Remember the closet full of tops that needed to be finished? Well, I took some time last week to get the batting and binding ready and I got many of them basted so they would be ready to be quilted when the mood struck. I underestimated how long it took to quilt the baby quilts and in just a couple of days, I had 5 of them all finished! The rainy weather contributed to the many hours I got to spend in my sewing room. We need a break!! 

They are nothing fancy nor are they quilted fancy, but they will keep babies warm. It feels good to get some stash off of the shelving and out of the bins made into something useful...

Until next time!! 

Remember the closet full of tops that needed to be finished? Well, I took some time last week to get the batting and binding ready and I got many of them basted so they would be ready to be quilted when the mood struck. I underestimated how long it took to quilt the baby quilts and in just a couple of days, I had 5 of them all finished! The rainy weather contributed to the many hours I got to spend in my sewing room. We need a break!! 

They are nothing fancy nor are they quilted fancy, but they will keep babies warm. It feels good to get some stash off of the shelving and out of the bins made into something useful...

Until next time!! 

Last Saturday was the first class for the Summer Moon Block of the Month. Because the shop did not make kits for this block of the month and I used what was in my stash, it was important to me to be able to give a general idea to the ladies how much fabric was needed, so the last few weeks I spent hours and hours precutting all the blocks out. It was a huge undertaking, but I am so glad I did it. 

Now I can grab a bag for the corresponding month assignment and do my favorite part, piece them. 

 Out of the 29 fats I chose, 4 did not get cut at all, but I may use those in the block framing part of the quilt, I am not sure yet, and the several half yard cuts I had gathered, I used less than a fat quarter amount. 

Here are the blocks for the first month. So cute!! The fabrics I chose are by Lella Boutique. Farmer's Daughter, Nest, and Garden Variety. 

Fool's Puzzle

Album 

Churn Dash

I am having to restrain myself from working ahead on this one! If I do, I will forget what I did and I won't be able to share any tips or help. I have other things that need to get done, as I shared last month!! I am staring at you Shimmer!

Do you have any long term projects that you are working on? 

Last Saturday was the first class for the Summer Moon Block of the Month. Because the shop did not make kits for this block of the month and I used what was in my stash, it was important to me to be able to give a general idea to the ladies how much fabric was needed, so the last few weeks I spent hours and hours precutting all the blocks out. It was a huge undertaking, but I am so glad I did it. 

Now I can grab a bag for the corresponding month assignment and do my favorite part, piece them. 

 Out of the 29 fats I chose, 4 did not get cut at all, but I may use those in the block framing part of the quilt, I am not sure yet, and the several half yard cuts I had gathered, I used less than a fat quarter amount. 

Here are the blocks for the first month. So cute!! The fabrics I chose are by Lella Boutique. Farmer's Daughter, Nest, and Garden Variety. 

Fool's Puzzle

Album 

Churn Dash

I am having to restrain myself from working ahead on this one! If I do, I will forget what I did and I won't be able to share any tips or help. I have other things that need to get done, as I shared last month!! I am staring at you Shimmer!

Do you have any long term projects that you are working on? 

 Our Easter Sunday was beautiful! Often times our Easter weekends are rainy. It was so nice to have a very warm and sunny day! We took advantage of the perfect weather and got outside to enjoy it as much as we could. We started our morning out by driving to Waldo's Rock Park to watch the sunrise. 

Russ slid into the cleft of Waldo's rock. I couldn't do it. Makes my knees go to jelly to think about being enclosed like that. Cool photo op, though!

After we walked around the pond, we went home to get ready for church. Our church, Northbrook Baptist Church, had the most beautiful Easter service I have ever been to. It was amazing...

After church, we went on a 3 3/4 mile hike at Squire Point in North Liberty, Iowa. Our trip to Glacier National Park will be here before we know it and we need to take advantage of the nice weather so we can continue to get into shape for those mountain hikes ahead. Besides hiking in the area, we also began preparing for Glacier at the beginning of the new year by changing how we eat. I mentioned it on this post in January. As of yesterday, I have lost 28 pounds and Russ has lost 31 pounds! It makes hiking much easier on my knees and hips, that's for sure! I am two pounds to my original goal, but I am thinking I may adjust my goal and lose 5 more pounds. Well, see...

Flowers I saw on our hike yesterday. 

Looking ahead to the spring and summer months, we are anxious to get our T@B out and enjoy the outdoors. We hope to take her out for the maiden voyage this weekend. 

Finally... A finish! Yay!

Love You More by Kati Cupcake.

You can find more details about this quilt in last month's post. 

I took these pictures before spring had sprung in Iowa. My gardens are in full bloom now, and mowing has begun for the season. I am so happy to see flowers and green grass! It was a long and brutal winter and I am grateful to say "see you next year!" to Old Man Winter. 

Next time I will share about the Summer Moon Block of the Month I started. Until then, may your heart be at rest. 

 Our Easter Sunday was beautiful! Often times our Easter weekends are rainy. It was so nice to have a very warm and sunny day! We took advantage of the perfect weather and got outside to enjoy it as much as we could. We started our morning out by driving to Waldo's Rock Park to watch the sunrise. 

Russ slid into the cleft of Waldo's rock. I couldn't do it. Makes my knees go to jelly to think about being enclosed like that. Cool photo op, though!

After we walked around the pond, we went home to get ready for church. Our church, Northbrook Baptist Church, had the most beautiful Easter service I have ever been to. It was amazing...

After church, we went on a 3 3/4 mile hike at Squire Point in North Liberty, Iowa. Our trip to Glacier National Park will be here before we know it and we need to take advantage of the nice weather so we can continue to get into shape for those mountain hikes ahead. Besides hiking in the area, we also began preparing for Glacier at the beginning of the new year by changing how we eat. I mentioned it on this post in January. As of yesterday, I have lost 28 pounds and Russ has lost 31 pounds! It makes hiking much easier on my knees and hips, that's for sure! I am two pounds to my original goal, but I am thinking I may adjust my goal and lose 5 more pounds. Well, see...

Flowers I saw on our hike yesterday. 

Looking ahead to the spring and summer months, we are anxious to get our T@B out and enjoy the outdoors. We hope to take her out for the maiden voyage this weekend. 

Finally... A finish! Yay!

Love You More by Kati Cupcake.

You can find more details about this quilt in last month's post. 

I took these pictures before spring had sprung in Iowa. My gardens are in full bloom now, and mowing has begun for the season. I am so happy to see flowers and green grass! It was a long and brutal winter and I am grateful to say "see you next year!" to Old Man Winter. 

Next time I will share about the Summer Moon Block of the Month I started. Until then, may your heart be at rest. 

Russ and I are starting a new adventure! We are saying goodbye to our motorcycle and hello to camping! We are a few years out from retirement so this will be a weekend and short vacations camping. Next summer we plan to spend 3 weeks camping and exploring the Grand Canyon, as well the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks.  We are even talking about overlanding to Alaska in the next few years. We are very excited and having a ball getting the camper set up and ready. Half the fun is in the planning, I think. 

This is our new tiny camper! It is a nüCamp 2019 T@B 320 S (which stands for a shower!) Boondock Edge (which means higher clearance so we can go off road and camp in public land areas). Boondocking is something we very much want to do. They are made in the heart of Amish county in Ohio and they work on everything on the T@B, so you know the workmanship is stellar! 

Here you can see the bathroom door and the tiny kitchen with a refrigerator. We plan on doing most of our cooking outside, but this will be the perfect place to make a cup of coffee. 

This is the seating area as well as the place to make up the bed. The backrest in the back lays down to make up the bed and the table gets removed and slats get added. When it is made up the bed is 70" x 73". We chose to buy a memory foam topper to use to sleep on. We will be leaving the backrest in the down position and during the day we will roll up the memory foam and bedding and tuck it under the cabinets and use that as the backrest. That way we can still use the table during the day.  As we get more organized, I will share more pictures of our set up. We still don't know what we don't know, but we are learning more every day! 

I want to give a huge shout out to our dealer, Trevor at Front Range Gear! He is very knowledgeable, helpful and is willing to be available anytime if we have any questions or need help. We love to go to his shop and just hang out! Small businesses are the best!

This is a video of one that is almost like ours. Ours has a few more features, but you will get the idea. 

We are planning a fun summer ahead of camping, hiking and maybe we will get back to kayaking again, too, Lord willing!

Until next time!! 

Russ and I are starting a new adventure! We are saying goodbye to our motorcycle and hello to camping! We are a few years out from retirement so this will be a weekend and short vacations camping. Next summer we plan to spend 3 weeks camping and exploring the Grand Canyon, as well the Mighty 5 Utah National Parks.  We are even talking about overlanding to Alaska in the next few years. We are very excited and having a ball getting the camper set up and ready. Half the fun is in the planning, I think. 

This is our new tiny camper! It is a nüCamp 2019 T@B 320 S (which stands for a shower!) Boondock Edge (which means higher clearance so we can go off road and camp in public land areas). Boondocking is something we very much want to do. They are made in the heart of Amish county in Ohio and they work on everything on the T@B, so you know the workmanship is stellar! 

Here you can see the bathroom door and the tiny kitchen with a refrigerator. We plan on doing most of our cooking outside, but this will be the perfect place to make a cup of coffee. 

This is the seating area as well as the place to make up the bed. The backrest in the back lays down to make up the bed and the table gets removed and slats get added. When it is made up the bed is 70" x 73". We chose to buy a memory foam topper to use to sleep on. We will be leaving the backrest in the down position and during the day we will roll up the memory foam and bedding and tuck it under the cabinets and use that as the backrest. That way we can still use the table during the day.  As we get more organized, I will share more pictures of our set up. We still don't know what we don't know, but we are learning more every day! 

I want to give a huge shout out to our dealer, Trevor at Front Range Gear! He is very knowledgeable, helpful and is willing to be available anytime if we have any questions or need help. We love to go to his shop and just hang out! Small businesses are the best!

This is a video of one that is almost like ours. Ours has a few more features, but you will get the idea. 

We are planning a fun summer ahead of camping, hiking and maybe we will get back to kayaking again, too, Lord willing!

Until next time!! 

There are times when I think I may say goodbye to this little blog of mine, but I can't seem to let it go. Not yet anyway! 

So, here is what is and isn't happening around here... 

This quilt is a shop sample that I really need to get quilted today!! I have been procrastinating. The pattern is Love You More by Kati Cupcake.  I tweaked the pattern a bit to eliminate unnecessary seams and I like it much better. 

The spare bedroom closet is beginning to overflow with UFOs!! Most have the backs already to go and only need to be basted. Most of them are baby quilts to be donated. When the weather warms up, I will have a power basting day outside and get them finished up.

My poor neglected Zuma project is languishing! I have 7 of the 30 blocks pieced. Everything is cut and ready to go, so I just need to get to it!! I lost steam with the passing of my father-in-law and the holidays.  

Coming up, I am going to host a Block of the Month using the new book by Carrie Nelson, Summer Moon. I am using my stash of fat quarters by Lella Boutique, Nest and Farmer's Daughter, that have been sitting for far too long and some Grunge to mix things up. I love the cleverness of this sampler quilt. I look forward to getting this done.

Okay, I have procrastinated enough. It's time to get the top quilted!! 

Have a sweet day!! 

There are times when I think I may say goodbye to this little blog of mine, but I can't seem to let it go. Not yet anyway! 

So, here is what is and isn't happening around here... 

This quilt is a shop sample that I really need to get quilted today!! I have been procrastinating. The pattern is Love You More by Kati Cupcake.  I tweaked the pattern a bit to eliminate unnecessary seams and I like it much better. 

The spare bedroom closet is beginning to overflow with UFOs!! Most have the backs already to go and only need to be basted. Most of them are baby quilts to be donated. When the weather warms up, I will have a power basting day outside and get them finished up.

My poor neglected Zuma project is languishing! I have 7 of the 30 blocks pieced. Everything is cut and ready to go, so I just need to get to it!! I lost steam with the passing of my father-in-law and the holidays.  

Coming up, I am going to host a Block of the Month using the new book by Carrie Nelson, Summer Moon. I am using my stash of fat quarters by Lella Boutique, Nest and Farmer's Daughter, that have been sitting for far too long and some Grunge to mix things up. I love the cleverness of this sampler quilt. I look forward to getting this done.

Okay, I have procrastinated enough. It's time to get the top quilted!! 

Have a sweet day!! 

💘 Happy Valentine's Day! 💖

February is my month to be Queen Bee for the Sew Sweet Bee club. It only makes sense to have my bee sisters make some heart blocks for me, right? Or you could say I was overthinking what block to have them make and I finally landed on the one that makes the most sense because of Valentine's Day landing in February. Or, I lack imagination. Or all of the above. 😉  No matter, I chose a darling ombre heart block created by Julie @ The Crafty Quilter. Here is the link to her tutorial: Ombre Heart Quilt Block Tutorial. I asked for them to make them in any combination they chose of various red, pinks or a mixture of the two, with low volume or off white background. I hope they will all go together well enough to just sew them together and make a baby quilt for donation. I am waiting for them all to get there before I make my own blocks to add to the mix. 

Made by Lisa12822

Russ and I don't go all out for Valentine's Day, but he always buys me a card and candy. He is thoughtful that way. This year, he bought a really cool card! No candy since that is not allowed on Keto. 😶 I didn't buy him a thing but trust me, I love up on him every day! 💝

Have a sweet day, and be kind to everyone you meet. You don't know what kind of heartache they may be dealing with.  

💘 Happy Valentine's Day! 💖

February is my month to be Queen Bee for the Sew Sweet Bee club. It only makes sense to have my bee sisters make some heart blocks for me, right? Or you could say I was overthinking what block to have them make and I finally landed on the one that makes the most sense because of Valentine's Day landing in February. Or, I lack imagination. Or all of the above. 😉  No matter, I chose a darling ombre heart block created by Julie @ The Crafty Quilter. Here is the link to her tutorial: Ombre Heart Quilt Block Tutorial. I asked for them to make them in any combination they chose of various red, pinks or a mixture of the two, with low volume or off white background. I hope they will all go together well enough to just sew them together and make a baby quilt for donation. I am waiting for them all to get there before I make my own blocks to add to the mix. 

Made by Lisa12822

Russ and I don't go all out for Valentine's Day, but he always buys me a card and candy. He is thoughtful that way. This year, he bought a really cool card! No candy since that is not allowed on Keto. 😶 I didn't buy him a thing but trust me, I love up on him every day! 💝

Have a sweet day, and be kind to everyone you meet. You don't know what kind of heartache they may be dealing with.  

Here in Iowa, we have been hit with snowstorm after snowstorm. Today, we are once again digging out from another 6" that fell overnight. The winds will be picking up, gusts of 45 MPH and temperatures are dropping. It's days like this I am thankful to be able to stay home! 

While being snowed in, I have been making simple patchwork baby quilts as part of my effort to clean up my stash and make baby quilts to donate to our local pregnancy center this year. Because the weather hasn't cooperated, I haven't taken pictures of them all. As I get them quilted I will get pictures and post them. 

I also went through my minky scrap stash and took the time to piece them together to make quilt backs for baby quilts. When I pieced these two, I knew exactly what fabric I wanted to use to make the top, and quickly started cutting and piecing. No overthinking allowed!! 

I got out the low volume Bonnie and Camille fabrics in my stash and cut some 3 1/2" squares to make a 45"x54" top. 

Because I loved it so much and I wanted to use it as my lap quilt right away, I basted it and got it quilted with simple cross-hatching. 

I have decided to make this the year of simple patchwork when it comes to my scraps. I love the simplicity, they are always cute, it takes no thought and they come together so quickly. 

 I am also thinking ahead to Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for this year. I have made tote bags in the past, but since they take up larger cuts of fabric and I am getting low on those, I have been searching for ways to use up the fat quarters I have purchased over the years that have been sitting way too long. I am considering drawstring bags. Cute and functional! 

Do you have plans to use up your stash and scraps this year?

Until next time!  

Here in Iowa, we have been hit with snowstorm after snowstorm. Today, we are once again digging out from another 6" that fell overnight. The winds will be picking up, gusts of 45 MPH and temperatures are dropping. It's days like this I am thankful to be able to stay home! 

While being snowed in, I have been making simple patchwork baby quilts as part of my effort to clean up my stash and make baby quilts to donate to our local pregnancy center this year. Because the weather hasn't cooperated, I haven't taken pictures of them all. As I get them quilted I will get pictures and post them. 

I also went through my minky scrap stash and took the time to piece them together to make quilt backs for baby quilts. When I pieced these two, I knew exactly what fabric I wanted to use to make the top, and quickly started cutting and piecing. No overthinking allowed!! 

I got out the low volume Bonnie and Camille fabrics in my stash and cut some 3 1/2" squares to make a 45"x54" top. 

Because I loved it so much and I wanted to use it as my lap quilt right away, I basted it and got it quilted with simple cross-hatching. 

I have decided to make this the year of simple patchwork when it comes to my scraps. I love the simplicity, they are always cute, it takes no thought and they come together so quickly. 

 I am also thinking ahead to Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes for this year. I have made tote bags in the past, but since they take up larger cuts of fabric and I am getting low on those, I have been searching for ways to use up the fat quarters I have purchased over the years that have been sitting way too long. I am considering drawstring bags. Cute and functional! 

Do you have plans to use up your stash and scraps this year?

Until next time!  

For the last six weeks, I haven't been in my sewing room hardly at all! Mostly because the new eating plan my husband and I implemented has taken up most of my time to research and learn how to cook differently. We have had to find a whole new repertoire of meals that we can prepare. Now that it is becoming more familiar, and since I didn't go to work this last week due to the crazy cold, I had time to spend in my neglected sewing room to see if I could find my long lost mojo...

I pulled out my box of 2 1/2" squares. I keep them sorted by color to make it easier to play with them at a moments notice. 

In no time I had I a pile of 25 patch blocks ready to go!

I decided to get out my larger boxes of scraps cut 2" strips and make a frame around each block. That eliminating the thinking it would take when pressing the 25 patches to get the seams to nest with one another. 

Here I have it all laid out with the fabric I chose to frame each block with. 

All done!! This was quick and easy. I wish I could say it made a huge dent in my scraps, but it didn't, but a little is better than none! 

The math...For those who may be interested.

25 patch block: 

25 - 2 1/2" squares.

 Sew together make one block unfinished at 10 1/2"

Frame:

2 - 2" x 10 1/2" strips

2 -  2" x 13 1/2" strips 

Block will be 13 1/2" unfinished. 

It's always so rewarding to use up fabric scraps and end up with a cute quilt to gift to someone. It makes me want to pull out the larger precut squares of scraps I cut last year and make more scrappy simple patchwork quilts. 

Do you have a favorite go-to pattern to make use of your scraps? 

For the last six weeks, I haven't been in my sewing room hardly at all! Mostly because the new eating plan my husband and I implemented has taken up most of my time to research and learn how to cook differently. We have had to find a whole new repertoire of meals that we can prepare. Now that it is becoming more familiar, and since I didn't go to work this last week due to the crazy cold, I had time to spend in my neglected sewing room to see if I could find my long lost mojo...

I pulled out my box of 2 1/2" squares. I keep them sorted by color to make it easier to play with them at a moments notice. 

In no time I had I a pile of 25 patch blocks ready to go!

I decided to get out my larger boxes of scraps cut 2" strips and make a frame around each block. That eliminating the thinking it would take when pressing the 25 patches to get the seams to nest with one another. 

Here I have it all laid out with the fabric I chose to frame each block with. 

All done!! This was quick and easy. I wish I could say it made a huge dent in my scraps, but it didn't, but a little is better than none! 

The math...For those who may be interested.

25 patch block: 

25 - 2 1/2" squares.

 Sew together make one block unfinished at 10 1/2"

Frame:

2 - 2" x 10 1/2" strips

2 -  2" x 13 1/2" strips 

Block will be 13 1/2" unfinished. 

It's always so rewarding to use up fabric scraps and end up with a cute quilt to gift to someone. It makes me want to pull out the larger precut squares of scraps I cut last year and make more scrappy simple patchwork quilts. 

Do you have a favorite go-to pattern to make use of your scraps?