New Car

 Hello Friends

I am sorry it has been so long.  This morning I could hear a cricket in my house.  Not sure where it is exactly but it makes noise.  Hopefully it will find its way outside. Anyway, it got me thinking about this blog and how you must be hearing crickets also.

Not much to report on the sewing front. I did take a quilt in to the quilter.  She informed me that she is quitting long arming.  So now it's back to finding a new quilter.  They are not easy to find in my area and I don't want to send it out if I don't have to.

I did start the #Kimsquaredcreative challenge.  Kim Lapacek from Project Quilting and Kim from Go Go Kim, are doing a sew along.  They are using Tula Pink's 100 Modern Quilt blocks book.  I decided it would be a great way to use up scraps.  I started on Aug 23rd with block 1. 

Of course in true Amy fashion.  That is the only block I have made.  Ugh!  Some day I will stick with these challenges.  I do still have my machine ready and the fabric ready to cut.  I just need to take a day and catch up.  With the holiday weekend I thought I would have time, but now I have plans to do other things.  But I will catch up!!

I did also finish painting a part of the kitchen that has needed it.  My job this fall is to paint the 'old' kitchen.  I will explain in pictures when I take some.  My dad added onto the house through the kitchen.  So we have an old section and a new section with a half wall in between. 

In other exciting news, I bought a car.  I had my car in the shop last Thursday.  It was making a loud muffler sound.  It needed part of the exhaust changed.  Then I had them put new breaks on the front.  A noise in the engine I had told them about was still there when I picked up my car.  I asked what it was and they said valve train.  That basically means you will need to replace the engine.  I was able to drive it all weekend with no problems.  Monday I leave for work and it sounds like I am killing a bird under the hood of the car.  Then my battery light comes on.  I try to do a Y turn to turn around but the steering is not working.  I was able to straighten the car and pull over.  Gathered my thoughts and turned it around.  It was no longer making the noise.  But I did not feel safe so I took my van to work instead.  The van is my mom and dad's but when I bought the house, it came with it.  I use it for hauling things.  It's a 2005 and on its last leg but it gets me where I need to go.  Anyway, I worked for 2 hours then went looking for a new car.  I tried 3 places with no luck.  Hardly any used cars and new cars are too expensive.  I have wanted a Buick Encore for a long time.  I just like the look of them.  I had a Buick Century many years ago and loved it.  I found one and was able to purchase it.  She does not have a name yet but she sure is pretty.

I am very happy with her.  I am also nervous.  When I come to work in the morning, we have deer.  Usually they walk across the road and you can stop, but sometimes they just run.  Ugh!  I got 2 raccoons with my car so I am extra cautious. 

So I am making a list of things to work on this winter.  I don't have it finished yet so I will wait to post that another day.  Do you sew more in the winter time?  The Almanac says we are expecting a very snowy winter.  I will not drive if the roads are bad so I will take those snow days to sew.

Tell me about your September sewing plans!  I need ideas (like I need another hole in my head). :) It is National Sewing month!

Blessings

Amy

Finishes

 Hello Friends

I have a couple of finishes to share with you today.  First up is On Ringo Lake.  This is a Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt from 2017.  I was debating putting bigger borders on and decided to just leave it as is.

It feels so good to have this finished.

I had also just finished putting together the 2020/2021 Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt Grassy Creek.  I just loved the colors in this one too.  Here she is finished:

I think this is one of my fastest finishes.  I did not start this until January of 2021.  I worked on it off and on for a few months.  By June I had all of the blocks made just needed to make the scrappy borders and block surrounds.  It took me a while to do that because it was all paper pieced.  I also needed to add fabric to my stash to finish them.  I put it all together by the end of the year.  It went to the long armer in February with On Ringo Lake.  She was a little behind with seasonal sicknesses, but got them back to me the end of April.  I had them bound by machine right away.  I am so happy with these finishes.

I am trying so hard to finish things before starting new things.  I did put together a top for the GSafe auction.  The fabric was all labeled in a kit that someone donated.  I am still deciding on a border. I have the fabric for the border just not sure it will look good.

Those are my finishes so far.  I did purchase a new sewing machine for my birthday this year.  Will post about that soon.  Just trying to get used to her.  I started with a table runner kit from my sister that has been in my stash for a while.  Stay tuned!

Do you switch up your sewing in the summer?  I just bought a table and chairs set for my front porch.  Hoping to sit and do some hand sewing or crochet this summer.  I don't get much machine time in the summer.

Blessings

Amy

Word of the Year - 2022

 Hello Friends

If you have been reading this for a while, you know that I make a word for the year.  I started this in 2017 as my father was going through some health issues.  My first word was Pause. I was making some health decisions for him and if I paused to think about all of the information, I made better decisions.

Then in 2018 Dad was put on hospice the previous December.  We knew his time was short with us.  I tried to be Mindful of everything I said and did.  I wanted to remember all of our talks. He passed in Aug of 2018.

In 2019 my son graduated from college and I wanted to take him on a trip.  We went to England with my sister.  It was a year of Adventure as I also went to Las Vegas to celebrate a friends 60th birthday.

Then Covid hit March of 2020.  It was also a big year for me as I turned 50. I was hoping it would be a year to Shine.  To meet up with old friends or even make new friends.  Not knowing the pandemic would put a wrench in that.

In 2021, it was a year to find Joy.  We had been on lock down for over a year and there was not a light at the end of the tunnel yet.  I wanted to find some joy in the little things we could do for each other. I tried to join some of the online groups through my guild.  We made a shared block.  It was fun and a good way to think of others and their likes.  I still need to finish my block.  Might turn it into a pillow.

That brings us to this year.  I would like to find the Happy in this year.  Things are opening up, people are gathering (cautiously) again.  It's a good time to find what makes me happy.  Sewing quilts is really close to the top of the list.  With spending time with my family as number one.

If you had a word for the year, what would it be?

Thanks for reading!

Blessings

Amy

Progress

 Hello Friends

Hope you are having a productive year so far.  And if not, that is okay too!  I have weeks where I don't do anything crafty.  And some weeks, that is all I do.  Hoping to find a good balance here soon.  The weather has been cold but not snowy.  We have actually had a few warm days.  If you count 40°F warm. On sunny days, you will usually find me in my sewing room.  That is a messy room I am hoping to get a handle on in the next few weeks.  It's getting hard to find things so it's time to clean and organize.  

I have been working on my Grassy Creek Mystery quilt.  It's a Bonnie K Hunter quilt from last year.  I started it in January after she released what it would look like.  I loved the colors so I thought I would try it.  I had finished the 25 blocks by March and there it sat.  I had to work on the sashing and that is paper pieced.  I was running low on gray fabric so needed to order more.  Then I would get busy with something or nothing else. I was able to finish most of the top.  I am working on the borders but again, needed to order a little more fabric. Here is one of the blocks:

These colors will look great in my bedroom.  The walls are gray so the pop of color will be nice.

Here is the top without the borders.  I have added the skinny green border but I am working on the pieced border now.

I am hoping to have this finished and ready to buy backing fabric by the end of the month. When this top is done I am also hoping to finish this top:

This is the Snowflake quilt by Modern Handcraft.  I have been working on this for a long time and hope to have it done this month to get backing for it also.  My quilter will be busy for me this Spring.

I also need to decide if I am putting borders on my On Ringo Lake quilt.

This was the 2017-2018 winter mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter. Just not sure if I should border it. I might just get backing and send it to my quilter so it can be a finish.

When I need a break from these quilts, I have been working on cutting down my scraps into useable sizes.  I have too much fabric and it's time to start using it!

Well, I think I am doing pretty good on my goal list.  Of course I am like a lot of people and start off the year strong and then sizzle out.  I am hoping to keep my momentum and finish all of my starts.  I am excited to start something new but need these off of the list first.

How do you keep your momentum?  Any tricks or tips are appreciated.

Thanks for reading!

Blessings

Amy

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 Hello Friends

Hope you are all ready for the holidays!  I am waiting on a few packages yet.  I want to make the puppies all tie blankets.  Need to get them cut out tonight.  They need to be finished by Friday.  We celebrate our Christmas on Christmas Eve.  I will be off from Friday until Tuesday.  It will be nice to have that time off.  I usually deep clean and put my decorations away.  Maybe I will start tackling the scrap piles.

Did you do any sewing for Christmas gifts?  I actually did!  I made a few zipper bags for some friends.  It felt good to sew again!

I took my time.  They were more work than I thought they would be but it was good work.  Felt so good to be back at the sewing machine.  I hope this is what I needed to jump start my motivation.  I have lots of fabric that needs to be cut into useable sizes.  That is my winter project.

And just for fun.  I had the girls a few weeks ago.  Here they are all cuddled together.  They really are the best of friends.

That is all I have for you this year.  I want to thank you all for reading my blog and commenting.  It really means a lot to me!  Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and whatever else you celebrate.  Hope you can enjoy the magic of the season.

Here's hoping for a safe and wonderful 2022!

Blessings!

Amy

Goals for 2022

 Hello Friends

Sorry it has been so long since I posted something.  I have been busy with other projects around the house and not sewing as much as I would like to.  Hopefully that will change after the holidays.

I did repaint the dining room.  It really feels more homey now.  Will hopefully put in wood laminate flooring this Spring.  Pushed it out a season so we could have carpeting one more year for Christmas.

Mika is doing well.  She has grown so fast and is over 56# already. She is so long!  Roxy and her are the best of friends.  The only makes I am doing for Christmas this year are blankets for the dogs.  I have made them all tie blankets in the past and it's time for new ones.  Mika has chewed hers already.  Thankfully she is out of the chewing stage.

My mom and sister and I get together to bake for the holidays every year.  This year we made a few things ahead of time so we weren't rushed with what was left to make.  Mom had spent a week in the hospital in early November.  She is fine, just a dialysis water retention issue.  She is still getting her strength back.  She made Santa face cookies and Snickerdoodles. I made Can't leave 'em alone bars, Kix cereal treats and Cornflake treats.

I also made vanilla flavored and almond flavored Spritz cookies.  I love to make Spritz.  I have a battery operated press that takes no time at all.

Do you have any family traditions?  I would love to hear about them.

I did get my trees up and decorated.  Still cleaning that up but hope to fully finish this week.  The grand puppies are coming to stay over on Friday through the weekend so their parents can go to a concert.  I can't wait!

I am working on my word of the year for 2022.  No ideas yet but I am sure something will come.  I am also working on my goal list for next year.  Right now it looks like this:

1. Finish On Ringo Lake- needs backing and quilting
2. Finish Grassy Creek-needs more piecing
3. Finish Unity- needs to be taken apart and remeasured
4. Make 3 scrappy quilts for gift closet
5. Make the Scandinavian flags quilts-there are 5 just need to decide on size
6. Finish all little projects that were started or need fixing-there a quite a few

I think those are some goals I can really do.  I hope!  Do you have any goals?  Sewing or other?  I have a list of house update goals also:

1. Flooring in dining room and living room
2. Paint the kitchen
3. Paint the kitchen cupboards
4. Asphalt the driveway

These are manageable for me and just my income.  There are other things I would like to do but they may have to wait.  These 4 are top priority right now.

That is all I have for you today.  I may check in towards the end of the year if time allows.  If not, I hope you enjoy your holidays. Thank you for reading!

Blessings

Amy

Moment of Zen - a quilt finish

 Hello Friends

I am sharing my latest finish with you today.  I have been working on this quilt for a while now.  I read the blog Jo's Country Junction daily.  She offers recipes, patterns and an inside to living in Iowa.  I am only a few hours away from her and hope to meet her someday.  I am inspired by her blog everyday. This quilt is called Moment of Zen.  Jo writes about it on her blog.  It was published in American Patchwork and Quilting.  Here is my version:

This is before the quilting.  I used the same fabric line that Jo did.  It's called Cider by Moda and I bought it at Fat Quarter Shop.  They don't have much of the fabric line left but check it out.  I wish I would have bought 2 bundles.  I just love this line!  If you notice, some of the fabric is in the Grunge line.  That is another favorite.  I used the cream Grunge for the backing and binding.  I really need to work on taking better pictures.

Here it is finished:

I had it quilted by a new to me quilter named Sarah.  She runs a shop about 15 minutes away from me.  I love the quilting and hope to be using her services again.  I made this for my friend Leah for her wedding.  She loved it!  Hope you do too!

I have not been making much else.  I do have about 3 that need finishing.  I would like to get at least one of them done before starting anything new.  I really don't like having UFOs around.  How many is too many for you?  Do you complete a quilt one at a time or do you have multiples going at once?  I do get bored sometimes and start new things.  I think I really enjoy cutting the quilt out and binding the finished quilt.  The sewing it all together, not so much.  Is that weird?  I think it is. :)

Maybe I can change that this month.  It is National Sewing Month starting today!  Hope I can sneak in some time daily to sew something.  Better start planning what to tackle first.

Feel free to send me pictures of what you are working on too!

Blessings!

Amy