Finally . . .

I can't believe it has been so long since my last post and I was going to try to post more!  I've been reading every one's blogs and leaving comments and thinking I should write something.  I have been busy sewing, I only have one border to finish hand quilting, then I can do the binding on "Two Piece Puzzle" and it will be done.  I am anxious to have it finished because there are other projects to be worked on.  I took a deep breath and did some of the machine quilting on "Snowbound".  I did the stitch in the ditch part on the Irish chain blocks.  I still don't feel ready to do any free motion quilting yet so I think I will hand quilt around the snowmen in the applique blocks.  I'm not sure what to do in the border but I am anxious to get this one finished, too. 

I made a trip to my LQS a couple of weeks ago.  I had been searching for a baby quilt idea for grandson due in late May and hadn't found what I wanted.  At the shop I explained I was looking for something with a woodsy feel, maybe owls since they are everywhere now.  The kids room is decorated in browns, greens and golds, kind of autumn colors.  They had a number of cute fabrics with owls and other critters in them, and they had a magazine with an owl quilt on the cover but not quite right for what I wanted.  Then they remembered a kit the store owner had just cut, so we went to look at it and it was perfect!   It was so easy to buy the kit with everything put together.  This is the pattern called "Creature Comforts"  with fabrics from the Tree Huggers Collection.  I was so happy to find it.  So far I have the inside section sewn together and I am working on the border applique blocks.  Here's a peek at some of them:

These are some of the stylized flowers in the border.  I have also appliqued the owls, beaver, and ladybugs but I need to finish the embroidery on them.  The little owl in the flower still need eyes, too.  The fabrics are adorable and bright.  I think this will fit the theme of the room perfectly.  More pictures when I get farther along with it.

I have the first two blocks of the Henrietta BOM from Bunny Hill almost done, too.  The crow and Henrietta squirrel just need eyes. 

I don't know why I've been putting that off, embroidering the eyes intimidates me a little.  I will get them done soon.  And naughty Henrietta jumped up a strip when I wasn't paying attention, she is suppose to be sitting down one section farther but I didn't want to start all over just because of that.  I still think she looks cute.  I have seen pictures of other people's blocks with her up higher, so I'm not the only one she fooled!  I wasn't sure I wanted to do this BOM at first but with the first two blocks turning out so cute and number three is out and cute as can be, too, I'm hooked.  Ann Sutton has designed another winner.

Here are a couple more pictures of little things I made.  First, when I got my new sewing machine I was signed up for a free year's membership in the store's sewing club.  The first project was a scissors keep.

In the January class we made the body and started the beading all around the edge.  I finished the edge at home, then the February class we did the little hang-y down part and the necklace beading.  It was fun to learn the beading part, something I had not tried before.

The second little project, my husband gave me a little pink miniature rose in a tiny pot for Valentine's day.  I re-potted the rose so it would have room to grow and it is doing beautifully, then used the pot for this:

I just cut a circle of fabric, did a loose gather stitch around the edge, stuffed it with some fill, put a little more in the bottom of the pot and I have a really cute pink pin cushion.  The pot is too small to grow anything in but it is adorable and useful to catch pins as I sew. 

Oh, one other picture, I mentioned before my sister gave me a table runner for Christmas and I finally have a picture of it.

I love this!  The colors go together so well, I love the red and cream tone on tone for the nine patches and the shade of green print just goes with it so well.  I went to the quilt shop and found similar fabrics to make something for next Christmas.  I don't know what yet but I love the red and cream nine patch combo. 

I have started another project for next Christmas, too.  I tracked down a copy of a quilt book from 1989 called "Snowbound" by Gerry Kimmel, Linda Brannock and Jan Patek.  I saw a picture of the quilt on Log Cabin Quilter's blog a while back and decided to track the pattern down.  The quilt was in her blog header over the winter, she now has another Jan Patek design of a cute bunny quilt for Spring.  Anyway, I got the book and boy have quilting books/pattens changed since it was published.  I have a number of homespun fabrics in my stash that I can use.  I spent a couple of days cutting over 430 2 1/2 inch squares to use in the sashings.  I need to find the fabric I want to use for the applique blocks background so I can start that project. 

Other than the sewing, we have the trees/hedge in the back yard trimmed.  Gotta get that done before they start to bud each year.  There is still a big pile of branches in the back yard to be cut up and hauled away, but the major cutting is done!  The hedge is an elm variety that is suppose to only get about 12-14 feet tall.  Every year we end up cutting anywhere from 6 - 10 feet off the tops and they are still over 14 feet tall.  We have to keep them out of the phone and cable lines that run above the back wall. 

I think I have caught up on all the progress since I posted last.  I will try to write something more often.  I love reading what everyone else is working on. 

Till next time . . . . have fun sewing!