Category: Hobbies

HST’s……

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized2 Comments

 

My guild is doing a mystery quilt in our newsletter, each month another step is given.  My plan was to keep up with each step. HAHA!!  I’m a little behind……….these are the August step……… I did ok with the sewing part, but dang, having to square up 190 some half square triangles is taking forever!! I’m getting close though! These are the ones I have left to square up. Unfortunatly……..the stack of squares on the left, is last months step. UGH!! More HST’s……this time only 170 some……..I can do it! I can do it!! I’ve been squaring these up while watching TV. I have to get all these done before I can start on this months step. At least this is the last of the HST’s…….

On the bus trip I went on last month, we recieved a pattern and then at each shop we received 2 black and white strips to make the quilt from the pattern.  The pattern is called Jelly Jive and we can put the black and white strips together and then add our choice of color for the rest of the quilt. I chose purples. I sewed a few  purple strips together today. I don’t want to wait too long to make this or it will go in a drawer or shelf and never get made………

I’m still working on the applique quilt on the machine. It’s very time consuming. When I need a break from it is when I’ve been sewing. Guess I’ll get back to work……………….

Have a good day!

Theresa

new toy

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized4 Comments

 Last week I posted about needing more hours in the day and now I have something new to take up more of my time. I don’t know the first thing about embroidery machines, but I got an AMAZING deal on this brand new machine, so I just had to have it! THANKS PAM!!!!!!! Now to figure it out…………..when I can find the time!! LOL!!!

This is what’s on the quilt machine right now. It’s a biggy. I already did all the SID on it, now I’m going back and outlining all the applique and putting in a background fill. I’ll be adding feather designs too in the plain blocks as well as the side triangles and borders. Guess I better get back to it.

Have a great day!

Theresa

Not enough hours in the day……..

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, quilts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

That’s my problem! I need to figure out how to get more hours each day and then maybe, just maybe, I could get everything done! Ya think? LOL!! No, then I would just find more things that need to get done and I’d still not get everything done. I haven’t taken the time to write anything on here since April. In fact, I told my friend Teresa last month that I would write something since she checks my blog……..so Teresa, this ones for you!! I will try to do better! I have been getting some of my UFO’s finished this year! I was so bummed last year when I finished “O”  UFO’s. I’m making up for it this year! I think I’m up to 12 finished and 1 that I have to sew the binding on. And I still have 3 months of the year left! WOO HOO!! Of course, it has helped that I broke down and bought an IQ for my machine. Now I can offer pantographs (edge to edge) designs, instead of doing custom quilting on everything.

Last weekend I took my first quilting bus trip. That was sooo much fun!! We started in KS, then went to quilt shops in Iowa, Minn, back into Iowa and then Missouri. Counting our home shop, we visited 12 shops all together over 3 days. I really enjoyed seeing all the different fabrics and samples that the other shops had. And of course the group of ladies that were on the trip were all super nice! I enjoyed visiting with them as well. If you’ve never done a bus trip, you might consider it sometime! I’m ready to go again!!

My next outing will be going to Houston next month. I’m really excited about going as I’ve never attended festival before. Neither has my friend Robie that is going with me. There might be 3 of us, we’re still wating to hear if Pam can get off work. I hope she can! Anybody reading this going to Houston?

Ok, now I need to get to quilting. I will try to do better at blogging more often. No promises though!! LOL!!!

 Have a great day!!

Theresa

Kansas City area Shop Hop

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized3 Comments

I’m not participating in the shop hop, but I did stop by my LQS today. They said this years hop is going great. We’re having wonderful weather here, so I’m sure that helps.  My sister and niece just happened to come in the shop while I was there, so I visited with them  for a while. Now it’s back home and get some work done. It’s almost too nice outside to go downstairs and quilt, but I will anyway. Here is this years shop hop quilt for Quilters Quarters.  (Since I quilted it,  it’s the only one I’ve seen.)

I love all the bright colors in it.

TTFN!

Theresa

all blocks done

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I finished the remaining blocks and now I have the first 3 rows pieced. There are 7 rows total, so I’m almost halfway done with the rows. Then to sew the rows together and add the borders. After 9 years, maybe I’ll finish it soon!! LOL!!!

My friend Sharon and I have been asked to do a program in June on mystery quilts, so that’s why I’m trying to finish this top. I have 2 mysteries that needed borders (did those last week), and one more that I need to finish the center and then piece together. Hopefully, I can have these to show that night.

That’s it for now.

Theresa

Mystery quilts

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized5 Comments

My favorite books to read are mystery books. So I guess that’s part of why I love mystery quilts. I started out doing mystery quilts on the internet. I found different sites that offered them and I would follow along each week, doing the steps as they were posted. I had fun! I was always anxious to get the next clue. One of my favorites was a tessalations pattern. I could not, I repeat “could not” figure out what the quilt was going to look like, even after I had all the blocks made. Anyway, it ended up being cats. Of course I’ve never seen green and purple cats, but oh well!! Someday I would like to make it in black and whites. Wouldn’t that look good?

This one is Linda Ballards Fractured Crystals. I still have 10 blocks to sew together. I had a hard time trying to figure out the pieces. I finally did. Whew! I only have a few small pieces of the dark fabric, so I was getting nervous that maybe I didn’t have everything cut out, but I finally figured out that I do  have all the pieces.

Anyway, that’s what I’m working on for now. I haven’t written on my blog in ages, but I hope to stay more up to date on it.

Oh, and here is this years mystery lock in quilt. We call it Starry Illusions. Sharon and I got lots of compliments on this one,  everyone seemed to like it.

Have a great day!

Theresa

Just a little tip

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quilts, Uncategorized3 Comments

I’ve started working on the Lock in quilt for this year. I think this years quilt is awesome!! I hope it looks as good made up as it does printed out on paper! Anyway, I’m working on making hour glass blocks and I thought I’d share a tip. I don’t like making a single line and then sewing 1/4″ on each side, so I use the ruler thing to mark both lines and then sew on the lines. I’m using black as my background fabric so trying to mark both dark and light fabrics was a bit difficult, the light mark didn’t show up on the light fabric and the pencil didn’t show up on the dark fabric, so I used both! Now I can sew and see the lines with no problem. Most of you have probably figured this out, but I didn’t until today!

The good and the bad of 2009

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, machine quilting, quilts, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Well, here it is the New Year of 2010. I’ve been thinking back over the past year and things that happened in the last 12 months. Some of it has been great and then there is of course the bad memories of 2009. It’s been 11 months today that my Floyd lost his life to an asthma attack. I still think about him daily. I’m still working on the quilt top that I’m naming after him too. (the snails trail one) I am at least to the point of just needing to sew the borders on. I have them pieced, but they are just sitting there waiting to be sewn onto the quilt. Maybe this year! LOL!!

I was looking at my UFO list and guess how many UFO’s I finished last year? If you guessed 0 you’d be right!!!!!!! I did not finish one thing of my own last year……….. I started a few new things, but what’s new? I can always start a new project, it’s finishing them that I never seem to accomplish………….

On the bright side of the year, I won my first ever ribbon at MQS. Yeah!! It was 3rd place and I was totally shocked!!! I never thought I would ever win at MQS with all the great quilters that enter at that show!!!! Doris then entered the quilt at the AQS show in Des Moines, Iowa and it got a blue ribbon there. Of course that was because of Doris’ beautiful and perfect applique work!! On the down side of that show, coming home on the interstate, we hit a deer! But on the bright side, we were all OK and the car was drivable. It didn’t look to good, but it got us home!!!

We entered the quilt into the Innovations show, but didn’t win any ribbons there. Next it’s going to the Road to California show. We are having fun with this quilt. In fact 2 weeks from today, Doris and I are going to fly out to California to attend the show. I’ve never been to California, so I’m excited about going. I’ve always wanted to go to the Road show, but never have, so we figured since our quilt was there, now is the time to go! Plus it’s warmer there than it is here!!!!!!!

We got hit with a blizzard on Christmas eve. The ground is still covered with snow. YUCK!! I hate snow and cold weather. We are only supposed to have highs in the teens all week!!!!!!! Come on summer!!!!!!!! Hurry up and get here!!!

I’m not making any new years resolutions, because I never seem to keep them! LOL!! But I do hope to get caught up on customer quilts and hopefully finish at least a couple of my UFO’s. ROFL!!!!!!! Well, I can dream I guess!!!!

I also hope to write more often on here. Not that anybody reads this, but….if you do………thanks.

That’s it for now. Have a great day, and I hope you have a great 2010!!

Theresa (in COLD snowy Kansas)

Guild meeting

On By alwaysquiltsIn Blogroll, Hobbies, Home and Garden, machine quilting, quiltsLeave a comment

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve written on here. My nephew Danny won the modified championship at Lakeside! Way to go Dan!!!! Discovery channel was finished with their filming and had left town but they came back to film the last night, so that in case Dan won, they’d have it for the show.

We had demo night at guild last week, there were 4 stations set up, hand embroidery.

Fabric painting.

Paper piecing.

And Paper piecing a log cabin. Of course, that picture doesn’t want to show up here. hmmm.  Oh well, Doris was showing us how she did her blocks and she is making a gorgeous red and white pineapple log cabin. She had the quilt hanging beside the table and it’s beautiful!!

I’ve been making a small amount of progress on the snails trail border. I decided to go with the delectable mountain blocks. If they don’t look good after I make them, then I’ll just use one of the simple borders and use the blocks I’m making into something else.

Ok, that’s it for now.

Theresa