Spooling around!

I was tempted into participating in the July 2012 Spool Challenge from Bonnie K Hunter. I cut an sewed a few spools and then went back to my old ways. While finishing Orca Bay I really started applying myself to my leader and enders project. Then came the Easy Street quilt. Another bunch of spools just piling up! Many small projects later I find that I have about 120 spools and another 150 cut out ready to go. They are addictive! These are my batches of tens.

 While I was at it I also started sewing string blocks.  Strings Strings Strings.... Can't make just one.

Join Bonnie in the linky for Spools HERE  or try out the split 9 challenge for July 2013. HERE!

Before you know it you will have enough blocks done for another quilt just using your scraps!!!

June FO. Push to the finishline

I have to say that June flew. My oldest daughter is moving back home. We had a lot of cleaning and painting to do. Thank goodness for an able bodied sister. I myself was quite useless in many ways. My biggest strength was my wallet.  Carri was painting for 3 days none stop. Amber has a new born so we needed it done before they get here due to fumes. Not my color pallet that is for sure. Dark Teal and grey for master bedroom. Logan's bedroom, Appletini. My Easy Street quilt would look good in there but he CAN"T have it. So I am making him a quilt at the speed of light. Big block.

We made many runs to Home Depot. Grandson Louie was just over the moon looking at all the tools and paints.  Here is the only picture we took. I look like death warmed over as my pain level was through the roof. Many people stopped and talk to Louie. I told them it was his maiden voyage to the Hardware Store!! He came home with color swatches and paint sticks which he is using as parking spaces for his Hotwheels! LOL

I did finish my top for Easy Street but have not been able to sandwich it as yet. Even bought the backing  as one solid piece. Just don't have the time to piece anything. Can't wait to finish it and make some curtains to match! I did a border with a purple strip and finished with a teal . Looks so cheery. I need cheery!

Was able to make all the pieces for the Scrappy trip quilt too. Another one that needs to be sandwiched.


Logan's quilt should be finished in the next few day. They will be here around the 4th of July!. I made a dust ruffle for his bed so that mattress would not show. Really easy and used a piece of really flimsy fabric to sew it to. Since it is under the mattress does not matter. Still trying to use my stash. The 4 yards of fabric that got heat damaged in my closet served as the dust ruffle. Navy with large snow flakes. I really needed something to tone down that Very loud Appletini! New carpet is also green. I thought it was more forest green but now looks emerald green against the Apple walls. So what is a grandma to do. Logans favorite color is green. I pulled out all my green fabrics and pieced a green, navy and yellow top. No pattern just speed sewing. Louie helped by picking the next strip to be sewed on. He was very excited to help grandma! I used all the fabric that I had left over from the front for the backing panel. Bad picture but I was in a hurry! He loves it!!

Also been working on Louies quilt, but it is taking me forever to sew the 4 patches. The first 30 had a very bad 1/4 inch. I started ripping them out but realized I could get more done if I just started over and bagged them for future TV ripping project.

Also working on middle daughters wall hanging for her birthday. Can't post anything here. She reads my blog!

Happy Quilting

Aileen from Florida

MAY NewFO

What to say about May....if flew that's for sure!

MY month was a little rough. I had two venous ablations. I am very bruised to say the least. I get to wear those lovely support hose from ankle to groin.  My hope is that in the end I will walk better that I have lately. Two more procedures to go. but not for several weeks. Thank goodness!

  I really rely on my cellphone to remind me what I accomplished every month. I seem to use the cellphone camera more than I do my Olympus camera. I learned how to use an app called Photo Grid. It is quick and easy and free. I wanted something that I could group pictures with so that I did not have a 5 foot length of shots when just showing little differences in things like sewing technique.


Grandson Louis got an opportunity to go to the beach. Its been a few years since I have gone. Being that I live in Florida and am surrounded by water, that is a real shame.

He had a terrific time! His favorite thing to do was throw seashells at the seagulls, who kept swooping down looking for food.

 

In May we celebrate my 1st Grandson Logan's birthday. He turned 9 this year. I can't believe all that time has past. The newest addition to Logan's family is his sister Raina born  in March. For his party, at his other grandmas house, he asked his mother to dress Raina up in her pretty outfit including headband. Logan on the other hand went in his favorite skull pajamas that are 4 sized to big! LOL .

 

Looks like they had a great time!

 

 

 

I spent the month nursing my legs and cleaning my sewing room. Scraps, drawers etc. I made a few more e-book stands and mailed them to my daughter in Seattle. The little one is a matching phone stand.

 

 

 

Can you tell by the pictures which one my daughter wants for herself?

****************

 

I also made my AAQI mini quilt. I really like this one.
 

 Summer Breeze

#14344

Aileen Kline

 

 

There are only 2 more months to donate a quilt to the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative! Don't delay, the Dealine is July 31, 2013. Ami's goal is to bring 2,500 quilts to the Houston Show in November.

 

They are so close to raising the $1,000,000 Dollars for research. This disease  touches every family in every country on earth! I may need this help in the future. Donate or purchase a quilt today!
 

 **************

 

Lastly, I pulled out my Easy Street Quilt blocks and batting. Time to finish it. I would like an nice summer weight quilt to enjoy on my bed!

 

Happy Quilting to all!

 

Aileen in Florida

**linking up with Cat Patches for NewFO**

April NewFO

It has been a very long month for the family. A new  granddaughter born one Friday and the next Friday the father gets in a very bad car accident. Thankfully he survived to tell about it. He is home recovering with his family.

 

SO I can say that I did a lot of therapeutic sewing.

First off  I cleaned my sewing room. There just is no way I can create in a mess. Once the process has started, that is a whole other story. LOL

I had put my "All About Me" wall hanging on hold to produce some lovely goodies for my new grandbaby girl. It was time to finish Grandma and Louie in the sewing room! Louie is my constant companion. I didn't want this wall hanging to turn into the eternal UFO.

 

I cut and sewed more 9 patches and Scrappy trip blocks and spools. I needed to keep the leaders and enders flowing! After all life gives you opportunities to show your love through handmade gifts all year round.

Next, I had a deadline for a Think Spring Quilt for the Forum. I made a background then I was stymied. I just could not leave it all 9 patches. To Blah. Then I had to redefine what spring is to me. In West Florida spring begins with it the Strawberry Festival. After drawing the most sick looking strawberries, I realize that the fruits and vegetables in the grocery store really catch your eye this time of year! The smell pulls you over to the produce department every time!


I have been into fusible everything of late. With a pair of sharp scissors, I started to cut out veggies and a basket.  My final creation is Spring Harvest. If the quilt requirements had been bigger, I would have just kept on going.  I hope Chris likes it as much as I do.

I made a little quilt for AAQI as I do every month. I think I had super burn out because it did not turn out how I saw it in my head. I sent it in anyway because I promise myself that I would make one every month and have since February 2011.  I will do better for May! I guess they all can't be winners.

 Time is running out. August 1 is not that far away. It will be the last time I can send a mini quilt in. I am hoping that Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative goes out having reached the One Million dollar goal and exceeding it as well . I may be one of the people that benefits from the research done today.



#14057

Ribbit!

Way back, I don't remember when, I made a e-book stand for my middle daughter. Her friends flipped and wanted one. The holidays came and went. Then the marathon baby sewing happen.
I needed to sew but still take a breather from quilts.  So for the last few days I have been making them. Since I had frogs on the brain from the AAQI quilt, I decided to make one for my friend Maggie. She is a good neighbor and friend. I have been meaning to make her something with frogs since I doggie sat for her and notice all the little frogs laying about her house. I made the stand and the e-book bag as well.
RIBBIT!!!

She is the hand model in the picture!

May promises to be a happy month! I am determined to go back to my Easy Street Quilt. I am the only one that does not have a full size quilt on my bed. It is my turn.

Also on my list is to make enough Scrappy Trip blocks to put together a lap quilt for the living room. I still have the Christmas one out. It is just the right size for the arm chair snooze grandma needs once in a while. ;o)

Happy Sewing  and Happy Mother's Day!!!

Aileen in FL

March FO and other stuff

Well, that was a very fast March. I sewed and sewed and was able to get all the baby stuff (60+ items) out to my Daughter. I am a Grandma for the 3rd time. 1st little girl. Raina  was born March 29th. 8 lbs 14 oz , 21 in.

Here she is sporting one of Grandmas receiving blankets!

 

 

I was so wiped out from sewing that I cleaned my machine and didn't touch it for a week. Instead of sewing, I found a Rubbermaid tote with about 15 pounds of fabric from 1999 and washed and assorted the fabric. Since I only have a few things on the burner, I decided to make some 9 patches from this fabric as leaders and enders. Also cut a bunch more spool leaders and enders.

From the 9 patches I made on small quilt for a Forum friend. Just have to make the label and in the mail it will go.

 

I was aiming for a Spring look but it also looks like it could be used during Christmas Holidays. She favors red so I used red as an accent instead of pink. I hope she likes it!

Still have many strips to piece together. I want to have many units of 4 patches, 9 patches & 1/2 squares etc , to work with.

I am still working on my Scrappy Trips and it is coming along nicely. Have about 6 blocks made and a total of 32 cut out and ready to sew. This will be my throw for in the living room so I can put away the Christmas throw. It is just to snuggly to put away!


My goal for April is to finish my Easy Street quilt and have it on my bed by the end of the month! Hey I can dream!!!

Aileen in Florida

Baby Stuff & A Review

Well the race is on. I have been making little things for the new baby coming March 29th. My daughter still has yet to pick a name. She says she wants a neutral name but has not found one she likes. Right now the baby is called Spike since it kicks the heck out of her!

I saved the hardest for last. The all important Diaper Bag. I had a pattern but it was too small. I searched the internet to purchase one but the prices were ridiculous! $60 to $260 + and still not enough pockets. I finally stumbled onto warehouse fabrics inc. They have a blog with a diaper pattern. Lots of pockets, lots of potential! at 20 x 13 it was big enough. Lots of pictures! That is what I like. Visual aids!

I used the ultra firm fuse on stabilizer. This was a good idea at the time but if you have arthritis this is not for you. My hands hurts for days after turning the outer part inside out.

 

So stiff it stands by itself!  Then came making the inside.  Since the outside was so firm, the inside seemed flimsy. I added fusible web to all the inside fabric enough though the pattern did not call for it. I added a pocket to the inside divider as well. Now for assembly. I kept having nightmares about having to pull that stiff outer shell through the side of the inside piece. Oh my, was I going to be able to do this without ripping the fabric?

This sandwich was so thick that I broke a needle on it! I had to move the machine away from the wall too. The whole thing kept getting stuck on the wall. Turning this inside out was 10 x harder than the outer shell. My hands were throbbing for hours. Now we have an awesome bag with lots of pockets inside and out.

Another issue I was dealing with was how to close the bag. It was so thick that I knew the magnetic snap was a waste of time. I couldn't figure out how to insert a zipper, so Velcro was the next best idea. I added a Flap!

I ended up putting 2 strips of Velcro on the flap in white and 2 strips of Velcro on the bag in black. This way it is secure if she over stuffs the bag.

4 days and 30 hours of labor...the bag is done! Yes you do see skulls on the fabric. My daughter has quite a different taste in fabric than her mother!

This is Carri modeling the bag for her sister who lives in Upstate New York!
 

Finishing touch

 

 UPDATE :Added the button today and off in the mail it went!

Hope you like it!

 

 

 

 

I also finished the baby blanket. This is in soft pastels on the front using the Arrow pattern by Anita Grossman Solomon and a skull pink hounds tooth fabric on the back.

 

 

 

Now onto the crib sheets!

The Modern Quilt. What is it??

I asked myself that question several times as I come across some beautiful quilts on the internet. What am I looking at? The quilts are very appealing. What makes them modern?

Editor in Chief of McCall Quilting, Beth Hayes says it best. “

“Modern quilts are notable for their minimalist aesthetic, use of bright, bold colors with large doses of white and other neutral solids, asymmetrical designs, and free-form piecing.”

They are many things, especially Fun! A new twist on an old idea, and everything in between. Quilting has evolved from utilitarian to 5,000 + pieced beauties with quilting that can literally make a quilt stand up on it’s owe.  The simplicity of many of the “Modern Quilts” reminds me of the abstract artist of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

McCall Quilting has provided this free link to 3 beautiful Modern Quilt Patterns. I especially like the Lemon Squeezy designed by Sherri Driver. I have made a few Quilt as You Go quilts but never thought of making them in this scale. You can make a whole baby quilt in to time flat, using this method and it is already quilted!

Happy Quilting

Aileen in FL

 

Giveaway, AAQI and Stuff

NewFOs

Morning Everyone!

Welcome to March. It is  suppose to be heading for spring but it is only 41 degrees today here in FL. Sweat shirt hoodies being worn all over the house.

Giveaway winner is Linda W. from Ohio!
Winner was selected at random. I hope Linda likes the fabrics!

I want to thank everyone that left a comment on my blog for "It's All About Me"! I so appreciate the great comments. Sometimes you just have to hear it from someone else, that you are heading in the right direction.
I came in as one of the top 3 for February 21 in the ALL ABOUT ME blog hop challenge! What fun!!!
Louie just loves this wall hanging and is still putting his nose on the sewing table! Click HERE for full story!



February AAQI Quilt

 

Sprint to Spring

#13329

by

Aileen Kline

 

 



I continue with my commitment to Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. They will stop collecting quilts August 1, 2013. I am determined to make at least one a month to the very end.

Someday I may be a recipient of the leaps forward made in Alzheimer's research do to this worthy cause. The goal is $1 million dollars by the December 31, 2013. I don't see why that can't be achieved if everyone pitches in. I make all my little quilts from scraps. The hardest part is sending them off in the mail!

 

 

 

and Stuff - NewFO

 

 

My oldest daughter is expecting her second child. It's a girl. With the help of her sister, I have been able to make a lot of little things for her. I wish that I had time to make them for myself when I was younger. It has been a lot of fun. I am by no means near finished but the pile is growing daily and the baby is due at the end of March. Time is really flying.

 

Her taste in fabric is not my taste. Not even in the same ballpark, but these are made with love from both of us.

 

 

 

 

Receiving Blanket



 

3 Receiving blankets, 12 burp rags, changing mat. I also made about a dozen breast covers since she will be nursing.

 

The oddest thing I made was a Nursing cover. It is kinda like a apron but does not tie in the back. You just put it on for privacy while nursing in public, etc. The fabric is skulls, which by the pink receiving blanket. gives away her fabric preference! LOL

 

 

I added a pocket in an angle with a key ring and carabener, so she can have easy access to her cellphone and keys. I did make it reversible, with a more sedate fabric on the back.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Happy Quilt to All !

 

Aileen

 







It's All About Me.

Thanks to Madame Samm and Marlene for this blog hop. Also a big thank you to Amy Bradley for the cute design. I jumped at the chance to do this hop.

I thought about it for weeks and could not make up my mind what I wanted to do. I am not a little bit biased, so I needed to say something else. But What? 

This past 2 years I have become a Scrap-o-holic! I have made so may things without even going into my stash. Just what is in the scrap bins. Yet this was not speaking to me either. 

Then along came my daughter. She has been helping me with baby gifts for her sister. She does all the ironing and cutting and I do all the sewing. Good trade off. What she said clinched it for me. " What about Louie looking over your shoulder"! What? What? Well there it was!  Just the right thing. The true statement that made me fly through this creation.

I only started sewing this on the 15th. That is how blocked I was.

Louie is my 3 year old grandson.  He has been hanging out in my sewing room since he was 1 1/2 years old. Every day I hear him running across the house saying he is going to play with Grandma. His fascination with what I created is second to none.One of Louie's favorite things is to watch me clean the machine. If he could insert himself into my skin for a better look, he would. He is also a scrap-o-holic. His favorite thing to do with scraps is bury his cars in a "Fabric Cave". I have given him his own table in my 10 x 10 foot room and still he is quite often literally under my armpit watching me sew.

For me and Louie, quilting is Play Time!

**Today Louie decided that he would imitate art by putting a red car and his nose on the sewing table ! **

LOL!

We laughed so hard!

***********************************

Just a little GIVEAWAY for stopping by. 

Please leave a comment to enter the giveaway.

This is a fabric bundle by Ellen Edith. Enough fabric to make a kids quilt. Very bright and cheery!


Thank you for stopping by. Happy Quilting!

Aileen

See what the other creative people are up to!

Thursday, February 21

Kris Loves Fabric

The Quilting Alleycat (that me)

Cat Patches

Bumbleberry Stitches

Chickadees Country Cottage Crafts

In Stitches and Seams

Why-Knot-Kwilt

Quilting Unleashed

Rosemary at That Other Blog

Thimblemouse & Spouse

Sew Many Yarns

AAQI 2013 Sprint To The Finish

Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative will stop collecting quilts August 1, 2013. They are hoping to reach their $1 million dollar goal by the end of 2013. They are hoping for awesome sales at Houston in 2013. They need quilts to achieve this. WE CAN DO IT!!!!

SO LADIES if you have been thinking of doing a AAQI quilt,   PLEASE do it now! Lets help AAQI go out with a bang! This is a worthy cause. We all may be affected by this disease. Show your support. Send in a mini today. 

Here is my January quilt. I made it with leftover blocks from a mini quilt I made in 2010.   I just dressed it up with some felty flowers and cute buttons. 

#13096 

by 

Aileen Kline

Here is the link to my personal page at AAQI . Give it a try. You don't have to be an expert quilter, just a person that wants to help.

Sprint To The Finish with us!!! Here is the message from Ami Simms. Lets give her a hand in getting this goal done!!!

Log Cabin Block

I was asked to review a new e-Book by Fons and Porter called
"Build Your Best Log Cabin". I have been a big fan of Fons and Porter for years, having taped many VHS tapes of their shows, when I was just learning to quilt. Their e-book is very easy to download and the directions are very straight forward.

Log Cabins are wonderful and versatile blocks. This block became very popular in 1860's. So many different layouts are possible with this block.  It continues to be one of the best blocks to teach beginning quilters and still can be challenging for intermediate quilters as well.

The e-book presents examples of Traditional, Courthouse Steps and Chervon blocks as well as many possible layout. The Traditional Block Cutting Chart is a wonderful resource. It gives you 5 different blocks sizes, as well as the width and length of the strips needed to achieve your desired size.

The pages include pictures of Antique and Contemporary quilts with a touch of history thrown in the mix. There are featured quilts by well know quilt artists such as Ricky Tims,Marti Michell, Shon McMain, and
Lori Christianson, from easy to challenging.

Also included are cutting charts, suggested quilting designs and tips on organizing your strips. There is even a tutorial for "Liz's Lumpless Binding" and "Binding with Piping" to really make your creations sing!

Best of all this is a FREE download .

January Fun Stuff & NewFO

January really did fly by quickly this year. We had a few birthdays, ate to much and sewed to little.

First was Louie's birthday. I made him his birthday wall hanging. He loves it and is still hanging up. Picture is not as bright as the actual wall hanging. I will have to make something up for Valentines day real soon!

I made a couple pairs of shorts for his mom, and a pillow case for his sister. Forgot to take pix. 

I belong to the Block Swap Adventure and made a 12 " inch block for Teresa in UK. She liked it. The pattern she wanted was called cactus basket so why not a cactus with flowers. The centers are orange buttons.

Then the deadline for Alzheimer's Art Quilt was looming so I made this cute little block.

#13096

Flowery Stars.

Flowers are felt with button centers. It was great fun to make. If I could have figured out how to sew the buttons on by machine I would have!. I really have gotten spoiled making things by machine only. 

My sewing machine was sounding like a tank for a few weeks and was getting louder and louder. I didn't want to take the chance and ruin my blocks so I set them aside and worked on the other stuff.  I was working on my Easy Street blocks. Bonnie K Hunters quilts are piece intensive. Someone said this one has over 3000 pieces but it is so worth the work. 

 So what am I going to do??? 
Working on my NewFO Challenge at Cat Patches of course!


Well it just so happens that one of Bonnie's quilt blocks Scrap Trips Around the World! has gone viral. There is a Flickr group called Scrappy Trip Along that is posting the quilts.  Since I start going by the adage that if the scrap tub is full make something, I decide this would be the perfect block. I made 25 strip sets in 2 days and now that I have my sewing machine back from the repairman "Fabric Will Fly"!!!

Some of the strips are 10 years old!


Last year I started keeping a running total of things that I have made. I was surprise how many there were considering I often could only sew for 15 to 20 minutes a day. It was 54 finished items. So I am tracking this again this year.

Happy Quilting 

Aileen in Florida

Finished projects 2013: 1 pillow case, 1 AAQI quilt, 1 Wall hanging, 2 shorts, 1 BSA block, 3 nookbook rests

Happy Birthday Louie!

Happy 3rd Birthday Louie!

Louie is my grandson and constant companion in my sewing room. He has his own table and chair in the there. He loves scraps and has been playing with them since moving here in July of 2011.

His favorite thing to do with those scraps is bury his toy cars or fling them in the air! Good thing he helps me clean up every night.
He knows what a rotary cutter is. He says it is a pizza cutter for fabric. He is fascinated with all my tools. His greatest pleasure is watching me clean my sewing machine and he tries to get between me and the machine for a better look.

Every night he sleeps with his Grandma blankets.

Currently his favorite blanket is a Christmas UFO lap quilt I finished just in time for Christmas. While I relax in my chair at night, he get up on my lap and loves to hiding under it.  Since he is a ball of energy I am grateful that curling under the quilt calms him down just before bedtime.

 While I was working on my blocks for Easy Street, I realized that I wanted to made him a birthday wallhanging.  
This is what I came up with. 

Happy Birthday Louis!!!!
Love Grandma  

Easy Street - Rounding the bend

Hi Fellow quilters.

I have been plugging away at my Easy Street blocks. I finished Orca Bay a few months ago for my daughter Carri. This one is for me. I love the colors.

Due to lots of pain meds and the Flu I have been doing them Very slowly. I tend to sew like my machine is on fire. This is the way my mom taught me  to sew 43 years ago. Husband sometimes says it sounds like a machine gun going off in there.
I am finding that it is going together very nicely. I have been very careful not to stretch anything. I have not ironed any of my blocks yet. All have been finger pressed. This eliminated the usual swearing that I would have been doing by now, due to those quarter square triangles.

I have 9 blocks of Block B to go and all will be completed. For a change I sewed the blocks Bonnie's way. Webbing them! What a difference that made. I usually do all of one thing and then go to the next and end up ripping out stuff left and right. I had to rip out 2 -  4 patches and resew about 10 flying geese because they were warped badly. Not bad. I think my ripper got lonely for me! LOL

Can't wait to finish those last 9 blocks. 

Sorry about quality of pictures. I thought cut off for linky was Monday as well.

Happy Sewing

Aileen in Florida