Out with the old in with the new

I have been thinking for awhile know that this ironing board cover needed replaced. Then one day was blog hopping and landing at Moda BakeShop and found the perfect way to recover my ironing board. So yesterday I spent making this bright and fun new cover. It sure looks better than that scorched and ripped cover. I had to look back in my blog to see how long it lasted, almost two years I got out of that cover. Maybe this quilted one will last longer (fingers crossed).

So tonight after work I got right to work and ironed the fabric that I picked up for my SBS block. I have never tried y-seams before and this proved to not be the easiest thing I have tackled. I know that with practice this will be easier, but hopefully (if I'm lucky) I won't have to do many of these y-seams. This is one of them blocks that if I do get better at y-seams I may remake the block. This block is called Love in the Mist and is just a beautiful block.

Last Weeks Accomplishes

Ok so it is the middle of the week but still thought I should finishing my list of accomplishments that I got accomplished and what I hope to get accomplished this week or whats left of it anyway. I did manage to finish the January and February Tiskat a Tasket blocks and start on May's block. Last year I did the March and April. So this leaves me 8 blocks to finish. I am hand appliquing these blocks and so enjoy this hand work while watching T.V. with my husband in the evening.

During the week I also managed to find time to make 3 more FWS blocks, but only got 1 SBS block done. Giving me a grand total for the week of 5 SBS blocks and 4 FWS. I realized that I did not have as much 30's fabrics left from my other projects so had to wait till I went to the quilt store to enhance my stash. Good to go for awhile. This weekend I started sorting the fabrics in my scrap tote. Oh boy did not get vary far but did manage to find some great pieces to use in my FWS. Sunday Sam and I got all her HST finished and trimmed and she learned how to iron towards the dark fabric.

My hopes for this week of course is to finish my May Tisket a Tasket and start on June's block. Of course work on more SBS and FWS blocks. I did stop by the quilt store on my lunch break to pick up the neccessary supplies to continue with my SBS. Other quilting plans finish the "Nutcracker" top I made for my husband for Christmas. I also have a project that I have been working on that needs the blocks arranged on the wall so I can finally sew them together. And of course last but not least help Sam sew her HST into a completed block. I am finding that writing my plans for the week and then posting my accomplishments is keeping me focused and getting somewhere on my WIP's.

Today's accomplishment

I have managed to catch a cold, so instead of making my mom (boss) sick I stayed home from work. Granted I wanted to sleep the day away, but figured then I would be up all night. So instead I did some sewing. I managed to put together 4 blocks for my SBS and the snowball block for FWS.

Accomplishments and next weeks plans

I just finished my first block from Sylvia's Bridal Sampler (SBS) called Lady of the Lake. It was paper pieced and came out really good. I love paper piecing but hate having to take of the paper off once the block is done. I joined a couple groups that are working on this book, in hopes to keep myself on track and get many of these blocks done, if I'm really ambitious I might finish the whole book and have an awesome quilt in oh a few years.

My plans for this week are to finish a couple more of my Tisket a Tasket blocks. Make another SBS block and start working on my Farmers Wife Sampler (FWS) block.

Oh and help Sam (10)get her first Saturday Sampler block done. She decided this year to join me in this once a month project. The first month we get our block then on the second Saturday of the month if we have our block made we get that months block for free, if not then we pay $5.00 for the block. She has been sewing for awhile now, but now we are learning the techniques required to actual cut, piece, and assemble the blocks. I find it fun to be teaching her, something I love and hope one day she will continue. The picture above is my finished Saturday Sampler.

What I have been working on lately

I joined a group at my LQS to do some of the quilts in Remembering Adelia by Kathleen Tracy . We meet once a month on Wednesday. This month we did Turkey Tracks, I got all my blocks cut that night and yesterday I spent hours sewing these little pieces together. I am not real happy with the lighter purple sections because the white tracks are not seen easily. But was not going to redo two blocks over due to this small problem especially since everything lined up so well and I managed to not cut off any points. Of course I am having so much fun with this book I picked up another of her books "Prairie Children and Their Quilts."

Last week I prepped 8 Tisket a Tasket blocks so that I can sit and stitch in the evenings.

Snowbound

Snowbound is the newst Free BOM from Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs. I think this pattern explains my weather here so will. We have had snow after snow and blizzards followed by more snow and now we have an artic freeze. Our temperatures are below zero with windchills around -37 degrees. To top this off my husbands truck battery decided to not start making me have to drive 45 minutes in blowing and drifting snow in these subzero degree weather. My little car could not get through parts of the highway forcing me to have to drive on the wrong side of the road. If I met oncoming coming traffic I would duck into my lane and wait for the vehicle to pass then I'd go back to driving on the wrong side of the road. Finally an hour and half later I arrived at Dennis work and he could drive us back home. As far as the little one she went back to school on Tuesday after Christmas break and has had the last two days off due to weather and classes have been cancelled tomorrow also due to the harsh cold and blowing and drifting snow. I normally love the snow but am ready fro Spring and temperatures over 30 degrees.

I hopy everyone is staying warm and maybe a few of you actually have nice warm weather that maybe could be sent my way.

Christmas Catch-up

Oops forgot to get pictures taken off Christmas decorations before everything was taken done. Guess I'll have to try next year to get pictures. Christmas was great had all of the kids at home. Kelsie managed to get to our house safely with our grandson (Zane). Zane was born 11-25-09 and I have just been in Grandma heaven, he is such a good baby. I still can't believe she is a mom and we are now grandparents. It was such a blessing to have everyone here. On top of this we had the worst storm or should I say blizzard of all time. Got close to 14 inchs in a 24 hour period. Past the best gift of having my whole family home for Christms I got two of Jennifer Chiaverini books "Quilters Holiday" and "The Lost Quilter" also received a couple new quilt books "Sylvia's Bridal Sampler" and "The Farmer's Wife Sampler" by Laurie Aaron Hird. The blocks in these books are 6 inchs and each quilt has over 100 blocks. I'm going to be busy for a long time make small blocks. I finally finished the stitcheries from Crabapple Hill I started in June for my Sister-in-law and have gotten back to working on my "Tiskat a Tasket" that I started a year ago that Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Designs was so generous to give out the free patterns for. There are several projects that I would like to actually finish up and many of these are tops that need quilted. I really should make a list of my projects and their status of needs quilted, borders added, needs pieces sewn together, etc. maybe this would help me get a handle on these WIP's.