Jacob's Ladder Quilt: Finished!

I finished the JL quilt yesterday and took photos.

To be honest, I thought I would never finish!

I'm quite pleased with how it turned out....

...however, I still can't take a decent photo to save me...   *lol*

Friday Foto

Between the pollen...   *achoo*   ...and work (busy season), I've not been able to work on the JL quilt as much as I would like....

...however, I should finish up today!

A Trip to JoAnn's and a New Friend!

As part of my on-going efforts to interest my granddaughters in sewing and fabrics, on our shopping trip Saturday morning, Emma and I went to JoAnn's to select fabrics to make pillowcases for ConKerr Cancer as part of the FNSI project for April.

After explaining the parameters (fabric must be soft and the prints need to be something children would like), Emma did a great job picking out fabrics... I gave her options on the border fabrics and she made wonderful choices!

 

(Gutterman thread was 40% off so I picked up a couple of spools)

After seeing my LAQ using these the other day, I picked up a pair of thread snippers as well!

While we were having our fabrics cut and Emma was playing with her purple Peeps bunny, a lady started talking to us.  We had a pleasant chat and then.... the lady asked if I had a JoAnn's coupon.   I didn't... had left them on the kitchen table that morning.   The lady then pulled out her coupons and offered me the one for "a friend," asking, with a smile, if I would like to be her friend.

The 25% off included everything... regular priced items as well as sale and clearance items!

Afterward, Emma and I talked about "luck" and "being nice to people."  Yes... it was a very good day!

Absolutely No Sewing....

...got accomplished yesterday but Saturday was a wonderful day since I got to spend the day with my three little girls:  my daughter and two granddaughters.

The youngest had a birthday party to attend so Emma and I went shopping!  The first Grandmama & Emma Shopping Trip ever!   

Emma helped me pick out new summer nighties for them and then we went on a safari to Toys R Us to find some plush peeps for them for Easter.  Emma decided she liked the six inch peeps rather than the ones that come four-in-a-box... so she picked out two for her and two for her sister Chloe!

Emma and I also found these cool Easter egg-shaped place mats that can be buttoned together to make a table runner...

We met my daughter and Chloe for lunch and then went back to their house where the grown-ups got to visit while the girls introduced the Peeps to their new home and got them all settled in.

What a fun day!  I was exhausted by the time I got home... not as young as I used to be... so it was an early bedtime for me.   The girls got to pick out a new nighty to wear to bed....

...it was a good day!

Three-quarters Done...

....with the quilting of the Jacob's Ladder quilt!

I've been stitching-in-the-ditch horizontally vertically, and now... diagonally.   Should be able to finish up tonight after work!

It's All Karen's Fault!

...yup, Karen of Lisnaweary Quilts tagged me!  Caught me when I wasn't looking... and now... I have to do two things:

1)  Answer the 11 questions she sent me, and

2)  Tag 11 other bloggers, sending them 11 questions to answer!

So, here we go...

1. What is your most treasured possession?

"Possession" rules out human beings, I'm assuming...    it's funny but I've gotten to a point in my life where things aren't all that significant but last December when my sewing machine was out of commission and my computer came down with the blue screen of death... I learned that I would have a very hard time living without either of those two items.

2. Chocolate or crisps? Coffee or tea?

If I have to pick one and only one of each... then chocolate and tea!

3. Do you have any other crafty interests apart from patchwork/quilting?

I've been sewing for at least 50 yrs...  if it can be sewn, I've probably made it.  I also knit, crochet, do needlework/embroidery, and anything else that catches my fancy... 

4. Dogs or cats?

Dogs...  I plan to get a puppy as soon as I retire!   I like cats too but am allergic...   *sigh*

5. What was your favourite subject at school?

After lunch and recess, my favorite was math....

6. What is on your sewing machine at the minute?

 My Jacob's Ladder quilt, which is in the process of being quilted.

7. Who is your favourite singer/group?

Only one, huh?    Okay.... Pink Martini...

 

8. Does your nearest and dearest know how much fabric you really have?

Nope... not sure I know how much fabric I have...   *lol*

Honestly, I don't have a ton o' fabric... just a nice healthy stash that will keep me in the quilting business for couple of years. 

9. What is your favourite all time film?

A lot of favorites but one that is always great fun to watch is...

10. Where is your favourite holiday destination?

Haven't been yet but would love to go watch...

11. What's your favourite thing you have ever made?

This will sound silly but I made a fleece bathrobe that was ankle length.  I'm 5' 10" and "ankle length" store bought robes hit about mid calf.  Also the sleeves are always too short.... so I made the sleeves in the robe long enough to come down past my wrists!    Loved that robe...  and wore it out!

Image swiped from web, not my actual robe.

I'm going to pass on tagging 11 other bloggers HOWEVER... if you would like to join in the fun, please feel free to do so by answering the following questions!   Let me know so I can come visit and see what you respond....

1.  How long have you been quilting?

2.  What quilting/sewing tool to you find most useful?

3.  Do you belong to a quilt guild?

4.  Do you have a local quilt shop?

5.  Do you quilt your own quilts or quilt "by check"?

6.  How many finished quilts to you have in your home?

7.  How many UFOs/WIPs do you have right now?

8.  What's the farthest you've been from home?

9.  I'm going to take you out to dinner and I'm paying... where are we going and what will we have?

10.  When was the last time you bought fabric?

11.  Thread... more than 100 spools or less?

Don't have a blog?  Then copy these questions into an email and send your answer to me...   tag!  You're it!

Let the Quilting Begin!

Finished pin basting...

...and started quilting.

I'll be quilting after work and hope to have this done within a week...    

The JL Quilt Sandwich

I figure its pretty boring for my lovely readers to watch me finish UFOs instead of getting into all sorts of mischief by starting new quilts.   Well, this blog keeps me honest... if I say I'm going to finish my UFOs...by jingo, I better get them finished!

Due to a no-sun Sunday, the best I could do is take photos on the top inside...

For the back, I selected this fabric...

The little roses are shades of rose but the background is more golden tan than this picture looks on my monitor.... and a couple of shades lighter then the "ladder" fabric on the front.

It's All Tiffany's Fault!!!

...that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

You see, last week, Tiffany of This Crafty Fox posted about Plush Peeps bunnies... and they were so cute I had to get me some.

And while I was searching for the bunnies, I found out that there are plush peeps too!

So of course, I had to get both of them, right?

I love Peeps....  don't like to eat them but love looking at them... soooo cute!

Finished JL Flimsy

Amongst the usual weekend chores, I finished sewing together all the Jacob's Ladder blocks into a quilt top.   I had noticed it seemed to be getting darker and wondered why until I got the top pinned to the clothesline and felt the first drops off rain.

The photo isn't the best but I'll hope for a sunny day tomorrow and a second chance at a decent photo!

Friday Night Sew In: Progress Report

Last night, I began sewing Jacob's Ladder blocks together...

....and have four rows of six blocks sewn into two rows of three 4-block units.   I have to say the blocks are starting to look pretty good... but am dreading finding yet another oopsie!

My goal this weekend is to get the blocks to flimsy stage and start working on the quilt sandwich...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

A Finish!

One thing about smaller quilts is that everything goes so fast!  I chose simple "straight-line" quilting using the wavy stitch on my machine...

The backing was pieced and in keeping with the pinky goodness of the quilt top...

....and, after studying pink string quilt images online, I selected a pink fabric that would blend in with the pink busy-ness of the top.

After taking a trip through the washer and dryer and developing its crinkly softness, "Pinkalicious" will be off to stay with a good friend of mine!

Flimsy Finish

Last night, I finished up the pink strip quilt top...

I hope to get the back sewn together tonight after work and start the quilt sandwich/pin basting process.  My goal is to be ready to do some quilting Friday night....

.....which is the monthly Friday Night Sew In!   Have you signed up yet?

As of last night, there were 114 lovely ladies signed up to participate in the FNSI, hosted by the wonderful duo of Heidi and Bobbi!

If you are not able to join in, do visit the participants' blogs and the FNSI Flickr group and see what everyone was up to.

Is there anything more exciting....

....than ripping the foundation paper off a string block?

No... I didn't think so...

*lol*

New Project: Day 2

After the kids left yesterday, I was able to complete another 13 string blocks...  and tonight, I'll tear off all the backing paper.

I'm now thinking about what binding to use with this uber busy quilt-to-be...

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In other news... today is the 100th anniversary of the first Girl Scout meeting, which was held in Savannah, GA.

New Project

Yesterday morning, I put the girls to work sorting the pinks and purples in one of my scrap bins...

...because I decided that busting some of the accumulated pinks....

...would be a good thing to do.... especially when I had some help.