I Can't Count!

Seems I cannot count properly today.  I have 34 of these blocks and should have 35 - seems like I goofed...one more to make!  Here I was thinking ahhh finished piecing but not so. 

I have laid out the 30 on the bed and from the pictures I believe some of the blocks need swapping because there is a row that has no red in it.  So the finished layout will be a tad different as opposed to the colors.  What do you think?  

 I keep going back to the scraps and for some unknown reason these never seem to diminish.  Hmmmm I wonder, is there a scrap weed growing on the bottom of the pile, you know the type of weed that just keeps on growing and growing and growing no matter how often you cut it down.    

Have you seen the latest Missouri Star Quilt Co. tutorial?  Isn't it marvelous how Jenny comes up with these wonderful and quick methods on piecing a block and getting a quilt top done in no time at all.  I simply love her tutorials and her ideas!
This latest tutorial of Jenny's is called the "Merry Go Round Quilt" and it's fabulous! 

If your interested, just click on the highlighted title of the quilt and it will take you straight to Jenny's tutorial. 

Now it is back to the sewing machine, one more block to make and then see how quickly I can put this together, sandwich and quilt it.  

Hopefully by the weekend it will be a completed quilt.  Tomorrow though I get to play with my grandchildren, hooray!!!  They are camping at the KOA campground up my way and so I have given myself the day off to go and play.

Thank you for continuing to check in on me, I rather enjoy sharing with you and do hope you'll return again.  Should you wish to leave a comment I would love to know what your current projects are.  Do you find your scraps never deplete?  

What you can't get out of, get into wholeheartedly.  ~Mignon McLaughlin

It's Been A Perfect Day

What a fabulous weather day today, the temperature just perfect and a wonderful breeze.  I spent the morning finishing the Scrappy Hearts blocks,

 then auditioned fabric for the borders

Right side of fabric where the green is bright, or the

Wrong side of fabric which is muted, or

this blue with faint beige dots....

and because I simply could not make up my mind I decided that I'd take full advantage of the weather and sit outside and work on more hexagons, a most enjoyable afternoon.  Slowly my top is beginning to grow and of course I am adding them as I go along and not waiting to systematically put the individuals in a pile to sew together once there are hundreds, LOL.... I never was one for following rules!  I so enjoy hand sewing but my arthritic fingers can only go for so long and then I must stop and rest a bit.

Before sitting down to sew I decided to check on my garden and have discovered why the Clematis was withered and looked like it was dying!  Some critter (my neighbor thinks it may be the new baby rabbits from the wooded area across the way) has been eating at it,  I thought that it had been cut by a weed whacker, but not so, it is definitely a little creature that I share my surroundings with.   At least the roots are still in tack and in the ground, so hopefully it will begin to grow again and possibly I may end up with beautiful flowers to enjoy.  My rose bushes are doing well too, the red one named Coco looks like it will burst forth with a bloom very soon and the yellow bush named Lemon Meringue now has three buds ready to burst open with beautiful yellow roses.  I just love roses and these two bushes are climbers, I cannot wait to see them grow and prosper. 

Now, I have put away my sewing all to be picked up tomorrow.  

So what do you think?  About the auditioned fabric choices?  The blue looks like it may do the Scrappy Hearts more justice than the busy patterned green with black.  I wouldn't mind your opinion on this....  

Spend the afternoon.  You can't take it with you.  ~Annie Dillard

Where is Spring?

I realize I have been missing for several days, and here it is, already another Friday!  So, I am shouting out a Howdy to you all!  
As I said it is Friday once again and ole man winter is still hanging on, just cannot bring himself to leave!!!  He continues to leave his mark!

Image courtesy of Simon Howden at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 There have been sightings of Ms. Spring, and I have even witnessed several of her attempts to return and stay, 

Image courtesy of Maggie Smith at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

but, this year ole man winter stubbornly refuses to budge!  Not fifteen moments ago the sky clouded over and snow began to fall, aided and abetted by strong winds and not at all warm.

Not sure about you, but, I am becoming rather impatient waiting out winter and spring cannot come soon enough for my liking. 

Meanwhile, I have been keeping myself busy, attending to my lazy streak and making the huge effort to make myself get up from my reclining posture and do something useful.  I haven't managed much, just some hand written letters and cards to friends who are celebrating birthdays this month, a trip to the Library for DVD's and more books, a trip into the city to pick up a free bed, some much needed groceries, and some actual time behind the sewing machine to make a tiny baby quilt. 

On March 22nd, Sam was welcomed into the world by his parents and to my way of thinking his entry into our large and loud world makes it necessary for him to have a quilt of his own, something special from me to welcome him.  So Sam, here is hoping your bonding with mama and papa and that you'll enjoy this little gift I have been creating just for you and you alone.  

From my scraps

Image courtesy of Keerati at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I found a remnant of pooh and friends print which I fussy cut squares from and randomly set these into a tiny quilt which will make a nice little play mat for him. 

So far this is the top.   As you can see I put those blocks together randomly without a tight control as to the colors, hopefully with the embroidery it will look more complete.  Normally I cannot help trying to control everything, but this time I just enjoyed the process nd surprised myself. 

See, no real conformity to the setting of the blocks.  I am rather pleased with it even though it wasn't a controlled piece of work.  

One of the quilters sites I subscribe to is Rose Smith of Ludlow Quilts in the U.K..  Rose gives such wonderful and easy to follow tutorials of the projects she is working on at any given time.  Todays' project/tutorial is no exception, it is the COG QUILT pattern, I am sure you'll enjoy this project.   Rose makes her free pattern projects quite easy to follow along and I have learned much from her over the past several years.

Now to play with the embroidery and see how that will turn out.  My cousin who is coming out from Holland in May will take this home with her in June, so hopefully it will not look too shabby. 

Thank you for joining me today, I hope Rose inspires you to make the cog star block, it really is a nice looking quilt she has put together with this block.
A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.  ~Irish Proverb