Design Wall Monday

To see what others are working on visit Patchwork Times here.


I have started a new project.

Did I finish the ones I posted about last time? NO... my frame still has other stuff on it.

Anyway, we will be getting a new great-niece in November so I thought I better get started on her quilt.

The pattern is Sunflower Patch from
The Quilter Magazine November 2008.
I marked this pattern as one I wanted to make back then. I really like sunflowers and the colors in this runner. I have never gotten around to making it for myself, but I thought it would be easy to adjust the size into a baby quilt and change to colors to be more feminine. I am using mostly batiks in shades of pink, the dark green for the leaves, the medium and light greens are for the 4-patches and a turquoise to replace the red. I haven't decided what I am using for the flower centers yet.

 

Here are the first 2 blocks. I am undecided about 2 of the fabrics. One seems too light and the other has some yellows and greens in it. It just doesn't seem to fit well with the other fabrics.

I chose the turquoise because I really like that color and it goes nicely with the pinks. Also it is one of the colors in the backing. This is a lovely, soft minky type fabric. I like to use this type of fabric on the back of baby/kids quilts. I think it just makes them so cuddly.

Design Wall Monday

To see what others are doing, go here....http://www.patchworktimes.com/

I have been working on

This baby quilt.
The border is on,
the backing is pieced
and it is ready to quilt.
Unfortunately, my frame is covered with fabric,
photos and other miscellaneous stuff right now.



I pieced the backing using leftover pieces from the front.

My husband and son are not crazy aboutthis quilt, but they both agreed they like it a little bit better now that they have seen it all put together.

I have been following along with
soscrappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2014.

By following along, I mean that I check her
blog every few days keeping track of the color
being used each month and seeing what every
one else is doing.
I finally decided on a block to use. It is a

Bonnie Hunter pattern - Jack in the Box - that was in QuiltMaker magazine. I plan on make 8 blocks in each color. I have all the blue cut for January -yeah, I know, January was a loooonnnggg time ago. I have also cut all the color for the February and some of the colors for some of the other months.





I have been really trying to go through my stuff and reorganize and declutter.
It is hard!

I found this project. It is from QuiltMaker #83 - 2002.

It was a mystery published in 3 issues. I had never done a mystery before and thought it might be fun. So I picked out fabric and did the first clue. Then I got busy and didn't get the next clue done. When the 3rd and final clue came out I wasn't sure I liked the finished quilt.
It got put away and forgotten about until I unearthed it in my recent decluttering attempts. I still am not sure I like it, but I decided to put it together and use it for a gift or donation.
In putting it together I somehow turned some of the half square triangle blocks. At that point I almost threw the whole thing away, but my husband thought he kind of liked it. I fixed the pieces turned the wrong way. So now it just needs the inner and outer border. I have all the parts including the backing and binding.
I guess this will be next on the frame - if I ever get the frame uncovered.

I am not very motivated- the last few weeks have been a bit stressful for me.
My son has been battling a minor health issue since October. It turned a little more serious at the end of May and became much more serious about 2 weeks ago.
He was being treated by a doctor in the town where he attends school. That clinic referred us to a clinic locally. That doctor had been seeing him weekly since the end of May. She went on vacation and another doctor filled in for her, changing the treatment and ordering a test. Then my son had an emergency situation that was mostly unrelated to the issue he was being treated for. The ER department referred us to yet a different doctor for the original issue. He is now receiving daily antibiotics through a PICC line and having weekly doctor appointments with the new doctor.

In the midst of all this my mother-in-law who is in a nursing home had an emergency situation. I had only been home from the hospital after my son's treatment when the nursing home called saying MIL needed to go to the ER. She is fine, but that turned into a long night of testing and waiting on results. They finally admitted her and she went back to the nursing home late the next day.

My son's issue is going to impact him going back to school and my job since he will need daily infusions for the few weeks. The whole process takes most of the morning. I am waiting until after tomorrow's appointment with the doctor to discuss this with his school and my employer which is the local elementary school.

I started out last school year spending two weeks with my mother-in-law at the hospital following her fall/broken hip/head trauma/stroke. This year I will be dealing with my son's health issues.

I am not sure how much more of this I can handle. Thank goodness the nursing staff doesn't mind me bringing my knitting and other handwork along while the infusion is being done.

Being Tested on Tuesday

I love my son, but, boy does he drive me crazy!

He likes to talk to me. Not when I have time for a conversation, but when I am in the middle of something else. Like when I am in another room... with noise from other things going on... like water running, or the dishwasher working, or washing machine spinning... or the TV is on... or... well, you get the picture. Then he gets mad when I don't respond because I didn't hear him or I have to go to him and ask him what he said because I can hear that he is talking but not what he is saying. GGRRR.

Or, he wants me to do things for him that he can do himself. I just brought me his laundry. Piled it all on the floor by the basement stairs. I went to his room and got his lovely laundry basket that is on wheels so it easier for him to push/pull and told him to put his clothes in that. I would have him to his own laundry but our washer and dryer are in the basement and his wheelchair doesn't do stairs.

Or, he expects me to drop whatever I am doing, not matter what, and take care of whatever he wants or needs at that moment. And, he isn't shy about letting me know that he is unhappy about it if I don't.

On a more positive note this is what I have been doing lately.






I have added the piping to the blocks for In a Pickle.

I have been hand quilting this lovely old top. A friend and co-worker asked me - well, I volunteered - to quilt it. It was made by her grandmother.








Made a paracord wrist band for my son. This is the Shark Jaw pattern.













Working on a baby boy quilt that I planned to give to a new great-nephew arriving in October. But... my husband and son don't like it much. I am going to finish it anyway and maybe enter it in the county fair next year.






And, speaking of the fair, I entered 2 quilts and a knitted infinity scarf.


2nd Place

I got a 1st and a 2nd with the quilts...

1st Place

 

and a 1st with the scarf.

 

 

Design Wall Monday

To see what others are doing go here...

I had a wonderful few days of celebration for the 4th of July. My son and I always stay with my youngest brother and his family. They are so nice to be around. I took my son down on Monday and came back home. That way we got to have some guy time with my brother. They sighted in his shotgun and crossbow to get ready for hunting season. I went back on Thursday. My sis-in-law and I spent the afternoon thrifting. We each got a few things. It is so fun to see what other people no longer want and to see things we remember having as kids. I saw a few older sewing machines but didn't think to take pictures.
My parents met us at the house later that afternoon.

On Friday more my mom, my niece, her boyfriend and myself decided we liked the nice cool breeze on the porch and opted to not go to the parade with the others. It was a beautiful day. Later more people came, we had good food, good conversations and good times.

Back at home and back to sewing now.
This project is not on the design wall yet, but it is getting there.

 

It is paper pieced. I love the batik fabrics. I enjoy paper pieced patterns.

It just seems like it takes a long time to get them put together.

The kit is from Keepsake Quilting. The pattern is Larisa Key Designs In a Pickle by JWD Publishing.

 

I came across these photo storage boxes at my local Joann fabric store.

They are working pretty well for storing future quilts in.

They are a nice size and stack well, too.