March 11, 2014

Luck of the Irish

Whiskers for some little girls....I am thinkin' the kitty should be shades of green too.....

Notre Dame is home at South Bend, Indiana. The love of the Irish is thick there!! It is a lovely campus and just north of where we live.
 So, if you are there during St Pats' Day you will see everything Green.  For them I add this Delicious looking cake and really sweet idea for that celebration.  I will have to find a gluten free recipe to use but, the idea of layering greens MUST be connected to my Love of Quilting....and color combinations in all that I see and enjoy.  So, have fun and go ahead, spoil yourself even if you just make the recipe into cupcakes; lets just Color IT Green!! at  Cupcakes and Cashmere    you just have to love the title of the blog too!!   Today I am making a Whiskers Quilt for 2 sweet grandgals to help celebrate the younger ones' 5th birthday and her American Girl she chose (I have always gotten each grandgal one )   Isabelle ....  the doll of the year....a dancer....just like our dancing Millie pod. 

Oh, current Spring sightings include geese on the frozen pond and flocks of robins enjoying a few area of "green" grass area.  Hey that is something really to celebrate....yep, I know, please don't rub it in we get up to 8 inches of snow tonight and tomorrow with wind....we JUST got my bug up and out the lane yesterday....yes, we will park out by the road tonight.....sigh!!!.....it must be what we need or God would not provide it!  May you  have green blessings the rest of this month of March....Spring is in 9 days...but hey, how is counting?  ......  Blessings Always!


March 8, 2014

The Hunt

Hexie Heaven
I started to cut my "braid" and since I don't have the plastic tool that Quilty is using...and I am not running out today to get one.  I got "on the Hunt" online; figuring  if I could find a 1 1/2 hexagon pattern to print than I can cut it in half and that should work for this precious braid that she made on my last post.

Had to share my "find"...

 Naturally, as all good quilter/bloggers addicts, such as I "may" be, I found  another great link to have in my blog library for "later'......a crochet hexagon afagan!!....it is just too sweet.....so, please enjoy her work at  Bunny Mummy, complete with a tutorial. Blessings!!

Pretty and Playful

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend.  We are seeing snow flakes but, NOT to worry, they will not get us caught in their "drift," if you know what I mean!
 Today I am finishing up doing my Jobs Tears; while on a search for a border idea, I found an awesome tutorial on a braided one with Quilty and so I plan now to use the fabric from the Tears into the border; I think it will be a nice combination...also to remind me that there is a truth God wants us to hug tightly,  that if we have His Three cords in our life of faith, it can not easily be broken.

 I thought with Jobs Tears the Cord would be something to remind us to trust Him always.

 Then, since we all want Spring ASAP I am posting a link to a new book Playful Petals  by Corey Yoder....just gorgeous patterns to try out!  I am also reading a series by Cindy Woodsmall on the Amish and an Apple Orchard....so her name caught my eye,great Amish name.....

 Have a blessed Quilted kind of day!

Our son?....doing excellent....it has been a week already since his surgery.....next news we hope is an idea of when the transplant may occur; thanks for prayers. 


March 5, 2014

Spooling

Lori Holts Tutorial
I think I just made a new word up but in the Quilters' World... SPOOLING :)
....a Spool Quilt.....Gotta have one.....so I have to make one....right after Jobs'Tears!!....I usually tear up when I laugh hard, don't you?
...actually, I have been known to have to pull over while driving if our group in the vehicle get me laughing...my eyes close and tears come and it is a "mess"....but a fun mess.....I won't tell you my experience with laughter while driving through Atlanta...I am sure that my sweet passengers have tried to forget that trip too!!
Ok, so onto the Spool News of the Day.....Lori Holt, yep, she is at it again! and again!!...love that gal!!...she has a tutorial......  There is also a class with Joanna Figueroa  on Craftsy, I did purchase this class and love all her ideas and arrangements of Old quilt patterns with fresh new ideas and her fabric is just gorgeous on any quilt block!....
These two spool quilts have two totally different looks....I am bending toward Joannas' myself.....
  So, just know as the old song goes...."Big girls don't Cry"....Beach Boys....... or "It's My Party and I'll Cry if I want too, Cry if I want too......you would cry too if it happened to You".....opps....just dated myself!!......really, laugh alot.....and cry with laughter if you want....be encouraged today.....I am counting my blessings....you are certainly one of them!

Pause.......

I must add the Sew We Quilt  blog HOP on RUFFLES...you must visit for several days to see all the goooood things! Love that Madam Samm !

Now I have to admit I have to be good and count SNOW AGAIN as a blessing....yep, it is snowing...the Goldens just came in with snow on their backs....big fluffy flakes, the kind you love at Christmas....have you seen the pictures of Niagra Falls?....frozen....with colored light under the snow....can I say More?....you bet! now you stop laughing! I know I am Gabby.....but I shut up when Quilting.....so!!  ....Quilted Hugs!!!  


March 1, 2014

Good News

We had a good day with our son and his wife and 2 little girls
even if he had just had surgery....it ended up to be a lappy; so that was a huge answer
to prayers...he was in and out of surgery in record time.  He opted to stay overnight due to his Dialysis schedule and ease of getting to the clinic on Saturday.
  It just seemed like the smart thing to do....and they can watch his vitals all night and that made his Dad and me feel better too.  So, that was a good thing to see happen....surgery yes, but not as in depth as it might have been....Dr was right, 70% chance it will be a Lappy.....Happy he was right!
So, now to heal and then start this PD dialysis and try to patiently wait for the transplant....of which, we are all so grateful for!

I could not sleep, since we were on the road over 7 hours total in just a 13 hour period of time. We had hugged on our 2 little Grandgals....and played the  "that's just so weird, Dobbie" game today.....we laughed and joked about "weirdo" things.....I totally needed the time playing in their room and watching them eat pizza and jello at the hospital cafeteria....their fav place right now to eat :).....and just hanging out.....no "particular place to go"....those are just the best times!!.....
My "weird-0" Companion 3 years ago
Also, tonight, I found a sweet book encouraged to me by Amazon; my faithful and free shipping friend....a book called  Civil War Legacies 11......it is just packed full of SMALL blocked OLD patterns, renamed and rearranged.....so I preordered it.....I love some of the names of her patterns....Connies' Lilly's.....it just sounds and looks awesome!!....you could substitute brighter 1930 Vintages too or use the splashy new prints of today....just experiment and make your "day"!.....that is what is so fun about quilting....No rules here in this house, girlfriend!!....
I even think you can figure out paper piecing for these blocks too; just "divide and conquer".....seriously!!

I better lay down and try some sleep again.....gotta finish a house quilt top tomorrow.....we only have 4-10 fresh inches of snow coming......but we are all stocked up......"let it snow, but please bring the Spring with it this time!!"  Quilted Blessings Dear Friend!!

February 27, 2014

Charming

                                        Hello!

                                              

                                                 I just wanted to share a video I found that is just so sweet and
                                           the quilt ideas are just so "charming",since you use charm
                                           squares.  (wink:)
                                           Our son who is hoping to have his kidney transplant
                                           this year, has come against another obstacle....his gallbladder
                                           started acting up last week and now has to be removed.....another
                                           surgery.  He is also going to go on Peritoneal Dialysis in his
                                           home as soon as things "heal"....he is now still on very tiring
                                           hemodialysis....we trust our Almighty God for every minute of
                                           his journey.  He has surgery tomorrow morning and we are
                                           running down to be with his wife and help with the girls where
                                           we can.
                                           I have been busy quilting since I have, pretty much ,been
                                           snow-bound this winter....I am on my 4th Quilt top and I have
                                           finished 2 mini quilts....one a mini Swoon......yes, it is sweet!!

                                            I am Hoping to longarm these tops soon and post       
                                           pictures....for now.......
                                           take care dear friends......
                                           Let me
                                           know when you see your 
                                           first sightings of    
                                           Spring.  Robins, Crocus, even the
                                           Smell of Spring will do!!    
                                           Quilted Blessings!!
                                    


January 26, 2014

Granny Squares Strip Style

Lovelylittehandmades.blogspot.com
i'm a ginger monkey: strip piecing a granny square block: A few people asked how I strip pieced my blocks and Dana graciously said I could post a little tute to share. The original tutorial for ...



 This is an awesome Strip style Granny Square Block, I am in love with the Granny Square...my Mom made us a crocheted Granny Square Afagan as a wedding present 44 years ago....it covered our little ones on the couch for cartoon time to covered when they were sick....they learned their colors as little toddlers repeating the variety of colors to us....precious....then I recieved one with the Doll Monthly Quilt swap I was in and totally wanted to do it from that moment on in a Quilt!  I am almost done piecing my Cherry Blossoms Quilt so since it is snowing and blowing and will continue to do that "forever" it seems...I am on to this quilt now!!  Never a dull moment here!!   Quilted Blessings!!