Happy Valentine's Day!

I decided I wanted a little Valentine wall hanging and made this one to hang in our hallway. I like that little galvanized house, too. I found it online at Walmart. There is a jar candle in it and it's a very pretty little bit of warmth when it is lighted.

 

I do know that you are not supposed to touch the quilt art, but I do it all the time. Mr. Muddling has confessed to the same fault. It just cries out to be touched, there is so much texture to it!

 

I made this quilt as an experiment.

 

I used this pattern from Kim Diehl's book, Simple Whatnots. I liked the cuteness of it in the small size she made and wondered what it would look like if I made it bigger.

I did not like it at all when I first laid it out and began sewing it all together, but after it was done I liked it a lot!

 

Here is another shot of it outside. The colors are very saturated.

 

This is a closer look at the binding and the backing I used was this brown print from Mary Fons.

The quilt has been gifted to a friend of ours and he seemed to like it.

 

This is the design wall behind my sewing machine. I have plans to expand on all these thoughts hanging there. When?  Who knows?

Right now I have a red, white and blue quilt to get loaded and quilted. It will be going to the USO Lounge at our local airport. There always seem to be so many things I want to get done. But at least I am not bored!

 

I hope you have lots of pleasant and enjoyable plans for yourself today.  There are so many possibilities in this world of ours to explore!  God is good. All the time!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

Happy Rainy Day

It is a gloomy, rainy, cold day outside, but in here it is warm and dry and pleasant!

I finished another quilt for the USO Lounge at our local airport. I bought this panel from Connecting Threads and looked at it for a long time. Finally I decided what to do.

 

The backing makes me happy - blue and red stars! Seems fitting.

 

And here it is cuddly and crinkly after washing and drying.

 

I also completed this table runner for a precious lady we love. I could not bear to cut up this pretty Valentine fabric, so just quilted it whole.

 

I've had to temporarily retire my little green Japanese machine until it decides to act right. Fortunately I had this one waiting for its turn to work.. Isn't it pretty! I love these old machines. They are such beautifully made creations.

 

This is a sweet little present I bought for myself. I bought it from maileg.com

 

I was so agreeably surprised at the quality and workmanship of this little mouse. And I love her matchbox bed, which is very sturdy.

Yes, I know I am far too old for toys. I do not care. I like things that make me happy, and things like this do!

 

I am working on a little Valentine's wall hanging now and hope to finish it soon. No pictures yet.

 

These pictures were taken on Monday when the sun was shining. As you can tell, we have had no major freeze yet this year. See the chickens there on the top? After this I let them into that garden they are gazing at so longingly. They pretty well demolished it, and that is okay. Bugs and worms had beat them to a lot of it and the chickens thoroughly enjoyed cleaning it all up for me!

On the top, second from left, is something I saw online. I cut holes I the bottoms of egg carton cups and put that on the top, which was solid. I put the root portion of a green onion in each egg cup and water in the bottom tray. As the article said, green onion sprouts are now growing! How neat is that!

 

I hope there are things in your world today that are making you happy! God is so good to us all, and I am thankful.

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

Not Much Happening

First of all, I got a new machine. I love this type machine. I have seen it called a Singer Model 15 clone, and lots of other things. I just call it wonderful! Quiet, beautiful stitch and a big bobbin. What's not to like? This one looks like it was not used a whole lot and it runs like the wind! And isn't it perfect how well it matches my sewing table?

I was still using my sweet little American Beauty here. Same machine, basically. This one just needs a little work, which Mr. Muddling will now have time to give it.

Here you can see the beginnings of some Sisters Choice blocks I've been making.

Here is the completed quilt top hanging out on the patio looking a lot like stained glass. Isn't it pretty? I love how each block is made exactly the same but they all look different depending on your color and intensity choices.

 

Still no word on my longarm parts. Hopefully soon.

 

I now have twenty of these round string blocks made. Not quite halfway to the number I want yet. They are a lot of fun to make, but quite messy, too!

This is Ariel, Miss Ru's beloved dog, still living the good life here at Muddle Manor!

I DO understand why they call these the "Dog Days of Summer"! It is hard to get motivated to do anything that requires much expenditure of energy!

 

I hope you're enjoying at least a few things right now! We all have much for which to be thankful. I know I am!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to Me

No birthday is complete with stash enhancement, and I got a big boost in mine! I always wash fabric before using it, so that was the first step after it arrived. I am fortunate to have clotheslines in the garage to hang things, so no fading outside in the sun.

 

There was also a new red mug added.

 

I totally agree with the sayings on the front and back of this mug!

I am exceptionally blessed in my husband. Mr. Muddling encourages me in all I do, even adding more fabric! Got to love him.

 

I've been playing around with the two inch strips I cut last week from leftover bits and pieces. I found that the Go! Cutter die with the 5 inch long side of the triangle exactly fits those little nine patches to frame them. It's die number 55398, which is a 4 1/2 inch finished quarter square triangle if you're interested. 

 

Nice little stack of them pressed and ready. The fabrics I used for the triangles of both light and dark are from the new acquisitions! Got to put them to work at once.

 

I'm going to make a small table topper of these, and there will still be some left over for "quilt seeds" (thank you for that saying, Wanda!) for another project.

 

I am waiting patiently for my Tin Lizzie to be up and running again. No word yet, but I live in hope!

 

I hope you're having a wonderful time where you are! God is so good to us all.

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

 

 

Quarter Square Triangle Hourglass Blocks

So, this is the finished product of my idea with using the Kaffe Fassett/Philip Jacobs floral blocks alternating with red and gray hourglass blocks. I like it a lot. So much, in fact that it is going to live here! I backed it with a cozy fleece I picked up at JoAnn Fabrics a couple of weeks ago on sale. The batting I used on this one is Hobbs 80/20 blend, and it is very light. The whole quilt is lightweight, but still warm enough for a lap quilt.

Here are a few more views of it. You KNOW I like red! The one on the lower right shows what a good size it is for covering when you're on the couch. This was before I sewed the binding on it.

I had a lot of fun with this one, and I am so happy with the way it developed and grew and finished. YAY!

There were some oatmeal raisin cookies made here and Mr. Muddling and I both sinned mightily. Someone........me, even filched a piece of one before it made it off the cookie sheet!

I am supposed to be working on a baby quilt, but I had another idea, so I cut 48 each of these 2 1/2 by 8 1/2 inch rectangles. And now I've started sewing them together. I just don't resist the impulse to "go with it" when I get an idea. I've switched up some of the fabrics since I took the picture. Who knows, I may have another one to show you soon!

And Spring is in full glorious bloom around here and I'm loving it! I was taking pictures in the front yesterday and when I turned around, there was the neighbor's cat on our roof supervising! He is a funny boy.

I hope you're having wonderful ideas and lots of pretty things to see and enjoy!

Hugs and kisses,

Cooperative Jelly Roll Race

My friend Sandy finished this jelly roll race quilt top several weeks ago. We decided that I would quilt it, but I have been a little slow getting it done. it is finished now though and I think quite an effective quilt!

I gave it a split personality backing - a little over half tropical birds in jungle trees and the rest underwater life. Buddy thought it would be all right. 

Here you can see both sides of the backing with the front. It IS a colorful quilt!

I stopped work on the half square triangle quilt top because I had an idea. I read on Bonnie Hunter's blog about her setting blocks alternately with hourglass blocks which formed an on point setting. Of course I had to try it. I used my Go! cutter to cut quarter square triangle blocks which I am alternating with 6 1/2 inch blocks of colorful Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs florals. So far, so good! I do love it when a plan I try works! Bonnie's alternate blocks were her Chunky Churn Dash, but I cheated and just used fabric cut to size.

Mr. Muddling is especially fond of this light wheat bread, so I try to keep it on hand. It's really easy since it's made in the breadmaker. I know I cheat!

We had some really cold weather here earlier and it damaged some of our flowering shrubs, but some of them seem to be making a pretty good display anyway. I think I may have lost the pink Angel Trumpet by the chicken yard, but the yellow one on the other side of the back yard is already starting to put out new growth. The azaleas in the front are not nearly so fully bloomed out as in recent years, but I'm still mighty glad to see what's there. Springtime is such a hopeful time of year, don't you think? I am always so optimistic. That's a good thing!

I hope your hope meter is high with lots of good things being expected by you for you. Because you deserve them!

Hugs and kisses,

Success!

The Christmas Dancing Nine Patch quilt is finished! Matter of fact, it is now on our bed. And yes, I know that Christmas has come and gone, but I just don't care. I like it! Buddy inspected it, and it  passed his rigorous examination. 

I was sewing the binding on it yesterday while watching the inauguration. It is the first one I have watched all the way through. Really enjoyed most of it. I hope our country will come together now and start to heal and forgive each other. 

This beautiful lady is our pastor. Last weekend we introduced her to these two little girls belonging to Mr. Muddling's brother and his sweet darling wife. Perhaps you can tell by that look on her face, that it was love at almost first sight. Boo and Bella now live in her house! I've been enjoying her postings to Facebook all week detailing their investigation and conquer of their new domain. So glad they are all happy!

We've had a lot of rain here and it's still pretty soggy outside. Buddy occasionally likes to see what is going on out there, and because he can - he does! I do love this dog!

I've cut back a lot of my outside plants that were damaged in the freeze we had here a couple of weeks ago. There will have to be new additions to the landscape and I'm looking forward to that when the danger of more freezing weather is past.

I hope you're having a lovely weekend full of things that make you happy. I am so thankful for the many things in my life that do that for me!

Hugs and kisses,

Another Cooperative Quilt for the USO

My friend Sandy pieced this jelly roll race and I quilted and bound it.

White dots on red for the binding,

and happy red pinata fabric for the backing (thank you, Deb!).

Buddy has approved the finished, crinkly, freshly washed and dried product. It and several more will soon be on their way to our local airport USO lounge.

I finally finished the Christmas Dancing Nine Patch top. I sewed that last border on with my vintage Singer 301. Such a sweet machine! This top is pressed and waiting for me to get the backing fabric sewn together. It is a big one!

Winter got here last week and wreaked havoc on our outdoor plants and shrubs. This was the pink angel trumpet. We'll see if it survives. I know we're not through with Winter yet. 

This is a close up of Marilyn from the above picture. She is the lone chicken left, and has decided that she will start gifting me with eggs again! We got three last week. What a lovely surprise in the midst of all the weather destruction!

I do hope you are all having happy, happy surprises, too. It helps, doesn't it?

Hugs and kisses,