We have a quilting finish!
And is there anything better than reaching the last border on a quilt when you are quilting?
The finish is so close at hand!
This is Mona's Jamestown Landing from my book String Fling.
Another testament to my love of blue and neutral - and I don't think I'll ever stop seeing blue/neutral two color quilts in my head.
I don't think there will ever be an empty spot where "blue used to be" in my stash! Blue is just magical. It must be. No matter how hard I try to sew it down, it never depletes.
I even asked Mona if she needed MORE blue now that she's finished this one. She said she's experienced the same thing. There is just as much blue in her stash as when she started this one.
Quilting looks so great!
The thread color is a robin's egg blue. We quilted with an edge to edge design called Kismet.
We've got this one trimmed up, binding strips cut - but she'll be doing the binding at home as her Unity quilt went right on the machine immediately after finishing Jamestown Landing. We are girls on a mission.
We hadn't seen each other since before the holidays, and our window of opportunity is a short one - so it is ALL LONG ARMING ALL THE TIME. She needs to go home today, so by dinner time we hope to get Unity finished, and Jingle Bell Square from Addicted to Scraps (Not done in Christmas colors!! It's so cute!) loaded and done.
There is a serious amount of caffeine being consumed to keep us going - along with the laughter.
Yesterday's IGquiltfest post:
These Creative Hands. Mona's!
I am so proud of her for how far she has come. But I think what I love even more is that we were great friends BEFORE she took up quilting. We are not friends BECAUSE of quilting.
If the quilting went away - we'd still be friends. And that is what real friendship is all about, isn't it?
Whooopie!!!! Thank you so much Jeanne!! There is so much great stuff in this box - and loads of neutrals too. This yellow has me hankering to get going on that yellow Rocky Road to Kansas UFO - now that the Blue Monstrosity Rivanna quilt is nearly done.
My weekend just may be hijacked though - and I'm okay with it!
Son Jason has been camping his way across the southern USA going from Portland, Oregon, down through Nevada, New Mexico, Texas panhandle, Oklahoma - coming across I-40 and as of last night is near Memphis, Tennessee.
He's driving his big ole "Church Van" that he has turned into a camper, and wants mom to make curtains for his windows. LOL!! How do you explain to a grown son that quilters do not hem curtains??
And how can I say no? I'll do it. Because there isn't anything I wouldn't do for a son that has driven that far to come see us.
The only thing he has stopped for is gas. He cooks his own food on his little stove, he sleeps in his van, he is so very socially distant and following all mask up, wash up, safety protocols.
I really didn't mind. That golden glow (through my very dirty windshield) made it feel very much like a spring evening - even though the temps were cold and the wind was especially fierce yesterday.
Slowing down enabled me to see things I would have normally missed.
Sometimes all I see is the tractor. (Or that car driving down the road.) I never focus on the driver - just the vehicle.
In this case, the driver was a young father and had 2 young kids with him in the cab.
(Please please please do not jump on a bandwagon about having kids in a cab with no seat belts - This is a farming community. I will not be posting comments that go onto that tangent.)
They made a left hand turn at the next intersection you see here heading to wherever they were going. Home for dinner? Or to the barn?
I just loved to think about this precious daddy time and taking part in evening chores or whatever they had going on. It made me smile.
I will be doing my best to focus on the person behind the wheel - instead of just seeing a vehicle in front of me.
I hear Mona up in the kitchen - the smell of morning coffee wafting down the stairs to where I am typing. There is some conversation between she and Dave. I feel like I am missing out!
So I am going to finish this up quick and get on with our day.
It's FRIDAY! What finishes are you closing in on? Anything? Did you start anything new?
Maybe you are planning on a Rough & Tumble weekend ahead!
You'll find the printable PDF pattern for Rough & Tumble in the digital pattern section of the Quiltville Store.
And the price is already marked 25% off through March 14th. No coupon code needed for this one!
The price will revert back to the full price of $12.00 on March 15th, 2021.
Quiltville's Quote of the Day -
Keep your eye on the possibilities and see where they lead!
Everything you've been through (especially this past year of Covid) has brought you to where you are right now.
Have a wonderful Friday, everyone!
39 comments:
I am clearing my path through bins of crumbs and making crumb blocks for a future quilt today!
I just finished the binding and label on my Unity quilt last night. I machine quilted it on my domestic machine so it was a bit of a workout. I do love it even with a few pointless triangles. Thank you for doing the see in place quilt along.
So true, Friends are friends even if they don't Quilt. Mona has come a long way. Glad she is close enough to come and play. Scraps, they are Multiplying. What beautiful renditions of your patterns. Love the Robin's Egg Blue. Color of the year. Saw a Cardinal so Spring is coming. Our kids loved their Dad time in the Tractor. Family Farms are few and far between.
Did you ever think your affection for blue is because of God's blue sky we all enjoy? Have a blessed day.
I am making a quilt for my grand dog which he requested. I am using your free pattern, Strip Twist. I am using scraps recently given to me that I had already cut in your scrap savor system
Thank you for all the lessons I have learned from you!
Oh, sewnsew commenter, I love that term you coined for Bonnie's scrap system, "Scrap Savor System"!!! Yes, we do "Savor" our scraps as we use them up. So fun to think of them that way!
I (almost always) drive patiently behind farmers that are ahead of me - I figure that they're probably producing something on their farm that will benefit my table in months to come, so I can afford to wait just a bit for them.
The tractor reminds me of riding in Grandpa’s road grader on a very snowy day. He maintained the gravel roads near his farm for the county. He was babysitting my brother and me when a neighbor called that a snowdrift was blocking a road nearby. He lifted us up into the cab and we watched through open windows (no defroster in that old grader) while he cleared the road and plowed the neighbors lane road. Thanks for a memory!
LOVE the kids in the cab... brings back "days gone by" in Wisconsin farm country. No worries - Dad's being VERY careful for his precious load. On my cutting table: squares to make 800 HSTs ! After getting our 2nd Covid vaccination today, I'll cut, cut, cut !
Thanks for mentioning Fisherman's Friends. I was fun to watch
I would love to see Jason's camping van. I'm thinking of doing something like this myself--camping in a van. Of course it will be filled with quilts!
I've been looking forward to the weekend all week! I have time booked on my local quilt shop's longarm to quilt my version of Frolic, and I can't wait! The binding is ready to go, and soon I'll be sleeping under my first finished Bonnie quilt! :)
Oh! A new-to-me thought. Looking at the log cabin behind your thought for the day, it occurred to me that one could piece a bit of text with the strip colors in the cabins. A grandchild's name perhaps? I had never noticed that possibility. I can hardly wait to try it. Has anyone else tried this? or seen it done?
I am finishing up Frolic. center done and 2 inner borders on. only 6 more borders to go and 4 corner blocks to done. Have no idea where the name quiltpiecer came from put it lets me comment finally. Betsy K
I am trying to finish 16 14.5" log cabins. In the fall I purchased some fabrics from a recent widower at my church. I didn't know his wife well enough to know while she was alive that she was quilter. Among my finds was what appeared to be a scrap bag that also had blocks cut from the same fabric for a small "flag" block (about 12") kit. I grabbed both thinking they could be used in a Quilts of Valor. Well, inside the scrap bag I found strips cut for a log cabin! So, I decided to use them in a Quilts of Valor for her husband "J". I'm down to the last blue log and am short 4 strips. Since I will only have 16 log cabin blocks, the rest of the quilt will be made with other fabrics I also purchased at the estate sale. Today I will be going through all my blues to see if I have anything that will work. It appears this strips were cut from a jelly roll. Wish me luck! I only need 4 14.5" strips.
I know how it is to have a son that wants you to sew curtains! Mine thinks anything sewing I can surely do! Glad you have time with Mona - girls visiting girls is just so good! I will have that day in a week! Right now, I am in the midst of HollyAnne's FMQ class and it is fun to have this whole group 'around' you!
I’m home on an ice pack, fighting a stubborn hip issue. Was so looking forward to visiting my in-laws today with the hubby, but a 4 hour road trip wasn’t going to work. It wasn’t just the in-laws I was looking forward to seeing...one of their neighbors has my quilt ready! I was having trouble quilting it because it was 2 layers of unwashed batiks. My machine just didn’t like it, but she said she had no problems with it. Can’t wait to see it! It’s been a ufo for 10 years. Can’t wait to put it on my bed! Not sure how much sewing I will get done today with the angry hip, but my plan is for garment sewing today if I can. Will be back on the quilt borders for my 2020 temperature quilt again tomorrow. Have a beautiful day everyone! Look forward to seeing your curtain creations for Jason’s van!
I am tying a quilt for my girlfriend, she found the top in her grandma's closet, after she had passed. It is ugly, but it is her grandma's. LOL! I think I can see the end to it this weekend, I am hoping to get it trimmed, and the binding made and put on. I can sit and work on it, while watching TV in the evening.
I love the tractor with the dad and kids! I live in a rural area too with many farms and ranches. I never mind being stuck behind a tractor or having to wait when sheep, goats, cows, etc. are herded down the road--that is part of rural life!
Love the tractor story! My dad was a line haul trucker and the most exciting thing for me was to ride in the cab with him and then get back in the sleeper, lay on my stomach, and watch thru the windshield!! Haven't though of that in years!!!!
Now, come on Mom, you can whip up some patchwork panels, back them with a man-worthy fabric and make those curtains. That way he'll have a visible reminder of how great is Mom is everyday.
Pat
I love your blog and never miss a day! I even read through the comments. I know how rough it is to not be able to see a close friend. My sister-from-another- mother only lives about 1 1/2 hours away but I haven't seen her since a year so Thanksgiving. 😕
I rode with Dad all the time on the tractors. We didn’t have cabs then. Great memories. Now our grandkids ride with us while we work. We are a multi-generation farm and am proud to carry on this lifestyle.
For children with fathers who farm, that time in the tractor with dad is so precious!! They look forward to it and when there are too many siblings to all fit, then a rotation has to be set up!! Mona has come so far with her quilting!! Of course, having you as her buddy, teacher and mentor is bound to make her fearless!! Gorgeous quilts!!!
So sweet that you have a bonding through quilting. And I thought like you about the Daddy in the tractor. Bonding time whatever way you can get it. I just received the backing for Grassy Creek today. I have another mystery top, Propensity, that I am going to finish this weekend. My daughter starts her Spring Break this week; one more week before mine. I plan on some serious quilting going on that week!! Safe travels to your son! Have a blessed weekend!!
I wish I could hire someone to do some neutral shopping for me. It seems like I never have enough.
My grandfather had an old tractor when I was little (no cab, just a seat). We'd hold on to the back of the seat and ride the tractor with him. It's what you did in the country. Safety is fine, but too much safety takes the living out of life.
Giggling my head off here regarding your note "...do not jump on a bandwagon about having kids in a cab with no seat belts - This is a farming community...") I grew up in a post-WWII suburb and remember my mom and dad loading all five of us kids into dad's MG convertible, with no top, and the youngest bro held on mom's lap (Norm was probably less than 12 months at the time) in the front while dad drove and the remaining, older 4 kids sat on the BACK LEDGE of the OPEN MG. As in, NO CAB! And we all lived to tell the tale. Note it was just a drive around the neighborhood but essentially the same as a drive in a rural area today.
What a wonderful memory!
how do you make a pointless triangle:-)
Is the yellow string quilt you're working on the Rocky Road to Kansas?
Where can I find the pattern?
the pattern will be written and made available after I finish the blocks, make the quilt, quilt the quilt, bind the quilt, take photos and write the pattern. Stay tuned!
Love you Bonnie.
I love south western Virginia.
I want to move the heck out of north western Virginia.... that used to be just like this tractor scene only 25 years ago.
You would be shocked.. and I am tired of it. One day
Enjoy your lovely Saturday
I'm taking a break from cleaning and decluttering my "guest room." It's Saturday morning and I am picking up my quilt - Lori Smith's Mary Ellen's Flower Garden which I started as soon as it was published and only finished about 6 weeks ago. My long armer picks up quilts and delivers them a month later to our local quilt shop. So today will be put on the binding and sew it down. Add a hanging sleeve and it's going up on the wall in the living room. Woo Hoo!!
I love this story
Really enjoyed Fisherman's Friends the other night. It is a beautiful clear Saturday morning today. After services I am going to sew up some clothing protectors for a hospice then hope to ready a challenge quilt for machine quilting. You inspire me to not procrastinate.
I do not seem to get your blog posts until the next morning but it is the first thing I pull up on my computer every day. It helps calm my brain and uplift my spirits. Thank you for your time and inspiring thoughts.
Sitting in the recliner, ice pack on my thigh, I am hankering to get back upstairs to my sewing room (my happy place!) As soon as p.t. gives me the go ahead for stairs (hopefully Tues!). I am grateful for the new hip though! And will appreciate my sewing space all the more. (Opted not to bring sewing stuff downstairs, instead I'm knitting and reading)
I don't think they have seatbelts in the tractors we have in Wisconsin. At least the people that drive them don't use them. Uh
Post a Comment
If you are commenting as "anonymous" please leave your name at the end of your comment.
Did you know that ad space on this blog provides for all of the free patterns and free mysteries and challenges at no cost to you? Without ads, this blog would not be possible.
Thank you for understanding the many hours that go into this blog 6 days a week, 52 weeks a year. :)