Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home (pattern in a book called Home Sweet Home by Barb Adams and Alma Allen)  is sooo close to totally done!  Just need a binding and a few more buttons!  So glad to be over this hurdle.  I love it.  It has quite a few imperfections but It is lovely none the less.  I learned quite a bit on my first applique quilt.  I am using buttons that my grandmother cut off her old house dresses and saved "just because".  I have saved them for almost 40 years-nice to have a place to put them.

Top-it says 2012 because that is when I thought I would have it done.

yes, I know how to spell "willl"

Button detail-some blocks will only have 1 or 2

More buttons!

And a few more buttons!

Some of the San Diego fabric backing-quilt christened "San Diego Memories". 

I bought 4 yards of the beige San Diego Fabric which wasn't enough once I enlarged the quilt so, used the colored piece of SD fabric given to me 2 years ago by a precious friend and the middle panel of San Diego scenes was in the "goodie bag" I got for taking a class at the SD Quilt Show. Not showing is a row of 7.5 in squares top and bottom using fabric from top.

close-up of back

This will look a whole lot better in the Medford house with a black print skirt, matching Pillow Shams and no packing boxes in the background!  The addresses on the left are homes I lived in before I met Greg-ones on far side (hidden) are Greg's addresses growing up.  The ones on the foot of the bed are the 3 homes we have lived in in San Diego since we were married.  This will be our San Diego Quilt as we were both born here. A historical document in fabric!

A Well Spent Weekend

I really want to get Sloanie's quilt finished today.  I finished the top on Saturday. I added a brown flange and mitered the corners (which I don't usually do) and I like it.  Need to finish Home Sweet Home so I can have my design wall back.  Very hard to take pictures laying the quilts on beds.

On Sunday I finished prepping the last applique block for the opportunity quilt.  Judy volunteered to stitch it so I wanted to get it to her.  It took all afternoon but as I turned under each piece, I removed the template from the back and ironed it on to another piece of material.  So, I have this whole block ready to be prepped for my own quilt when I have time to do it.  I was able to do that with several blocks from this quilt so I have a headstart on my own Enchanted Autumn.

The blackbird has a beak-it is just folded back

I changed one fabric from our original selection.  The sunflower originally was going to be the folded gold fabric but it would have been lost.  I had the gold/burnt orange batik in my stash and I think it adds life to the block.

P.S.  The 9-3 workshop on Saturday was really very good.  They did get me to buy 3 things but they were 20% off and I think will be very helpful.  Two rulers to help with mitered corners and a foot that will help with echo quilting.  I also learned how to sew beads onto fabric with my machine.  I learned a few other things but would have to read my notes to remember:)

Home Sweet Home Progress

Setting up the embroidery machine, figuring out dimensions for multiple hoopings and changing the pattern on Home Sweet Home has caused me to put off doing the outside borders.  Today I resisted the urge to go take a nap and powered through 1 60 inch side border.  This is going to be our "Growing up San Diego" quilt so I embroidered one side with the 3 addresses where Greg grew up.  Got the swags glued on so now I have some evening hand work.  Took 6 hours to do the measuring and the embroidery.

There are different communities in San Diego but I stuck with "San Diego" for the ones within the San Diego City Limit

This is the right side border-I can't wait to get this done.  My deadline is the 3rd Wed in Sept.  but want it done before.  Wasn't sure what color thread I wanted but this ended up being perfect.

Rested, Renewed, Repieced

Why don't I pack the motorhome and take the 20 mile trek to Julian 3 or 4 times a year instead of once?  I always come back in much better shape than when I leave.  I have time to sit and listen instead of go, go, go.  I have started an inductive study of the book of James.  I decided to make my own study sheets which means typing out the whole book.  What a blessing just typing the word of God.  He spoke to me so powerfully.  At the Women's retreat I was doing a devotional that I finished in Julian. I ran across a phrase 4x while doing the devotional about relying on strong horses.  I said, "God, what does that mean for me?" The next day I pulled out my day 4 of my Names of God devotional by Kay Arthur.  God is amazing-it referred to a verse that had a "relying on strong horses" phrase and Kay goes on to explain what that phrase means-which is relying on ourselves or anything else that isn't God.

Theme: Defending the faith

Mari, Penny and ?

Sarah (worship leader), Mari (pastor's wife) Gail Mays (speaker)

Adrienne and Sarina

I got it, Lord.  I have been trying so hard to get us moved closer to our granddaughters that it has caused some stress between my husband and I.  When I came home and told him what God had showed me, he opened up and we had a good talk about moving.  It ended with him going to look for blankets at garage sales.  I am always amazed when God knows me better than I do-I shouldn't be but I am.  What a good daddy I have!  I know we are going to move-I just need to get out of the way, pray more and speak less:)

I got the top of HSH done and the borders drafted.  Been working on it for over a year.  I recut and pieced the stars in the middle block and didn't hardly lose a point this time-my skill level has improved exponentially. Now I can start on the swag borders and know what I am doing.

Motorhome workspace

A perfect studio on wheels

Beautiful weather and campground: William Heise Park in Julian

Home Sweet Home middle of quilt-it will have addresses of all our SD residences embroidered around the edge and then beautiful red swags appliqued under the embroidery-it is getting close!

I also took apart the checked borders on Beauty and Check and restitched them.  Now that quilt is square.  Feels so good to have gotten all that done!

On Monday a special friend left us to continue eternity with Jesus in heaven.  No more sorrow, no more bad health days.  She was eating popcorn the week before, got dizzy, threw her hands up and her heart stopped. A week later they took out the tube that was keeping her alive and with her family surrounding her, she left us.  I will so miss her. She had very little in worldly goods, but she had a heart you could park a semi in. She loved me, prayed for me and made me laugh everytime I talked to her.  She was a street person for 30 years until she gave her heart to Jesus.  For the last 12 years she shared what He had given her-joy, love, herself.  I hugged her a couple of weeks ago and said, "Carole, what would I ever do without you?". I am going to miss her so much.  She was only 61-reminded me to keep short accounts, hold Jesus close, make sure I tell those I love how much they mean to me.

Glad to be back home, missed my hubby and our puppy.  She turned 1 on the 4th.

Lizzy LOVES frisbee-she will be a good camper.

Current projects

At this moment in time I am working on several large quilts in progress.  "Home Sweet Home" is about 2/3 done.  All but one block is appliqued and I need to do the appliqued borders which will have the addresses of all my husband and my residences in San Diego, both singularly and collectively.  I bought San Diego Fabric for the backing and this will be our "San Diego Living" quilt.

I am also working on a batik quilt that has a  pattern called "Pies and Tarts".  It is an English paper piecing pattern that I am doing with an applique process using starch and a hot iron instead of sewing the material onto the pieces.  Then the pieces are stitched together in the traditional way. The border will either be appliqued vine with small English pieced tarts or piano tiles.  Just want to finish the 100 large and 100 small circles-42 finished as of today.  My goal is to have this done by June.  I have 2 circles that are off but I am leaving them!

"Dear Jane" is the third quilt that I work on regularly.  I do not expect to be done with that one until 2014.  I have approx. 20 out of 200+ blocks done-oh, my.  However, I am learning a lot and my piecing is improving tremendously working on 4.5 in. finished blocks. No current pics.