Happy New Year 2024!!

 What a year it has been....

A while ago I started choosing a word to focus on for each year, and the word for 2023 was Joy. My Dad and I had started a Bible study on Joy, and then .. well Life Happened!!  One year it was Balance, one year it was Enjoy.... One year Utilize.... 

Even with all the things that happened this year, I still think I did a Good job in Finding Joy in things. A few times it was a little challenging, but I like that having that word in the back of my mind changed my outlook a little.

I do miss my Mom and Dad a lot. And their house was ( well still is) a lot of work, I have tried to find the Joy in rereading some of the things they wrote, or giggling about finding 6 copies of the same book...or even cleaning a drawer and finding the Grocery list for the Last Thanksgiving my Mom hosted.

I do like the word Balance... as is finding a Balance between my Quilting, my Ranching, My QOVs, my Dog, My ... well everything haha!!   

I also like the phrase - *Slow Down*   As in take it easy, remember to find the Joy, read a book... its okay!!

I will ponder on a word/phrase today - do you have a Word or A Phrase that you will focus on in this coming year?

A Starry Finish and Finished!!! (or not ) Friday!!

Happy Friday to you all!! the Last Friday of 2023!! Who knew?  

I hope you all had a great Holiday!! I did! I am refreshed, rejuvenated, and retired?? NO not retired, just re-tired from thinking of all the things we did over the little break... I'll be sharing!!

I did get This Starry Quilt of Valor Quilted!!!

This one was designed by Karen K. She then cut up Block kits and brought them to our QOV Sew day. All the amazing quilters made the blocks and we threw them at Karen as we raced home....  ( just kidding)

But she put them together into another amazing top!!!

I was lucky to quilt it!

Off it will go , back to our sew days and someone will add the amazing binding to it - and Bam!! It will be ready for a Veteran Touched by War!!

Speaking of Quilts of Valor!!! ( yes, I do that a lot!) 

My next mystery is coming up soon!!!

Doesn't this sound fun??? Come back on January 3rd for the FABRIC REQUIREMENTS - but if you need a hint head over to: this post for some hints  and if you don't have a LOT of Reds and Blues - you can do this in TWO contrasting Darks.... it will work!!

Alright !! Now it is your turn to brag!!

If you had a FONF for the week of the 22nd and one for this week - feel free to link them both up!!!  The linky party only takes 50 links tho... so steal a spot!! Quick!!!

******Last link up of the year !! ****************************

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

**********************Happy New Year of FInishing!!!! *************************

Linking to:

Oh SCrap at Quilting is moreFun than Housework

The Birthday Girl

•  *FONF is going to take a short break since next week is Close to Christmas and I am going to be playing with my family!!!!
• Save the links for DECEMBER 29th - and we will have the final LINK UP of 2023!!!  Whoop Whoop!!!
• Maybe start looking for your Favorite finish of 2023 and you can link that one up too????**

My Little Sidekick is 6 months old now....

I was told they calm down a bit, stop biting and listen better at this age... she is already defying the usual's!!!

She loves 2 mile walks first thing in the morning.... ( and at lunch, and at snack time, and at dinner, and before bed)....

She thinks she would love to chase the cows away from their hay so she can eat it...

She thinks if she looks pensive and sweet... you won't know what's going on in her mind and she can get away with something!!

But then she gets all sweet like and you forget what mischief she gets up tooo......

An In Progress ... Finished Or Not Friday!!!

*FONF is going to take a short break since next week is Close to Christmas and I am going to be playing with my family!!!!

Save the links for DECEMBER 29th - and we will have the final LINK UP of 2023!!!  Whoop Whoop!!!

Maybe start looking for your Favorite finish of 2023 and you can link that one up too????**

Today I am celebrating finishing steps!!! Not a whole quilt, or a top.. but Steps!!

I have the next round on my QOV decided....

I need to stitch that round on and then decide what I will do next!!!

and!!

I have finished stitching the last BH mystery clue... they are not pressed - but!! They are stitched - and we are calling that a win!!

I'll probably iron them after chores - that's one of the best ways to warm up your hands!!!

I have finished the last of the Client quilts that wanted them by Christmas - and am now working on the next round of quilts. I always love this part of the process - I get to see so many unique and fun quilts.

It DOES NOT help my bucket list tho!!!! ( Or should I say Bucket Dump Truck!!)

* Link up today and then SAVE UP YOUR LINKS...

FONF is going to take a short break since next week is Close to Christmas and I am going to be playing with my family!!!!

Save the links for DECEMBER 29th - and we will have the final LINK UP of 2023!!!  Whoop Whoop!!!

Maybe start looking for your Favorite finish of 2023 and you can link that one up too????

********************12*15*23 Link UP **********************

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

***************See you the 29th!!! Happy Christmas!!!********************

Awarding Quilts of Valor

 I was invited to a few places to present Quilts of Valor on Veterans Day. it was quite fun, but I forgot photos - so was at the mercy of someone else to get them to me..... and now!!

I have one!  

This is a Group from the DAR that I went to .. the members nominated family  to receive a Quilt.  

This was a super fun group - and they were quite funny.... The guy on the far left doesn't live that far from me... although we didn't know it until we had this presentation.  I was asking him about where he was - and he started laughing... he said he couldn't tell me, it was top secret... unless I brought dinner for him and his family! He reminded me of Me!! I always tell people to come but don't come empty handed!!

Of course, many think that means to bring their scraps.... oh boy!!

Design wall and 2024 QOV Mystery

Good morning peeps!!!

I am doing the Bonnie Hunter Mystery because its Red white and Blue and I'm a sucker for those colors!!

Go me!! I have all the pieces cut for Clue #3  ( ps Clue #1 and #2 are DONE!)

But!! While I am doing it - I am cutting a few extra strips here and there for the 2024 QOV Mystery!!! It does have a name - I will reveal it a little later.....

So here is the Schedule at this moment...

Fabric Requirements :  January 5th
Clue #1  January 17
with One clue a week ( Each WEDNESDAY) until we are done - I see this being 5-6 clues... 

The clues will post on my Mystery Quilts 4 Military FIRST- in the files section... you will need to be logged into your Groups.io account to go to the files section and download the clues..

The clues will also be HERE on my Blog a little later  ( Members gets first crack haha!!... actually I always have to do chores in between posting!)

So mark your calendars!!

here are the few secrets I will share now:

I will tell you some secrets about it
it will finish at 64 x 80
It will be a scrappy one - yes you can use yardage -  but!
Scraps!!!

Think
1 1/2 in strips of lights
2 1/2 inch strips of Red and Blues

and a few 3 1/2 inch strips thrown in for good measure..

maybe (but DON"T force yourself!!) if you are tidying up from other projects - you can start piling some of these size scraps in a bin.....

Such as this:

As you can see ..... I need one more block on each side and little fidgeting on the inner white borders - before figuring out what I will do next ;-)   

I think I like where this is going.... 

-

Not my Quilt... and !! Finished ( or not) Friday!

I might have mentioned that I was honored to quilt an Antique Quilt for a friend that was dated 1880!!!

it is done.. and I took a few photos - but they are not the best. It was cold, windy and ugly outside and I figured the quilt had lived over 100 years - it was probably NOT a fan of bad weather. 

Didn't want it to get Pneumonia!!! (I mean it has lived this long, I had better keep it safe)

Aren't those fabrics so yummy!!! I loved looking at each one of them !

There were a few pieces where the original quilter had to add a little 1/2 inch piece or a 1 inch square - so super cool!!!

I tried to echo the 8 pointed stars in the open spaces - and in the 8 pointed stars I did a Feather motif that was kind of open.... to let the stars shine.  It was a super fun quilt for me to work on, and I really enjoyed doing it. Individual blocks take a bit longer, but I think - in this case - it helped the quilt shine ;-)  ( you know ... since it is stars??)  

• Its now your turn!!  
• Link up your direct link
• Visit lots of links and leave some love
• I'd love it if you'd link back - get more visitors to see all the quilty goodness that is going on in the world!

*********************Link up here *********************

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****************The end****************************************

Quilts to Hospice

 

I know these are tops... but!! they were finished before I delivered haha!

A little bit before Thanksgiving I was invited to Pathways Hospice in Northern Colorado. They have a 12 bed facility in Loveland, and then in-home hospice workers all over. 

It is the Hospice we used when my Mom was sick. You might remember if you've been following long - that after she passed I took some small lap quilts to the Nurses and they fell in love with them. But I truly knew nothing of how it all worked, other than what I had experienced with my Mom.

The 12 bed facility is new - and there is a quilting group in Loveland that has made bed sized quilts for the old facility for a few years, so they were invited as was I to see the new place and learn about what they do with the quilts.

It was sad, and amazing, and overwhelming - the amount of people that use this type of care. ( and no -  I am not being mean, I just never really thought about end of life)

This group in Loveland has made over 300 quilts I think they said - but they are the bed sized - like 50 x 70 ish to fit the beds in the facility.

It made me appreciate  Bernie and Preetis efforts, and Cynthias efforts and Kat even more - that's a full time job!!

I have been making up smaller quilts with my orphan blocks, and UFOs, and smaller test tops - This year I have donated 54 quilts - and the last batch I took had these two at the top in them. Mine go to the In-home Care workers, when they think a patient might like a little extra hug. Some patients have no family around.

Year end Stats are always fun to read - but I am pretty horrible at keeping them - 

but for 2021 I took over 20 Quilts

2022 - was 40 

and 2023 is 54

So.... how come I keep finding more orphan blocks and fabrics I didn't know I had???? Hmm????😂🤣

The Design Wall.... aka - the new art is up

 We always tease that My Design wall is actually a traveling art show - and you never know what will be on display... or if you will even like the artist!!!

But!! 

That wall is getting a little use this week!!!

My Quilts of Valor 20 Stars for 20 years ( that is the official name of the quilt pattern I believe) is morphing into something else..... so It will have to get a new name - but at this time... 

This is what I am auditioning:

I think those will go all around and then I will measure again - and see what I like next ;-)

The goal is to make it 60 x 80 

You may have heard - there is a new mystery out from Quiltville - and since my RWBs were already out - I thought - Why not???  The quilt Is supposed to finished around 87 inches square - and I do need a new quilt for my bigger bed..... Maybe it will all work out?

and look at my puppy - she finally fell asleep next to me!!! This is a new thing for her, usually she bites my feet, and barks at the sewing machine!!

I am so excited!!!! 

Saturday we had a Horse Competition - and it was ALL day!! I sort of expected it to end about 2pm - but at 6pm we were still there. Since it was REALLY cold outside, and she can not stay inside that long - she went with us.

She did pretty well for the first time around 80 horses , trailers, lots of people, and gunshots. We alternated between the cab of the pick up, and her travel kennel in the horse trailer. I am pretty sure she did not sleep the whole day.

I got very chilled, so the last 20 minutes she and I were in the cab with the heat blasting and she was watching everything and snuggling me... I think she was a little tired too - but!! maybe I tired her out enough - that she will nap a few times this week?

Back to work you all!!!  ( and that is not a bad thing - I LOVE my job !!)

Find me at all these places:

   

Etsy           Instagram           Facebook

Linkig to:

Sew and Tell at Melva Loves Scraps

Design Wall Monday at Small quilts and Doll quilts

Monday Musings at Song Bird Desings

Finished ( or not) Friday!!!!

 Today I am going to have to live Vicariously thru you all!! I did not get one of my own things finished  and!! I am totally okay with that!!

I have been quilting of lots of Client quilts- and I love it. Its so fun to see all the cool things that people make!!

 

A wonky Log cabin ^

Pearls and Swirls  

A starry windy Night....

and a crazy happy dog - who LOVES the snow!!! Shes nuts and its so funny!!

So fill me in!! 

What's up in your world? Whats finished ( or not)

Link up 

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***the End... and Happy December!!! ********************

Lightening Streak Top

A while back I had to make a couple of blocks for a group charity quilt - and the person coordinating it wanted the blocks to be SUPER SUPER scrappy - as it 16-18 fabrics of the same colorway per block.

I had to use Yellows and Teals 

You know that if I had to have that much fabric out - I needed to cut it up... it just COULD not go back in my stash. ( only because I would never find it again!)

Because I am a fan of 5 inch squares ... I cut a lot of 5 inch squares... and then started playing, using them as leader enders..... 

And then I added a 5 inch strip to the 2 patches ( 5 inches x 9 1/2 inch) and made 9 1/2 in blocks.

and the next thing I knew - I was asking KC to hold it up so I could show you what I made...

Good Night... that went together fast!!! I put them 7 x 7   - so it is 63 x 63 ish in size...

Unfortunately that did not use up all the yellow that I cut up... but I moved on to the teal - so we will see what becomes of those... 

Now!! I have yellow scraps to use up tho - when that color called for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!

Don't forget to come back Friday and link up to 

Finished ( or not) Friday - its lots of fun to see everyones progress on quilty things!

Linking to:

Small Quilts and Doll Quilts

Sew n Tell

Monday Musings

Midweek Makers

Oh SCrap

Find me at all these places:

   

Etsy           Instagram           Facebook

Thankful November Week 4

 Just a few more things I Found to be grateful for:

The idea of being thankful for something each day didn’t seem hard at the first post - but for some reason today I feel like I’m reaching . And nothing bad has happened , it was actually a great day - but trying to find the specific thing to be grateful for is hard for me today.

So since I’m reaching - I’m thankful that I remembered to take the turkey out to defrost and it’s almost there .

One year my Dad and Mom came to the house on Wednesday and asked where the turkey was . I answered … the freezer .

Oops. Apparently I had not gotten the Butterball memo that turkey’s didn’t defrost over night .

The steak sure tasted good that year !! 

Love the sunsets around here  and the smells in my house !!

I’m thankful for pumpkin pie … and the kids heading our way !

Ps - I still can not master the gluten free pie crust so I went with the impossible pumpkin pie and it’s yummy !!!

( yep i taste tested) 

This will be my last post of my intentional gratefullness project this year 

I think (for me ) that trying to be intentional about finding a thankful each day helped my attitude and helped my focus .

And as of today … I can go back to being the grinch 

Ha ha !!!
Thanks for hanging out with me these last few weeks  

A 2024 Patriotic Mystery and!! Finished!! ( Or not) Friday!!

Around here we might over eat on Thanksgiving... okay - Not overeat as much as Overcook... which means I am off duty for a few days until they clean up all the leftovers!! Go me!!

So!! what is this about a new mystery? Well!! 

I have written a new mystery - Oh boy!!! Apparently I got inspired and got ahead of myself haha!

But with all the Cool Mysteries and Winter Quilt a longs I thought it would be best to wait until 2024 to start it....

I will tell you some secrets about it
it will finish at 64 x 80
It will be a scrappy one - yes you can use yardage - I will have that figured as well - but!
Scraps!!!

Think
1 1/2 in strips of lights
2 1/2 inch strips of Red and Blues

and a few 3 1/2 inch strips thrown in for good measure..

maybe (but DON"T force yourself!!) if you are tidying up from other projects - you can start piling some of these size scraps in a bin.....

There you go! That is your pre-warning. 

Now!! I do these mysteries because they are fun and I love them - but! I also am trying to encourage us to make at least one Quilt of Valor a year. These Quilts are SO healing to so many Veterans - that it just warms my heart to see them awarded, and to see the smiles that they bring. I want to share that joy with you!!

There are many groups that have a waiting list of Veterans - and they would be very happy to have your quilt. Many of you ask where the patterns are after the Mystery is retired - they (most of them) are in my Etsy shop ( Alycia Quiltygirl) - and they are downloadable. I do not make a lot of money on  them - and that is not the intent - the intent is to offer them free first, and then make enough money to keep my QOV group in Supplies and Fabrics... and Cover our Veterans Touched by War!

Win Win! Right?

and that my quilters!! is My Finished Friday!!!

Now it is your turn to show off, Strut your stuff, tell us what you have been up to!!

*****************Link Up ***************

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***************Happy Friday!!*******************

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Patriotic Design wall

 I am starting to get into that End of Year Organizing thing... 

Well... not really - but it made me sound all organized like - but I really shouldn't tell fibs like that!

In emptying my parents POD there was an antique table that I wanted. Its one of those that fold down to a rectangle and up to a circle. It was my Grandmas and I just liked it - so I added it to the end of my sewing table.  ( again ---- fib - my youngest son did it for me because he rocks!!)

In doing so, I can pile more stuff!! That I will just admit to! But in the *stuff* are a few projects not done... and now...

This one ( above) A whole bunch of us made blocks and we all shared them - and the others are already in quilts, and a few people actually finished theirs. I took some blocks and obviously Mine needed to marinate... but now... its on its way to being done!!  ( and yep!! a QOV)

Next Quilts of Valor hosted a Mystery - maybe it was called "20 stars for 20 years" ?  and I started and then life, and now.... I have ideas of how to finish it up - I am not sure I am going to follow the instructions...I think I see a different way I'd like to finish it and get it up to QOV size....

The little scary part of this is... I might be getting my Sewjo back full time... or I might have just jinxed it.  

Oh and on the quilting front - I just started an Antique quilt for a client from 1880!!! Oh My Stars - I love it.. this is my favorite block....

Find me at all these places:

   

Etsy           Instagram           Facebook

Linking to:

Sew and Tell

Design Wall Monday

Midweek Makers

Thankful November Week 3

 

I am one of those who says “you had me at chocolate. “

A few years ago my dad decided to buy a car exactly like mine, but he decided he better call and make sure it was OK because he was getting the exact same color as my car.

So I jokingly said yes you may buy that car as long as you bring me chocolate once a month.

yesterday, my sweet friend brought chocolate to me at church, and it made me laugh and bring back a sweet memory of my dad, giving me a bag of chocolate every so often just to remind me that it was OK that we had the same car in the same color 

I’m thankful for sweet friends, sweet memories - and of course chocolate!! 

I recieved this book from my Veteran friend when I was awarding quilts ( Quilts of Valor ) .

Mike said “Thought maybe you would be interested in my story. “

Yes please! My favorite thing is peoples stories.

Yesterday I was able to start his book , and needless to say …. I am almost done ! It’s fascinating.

I’m thankful that He thought of me. And I’m grateful for those who have made this country great  

interested in the book? you can find it here:

117 Days

From sunrise to sun almost setting … I am thankful that I get to be a part of providing good yummy beef  to folks .

Today was a delivery day and I loved chatting with my customers and learning more about them . And I fell in love with the little boy who told me he could eat hamburgers every day !!!

Today was a “get it done” day … and I am very thankful for days like today .

I like feeling like I got at least one thing done on my to do list

I’m thankful today that this guy is home …. there were no blizzards ( which usually happens when his plane lands in a warm place )

No gates left open , animals all followed the rules …. The dog … eh not so much …

But the house is still standing !!

Ps - don’t tell him I miss him when he’s gone , I’ll never live it down!!!

My little buddy turned 5 months today . She’s also my thankful for today.

She’s wild ,crazy and a little bit of a terror - but we love her and she is sweet (when she’s sleeping - just kidding )

She likes to try everything… including hay…. Little goofball 

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Linking to:

The Good, The Random and the Fun

Through My Lens

My COrner of the World