UFO Progress For February

I finally had the urge to do some sewing today.  I planned to do a few strips on my Navajo Code Talkers quilt, but instead decided to figure out the cutting on the disappearing pinwheels.  Let me be the first to NOT recommend doing that block  It would have been much easier to do it the typical way as this way is not any faster AND everything is bias (meaning the stretch factor is pretty terrible).  I will work my way through this one and never do that method again.



BTW.... we had a delivery of Girl Scout cookies dropped off. Terrible things those are! But so yummy with coffee :)

After cutting 10 blocks (of 20), I had an epiphany of what I wanted to do for a neighbor's 2yo daughter who just had heart surgery.  Kevin suggested balloons or something along those lines a couple of days ago, but it hit me that I had a partial quilt top that I could finish up and it would be perfect for her.  Stretched Star in batiks and hand dyes.  I started it probably 10+ years ago, and originally the plan was it would be a baby quilt for a daughter I hoped we would adopt.  It is a cheerful quilt top.



I love the fabrics.

I wanted a Minkee backing so a trip to Joanns was in order.  I didn't want to overly quilt it since I feel it needs to be soft and comforting, I am pleased with how it turned out.  The outside border has rows of hearts, very appropriate.




I'll deliver it tomorrow or Monday, when she is discharged from the hospital.

When I was preparing the binding, I was a little blinded by both the fabric and nail polish! As I did my nails last night I didn't realize how bright the pink polish really was.  My polish almost works well with the batiks in general, how's that for planning?


Last step is to make a label.  Tomorrow I plan to return to the disappearing pinwheels again and get them off my table before the get all stretched and unusable.

UFO Checking in....

February is a short month, and just yesterday I realized that I haven't been working on any UFO's.  I do have two bed-sized quilt sandwiches ready to go, but I am really not up to working on those.  I think I may pull a smaller wall quilt from the pile and get to work.  I will scroll through my list and choose--but I am sort of thinking about the chicken round robin.  It would make a good center for a larger quilt though.  Decisions.

I have been working more on my new project, Navajo Code Talkers, and at this point I have five more center parts left to do and then it will be sewing strips to finish.

What have I really wanted to do instead?  Gordon explains that well...



He is a puppy of leisure.

Major bedhead:


Such a good boy :)  Anyway.... I am ready to start seeing spring pop up!

Happy Valentines Day!

I have wanted to share this for years, but it wasn't until this year that I decided to go for it.  Probably 20+ years ago, my mom received a box full of Valentines (and a few other holiday cards) that were mostly given to her uncle.  Some mixed in were also to her aunt, both are brother and sister to my mom's mom.  My great uncle did not have any children and was born in 1916.  The majority of these are from the 1920's, many were given to him by his aunts--mailed from Canada as well as California.

In the past, I considered scanning these to print on fabric and use with my quilting but my style has changed and I am not interested mixed media or much quilt art right now.  I have a total of 36 at my flickr set, feel free to scroll through if you are so inclined.  If the cards had writing within, I posted the writing in the description part at flickr.  There are some that are odd to me... many that are kind of freaky, and not politically correct in today's world, and a lot of them have movable parts--pretty cool (even when connected with some of the bizarre cards).  Many of them are just sweet and mark the times stylistically.  But just remember, this was the 1920's.

Just a wink... hmmmmm....


This one had a strange message inside:
If you will be my Valentine
My "Smack" will be a "clipper"
And you can "luff" me all the time
If you will be the "Skipper"


For the ice queen in your life :)


Not PC:


Creepy Clown!!


Don't Kick
I'm your Valentine: (hat and hand move)


The next one is funny because of the message inside:
To My Valentine:
I'd Like to drift forever
Over waters blue -
If I could have within my boat a little girl like you

This card was given to my great uncle from a friend, George :)


I like these two:


I don't know what to think about this one:
Don't make me rubber and "streatch" for my Valentine


And then we have the gay parrot:


For the book lovers:


Be my Valentine or this monkey-heart gets it!


Have you ever saved school valentines?  I'm sure I tossed mine out in some purge.  I smiled when looking at some of the cards and seeing them signed as "?????" or a single initial like "H_ _ _ _ _T" (I can't remember the exact letters, but something like that).  He was in a school with very few students, I am positive he would have known who sent the "anonymous" cards :)  Which reminds me of something I am going to admit: In the 5th grade I sent two "secret admirer" valentines to two boys in the class.  oh myyyy!  I don't think they ever found out who sent the cards, but I am positive our teacher knew the handwriting.  There were many students surrounding her desk trying to figure out who it was.  That was the first and last time I ever did that.  I think the crushes I had on those two boys lasted for many years.

Again, if you'd like to look through the flickr set at the 20+ others: link, and enjoy the vintage cards.

Snowmageddon!

Ok, not really, but if you would have seen the traffic cams last night around the 11pm hour, you would have really thought it was the end of the world.  The interchange from 405 to I-5 in Lynnwood was a parking lot.  Glad I wasn't in it.  We did bundle up and head to Bothell United Methodist this morning for Scout Sunday, and a special presentation for three boys (including Daniel!) who completed their God and Family curriculum over the past year.  It was a nice service, but I do have my preference for our church home.

When we got home, Daniel dressed down and headed to a friend's house... Darrin put on his snow clothes and built a snowman.  I'm still trying to thaw out!  We haven't had a good snowfall in over a year, so we've missed it.  We did get one day of snow on the Friday before winter break started, but the kids didn't even get that day off.  At least the boys will get one day in the snow.








Look at that tooth!  It's not super loose, but it keeps moving.  His mouth seems to be growing quite a bit lately, so it has been strange seeing the baby teeth moving around.



Gordon in his own world.  He didn't like the snowballs that grew on his legs though.




Life is great!

Navajo Code Talkers

I think I figured out why I was drawn to this quilt pattern (Navajo Code Talkers), it reminded me of the simplicity and fabrics from my mom's quilt that her grandmother made for her:



It was originally tied with pink yarn, but over the years the wadding inside was clumped and there were many seams and areas that needed to be repaired.  Twelve years ago I took it apart and trimmed this one patch quilt, repairing areas that needed it and quilted it diagonally.  The backing is the same backing, a piece of woven blue and white plaid.  Perfect for this quilt.



I just love the fabrics.





I've always loved Mom's quilt, and I am glad to still have it--though it was basically totally remade.  But I am happy to still be able to see the quilt and remember her and know that I worked on something that my great grandmother also did.

Here are seven sections that I have worked on for the Navajo Code Talkers quilt:




I have pulled out some very old fabrics, some CW repros from my Jane quilt, and some newer fabrics for this quilt.  The blocks are generally finishing at 4", but the entire block put together with strips will be 15" finished.  When I bought the pattern I did not realize they were that large.

I am enjoying this project, and it is clearing out the cobwebs as I think about what my granddaughter's baby quilt is going to look like!

Three New Projects

I have two new quilts in my mind to complete by this spring.  I am going to be a grandma in May (excited!) and when I asked what sorts of things they are needing, I was asked about a quilt :)  It was actually already a given that I was going to make one, but I was thrilled with that answer.  Since my future granddaughter also has an older brother (2 years old), I asked about making him one as well.  The colors?  For the girl: pink and black; boy green and black.

I haven't decided if I want to do solid black or tones for either, maybe a mix.  In the meantime, I have been "gathering" black prints:


The top black prints have a slight grey/lavender color, so I think they would go really well with a pink quilt.  And the bottom black prints would work well with a few other black prints I have for the green quilt.

I have been idea-collecting, and I think I have a plan for the green quilt: Tonga Rising Sun pattern from Timeless Treasures (free pattern at Hancocks of Paducah).  I think it will be an easy and visually pleasing quilt with black and greens.  I actually have a red and black quilt that I put together from antique blocks that is very similar (which reminds me, I should hang it up) that I love.

For the pink quilt, I am still trying to decide, but I have an idea in mind using my Quick Curve Ruler.  I made a baby quilt from that once before (Urban Nine Patch), but I am going to do a different pattern for this one.
Urban Nine Patch:





On to something else.  I am surprised at myself for this one.



I thought after my Jane quilt I would be putting those types a fabrics to the side for a lot longer.... but nooooo... I thumbed through my Keepsake Quilting catalog and saw this quilt and was taken in with it.  It is not my typical choice since I tend to gravitate more towards bright, yellows, purples, pinks, etc... if it is bright, I'm usually there!  This one felt very soothing to me.  I actually did not buy the pattern from Keepsake Quilting.  As much as I enjoy their catalogs, I find them to be on the more expensive side.

I'm thinking a blue flannel would make a good backing for this one.  I may start on this one this week.  Looks very simple, and very comforting.  I suppose that would make this my first new project of 2014.

On the pattern is this Navajo Proverb:
"Thoughts are like arrows, once released they strike their mark.  Guard them well or one day you may be your own victim".
Truth in that.