Computer Has Died

 So our computer has finally died the blue screen of death. I don’t know if I will be able to post or not, I am using my iPad right now to write this. We will turning off our internet service we used for the computer. It has always been terribly slow, just a bit better than dial up. We will be using our phones and iPads on our AT&T signal which is a little better. 

Happy Quilting and a Happy New Year Rebecca

Bramble Blooms Linky Party: Bramble Blooms #1 & Bramble Blooms #2

 So my Bramble Blooms #1 is still at the same place it was last time. The only thing I have gotten done on this project is cut out all the squares to make the HSTs.

Squares ready to cut for HSTs.

More progress has been made on Bramble Bloom #2. All four borders were prepped for applique and the top and bottom borders have been stitched down, I will finish up the vines and baskets once the borders are sewn on. I am linking up with Audrey of Quilty Folk blog, HERE, who has generously given of her time and talent to help us along this improv journey. Thank you Audrey!!!

It is a busy time of year and I have not had a lot of sewing time. I have been doing my Christmas baking which includes over 200 cinnamon rolls.

Happy Quilting, Rebecca

Bramble Blooms Progress

 I am slowly making progress on Bramble Blooms #1 and Bramble Blooms #2. First up BB  #1, I have decided on my final border, I just need to make 100+ more HSTs. I am linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll quilts for Design Wall Monday HERE.

BB #2 I have decided on the applique border. I took it off the design wall to prep the applique.

I have made progress on my hexie quilt too

This is the pattern, Flower Garden by Edyta Sitar.

I also made an I Spy quilt for my 3 year old granddaughter's birthday. I backed it with pink minky.

We have at least 8" of snow now, and more is expected. I need to get out with the snowblower and clear the driveways. I ordered these heated gloves to use this winter. Last year my hands were freezing. The little boxes in the photo are batteries, there is a wire in the gloves to plug them in to and they heat the gloves. Looking forward to trying them out.

The kittens are 6 1/2 months old now. I had a really hard time getting photos of them! 

This is Pickles

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This is Kitty Kitty Black. This poor cat has had about 50 names, we could settle on any of  them, so I told my husband I am just going to all her Kitty, which turned into Kitty Kitty Black.

I will be working on hexies today so I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Stitching Sunday, HERE  and with Cynthia at Quilting is more fun than Housework HERE .      Happy Quilting, Rebecca

Bramble Blooms 1 & 2 and Other Projects

First my apologies for a long post, it seems when I finally sit down to write a blog post I have lots of catching up to do.

I am still working on my Bramble Blooms #1 quilt top. It has been sporadic, but I am making progress. I had tried some flying geese made Sujata Shah style, but wasn't sure about them. Then I made them larger and Nancy at Joy For Grace blog, you can read her blog  HERE, mentioned putting them all the way around without the plain sections. So I tried that, what do you think? My husband likes it!

I don't know of you can tell, but I made a couple of small changes. I removed the red strip on the upper left corner and changed the goose block in the lower left corner. I made the changes after I took the following photos of border ideas.

Ideas for the next border, one, just a plain solid border.

Two, a vine and floral/leaf border. I used some of my left over applique bits. At this time I leaning towards this one.

Three,  a vine and leaf border. 

Idea #4, nine patches, the brown is darker than it appears in the photo.

A small start om Bramble Blooms 2. The pieces are just laid out, not sewn together yet.

A Basket Full of Hope

I am still working on my 9 patches, though I think I am behinds again. As of June 2, I had 220 nine patches made.

I need to get back to these.

I have picked up my knitting again. I had started this sweater a couple of years ago and then realized I had the gauge and size wrong. I unraveled it and set it aside, I restarted it last month and I am making some progress.

12" on the back piece.

And I have made a little progress on the hexie quilt! I am ready to add the blue flower on the left.

Our biggest news is that we got two kittens!! We have not had a cat in over 15 years or more. My husband wanted them for mouse catchers. We still haven't named them, I just can't decide. Any suggestions would be appreciated! (They are both girls.) They have been keeping me busy though and they like to interfere with my handwork!

I am linking up with Kathy and all the other Sunday Slow Stitchers HERE. I will either be working on my hexies or knitting or maybe appliqueing the words on BB2!

Happy Quilting! Rebecca

The Next UFO and New Hexie Projects

 A very Happy Fathers's Day to all the father's put there, including my sons and grandsons!

As I said in my last post about the Sweet William quilt, I have another very old project that I have been making progress on. It is from an Edyta Sitar book "Handfuls of Scraps",  Flower Garden. 

All the hexagon flowers are completed and I put them up on the design wall to arrange their placement. Now to get this top sewn together. I still have quite a few neutral hexies to baste, but will do that as I go along.

Sorry! Not a very good photo.

This the lay out to follow. This is the first time I have done this, so hope I don't get too confused.

My progress so far, I have a long way to go. Plus, I need to decide on the border.

I have really gotten hooked by the Hexie bug! I have been looking for ideas on Pinterest and came across the most amazing hexagon quilt on  called La Passion by Grit Kovacs. It is really an ambitious project and I thought the pattern would be expensive. It wasn't! I was able to download it from her online store for $9.54 US dollars. Below is a photo of the quilt and here is a LINK to the pattern. Here is a  LINK  to her blog where you can see lots of photos and different versions of this quilt. There are 17,300 hexies sized 1/2" in this quilt, not sure if I could do that, we will see. 

Also here is a LINK  to Turid's blog "Den syende himmel", she is in Norway. She not only made a LaPassion quilt (which has 1/2" hexies), but also one using 1/4" hexies! Totally Amazing! Lots of photos on her blog too, so many different version in different colorways. On her side bar there is a Labels list just scroll down to La Passion and La Passion Mini.

Turid"s La Passion

Turid's Mini La Passon

I also bought this pattern by Rachaeldaisy Designs.

Some ideas for the centers.

Sorry for such a long post! Hope to link up with Kathy and the other Stitchers today,  HERE   I will be stitching hexies. Happy Quilting, Rebecca

Bramble Blooms Borders??

I was really stuck on what to do for borders on my first Bramble Blooms top and since the second version is underway I thought I had better get serious and come up with something. Audrey of Quilty Folk blog is hosting the sew along (thank you so much Audrey!) You can read her blog HERE  She began the second one in the series with ideas from Sujata Shah's book "Cultural Fusion Quilts". I got my copy out and study it for a few days, I finally decided to try some Flying Geese.

Here is a photo of what I have so far. I am looking for input! More Flying Geese? Is there too much gold, not enough? More red flying geese? More green? Hourglass cornerstones or not? The red strips to the side will be the next border and then maybe a light border with applique ??.

I am linking up with Judy at Small Quilts and Doll quilts for Design Wall Monday HERE.

We had a visitor of the moose variety the other day. It has been a while since we saw one in the yard. No baby with this one.

More next time on that old UFO, I had no time to write the blog post. Happy Quilting, Rebecca

Sweet William Progress

 So while my Bramble Blooms has stalled I am trying to make make progress on some very old projects. The first one I will share with you today. I had almost just given up on this one, but when I got it out and looked at it, I fell in love with this quilt again.  I had already hand pieced all the baskets, I just need to do the applique portion. I have six blocks completed and now have all the other blocks prepped for applique. Everything is organized and I can grab a block when I have time and applique it.

My six finished blocks.

The rest of the 30 blocks all prepped and ready to sew.

I have six blocks in each of these zip bags.

The zip bags are all tucked away in my new Yazzii bag.

I will be working on this block today, I know it is looks like a blob of lavender, but they are each separate petals for the flower. I will be linking up with Kathy' HERE and all the other Slow Stitchers as soon as I can, I don;t think there is anything better than doing some slow stitching!

Here is a little information about the origin of this quilt.

Photo of the original quilt made in 1860 Pennsylvania.

Photo of the original found in this book.

Susan Smith created this pattern. On closer inspection I see she did not copy the blocks exactly.

Next time I will share the progress on another very old UFO.  Happy Quilting!  Rebecca