Thank you everyone who stopped by yesterday for a look at hand quilting info – so many nice comments – thanks. The blog hop from Celebrate Hand Quilting goes on all week, each day there is a list of hand quilting blogs sharing information or photos – if you want to look at the info I had put in it was on yesterdays post.
A couple weeks ago right around the time I had a give away I entered a couple myself and I actually won two! I received a charm pack of Bella solids from Cindy in Wisconsin – In a Stitch Quilting – thanks Cindy.
Look at all these lovely colors – not sure what they will go into but believe me they will be used!
I also won a little give away from Lynette Anderson Designs in Australia – a little sticker than can go on the car window – or on my computer! Cute – everyone will know this is my computer! thanks Lynette.
with 5 minutes here and there throughout the day I managed to get three rows of Carousel blocks put together – I decided to do 4 x 5 in blocks and then go around it with another pattern – undecided as of this moment but using the same fabrics. The width strips will have the cornerstones of red in them like the blocks have.
That bar across the quilting frame comes in so handy as you can see!
And 50 minutes of quilting last night -
More than one has said that I get so much done and I inspire them – thank you so much – yes I do get a bit done but most is done in bits and pieces of time throughout the day and evening. I am in and out of the house all day – now that the weather is nice it is so nice to sit outside and read – it has been too breezy to take sewing out. It is amazing though what can be done with 5 minutes here and there – I would come in the house and sew for 5 to 15 minutes, then go back outside to see if Mike needs help with what he is working on – putting new shingles on the back side of the roof at the moment – the last part that needs it. Mainly just handing him things and doing clean up! Putter in the garden, read, then back in the house to do laundry and what not and grab another 15 minutes at the machine.
Almost every evening I do sit at the quilting frame for the past 6 weeks or so – I really want to get the Bow Tie Medallion done by some time in June – wish it was May but I doubt I will get it done in two weeks. While I watch the evening news for about 40 minutes I will pick up Lucy Boston Patchwork of the Crosses and continue to sew blocks together and I’m getting closer to being able to add a row to the big body of the quilt top – but not quite yet – moving slow by 40 minutes here and there and it will get done.
I just plain started too many projects at the same time and I’m not finishing things – this has got to change 
I will be having too many quilt tops piling up waiting in line to be finished. A couple of them I will soon start to do machine quilting straight lines on to make some finishes and save the best for hand quilting.
Yesterday was such a busy day – drive to mom’s takes slightly more than two hours. Then we go to lunch and shop for awhile – I think we hit Belk’s, Kolh’s, Ross, Penney’s, Christopher & Banks – more than I really like to – I’m not really much of a shopper. Mom was looking for a simple light weight cardigan – do they not make these any more! one store after another – nothing – finally the last store – Penney’s had one – success. Left and drove back to mom’s apartment with a slight detour –I wanted to check out the Rabbits Lair (quilt shop) didn’t know they had a new location – I really didn’t think it had been that long since I been there but I guess it was – the girl in the shop said they had been there a year. Normally I just do not have time when visiting mom to check out quilt shops too. They have changed a bit and I think I will need to make time in my visits from now on to check out that shop – it used to be mainly civil war repro’s of which I am not that into – now they are branching out and have a lot of other things and going crazy with all things Sue Daley – which I do love! I think they have almost all of her notions in the store and all of the paper pieces if you are in to EPP, I think they have some of the acrylic templates too – I will check next time.
I got just a little quilting done last night – just part of this section. Hopefully will do more today. Quilt group this morning for a couple hours then back home – will it rain or will it miss us? – my quilt group project right now is the Diamonds are Forever hexies – all in one small container and easy to pull out – all kept in one small box and nothing to get ready.
As far as the roses go – thanks everyone for the complements – I do nothing special with these roses. I throw some fertilizer pellets on the ground if I think of it – I spray them with House and Garden spray if they get aphids (keep your fingers crossed none for two years now), I dump dish water on them only when we have droughts and are on water limits which rarely happens – last year was special. I used to have about 10 bushes in an area very close to these red roses – they were horrible – black spot, fungus? aphids – you name it – the leaves fell off even – after 2 or 3 years of this and nothing worked I dug them up and burned them – now for the last two years these roses that I have left are just fine 
Roses for the most part grow very well in the south – in the north not so much – my mom had one rose bush in Wisconsin and I believe she cut the bush back in the fall and wrapped it up in burlap bags tied with twine maybe put some straw around it too – I’m not sure – until the weather warmed up and then it came back ok.
I decided that the next quilt on the quilting frame will be the Red and Green Traditional Applique. I feel this one will be a good one to get to next because it will be “easier” to do than the Dear Jane quilt “Insanity Revisited” which has actually been waiting in line longer to do but will take more time. I really would like to be able to say I finished hand quilted two queen size quilts again this year. That is mainly just quilt around applique pieces and a simple grid – the hardest part will be marking it. There just isn’t room in my opinion to do a lot of fancy feathers and stuff on the border – but I am not ruling it out at this point – I still have about a month to think about it. This quilt is 100 x 100 inches. I noticed today that Hancocks of Paducah is running their wide backs on sale (make sure you notice that prices listed are for 1/2 yard but you can order as much as you like of course) so it was the best time to place an order – I am not buying much fabric this year – but wide backs as I need them I am – also batting when I need them – and thread 
I found some red/green King Tut variegated thread to use for this quilt and I got plain white moda muslin for the backing.
I did get a couple more blocks for the carousel quilt done and I would still like input on what the name of this block is – I can’t find it anywhere but I feel I have seen it and that it is an old block. Sashing is just laid out.
Applique is glue basted in place and ready to get started on – Floral Fantasy.
This much quilting done on Monday night on Bow Tie Medallion while watching an episode or was it two of Doc Martin.
I am so glad to know that I am not the only one working on more than 4 projects at a time right now – thanks for the shared e mails about your projects!!
Over Sunday and Monday I really didn’t get much done! On quilting that is. I have exercised, grocery shopped, laundry – all those kind of chores – yes I consider exercise a chore – bad of me I know.
I managed to get just a little quilting done which did result in the quilting frame getting cranked down another couple of notches and the final border is completely in view – how nice!! Maybe another 25 hours or so of quilting? Maybe more – I’m not really sure but I do know that I want to get done with this Bow Tie Medallion!
I didn’t touch the Carousel quilt blocks at all yesterday – but I did make a start on prepping another applique block for the Floral Fantasy quilt 
only two colors needed for this one. But they are intricate pieces on that red.
My quilters dream catalog arrived today – least that is what I call it I can flip pages and dream right – of a sewing room with fabric stacked from floor to ceiling! yes in my dreams LOL
One of my readers was joking that I am not keeping busy enough – yes Crispy I refer to you - I’m laughing with you girl friend – at times I think I must be hyperactive or just plain get bored easily. At times I know I get distracted easily – right now how many projects are going
In the works:
1–machine piecing – Carousel
2–hand piecing – Lucy Boston,Patchwork of the Crosses – well be hand quilted
3–hand piecing – Diamonds are Forever—well be hand quilted
4–hand piecing/machine piecing/needle turn applique – Common Bride – should I say my version which doesn’t look like the original version anymore but I haven’t come up with a new name – well be hand quilted
5-needle turn applique – Floral Fantasy – well be hand quilted
6 – Hand quilting, Bow Tie Medallion
7- totally forgot this one – zigzag quilt – needs a border still – machine quilting? edited 5/7/2013 PM
Waiting in line to be quilted:
1- Dear Jane – Insanity Revisited – well be hand quilted
2-Red and Green Traditional Applique – I think this one will be next – hand quilted
3-scrappy nine patch – machine quilt straight lines
4-pinwheels – not sure
Now I don’t know about y’all but I do not consider any of these UFO’s I am working on all of them (well not the ones waiting in line to be quilted they are waiting). Some I work on more frequently than others but I try to visit them all often
More work was done on the Bow Tie Medallion but I really can’t say very much – at least it was enough to finish this stretch and I will crank it on down later in the day to start a new section of the quilting.
Also on Sunday I got two more blocks completed for the Carousel quilt I need to get more of the white background fabric cut into strips, I am doing one yard at a time. I have these stacked up and ready to go when I have time – I need 5 more of the white pieces I believe – I cut enough pieces out for 2 blocks at a time – I don’t want more scattered around as I just don’t have a lot of room. I usually know that when I sit at the sewing machine I will have time to get two blocks done and then I move on to something else.
The stack is getting bigger.
And the last week I have gotten a few of the blocks put together for the row that I need for Patchwork of the Crosses. This part always moves slowly unless I really feel like watching tv for hours on end which I haven’t felt like lately 
Nice enough for yard work today? We will see – first thing this morning I need to get my exercise done and go to the grocery store – when I get done with that I wanted to plant a couple hanging baskets of petunias – then we will see how warm it gets and if the grass needs cut – well it be dry enough after 3 days of off and on rain to cut the grass? Near 80 this week – should feel nice. Should be a busy day.
Moving along on the hand quilting of the Bow Tie Medallion – maybe I will be able to crank it down again later today or this evening? Not sure depends on how much time I put in on it.
I didn’t work at all on the Carousel quilt yesterday – these are the next colors to choose from . I will be getting about 4 blocks at least from each color if not 5 blocks I think. I need to pull from the shelves to find more – we will see.
I think I spent more time reading a book yesterday than sewing. John Sandford who writes the Prey series is having a new book out on the 7th – I read all of that series and couldn’t remember the last one well so thought to re-read it to freshen my mind on what happened before I get the newest book. Each book stands alone but he might mention a few things here and there that happens in the previous books so just wanted to remember it better. Glad I did as I had totally forgotten what this one from last year had been about for some reason. It was a good day to read – chilly 44 degrees and rain – May can you believe it? Back to normal this week thank goodness!
