iPad Cover

I recently purchased an iPad and realized that I would need a case to keep it in when carrying it out and about.  I looked on Etsy for a pattern to use and found one at the Napkitten Pattern Etsy site.  I was rather intimidated when I saw that there were 27 pages of instructions!  I dug out some fabric from my stash and had enough fabric and elastic.  The only thing I had to purchase was one yard of heavy duty iron on interfacing.  I followed the directions carefully and after 1 1/2 days it was finished.

I was finally able to use this piece of vintage upholstery fabric that I had purchased at a garage sale years ago.  I also had the red fabric and gold fabric that I used.

It can stand up for watching a program on it or following a recipe in the kitchen.

 I was pretty proud of myself after getting this finished!   

My quilt guild has a UFO challenge and we had to make a list of 5 items that need finishing.  Then at the meeting, there was a drawing and number 3 was picked, meaning that we have until our May meeting to finish it.  The one that was #3 is a baby quilt that I am almost finished with, so I won't have any problem finishing it on time.  If you look at my March 3 post and scroll down to see what is on my design wall, the baby quilt is hanging on the right side.  It looks like it is finished, but the hexes need to be all sewn together by hand.  Most of them are sewn together already and there are five or six left.

We have had a few gorgeous days here in Oregon and have really enjoyed it.  The trees are blooming and the daffodils have been out for a few weeks.

Happy Spring!

Two Beautiful Quilts from the Quilt Show and More

It has taken me a while to finish getting all the pictures of quilts added to my blog.  This one is one of the best quilts in the show.

Another beauty!

I'm sorry it took so long for me to get these quilt pictures added.  Next I took a picture of my design wall which is behind my chair. 

 On the left is a quilt top that I put together from a panel that I bought at the quilt show.  The sashing and borders are from my stash - valentine fabrics that I have had for years and was thinking of giving away, but glad that I didn't.  To the right of that top is a baby quilt that I have had in the works for a few years and have neglected it a lot.  It is on my UFO list and I decided to work on it and now it is almost finished!

Canuck Quilter is having a Two Color Mystery Quilt-Along and I signed up for it.  Then I kind of forgot about it, so I am a little bit behind.  Yesterday I went to my local quilt shop, Boersma's, to get fabric for the baby quilt size.  I decided to sign up for this because I have been a "blogger friend" of Canuck Quilter for a long time.  When I first started a blog, it was on the American Patchwork and Quilting blog that they advertised in the magazine back in November of 2007.  There were other quilters that started then and Canuck Quilter was one.  I'm not sure exactly when she started, but after a while the magazine decided to close their blog and a bunch of us transferred to Blogspot.  Later, in 2010, there were 12 people in the "APQ Blogging Buddies" group.  We followed and commented on each others posts and even made a "friendship" quilt together!  I have met some of the other members of the group in person.

Anyway, if you go to her blog site, I believe you can still sign up for it.  She has become a quilt designer and has patterns for sale in a lot of shops, including Boersma's!!  Right before Christmas they had one of her patterns hanging next to the Christmas fabric!  The quilt-along pattern is free for people who sign up before April 11.  She sends out notices on Thursdays, so I am looking forward to seeing that one in a couple days.  I started cutting the fabric yesterday and I think the next notice will tell us to start sewing pieces together!  

While at Boersma's, we (my next door neighbor and I) saw this new quilt hanging and thought you might like to see it too.

We loved it and I took a couple of pictures (not the best) that will give you an idea.  My friend's hand is pointing out the binding.  Boersma's shop is wonderful and is only about a mile from my house!  Very convenient, right?  Well, thanks for visiting again.  I better get eat breakfast and get ready for walking with 2 neighbors.  One owns the hand in the picture and we have walked together for about 10 years now.  

More Quilts from the Oregon Quilt Festival

 Before I add the pictures I want to tell you that I am now trying to help quilters in my guild who want to learn how to quilt their own quilts.  I learned how to do the quilting from some other bloggers and I am forever grateful to them.  One of the first quilters that I contacted was Elaine Adair Elaine Adair Pieces in Nebraska.  She was kind enough to give me some advice and I was very encouraged to continue.  Then, sometime in 2011, Joann from Thread Head started a year long, monthly challenge with actual experts in quilting giving us training and then an assignment to complete.  This really got me going and was a great boost to my quilting.  Since then, I have quilted all my own quilts and have even won a lot of ribbons for them.  

Two friends came over today and I shared some of my ideas on quilting and they practiced a little on my sewing machine.  I hope I will be able to help the quilters that are interested in quilting their own quilts and give them the encouragement to practice and keep working on it.

Now on to more quilts from the quilt show!  I tried to get pictures of the description as well, but didn't get all of them.

This will be it for today.  I will add a few more next time when I get more organized.  Thanks for visiting!

The Oregon Quilt Festival

 Finally I am getting pictures for you.  I'm sorry it has taken me so long.  I was having problems getting the pictures to transfer from my phone to my computer.  I can't do a post on my phone, so I just had to transfer them a little at a time.  First I will show you some of my favorites and best of show.

This is the Judge's Choice and it is my favorite quilt!

This one was amazing.  It is a raffle quilt that will be featured at a quilt show in Eugene OR in May.  I love it but wouldn't want to make it.

This one was awarded Best of Show and it was made totally with stitching thread for the picture of trees and sky.  

This lion was best of show too.  Can there be more than one Best of Show?  Just wondering.  The lion is so bright!!
 

This is the one that I entered into the show (and I didn't win a ribbon).  The colors don't seem as good as they are in person.

The daffodils are blooming now!

That's all for today.  I will show more of them in a couple days. 

CUTE TEDDY BEARS, ETC.

For several years there has been a vendor at lots of the same craft shows where I am a vendor selling teddy bears that she makes.  These teddy bears are just adorable and so snuggly!  I was able to get these two!  Jeanne Weirich's motto is "comforting hearts one bear at a time" and her Dad, who is in assisted living, helps her stuff them.

While at my quilt guild meeting last month, one of the members had some fabrics that she was giving away and I couldn't resist this fabric with children showing their teeth.  I decided to make a small wall hanging for my dentist and I put a large tooth in the middle as you can see.  I will take this to the dentist on my next appointment in March.  I hope they like it.

The Oregon Quilt Festival is coming soon - February 15-17, 2024.  I will be a vendor and have been making items to sell. If you live in Oregon or near enough to Salem I hope you will come to it!  It will be held at the Oregon State Fair Grounds, 10AM - 5PM (until 4PM on Saturday).  Admission is $12 for adults and $8 for children under 12.  Go to Oregon Quilt Festival for more information.  And, I hope to see you there!

 January is almost gone already!  Time to get the Valentine decorations out.

FIRST FINISH OF 2024!!

 This quilt was the BOM (block of the month) of the Willamette Valley Quilters for 2023 and I kept up with it and it is now finished!  As soon as I saw the pattern, I knew I would make it.  I even bought all the coordinating fabric needed right away, which is very unusual for me.  Most of the quilts that I make are made from what I have in my stash.  

Here it is!  The official name of it is "Vinyard Stroll" but since I didn't appliqué grapes in the corners, I put birds there instead, I changed name to "Garden Stroll."

 The quilt is 76" square and since I needed a picture so I could enter it in the quilt show coming up in February and it was just the hubby and me at home, neither one of us could hold it up by ourselves and I couldn't hang it outside on the clothesline since it would drag onto the ground, which was very wet and muddy, so we hung it on the TV with clamps.  I plan to take a picture of it hanging at the quilt show where it should be totally flat and will take a better picture.

I'm trying to get my sewing room more organized and cleaned up.  It is one of those jobs that never gets finished.  I know it won't ever be perfect.  We have been staying home mostly since Sunday because of the snow and ice.  Church was cancelled, meetings were cancelled and my eye appointment was cancelled.  So I have had more time to do some sewing and organizing, with a little cleaning thrown in!

The ice is melting, but there is still a lot on the ground.  I did go out to get my mail and saw that my garbage hadn't been picked up.  Hope you are keeping warm!

GETTING BACK TO BLOGGING!

I  have things that I want to share, which I have neglected so much the last couple years.  I will be making some changes in my life this year.  First of all, I won't be taking any more jobs as a board member of any quilt guild.  I have been secretary of Gone to Pieces Quilt Guild in McMinnville Oregon for the last 2 years and I am done!  I enjoyed it, but I also took on the preparation of the newsletter each month and that was a pretty big job.  I just finished the last one!  Yea!

I have one more vender job which will be at the Oregon Quilt Festival in February and then I will not be doing any more in person vending.  I will try to sell the rest of my inventory in my Etsy shop.  Of course, I will still keep on sewing, for myself, gifts and donations. I also plan to do some serious work on my family tree and possibly write up the history of our lives.  I have cassette tapes that I want to transcribe because they have some family history, etc.  That takes time.  But I want to dedicate some time to it.

I have several quilts that I have started, a couple of which will be scrappy donation quilts and another that I started for myself which is also scrappy.  I'm sure there are more, but I haven't seriously looked yet.

My oldest grandson is now a student at Notre Dame and is working on a master's degree in architecture.  He is very smart and loves to read and drink tea.  When I was browsing the Etsy site of Elefantz I came across this pattern, which fits my DGS to a tea!!  Notice the "author" of the book that the cup of tea is sitting on - Yes, it is C. S. Lewis.  He loves the books written by C. S. Lewis, which my son read to his children and which we read to ours:  Namely the Narnia series.  This is a quote by Mr. Lewis.  Don't look too close at the embroidery - I was making this the day before Christmas!  The design is by Jenny of Elefantz.  She has an Etsy shop with lots & lots of lovely embroidery patterns.

This week I will get all the Christmas decorations put away and have to finish a quilt that I will be entering in the quilt show.  Here is a picture of part of it as I am quilting it now.  I need to send a picture and registration which is due Jan. 15.

The center medallion (on the left above) is quilted and I'm about to start on the darker triangle on the right side (there are 8 of those).  

Thanks for visiting, and I hope to post the finished quilt in a few days!