Sew Sunshine

After the post I wrote about "just doing" something I was motivated to participate in this weeks  Project Quilting 9.2 Challenge  at Persimon Dreams. It is nothing to write home to mother about but I want to use some things I have. I found a new package of the Tri-Recs rulers and grabbed a bunch of fabric and Ta-Da! The challenge was called Triangulation.  So Triangles I did!! This is approx 39" x 48" which is a great size for a local chapter of Quilts for Kids to accept. Two birds with one stone as they say.  Simple quilting lines with red violet thread and done. Machine binding went pretty quick.  I think I should have done more quilting but I washed it already and I like how soft it is. I am sure some little girl that is sick and spending time in a hospital will snuggle with it just fine.  I intended to get outside and take some kind of fun picture with this newly finished piece but alas.....I have some hot moist heat on my

So here we are almost to the end of the first month of 2018. I do not have much to show for it because I have spent most of my time keeping my head calm and my body together.   The year did not start out the way I thought it would. I avoided most planning endeavors and goal setting activities. These things I have looked forward to in the past, Until they n-e-v-e-r turned out the way I had planned. When it comes to quilting that is not a bad thing, but when it happens over and over in daily life then...not so much!  It is not all doom and gloom around here though.  I have been attempting simple yoga for 26 days in a row now.  Go Me!!!!  I am slowing finishing kitchen/dining remodel last bits and I have cleared some things out of my mind that I just do not have to do. Saying 'no' has been the hardest but I am trying to stick to it.  I am adopting a theme when it comes to sewing, quilting/making. It stems from my mom when she felt she always should be doing something.  Could be

In the spirit of not putting too much pressure on myself I decided to join  One monthly goal  at Elm Street Quilts. Basically you pick one thing to finish this month and blog about it and link to party. Then at the end of the month you link your finished blog post. One item. That works for me.  I am going to start with a simple project I started in Nov at my lqg sew day.  We brought some orphan blocks and we sewed and cut and sewed and cut and made something else. I think this is pretty fun so I am going to run with it. 

as I reflect on the year and get ready for the new one. I started 2017 full of spunk and was able to sew and finish a few things. As we got closer to the end of March it was obvious that we had to start our kitchen/dining room remodel.  I don't have pictures of tearing out steps and laying new floor or moving a door in the dining room but I did take a few shots of the kitchen. It changed from a lovely harvest gold to modern grey and white.  No outside windows in the kitchen made this a huge challenge. I wanted to get enough light in but because of our roof (which also got replaced during this time) we were limited to what we could add.   Most walls were replaced. Soffit was taken out.  Taller cabinets were installed.  Currently have tile up and grouted this week but waiting to put sealer on. So exciting to be almost done.  We upcycled an old cabinet into a movable island and we love it. A small saddle stool fits under the back. I need to order one more for me but

I thought I might do a simple post to get me back in the habit. I decided to join the Best of Linky Party by  Meadow Mist Designs and Cheryl Brick ey I decided to go with most views for the year.  1.  Woven a Nebraska 150 honorable mention 2.  Triumphal Arches 3.  I built this cit y 4. Make do and do it 5.  Every little bit Which was about the Urbanology quilt I was working on week by week. I do have a completed top now but no picture of it.....sigh                                           and lastly one of my favorites is the little word quilt I made Hygge I am looking forward to a wonderful new year of adventures in quilting and whatever else grabs my fancy.  Happy New Year to everyone and thanks for stopping by to see me!

Here I am!! This has been a crazy fall and winter. Still working on the kitchen and dining room remodel. Slow going but almost there.  Some hold-ups along the way like a swollen pinkie finger that is impeding all that I do. Who knew that finger was such a big deal?  Besides that I really have not felt the best but on good days I have been working on a few things.  I made a single ornament block for a holiday mini from the free patterns  HERE at Sew Kind of Wonderful  using the Quick Curve Ruler. I taught a class in Nov for a lqg on helpful tips in using the ruler.  On this sample I used metallic thread that gave me fits! I am not sure what I was doing wrong but eventually I finished the organic lines. whew... For the class I created a simple block using only a few curves. The focus was on tips to achieving easy curves. I used some holiday fabric in this one and when finished gave as a door prize.  My friend Kath won the door prize! 15 x 15 This is a 4

Just in time for my lqg meeting challenge....I have a little finish! Our guild challenge was called "That's MODern" and we had to draw a Modern element or aesthetic out of a bag and make a 16" square black and white quilt with a pop of color.  I drew "Texture"..........say what??  The first thing I thought of was all the wonderful quilting I have been seeing lately. But I am not a talent for quilting and my sewing room is a big heaping pile since the remodel project started months ago.   Recently the MQG had a webinar by Rebecca Bryan from  Bryan House Quilts  and bits from her book Modern Triangle Quilts.  She talked about modern aesthetic and graphic design. So that got me excited. Here is what I came up with.  "Text-ure" 16" square Modern element = Texture black white and pop of color  I wanted to make sure everyone knew what my element was so I wrote out an improv word. :) Emphasis on 'text' since I love tex

So....not much has been new in my neck of the woods lately. I have been working on remodeling our kitchen and dining room. The work has been fun and will be great in the end but also exhausting. I have little time or energy for sewing or reading.  Now some deadlines are looming and I am having to switch gears and get to some things that are important.  A few months ago Debbie @ A Quilters Table  hosted a Improv Stripes QAL and I so wanted to join in. I had some leftover scraps from my local guild and decided to work with them and make a pillow size.  I was limited to the scraps so had to add and arrange accordingly.  I think it turned out pretty great and more importantly I finished something for the first time in months.  This pillow is getting donated to Friends of the International Quilt Study Center and Museum ART Market coming in November.  So yep....a finish... yay baby!! Linking up with  Let's Bee Social  @Sew Fresh Quilts and  Needle and Thread Thursday @ My

Here is my second entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy of  Amy's Creative Side . Please click on the link to the Festival to see all the lovely entries from around the blogging world.  This wall quilt is currently touring the state of NE because it was my entry in the Ne 150th Celebration of our statehood. There were 3 top places and then 6 of us had honorable mention quilts that got to tour with the winners. I have not seen this quilt since earlier this year and it has a few more stops before it makes it back home to me. It is a favorite of mine.  "Woven"  24 x 24  Improv pieced wall quilt depicting Ne diversity (More details on my quilt are in the link above)  Very fun scrappy improv representing many aspects of Ne life and landmarks Matchstick quilting is one of my favorite things to do.  The piecing up-close represents the land and terrain in an  aerial way but when you look at the quilt from far away you see the city-scape