Nothing runs like a DEERE!

ACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I went to take a picture last night and guess what?   Yup - the camera card was FULL.  Now I have somehow misplaced all my SD cards for the camera so I didn't even have a spare one to put in it. Oh - I am getting old FAST!!!!!    Thank goodness for stores that are open late. Hit Loblaws and yes - they had cards - all big ones and snagged 8 GB for less than $20.  I remember when we paid HUNDREDS of dollars for memory cards!

So I was able to take more pictures. Then I thought I would try to load the pictures onto the laptop and the new card worked in the card reader.  But I still have a few pictures that I took on the other card, loaded it into the laptop - NOTHING. I am now trying to download those pictures that I took yesterday onto the external hard disk.  Oh - the things I do for a picture!!!!!!


I am VERY happy to report that yesterday was a productive day - a very productive day.  I will tell you about it, but it will be all mixed up - so just bear with me.

I bought a kit from one of the Monday girls - I think it was in February. Well - we just cannot have a kit that came from a stash go back into another stash - so I had to get this done.  I pieced all the blocks when I was at the retreat in March. It was supposed to be a table runner.

Table runner kit

I decided to use ALL the fabric in the kit and I was able to make 42 six inch blocks - well the equivalent of because some of them are 3 inches and four of them will make a six inch block

I threw all the blocks on the wall

Rearranged them just to see how it looked

Tweaked a few blocks and VOILA - a new quilt is born

I have decided to add a brown inner border and then I have to find something as a bigger border in order to make it a decent lap sized quilt. I don't need a table runner, but I could make the quilt and give it away.  Yes - it is next on the sewing block - got one column together already.


I don't know what happened, but had an amazing sleep the night before and last night - NOPE - no sleep.  Hmmm - I wonder if it had anything to do with the hot chocolate I consumed at 8 PM. Normally the caffeine has NO effect on me, but I think my body is starting to NOT like it, especially late at night.

After laying in bed thinking about what I could be doing, trying to read, looking at the tablet - nothing worked to get me sleepy - so I was up and in the studio.

Yes - I was working during the witching hour!!!!!!

Now I had that visual TO DO list on the table. Remember???   Well the above kit was on the table - soon to be finished but I wasn't in the mood to sew.  I thought I would tackle this next project which was also on the table. My favourite theme  - it is time to revisit the tractor quilts.

You see - after I made the first batch of FIVE quilts, I had some leftovers, I bought a few tractor panels (just because) and I had some tractor fabric given to me.  Oh dear - well this is the LAST round of tractor quilts. Seriously - I do not want to do any more tractor quilts after this, but I believe that I have enough for THREE or FOUR more quilts. I know - how did that happen????

I sorted the fabric into a theme - I took out all of the John Deere fabric. Now I still have one blue John Deere one, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in this pile - so it will go in the general tractor quilt.

The fat quarters of John Deere fabric

 How can I cut the fabric to maximum it?????   Remember it is late at night!!!   A few quick measurements and I realized that I could cut it into 3 1/2" strips with virtually NO waste. How is that for late night thinking?

See - each fat quarter yielded FIVE strips and just this scrap left over

 The fabric is pretty directional, so I kept that in mind when I chose how to cut it.

And here are my strips - don't worry - I will share my pattern with you when it is time

Now here is where I need YOUR help.  If YOU have some John Deere fabric in your stash and you will NEVER use it - I would be happy to buy it from you.  No need to search the internet for me - just if you have some in your stash and don't want it.

This is what I am working with - yellows, browns - I don't want any blue fabric. 

Here are FOUR examples of the type of stuff I will buy. Please send me a picture first.

These are pillow panels - I will take those as well. 

While I was thinking about this quilt, I thought to myself - I wonder if I have any John Deere fabric in my stash. Hmmmmm - dug through the appropriate bin (I know - it took me all of 2 minutes to search) and look what I found!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

PINK John Deere fabric.  I am going to leave this out and make a quilt right away with it.  A very simple one - a four patch and I know exactly who is going to get it!!!!!   I know she will be thrilled.   Actually I know two people that could use this quilt - unfortunately there is only enough fabric for one quilt - there is only four meters. 

And I still have this much tractor fabric left - see that BLUE John Deere in the middle. It just doesn't go with the other fabric. To me John Deere is GREEN and YELLOW, not pink, not blue. 

This is what the visual TO-DO table looked like this morning. Yep - the sewing machine is up so I can sew on bindings - I have FOUR to sew on. And the serger is up because I have a couple of backings to do.

The visual TO-DO table

I got busy and changed the thread colour on the serger. I had a flannel quilt that I am making for me and I wanted to put fireside fleece on the back. Since the quilt is 88 inches wide - I had to piece the backing.

Serging the backing (fireside fleece).  I cut the piece in half (selvedge to selvedge) using a pair of scissors - there was NO fluff

And here is ANOTHER quilt ready to be quilted. 

Now I have a bit of a dilemma.   I have ONE more flannel quilt that was made for DH.  I also wanted to put fireside fleece on the back. The quilt is wider than 60 inches so I was hoping to piggy back it to the one above. Three widths of fireside fleece at 60 inches = equals 180".  The two quilts measure 88 and 72 - so both would fit on the three widths. Easy - I load the backing ONCE and I get two quilts done at the same time.  However, the fireside fleect that I have for the other is slightly different colour.

I think I will just say - to heck with it, join them. No one will notice. It is for us after all

Before I could put that small kit up that I showed you at the beginning of this blog, I had to get rid of the bright square quilt. Remember????

This is what it looked like in the morning

And this is what it looked like at dinner time

And this is what it looks like this morning - I loaded it last night so I would be ready to go this morning. 

 Yeah - another one ready for quilting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   I thought I was being clever in using the yellow to create some interest through the quilt.  Oh boy - I had so much trouble. I had to rip out several times because the yellow got put in the wrong way or whatever. I was on the last seam and while I was pressing, I said a BAD WORD. I couldn't help myself - because after I thought everything was finally OK - I had to rip out and swap two more four patches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   But it will get quilted today and I can move on from that group of quilts.

I don't think I posted this yesterday, but I got the second snowman quilt done. Well I just had to make the backing and binding.  I made the backing big enough that I can do both quilts with the one backing. so the two quilts are ready to be quilted!!!!!   Oh yes - buy something from someone else's stash and I have NO intention of putting it in mine!!!!!!

I still have this much fabric for leftoevers, but I will use it when I put those flannel scrappy winter/Christmas themed quilts together.  Still piecing the scraps to make the blocks.

Katheleen was here using the long arm. My girls LOVE her as she always brings treats. Katheleen has a dog so they all get along just fine. Well she had the treats on that white cupboard (top right of the picture) and Sparky would NOT leave her alone. She was on the floor right where Katheleen needed to step. It was pretty funny - Sparky just wanted those treats!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sparky - right where NO ONE can miss her as we had to step over her to get around the machine

And the two of them stayed close to Katheleen the entire time she was here. They never do that for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Traitors!!!!!!

I had to go through my TO BE QUILTED buckets in preparation for the CreativFestival demos I just did.   While I was going through them I found this quilt.

My quilt!!!!

Carol gave me this pattern as a mystery a number of years ago. Many years ago.  Her, her sister and myself did a  mystery for each other - well something to that effect. I think Lynn and I did one for Carol, then Carol did this for me - help Carol???   What was the story again????


Anyway I was looking through this Calendar from 1992

And look what I found...............

Add caption

 Now this one is MUCH bigger than mine. Well I would say mine is half the size.  I love it!!!!!    Yes - some day I will get mine quilted.  Just seems to be so many customer ones coming in - I need to schedule mine in just like it was a customer quilt!!!!!


On that note - I have a bit more piecing to do before I can fire up the long arm and get quilting.  It is a beautiful day out and I have a bag of dirt in the driveway. Guess what I will be doing today!!!!!!!!


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!