2012 QOV Challenge

So.... How are you all doing on our 2012 Quilt of Valor 12 for 12 Challenge?   I am plugging along and doing great making the tops.... somehow I have slowed down on the Quilting.... so I had better get busy!!!


Link up to your blog post/ flicker picture and lets see what you did for February... EVEN if its not finished!! I love inspiration and ideas!!!

Februarys UFO

I am coming in under the wire on this one, I just finished it up Monday Night, and.... I left the zippers in it, as I might go do some more quilting in the borders. I am not sure I like them....but I needed to get another quilt started.....so Here you go: February's UFO

 I believe I was gifted these fabrics about 3 years ago, and it took me about a year to make the top.......

It is an Atkinson Designs pattern - but I'll be danged if I can remember which one....

 I obviously like the back ;-)   and in the borders I did butterflies in the corner, and daisies in it.... but the daisies need *more*   so we will see....

For more finished UFO's and to find out what March's number is - go to
Patchworktimes

Quilt presentations

We had the honor of receiving 2 pictures of Veterans with their Quilts of Valor.... love Love Love the smiles on their faces.   

And that - my wonderful quilters - is what it is ALL about.... by the way - that brings our number of Quilts of Valor presented for February to 100 QOV's !!!

Design Wall Color Palette and QOV edition

I came home Sunday night and completely took over the WHOLE front room!! We had our sew day Sunday and made a LOT of things that I had to check out again... and I got to sew Saturday evening, so had my own things all over the floor - Life is good!




First Off - the February Color Palette - designed by Vicki  is pictured below.

 This is my quilt - the wickedly easy pattern from ByAnnie.com  was being discussed and I did n't have a plan in mind for my fabrics - I modified the pattern a little, in that I made a few continuous colors thru it, but I kind of like it..... its different .... that's for sure.

And the - our sew day - I took 42 thirty million 10 inch squares, and we all cut and sewed, and cut and sewed.... and made a gazillion blocks.......

Then we started putting the blocks into tops - and we got 3 complete tops finished, and a LOT in progress.... some were taken home to be finished.... and we were tickled.


The pattern we used can be found here:   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jxC-0T5lXw4

I LOVE it!! They use a layer cake - which is 42 pieces.... but we used 48 pieces - and that way

we could lay them out 6 x 8 which gave us

54 x 72 inch quilts!!

here we are - all working so hard, and maybe snacking a little itty bitty bit!!

For more design walls go to:
http://www.patchworktimes.com

Stash report 2/25/12

Oh laa laa 
We went and did a little shopping this week - but I blame the wind.... tee hee


Little bit has finished his zoo quilt top and we needed a backing, but he has not found a suitable one in my stash. We had to be in town, and had to be near a Joanns - so we just decided to check.   He and Middle Bit decided on Fleece for backing.. I think that is what it is called.  And we got a yard with puppies on it to make a puppy bed...


They decided that with a batting and fleece for the backing it would be the warmest quilt ever!!!  


We had our State Guild Meeting yesterday and a quilt shop near it called Laughing Ladies was having a sale. So I picked up 2 yards of cheddar to finish my Jacobs Ladder Quilt a long, and 2 yards of a really odd blue --- I think it will be a border for the JL QAL


Oh - and I found out even more people were coming to the Quilt of Valor sew time this afternoon, so hurried up and cut another 150 10 Inch squares...




Fabric In This Week:    11 Yards
Fabric In YTD:                32..42 yards


Fabric Out this Week:    13.2 Yards
Fabric Out YTD:             146.32


Total yards still busted :113.9 yards


To see other stash reports head over to 
http://www.patchworktimes.com

Toffee Winners

yes!! I said Winners!!! The owner of Verns Toffee  Saw my post and graciously added another pound to the drawing,... and after I asked if I could just have it... she said no *sigh*  Just kidding... I still have a little left of mine, thanks to Wrangler Man hiding it and doling it a portion at a time!!




So Winner Number 1 is Number 13  Dirt Road Quilter  and Number 18 - Barb


Emails have been sent to them to get their goodies.... 


Thanks for playing everyone!!

Why the quilt police won't be knocking on your door

Or .... why one should stop when they have a headache....


I really really really wanted to have this quilt top finished... first , so I could say it was finished, and second, because I needed my table cleared off so my middle son could sew.....  So I worked diligently... and you know what?


I have decided that I must be a better quilter than everyone... because - when the borders are supposed to be 49 inches, and mine are 53,    .... I make the quilts bigger... and you all know bigger is better right ( you should be laughing WITH me now, not at me!)

See the carpet showing through between the borders.... I need a Fudge border... which is all good - because fudge is made from chocolate - so I am quilting in Love now right???

Using my wonderful math skills, I determined that the fudge border needed to be 2 inches wide, so I cut 2 1/2 inch strips and sewed them on, then... I attached the outer border. I, Um, Kinda noticed that on one side I had to stretch the white a little bit, yet on the other.... umm, well it was the red side that needed to be stretched.



But oh well - it is done right?  And it looks really really good from the top... but hey wait? Is some of the fabric trying to get up?   Lets look at it from the side view...


Oops.... I see waves...amber waves of grain....

And I see a few ripples along the border.... this is the side where I had to stretch the red out border to match the white fudge border. I think I can see a problem.....

Just so you know - that star DID lay flat before the border were applied.... Look what the outside ripples did to the inside of the quilt... oh my!!

And this last picture... well - this is where I stopped for the night.  I am calling the top DONE!! So I can link up to Finished Friday at Crazymomquilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.... but..

You all know that tonite I will be ripping out the borders, and fixing the fudge strip and then reapplying the borders....  

I would say that I can Quilt this out - but this last border picture will probably present a problem for me, so I really do need to fix that side,,

So for all of you who worry about the police stopping by... just send them my way - I can take it ;-)




Oh and don't forget - you have till 5pm today to enter for the Toffee http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2012/02/toffee-field-trip.html

Back in the Olden Days

A way long time ago, in a far away time, Wrangler Man and I moved out to this previously un-lived upon land, and decided to set up shop here.....   Because there was no such thing as running water, power and all those things one might want to have.. we moved a mobile home in. And proceeded to dig a well, run power lines, all that important kind of stuff!


We lived in the tiny little mobile home ( less than 900 sq feet) for 7 years... and in all that time we did not own a mechanical dishwasher..... and.... we survived...


HOWEVER - since we built our house that we live in now - we did include a dishwasher. And in the way of all things mechanical - ours has died.  And my Natural Born dishwashers - are sadly enough - in hiding at the end of a meal.


Yesterday morning I was washing all the dishes *by hand*  *sigh*   , Little bit sauntered out, recklessly into the kitchen and says - Gosh Mom - you sure can do a lot of dishes with just a little bit of water.... and it made me remember the olden days.

Back in the day of the mobile home, we had very limited water. And the majority of our water was used watering livestock, so dishes and laundry came very very last....   now we have a cistern that holds up to 700 gallons in reserve for us... progress.


My Grand Mother in Law came to visit us, and she was even better at water conservation than I - the ranch she lived on as a young mother ( with 3 children in CLOTH diapers) had NO water, and she had to haul all that they needed, daily, from a neighboring ranch.  Made my life look a lot easier!


Do you remember those people who would say - Oh I wish I lived 100 years ago?  Hmmm... I don't think I am one of them....  ( by the way - see the plant in the picture? That is THE FIRST plant I have EVER kept alive for more than a month... impressive right?)

High Ground Movie Premiere - and QOV's

This last weekend was the Boulder International Film Festival and High Ground Premiered.  We were invited to the Premiere, and a few of us QOV people met up!! It was a blast - and an incredible movie... I will keep promoting it until it comes out on the big screen - so please pass this on!!!


Before the premiere, my son and I were invited to head up to the studios and meet with the Veterans that were able to make the premiere - Oh My Gosh!!! That was wonderful....


My son is a little interested in film making, so he got to meet up with the producers and director, and meet a big Hollywood famous person - and it was WAY COOL!!


The absolute best part was being able to present Quilts of Valor to the Vets!  We took pictures with our phone, and I am hoping to get better ones... but here are a few to make you as excited as we were!!

This is Chad B!  He is awesome!! But more importantly He LOVE his quilt!!! I believe it was made by Ila... in the below picture - that is Steve B looking over his shoulder. Funny thing about Steve B.... he is blind... but I don't think that you would really know it....

This is Ashley - the Quilt she recieved is from the Ft Morgan Quilters - Susan and her crew worked on this one. AND!!! It was her favorite colors.... amazing. Ashley is a Helicopter Mechanic.... when they ran out of tin - she patched up a helicopter with a coke can.  A female MacGuyver I tell ya!!

This is Chad J - I love him!!  I am going to visit him, because - are you ready for this?  Sit down. His girlfriend ... is a chocolateer.... seriously - Its Kizmet - I am meant to visit - right ( I mean that's not weird is it?)

I am going to leave you hanging there with the QOV presentations ... so you just have to COME BACK (tee hee)

Oh - and this is Becky, Terry and Caroleann - they are some of the other QOV'ers We met up with!  They are the best - I had so much fun talking with them. Face to Face is SO much better than emails !! Really!!

A Toffee Field Trip

The boys and I were invited to a skating rink for a Valentines party - and you can NOT say no to Valentines parties!! While we were there, a friend of mine, who I may have to disown, told me that Vern's Toffee was just around the corner.  Oh boy... you ALL KNOW where this is going right?


So we went, and we arrived just in time - they were making the final batch of toffee for the day, and I want to live there. We walked in, and just the smell would make you swoon... in a good, kind of George Clooney ish ( or maybe Tim Tebow ish)  way....


Stephanie - one of the owners, invited us back to see what she was up to.......want to see?

They have just made the toffee, and now they pour it out on a steel table that is cooled by internal water hoses... it smells SO GOOD!!

They spread the toffee out to a specific height....

This amount will turn out to be about 42 pounds... 

And the Patrick pours the chocolate on.... just so you know - they have both milk and dark chocolate and I don't have a favorite... I sampled them both equally and fairly and may JUST have to go back to try them again.. side by side... in a blind taste test... just in case....

They spread the yummy chocolate

Then put the yummy almonds on....

Patrick cuts it, they flip it, they put MORE chocolate on, and more almonds on... I think I might have zoned out and forgotten pictures during that process...  because the smell.... the heavenly smell of chocolate was wafting through my senses.....

And then they stack it up, and put it on the cooling racks ... and push crazy visitors away - because if the crazy visitor eats it ALL - they will have none to sell, and they may have to roll her out the door....but you know that wasn't me right ?  It was the other crazy visitor!

And here is the yummy toffee that Stephanie's dad cut up and is under lock and key, and ready to package!!  It is YUMMY stuff I tell you!!

We really enjoyed ourselves, and I know this is NOT quilt related in any way. But it was such fun. This is a family owned company and has been in business since 75 or 76 . I so enjoyed myself - and so did the boys... and so did Wrangler Man ... I did bring home a pound to share with him.

Although - it may not have been a true pound by the time the box got to him....

Anyone want to try some?  I tell you what - leave me a comment and tell me if you like Dark or Milk Chocolate the best.... and I will choose a winner on Friday, at 5pm, and then send you some of your favorite kind.... 

but you can't be allergic to nuts - there is almonds in it.

 ( fair warning - we have allergies in our house so I have to ask!!)

Design Floor Monday

I have a finish on my design floor - Yay!!!  


I don't know if you remember, but about 7 months ago my cousin and her girls left the earth. My cousin was a quilter, and so is her mom. So her mom took her projects and is finishing them up. This one was a little bigger, so I got the honor of quilting it!!


I am quite tickled with how it turned out. The girls loved bugs, and butterflys, and ladybugs - so....

Its called the Crazy Dutchman, and I love how my Aunt set it in a rainbow fashion....

I quilted a butterfly in the corner, and trailed feathers out of it through the whole border.

Then in the middle of the outer border there is another butterfly, flying in the border toward the others.

This is the back - you can see the flutterbys a  little better as they were black thread.

I am really excited that I got to finish this. I know its not much, but I like to feel I was a part of helping get L's projects to finish. We met up with my aunt and uncle Sunday for brunch in Cheyenne, and I got to give it back to them. Made my heart happy!!!  Thanks for listening.,


To see other design walls go to http://www.patchworktimes.com

Stash Report 2/19/12

Yay - I finally started cutting into my Color Challenge Fabrics!!  And I am still cutting up my scraps into layer cakes... I thought I would show you the madness

here is how this is working... I am grabbing a pile of fabrics, ironing it, and then cutting. If it works to cut ten inch squares - I do that... if it needs to be stripped it goes into that pile on the right ( behind the orange box). If I can cut a 10 from it, I do, and then I strip the rest of the fabric into 5 inch strips, and 2 1/2 inch strips.... in the end I know that i will have enough for another couple sew days.... We will have Quilt of Valor tops galore!!!  


And since I count it out when I cut it, as I am not always the one sewing it, my number look good... so hows that for coming clean?  And knowing that in the next couple of months a lot of sewing will be taking place, but not a lot of stash moving out..... sigh


Fabrics In this week :      0 yards
Fabrics in YTD:               21.42 Yards


Fabrics Used this week:    15 yards ( 4 for my color challenge, 1/2 for zoo borders, 10.5 sew day)


Fabrics Used YTD:            133.12 Yards


Total Fabric BUSTED:  111.7 yards


For other stash reports go to: http://www.patchworktimes.com

Visiting Quilting Groups

Every Once in a while I get invited to visit a group, give a little talk, and have some fun!! I was invited to a group in Denver .. they are the Miracles group - and oh my heavens, is that an organized group.   Miracles is a treatment center, and in their treatments, quilting is offered. 


These ladies quilt once a week, and do a wonderful job. They are led by Jessica.. and her able bodied volunteers.

This is the *kit* bucket... they kit up fabrics so that there are enough Fat Quarters, or strips to make a quilt top.

They have a  *How to* quilt hanging on the wall so you can see what to do!

Isn't that a great idea?  I am such a visual person - I just loved this!!

These are some of the quilt tops they had ready for me to take - and to get to LongArm Quilters for Quilts of Valor.

This quilt (below) was made by Donna. It is her 9/11 Quilt. She started it the day after... and it is just gorgeous. In the flag - there is a piece of fabric for each person lost at the trade center.

Just magnificent. So much better in person.

I was so impressed with this group - after I talked about what Quilts of Valor is, and thanked them for all the tops that they create over the years , they put me to work!!! Can you believe it?


I ironed, I cut, I tore out the unworthy design elements ( tee hee), and i ironed some more. But mostly I listened to the stories, the things they were learning, and the desire to be of help to someone else.   Jessica - your girls are awesome!! Thanks for inviting me!!