Quiltpiecer

  Last year, for the first time ever, I made quilting goals and I'm happy to say that making this list was very helpful.  There are too many squirrels trying to distract me but my list kept me focused.  So, let's see how I did with my 2021 Goals ... Quilt and bind DD's Star quilt top - DONE (9/24/21) Replace binding on DD's Rail Fence - DONE Grassy Creek Mystery Quilt - DONE (11/26/21) Valentine's Day Heart Mini Quilts (3) - DONE (2/5/21) Valentine's Day Heart Quilts (2) - DONE (7/30/21) International Sister Quilt - Top Completed (9/19/22) St. Patrick's Irish Quilt - DONE (8/11/22) Spring Pinwheel Sampler - Postponed to 2022 Unity 2021 Quilt - DONE (4/15/22) Uncle Sam's Patriotic Quilt - DONE (4/7/22) Silver Wolf Wall Hanging for DD - Postponed to 2022 Y2K Millenium Charm Quilt #4  - DONE (12/9/21) A Very Coriander Christmas BOM  - DONE (8/30/22) Stash Buster Challenge 2021  - DONE (12/18/21) Rolling Rainbow RSC 2021 - DONE (5/25/22)  Although...

July 2020 July 2020 Owning a home is always a work in progress, and after almost 25 years in our home, the backyard definitely needed work.  Our home was brand new when we bought it and as such there was zero landscaping in the back.  We added the pool, the lattice patio, walkways, and block wall within the first year. We also added a lawn and some ground cover on the slope - minimal landscaping.

It's been a long time since I've made personal resolutions for a new year, simply because I would forget about them by the time February rolled around LOL!  But I would like to start this year with a list of quilty projects I resolve to do this year.  I think I'm more likely not to forget these! I apologize for the lengthy post as I do have an ambitious list!  So without further ado ...

 

  No weekly Friday finish today.  I have been busy all week doing some marathon cutting with my new "toy" the Accuquilt Go! Big Cutter and major scrap organizing.  After its initial stumble, the cutter has been working great.  And I love it! I posted about the basketful of scraps that I wanted to tackle; and my first step was to dump the contents on the bed and sort/separate each scrap by size. There was a little bit of everything. Cut strips in one basket and strings in another. No cutting needed for these. Any scraps that I thought I could use in the Appalachian Autumn quilt by Bonnie Hunter went into this basket.  I set this aside for now. This bin holds bits-and-pieces (aka crumbs), some smaller than 1.5".  I was not interested in crumb quilts in the past so I never kept those tiny pieces.  But I see that's quite a bit of fabric that I can't seem to toss out so for now, this is also set aside. A few years ago I went through another scrap therapy m...

  I've been waiting for days for this cutter and I knew it'd be here on Wednesday.  Yesterday morning I got up as excited as a child on Christmas day and sat by the window waiting for that FedEx truck.  Ok, I didn't exactly wait by the window but my sewing room has plenty of windows facing the street.  I spent the morning cleaning and re-arranging my sewing room so the cutter would have a dedicated space. Finally, it arrived in the early afternoon.  I immediately set it up, imagining myself spending the rest of the day just "playing" with the cutter.  I decided my first test cut would be 2.5" squares using a die from the 8" Qube set.  Greenlight, ready, set, go...and voila!  I had accurate 2.5" squares.  I was happy. But that happiness was short-lived because soon afterward that green light turned to red.  Ugh!  A steady red light means there is a jam and the machine is set on manual reverse.  What?  There is no die jam so...

  Fall is my favorite season.  I'm so glad it's here with it's cooler temperatures although here in Southern California, the Inland Empire specifically, it's still in the 90s this week. It's time to make a fall quilt and I think I'd better get on it right away!  I've been looking at patterns for fall quilts and thought I'd make the Morning Glory Star Quilt.  But, then, Bonnie Hunter released her Appalachian Autumn quilt pattern and I love it! I also love these Maple Leaf quilts and I want one! I just can't decide which one I should make but I do know I have to decide soon or else fall will be over before I know it! Decisions, decisions, decisions! Follow my blog with Bloglovin

  The Go! Fabric Cutter finally arrived today!  I had been looking forward to getting it and was so excited to start using it.  However, I have to hold off a bit longer because I'm now waiting for this: Yup, I - we - ordered the Go! Big electric cutter and I should be getting it sometime this week.  It was an unexpected and unplanned purchase. This past week, hubby and I went to our local sewing center to pick up my Mega Quilter (yea!), which had been in the shop for repair and servicing.  As it turns out, this sewing center sells the Accuquilt.  Lo and behold, they had the Go! Big on display, and we asked the sales clerk to demonstrate it for us.  It was never my intention to get the Big; I merely wanted to get an idea of how the cutter and dies work. The following day, hubby called me from work and told me he was impressed with the electric cutter and thought it'd be better for me than the crank one.  That day was also the last day of the $100-o...

  The Go Cutter has been around since 2007 but it was never really under my radar.  Comparing the price of a Go Cutter with a rotary cutter and it was a no brainer for me.  Plus I enjoy using my rotary cutter (with a sharp blade, of course) so the Go Cutter seemed like just another expensive "toy" I didn't need. Fast forward 13 years and I'm not only that much older but I'm also wondering why I'm waking up with pain in my right shoulder and my hands.  It finally dawned on me that my pain is caused by all the rotary cutting I've been doing with all my recent quilt projects.   I've joined several Linky Parties and have been reading many quilting posts and that Accuquilt Go Cutter keeps popping up.  Well, that Go Cutter keeps looking better and better! I was still on the fence because of the price but I hopped on over to their website and discovered they were having a sale -- $100 off.  That's a nice chunk of change that was a big incentive to make t...

Last year my niece Lisa expressed an interest in learning how to quilt.  Of course, I was excited to have another quilter in the family, someone I can share my love of quilting.  She loves to crochet and has created some beautiful afghans so I know she has the creative gene. Her birthday was 2 weeks ago and she asked for quilting lessons as her gift. So I spent this past weekend at her home and we had our own "quilting retreat".  I provided all the supplies and equipment, including a simple Singer machine I gifted her.  The picture above is her finished top. This was a great accomplishment since she had not touched a sewing machine since she was 7 years old.  It was such a very long time ago that she didn't remember much.  She was a quick learner and I am so proud of her.  Of course, I am thrilled to spend this time with her. UPDATE 3/9/20 :   I spent the past Friday and Saturday with my niece again and taught her how to quilt her...

This past Valentine's Day, Friday, February 14, DS#1 left for Vietnam for a few months.  I am excited for him, but sad to see him leave, and sure do miss him. His visa is for 3 months, but he's not sure what he'll do when that time comes.  Sigh...he's following his heart and I am happy for him. We're aware of a deadly virus hitting some Asian countries.  For a week before his trip, DS#1 had been on a mission to find N95 masks, but these were as hard to find as a needle in a haystack.  Fortunately, a good friend gave him a box of masks to take.  DS#1 and I are waiting in line for customs.  I managed to quickly take this picture before he had time to react. Maybe we'll visit with him in a month or two.  That would be a great adventure for us.  UPDATE 4/20/20:  DS#1 is still in Vietnam, and he is doing just fine.  And, no, we did not go visit because of this darn pandemic.  His Visa has been extended, and he is working ...

I can't believe it's been four years since my last post! And yet it seems it was only yesterday. In 2015 my daughter and two teenage granddaughters came to live with me--and my quilting (and blogging) took a back seat.  In 2018 my DD and DGD#3 moved out-of-state, but DGD#2 stayed with me while she attended the local community college. Then, in late 2018, DGD#1 also came to stay with us.  I was thrilled to again have 2 of my 3 DGDs with me. But DGD#2 missed her mom and family; and when the semester ended in June, she moved to be with them. Although DGD#1 still lives here, she has moved to her own place.   As much as I miss them all very much, I find that I now have extra time on my hands for quilting and blogging. I also went from having no sewing/quilting room to having 2 vacant bedrooms.  I now had so much room that I didn't know what to do!  All my quilting stuff and stash had been put away for the past four years, and I was excited to f...