Rosa's World

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Today's Progress

Hi there!

FINALLY put a label on my Mini Twister!

Mine finished at 10-1/2 inch square and it will be used as part of my trunk show, in March, when I'll be teaching my Twister class. Stay tuned.

The other picture is our Chocolate Bon-Bon wall hanging, for February. Gilbert's getting ready to quilt it! YEAH!!!

March's wallhanging? I'm dreaming gorgeous plaids, oomphy greens, 3 or 4 leafed clovers and celtic knots.

Once again, stay tuned.

Right now, I gotta straighten out my She Cave - AKA my Sewing Studio!

Rosa

Monday, January 28, 2013

Chocolate Bon-Bons for Valentine's Day!

Hi There!

In between other stuff one does in a household, I managed to finish this banner for Valentine's Day in 2 days.


Now to get it quilted, bound, sleeved and labelled.

Hopefully, it'll be hanging up on our wall before Valentine's Day!

Rosa

Thursday, January 24, 2013

A BOM and More

 Hi There!

I've been busy working on this BOM (circa 2010).

I "was" going to prep these blocks and bring them to my first quilting retreat but I think the project is best seen and played with, on my design wall... at home.


(NOTE:  I just realized that this picture was in a previous blog... Oh well....  *shrug*)


I just have frame 3 more blocks with 2-1/2 inch (smaller) blocks.  They're all cut and pieced. I just need to add them to its BOM.



After that, I need to machine appliqué 9 more blocks with flowers and leaves.  Should be real nice and quite the challenge, too!

*grin*

Here's hoping you have a Fantastic Friday!

Rosa

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

A Whole Bunch of Blocks

Thanks to a very dear and kind friend, I was able to cut a whole bunch of 2-1/2 inch blocks in little time! Of course, I used my new-to-me Accuquilt Go cutter.

These blocks will be used to frame the pieced blocks.

Rosa

BOM and More

Another UFO (Un-Finished Object) gets pulled out of its box and dusted.

This was a BOM (Block Of the Month) from our local quilt store. I think it dates back to 2010. *hanging head in shame*

For the design that I have in mind, I need 14 pieced blocks - DONE!

Now, onto the appliqued blocks.

As usual, I'll upload pics of my progress.

Rosa

Sunday, January 20, 2013

At the End of Easy Street - Almost...

 Hi There!

Yesterday, I finally finished this year's "Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Quilt", called "Easy Street".

Well, just the quilt top... so far.
 

Gilbert and I had it on Bertha, our Gammill Longarm, for a photo shoot.


 It measures 98" - square.

And here's one where you can see the (scrappy) borders.
 

Because I HATE running out of pieced blocks, I usually make 1 or 2 or 3 or 4 ... or more pieces.  

Yes, I know. 

I'm a sucker for punishment!

AND, because I had pre-cut a whole bunch of triangles, pinned them on my design wall and when I needed them... I didn't SEE them... 

Sooooo, I went and cut a whole bunch more triangles!

*long sigh*

I ended up with a bunch of "Orphan" blocks, as well as a whole bunch of triangles and decided to use these, on the back of the quilt... 

A la Bonnie Hunter!!!


More extra pieces...


Today, at 4h30 p.m., I finally used up all of my Orphan blocks without having to cut too much more.


And HEY!

Here's something I gonna try, from now on.

I'm gonna make a set of pillow cases with left over fabrics.

Check!

Two gray pillow cases, with a 1 inch strip of lime green and gorgeous turquoise / sky blue polka dot fabrics.


Tomorrow, I plan on pulling out my big chunks of purples, turquoises and limes/apple greens and make a complete, solid back.

Will post a picture once the back is completed.

Have a great week!

Rosa

Saturday, January 19, 2013

ES Progress

So far.

Had to cut very few pieces to make these stars.

Still have LOTS of triangles! Will probably make pinwheels with these.

Rosa

Easy Street's Facade is Done

Bonnie Hunter's "Easy Street" mystery quilt top is FINALLY finished!!!

And because I usually cut or make more blocks than required - just in case - I ended up with "orphan blocks".

I plan on adding them on the back of this quilt along with the label.

This is what I'm working on, this sunny Saturday.

Rosa

Monday, January 14, 2013

Strollin' Along Easy Street

Workin' on Bonnie Hunter's Mystery quilt, called Easy Street.

I've got about 1/2 of "strips" pieced!!!

Rosa

Thursday, January 10, 2013

January's Tips 'n Tricks

Hi There!

Thought I'd post another tip that I discovered all by myself...  Which really means that I learned the HARD way.  And another reason why I am the proud owner of several seam rippers!

LOL

When you're piecing blocks or adding your frame around your finished block or, better yet, when you're almost finished and you're heart's beating faster 'cause your now seeing the finish line and sewing your borders on your finished quilt....

SLOW DOWN!!!!!






(See the white sliver of fabric, underneath the turquoise fabric?)

Make sure, AT ALL TIMES that you see a sliver, a hairline... a shadow of your fabric UNDERNEATH the top fabric!

If you're not seeing a hairline of your underneath fabric, you can end up with what I call "Run-Away-Fabric" - Its not a good thing. You'll end up with hills and valleys and bumps and .... GASP!!!  Even holes in your quilt!


To ensure that I don't have "Run-Away-Fabric" I always re-align my fabric, ensuring that I SEE a shadow of the underneath fabric...  and sew only the space between my index finger and thumb. (see above picture)

Then, once my thumb has reached my sewing machine foot, I start all over again.  I ensure that both fabrics are re-aligned and that I can see a hairline of the underneath fabric and only sew from my pointer finger to my thumb.

I know there's no better feeling that FINALLY sewing your final borders on your quilt and you want to put the pedal to the metal but trust me - if you're not careful and you don't keep an eye on your underneath fabric, you'll have a wobbly or a wavey border.

Which leads me to another topic

To Press or to Iron - That is the Question.

I keep trying and trying to press and not iron but .... what can I say?  I prefer to iron.  I iron gently - especially when I'm working with triangles and other biased pieces.  While I'm ironing, I can visually check to see if my block is well pieced or if I messed up and have "Run-Away-Fabric".

Better to discover it NOW and fix it NOW than to discover it AFTER its all quilted!

I've seen quilts that are "pressed" that are absolutely GORGEOUS!!!  But a few of them had "Run-Away-Fabric" and, in my humble opinion, its because they:
a) didn't keep an eye on the underneath fabric
and b) didn't iron....

They weren't able to spot their "Run-Away-Fabric", at the seam junction... and they ended up with un-sewn seams or "holes" in their quilts.

I hope I was able to explain this and that its not clear as mud.

Keep in mind, this is what works for me.  I'm not an expert - just someone that got much too intimate, too often, with Mr. Seam Ripper.

Rosa

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Hi There!

My very first official "Finish" for 2013!

I used the "Twister Tool"....
all THREE sizes, even!

This is the smallest one.
The finished block measures
(finished) 2 inches!


Gilbert and Bertha quilted a snowflake 
and loop design. 
It shows up real nice 
on the back of this wall hanging.


And here's a picture of our wall hanging.

I hope to make one for each month.


You can't see it, but I added a 
3D Santa Hat on the letter "A".

Well, that's it.

One quilt finished - Many more to go.

Rosa

Step 8 - Blocks and Tris ALL Pieced!!!

 Hi There!

This afternoon, around 2 p.m., I think I literally "High Fived" myself!!!

For those of you out of the loop, I'm blogging about Bonnie Hunter's latest Mystery Quilt, called "Easy Street".

I finally finished piecing 4 small (corner) triangles, 16(?) outer edge triangles, 9 (star) blocks and 16 blocks. From a distance, the 16 blocks look like there's a circle in the middle, but its not a circle.


 See what I mean about that "circle" block?


And, when I'm piecing lots of pieces, I sometimes cut or make more than is actually required.

Hence, what I call my "Orphan Blocks". I will definitely be designing something for the back of my quilt with these Orphan Blocks.

PLUS, I screwed up royally on those green triangles!

Can you say Rosa's got HUGE memory problems and throw in loss of vision, as well?!??

Step 7 required that I use a LOT of limey green triangles, that I was SUPPOSED to have cut up in Step 3 or 4, right?  Well, I looked at my design wall and did one of my LONG theatrical sighs 'cause I had completely skipped that step!  Or so I thought.

:-(




Sooooo, I cut up the required limey green triangles and sewed up the 16 BIG triangles and did one of those Toyota jumps 'cause I had finished Step 7.

Yesterday, guess who decides to SHOW UP, on my design wall?!?!?

Those (previously cut up) limey green triangles from Step 3 or 4 that I "thought" I had skipped and did NOT see them.... AT ALL... on my design wall!!!

NOTE TO SELF:
Wake up and smell the coffee.
And try and stay alert!

LOL

Hope you have a Wonderful Week!

Rosa
Tomorrow, I start sewing these blocks and tris!!!

Thursday, January 3, 2013

FINALLY... Step 7 Really and Truly Finished!!!

Don't ask how - I wouldn't be able to explain how I did this, but do these 2 triangle patterns look the same?!!?!

I thought that I had completed Step 7 but omitted to read and LOOK at Step 7 properly and SEE that I needed to make TWELVE of these outter edge triangles!!!

Anyhow, they're now done and I can move onto Step 8... The Final Frontier.

Yes, I'm somewhat of a Trekkie.

LOL

Rosa

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

2 More Mug Rugs!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Love each and every stitch that went into making these!!!

Unfortunately, all mug rugs received so far are too pretty to use. Instead, I will be making a mug rug wall collage!!!

Once again, thanks a bunch!

Rosa

Baby, Its Cold Out There!

 Hi There!

"Weather" you prefer it in Celsius....


Or in Fahrenheit....

As the song goes....



Rosa
Heading downstairs to work on
Bonnie Hunter's "Easy Street" Mystery Quilt!

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Looking Back on 2012...

Hi There!

First, I'd like to wish EVERYONE a Happy.... 
No, wait!   Make that a "JOYOUS" New Year!

May Peace, Health and Prosperity
 reign in your home and in your heart!

January:
 This was a cold month but we were REALLY lucky this winter and got very little (accumulated) snow!

February:
Gilbert and I decided to celebrate my birthday and escape for an overnight sleepy, in Bangor!  Just as we crossed the border into the USA, I got a call from my work.  Our organization would be going through a MAJOR restructuring and MY office would be closing at the end of September!  Talk about a major "bummer"!  21 years working with this organization and I would be out of a job!

Trust me, Gilbert and I shopped but we were very careful and only bought the stuff that we "needed" and borderline "wanted".  Once home, I still had some difficulty sleeping and accepting the "fait accomplit",  Finally, I had to stop sharply in my tracks and be stern with myself.  What would be would be AND the Good Lord had never let me down before, right?

And, as they say, "A door shuts and another one opens."

March:
Nothing really spectacular happened here. At work, my co-worker and I were desperately trying to shred old files and maintain our day to day work... all the while, trying to console each other and speculating on what the future reserved for us.

April:
After talking about this for several years, Gilbert and I decided to take the plunge and buy a new "Baby Barn".  Some people call these "Storage Sheds" or "Mini Garages".  Around here, they're usually called "Baby Barns".

We had it delivered as a kit.... or, in pieces if you prefer, with instructions on how to put it together.  Gilbert worked on this all summer, whenever he got a chance.

Baby Barn kit is under that blue tarp.  It was raining that day.

(That's the OLD Baby Barn, to the left)

May:
Well, we had an INCREDIBLE summer, for our city.  Most times, we get a late summer, accompanied with plenty of fog and rain... interspersed with a few sunny days.  Nice, beach weather, IMHO, occurs towards mid to end of August.

Not this summer!  I was able to plant a few deck plants and herbs and most of them stayed REAL nice, all summer!

Gilbert had the barn raised... or almost by the end of May.


When we purchased this home in 2000, we acquired that old and crappy shed.  Gilbert and I were BOTH eager to see a bigger and better Baby Barn and REALLY eager to have the old one torn down!!!

 June:
This month just whizzed by.  Same ole, same ole...
Go to work, come home, sew a bit, supper and upstairs to watch some TV and then, bedtime.
Next day?  Same as above.

July:
Took a week vacation and went on a 3 day road trip with my Mom, my sister Tina and her daughter, the "Princess"!!!

Started taking acupuncture for my arthritis and other minor health issues.  Continued with the acupuncture till mid-October with no real, concrete results.  Either these people didn't know what they were doing or acupuncture really doesn't work... which I doubt.... or, for some reason, it didn't work for me 'cause I really didn't feel any different, unfortunately.

 It was at the beginning of THIS month that I, once again, put my foot down and spoke to myself sternly, "Rosa, this is RIDICULOUS!  You need a dishwasher!!!"

Sooooo, we went shopping and picked our new dishwasher and after building a "frame" to house our new dishwasher and after many, MANY trips to the hardware/plumbing stores to try and fix the dishwasher's leak, Gilbert realized that it had NOTHING to do with his hook-up.  There was a part on this NEW dishwasher that was broken!

NOTE - By the time everything was said and done and the repairman came and fixed our dishwasher, we were in the month of August.

On the 19th, we picked up our new puppy, Zelda, in Riverview, NB.


Stressful trip back home - 1.5 hour drive. Zelda was sick in the car.  :-(
On the 20th, we took Zelda to our Vet for her needles. Another stressful trip for Zelda. She HATES the car!!!
House training became priority #1.  Zelda was brought up in the country, in a kennel.  She had never been in a house nor a car before!  (Note: She's STILL terrified of car rides.)  House training meant I had to SIT beside her and watch her like an eagle!  No time for quilting, needless to say!  Finally, by journalling WHEN she did her #1's and #2's, we're able to figure out how often she needs to go out.  And learning her "signals", too!
 During the first week of August, we had a new door installed to replace our old crappy one. And to save money, Gilbert decided to just have the door installed and he would do the trimmings and painting, etc.  So, along with our leaky dishwasher problem, a Baby Barn that needed to be torn down, a puppy that was terrified of her own shadow.... Me, at work, trying to race against the clock and shred old files, throw brick a brack out, while maintaining our regular work schedule, and we had extraordinary hot and humid weather... August whizzed by!

Added afterwards...
I went to my parents, where they were hosting our Cusbin's Camping. (Cusbin = Cousins and husbands/spouses/friends/whatever)

Had a GREAT day chatting with family and friends and snacking!
Gilbert and I went to a National German Shepherd Dog Competition, held in our city!  That was fun!
Zelda's breeder had suggested that we give her a month to get used to us and THEN, get her "fixed".  Well, would you BELIEVE 3 days BEFORE she's scheduled for her operation, Zelda goes into "heat" and can't be operated on.... until afterwards!??!?
Mid August, our neighbour's garage roof catches on fire!  We had 3 firetrucks parked on our street.  Talk about beating hearts!!!  Zelda and MY heart, that is!  No, we did not have any smoke damage and our siding didn't melt - THANK GOD!


Where we busy?!?!?!?


But, on a positive note, towards the end of August, the weather cooled down and it was less humid...
Thank God!

September:
Oh gosh but this was a stressful month for me!

Mid-September, I entered several quilts in the Kennebecasis Quilt Guild Show. No, I didn't win but it was fun to see my quilts hanging for all to see. *grin*

The weekend afterwards, we went to the
Sussex Vale Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show & Sale

And then....
Work, work, work... 
worry, worry, worry.

But you know what?  Sometimes its the "unknown" that worries us the most.

I had 3 of our Board of Directors give us a helping hand, to get rid of office furniture, paperwork, etc, etc, etc.

The 3 rooms had to be COMPLETELY emptied by the 28th of September!

Thanks to them, the whole thing went 100 times better than what I had imagined!!!

And then, there was only one last day, at work.
*gulp*


Friday, the 28th of September was the last day.

The next day, Gilbert and I headed off
to Calais, USA to yet another
quilt show.

And yes, we managed to do some shopping, too!

October:
WOW!  What a difference!

You're soooo used to counting every single minute when you have to get up and go to work and rush home and ... and.... Well, you know what I mean.

Would you believe, during the first week, I had the chance to sit back and watch Zelda eating and drinking her fresh water?!??!...  and then, I watched her lay down and snooze!

And I didn't feel guilty - not one bit!

LOL

Mid-October, I attended a Board of Directors' meeting in Prince Edward Island and Gilbert came along.  We left Zelda at the Vet's for her big Operation and picked her up the next day.

BOY!!!!   Did SHE have a lot to say when we picked her up at the Vet!!!

We just wish we could have understood her moans and groans and yips and yaps!




November:
Getting ready for Christmas and making some Christmas gifts and mug-rugs for some good friends.  I also made 5 Christmas stockings, for my nieces and nephew.

Gilbert was REAL busy with Bertha and I tried to help out with meals, as much as possible.

December:

The last month of 2012 and up until the 24th was an almost complete repeat of the last month.

Gilbert was busy with Bertha and I tried, as best as possible, to prepare meals.

I went to visit my parents at the beginning of December.  Mom had invited us girls to help cook her meatpies.

I went to my sister Tina and her hubby Chris on the 15th.  They were the hosts for our Cusbin's Christmas Party.  We came up with the name "Cusbin"... meaning "cousins" and their "husbands".

And on the 24th, as is our family tradition, we gathered together and opened up our gifts and had some delicious lobster, for supper!

We had sneaker and sweatshirt weather for the first 3 weeks of December.  We got a bit of snow, just before Christmas but it melted, here in the city... before Christmas.

Well, the last Thursday into Friday - 27th and 28th of Dec. -  we had a wallop of a snow storm!  A Nor'Easter!   We got approx. 10 inches of snow!!!

Something to keep us busy, for sure!

Oh - and in case you're wondering....
Zelda LOVED the snow!!!

And that, ladies and gentlemen,
was our wonderful
and incredible 2012!

I hope I haven't bored you and that you continue to visit and read my blog in 2013.

Once again,
I wish you only the "bestest" for 2013!

Rosa