The Blue Heron and Celtic Soltice and Miscellany

Christmas is over and we are awaiting the New Year.  I've been slowly recovering from my foot surgery.  I'm not having to rely on crutches or my knee wheeler.  I still have some swelling and need to keep it elevated.  I'm seeing the doctor on the 5th and I want him to see some progress.  My boot hopefully will come off around the 17th, then I'll be able to drive.  I'm just not use to relying on others for help.  I guess this is a lesson on humility.  I'm learning.

Sunday the chickens were free ranging and making a ruckus in the front yard. I went out there and I think they were worried about this:

This picture is a little blurry because I blew it up to see it.

Here's one as it was flying off

Pretty aren't they?

Celtic Soltice.  What can I say.  We are on Clue 5 of possibly 6-8 clues.  We're not sure, Bonnie's not spilling the beans. After all, she says it's a mystery. I have all of Clues 1,3,4, and 5 completed. I'm still working on Clue 2.

I've been using my Scrappy Triple Irish Chain as my Leader and Ender.  I like the idea of a Leader and Ender and eventually that becomes your main project.  I am working on my sister's quilt and have to put the borders on and sew the appliques on. I should be able to get that done by July, when I see her.

Here's the border design.  I cut them out on day a few months ago when we had a power outage.   This one is from the Fons and Porter magazine.

 Last of all but definately not least.  I won this Japanese clone on ebay last night.  I just not sure which Singer model it is a clone of.  I need to find out so I can get a manual and learn some about it.  I'm excited to get it.  I did send the Seller a link on how to package a machine for shipping.  She's mailed a couple but I just wanted to make sure this arrives in one piece.

This post is being linked to Celtic Soltice Mystery and Judy's Design Wall.  Check out the links to see what others are doing.

Part 4 CS Mystery

This Mystery has been slow going for me.  I have to elevate my foot often and it seems that I only last about 30 minutes at a time standing or sitting.  I've finished step 1 and 2 and have about half of step 3 and 4 completed.  I'm enjoying the Mystery so far and surprised to hear that we will be putting some of it together soon.

Christmas Eve is tomorrow and my family celebrates the Eve.  We will have our traditional pound cake with a bean in it ( from my paternal grandmothers side), goulash and lefse from my maternal grandmother's side.  I enjoy the traditions, it makes me feel close to my family, those here, out of state and not here.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a great New Year.

This post is being linked to CS Mystery and Judy's Design Wall.  Go check out what everyone is doing with their Mystery or on their Design Walls.

Celtic Soltice Step 3

It's been a week since my foot surgery and I am slowly getting around.  I have been having to use an rolling office chair and now a knee walker.  I am horrible on crutches.

Step 2 Chevrons are still in the making.  I have 20 completed.  I think they are turning out great.

Step 3 Pinwheels are coming along, although I have only finished 6.  This is an exciting mystery.  I can't
wait until I can stand on my own and get to cutting, ironing, and sewing.

I am using the pinwheels and my scrappy Irish Chain as my L&E.  I think I'm liking this method of quilting 2 quilts at once.

This post is being linked to Celtic Soltice Mystery and Judy's Design Wall. Go and check out what everyone else is doing!

Celtice Solstice Step 2

We received our instructions for Step 2 of our Mystery Quilt on Friday.  Thursday I spent having a bunion removed from my foot.  I was able to get a couple of my fat quarters in to my bedroom and since I didn't have access to my rotary cutter or sewing machine, I marked and cut a couple of my pieces.  I marked my quarter  and hand sewed a couple of blocks.  I see where one is flipped. I can fix that when I can stand and move a round a little.  I've  never done any hand sewing except for binding so this was an experience.  I'm not sure how to start or stop.  So I started in from the corner and backtracked.  Then in the end I retraced a couple of  stitches.  I didn't tied off.  I hope this is good.

I linked this post to Bonnie Hunter's mystery quilt and to Judy's Design Wall.

Don't forget, I can start receiving your quilts in mid January. See my special on the left column of my blog.  Now let's see what everyone is doing.

Celtic Solstice Mystery, Wk 1

I picked my fabrics, joined the Celtic Solstice FB group, printed my first clue and here I am!  I decided to make the Small size quilt.  I have all the orange backgrounds cut for a large, but I want to make some progress with this mystery.  I will probably use the pieces for the large as my leader and ender later on.  Now my leader and ender is my scrappy Irish Chain.  I have used mostly my stash for this mystery, only purchasing a couple of fat quarters in orange.  I have a great stash, that will most like last me a lifetime. Pictures?  Okay,

It's not to late to start.  Go to Bonnie Hunter's blog and choose the Celtic Solstice tab.  The mystery will only be up until June.  The facebook page is private but you probably can ask to join.  

My Leader and Ender project is the scrappy Irish Chain.  It comes from Bonnie's book.

Irish chain project

Order any of her books directly from her site and I've heard she autographs each one.

Go see what others participating in the Mystery are doing.  I have also linked this post up with Judy at Patchwork Times Design wall

Saturday Musings

I went hunting with Doug today. Actually I rode with him to Lakeside Oregon, dropped him off early this morning. Now I'm having breakfast and headed to the fabric store. Yes I brought my  sewing machine, camera, and kindle.  I brought a #quilting project with me to work in. It's a quilted hotpad. If it turns out they may be for our Iams Family Reunion white elephant event.   Life is good. 

It's cloudy by the lake so I haven't taken any pictures. Maybe I'll be able to get some at my friends place later today.   

Just a photo from my library. I just find it so boring to read a post without some color. 

Design Wall 10-21-2013

I have been working on a Leader and Ender project by Bonnie Hunter.  It will be a scrappy Irish Chain.  Right now I'm sewing the 2 in squares together to form the "chain" of the quilt.

                                                                  
I don't have a picture but I will in my next post.

My design wall has my sister's quilt on it.  I just finished putting a small border on it.  The final border will have appliques on a 6 in border.

The first border is hardly seen here.  It's 1 1/2 inches in a purple batik.  

I finished my son's Crown Royal Jean quilt and he's sleeping under it.  He really likes it. 

Now my children and grandchildren all have at least one quilt.  Time to start the cycle over.

My website is under construction.  I hope to have it up and running in the next two weeks.  I imagine that a couple of the pages will be "under construction" but it is a work in progress and I'm working with a gal who has a life also.  In the meantime, I am having a short Christmas Sale.  Any quilt (except king) that I received in this month will be quilted with a medium meander for 30% off.  See details on the left side of this blog.  I hope to be able to quilt your Christmas present for your special person.  

This post will be linked to Judy's Design wall in the morning.  Take a visit and see what others have been doing this week.

Design Wall 10-14-2013

My design wall has the same quilt top in progress on it that it did last week.  I received my additional fabric for the borders.  I have all my applique pieces cut out and ready to ramp up again.

I'm taking a break from it in order to finish my Get R Done project.  My Carpenter's Star.  Judy gave us the pattern and she also made a You Tube on quilting feathers.  Actually there are 8 or 9 videos.  I'll be working on that and then this will be the first month I've completed my list.

I attended MQX Quilt Festival in Portland last week.  What a fantastic show they put on.  I took classes with Jamie Wallen, Irena Bluhm, Claudia Pfeil, Linda Taylor, Lisa Sipes, and Angela Walters.  I barely had time to take a quick tour of the show quilts and merchandise.  I'm just sorry to hear that they the next time they will be back again is in 2015.

I'm trying to get some longarm work done today because I want to be able to join Bonnie's Quilt Cam tonight.  I'm not sure what I'll be working on during her cam but I'll get it figured out.  It's such a great way to get some work done with company.

This post is being linked to Judy's Design Wall.  Stop in and see what others are doing.

Get 'R Done October 2013

My list last month was light.

 Quilt Carpenter's Star - Not Done

Doug's Quilt - Not Done, Close

I was getting ready to work on Doug's quilt and found that the back was smaller than the top.  I had to order fabric to get it done.  Well with the thanks of Bonnie's Quilt Cam last night, I was able to get three borders on the back and the fourth is cut and ready to go.  That is getting done this morning.


I'm not showing this again until I have a finished bound quilt ready to give to my son.

October's Get 'R Done list:

Quilt Carpenter's Star
Finish Doug's quilt, enlarge backing, quilt, bind

If there is any time left, I will work on

Sew applique on Arin's quilt borders.

Please join me in seeing what other quilters are doing.  This post is being linked to Judy's Get 'R Done

Arin's Quilt

The quilt that I have been enamored with from Fon's and Porter is going to my sis.  She's so excited to be receiving it.  She'll have to pick it up when she comes stateside next summer.

Today, I'm working on the border but without the border fabric.  It's on order.  But I am preparing my applique for the border.

This is an alternate border design in the magazine for the border.  I love it and my batiks will look great in the shapes.

I really need to be working on quilting my son's quilt.  I found the backing wasn't large enough for the top.  The fabric was ordered and received.  I have no excuses.  Today, I will add the extra to the back and I have decided, after watching Eleanor Burns that the quilting will be only a single embroidery design placed strategically around the quilt.  I've decided which design I want to use already.  701.  That's so I won't forget or in case my post it gets lost.

I was looking for a picture and couldn't find one.  So I took on of the top and back.

Back

Top

Today is GET 'R DONE

Have a great day everyone.

Design Wall 9-23-2013

I've been so excited about this quilt that I've had a hard time putting it down.  I had canning to do and I didn't want to take time away from this to do that.

The top is pieced except the borders.  I wasn't able to purchase enough of the background material and I guess I thought I would piece a border.  I've decided that I want to applique the border and for that I needed some ric rac and more background fabric.  I ordered it today.  The ric rac is already on its way.  I'm not very imaginative about it.  I've decided to make the borders like the alternate quilt in the Fons and Porter Love of Quilting magazine.  I like it.

Here's way I am.

I'm working on building up my longarm business and according to some experts, the first three years need to focus on getting my name out there.  I decided to make a tote for a longarm quilt show I'm attending in October.  MQX West.  

  I had an extra block from the quilt above.  The other block is a block from a string quilt.  I made them out of the same fabrics from the first block. I've SID'd on the tote and now I'm thinking of how to quilt it.  Next week I'll have some process to show.

This post is being linked to Patchwork Times.  Hop over and see what others have been doing.

Harvest Moon

Saturday evening I got organized enough to take some pictures of the harvest moon.  I'm always trying to learn with my camera and the way it takes pictures.  Here's what I took:

During the weekend, I canned applesauce, dehydrated apples, dehydrated potatoes.  I didn't make a dent.  First I couldn't find my cone-shaped mill.  After scouring the house we decided to purchase another one.  I do not like it.  It is so much smaller than mine that it was hard to get all the fruit.  I wasted so much.  The next day I peeled and cored the apples.  I definitely got more fruit but it was time-consuming.  I'm not anxious to  process much more at this point.

My Design Wall 9-16-2013

My design wall last night.  I didn't have any more time to sew blocks into rows.  One row of blocks is on my sewing machine ready to go.  The top half are all sewn together.  Looks like I have three rows to go.  I did spend some time online purchasing some ric-rack for the vines.  I'm going to have a border with applique flowers, birds and butterflies.  Just like in the magazine.  No imagination.  Well, it will look great and I don't want to make the body any larger.

I thought I might work on my son's jean quilt and found out I didn't make the back large enough and I used the leftover of it on another quilt.  So I ordered more fabric for enlarging the back.  

This post is linked to Judy's Design Wall.  See what others have been doing.

I Can't Believe It's Sunday Already

I've been busy.  This morning I had my normal routine of reading my favorite blogs and of course new posts on Facebook.  I found a recipe for Cinnamon Twists by Recipe Girl.  I decided to make them.  Instead of using buttermilk, which I never have, I thought I would substitute with milk.  When I looked, I didn't have any of that either.  Ok, so I thought I had some dry milk but I didn't have the directions for making it.  It usually turns out to weak.  So I looked in my pantry and I had condensed milk. So into the condensed milk I added a tablespoon of lemon.  That's what my research said to do for buttermilk.  Is this what I've been making all along?  Buttermilk?  I thought I was just making sour milk.  Anyway.  I didn't take pictures of all the steps.  These are the twists just before putting them into the oven.

I misread the instructions and baked mine for 20 minutes.  Too long.  12-15 was the ideal and it would have been just right.

So they are a little brown, but I went ahead and glazed them.  My son came in just as I was finished and he and Doug ate one pan.  They must not have been too bad.  These were very easy to make.  The instructions call for using a pizza cutter for making the strips.  I love my pizza cutter.  I use it for a lot of things besides cutting pizza.

While the dough was rising, we hurried and gathered out onions that were already dug and drying.  The rain was suppose to come in around noon and we didn't want to ruin our crop.

This was all we got but that will be enough for us.  Last year we had tons.  We gave away lots and still ended up tossing some.

I've been in my sewing room most of the day in between chores.  I've been working on a quilt for a couple of weeks, not nonstop, I still have a day job.  All the blocks are done and I'm in the process of putting together the rows.  Yesterday, I printed out some applique which I will use in the border.  I ordered some ric-rack for the vines.  I hope it turns out.  

I hope to have a picture of the rows completed for my blog on Monday.  Check back to see it.  I am just loving the secondary pattern.  I sound redundant but I love it and am fascinated by it.

That's all for now.

My Design Wall- 9/9/2013

Wow.  I've been fascinated by this pattern.  I just kept making more and more blocks to see more of the secondary pattern.  I love it.  I think Liz Porter's quilt was out of repro 30's fabric.  This is batiks.  I've been trying to only use my stash and so far with the exception of larger yardages, I have been able to make quilts for the last couple of years with it.

Since this photo was taken, I only have two blocks to go and the top is done except sewing the rows together.

I'm going to have to take a break from this and finish one of my Get'rDone projects done.

This post is being linked to Judy's Design Wall

Design Wall 9/2/2013

This is my design wall as of Monday evening.  It is a quilt I saw Liz Porter demonstrate on Fon's and Porter Love of Quilting Saturday.  She names it Emily's Wedding Quilt.  It is made up of two blocks to create a secondary pattern.  TheShoFly block and the 54-50 or Fight block.  She used repro 30's fabric and I'm using my batiks.  After looking at the picture of these blocks, I find I need to replace a triangle square in the second secondary pattern block.  It is too light and looks like the block isn't finished.  I have since taken all that batik out of the mix.

I don't have a person in mind yet for this quilt.  It will most likely only be a double or queen.  It just depends on how long it takes and if I get bored and want to start something new.

This post is being linked to Judy's Design Wall 9-2-13

Get 'R Done September

September already?  My Get 'R Done August list I knew would be sketchy.  I got one quilt quilted.  That's all.  I had a lot of company and was out of town some of it.

This is Tina's first quilt.  I quilted leaves or hearts on it.  She will be using it as a lap quilt for her couch.

September's list will be August's list of tying my son's jean quilt and quilting my Carpenter's Star quilt.

This post is being linked to Judy's Get it Done Challenge

Get 'er Done - August 2013

Get 'er Done for August will be skimpy this month.  I am on vacation in Montana and will be on vacation into the second week of August when my daughter and grandkids will be in Oregon with me the following week.

I am going to attempt to quilt my friend's jean quilt so it can travel back with my daughter.

Tie my son's jean and crown royal quilt.

And if time allows, I want to quilt my Carpenter's Star.

This post is being linked to Judy's Patchwork Quilting  Check the link out to see what others are doing.

I don't have any pictues of the tops this week so here's a beautiful butterfly I photographed on my patio a while back.

Have a great day!

Get 'er Done May, June and July 2013

Jana's quilt is finished

Doug's jean and crown royal quilt is ready for tying.

Jessee's quilt is finished.

Dani's quilt is finished,  This was a UFO last year and I decided to finished and give it to my youngest granddaughter.  The 3 will be getting them this summer when I go to Montana for vacation.

 My list for July will be short because of all the company I will be having.

Finished binding Arin's Twirling Star Tablerunner.

Maybe quilt my Carpenter's Star.

Don't forget to go to Judy's Get 'er Done post and see what everyone else has done.