April 365 Photo Challenge: Week 1

There seems to be a little bit of a foot wear theme going in this week's photo collection...I decided to just go with it!

Where You Stand Daffodils are naturalized in the woods along the road to my house.

100 Maybe this tobacco barn is not 100 years old, but it sure looks like it. I just love old barns for some reason. (I think that this just might be my favorite photograph so far!)

Brand New One year old Lois looks so cute in her MaryJanes and brand new skirt.

Unlikely Pair Perhaps you are a bit surprised to see that I have a new pair of cowboy boots!

Stairs Unlike the United Kingdom, this stile is an unusual way to get over the fence in  rural Kansas.

Ears Everyday around sunset, deer are a common sight around our area. These two really perked up their ears as I was taking their picture. (It also could actually be some sort of animal that Dr. Doolittle would talk to!)

Pastel This gorgeous shade of mint green paint looks lovely on an ancient train engine, peeling or not.

Ambrosia Reveal and the First Quarter Finish A-long Report

 My postage stamp quilt is a finish and I'm so excited about it!  Doesn't it just shout "Spring"! 

I made the blocks as leader/enders over the course of a year using 2 inch bright pastel squares from my scrap stash coupled with 2 inch Kona white squares. Did I mention that the blocks had been finished for a year? Sad, but true!

 The backing is a fun Swedish print that I purchased from Ikea last summer. Since the fabric wasn't quite wide enough, I pieced in some leftover squares and Kona white.

The quilt measures 65" X 83" and for binding I settled on a black and white stripe from the Happy line by Me and My Sisters as a contrast to the colorful piecing.

 With the busy patchwork, an all over quilting design seemed the way to go. From a white section on the back, the daisies and loops show up really well.

 My quilting adds some great texture to the front of the quilt. It will look even better after a trip through the washer and dryer! This picture shows off the colors in the quilt really well.

After lots of thought, I named my latest finish, Ambrosia because It reminds me of a big  luscious fruit salad....which has nothing to do with the fabulous green train engine. Oh, well!

Just under the wire, I'm reporting on my progress at finishing up a bunch of UFOs in 2013. Leanne is hosting a Finish-Along all year long to help keep everyone motivated. Tonight is the deadline for finishes in the first quarter. (Maybe you would like to join for the second quarter.) You can see my original list and post here.

Of the nine UFO projects that I had listed, I was only able to complete three. Do you think that maybe I was a just a bit unrealistic? 
Besides Ambrosia, here are my other two finishes:

Dipped: The top was already pieced so this was a fairly easy UFO to complete. You can see more views and details here and the "before" view here. 

 Pow: Starting out as just a few completed blocks, this twin size quilt took a lot of effort and time to complete. Because I wanted to give it as a gift for my grandson's birthday, I was super motivated to finish it. See all the beauty shots here.

 Although I can't claim "Bam" in the Finish-Along because I hadn't actually done any more than purchase the fabric for it, I consider it a finished UFO in my own mind because these two quilts 'go together' and it was also a birthday gift that I'd been putting off making. 

Progress on the other 6 projects:

Fortunate Friends: Lots of progress made, with the top almost completed.

The other 5 projects get big fat zeroes as no progress was made on them at all!  

Thank you, Leanne for helping to motivate me to keep FINISH as a priority in 2013. 

Sunday Morning

"A friend loves at all times,

and a brother is born for adversity."

Proverbs 17:17

Utility Quilting

When I first started making quilts, years ago, I was a hand quilter. Let's just say that, back then, machine quilting was not what it is today. Course, I only made a quilt here and there. Today, my daughter (who isn't a quilter, really) once referred to me as a quilt factory. Imagine that! Nope, I haven't had a hand quilting needle in my hand for a long time...till today, that is!

I have decided to add some big stitch quilt stitches to the 'mostly machine quilted' baby quilt that I'm making for my soon-to-arrive-grand baby (whose late by the way!).

There is a lot of negative space on this quilt that I want to fill with chevron quilting to match the piecework. Using the pieced zig-zags as a guide, I marked dots where the  points should be and am using my herra marker and a straight edge to create the line for  quilting.

The same technique was used to mark the machine quilting lines as well. (I'm finding that turning the quilt every few inches on my Bernina to make the chevron design is not a lot of fun! Fortunately, this is not a large project!) I wonder which will come first, the quilt or the baby?

 I've also worked hard to set all of my postage stamp blocks together and am happy to have the top ready to quilt! Here's a photo I snapped right before loading it onto my quilting frame. I wonder if I will have time to get it finished in time to count it on my first quarter of finishes? The deadline is Sunday at midnight!

With the demise of Google Reader coming in July, like many, I am switching over to Bloglovin. Be sure to click the Bloglovin button above or on the side of my blog so that you don't miss a post or lose track of me. That would make me so sad!.
 Enjoy your weekend!

Don't Be Shy!

Yesterday I shared a tutorial by Karen of Sew Many Ways about making sure you are not a "no reply blogger". I hope that many of your found it helpful.
 Another, little talked about problem for some readers, is not being sure how to leave a comment. Just in case that is something that you have tried in the past with no success, and so gave up trying, then this may be your lucky day! Please visit another one of Karen's helpful blogging tips HERE and learn how to set yourself up to easily be able to comment on anyone's blog.
Don't be shy! I'd love to hear from you!
(And while you're at it, why not leave a comment with Sew Many Ways saying "thanks for the tip" too!)

I'd Love to Chat, But I Don't Know Your Number!

 I love to meet new friends and answering blog comments is a great way to make that happen. If I haven't answered a question you have asked or thanked you for your quilty love, there may be a reason: You may need to change your profile settings so that your email address is accessible when you leave a comment. Here's a link to a great tutorial on checking and changing your profile to be sure you are not a "No reply blogger". If you  never get a reply from me (or from other bloggers) when you comment, please take a minute and read this helpful post. And then....let's chat!

March 365 Photo Challenge: Week 5

It's been a potpourri week of winter mixed with spring weather. The prompts help tell the story...

Color Easter egg shaped salt shakers brighten the window of a shop selling Polish pottery. 

Hunt With new snow on the ground this turkey must have thought it safe to not hide from hunters...Thanksgiving is a long way off!

Flowing  Within several days the snow quickly melted as the weather warmed filling our creek with much needed water.

Minimal Challenged to photograph something simple, this daffodil bud holds the promise of Spring and new beginnings.

Sweet Rest  I've actually put off this prompt for several weeks because I never could catch anything or anyone resting. Finally, Marble relaxed during her post at the window where she likes to keep watch over the bird feeders just outside. I don't know how sweet she is though...let's just say she doesn't get her girth from eating too much cat food!

Baskets Galvanized buckets planted with pansies make adorable baskets in my world.

Foolish Like an April Fool's joke, the Tractor Supply Store surrounded their baby chicks with fencing keeping sweet little girls from even thinking of petting a tiny bird! Too bad Lula and Jane can't read yet! (We went down the street to Orscheln's where the girls got to cuddle soft peeping chicks to their hearts' content!)

I'm learning new things about photography every week. Along with the daily prompts, Katrina always does a little bit of teaching. Anyone can join in the challenge at any time.
Why not join me?!