Borders

Don't know what to do about the borders. They are about 9 1/2 inches wide and the quilting design is not coming to my mind very quickly. I would like to get this done.

I am at a stand still. I have about quilted all I can quilt on this quilt accept the borders. I am to the weakest point in the quilt. I think the borders get more wear and tear then the middle of the quilt and I never know what to do about quilting them. I have 16 more of the 5 1/2 inch square to complete and then onto the dreaded borders. It is a pretty masculine looking quilt it is going to be used on the couch and lots of stress on the seams. I think I am going to see if I draw a few ideas, but then I am not a good drawer. Oh well! Chris Any suggestions will be looked at .

I am here

Don't know where I have been before this other than Life has gotten in the way of posting. Yard work and housework and everyday life has been busy. Not all good, but some of it or most is out of my control. My MIL is being released from rehab this weekend and then in a moth or two will have to move to a new location. She is doing quite will. In a few days she will be 95 years old. My Mother has been having minor health issues. My BIL is in end stages of liver disease and my sister is having major issues handling it. My husband has improved some and is able to do more to help me. As I said life has gotten in the way of sewing and dealing with any fun activities. The yard is winding down as far as flowers and garden veggies. This weekend will be a major overhaul of the flower beds. Then I have to get back to my house. This summer with all the rain and heat we spent most of the time mowing and the inside was forgotten because we were exhausted after being out in the heat and humidity. Funny how I can sit down right beside a pile of messes and just look at them. Enough about all this. I have noticed others are really getting into the swing of finishing up projects and starting new ones. Hope everyone has a great weekend. Chris

Lots of pics of UFO'S Oh My

Piles and piles of UFO's. I am bad. This isn't all of them either.

This was scraps from a quilt i made. I made the snowball block and the HST are from the corners I cut off. It will be a wall hanging. I hand quilted it and gave up after a while and need to get it done. Famous last words.

Some of the detail of the hand quilting in the border.

These are Log Cabin blocks my Mom made for me. I sewed the lighter side together to make a larger light side to applique country florals on the intersections.


She loves to do these blocks.

My birthday is Valentines Day. She made this red and white Valentine quilt for me almost 15 years ago. It had been mailed back and forth across the country three times. I finally got it started and things came up in life that I never got back to it. Then I decided I would get a little froggy with the quilting and 1/4 inch echo quilting and outline quilted was what I chose. I tried marking with a blue wash out pen and the red faded into the off white. So I gave up marking. This I would really like to get done.

1/4 inch diagonal grid work is in this section.

It is white to off white and pink to red. Lots of quilting going on. Maybe this winter before my birthday I can get it done.

My cousin lives in the Boston area. She was the youngest of 9 grandchildren. She likes all the homemade things that my Grandmother use to make. She thought she could buy the kits from Joann's and make some quilts. She decided she didn't get the sewing gene that my Mother and I had.

She had two full quilt kits from Joann's BOM. They both were from 2006. So this is laying on the work table and would be fun to just sit and get the blocks made up, but with all the other UFO"S how and when would I get it done. Need to put it out of sight for now and get it out on a dreary day and have fun with it. I am afraid those days of Winter as fast approaching. The Canada Geese are flocking here and it is one of the first signs besides all the spiders coming out and making webs everywhere you want to walk. I hate a spider web in the face in the morning. Garden is about done and the leaves are starting to fall from the Crab Apple Trees. We are not having that much cooler weather yet so I am missing my fall cool mornings and cool nights. The rag weed is high and will get higher pollen counts soon. Yippppeeee more to worry about. Chris

I give up

Lawnmower is fixed yippppeeee! The freezer died and today now we have no water. A water main got broken. I had my hubby cut the Flat Leafed Parsley and I washed some and drying it for use this Winter. On to the next batch and no water. Maybe a night I go and get a sandwich so I don't have to cook also. Glad I got my laundry done this morning. Never boring at my house. Chris

It died

The freezer went to the graveyard in the sky last night. We got it to the dump and will look for another one next week. Just one more thing to replace. I had to replace the Fridge earlier this year. I think they should have a shower every ten years after you marry to replace things. LOL Chris

Saturday night and Sunday morning

What a weekend. I went to meet the grand kids mother and came home to find that my extra chest freezer wasn't working. I had meat and veggies from the garden and freezer pops in it. The reason I found it not working is the kids were hot and decided to get the freezer pop supply in the house stocked up. Last night in the heat my Husband decided after I cleaned out the thawed food and salvaged what I could he would look at it. He got it to start working again. It had a couple inches of thawed muck in it so I got up this morning cleaned it out and washed it all down. We thing the utility drop cord it was on burned out. It started after we plugged it in. Want to see if it stays running before I replace the food from the house in the freezer outside. Only lost Zucchini and Rhubarb I had frozen and one pound of ground chuck. I can live with that. Between the heat and the humidity and the extension cord I hope that is all that is wrong. Keeping my fingers crossed. Chris

Hot and Storms

It is on its way. We are under a sever Thunderstorm warning until 9pm. This is my new Rose of Sharon bush. It is about two years old

This is a Fountain grass in full bloom. I have divided this one three times.

Keeps getting blacker.

Ok it is now thundering and raining cats and dogs. going to get off the computer. Chris

Very busy lately

Things have been hectic around here. Besides running to see my Mother in law and having my grandson all week my lawnmower is still broke. I have pushed some, but the heat is so overwhelming. Friends of ours had their son come and mow it for me. I had all the trimming done for him. I have been quilting on this quilt. It is half done now. I worked quite a while today on it. It was to hot and humid to be out. The heat index was really high and their was an advisory out for elderly people. I feel 100 today after having a nine year old all week.

MIL has been moved to a rehab center so we hope she will improve. Stay cool. Chris

Update on Mother-in-law

We are going today to visit. She is still in the hospital. They were going to release her to a rehab center and they found a mass in her thyroid. So more tests to see what can be done with it. She can swallow and feed herself so things are good with that. She knew us and asked about the grandkids when we visited the other day. Hopefully we find her in as good as shape today. Chris

UFO and has been for years

This is a Half Log Cabin block that my mother made the blocks almost 12 years ago. I have been quilting them one at a time by hand and assembling them into rows for the finished queen sized quilt.

As you can see the back is pieced and hand stitched to assemble the blocks after I hand quilted them.

I stitched every darker colored block by hand. After assembling the blocks I go back and quilt the lighter areas. To have a finished quilt one of these years. LOL

Pinks to peach and white to off white is the colors in the quilt. It will be a nice Spring and Summer quilt for any bed. I need to get this finished. Some day.

I am laughing as I ask this . How many UFO's do you have? I have several more. Chris

MIL improving

Took my husband to see his Mother today. We had about a 52 mile ride and his health isn't that good so it was a stressful trip for me. We got there and not knowing what to expect I was surprised. She had fed herself today which after a stroke is really doing good. She was fortunate she was the one to call the attendant at the assisted living place to tell them she didn't feel right. She then was able to get the shot to bust up the clot and had less damage done. She is almost 95 and she was aware of who we were and asked questions about my grandkids. So I am glad of that. She will have to go to rehab, but she is alert and doing better. Chris

Garden doing Well

This is only part of the garden's bounty. I picked almost 25lbs of tomatoes from the garden and have been trying to get it canned

I peeled and cut up about 15 tomatoes onion and green pepper. Then I cooked it for awhile in the kettle and placed it in quart jars.

I pressure can my tomatoes because the rain levels this year are so high the acidity in the tomato isn't very high. I feel if I pressure can they will have less chance to spoil. I can use this mixture in soups and chilli also in spaghetti sauces. I do can the plain tomatoes also to add to the other mixture if I need more tomato taste in a recipe. It will all taste good this Winter. Chris

Bad News

My MIL has had a stroke. We just heard. She is at the hospital, but she can't speak. On Sept. 1st she will turn 95 years old. She is a feisty lady that has been through a lot. She came to my house twice in the last year with my stepson. She lives in and assisted living facility. She needs to have someone cook for her and clean. Hopefully they can tell us something in the next couple days as to her prognoisis. Prayers are with you Ethel. Chris

Finished and on the Bed

Here is the Quilt all finished. I am very happy this one is done. My Granddaughter said when you are gone Grandma can I have it. I stood there and just looked at her. She is 11 years old. My son says everything I leave he is taking to the landfill. Boy am I leaving a lot for him to get rid of. This is a special quilt to me because my Grandmother hand stitched the blocks over 50 years ago. I put it on the antique hospital bed we refinished this Spring. Chris