Quilts | Thoughts of Grace

Three on Thursday – Time to Piece

My word for 2081 – FINISHING

As in finish what you’ve started.
Since November, 2017,
I have finished 5 crochet projects,
three that were waiting in time out
and two that I started with new yarn.
I’m only working on one project at a time,
so unlike me the project butterfly,
that I am.

This year I’m joining
350 blocks in 2018 Project
with Shelly at Prairie Moon Quilts.

January’s goal – 10 blocks

Last night, the last night of January,
I decided I had to piece something!
But first, three things,

1. I had to straighten my shed on the right.
It had become fairly cluttered,
a little yarn here, a few recipes there,
a quilt block of the month piled here,
and miscellaneous stuff everywhere.

2. Next up the ironing board.

3. Desk and Sewing machine ready.

Three of these blocks from 30’s fabrics were the end result.

Now I have 20 blocks completed,
and seven more cut out.
I don’t know if I’ll stop at 25 or cut more for 36 blocks,
I like square quilts for kids.

Linking – Three on Thursday and Carole at Carole Knits

Published in:

on February 1, 2018 at 5:48 pm Comments (2)
Tags: 2018 January 350 blocks Project, Finishing, Three on Thursday

Ripley Treasures

Years ago Grandma Hattie Ripley gave me two old quilts she had made. Just utility quilts one fabric front and back with two opposing ends covered to protect the quilt from face oils and drool. I loved these quilts, not that they were beautiful, though I thought so, but because Grandma made them and they smelled like Grandma’s house.

g-g-ripley

Hattie and Fred Ripley, my mother’s parents.

Yesterday while in our sea-crate, filling the cat box with liter, I noticed the floor seemed damp. Looking around to see if I could find the reason for the damp, I saw a 3 foot long fabric bag on the floor, wet and dirty. My heart sank when I opened the bag and saw Grandma’s quilts.

I took them to Aaron’s, dog/cat sitting this weekend.

Whispering a prayer, I washed and dried them one at a time.

20170204_ripley-quilt-pink-stripe

This pink and grey flannel quilt came out in pretty good condition. It has always needed hand stitching repair to the ends. the backing is a heavy cream cotton.

20170204_ripley-quilt-pink-plaid-6

This pink plaid with green end protectors (all flannel type fabrics) has always been my favorite, even though I had never seen it. The green/pink rose cotton floral, in the below picture, was used as a duvet cover. While putting the quilt in the dryer, it was just a wadded mess. So I pulled the cover off and shoved quilt and cover in the dryer. I love the way it cleaned up. I won’t put the cover back on. I’ll repair the ends coming loose.

20170204_ripley-quilt-pink-plaid-2

20170204_ripley-quilt-pink-plaid

I love it just like it is, clean and fresh, memories still intact.

20170204_ripley-quilt-stinger

And it is Stinger approved.

Published in:

on February 4, 2017 at 8:28 pm Comments (1)
Tags: Grandma's quilts, memories intact, pink and white stripe, pink plaid, Ripley treasures

350 Quilt Blocks in 2017

350-2017

Last night I stumbled upon this ‘project’ –

make 350 quilt blocks in 2017.

I not really good with goals,
but since I plan on making quilts all year long,
I thought it would be a fun way to track my progress.

January’s goal 27 blocks

So far in January I’ve made 13 blocks

block-1 block-2 block-3

My blocks are simple and unpressed.

setting-print

I’m pairing them with this floral print
resuting in a baby quilt for a sweet little girl.

with Prairie Moon Quilts

A piecing I shall go!

Published in:

on January 19, 2017 at 1:32 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: 350 in 2017, January, quilt blocks

The Quilter’s ‘Night Before Christmas’

mess

‘Twas the night before Christmas,
And the quilts were not made.
The threads were all tangled, the cookies delayed.
The stockings weren’t hung, the pantry was bare.
The poor weary Quilter was tearing her hair.
Stacks of fat quarters tipped over in streams,
Visions of Log Cabins had turned into dreams.

When what to her wondering eyes should appear,
But a bus full of quilters with all of their gear.
They went straight to work with just a few mutters,
Sorting and stitching and brandishing cutters.
The patterns emerged from all of the clutter,
Like magic the fabrics arranged in a flutter.
Log Cabins, Lone Stars, Flying Geese and Bear Tracks,
Each quilt was a beauty – even the backs.

Her house, how it twinkled! Her quilts, how they glowed!
The cookies were baking, the stockings were sewed.
Their work was all done, so they folded their frames,
And packed up their needles, without giving their names.
They boarded the bus, and checked the next address.
More quilts to be made, another quilter in distress.

She heard one voice echo, as they drove out of sight,
Happy quilting to all, and to all a good night!

Author unknown…

Published in:

on December 24, 2016 at 4:33 am Comments (3)
Tags: Christmas, Quilter's Night before Christmas

Yarn Along – Flipped Out?

On Wednesday’s knitters go to Ginny’s to share all the wonderful projects being worked on, finished, frogged, cried over, and learned from. They also tell what they are reading and a little of the storyline or provoking thoughts. I think it is great. So many books, knitting ideas and hints on how to make knitting more enjoyable.

Knit 12 stitches,
6 stitches back and forth,
9 stitches back and forth,
6 stitches back and forth,
11 stitches the with the 12th pick up stitch on the afghan.
ONLY 4 and one half sections to go!

Don’t you love how Facebook randomly posts?
This one is a winner.
These Flip flops are destined to be key fobs.
I couldn’t find the link for the pattern,
here is her Facebook page;
if you are into crocheted baby shoes –
you might find one you can’t resist
https://www.facebook.com/maki.rucni.rad

A new quilt in the planning,
no name and no designated recipient

Making a bunch of half-square triangles,
no I haven’t counted exactly how many
because changes sometimes occur.

I listening to Lynnette Bonner’s series A Shepherd’s Heart Just finished book 1.

Joining Ginny and other ‘fiber fondlers’ here.

Published in:

on February 26, 2015 at 12:35 pm Comments (2)
Tags: Lynnette Bonner author, Maki-Rucnirad, Yarn Along

Yarn Along – Finished Quilts and a little Knitting

Wow!
My last post with “Yarn Along” was July last year –
zip. . . .there went another day.

Then I posted picture of a quilt in process.
I finished that quilt for Jayden
and one for her brother, Jacoby

I also made quilts for the Farmer’s brother and his wife.

And one more commissioned quilt as a Christmas gift:

All were long-arm quilted by my daughter at
Quilt’m by Sunshine Designs.

So, again, not a lot of knitting going on.
I knit a few ‘Grandmother’s Favorite’ dishcloths,
’cause I can do those with out thinking.

I also knit a red shawlette, but it is not blocked
and there are no pictures.

BUT, I have been adding a ruffle to this circle afghan.Oh, dear, this picture dated 9/2013!

Oh, well, I’ll just knitting away on these 12 stitches
with a 8 row repeat.

Lite reading, Debbie Macomber’s Rose Harbor in Bloom.

Joining with Ginny and patient knitters.

Published in:

on January 30, 2015 at 12:32 pm Comments (2)
Tags: Quilt'm Sunflower Designs, Yarn Along

Yarn Along – Snowball in the 30’s

Again this week – NO KNITTING!

But I did get 4 rows of this quilt “Snowball in the 30″s” put together.

Just 2 more rows to go.

This quilt is for my great-niece, Jayden.

Joining with Ginny and patient knitters.

Published in:

on July 10, 2014 at 4:20 pm Leave a Comment
Tags: 16-patch block, Snowball in the 30's, Yarn Along

Yarn Along – Just a Little Knitting

For various reasons, my knitting has been patiently waiting and rolling their eyes. I was ignoring everything that needed a hook or needles, except this very simple diagonal scarf. I only had to think twice on the right side row and not at all on the wrong side. I just didn’t think I could handle more.

Very quiet colors for my very tired mind.

For some reason this old project called out very loud. I heard and dug out the pieces of this English paper-piecing project. I can’t remember when I started it, but I do remember working on it in 2007. My version of a Grandmother’s Flower Garden using reproduction 30’s fabrics.

Paper hexagons, fabric square pinned on, then trimmed to 1/4 inch from paper. The fabric edges are folded over the paper and basted to the paper.

I first made ‘flowers.’

Then I added ‘leaves’ around the flowers. The sunny yellow will connect all the flower units

I have a along way to go until this is big enough for my bed.

I hope the knitters and crocheters don’t mind a little quilting visiting ‘Yarn Along’ today.
If you want to see others’ neat stuff, click here.

Published in:

on June 25, 2014 at 7:13 pm Comments (2)
Tags: 30's fabrics, English Paper Piecing, Grandmother's Flower Garden, knitting, Knitting diagonal scarf, Yarn Along

At home. . . it quilts

So I thought and thought.
the Farmer and I talked and talked.
This is the result . . .

Open the door and
It is a Project Studio aka My Space.

I can quilt, read, pray, eat, play silly games on the ipad….

I can press the fabric flat and cut out block pieces…..

My current project – love the 30’s designs.

Published in:

on March 22, 2014 at 10:06 am Comments (2)
Tags: Quilts and Quilting, singer featherweight

Three Quilts Went Home

I’ve always loved quilts and quilting.
Sometimes quilts waited.
I explored and learned to love
the art of counted cross stitch.
During the past few years,
knitting has been my passion.

Each craft speaks to me through ‘getting it right’.
Matching corners and keeping all the points in quilts,
perfect crosses of counted work,
and the count of each row on target equals ‘getting it right’.

Each craft has color!
Quilts – who hasn’t stood in front of a quilt at a quilt show
and whispered “WOW!”;
or stared at a finished counted cross stitch piece
and watched the shading blend;
or walked into a yarn shop and
become over whelmed with the beauty.

Quilts are good waiters.
They don’t mind what state of unfinished they are
when set aside because I get side tracked.

During the fall of 2013,
I remembered three quilts
that were in assorted stages of completeness.
I purposed to get them done!
So borders got added,
binding cut and ready,
and off to the quilter, Quilt’m Sunflower Designs, they went.
Three quilts came back looking very pleased with themselves.
I spent some very quiet time
hand stitching the binding on the quilts.
I almost always finish my quilts by hand.
I spend that time thinking about and praying
for the dear one receiving the quilt.

Saturday three quilts went home.

One quilt was meant to live on the couch to comfort, warm, and ease.

The Back

One quilt became the burrito shell – she become the filling.

The back

One quilt was giggled at because she didn’t believe it was hers.

The back

I love the family who lives in the home where the quilts live.

(In an effort to be completely honest, the top picture was taken at a very rare moment in time, but it is a perfect blogging picture.)

Published in:

on February 18, 2014 at 1:01 pm Comments (4)
Tags: counted cross stitch, knitting, Quilt'm by Sunflower Designs, Quilts

I Was Bitten by the Quilt Bug

We went to Phoenix, AZ for vacation for 17 days. I visited a quilter friend. One day we looked through old quilt magazines together. Another time she shared several old quilts made by her mother and grandmother, and some quilts she had made. I ohhhed and ahhhed and got bit.

One quilt a sixteen patch block set with a snowball block got my attention. I could see it made up with the 30’s fabrics waiting in the stash shed. I bought the fabric for the snowball block. For great niece, Jaden

A quilt in the window of quilt shop, Fabric Garden, called to me. I had plenty of 30’s in the box. I bought setting corner and binding fabric. For great niece, Anya.

And then, my compulsive/obsessive gene kicked in and somehow fabric came home; Atkinson’s Yellow Brick Road, a quilt designed to use fat quarters (a 18X21″ piece of fabric) is the designated pattern. For great nephew, Jacoby.

At the first of the year I had 5 quilts on my ‘hope’ to do list for 2014, One of these quilts wasn’t on the list . . . then.

Right now not a whole lot of knitting is getting down, hhhhmmmmm.

Published in:

on February 14, 2014 at 5:45 pm Comments (3)
Tags: Quilts and Quilting, Yellow Brick Road by Atkinson

My Name is Leslie and I Procrastinate

My sewing area

Blocks being made

With lots of help

Blocks get trimmed to the same size

I had blocks together and half the binding on and procrastinated.
Not now…
Not today….
Yes, today, but didn’t do it….
Later today, ran out of today………….
so when the load of quilt gets heavy enough ……
DO IT NOW!

So in one and half hours border on,
mitered corners stitched,
back seamed and everything pressed.
WHY …OH…WHY…do I procrastinate ?
My friend could have had her quilt a month ago.
Thank you for your patience.

Blocks and border all together

Backing fabric

The quilt is now in the hands of my favorite quilter, Emily.

Quilt’m by Sunflower Designs

This finished Object isn’t made of yarn, but it IS finished
I’ll hand sew the binding when the quilting is done.
I’m joining with Tami, just for fun!

Published in:

on March 22, 2013 at 8:42 am Comments (4)
Tags: Puzzle quilt block, Quilt'm by Sunflower Designs

Scavenger Hunt Sunday — June 10, 2012

The rules are simple:

Anyone can participate.
You’re encouraged to take five new photos this week for the challenge. Creativity is also encouraged!
If you get stumped, you may use one photo from your archive (although I’m not too strict about it – I do my best to take fresh shots).
Link up here on Sunday (or Tuesday at the latest) – you can use the button above.
Leave comments for at least five entries around yours (we have so many new participants each week, this is the only way I know to be inclusive).
Have fun!

Without further discussion…here are my interpretations this week:

travel
Many miles have been spun on this merry-go-round, made by the Farmer.

silly
If I can’t see you – you can’t see me, silly cat!

black and white
I love to work cross word puzzles!
Having a good crossword dictionary makes all the difference!
This one a gift from daughter #3, copyright 1940, with its pages blowing in the wind of the fan.

spots

Spots on socks!

paper
A paper pattern for my current quilt project.

To see others’ scavenger finds, click here.

Published in:

on June 10, 2012 at 3:53 pm Comments (6)

June 7, Today’s thought — “it’s Jesus”

June and July’s wall hanging.
I think it is appropriate: red, white, and blue for Flag day and 4th of July.
“I Love You” for Father’s day and our 45th Wedding anniversary.

Good Morning

The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. because his compassions fail not.Lamentations 3:25, 22b

The story is told of a shabby old gentleman who every day at twelve o’clock would enter the church, stay a few minutes, then leave. The caretaker was concerned for the valuable altar furnishings. Every day he watched to be sure nothing was taken, and every day just at twelve the shabby figure would arrive. One day the caretaker accosted him. “Look her, my friend, what are you up to, going into the church every day?”
“I go to pray,” replied the old man politely.
“Now come,” the cautious caretaker said, “you don’t stay long enough to pray.”
“True enough. I cannot pray a long prayer, but every day I just comes and says, ‘Jesus, it’s Jim.’ Then I waits a minute, the comes away. I guess He hears me though it’s but a little prayer.”
One day Jim was knocked down crossing the street and was laid up in the hospital with a broken leg. The ward where Jim quite happily lay was a sore spot to the nurses on duty. Some of the men were cross and miserable, others did nothing but grumble from morning till night. Slowly but surely the men stopped their grumbling and were cheerful and contented.
One day as the nurse was walking through the ward she heard the men laughing. “What has happened to all of you? You are such a cheerful lot of patients lately.”
“It’s old Jim,’ they replied. “He’s always cheerful, never complains, although he is uncomfortable and in pain.”
The nurse walked over to Jim’s bed where the silvery-haired Jim lay with an angelic look on his smiling face. “Well, Jim, these men say you are the cause for the change in this ward. They say you are always happy.”
“Aye, that I am, nurse. I can’t help it. You see, nurse, it’s my visitor. He makes me happy.”
“Visitor?” The nurse was indeed puzzled for she had never noticed any visitor by Jim’s bed. The chair was always empty during visiting hours. “When does your visitor come?”
“Every day,” replied Jim with the light in his eyes growing brighter. “Yup, every day at twelve o’clock. He comes and stands at the foot of my bed. I see Him there, and He smiles at me and say, ‘Jim, it’s Jesus.'”

Trust God for your day . . . Today.
With my prayers, desiring yours, Leslie

Published in:

on June 7, 2012 at 9:51 am Leave a Comment

Scavenger Hunt Sunday — May 27

Scavenger Hunt Sunday items: Beneath Your Feet, Capturing Movement, Texture, Face Your Fears and Currently

Come let’s see where this hunt takes us!

Beneath your feetThe rug and deck are enjoyed all year around at Cozy Acres.

Capturing movement
I first read this prompt as ‘capturing the moment.’ Saturday I went looking for the right ‘moment,’ not a moment to be found. Sunday morning, I find ‘capturing the movement , oooohhhhhhhhh!
My poor brain had a problem until I remembered we have chickens. When we let them out for their evening scratch around,
the Farmer on his way to let out the chickens.
there is lots of movement- watch: http://youtu.be/JhKt-6x1oPI

Texture
As I saw this close-up of the bud of a sunflower, I whispered, “oh, my…”

Face your fears
My bowl looks empty, but it is full of fears as I make decisions to change my eating habits.

Currently
Quilt squares from my current quilting project, hanging from our young grape row, with berries, sunflowers and zinnias behind.

Other hunters’ finds can be see at Ramblings and Photos.

Published in:

on May 27, 2012 at 5:47 pm Comments (12)

Thoughts of Grace

My thoughts as I walk this path…

Three on Thursday – Time to Piece

Ripley Treasures

350 Quilt Blocks in 2017

The Quilter’s ‘Night Before Christmas’

Yarn Along – Flipped Out?

Yarn Along – Finished Quilts and a little Knitting

Yarn Along – Snowball in the 30’s

Yarn Along – Just a Little Knitting

At home. . . it quilts

Three Quilts Went Home

I Was Bitten by the Quilt Bug

My Name is Leslie and I Procrastinate

Scavenger Hunt Sunday — June 10, 2012

June 7, Today’s thought — “it’s Jesus”

Scavenger Hunt Sunday — May 27

Leslie

Stuff I Write

Blogroll

Blog Stats