Quickie Celtic Update

Well I haven't got much done on my sewing room this week.  Not like I was hoping but that is life right.  I have been very busy at work with the store remod going on.  I have loved every minute of it and love all the changes in our store.  It's very exciting seeing all the new fixtures and crafting items we are now caring.

Ok now for my celtic update.

I did get step 5 completed.  Next step putting the blocks together.  But before I get back to that I need to make a quilt block 18.5 by 18.5 for a new quilt group I've joined. This block it for a round robin.  I've never been in a round robin before so this should be fun.

here is sample of my blocks for step 5

In other quilty news........ On Pat Sloans facebook page she asked us to post a picture of our machine and its name.  I've named mine Tink.  Kevin calls her Money, or OH BROTHER!  LOL!!!

here she is my dream machine  I love this machine it so rocks.  I've had it for almost a year now!

BUSY Busy!!!

I've not had much time for sewing so far this week.  I am really busy at work and pulling a lil overtime.  Not complaining just explaining.  I am loving it!  Our store, Joann Fabrics, here in Richmond is getting a remodel.  It looks a little messy right now and we are over running with stock to be put out as soon as the new fixtures are all set up.  I am loving all the changes so far already the store looks and feels bigger and brighter.  LOVE the new fixtures and the project manager is very nice and very easy to work with.  I can't wait for it to all be done though and we get back to running our store like normal.  Yes I'm weird.......... I LOVE MY JOB!!  If you know me you know its the perfect job for me!  Um and yes they do get a big chuck of my check back each week.

A CELTIC UPDATE!

Over this past weekend I did manage to get in some more sewing and I managed another Celtic boo boo!  Yes I cut my finger again with the rotary cutter.  Yes I am beginning to understand exactly why they make rotary cutting gloves!  Any way here if my progress from the weekend.  I redid step four and if you wondering why I had to redo step four just read the post before this one!  LOL!  But don't be sad that story has a happy ending!  

Step four all done:

Did ya notice?  Its all in the right colors this time!

And yes with getting step four done it gave me all the right finished parts I needed to try it out for that particular block for the quilt.

needs trimmed up a bit but otherwise I'm very happy with the results.  This is my very first really scrappy quilt and my very first with so many parts.  I think somewhere I read where when finish this quilt will have over 5000 parts in its.  I will have more on the stats later when I've completed the quilt.

Now moving on to STEP 5 

With working I've not had much time for this step so its going slow I try to at least get in a half hour after or before work each day.  Yesterday so did not happen though :(  But like I said I'm ok with that my job is worth it interrupting my quilting time. 

So I got all the parts cut out for step 5 and I have about 30 finished of the 100 of these I need to do.

So yep that is where I am at.  It's my goal to have these finished by the end of the week.  I may take a celtic break sat and do a little scrapbooking.  I have so many crafty loves I have to try to divide my time up on them.  I am hoping to sweet talk my sis into joining me.  

Here is a photo my granddaughter took of me Sunday when they were over for a bit.  LOL I think this was right before my trying to amputate my finger.  LOL

Um kinda glad for her angle though I hadn't done my hair or make up that day!  LOL!!!

Time to get ready for work and I hope to squeeze in that half hour of sewing as well.

Ta ta for now

Tee tee

Treadle Machine

A few months ago a friend of mine, Sharon Oler blessed me with a wonderful gift.  A treadle machine.  I posted a picture on facebook that I thought if would be fun to have a treadle machine and how I wished I had one like my mom's.  Not too long after I posted that she messaged me on facebook and said she just so happen to have one that she was going use the cabinet to re create a table out of it.  Sharon does this kind of thing all the time and has some wonderful pieces in a lil shop she owns.  Sharon sent me a picture of it and I was so in love with the machine and very excited about it.  Thank you Sharon for this wonderful you gift!  Sharon has a blog where she writes about her life living on a wonderful farm.  Sharon owns a shop in New Paris Ohio where she sells vintage furniture and other decorative and handcrafted items.  Some of which she redoes her self.  I love what she creates from items some would say was junk or to old to use.  She cleans it up, fixes it up, and or makes something entirely different then what it was intended to be.  Sharon is a very talented friend!  Here is her blog Hanna's Creek Farm

Here is the lovely machine that Sharon brought me~

I can't beleave how wonderful this machine is and how it has all of its attachments.  The Instruction book and even the warranty with it.

The machine just needs a belt and a lil tune up and it will be ready to start sewing on.  I even have a quilt in mind that I was planning to make with it as my first.  Something vintage looking and beautiful just like this machine is to me!  

I can not wait to play with it!!  Today we took a ride out to a lil Amish shop a few miles from here and while there I asked if they knew of anyone that works on Treadle machines and they did.  They gave us the name and directions so we rode out and found a the place.  Kevin went up and talked to them and they said if we bring it out they would be happen to fix it up for me!  I am so excited.  I've asked for this to be fixed for my Birthday this year.

now for what I call:  A CELTIC UPDATE:

Ok so yeah sometimes in my over zilous manner I can do some really dumb dumb stuff.  I was happly working on my Bonnie Hunters Celtic Mystery Quilt.  I had all of step four finished or so I thought I did and was taking this photo of it when I noticed something!!

Do you see it?  no not the blocks turned the wrong way.  Ok here is a clue each of the lil blocks is suppose to look like this.........

now do you see what is wrong and before you say anything I will tell you YES IT DOES MATTER on this one!!

Yep you guessed it COLOR is all wrong my "120" 3.5 blocks are suppose to be green and orange NOT blue!!!!  When my husband heard me fussing he came in and I showed him what was wrong and he wanted to know what would it hurt to use them any way.  Well it will hurt in this case because it makes a difference on how well the pattern will show in the finished quilt.

So what does one do with 120 four patch blocks they can't use in this quilt?  Well another Bonnie Hunter quilt of course.  Soooo here's the plan yes another quilt in the making.  I recently bought Bonnie's book called "Adventures with Leaders and Enders" and on page 66 she has a quilt called "Hopscotch, Butterscotch"  So yep another quilt begins :)  Just think this one is already 1/4 done  lol!!

Ok got ta go get my quilt on and make 120 GREEN and ORANGE four square blocks.  

HAPPY CRAFTING!

Tee Tee

Why YES! I am crazy!

Yes go ahead you can call me crazy!!!  But I have decided to join another 2014 Challenge.  I know I already have four going by hey a quilter can never have too many going on right?  Or can they, or can I!!  This years theme for me is ..."Can she Keep UP?"  We will see.  Next year's theme may need to be "Can she finish all of 2014 challenges?"  LOL!!

Any how just "sew" you know this is the other challenge I've decided to join it's the Rainbow Quilt Challenge of 2014  Sounds fun!  I'm thinking of making it either using Bonnie Hunters wonky wishes pattern or just a crumb quilt we will see what I can come up with..... wish me luck and on yeah I so will keep you posted.

SEWING UPDATE:

Last night I was able to finish up the first block for my "Six Halves Make A Whole" Quilt.

I love the colors of this.  This quilt is made using my husbands favorite color which is Grey.  I think its a bla color so I add yellow to brighten it up a bit as the contrasting.  Let me know what you think.

a little wonky and a little off but I'm learning.  I think i figured out how to get my points to match up a bit better but had half the block done before the light went off in my head.  One day when I've got some one here to take pictures for me I will post how I do it.  I'm sure there is a technique out there but I am one that goes about things the hard way and figures it out the hard way.

So guess I best go get ready for work.  

If you are reading this blog please share it with your friends and crafty buddys.  I would love to build up my following list.  Also leave a comment please and let me know someone out there is reading my blog.  

thanks and happy crafting

Tina

A quick lil update

Even though I am really busy right now with work I've tried to make a lil bit of time each day to do something crafty, scrappy, or quilty.  Yesterday was no exception.  I only had about a hour but I got a lil bit done.

I got the pieces needed cut for block one of the "Six Halves Make A Whole Quilt" cut out.  I hope this evening to piece this one together.  It took me a minute or two to make sense of the directions for using the house ruler.  But once I got going it was fun!

Here are my pieces all cut out and marked, I hope the cats don't try to lay them out for me while I'm at work today!

Yes those are my fuzzy pink slippers you see at the bottom of that photo....note to self take some time to crop my photo next time.

Here is a diagram of what this first block is SUPPOSE to look like when I'm done!

Time for work!

Tina

A LIL Break From Celtic

... but not for long.  I am so excited about some block of the month groups I've joined for this year.   Yes I now have 4 different quilt projects going.  But hey isn't that what us quilters do?  Am I right or Am I right?

One of them is for a quilt group I go to (well when I'm off work that is) at a local sewing center here in town.  Its where I bought my dream sewing machine from.  Your going to get a kick out of the name of this group.   Its called the "Strip Club" so I love telling people I am going to the "Strip Club" on Saturday mornings.  

Last year the group worked on quilt block of the months but I wasn't able to keep up due to needing to be at work when the group met.  But this year is going to be lot easier for me to participate even the weeks I can't be there.  We will be working out of a called "Six Halves Make a Whole Sampler"  The idea of the book is that you come up with a whole quilt using only 1/2 yard of 6 different fabrics.  You also use a ruler that is called the "House Ruler."  We will be completing one block out of the book each month.  Here is what each block will look like....

This is the fabrics I have bought for this one.  After I post this I plan on pressing, and start cutting the fabrics for the first block.

The next Block of Month quilt I'm doing is a Pat Sloan's.  The Quilt is called "Globetrotting" and we have started with the center of the quilt.  This first block Pat called "Washington DC."  Love it so far except I think I should have chose my pinks a little better they are too close in color and makes it hard to see the star in the middle.  Here is mine!  

The next Block of Month I am doing is also Pat Sloan doing the Aurifil b.o.m.  Here is my take on it I thought it would be fun to flip it and do the back ground in the color and use the white as the spools.  I also need to take apart that last seam I did and resew it.  It is a little wonky!

Last but not least I am still working on and enjoying Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt!  I've not made any more progress on it but plan on doing step four this week.  

In between I am continuing to make nine patches with 2" squares as my leader's and ender's thanks to what I learned from Bonnie on this I have now completed 30 blocks so far.  I love the idea of this I am making a quilt while working on another.  SOOOOoo cool and fun and amazes me how many blocks yu can get so quickly doing this.

wow wordy this update HUH?  Oh and if you are reading this would you please share it on your facebook page I would love to build up my "following" list!

Happy Quilting!!!

Tina

100 Chevrons....

... all stacked up!  Yep got these lil suckers done at last.  So that means step 2 is done, which puts me at step 1, 2 and 3 are all finish from the Bonnie Hunters mystery quilt.  I am really enjoying making this quilt and the things I've learn has been great.   Someone else in our Celtic face book page said this and when I read it I thought yeah I have to agree.  If I had seen the finished quilt first I'm not so sure I would have attempted it.  It looks very detailed and I would have thought wow that is way over my head there would be no way I could make anything like that and I would have been dreaming once again about how nice it would be to have that kind of quilty talent.  But because of it being a mystery quilt and Bonnie breaking it down in easy to follow steps I am making it and it has really taught me that I can do more then I thought I could.  After this I won't look at a quilt pattern again and judge it as over my head.  I will try it if I like it.   

Here is my 100 Chevron's!

Steps 1,2,3    DONE!

Will be starting step 4 hopefully this week.

If you like to take a look at what the finished quilt will look like you can go to here on Bonnie's Blog.

A Quilty Christmas to you!

This year I've started quilting again.  I hadn't in many years.  It all started with a baby quilt and a 1600 quilt I made early this year.  If you've not made a 1600 quilt you so gotta they are super fun and fast to make.  Some call them the Jelly Roll race! You can find videos on you tube where they actually have races with these.  I saw one where they got one top completely finished in like 35 min.  This is the best one I found as a how to HERE.  From there I was off and running I so forgot how relaxing and fun making quilts was.

So For Christmas I made 8 quilts in total which I didn't even start untill late august.  But to be honest the quilts I made were easy and fast.  The first 5 were rag quilts, I'd never made one before and I just thought they looked so cozy I decided to make them for my grand children and my nephews.

this first one was Madisons... aka mamaw's cupcake!  She don't know it yet but this is going to be her favorite!

Below is more pictures of the quilts I made for Christmas this past year!

Tabitha with her 1600 quilt

                                                           Sara with her 1600 quilt

                                                                                  Josh

                                                                                Calebs

                                                                                Zachery

                                                                                Alexandria

my sissy before finishing

sissy opening her quilt 

I so enjoyed making these.  It was hard to not post pictures as I was making them which I'm addicted to doing.  Already planning on next years!