Friday and Saturday at the Cottage

It's been a busy week since the retreat and so looking forward to the next one, more on that later. 

Fridays are always my day to go to the cottage but this Friday a few of us needed to sort the fabric that was donated by a friend of Cheryl's and an ex guild member of SNR.  

A picture is worth a thousand words and it's hard to explain the magnitude of how much fabric she donated. Note that approximately 10 bags of fabric have already been given to various people and organizations since we picked this up from her.  This is what is left (until we get another load) to be sorted and  measured to get ready for a guild yard sale.  * Only stuff on tables in middle.

So that is how I spent my Friday Cottage day.  So it was very nice to have Saturday Sew to be able to work on my Cottage quilt which happens to be my Wool Crazy quilts.  

I finished my crazy stitches on Wool Ark Crazy foundation, so now I'm going back to the first one and finishing it up. 

I got all but a small piece of the crazy stitches done.  Now to finish the applique and details. 

Of course we always have a potluck on Saturdays - this month we did Mexican (my favorite) and we did Tostadas.  

Ended up being a very nice day!

Blessings,

Lynn 

Quilt Show 2018

Colorado River Quilt Guild is hosting their next Quilt Show March 16th and 17th 2018.  They have a show every other year and this is it.  This will be the 2nd time I've been involved with the CRQ show.  Last show in 2016, I entered 2 quilts and got 2 ribbons a first and and 3rd.  This year with I wasn't sure I wanted to enter any quilts.  I have finished quilts in the last couple years but a lot of them have been given away.  However they weren't getting a lot of entries and extended the deadline to enter in hopes more people would enter - I caved.  :)  So I turned in the paper work this morning and then came home after the meeting and made labels for these two quilts.  

And this one - 

I went ahead and had them judged.  Neither of them are wonderful so I don't have visions of getting ribbons but it never hurts to get feed back on how to make things better. Guess we'll see.

Have a blessed day!

Lynn 

Whales and Snowmen

A friend of mine from Oregon is expecting another grand child. This will however be a first child from her daughter, who is the same age as our youngest daughter.  The baby's room is blue and gray and tan so this pattern and design spoke to me. 

It needs to be quilted and bound and then I can ship off.  

Also since I've been home - I got the background ready for my calendar quilt wall hanging. 

 Now to do the applique - this is part of my Rainbow scrap challenge for 2018.  I'm trying to use mostly purple scraps for this month.

At the retreat my friend Gloria gave me this pattern.  Like a need more winter stuff.  LOL  But I do Love it and and so I got it all cut out and ready to take to the next retreat which is next week.  

So - now I just need to figure out what I want to work on today. 

Oh and by the way - Happy Valentines day.  

Blessings - Lynn 

Retreat Recap

We had a really good time at the retreat. As always the time went by so fast. And surprisingly I was able to stay focused on just one project.  I wanted to see it through to completion before going on to any more projects and I did it.  What that means is I only worked on one project, but I almost got it completely done. Here is one of the place mats before quilting.

And here's one with.

And here they are with the binding on but not hand stitched yet.

 Here's the table runner.  I tried quilting it also, however the tension on the travel machine was not working well, so brought home and will finish quilting it here.   I am going to use the red for binding on it.

This was my Sister's first retreat and she made it through the whole time.  She brought her book and we had a room she could go rest in and she was good and was able to stay and sew.  She only brought one quilt to work on and got it done really quick.  So my friend gave her another to work on and then she worked on some embroidery she wanted to finish up.  Here's the quilt she took.

Here is the one my friend Cheryl gave her to do.  

I'm happy she liked it.  She signed up to go again next year so she really did like it.

So the retreat was fun and successful. 

Blessings,  Lynn 

Set up and ready to Sew

Retreat starts tomorrow morning - but being a helper has it's privileges.  I got to go today and set up for my Sister and I. We'll have our backs to the window here are our machines.

Here's a picture from the door coming into room. Wew are straight back.

And here is my Sister's machine (that she is borrowing) and goody bag.

and here is mine.

Can't tell I'm excited can you!

Talk to you after this weekend.

Blessings,

Lynn 

I'm a Prepper

I'm a prepper - I've said it before, sometimes I think I like the prepping more than the the actual making. It's just fun - the excitement of a new creation forming in your hands.  So I'm still focusing on my goal of the year to keep getting winter and Christmas patterns, projects and ufo's done.  But I also want to finish other ufo's also.  So with that being said - I started this Row by Row kit sometime last year and decided I wanted to get a little more prepped on it than it was already.  I had the background pieced together and all the pieces traced and fused to the appropriate color of wool. 

So I cut them out and got them on the background. 

Now it is ready for the hand stitching. 

Then there are so many new wool BOM's going on on the internet.  Oh no!  I want to do them all but for right now I am only starting the Wool Christmas Ornaments.  It's a group on Facebook called Christmas Prestents if you are interested.  Ask to the join the group and once you're in go to the files.  

Anyway I prepped the first two ornaments and they are ready for hand stitching also.  

So that was my prepping for the day yesterday.  Today I'm making dinner, stuffed pasta shells, salad and garlic toast for my Sister and Brother in law.  She and I go to our retreat on Thursday morning through Sunday and they are leaving on Monday. So this will be our last get together for this snow bird season.  

So all that is prepped and ready to go also.  Salad is chopped and in the fridge.  Shells are stuffed and ready for the oven as well as the garlic bread.  Now I'm going to straighten a few things up and see if I can sneak in some sewing before I need to put the finishing touches on dinner.  

Have blessed day - 

Lynn 

Purple Scraps

I pulled out my scraps of purple and lavender for this months Scrap Challenge. And every time I thought of Purple... the next thing in my brain was Rain.  Purple Rain, Purple Rain.... you're singing it now aren't you.  ha ha.  Okay - but it gave me a really good idea.  I have the patterns from Kim Schaefer's Calendar Quilts.  

I bought them a long time ago and have only made one of them.  Well I am going to see if I can use my purple scraps to make this month here.

And then if I can as the months go by I'll make one of the calendar quilts using that month's color.  I also want to keep working on the herringbone pattern 

and see how I can us scraps to make some more of those blocks.  So I'm feeling better about what to do with my scraps, I think I have a plan.
So now it's time to start cutting up some of these scraps

and getting them made into something.  
I am also linking up to Rainbow Scrap Challenge 18.

Blessings,
Lynn 

Hens

My friends husband and mine golf together. They talk about us "Hens" sewing together.  So now every time my phone alerts that I have a text my husband will say "it's the Hens".  Well last year while we were at a retreat one of the ladies had a T-shirt that said "Quilting with my Peeps" and had 3 little chicks on it.  So the idea was born.  I knew I had to make something that said "Quilting with my Hens", for Cheryl.  Here's what I made.

The lettering is cut out and appliqued, it is not embroidered on.  Hard to see but the green one has bare feet.
And here is a picture of where she put it in her sewing room.

It was a fun little project.
Blessings,
Lynn 

Retreat Season

February starts my retreat season for the year - I have 2 in February, and one in March then will have possibly 3 to 4 more, through the year ending with one in October.  Can you see Me doing my happy dance. 
Okay first things first, lets start with the retreat that is coming up next week.  
So what am I going to work on.  First up:

This pattern - using this fabric 

The print fabric in the center will be the borders. 
I am taking batting, backing and binding.  I would like to complete these, not just get the tops done. (We'll see if I can stay focused) 
Next up - I am taking the next of my Christmas project UFO's

This is the pattern picture - I decided to do in multiple colors.  Here are the blocks I have done.

This one is 1/2 done.

So I prepped the other blocks and cut out all the pieces to to finish the top.

Because this one still has the embroidery of the Santa finished and the words I will only complete as much of the top as I can.

Third project: 

I am taking this kit that I had ready for one of the retreats from last year. It's cut and ready to go. If I get this far it will only be the top also.

Before I go on to my last two projects, I'll share that with my Sister in town, and my friends have convinced her to join us for that retreat. She sews, she doesn't really quilt.  I'm not sure how that will work but thank heavens we have a hotel room that she can go up to and take breaks and read.  I've cut out a quilt for her - I mean I helped her cut out a quilt.  😉 

Using this fabric:

The bottom fabric will be the center strips, in the pattern.  

It's a 4 day retreat and she's only wanting to take the one quilt.  I'd have the top done in 1 day but we'll see.  I've taken back ups for her. And my friend that convinced her to come said she cut out 5 quilt tops similar to this for her.  Funny knowing Cheryl she's not kidding.  
So if for some reason I can complete all of this - ha ha - I am also including 2 scrappy UFO's that I started last year.  This will serve as a two fold effect.  If my sister doesn't drag hers out and does complete the top, she can sew the squares together on either of these.

The above needs the sashing sewn on and blocks sewn together. 
The below - I actually started and have 3 rows done. There is still more to go. 

As always I take way too much - but I always know that I have more retreats coming up so what doesn't get done, can go to the next. 
And as you know I will let you know how I/we do.
Blessings,
Lynn 

February OMG Goal

January seemed long in some ways but then it's hard to believe that it's already February.  

I did really well with my January OMG Goal so I am going to try and keep the momentum going and shoot for another of my Christmas/Winter projects to get it done. 

I wrote Here about working on Christmas/Winter Projects all year.  

Next up on my list - 

I started this last year at a retreat - Can you see anything wrong with it? 

Yep I got my V's going the wrong way.  Hmm..  I thought at one point that maybe I could just leave it but no. It just doesn't look right. So I switched that around and using wool instead of the fabric in the kit, I have it fused and it's ready for stitching.  

Yep there is another problem - can you see it.  I didn't until I sent a picture to my friend and she pointed it out.  The stars in the black fabric are in rows and the rows are going the wrong way in the center top and center bottom blocks - So yes I will need to fix that too.  Dang.  

Anyway this quilt is my Elm Street OMG (One Monthly Goal) for February. 

 It will need to have the stitching done on the wool applique, then quilted and bound.  That's my plan and goal. To be honest I have already started the hand stitching on the wool and gotten a big part of it done. But it still needs to be finished and then quilted and bound.  And since February is the start of my retreat season, I will have lots of stuff I'll be working this month.  I'll post more about that later. 

Blessings,

Lynn