Where have I been, you ask?

These pictures tell a little story:

Beautiful bouquets sent to me by the great team I work with, and from my church family.  And in the bottom pic, my crutch.  I had a total hip replacement a week ago Monday and am home recuperating, thus no sewing going on, much to my chagrin.

And the next pic, my daughter and soon-to-be-born grandson who came to spend the day with me.  Her due date is today!

So hopefully soon I will be back with born-baby news!  We can't wait!  And some WIPS or finished goodies.  I have lots I want to do.  The brain is willing but the body is not able.  I hope you all are well!  Till I blog again...

Table runner I started over a year ago - finished!

My first, and so far, only applique project.  Luckily, the pics don't show all my boo-boos!  And many thanks to a wonderful friend, Lorraine, for all her help and encouragement along the way!  AND?  I machine-sewed both sides of the binding!  There, I admitted it in print and no binding police came to arrest me!  Ha!

Design board, at long last!

FINALLY!  I've seen some of your design boards and "tutorials" on how to make one, but I just couldn't get my head around it.  Then my darling sis suggested this way of doing it, so, ta-da:

It's not as wide as I had hoped, but my hubby insisted the screws go into studs in the wall and not just into plaster, so it limited the size.  Of course, I bought the wrong size screws and figured I would have to schlepp back to Home Depot to exchange them, but while I was church last night he went for me and had it all done when I got back!  He's so sweet!  So last night, when I couldn't sleep, I put up my Mod Bento boxes. The left side is already sewn together (Round I), and the right side (Round II) is waiting - maybe today.  Plus I have to tweak it a bit here and there because I don't like the placement of some of them. Now I have some rearranging to do in my sewing room.  What are you all up to today?  It's a holiday in Rhode Island - Columbus Day - no work for me!  Yippee!

Squash and scraps

Happy Columbus Day weekend!  I have lots I want to accomplish this weekend, as I'm sure all of you do, too?  I've been looking at this home-grown pile of Butternut Squash in my dining room for about a week now.  They were just begging to have their picture taken before they get peeled, cut up, and eaten!

Then last week I saw on someone's blog, I wish I could remember whose, this great idea.  So I bought a little 2 1/2" template and started cutting my scraps from the kaleidescope quilt that is still a WIP.  Many thanks to the clever blogger for this wonderful tip (and to think I almost gave all the scraps away).  Now I can make another entire quilt out of the scraps and we all know how expensive fabric can be!

Speaking of fabric, I just had to show you these lovelies I purchased online last week:

and

I have some ideas for the Dream On, but not for these beauties, YET!

Have a great weekend, my sweet friends!

  

Final pictures on baby quilt, I promise!

I just have to show you the FINAL pictures of the baby quilt I made for my first grandbaby, a boy, due at the end of this month or early November.  Ashley from Film in the Fridge gave me permission to use her design, although there are some variations.  Thank you, Ashley!

This is the back with a big wrinkle from being folded up.  These fish have names, Robert, Bubbles, etc.

 And this is the front.  I had lots of fun making this quilt, with help from my husband because it's actually only the second quilt I've made and I needed help with the math.  And my daughter seems to really like it, and her husband, too!  That's a feat in itself!

Tara and I went to her SIL's baby shower yesterday and here's some pics:

Chocolates!

Yummy cake!

A quilt Tara made for her SIL. (She's having a boy, too!)

The pregnant SILs!  

 

Coming apart...

at the seams!  Why?  Can anyone tell me why this happens to my blocks, strips, etc?

Do you see the little hole?  That's the end of a strip and the threads are coming apart.  So I had the whole quilt top together, sewed on the outside sashing, was about to start piecing the back, and noticed these little holes here and there, about six of them that I had to repair!  It's pretty frustrating but there must be a trick so that doesn't happen.  Does anyone else have that problem?  Would love to hear from you all on this dilemma!
Have a great weekend - bless and be blessed!

Table toppers or wall hangings, whichever!

I made these for some very dear friends.  One lent me her sewing machine when mine was on the fritz, and the others, husband and wife, lent us their bed!  Okay, not really, just one of the beds in their gorgeous home (I wish I took some pics) in Silver Spring, FL. On our road trip back home to RI they invited us to stay overnight.  They spoiled us something fierce!  It was like staying in a ritzy B&B (bed and breakfast), but it was free!  So I wanted to do something to show our appreciation. I made this:

And this for the wonderful sewing machine lender friend:  (I let her pick which one she would like, and she picked good, too, because the FL dining room/kitchen has brown in it and I thought it would work well there).

And one more, in case you haven't seen enough (smile)!  This is the back and my machine quilting.  I love the fruit fabric and the Hope Valley backing.  

I had a blast making these!  You might remember I made a black/white/red one a little while ago and now they're my go-to handmade gift when I need one in a hurry.  The pattern is super easy.  I got it from Linda at www.thistledownquilts.com where she gives a tutorial.

That's all for now, folks!

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