my student at the library yesterday. We got to sit by this fireplace for the entire session. It was so warm and comfortable. I didn't want to leave! Our 2 hours zipped by so fast. We're so lucky to have such a great library in our town.

Our prompt this week is whether you prefer an amusement park or a day at the beach. I will have to say the beach is my choice. I love sitting there and listening to the ocean. I always bring a book and feel it's a great way to rest and recharge. We usually stop for food on the way home and top it off with an ice cream. That's such a fun day for me. I love rides and amusement parks but the beach is definitely my favorite! Please visit LeeAnna to link up to my blogs participating in I Like Thursday. 

Quilting Sampler Blocks

 This is the first block in the upper left hand corner of  the State Fair Sampler Quilt. I posted the bead board border last week. I've made a bit of progress and have started quilting the interior of the block. I've got some ribbon candy, wish bone and feathers in there! This block measures 32" square so I can only quilt a portion at a time. I sometimes have to unroll the quilt so I can see what I quilted earlier! My quilting isn't perfect but it's okay.

There was quite a bit of bulk in this block so I thought I'd quilt a good amount in the middle to suck up some of that extra fabric. It looks good and did the trick! This block is 12" square. 

I just tried to think of quilting motifs that would give this block a little movement. I quilted lines, swirls and arcs. This block is 12" square also.

I can only get so much per day. I tend to get sloppy if I quilt for too long. I have months to finish this and I think it's going to take me awhile. Too many decisions and way too big! This is the largest quilt I've ever made. I'm doing it for my son and his future wife so it's definitely worth it!

I Like Thursday #228

Welcome to I Like Thursday! A bunch of us bloggers like to write happy and uplifting posts on a weekly basis. Please visit LeeAnna to link up with more blogs. This is Block 13 of Alaska, a quilt designed by Edyta Sitar. I think this one is my favorite. It's not easy to make but the I just love it. It has a sparkle to it!  All blocks in this quilt measure 9.5" square. 

I forgot to show you Block 11 of Alaska. I only have Block 12 left to make. I jumped ahead to Block 13 since I only had to make one block. Four blocks left!! I think putting this quilt together is going to be a slow process which is fine. Slow is good!

My future daughter-in-law brought this over to my house one day. I thought it was going to be a delicious dessert for us to share. I had no idea that it wasn't real! She made this "cake" for my daughter. It actually opens up and can be used to store whatever you'd like. It would make a cute jewelry box. I'm not really sure what it's made of. It just looks very realistic!

Our prompt this week is what baby animal would you choose for a pet. I think I'd love a baby deer! I see them outside sometimes and think they're so cute. I know it's not really possible but they're too cute to resist! They look so cuddly!

Have a wonderful Easter! We're hosting Easter dinner and will start cooking tomorrow. It's a lot of work but it's so nice to have the family all together!🐣Enjoy!

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 after just attaching one side of the backing and quilt top to the longarm. It's about 92" wide so pinning to the leaders took a while. I stopped after that and did the rest the next day.

After much consideration, I decided simpler is better with this quilt since it's so large. I thought bead board would look good in this area. Also, since there isn't a border, the sides are so stretchy with all those seams. I thought this would keep this edge nice and straight. 

I was going to do something curvy in this area but decided on these half inch lines instead. I think they look good in this odd shape. It's not a circle, square or octagon. The lines worked! I'll post more as I quilt more. Too many decisions with so many blocks!! I'm hoping it will get easier as I get going.

I Like Thursday #227

It's officially Spring! I thought I'd post my Spring table runner. A few years ago, some of us bloggers made blocks and shared them. They're all slab blocks but bright and beautiful! I love looking at all the different fabrics that we all have in our stash. By the way, visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more I Like Thursday blogs.

Here's my Block 10 for Alaska, a quilt designed by Edyta Sitar. I'm surprised how fast I'm making these blocks. I have 9 blocks left to make. The border in the pattern is minimal so I may be changing that up. I want to make the quilt top first and then figure it out.

I cook practically everyday but I don't consider myself much of a cook. However, I do find a few recipes I like and thought I'd share. This is call Egg Roll Skillet. You can find the recipe here. It's fast and easy. I like to make egg rolls in the air fryer and I think this recipe would work very nicely.

I also made this Crustless Custard Pie. You can find the recipe here. I love custard pie but don't like all the calories from the crust. This recipe solves that problem. It's quick and only uses 7 ingredients. My husband really liked it!

I hope you all have a great weekend! It's supposed to be stormy here this weekend. I'm hoping it's not too bad!

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Two Projects Moving Along

I finished making the 9th block for the Alaska quilt. This is by far the easiest block in this quilt. It goes together quite quickly. All the blocks for this quilt measure 9.5" square. I'm about half done with block 10. I'll post the picture when I finish.

I'm coming along nicely on my cross stitch. I didn't realize there was embroidery in this project. This is slowing me down since I'm learning as I go along! I'm making the Lazy Daisy stitch as well as the French knot. They're not too hard but just new for me. I'm enjoying making this bureau scarf.

I'm off to the eye doctor this afternoon. I got all my stitching done this morning. I'm useless after my eyes get dilated. I'll be happy to lay on the couch and watch TV. (Hopefully, the light won't bother me too much!)

Baby Binding

Here's the baby quilt complete with binding. I used the same fabric as the border. I usually use a 2.25" binding. I'm not sure why but that seems to be my favorite width. It's not too wide, not too thin, just right!!

I always use my walking foot when sewing a binding. I've been lazy in the past and have just used my regular quilting foot. I never really like the end result. The walking foot insures a nice flat binding.  A regular foot can sure make that binding wavy. It's so worth it to change the foot!

Baby Quilt Finished

 It took me two days to get this baby quilt quilted. I had a few ideas as to how I was going to quilt it but I didn't really decide until I had the quilt loaded and ready to go. The quilt measures about 49" X 56". 

I wanted to quilt an all over pattern. I didn't want it to be too dense so the quilt would remain soft. I decided on quilting these meandering loops. It's common in quilts for children and looks a bit whimsical and fun.

I quilted arcs just by following the sides of the half square triangles. I quilted 1" lines above the arcs and ribbon candy within the arcs. I quilted a series of lines in the corners. Ta-da! The quilt is completely quilted. I'm working on the binding which is the same fabric as the border. This was such a fun project to work on!

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I Like Thursday #226

 Welcome to I Like Thursday. A bunch of us bloggers post happy and uplifting posts on a weekly basis. Visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more like minded blogs. I just finished Block 8 of Alaska by Edyta Sitar. I have 17 more blocks to go. I'm getting more comfortable with all those pieces meeting in the middle. Every quilt teaches you something and those points in the middle is my quilt lesson.

My baby quilt is ready to load! I ironed the backing as well as the quilt top. I always like laying the top over the backing. I use math a lot but I also like to make sure everything works once the pieces are ready for loading. I'm going to free motion the whole thing except for the borders. I just need to pick a pattern. That's the hard part!!

I found Lily sleeping in her usual spot, She had her little paws crossed. She looks so cute. I just had to share!

Our prompt this week is how you experience Spring with each of your senses. Here goes:

Taste - Easter goodies, chocolates

Touch - Warm breeze, soft petals of newly blossomed flowers

See - Flowers, longer days, reawakening of nature, Peeps

Hear- Birds, motorcycles, kids outside playing

I'll probably think of more later but that's what I came up with for now!

Have a great weekend!

Backing Arrived!

I received the backing for the baby quilt I made. It's exactly what I wanted. The baby's name is going to be Eloise so this is just perfect! I'm going to have to piece the backing and I'll try to keep the pattern intact. I haven't pieced a backing in awhile so this may take a few tries.

I started to cross stitch the dresser scarf. It measures 14" X 35". There are 4 areas to cross stitch. I'm going to cross stitch first, then back stitch and embroidery. I'll finish each area before I move on to the next. I love cross stitching while watching TV. I've been watching a few documentaries on Netflix. They always seem to suck me in!

It's cold and damp today with drizzle. I still managed to vote. It was very quick this morning. There weren't too many people there. 

I Like Thursday #225

How can it be time for Thursday Likes so soon?? Time goes by so fast lately. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more fun blogs posting happy and uplifting posts. I'm working quite diligently on my Alaska quilt. This is Block 7. The blocks measure 9.5" square. I can't believe I'm almost halfway through making the blocks for this awesome quilt. So far, so good!

I found this cute little plant at the store last week. They're called Tete a Tete daffodils. I plan on planting them outside once the weather improves. Speaking of weather, it's been so windy the last 24 hours. I had such a hard time sleeping. The wind was so noisy. It's supposed to calm down this afternoon. I was afraid of losing power but we never lost it. Sort of miraculous! It's quite a bit cooler than yesterday too. Crazy weather!!

As you can see, I'm all set for St. Patrick's Day. I brought out my spring flowers too. A dear quilting friend made me this table topper. I had never made anything for St. Patrick's day. How my friend knew that is a mystery! We're online friends so she's never been to my house. I love displaying it every year.

 I had never heard of this book but decided to read it anyway. It was wonderful! It is loosely based on the life of Martha Ballard, a midwife in New England in the 1700's. Don't miss this gem of a book! I couldn't put it down.

It's been a quiet week which is fine with me! Have a great weekend!!