Busy Beaver in August.

 Isn't it funny when you can't seem to sit still, need to keep on finding things to do but then when you're 63 you also definitely need a nap.....  That's the funny part.

I've been busy in August with the paintings.  See below.

Black Cat 10 x 12"

A tree in one of our favorite parks.  It's huge.

It's a retirement gift for a friend of mine.  His dog.

My husband.  Exploring portraits.

Lesson from my painting class.

The one I was really working towards.  It was hard, took my three days, but it was a birthday gift for another artist so it had to be perfect and really, I loved the actual picture and just felt that I had to paint it.  I have it framed and it looks even better in the frame.  

So I wanted to see if I could also do a portrait in water color and I was dying to do something in value colors, and the results is the picture of the girl below from another lesson from my watercolor teacher.  I really love it.

Still practicing watercolors as well.

A gift for a friend who is raising cows for the beef.

I've been doing a lot of quilting as well, but nothing completed.  I started a log cabin quilt with strips that someone gave me 3 years ago and it was hanging in our extra closet that my husband has his sports stuff in.  He kept on pushing to the side and one day while going through my stash on the bottom of the closet I noticed that so I've been completing 8 1/2" blocks.  I don't want to do another queen size, just want to get through all those strips.  Have done 40 completed but I need 64 blocks, so it's on my list of things to do for the retreat I'm going to next month.  YES my first retreat and I'm very excited.  Have enough to do, so I feel good about it.

Another one that I've been working on is a Kaleidoscope pattern, which uses a jelly roll and is very complicated and it just takes time to put the pieces together.  You can't rush that one.  Another kit going with me for the retreat.  I really love the colors in this one so you'll have to wait to see it.  It's a large lap quilt.  

I did fix a couple of quilts.  I put out all my autumn stuff (and painting some autumn pictures as well) to make me happy.  This quilt I have always moved but it was too small for my bed, so I enlarged the sides, and it fits perfect now. The colors are so rich, the colors of fall and the forest, that's why we both love it.  It's not that thick either so my husband loves it with the window wide open.  He's getting hot flashes so now he understands what I was going through LOL>

I also took off a piece of an applique quilt I made as part of a mystery quilting book.  It's old (at least 6 years), I've never used it, never hung it up, but it is pretty.  And I want to give it away so I took this ladder that the pattern ask for off the house to make the house look more natural.  See the white line going up to the windows?  Yup, that's gone.   I then had to requilt that section to make it better.  And it turned out really pretty.  I still don't want it because I have too many quilts, but I can give it away.  I'm at the point that I just want to make the quilts, not keep them.  But it's my husband that keeps on saying no I want to keep that one, and that one and that one....  so.....  I'll sneak it out one day.

I also did placemats.  I want to contribute that to my guild so I'm practicing to make sure I have the right size.  They're turning out gorgeous, but not the right size for the Meals on Wheels contribution.  I'll have to come up with another idea.  But I've been following an old old book that I got with patterns for every month a new placemat.  It's called Kim Schaefer's Calendar Runners with 12 applique projects.  I showed my husband the two I've made for September and October and he loves them, so I guess every month you'll see something here for a placemat, and some for contribution.

Can you guess which ones are for September and October?  I'll give you a hint, it's right by that ugly turkey one.  LOL

I have also been working on my lady quilt that I've mentioned a couple of times.  I made over 32 blocks to put around a stitched lady carrying flowers.  I found the piece in a second hand store, and the person had made it to put a quilt inside it (like a duvet cover).  I hated the thought of all that work for something so ugly so in August I sandwiched it, quilts all around it until it was solid, and then started to put different blocks from Sewcialites #3from the Fat Quarter Shop.  They have so many free sew alongs, it's one of my favorites.  See the link above to take a look at all of their blocks in different sizes.  It's a great way to improve your sewing.  And if not all the blocks make you happy there is always #2 and #1 Sewcialites.  I've completed the left side of the quilt and the bottom of the quilt.  It's a large queen size again so that's why I'm saying NO MORE QUEEN SIZE QUI:TS!

yeah right, lets see how long that lasts.

My guild starts tomorrow and one of the things we're doing is making a list of our UFOs.  I need to pick 5 that I want to complete this quilting year.  Every one you enter you have a draw.  You have to pay $2 I think to enter each quilt to try and get an entry to the draw.  Last year I did it and didn't get one done.  I got a lot of quilts done, but none that were UFOs.  I keep starting quilts and not completing them so lets hope this helps.  OK.  I think this is enough.

Happy quilting.

Cleaning my room….. and getting things completed.

 I cut out three different quilts getting them ready for sewing and one I’m prepping for quilting.  They are the Girl Applique, the Kaleidoscope,  one with a jelly roll, and one with scraps that is making a cabin quilt.  I need to prep the girl applique, and start quilting around it.  

The Kaleidoscope has 24 pieces to it, and I'm hoping to make 3 a day.  Already behind 3 but with this flu and a sore back, it's hard to do.

The jelly roll is all cut out and at least 4 different ones completed.  I'm hoping to do 4 a day as these ones take time, and it's a little complicated.  

Finally the cabin quilt (which is held in that plastic bag, which right now I have 24 completed, and looking at doing at least 10 or more a week.  That one will take over a hundred squares.  I'm hoping for a 60" by 60" top.  It will look great at the end.

The room is getting cleaner.  The projects are now in containers used for scrap book making.  I love how easy they are to store.  I put painters tape on them then write the name and the date on the tape so I know how old they are.  There's plenty of them so my idea is to get them down.  Some have been started and how they're UFOs.  That's more than enough drive to get them going.

Then there are the paintings.  The first three are water colors and the rest are acrylic.  I love acrylic painting but the watercolor is faster so it depends on my mood and how hyper I am too I guess.

and

That’s it, I’m feeling good about the whole thing.  Yes I know that's a lot.  I’m still enjoying the process, the quilting and sewing, but I am also getting the projects down, so I can choose the ones I want to create without feeling guilty about not completing what I’ve started.

Speaking of starting, I'm starting a new course in Acrylic teaching me how to make mist and doing a fox.  I'll keep you update.

Have a great week.

Another completion..... Missouri Star.

 It's the colassal Churn Dash from Missouri Star.

The video to help you is here.  It's three different churn dashes for you to do.  The videos are self explanatory, you don't need a pattern.  But unfortunately, my colossal churn dash is not featured on this so you have to go to this link to get the pattern which is usually $6 - 9 American dollars.

It was so quick and easy to do, I did the flimsy in 2 day (one day cutting - one day sewing).  It uses a layer cake, one fabric for the accent churn dash, and another bit of fabric for the layer around.  Here's their pattern:

Now here's mine.  It was quilted in different squares, and the churn dash in the middle was straight stitch.  Some of the squares are triangle quilted, some square.  The centre is quilted as a large star.  It's huge!!!

Its easier to sew them in fours, but the bottoms should be in sixes as you see here.

It comes together really easily as you can see here.  I tried to stitch a row right across the bottom, but it's easier in 4s and 6s.

the material is so old, it's from Craftsy when they were selling kits and materials (at least 15 years old).  A good time to let it go.

I love it.  It's a giant lap quilt that fits the top of my queen size bed (74" by 93"), but no drape so I just use it as a cuddle quilt.

Hope your quilting days are going great.  Take care.

Relaxing days.....

 Finally getting my mogo back, not so tired and yesterday I didn't nap which is really something or me lately.  So it was an easy day alone.  My hubby went to watch a football practice and that gave me time to paint.

Still trying to get use to a light wash in water coloring but like anything else it's practice.

  But it's the acrylic that's my passion.

And the quilting.

Determine to get my sewing room/painting room clean....

 So you retire and you start to take up more hobbies like painting (acrylic, watercolor).  That means more room needed to frames, paper, canvases, etc....   That means things get a little crowded.....

So I'm trying to clean up some of the 1/2 finished quilts and organize some of the paintings.  And it's getting done as you've seen in the last blog posting. Both paintings (all watercolors) and quilts.

  And yesterday I cut out a quilt, and drew 4 more images to paint.  that was while visiting a doctor, going downtown for an xray, and doing  plenty of other things.  This is what I did...

I made the medium size hanging bag and threw it at my husband as a joke.  The next thing I knew he put it in his bathroom, to put his shavers in so they're not on the floor of his cupboard.  That will teach me.

So today is an easy day, of just painting and cutting.  I realized after a very hot night that my flannel blankie needs to be replaced with something a little cooler.  :)   Great excuse to make another quilt for myself.  

Plus I'm interested in painting those watercolor drawings I started.  I'm also starting an acrylic painting of our trip as a reminder, something small to practice on before I start a 20" x 20".

That's the catch up.....  Have a great week.

Five years I've been working on this one....

 Its hand sewn, it's quilted with my little janome, and it took five years.

It's not quite queen size, more of a double.  I hand stitched everything on it but the quilting is by machine.  It's an owl in a tree with birds and nests.  But it has surprises....

Cats....

There are flowers everywhere, and butterflies.  Different bird houses...

All very busy, and very beautiful, with old style material.  I love it.  Hope to enter it in this year's quilt show.

Another Baby Quilt gift....

 Just a quick one after that last long one.  Another baby quilt for a gift this time.  It's a little smaller, but much harder because of the pieces. Quilted with waves.

And another painting tio go with the last gift, with Ernie and Burt.  Acrylic.

Both going next week in the mail and off.