Monday, December 21, 2015

Christmas Madness

Amongst all of the Christmas Madness this quilt is still in the hoop, but getting sooooo close to done.


Between how busy we are at work and trying to get all the Holiday festivities and chores done it is not complete yet.  Basketball is over now (for the 6th graders).  In a way I am sad, I do enjoy watching Hailey play basketball.



I am loving our tree this year, smell and looks..



Mark got an elk this year which means we had to buy a small freezer to put the meat in.  Which means the shelf that was once in the room (no pictures due to the horrific mess it was) had to come out.

What to DO with the extra shelf????

In walks my Saturday project this weekend......



Yep, reorganizing my closet!!  I do not have my own quilting room in this house so the question becomes where to put stuff.  My husband could barely get to HIS portion of the closet due to boxes of quilting items in the way.



Insert trumpets sounding here.........he can now walk RIGHT up to his clothes now!  Oh, and the tool box is mine.  My husband did inform me that I have another tub of fabric in the storage unit, besides the tub of batting, and would I like him to bring it over?  Oh how sweet you are dear, but I think we may have to wait for that momentous occasion.

Again, the before photo is WAY TOO atrocious to post here.  Let me assure you this was an all day project.



Have a Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Always,

Gentrie

Friday, November 27, 2015

In the Hoop

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I have been hand quilting again, which I have not done for quite a while.  In the hoop is my granddaughters quilt.




Through the strip piecing I am doing a meandering diagonal quilting.  Nothing structured, fun and random.



Can you see the calluses forming on my fingers?  They are so stinking sore.  Had I PLANNED on hand quilting this quilt I would have used wool batting, especially since it has minke on the back.


In OTHER breaking news, I did finally receive my swap blocks!!!!  Yeah!  There are SO many fun fabrics in here!  I love them.  Now just to figure out what I am going to do with them.....hmm. 



Sunday, November 15, 2015

Projects in progress

I have been out of commission for a while with all that has been going on.  Between taking care of two elderly parents and 2 kids and working full time, I just don't get enough quilting (or me) time.

Right now as I type this my 2 year old is sitting in my lap asking if she can touch the buttons. Um mm, no.


This is a quilt that I made for my grand baby.  I had made her blankets but not a quilt.  We had a one day sew in the third weekend of October and I put this top together.  I am hand quilting it now.  I tried it on my machine but I think the minke on the back was throwing it off.  I could not get my tension adjusted right and gave up before I ruined the quilt. 

We had another one day sew in yesterday and that is where I tried machine quilting this.... FAIL!!!  So I hand quilted for a little while and then worked on Hailey's quilt for a little while.



In other news, we have been having some amazing sunsets!

My block exchange blocks seem to be lost in the mail.  SAD FACE HERE!

I am keeping hope alive they will show eventually.

Always,

Gentrie



Sunday, October 18, 2015

Whoop, Whoop!

I have been so busy lately.  Yesterday I actually was invited to quilt with a group of women for a day.  No class, no instruction, just come in and sew on whatever you need to get done.  IT....WAS......AWESOME!  I realized how much I have missed just sitting around and sewing with a group of gals.  We sewed from 9am to about 4:30pm.  I got a quilt top completed for my grand baby Lynlee.

Yeah!  So they are getting together every 2nd Saturday of every month.  I am so in!

I did get my block swap completed and sent in the mail last week!



There was a shop hop a couple weekends ago.  Hailey had a birthday that same weekend.  I bought some cool fabrics at the shop hop.


This beach one was in a gift bag from one of the stores.  Really cute.





I also found this mustache fabric to slide into Hailey's quilt somehow.


She is all about the mustache craze!

We also had a horse who somehow poked himself in the eye so we had administer antibiotics to him 2 times a day.  That was a bit of a chore since we board them right now.

I will show pics of Lynlee's quilt in a while.  I have a minky back I can use on it and happen to have a crib size batting.  So hand quilt or machine quilt?

Better machine quilt it if I actually want it to get done!  LOL!

Hope you are all making progress where you are at!

Always,

Gentrie

Saturday, September 12, 2015

Progress and Plans

I'm checking in to let you know I am still making some slow progress.  I have 10 of Hailey's quilt blocks done so I laid out the backing piece she wants on it to figure out how many blocks I need to fit my backing.  Drum roll please.............45!  45 stinkin' blocks, only 35 more to go!





I am back on the bowtie band wagon to get my 80 done.  Even sneaking in some dark time sewing until Piper goes down so I can turn the light back on.



I realized today that I have never mad my grand-daughter Lynlee a quilt.  I have made her some "blankies" but not a quilt.  So today at the local quilt shop I picked up some fabrics to make her one.




I am thinking of a simple pattern that I can use the alphabet fabric to applique on her name.  I even have enough letters for Piper's name.......on something.......not a "quilt".......

The grays and colors in that fabric line will even work well with a few of the left over grays from my bowtie fabric.  SWEET!!

Always,

Gentrie

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Last weekend and Rainy Non-Sew Days

Last weekend I had every intention of blogging and it just got away from me.  The weekend I mean.  Then this week just flew by.  Work has been stressful and busy and irritating.  Architects can be bullheaded and stubborn. 

I made 20 more blocks last weekend for the block swap.  So I am half way through, only 40 more to go!  Yeah me!!





Here are some that I finished.

So I was looking at the left over strip pieces that this was creating and was trying to decide what to do with them.  So I decided to make strip sets out of them for now. 



Once I am all done I will decide what to do with them.  I will have a lot of coordinating 2.5" gray strips to go with them.





Today was yucky an rainy outside and quite cool.  Instead of quilting though I finished reading a book, did grocery shopping and such.

A rainy day is always a book reading day to me.  Ingrained from childhood I'm sure.


I was going through pictures on my camera and found this one from Piper's birthday.


How sweet!!

Always,

Gentrie

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Progress Update

I actually did manage to get some quilting done this weekend.  I know sound the trumpets!

I completed 20 of my 80 block swap blocks (with Fun with Barb).  The background looks almost a white in these pictures, but it is light grey.  





The rules of the swap are bright modern fabrics, no pastels.  I love these grays in this line and want to use a couple, but I'm afraid they really don't follow the rules (not brights).  Any opinions?




In fact I am afraid I think quite a bit of the line border lines to the pastel ranges......

I hope all the ones I choose to use will be fine.  Thankfully I will not have to use every color.  If you want to know about this fabric line or the block exchange you can read this post here.

I am working on Hailey's quilt also.  Machine blanket stitch on the circles with a variegated thread.

Here is Hailey's finished block.  These are "What a Whirl" fabrics for Kanvas, which is associated with Bernatex.  Well except for the black.  My plan is for the black to get quilted in bubbles with a variegated thread.


I got 5 completed. Yeah me!  I think this is the most progress I've made in a LONG time!

Always,

Gentrie





Saturday, August 22, 2015

Next on the agenda.....

So as I look out the window on the cold, gloomy, rainy day (not that I'm complaining, it is a nice break from the 100+ weather) I am putting together my next two projects.  They are both very simple so I plan to work on them together.

I signed up for a block exchange with 'Fun with Barb'.  (I know I am NUTS!!!)  I never sign up for these because of my time constraints (basically I have none).  So I am stretching myself out there.  I figured since school has officially started, the weather is cooling off.......I'll find a little more time. 

So these are the fabrics I am using.  I chose modern because I do not care for Civil War fabrics.  I bought a jelly roll to help cut back on the amount of cutting time.

I am so smart...hahaha!  The arrow circle fabric is my grey background fabric.  The jelly roll and the background fabric are both 'Zen Chic' by Moda.

This is a quilt for Hailey.  I am using the pattern "Sophie's Choice" from Quilter's World magazine Summer 2015.

Here is a photo of the quilt.  They are both simple patterns.  I want to try and get a good jump on them both today, with a plan of doing 4 blocks for the swap and 1 or 2 block on Hailey's quilt a night.  Hailey's is just a lap type quilt she wants to be able to haul around with her on bus trips, sleepovers, etc.


Should be easy enough right???  Ok, well don't burst my bubble just yet.

Always,

Gentrie




Saturday, August 15, 2015

Checking in.......

So I thought I had better check in.  Our summer has been wild and crazy, of course, working in the construction industry, it IS our busiest season.  So school starts this coming week on Wednesday.  Hailey starts 6th grade this year.....






And tomorrow (the 16th)  the little one turns 2.....

My how time flies!

It is my intention to start another quilt, but after making a birthday cake tonight and a party tomorrow, after church, well who knows......

I might get there, but in reality, probably not.

How have everyone elses summers going?  Am I the only one not getting much sewing done??

Always,


Gentrie

Friday, July 10, 2015

Another one down.....

Got another binding done.  I like how this one looks on my kitchen wall.


Don't you?


Of course, I have been also trying to whip stitch the binding down on this baby quilt.  That is when Daisy is not hogging it......


Always,



Gentrie

Thursday, July 2, 2015

One Binding Down

So I got one binding completed.

I machine sewed this binding on being as it is a wall hanging and know one will ever really see the back.


As you can see, I need to perfect this technique yet, my first time doing it and all.


I think it will look nice hanging on the wall still....


.....with or without the attitude.....

Always,


Gentrie

Sunday, June 14, 2015

Back on Track.....I think

My ribs are all healed up.  I can sleep in my bed again, and on my side.  So you would think I could just get back on track right?!  Wrong.  Although, I think I am getting there. 

I got my last 2 quilts back from the quilter.  Now I have to bind them.


This is for my great nephew, I do not think I have a binding for this one.  I believe I was thinking I could do a scrappy with the leftover fabric.  I'll have to go check today.

In my opinion, the back is just as cute as the front.  I like the circle quilting my local quilt shop did on it.  Cute!

Now this on I do have the binding fabric for, a stripe that goes with the line.  Have I mentioned that I love striped bindings?


This is another one that I love the backing on.


We had such a GREAT time visiting with the kids and grand baby Lynlee!!!
Her and Piper are such opposites it is fun to watch them together.

LOVE!

Always,

Gentrie

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Ribs.......New Job

So my new job is going well.  I'm managing to downsize the amount of pain killers to make it through the day.  Ribs are still painful but better.


My neighbor asked me if I shot my horse.  No......I have been bucked off, rolled with, fell with and so on so many times it is amazing I have not broken more bones.  Really..


So that is my update.  I am hoping to try a little rotary cutting this weekend, as I am right handed and my broken ribs are on my right side.  I'll keep you posted.......


UPDATE:  I never got this post published so here it is.  Now on my second week and ribs are doing good, except the one that fully broke (still really sore).  Couldn't rotary cut, then both hubby and Hailey got the flu at the same time this week, so been a little crazy.  Wanting to work on binding tonight.  

Still sleeping in the recliner as laying fully down is painful, and rolling over.

New job is going good, getting a lot of input in and a little free reign.  Loving it....



Throwback Thursday!!!!  Hailey and Hubby many moons ago...

Always,

Gentrie

Sunday, April 26, 2015

Finished Top & Broken Bones

So Thursday I finished the coffee wall hanging. 


These are the fabrics I used.  Love....

Just so you know I completely WINGED making this quilt.  I wanted it to be simple so it wouldn't take forever to piece.



So I made the sashed pieces and then came up with the center strip piece.  I saved the striped fabric for the binding, because I am slightly obsessed with striped bindings....

I used the left-over fabric to make the back.  It is at the quilter's now.

In other news......I broke 3 ribs Friday afternoon.  Had a wreck with my horse, he's OK (the turd).  I broke my 2nd rib and fractured the 3rd and 5th.  Had to stay in the hospital over night since the top broken rib had made a small puncture in the top of my lung.  This morning it was all back to normal though, other than the broken bones!  Pain meds are my friends right now......

They broke on my right side so rotary cutting is difficult at best.  Guess I'll stick to bindings for the next week or two.

It sucks not being able to pick up my little one though!!!  :(

Always,

Gentrie

P.S. I am still starting my new job Monday.......I know I'm stubborn.  I'll take it easy I promise.

Thursday, April 23, 2015

Done!

I got the baby quilt top done!

Of course, when I was ready to put the last row on last night I saw an error!!!!


Can you see it?!  Ooohhh I was mad!  It was literally a 20 minute fix, but it was the POINT of having to do it.  Messes with the mojo, you know!


Well, fixed......here it is with the first 1" skinny border.  I really thought the blue needed a little more representation.


When I laid out the last border I was a little unsure.  Now that I see it on I think it is great.  The picture does not really convey these colors properly, and since it is raining today, no outside pictures.


Yeah, the orange gets washed out in every picture.  Still loving the little Gecko guys!


This is the flannel backing I chose for it.  I'll have to piece it.  See the little gecko guys on there too?  Super cute.


These are calling my name.  I want to make a small wall hanging for the kitchen.  I am sketching it up now (well not RIGHT now).........keep you posted!

Always,

Gentrie