quilts for the basin

A little while ago, I told you that I had been working on quilting several (10) small quilts for Stacy of Buttermilk Basin.  And by small, I mean less than 1 square yard.  They are part of a group of 12 patterns, designed to be done on your own or as part of a monthly sew-along.  It is called the Basin Quilt Club.  Pictured below are several of the quilts I did.  I can only find pictures of 7 of the 10.

Now for a piece of humble pie--on the last picture, upper right side, you might detect a lack of quilting. For some reason, I sewed the circle but not the feathers around it.  Didn't see it until Stacy brought it up, and now she won't let me take it back to fix it because she thinks it's good to not be perfect or some such malarky.  All I can say is I might just have to creep into her studio and sneak it back home to finish it up right!

Most of the fabrics used in these samples are reproductions of fabric that would have been in existence during the period of the Civil War.  They really complement the traditional blocks she is using.  So my quilting needed to also be somewhat along the traditional line, plus able to stay in the background so the photography for the patterns would look beautiful.

Thanks, Stacy, for the pleasure of being a little part of your creativity!

happenings

A bunch of odds and ends today....

Little Jack, sleeping angel, snuggled into the blankie that my mom made for Brita when she was a baby.  That blankie has seen her through all of life's challenges and is still hanging together in one piece, although a bit tattered and frayed.  I guess Jack still likes it!

With a birth weight of a smaller number than we expected (6# 4oz.) we are all happy to see that he is making big strides in poundage, already up to 7# 10oz. after just about 2 weeks!  He still is a tiny tater tot, with plenty of room in those newborn cloths that his brother hardly used at all!

And yesterday was a fun day for big brother, because he got to visit Choo Choo Bob's in St. Paul!  If you are anywhere near the city, and have any sort of young child in your acquaintance, you would be wise to take them there.  It is a shop full of train-related toys, and in the back of the store there are several tables open for play with lots of little wooden train cars and tracks and buildings.  Ian is a big fan of Thomas the Train and all of Thomas's friends, each of which he knows by name!

In this picture, you can see his special little train hoarding technique that comes from his experience at the daycare center.  Not a lot of sharing goes on among the toddlers, so it is best to clutch onto any cars you want to have handy!  Hold as many in one hand as possible while playing with 2 or 3 more on the table.

I (we) have embarked on another big project--a long-awaited remodel of our kitchen and bath!  All new cabinets, some rearranging of things and emerging from the 80's into the 21st century!  Choosing countertops, paints, cabinet doors, tile, fixtures, etc.

I find myself wandering around Lowe's or Menards taking pictures of things to possibly use....

Our stove will be positioned in an island so instead of having an under-cabinet range hood, I need to find something to hang from the ceiling.  So many decisions!  Also looking for a good wine refrigerator and not finding good reviews on the ones that are in my budget.  Might have to ask Santa for one next Christmas!  And bring it filled with wine, too, Santa!

In a moment here and there, I am exploring some English paper piecing possibilities like this block---

All of those little pieces turn into something that looks like this--

At least I hope it will look like that sometime within my lifetime!  All of this doesn't leave much time to write on this page, so I will keep trying to tuck in a little bit here and there.  So stay tuned!