Keep Smiling

Keep Smiling

Wednesday, December 21, 2016

More Snow & Another Quilt Started


I never follow a planned pattern,
but instead plan as I go.
So this is where I started.

Then I made these squares 

 and joined them together.
Quilt as you go style. 

I learned something new about this method
of quilting.  It is not new as some people,
including me thought it was.  
No indeed . . . back in the 1880's
women were making Pot Holder Quilts.
They made them by quilting small blocks,
sandwiched with batting and then joined
them together to create a large quilt.
How about that!

Then I started making the next blocks
that will encircle the first section.




This is the front so far . . .

and this is the back so far.
Now I'm making strips to 
circle this section. 

 These are photos that I took from
 the front porch yesterday morning.


I should have gotten a photo 
of last night's view from the front porch.
Flashing lights,but not Christmas lights.
A Police car.

Yesterday evening we had a man
plow through our fence.
I went out last night to look,
but it was dark and I couldn't see much.

I'll bundle up after I've finished 
my coffee and enclose a photo.






Even if you don't feel like it, 
Keep Smiling, LOL
Hey, no one was hurt :)
  

Your blogging sister,
Connie :)
 

45 comments:

  1. Your quilt looks fantastic! I love the addition of the embroidery blocks. Sorry about your fence!

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    1. Hi Sunny, thank you, it is always nice getting a compliment from another quilter :) Our package arrived this week, thank you so much. I will put it to good use.

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  2. Connie, your quilt is so pretty and very pretty on the back also. Now that is different to me. I love that you told about this kind of quilting. I wish I had learned this...now I have no patience to learn. LOL. You know you are right, thankful no one was hurt or that the tree was struck or the power pole. Blessings to you and yours for a great Holiday. xoxo, Susie

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    1. Hi Susie, I love that you like my quilt. I'm over joyed that no one was hurt . . . the fence does look very sad though. We just finished building the fence on that side of the property last spring, Oh well.

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  3. I've been wanting to try QAYG. Did you use a video or book to learn how to do it? I didn't realize it had been around since 1880's. Your quilt looks very vintage. I see you're including some embroidered blocks. Hand embroidered? I love quilts that have embroidered blocks. Are you familiar with Jenny of Elefantz? She's an Aussie stitchery designer and quilter. Just recently I discovered her blog. I know you'd love it. So glad no one was hurt in that crash through your fence. Holy cow! xo

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    1. Hi Nancy, I am going to email you a link to a great tutorial, You Tube Video on QAYG. It is the video that I watched to learn this process. I think that you will love it and it is easy to do on a regular machine. Maybe you can send me back a link to Jenny's blog:) Merry Christmas, sweet friend. Oh, sorry . . . not hand embroidered, my machine does embroidery.

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  4. Oh wow, too bad about the fence. Thankfully he took out the fence and didn't plow in to your house.
    Your new quilt is looking great. You work fast. It would have taken me forever to get as far as you have

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    1. After I get the house clean . . . or clean enough, LOL. I pack a snack and head out to the barn to not be seen again until Steve gets home from work. Sometimes that's 2 hours and sometimes 6. It is easier to get things done, when you don't have all the many things that keep you busy in the house starring you in the face :)
      Love my barn!

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  5. OH NO! Your poor fence! I'm glad no one was hurt but what a mess! I love your quilts...they are always so cheerful! I should set a goal to learn to quilt this coming year. I could at least make a doll quilt! Hugs, Diane

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    1. Watch this video . . . you might be surprised how easy QAYG is. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji8BLS2rNHA&t=139s

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  6. Your quilt turned out gorgeous! So sorry to hear about your fence.. what a total pain in the tush. Say - what part of Oregon are you? I'm always looking in your About to figure out somewhat where your farm is. I hope you have a good xmas day planned with family. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉
    *M*E*R*R*Y* *C*H*R*I*S*T*M*A*S*!*
    ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉ ❉

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    1. Hi Teresa, I know, we just finished that fence last spring. The man gave us insurance information, but we just got a call that said that his policy had expired. Isn't that the way it goes. Oh, well.
      I'll send you that other information in an email. I'm not big on specifics on the internet.

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  7. Replies
    1. Merry Christmas to you too, Debby.
      I hope that you are having a wonderful time :)

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  8. Your quilt is looking very good! Your fence definitely is not. Good thing no one was hurt.

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    1. The bit of good and bad . . . but we'll survive, LOL

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  9. A beautiful quilt. I tried a quilt as you go last year but my inexperience showed and it looked awful so I tossed the whole thing right in the trash. Now your is gorgeous! So glad no one was hurt and hope your fence gets repaired very soon.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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    1. Hi Betsy, thanks on both counts . . . I'm sorry that your experience wasn't good with the QAYG method. Don't give up! Another thing that I've learned that I really love doing, is quilting with a hoop on my lap. My neighbor does her quilts that way. I tried it and it's very relaxing :)

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  10. You are one talented lady and it has been a pleasure as always to visit. Glad no one was hurt but hopefully the fence will get repaired soon. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas and best wishes for the New Year.

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    1. I'm sure that the fence won't get repaired until spring and we just found out that the man that did it doesn't have insurance. So, I guess we'll be building it back ourselves. The fact is, we just finished building it last spring :( Oh well, it's just a fence and I am very pleased that no one was hurt. I would hate looking out my back door with a memory of that.

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    2. Connie, your own homeowner's insurance or auto insurance should probably pay for the broken fence! One or the other should cover it, as long as you have evidence of the other person's expired insurance and an accident report filed on this incident. I was a legal secretary for 45 years! Saw this happen many times. Marilyn

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    3. I love banana bread and your home is going to smell so good:) Nothing smells as good as something baking in the oven.

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    4. Our insurance will, but Steve says it's not worth the deducible. Save it for something big . . . hopefully never having to use it :)

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  11. Oh my but this is so pretty! Wonderful quilting and embroidery!
    Wishing you a very blessed Christmas!

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  12. Oh my... so sorry about your fence! glad no one was hurt. And double oh my with your new quilt! Wow you go girl! You are on a roll!!!! I'm envious. I've been crocheting lately, plus making a couple of things for Christmas gifts. I got on a wool felt kick so have made two things so far and will start a third pretty soon. The bunny I made I think I posted on my blog. The second thing, a little fox pillow, I forgot to take pictures before I sent it off! Darn. Not sure what the third will be.. still deciding. We are still buried in about 10" of snow and lots of ice, but our roads are pretty clear. More snow expected tonight! Ah.h.h.h. a white Christmas... so lovely. Finally did a little bit of decorating in my house but not too much... the mood hasn't struck me yet and may not this year. Tree is up but no ornaments on it! For some reason, all I want to do is make things! I did make some cookies yesterday and today, "maybe" will do some banana bread as gifts for the neighbors. Enjoy that snow and that art barn. Please don't tell me YOU embroidered those squares with the flower baskets! Such a sweet quilt.... hugs.. Marilyn

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    1. Hi Marilyn, well I did embroidery them, but with the help of my sewing machine attachment, LOL. I've been baking cookies this morning, too. I fact I just got the kitchen cleaned up from my baking mess before sitting down to blog. Merry Christmas, Sweet Friend.

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    2. Good ole' sewing machine.. it sure does beautiful work (with the help of the operator I'm sure!). That's the problem with baking.. the big mess afterwards. I like to bake, but hate cleaning up after. I need to make banana bread today as have about 8 bananas about ready to bite the dust! eeeekkkkk

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  13. The quilt is so very pretty. I love the colors.
    So sorry about your fence.

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    1. Thank you . . . as for the fence, we'll just bite the bullet and get over it :)

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  14. The quilt is so very pretty. I love the colors.
    So sorry about your fence.

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  15. Goodness!, I'm glad it was only your fence that came down. That is a very pretty quilt that is coming together. Do you think that quilting as you go came about because there weren't always enough opportunities for women to be able to have quilting bees out on the prairie? Just curious. A very blessed and joy-filled Christmas to you Connie.

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    1. You know I was thinking that it may have had more to do with the homes being small and the families being large. It takes a lot of room to set up an old fashioned quilting frame and I'm sure that many families couldn't spare the room. The only quilt that I had made, until a few years ago when I really got into it was one where my friends helped me quilt. They moved all their furniture to the side walls of their living room and we set up a frame and began to quilt. It took us two weeks and these poor folks were without a living room during that time. Well, that just a theory.

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  16. Love the design of your new quilt, both front and back :) I am working on a table runner right now for my friends Christmas present, just the binding to put on so I will be ready :)
    That is a bummer about your fence, so glad he was able to stop before getting closer to your house.
    Have a merry Christmas!

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    1. The direction he hit the fence at, if he would have kept going would have hit the art barn.

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  17. I am sorry about your fence. But glad that no one was working beside it to get hurt and that your wonderful Art Barn was not hit. Love the quilt thus far and the back is as pretty as the front. Nancy

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    1. Thank you Nancy, Here's hoping that you are having a wonderful Christmas :)

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  18. Ooh I do like your new quilt ...

    Thank goodness no-one was hurt, although it did make a mess of the fence ... it could have been worse.

    Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas

    All the best Jan

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    1. Your right it could have been worse. We got out there and put up orange construction fence, to prevent our Butchy from getting in the road until spring and we can fix it. I'm delighted that you like my quilt, thanks for that, too :)

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  19. Never could get on with quilt-as-you-go but I understand why some people love it! Great photos, Connie, and just time for me to wish you and yours a very happy Christmas and a happy and peaceful New Year xxxxxxx

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    1. Hi Lynne, I will never give up hand-quilting, there's something very special about a hand-quilted quilt, but I like this method, too. I do hope that your Christmas is filled with good friends and family and that it is as sweet as you are :) Merry Christmas!

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  20. A Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year to you and your loved ones! A very pretty quilt. So sorry about your fence. :(

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    1. Hi Rebecca, thanks for stopping by to visit. We're having a very quiet Christmas. With our daughter and grands so far away, it's just us old geezers enjoying a special meal, snacking on Christmas cookies and watching old Christmas movies on the tube. Last night we watched "While You Were Sleeping" and I cried. I've seen that movie so many times, but not without a tear or two :) Merry Christmas!

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  21. Hi Connie, The quilt is looking great. You sure have a talent there. Sorry about your fence. I see from the comments that it was one of the newer sections of fence. Wouldn't you know it ... Murphy's Law? Well, I hope all that didn't interfear too much and you and yours had a wonderful Christmas day. I want to thank you for your very kind comment on my post yesterday (Christmas) where I asked for prayers for the little newborns in the NICU at hospital. You are so kind! I did leave a reply for you on my blog. Thank you so much Connie!

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    1. John, it is always a pleasure to have you visit. I admire you for your volunteer work. I don't know how it is today, but when my son was in the children's hospital back in 1964 there were thirty or forty babies in each ward. Therefore; when you were there you saw all kinds of birth defects and it was impossible to have a dry eye. You are an angel to these little ones . . . God bless.

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