Don't you love it when you're looking through a book or magazine "just because", and you find exactly what you've been needing? I have some sets of 5" charm squares and had decided (finally!) that I wanted to put them together in huge English paper pieced hexagons, to make a quilt for when I'm on the sofa.

I just sat down with an old quilting book for a few minutes and had barely started flipping through the pages when I came across a tiny star which had a hexagon outline in the exact size I needed. I traced it to make sure it would work, then made a template from (what the heck is that stiff template material? It's 4:30 a.m. and I haven't been to bed yet--brain shut down hours ago!) and off I went.

Dinner

Chicken ravioli, pan fried with sauteed green peppers and onions, garlic pepper, and a sprinkling of grated cheeses. Yum.

Tumbling Blocks update

Someone asked me about my Tumbling Blocks project, and I realized that I don't have an updated photo of it on here, so here it is. This was shortly before I set it aside to focus on the orange and white quilt in my previous post.

I have just a few more of the "blocks" to put in place and then I'll be adding diamonds and half-diamonds to fill in around the edges, as well as a narrow border, all in a single fabric. I haven't decided on that fabric yet.

This will end up somewhere around 96 x 108. I'm looking forward to having the top completed so I can move on to the hand-quilting.

Back, with a "finish"...

I'm back from a much-too-long break...and I have a "finish". My first since August, 2010.
It's this Irish Chain, which was machine-pieced and hand-quilted. It's been my primary project for the last year.

I really love the way it's turned out. The color has even grown on me. So it's with slightly mixed-emotions that I'll be packaging it up and mailing to someone else tomorrow, but I know she is going to love it even more than I do.



Now...I wonder where I've stashed the next project on my list :-O

The Onion

I was making chicken cacciatore and sliced open this HUGE onion. It was still attached just a little at one side and spread open in a picture-worthy way, I thought.

The jars are some that my mom had for many years. I've done some research on ages and the smaller ones are from around 1930-35 and the two biggest are from 1890-1910. I have another one, also from 1890-1910 which is shorter. I should find a lid for it and use in the kitchen, instead of using it to hold my crochet hooks.

The cutting board was a wedding gift from one of my (ex) husband's friends. He was a cabinet and furniture maker. When he gave us the cutting board, my husband was kind of disgruntled about getting something so simple, that the friend could just "whip out" in a few minutes. That was 30 years ago and this cutting board has, without a doubt, been the most useful and used item we received. I use it nearly every day.

The knife? Hmmm....no colorful story. Just a knife I use for almost all my chopping. I almost switched to a different one for the picture, and I still have another large onion so maybe I'll take a picture with the other knife when I slice it. The other knife I thought about using in the photograph is very long, very old. It was my great grandfather's knife and when the blade has just been sharpened it is wonderful for freshly baked bread and it'll slice a tomato nearly paper thin. I once had a friend send someone to my house, trying to sell me a set a knives. She went on and on about how well they sliced tomatoes. Then I got out my old knife and sliced a few tomatoes myself. Sent her on her way. ;-)

Slowpoke at work

Yes, there is a reason I have that "I'm a slowpoke quilter" button on my page. It's TRUE!

Here is a project I started about seven years ago. I've worked on it on and (mostly) off throughout that time. At the end of last summer I decided I was ready to push ahead and finish, but ran into a little bump and lost momentum. Since then, I've been out of commission with one illness or injury after another, so it was just finally last week when I felt like doing battle with it again, sewed the last seams, and added the borders. I finished it up at 80" square. Big enough to cover the bed with some color, but small enough that it also works nicely for sofa snuggling.

It's folded up and put away again because I have no idea how it will be quilted, but at least it's one set of blocks off the (huge) pile.

November diamonds

I made 2 diamonds in November. I now have 11 "whole diamonds" (a few missing the centers until later) plus about that many more of the light sections.Two of the tan pieces look discolored, but that is because they have different backing papers than the others. I will try for 2 more diamonds in December, but won't be disappointed if Ionly get one finished, because I have other things I need to get finished for Christmas.