Donation quilt

One of the many charities that our guild donates quilts to is the Pediatric Oncology Department at Georgetown Hospital. Every newly diagnosed child gets a quilt. I like to send them off with prayers stitched in. I bought two of these panels a few years ago and finally got around to putting on borders and quilting one for Georgetown. (During my self-imposed sequester over the New Year's long weekend)
This is the back. They said they needed more quilts for boys so this one will fill the bill. I love making quilts for Georgetown as well as soldier quilts.

Until next time...
Susie

Naming Quilts

Judy, at Patchwork Times, has a post today about naming quilts. That decided for me what I would post about today too.

During my sequestered New Years' weekend. I finished this quilt, and while I was working on it, I was thinking of names. I kept calling it Mary's triangles or blue scrap but it needed a formal name. See the basic block here and here.

Let's back track just a little so I can tell you I got a cute pink iPod for Christmas. I am having fun loading it with all the crazy eclectic music that I like, from classical to show tunes to rock. So I plugged it into the speakers that my son gave me, cranked up really loud, I might add, and was listening to my all time favorite album from the 70s when I was in college. I was quilting away when the name finally came to me! Duh...Moody Blues! I want the name to be a little happier so the official name is Merry Moody Blues.
Ha, how's that? I love it when that happens.

Until next time...
Susie

Starting Over

Well, I think I have probably lost all my readers. So I am going to pretend that I am starting my blog over...with all the anticipation and enthusiasm I had when I first began.

Yes I have a new header. I saw Nicole's new header at Sisters Choice, and loved her blue log cabin blocks. Soooooo...

...while I was home... literally home for five days... as in, I didn't go out of my house... I have been physically and mentally organizing my quilting world. Oh, and I also undecorated my house, cooked some scrumptious meals, cleaned just a little, slept late, read, and of course sewed.
I teased you with the idea for our bee gift exchange, so I want to show you some of the creative ways we keep our gifts to under $3. Georgia embroidered this cute scissor holder. I have my full size pair of Ginghers in it. This will definitely keep my husband from cutting his odor eaters (new ones thank goodness). True story!!!
Loretto made this cute cup/bottle holder with a bee and our initials embroidered on it. I will be using this often to keep my water bottle from sweating all over my purse.
And this is what I made for everyone. I cut up my old quilt calendars and made stationery. There are different sizes of blank note cards with envelopes as well as some tiny gift tags. I also printed out some address labels (see upper left).

Until next time...
Susie

Merry Christmas and Happy New year

And I mean that from my heart.
Above is my bee party. We all exchange gifts with a
$2-$3 limit. It makes for some very creative gifts.

Needless to say, I've been a busy girl. I won't
bore you with the details because I'm sure that they are
the same as many women all over the country. I do, however,
have the Christmas spirit and am enjoying the busyness
and underlying panic. My panic usually comes from
worrying if my three kids (they are all grown and on
their own, mind you!) have the same amount of gifts.
They have never worried about it but I do, for some
strange reason. I just want them all to have a wonderful
Christmas. Well, I consider myself truly blessed if that's
my biggest worry, huh?

Here is the cutest bag I made for Hannah, my second son's girlfriend.

The top pic is the front and the bottom is the back. It is the cutest thing with lots of pockets. I also made my son-in-law some San Diego Chargers PJs, pillow case and two bandanas for their beagles. He is a big Chargers fan and I bought three yards of Charger fabric and just about used all of it.

I truly hope you all have a peaceful, loving holiday.

Until next time...
Susie

Quick gift

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving filled
with family and friends and...calories!

After my marathon cooking on Thursday, this is what
I worked on this weekend. (Oh and after I got home
from shopping on Black Friday--out the door at 6:45!)
We're having our supper club (5 other couples) over on
the 13th and I wantedto give each couple a small gift.
I just took a 12" block and made a mini quilt for a
table topper. Each one took exactly 1/2 hour to quilt.
Wouldn't it be nice if all our projects went so fast.
The pattern is Christmas Star from the quilterscache.

I have a long list of quilted gifts to finish before
Christmas.
1. Finish quilting my son, Matt's quilt
2. Make two pillowcases for my daughter, Maggie
3. Make a quilted bag for my second son Scott's
girlfriend, Hannah.
4. Make two dog beds for Maggie's beagles
5. Make two PJ bottoms for Maggie and Hannah

I'm not panicking yet though. Have to get through
this dinner party first.

Until next time...
Susie

New backwards quilt

Sometimes when you see a piece of fabric, you just
know, without a shadow of doubt, that it is yours. That's
the way when I saw this.
I have been collecting blues and whites for a few years
now and planned on someday making a beautiful blue
and white quilt. Something classy and clean and crisp.
The pile of blues ranged from dark indigo to bright royal --
the same ones that sat near my window and
some of them faded. So I am using the dark indigo
ones for a triple nine patch along with apple green
(I know sounds weird, but it caught my eye--more
on that one later) The royals will be used for the front
of this quilt. Here are the fabrics.
And this is the pattern I am using. It is from the book
Quilt Along with Emilie Richards Sister's Choice.
This quilt is meant to be. I even know I am going to
quilt it from the back following the print in the fabric.
I just love it when the stars align and all the pieces
fall into place. Now all I have to do is make it!!! Sadly I
don't think it will be until after the holidays.

Until next time...
Susie

Quilting Backwards

There have been two instances in my quilting journey
where I have started a quilt with the back. This is the
first one.
Sorry about the wonky photo. I asked my husband to
hold this up as he was walking out the door. So not
only were we in a hurry, but this quilt is king size and
no one else was here to help, so this is it folks!
I saw this cute fabric at
JoAnn's about 5 years
ago. It says "Life is just a
bowl of cherries. They
only had three FQs so I
bought them thinking
that someday I would
make something. Then
I ran across Aunt Sukies
Choice in Nancy Martin's book Make Room for
Christmas Quilts. This was the quilt that I could
make with my cherries fabric for the back. It would
still be red and green but not Christmas. Around the
same time (and I can't remember which came first)
I saw this fabric on a bolt and bought 15 yards. The
quilt was starting to come together. I started collecting
red and white lights and darks and black & white lights.
Then I found the border fabric. Perfect!. I even had
enough to make two pillowcases, and I still have
some left.

So I started with the back and a quilt was born.

Until next time...when I'll show you my newest
backwards quilt...
Susie