Quilting

Sweetie Pie came to visit this weekend and we worked on Christmas gifts.  She has two new nieces this year in her family (born within three weeks of each other), so she thought it would be fun to make them each a baby quilt. 

SweetiePie had the tops all pieced before she arrived.  She said she was inspired by a similar style quilt by CrazyMom.  I didn’t get a good shot of SweetiePie’s full sized quilts, but her little center blocks are all the same size. 

Hester and I helped with the quilting.  We quilted 1/4″ lines where all the blocks were joined and 1/4″ lines around each little center block.

Hester was very excited to be working with VeronicaViking (by decree of SweetiePie, she must be known as VeronicaViking — not just Veronica).  SweetiePie got VeronicaViking last year.  Isn’t she pretty with her aqua buckle on the side?  I’m VERY impressed with VeronicaViking.  If you’re in need of a starter machine, this is a great choice (she’s an Emerald 183).  She handled the quilting, with the help of a walking foot, like a star. 

SweetiePie decided to put a satin binding around the quilt edges and VeronicaViking did such a pretty job with the three stage zigzag stitch.   Not a pucker in sight.

One other cute goodie that SweetiePie made was an etched casserole dish.  I think these make great gifts!

Lucky for me, SweetiePie said I could share her pretty projects here in ThimbleannaLand, ’cause blogging about the big 2010 Leaf Cleanup (woohoo, we’re finally done), and a dirty house, aren’t very exciting.  Thank You SweetiePie!!!

XOXO,
Anna

Thanks for all your fun comments about my market reports.  I’m still having problems with my comments not being forwarded to my e-mails, so if I haven’t answered you, it’s not ’cause I’m ignoring you.  I have to go through a convoluted process of opening comments, comparing to my e-mail (’cause some do get forwarded), then playing cut and paste and on and on and I’mNot SureWhatToDoAboutItAnymore.  That’ll teach me to complain about any other blogging platform!  ;-)

In the meantime, am I the only one who feels like it’s sort of quiet and there’s a ton of stuff that will need to be done SOON?  I had a fun weekend — spent one day visiting a new quilt shop (if you’re local, there’s a new sheriff shop in town) and the other day working on the Ghastlies.

I brought my machine and stuff out of the dungeon and put it all over the kitchen table, vowing not to clear it off until I finish these blocks.  I’m making good progress, but you’d think I’d be done by now.  Anyway, it was a sunny but chilly day and I made some of Jody’s deeeelicious Soft Molasses Cookies to snack on while I sewed.  Ouch!  Those things are addicting.

While I was taking a pictures of the cookies, PaulKitty decided to join me for my sewfest.

So, I moved over to his side of the table to take his picture and he got up and moved in on my cookies.

I told him he couldn’t have any, so he came back to the middle of the table and sat with his back to me for a minute — sulking.

Apparently, that wasn’t comfortable though, so he rustled around and made himself more comfortable.

It’s really hard to sew with someone watching every stitch though.

So, he had to be moved.  So sad — when someone shows an interest in quilting it should be nurtured, don’t you think?

XOXO,
Anna

Thanks for all the new header comments — you’re all so sweet!  The little pumpkins aren’t candy — they’re from a Dept. 56 accessory pack that I’ve had for quite a few years.  It struck me that they’re thimble-sized, so I thought it would be fun for them to play a supporting role in the Thimbleanna header.

I finished my beehive wallhanging!  Yipee — I love it when a UFO can be checked off of the list.  If you’ve been around here long enough, you might remember that I love beehives (along with Nanette).  I think it’s mostly because I was born in the beehive state.

I’ve been wanting to have a few beehive things in my sunroom, so (years ago) when I saw the pattern for the beehives, I thought it would make a nice addition to the wall above the couch.  I changed the original pattern (which seems to have disappeared under the piles of crap stuff in the dungeon) a fair amount — for one thing it was a vertical wall hanging and I needed something more horizontal.

When I decided to hand quilt it I was afraid it would take me forever — it’s been just under 2 months though, so I don’t think that’s too bad, considering how slowly I quilt.  I really enjoyed the quilting and I’m missing having something to work on in the evenings.

It really is pitiful how long it took me to make this quilt though.  I blame it on the day job.  In my next life I want to be an applique machine like Janet!

Do you like my little candleholders?  I LOVE them.  MyDadLovesMeBestSister gave them to me a few years ago for Christmas and they’ve been patiently waiting in their Christmas bag for me to finish the quilt.  They both have etched bees on them — just perfect!

XOXO,
Anna

Ok, Boys and Girls, raise your hands if you’ve been around long enough to remember when I finished this blue and white quilt top.   I recognize a few of you out there (thanks, btw,  so very much for sticking around with me for so long!)  Over three years ago, I shipped it off to a hand quilter.  She had it for about a year and a half and it’s been sitting around waiting for it’s binding since then.

The long drive to Oklahoma last week was the perfect opportunity for Mama Bunny to get busy and git-r-done  (that’s Oklahoma-speak.)  I don’t know why it always takes me so long to get around to the binding details.  I think it’s my favorite part of quiltmaking and it really doesn’t even take that long.

The fabrics for this quilt came from a fabric exchange that I had with the quilty peeps and a few other quilt friends a looong time ago.  We all showed up with enough yardage of several blue prints to make quarter yard cuts for everyone that was there.  Then we each went home with lots of new blue prints and the challenge was for each of us to create a different quilt.

I chose the Lady of the Lake pattern.  I remember that Gurney was going to make a blue bow-tie quilt, but I can’t remember what the other girls were going to make.  Send me your pictures girls – I’ll put them on the blog LOL!!!  (I think this might be the first time I’ve ever beaten Jewels to the quilting punch — she always finished our little challenges first.)

Anyway, I Looooove my little blue quilt.  It’s Me.  I’ll have to look, but I think it’s my favorite quilt so far.  Sorry I don’t have a full size picture.  The above pictures were taken while we were in Oklahoma and in true Oklahoma fashion it was windier than all get-out (whatever that is.)  Then, it was rainy and gloomy here yesterday, so I didn’t get the deed done.  You can see a full-size pre-quilt version on the old post (not to be confused witht the Old Post Corral where I took these pictures {wink}{wink}), if you’re interested.

So, chalk up a finished UFO.  Yipee!  And if that didn’t make me happy enough, look at the wonderful little gift I found in the mail when we returned home from our trip:

A darling charm from Kim.  I’ve already put it on my little sewing kit scissors.  Isn’t the packaging gorgeous?  Kim always adds the most perfect touch to her gifts.  It’s all just beautiful — thank you so much Kim — I Love it!

Now … off to wrangle up some dinner.  SweetiePie is here for a visit, so I must hurry — there are card games to be played!

XOXO,
Anna

I finally had a chance to bust out the Ghastlies this past weekend.  It took me awhile to figure out how I wanted to set them and I thought long and hard about whether to incorporate some pieced blocks, like pinwheels or something.

In the end though, I decided that might be a little too busy so I opted for the wonky log cabin. These guys are wonky so they need some sort of funny setting to go along with them. Some of the log cabins could stand to be a little more wonky. I’m a pretty traditional quilter, so this is new for me. We’ll see if I can loosen up as I go along.

I love that funny little guy with the invisible dog.  Actually, all the characters have a reason to love them.

It’s hard to see, but the little girl is holding a hammer.  ??? I worried that her pink dress would clash with the orange, but I like it.  As you can see, I’m using orange, black and gray halloween colors – that way I can throw some of my traditional self into those ghastlies.

Hey, do you like my design wall?  I don’t really have one, so I pinned them to a screen door.  Even TheEmptyNestChild is in awe.  That’s not going to be such a neat trick when it’s 10 degrees below zero with six inches of snow out there.  Hopefully by then I’ll have a fun Halloween quilt to keep me warm!

XOXO,
Anna