My First Border and Pretty Vase

Hello everyone!  I've been absent, but I promise I've been busy!

I'm still plugging along on my 

Friends of Baltimore quilt  AND A Bountiful Life/Civil War Bride quilt.  

I like working on them simultaneously.  Friends of Baltimore has teeny tiny pieces and more tedious while the Bountiful Life has larger pieces and gives me a break from the tedious so I can still keep busy.

I'm excited to show you my progress on the first border and vase from Friends of Baltimore.  I put off starting a border thinking it would be daunting, I was a scaredy cat…BUT HEY…it wasn't so bad.

I. LIKE.

As you can see, it is quite long.

There will be a vase sewn to each end to make a corner on this bottom border, which makes it even LONGER!  I'm still jurying fabrics for the vase on the other end.  Only 3 more borders to go!

The scary part will be when it comes time to trim this down!!

Must show you more proof I've been busy.

 Remember her?  My bride on the Bountiful Life quilt.

She now has a groom!  Isn't he handsome?

 They also have a hospitality table.  I think it's cute!

I think I had just started on this one in a previous post.

Working on both of these quilts at the same time has yielded me enough blocks for a WHOLE quilt!!
….Sigh...
I just don't think they would mix well together….too bad!

Sorry I've been so long with an update and I want to thank everyone who has inquired about me.  I desperately need a new camera.  The photos I take on my iPhone seem to be lacking in quality (I think it's the operator),  but I promise to blog with more quilty goodness!

Cotton harvest is in full swing here and so sad, for this will be our last crop.

Hubby is retiring.

Yes, I'm Making Some Progress

Making good progress on my current projects during the summer is slow but steady.  Having to do garden kitchen duty can take up a lot of time.  Fresh yummy veggies for supper time is so worth it though.

I did finish the bride block on my Civil War Bride quilt.  I think she turned out pretty good.  I didn't want the quilt to be too bright OR too dull in color.  I'm happy with how it is starting out.

Can you believe this is going to be THE GROOM block!

This is how I usually audition fabrics and such for whatever I'm working on.  I pin and poke, roll and smoosh fat quarters and such to my design wall.  Stand back and stare, make some changes if needed.

Stand back and stare some more.  I do this until "I think" I'm satisfied.  Of course I always reserve the right to make MORE changes in the end.  I think this Groom block is headed in the right direction.

This is another block from the Civil War Bride quilt I started.  I'll work on this one while I still play and audition fabrics for the Groom block.  I really like the blue fabric.  Wish I had bought more of it.

I'm still plugging along on my Friends of Baltimore too.  Starting on a new block with this cute little cornucopia.  Working on more than one project at a time keeps it interesting for me.  I think it's need for long term projects.....at least that's the way I roll anyway.

As for Goober....my little helper

It's just another day at the office for him.

Civil War Bride and Friends of Baltimore

I've been piddling on getting this one started for a while now, thinking this one would give me a little break occasionally from my FRIENDS OF BALTIMORE which has SO MANY tiny pieces.  I decided to start with the bride block first so her fabrics and colors would set the tone for the rest of the

quilt.  I must admit, starting from scratch with choosing your own choice of fabrics and colors doesn't come easy for me.  It takes me forever to get it straight in my head, pulling tons of fabrics out to audition only to make a big mess…….well, if I make her dress pink…..OR, maybe it should be yellow…..should I use just Civil War fabrics……and I don't want to use the same colors as my Friends of Baltimore quilt…and on it goes.  I'm hoping a lot of you out there get the picture and I'm not alone in my struggles.  I'm embarrassed to say how long it has taken me to get this far……BUT……here is a peek into where it is headed.

…….and for those of you who are thinking I should make those green striped buds all go the same direction, well, I probable agree but I'm NOT doing them over.  The stripes are the 3rd fabric I've traded out.  My bride also looks like she's been hit in the forehead with something.  Maybe that's the reason there wasn't a groom in the original quilt….lol.  I've also been blogging for 8 yrs. this week.  How 'bout that!

A recent Friends of Baltimore finished block.

"SNAP OUT OF IT!!!"

Do you remember that movie Moonstruck?  The one where Cher smacks

Nicolas Cage across the face and screams to him to

"SNAP OUT OF IT!"

LOL

That's what I'm trying to do….just snap out of this 'slug' mentality I've had lately.  Even though I've been quiet on the blogging scene, I HAVE been busy…..well, sort of…..at a snail's pace.

Here's some of what's been hanging around on my various make shift design walls upstairs.

Determined to use from my stash I finally chose some dots and stripes to piece together a backing for the quilt top laying there on the ironing board.  Maybe I'll just cut a bunch of big squares and sew them together.

This is my "taking forever and ever" log cabin.  It IS all sewn together… BUT…yep...there's that BUT... there's ALWAYS a BUT with me!  I decided it needed one more row, you know, just to make me TRULY happy with it.

Yesterday I sewed more blocks and all I need is 5 more to have enough.

Here and there with blocks of time I have put together these free pieced little cuties.  I have planned this for a 'real live little cutie'…….hhmmm, I hope she doesn't turn into a 'big' cutie before I get this finished.  I'm constantly mulling over how I want it all to come together.

NO pattern here…..just me and my constant brain churning…..sigh.

Of course my MAIN project for the past year has been my FRIENDS OF BALTIMORE hand appliqué blocks…Sue Garman's pattern.  I thumb tacked some flannel up in the hallway so I could admire them as I pass through.  Red bird on the bottom is the current 'in process' one I'm stitching on.

Only 9 more blocks…AND 4 most tedious borders to go.

Speaking of birds, you should go Here and see Lynne's oh so creative birds and quilt
she has sewn.  Yes, go NOW…I'll wait.

A-N-D

T-H-E-N

I succumbed to THIS TEMPTATION!!

Can you guess which one it is?

Darn it…..I'm so weak and easy…..sigh.

 …..and my little helper who's always close by...IS NEVER impressed.

Now that we're all caught up it's time for me to get back to the sewing machine.  I think I've

'snapped out of it' for a while and I'm quite amazed I could still spell all these words.

p.s.  If you live in Canada you should go HERE and check out this NEW quilting book Brenda is
giving away. It's Julie Sefton's new Build A Barn book….good stuff!

Nancy is having a giveaway too!