Temperature Quilt Along 2019 with Anina at Twiddletails

I have decided to jump into the fun for 2019 and join the Temperature Quilt Along 2019 hosted by Anina at Twiddletails.

I have grabbed the button!

 

I have selected my quilt block (and Accuquilt die).  This is a 4" finished block size.  Here's a few samples of the kite blocks.  I figured in the layout I could aim the block down or up depending on if the high was up or down.  I'm going to wing it if (to the left or right).  If it's the same I'll use the low.  If it's exactly the same or if I'm not paying attention, who would know?  LOL. 

 

 

I have my notebook for keeping track of the temps. 

 

I have decided on the site on my phone where I will get my temperature info!  I have signed up for the e-mails at wunderground.com  to be sent to my e-mail address that I rarely use just in case I miss a date.

 

 

I have not selected my fabrics yet or even figured how many fabrics I'll be using 10...20?  I'll think about that more today and pull fabrics tomorrow on New Years Eve.  I'll be pulling scraps from my stash and selecting a bin to keep everything neat and tidy (for the first few days at least.)  These will be nice leader/ender blocks.

Slow Sunday Stitching

Now that Christmas is over and gifts were given, I can show you how my little stitched gift for my sister-in-law turned out:

 

Of course, she loved it.  It fits perfectly with her bathroom colors.

 

I'm linking up with the 2018 FAL here.

 

 

Here's where I got at bowling (last week I did the apples and truck, this week I started the green).  I love the little onlooker that is photo bombing the pic.  She's a doll.  It's fun for her and the other kid on my son's team to ask me what I'm sewing each week.  I enjoy their interest.  She's the only bowler left on her team.  The other two quit.  My son only has one bowler left on his team.  He showed up late...hence only a little green stitched this week.  Bowling goes much faster on Saturday mornings.

 

Our old Lazyboy chair was really falling apart after 20 years of being well used.  We love the quality of Lazyboy, but $1200 to replace the chair...plus delivery (even though I have a pick-up truck and they won't let me haul it myself) is just too steep for me.  My friends laugh that I now resort to buying furniture at my local grocery store.  Here in Ohio I shop at Marc's.  It has a few aisles of "odd lots" in the beginning of the store.  I got this chair for $149 (about the same price for delivery of a Laxyboy...).  It's my new place to stitch in front of the tv.  It makes me happy.  It's quite comfy.

 

I'm linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

 

This is probably my last finish for 2018. 

Homemade Butternut Squash Soup

I LOVE butternut squash soup.  I buy an organic brand at our local grocery store called Pacific for $3.49 a box on a regular basis.  I pack 16 oz. in my lunch in my favorite thermos.  This summer I grew butternut squash in my garden.  Here's part of the harvest that has been sitting on my kitchen counter since about October. 

 

I cleaned them and took out the seeds.  I sliced them and brushed them with olive oil.  I baked them at 350 degrees for about an hour.  After they baked I scooped out the pulp and put it in a container in the fridge.  Tomorrow I will puree it with cooled broth in the blender and put it into Ball quart jars.  These jars can be used in the freezer.  I will freeze it until I need it in my lunch.  Half a jar fits into my thermos perfectly.

 

I'm not in to seeds.  The chickens love them.

 

Even the stray cat that I feed every day and named Betty was interested.  We've had so much rain this year.  Don't worry, they get to free range outside the fence for a few hours per day to find all those good bug.  I just have to watch out for the FOX family and the HAWKS...

The four ducks were busy swimming in their sandbox pool.  It was 55 degrees in Ohio today!  They love the muddy mess.

I'm linking up at Clever Chicks Blog Hop #265 with Kathy.  She's the Chicken Chick!

It's a String Thing... RSC18

It looks like one of the quilt crazes for 2019 is going to be String Things.  Bonnie Hunter's book, String Frenzy has already inspired me.  I even pre-ordered the book on Amazon before Bonnie had it available on Quiltville's Quips & Snips.  This inspired me to pull out my 2.5" pink string strips that I made for the RSC14. 



Lori at Humble Quilts is hosting a string along!!!

Have you seen Gretchen's string quilt?  It's G O R G E O U S!!!

When I saw the Jungle Cabin quilt on Sarah Goer Quilts blog, I knew what I wanted to do with my pink strings!

First I looked at my string strips.  They are mostly 40" long.  Will there be enough?  No worries.  I can make more.  I know I have the pink scraps.  Then I selected a center sized block 6.5" x 8.5".

 

I started sewing and pressing and sewing and pressing.  Will that dark neutral be to dark?  Too late... It's in there.  I'll have to add some darker ones later to balance it out.  I LOVE that fabric, by the way.

 

What good is a scrap user's system if you don't USE it?  I mean, it looks great all organized and on the shelf in that strip craft box that has the little plastic holder things that keep things in place even if you drop it upside down...  It made this project go much quicker to have the strips already cut (Accuquilt strip die cut is my favorite way to go when someone gives me a bag of scraps.)

 

I also drew a plan.  See that pink highlighter in my graph paper quilt book.  I actually have a plan!

 

Mr. Sunshine was a tad under the weather yesterday.  We're off school for Christmas break.  It was a good time to sew and for him to play with his new iPad and Wii games.  PJ Day!!!

My original plan was to use the block instructions at Building Blocks with Friends, but that site is no longer available.  I think it looked like diamonds...  What size will my log cabin quilt be?  Will I have enough left over to make two pink crib quilts (one in each pattern?)  Stay tuned...  I'm sure this will continue.

I'm linking up with Angela at SoScrappy for the RSC18.  The RSC18 linky party is here.

A Friday Finish -- Customer's Rail Fence Quilt

I finished the quilting on this little rail fence quilt this week.  I worked in the fullness of the quilt.

When the customer gave me the quilt the original back was not big enough for it.  I added a cross.

 

I think this quilt back looks cute too.  Hope the customer likes the little change.  I had to give her one of her other quilts back to make the back bigger for me a few weeks ago.  I'll pick it back up when I drop this one off.  I need to finish another quilt for her as well.

 

This photo of the back of the quilt shows some of the tumbling bears quilting.  I think it turned out cute for my first go at using the template.  The template is from Urban Elementz.

 

 

I'm linking up with Myra at Busy Hands Quilts for Finished or Not Friday Linky Party.



I'm also linking up on Sarah's blog, Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

Best of 2018 Linky Party

Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs invited us to join posting our five best for 2018  by hosting her "Best of 2018" Linky Party."

I picked my most viewed posts.  I find them kinda odd posts...  It must have been directly related to the linky parties that I linked to.  But here they are...

#5... An embroidered crib quilt on my longarm frame 12.25.18.




#4... A WIP Wednesday post from 12.26.18 that shows my progress for the week.



#3... A Monday Mystery Linky Party with Bonnie Hunter and the Good Fortune Mystery quilt 2018.



#2 A Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts dated 12.23.18.



Drum roll please.........

And #1 viewed post of 2018... An RSC18 Scrappy Spool Leader/Ender Finish 12.22.18



Thank you to so many viewers for clicking on my posts.  I'm excited to see what 2019 brings seeing that four of five of the top posts were in December!  I'm looking forward to more finishes in 2019 than the 23 in 2018.  There will be a post about that soon.  Stay tuned.

A Customer Rail Fence on the Frame

A customer gave me this small rail fence quilt to longarm quilt for her.  I decided to play with some of my new Christmas templates (that I bought for myself).

 

I had to work in a little extra fullness.

 

 

I using at the tumbling teddy design board that I bought from Urban Elementz.  You can see a better pic of the design on the board by the comparison of my hand.  I like the size of this design, but am not a huge fan of the super short boards.  I prefer the giant boards by Circle Lord, but they don't have all of the designs I desire.

 

 

I also got a paw print (two sizes on the same board) and a design called Airborne.

 

The Airborne board is kinda short as well but comes as a set.  I like the pattern.  I hope to try it sometime this weekend if I get the crib quilt complete. 

 

Oh, and see the long sleeved shirt with the thumb hole in the sleeve?  PERFECT for longarm quilting in the house where we don't have constant heat in there.  That exposed part of my hand gets cold often.  This tiny little change really makes a difference.  (I do run the furnace when I'm there more than a few hours.)