Nearing the End of March

 

Well, let's see. What have I been doing over here since last I posted?

For one thing, I've made up a new batch of laundry detergent . I've had issues with allergies and this one does not bother me. Thank God! 

 

Another thing I've been doing is enjoying all the beautiful springtime flowers. I love them all so much. And.........I planted an orange tree - I think it was last year. Anyway, there are two blossoms on it today!!! And what they say is true, the blossoms smell delightful! Makes me so happy.

 

That beautiful red rose is growing  behind the greenhouse, and has been there since long before the greenhouse. It was one of those deals to entice you to subscribe to something or other. I don't remember what exactly. But I do remember that they asked for five cents, yes - a nickel! - for my very own Blaze rose. Best nickel I ever spent! The plant I received was about the size of a short pencil, but it has grown and grown and bloomed and bloomed. Year after year after year.

On the top left are two of the lovely Peggy Martin roses blooming their little hearts out! Next to them is an amaryllis - a picotee, then the dogwood flowering into the sky and a pink hydrangea I have babied for years.

On the bottom row on the left is Buddy, my funny little dog. He is growing 

up now but still very much a puppy. He is a character!

 

 

Mr. Muddling and I were able to get my Tin Lizzie (the longarm quilt machine) back in working order!!! I am so thankful for that. Thankful, too, for facebook groups that share their knowledge!

So. I got this quilt finished for the USO Lounge at our local airport. I need to make more!

 

The backing is this red flannel plaid, and don't you love the red and white stripe for the binding?

And of course we must have a label!

 

I am so thankful for so many things. If you've managed to stick around through all my blathering, I'm thankful for that, too! Blog friends are the best!

There ARE so many good people and things in this world of ours, it is silly not to be as happy as you can. Yes. I know there are a lot of bad people and bad things in the world, too, but I refuse to give much of my attention to them.

 

I hope you are having a lot of fun and happy things in your part of the world, and I truly hope you take time to thank our good God who only gives good gifts.

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine
 

 

Finally Fall

 

 

I have been more than ready for some cooler weather and it has finally arrived, along with some much needed rain! This Summer has seemed to me even more brutal than others. I have found it a challenge to make myself do things that need doing. But at last we have a break from the heat and the scorched earth, and for that I am very thankful! 

 

   

And here is the little guy who has been keeping me busy! The first four photos were taken in July. The bottom two this month. On the bottom left, you can see he is so proud of the banana leaf he brought in from the back yard! (And he is in Lady's bed!) Bottom right is in his crate with the new mattress cover/quilt I made just for him.

 

 

As you can see in these photos, it is really red, not pink as it looked in the other picture! I spent a LOT of time doodling with the quilt machine to make this crate mattress cover for young Buddy. I wanted to make something a bit more difficult for him to destroy. So far, so good!  

 

 

I made this one for a lady whose husband attends our church. I've never met her, but I was pretty sure she needed a quilt. It is colorful and happy.

 

 

This is the backing fabric by Tina Givens. Definitely a playful, happy quilt!

 

 

 

My friend Kathleen recently sent this beautiful stitchery she made. I immediately framed it, and now it sits right on my cutting board amid other treasures (including snacks)!

 

I hope it's happy where you are and that you having lots of fun. I am working on a tumbler quilt for a friend now. More on that later! Isn't it fun to have lots of fun projects to keep busy? I love it!

 

Hugs and kisses and love,

Elaine 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flower Garden

 

I am documenting now the pretty things outside. Mainly because I know it will look nothing like this next week. I am not excited about the polar vortex we are promised. I am not a fan of cold weather. However, sometimes you just don't get to choose! LOL!

 

I've been working on another quilt. I know that is not a big surprise, but I like to document the quilts I make, so here we go. This one is for a special friend of ours. She is such a great blessing to us, and we love her a lot! She gave me a little idea of colors she would like and I've done my best to give her at least some of what she wants. 

For anyone who might be interested, the flower prints are cut into 6 1/2 inch squares and the gray/burgundy quarter square triangle blocks in between are also 6 1/2 inches, turned gray side up in one row and burgundy side up in the next.  There is a 1 1/2 inch burgundy inner border and a 2 1/2 inch outer border of Lotus Blossom, one of my all time favorites in all colorways.

If you want beautiful floral fabrics, it's just really hard to go wrong with Kaffe Fassett/Philip Jacobs designs. They are the best!

 

 

So here we have it: FLOWER GARDEN.

 

I sent my friend Sandy a picture of it on the quilt frame when it was close to being finished and she said, "You made a flower garden". 

That's a pretty good name for it, isn't it!

 

This was a daily page on my new Mary Engelbreit daily calendar. Not necessarily advocating this, but it did strike me as funny! And sometimes a laugh is a very good thing. 

I hope you are having a good start to this new year. A lot of how it turns out is going to be up to us. Not all, but still a lot. I am going to try to keep a good attitude and to continue to be thankful for all the many good things in my life. They are all from the Lord!

You know, you are some of the good things! I am so thankful for the friends I've made here in blogland! I'm glad we "met"!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

Quilt in the Making

 

Here I am again at last. I will show you a little of Gloria's quilt I've been working on this long time.

 

I have cut so many 6 1/2 inch half square triangles! Thank you Accuquilt Studio 2!

 

 

And I kept adding them to the design wall.

 

 

And soon that design wall was full.

 

 

So I added the other design wall and kept adding half square triangles.

 

 

At last! Now to sew it all together.

 

 

All sewn together and ready to load on the quilt frame!

 

 

The quilting is started!

 

 

Many hours later the quilting is finished and I am congratulating myself that the quilting is done, when I notice that I have sewn one of the blocks in upside down. I seriously thought about just ignoring it, but I couldn't.

 

 

And once you see it, you can't UN-see it!

 

 

More time ripping out the quilting stitches and removing the offending block.

 

 

New block sewn (since I had torn the old block) pinned and hand stitched into place. Quilt was reloaded and re-quilted in the spots I had to rip out.

 

 

All quilted now and trimmed. Binding is cut, so maybe soon it will actually be finished. 

I hope I haven't bored you too much with all this "how the quilt was made" stuff, but sometimes I think we need to share the truth that these quilts don't just happen. And sometimes we make mistakes and have to fix them.

It is like life, isn't it? None of us is perfect, and we all make mistakes. I try to admit it when I do and I try to make it right. I'm so thankful that I am not in this life alone. The Lord has promised never to leave us and never to forsake us. I'm glad, because I need His help all the time.

I hope your life is good and that your mistakes are few and easily remedied!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anniversary Quilt

 

We made a little trip recently to join the celebration of our cousin's 34 years in ministry. Of course I had to make a quilt for her!

 

She is such a pretty, dainty lady and these fabrics seemed just right for her. (She likes red, too!)

 

I really love how it came together. I had several ideas, but this one is the one I chose, and I think it worked out well!

 

As always, I am so thankful for my quilt machine! I've had it for a while now, and I have never regretted buying it. Or being thankful for my sweet Mr. Muddling being with me every step along the way. It does help to have a cheering section!

 

I used this golden print as backing and bound it with the same solid red as the borders and sashing.

 

 

It did look mighty comfortable out on the patio, but she is enjoying it in her home!

 

 

We've had temperatures of near 100F (or more) every day for a couple of weeks, and it's not over yet. So far everything is staying alive. Matter of fact, it looks rather like a jungle in spots! We do have rain barrels and are thankful for that added resource in these hot days. 

I hope all is well in your part of the world. I know I've been absent for far too long. Somehow, I just couldn't seem to get to it. I have another quilt to show, but we'll let that wait for later!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

Two Baby Quilts

 

We have two friends who are about to become grandparents. 

I saw a fabric called Bramble Patch by Hannah Dale in one of the quilting magazines that arrive here regularly. I just fell in love with it and had to have some. I found it at Fat Quarter Shop online and bought enough to make me happy. 

This first little quilt is made of four patches and framed five inch charms.

 

This one is a framed panel from that line. I love the little forest animals. They are so sweet!

 

I quilted both at the same time using the same solid gray for backing and binding.

 

You can't tell a lot about the quilts here, but they are fresh from the washer and dryer and so wonderfully cuddly! I hope each baby and his parents will love them as much as I do!

 

This is the plaque we placed in Ruthie's garden to commemorate our friend Dawn. 

 

 

Ruthie would like it.

 

The tumblers I cut from batiks have now been assembled into a quilt top. The backing and batting are all ready. Now I just have to get it loaded and quilted!

 

Isn't it good to have plenty to do inside on these so hot days. I seem to forget how hot it gets here in the summer, but I have remembered now! The very best thing to do in Houston is hibernate in the summer and go out and about in the winter!

 

I hope you are finding ways and means to stay busy and happy where you are.

I'm thankful for so many things and for so many people. I'm thankful for you!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

Another Purple and Pink for our Niece

Our niece is expecting a baby girl this month, so of course she has to have a quilt. I made a purple and pink quilt for their first daughter. You can see it here. She wanted a purple and pink quilt for this little girl, too, so this is the outcome.

This is the backing.

I do love that crinkly, cuddly look and feel after a run through the washer and dryer. It is on its way to her now!

While I had the quilt machine loaded, I quilted some little things I had made.

Two little mug rugs.

An orphan block, now quilted makes a good tray mat.

And this one I had a lot of fun building. It is 20 inches square.  The nine patches are 1 1/2 by 2 1/2 inch strips sewn by two's to make 2 1/2 inch squares. The four patches are 2 1/2 inch squares bordered with 1 1/2 inch strips. Don't ask what the quilting pattern is - I was just playing !

Lots of pretty things have been salvaged from the cold and brought inside or onto the patio. Ruthie's Dinah (lower right) of course feels it is her duty to superintend everything.  Mr. Muddling's hand is "stirring" the dominoes for a game of Mexican Train. What a fun game!

I've been cutting half square triangles with my Studio Cutter from flannel I purchased earlier this winter and getting them put on the design wall. I've already changed them around a number of times since this photo, and I'm sure they'll move around a lot more before I'm finished. it is fun to play!

I hope you are finding some fun in your part of the world and helping someone else to do the same!

God is so good to us all! And I am so thankful.

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine