What now?

Well, the Tree of Life quilt in my last post had been on my design wall for so long that after taking it down and finishing the borders, the room seemed strange without it. What goes on the wall now? I wish I could show you, but it is a gift for someone who reads this, so I won't be showing it until after Christmas (and she knows who she is). I will say that it is a quick pattern and I am loving the result. I will probably make another one in the future.
I spent much of last night cutting out more blocks for John'aLee. I was going to make one a week, but like Freda, once I had the fabrics out to make one, I figured I would cut them all. Once they are cut it is hard to not just get them sewn up. Tonight I made another one.

I really like to try and make each star unique. Gets the creative juices flowing. I have five more blocks cut and hope to have them all in the mail by the end of the month.
In the meantime I am also working on a Christmas quilt for the family room. After digging up the entire strawberry bed this afternoon and separating plants and replanting, my back was really talking to me. So this evening I sat on a heating pad, deconstructing shirts, while watching the world series game. Apologies to my friends in Texas, but I have a SIL from St. Louis, so we have been cheering on the Cardinals, and what a night they had!

These are the shirts I took apart while the
 Cardinals kept crossing home plate!

Anyway, back to the shirts. I am planning on making Bonnie Hunter's Smokey Mountain Stars, but I want to only use red and green plaid shirts, along with the tan background color. My dilemma is this, should I make the centers of the stars one color and the points another? Should I make some all red stars and some all green stars? Or should I let the red and green fall randomly? This is Bonnie's quilt below (which I love), but if I am just using two colors besides the background, I can't decide if I should control the placement of the color more, or just let the chips fall where they may. Do you have an opinion (you know you do)? Please share--I love brainstorming--even via blogs!

From Bonnie Hunter's free patterns. The link above
will take you right to this pattern.

This is uncharacteristically short for me, but the heating pad calls.
Until next time, from the little mountain valley where the sagebrush grows,
Janet O.

Winners and other stuff!

First off, I want to let you know who won the Lynn Roddy Brown books. Congrats to Nancy, a no reply blogger, who won Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts. Nancy, I need you to email your snail mail address to me so I can mail the book to you. Congrats also to Yvette, who won the Block Swap book. Thanks to all who participated! I hope the winners enjoy those books as much as I do!
I finally have another flimsy completed.I cut this out months ago using one of Lori Smith's Fit to Frame patterns.

The inner, pieced border gave me fits. I made it according to the pattern, I thought,  and it didn't fit--it was way too long on every side. Luckily I had only sewn 1 1/2 sides together when I realized the problem. I have no clue what went wrong. I checked my measurements with the pattern and I had cut things right. Anyway, I ended up making 1 1/2" HSTs to create the border instead of the method the pattern used. I have coveted the sample of this they have in a LQS every time I go in, so I decided I needed to just make one. I don't think I will frame it. I want to hand quilt it and bind it and put it on a wall somewhere, but I am trying to decide if I want to add another brown border to the outer edge. This is my first real mini quilt and I have to say that all of you out there blogging about how a mini quilt gives you a quick finish should come give me lessons. This did not go together quickly for me. But I will be making more. I love the result!

Another fun thing in the "little" department (or maybe I should say "tiny") is the foundation paper pieced jewelry made by Julie at Me and My Stitches. Some of you may recall that I won her giveaway a while back, and I chose a flag pin. Well, I finally got around to ordering more. I intended to order some traditional blocks, but when I saw the pumpkin and stained glass heart I was through looking.

Aren't they fun? Julie says she is going to be putting more on her website (which you can access by clicking the header photo on her blog) soon. You can get pins, pendants, earrings, and scissor fobs. I like a seasonal pin on my jacket or coat lapel, so these are all pins.

These are the blocks I have sent already.
They don't need to be this involved.
I always complicate things

One more thing, if you are not already aware. John'aLee has moved the deadline for 8" or 12" (finished measurement) patriotic star blocks to go into 5 quilts she is making for her daughter (whose fiancee was killed in Afghanistan just before they were to be married), the soldier's mother, two brothers and best friend, who was with him when he was killed. If you were hesitant to help because of the deadline, she has extended it to the end of November to try and collect all of the blocks she needs. You can go to her blog, The Scrappy Appleyard, for more info. I've already sent my blocks, but I am going to try and join Freda at The Adventures of the Empress of the Universe in  making one more each week until the last week of November, so we can each send her a few more.


I had more to share but it is late, so I'll save it for another post.

Until next time, from the little mountain valley where the sagebrush grows,
Janet O.