Design wall/UFO

Have you ever have a project that you started because you wanted to make the pattern, then get into it and start to really dislike it???

I found this pattern in an old quilt magazine and decided to make it at my senior center group as a donation quilt. I've been working on it at the center every Tuesday for TOO many months!!!! When I was at home I was mostly working on my quilts, this was a donation quilt, with donation fabric.



I got it out last Tuesday, after the 2 weeks I had missed when my life was 'hijacked',  as one commenter said last time I posted. I had totally forgotten where I was with the project.









I needed one more row, actually only 3 pieced squares.when I figured that out last week, I did cut them out, start sewing them, but needed to leave early (my BIL was having a procedure. and had been in the hospital, he is Developmentally Delayed from Birth, and now at 71 has Dementia) Yesterday I wanted to get a little sewing done on it.

I've decided it needs to be done this week! So that's the plan. I finished the 3 squares, they need to be pressed.Then added to the plain green squares, and sewn together. Of course I need borders, just because I like borders. I'm just using strips for this.... not 1/2 square triangles like the original was shown.

Finding something for the backing, I think I have something for that, and get it on the long arm, that I haven't used in 2 months! ARGH.... I think that all this stuff with BIl, has made me want to JUST be finished with something. It is the closest to being finished. Although this just needs borders to give it some more length and width.

Sorry I don't have a pic of the whole thing, but it is all pieced, just waiting for the borders. I'm actually making 2 of these, w a color variation.

What's on the needles

I haven't been doing much seeing lately. My BIL who is developmentally delayed, and had dementia was brought home from the nursing home. We ended up taking him to the hospital and is now re- admitted to a nursing home again. I hope he gets good care there. But he can be difficult to say the least. I did a lot of knitting so all I have to show is a 2/3 finished shawl/sweater

I started it last April, tore it out this spring and restarted it again in April of this yr. I'm not a dedicated knitter, and I'm slow at it. W/O anything else to do at the hospital knitting and stupid cable shows was all there was to keep me occupied.here's a link to what it is supposed to look like. I should have 1 more skein of yarn too. Otherwise I'll have to rip it out!
Merino&Ewe Ruana

So here's what's on my needles.... Again, and still!

We will be needing to sell BIL house soon, so the owrk of emptying out a lifetime of stuff starts today. There is an old Montgomery Ward featherweight like sewing machine upstairs it has shuttles! I will be bringing that home. and will post more on that later. Not sure what else... there is too much stuff in our house too.

Trip Around the World Quilt, quilt of valor for Peggy

 When my children were younger the youngest became fast forever friends with Peggy. She and her siblings eventually joined the army, went to Iraq (I believe ) then she went to West Point, graduated did some work as an MP, and other stuff, and JUST recently returned home from her 2nd deploment in Afghanistan. She is now stationed at Fort Knox Ky.

When the call for quilts after hurricane Sandy was put out, I did a Trip around the World (Bonnie Hunter pattern. She has a lot of them on her "Free patterns) I was finishing that one it went quickly, and thought it was a fitting pattern to make for Peggy too.

The way things go with quilter, I was also working on Jared Takes a Wife also a free pattern by BH, I had started it with patriotic colors because my daughter (best friend of Peggy) is in the Army Reserves Band. I had purchased this fabric for the backing of that quilt

But for some reason I decided it wasn't right. I did use it on the both Trip Around the World, for Sandy donation, and in the front of Peggy's quilt too. I had gotten a great deal on it at Jackman's Fabric in Il!

It was such a soft pretty fabric, at less than $4/yd, that I BOUGHT the rest of the bolt! So I easily had enough to do the back of Peggy's quilt.

 

There are a couple few funny stories about her quilt:

1) I used it as a diversion so that my DD would not see her quilt. When DD was coming over, I would cover it up w Peggy's quilt. LOL DD never saw her quilt in the making!!!!

2)We had planned on sending it to her, then she posted that she was starting to send some things home. I could see no sense in shipping it over there, when she would have to send it back! So we waited.

3) Peggy saw DD's quilt on Face book while  in Afghanistan, when pictures were posted.  She told me after she opened her quilt how jealous she was that DD got a quilt and she hadn't. She is/was too sweet to ask too!

 

4)Her mom and she were in love with the back, because  she has always talked about "The Lady" her parents took her as a child to see the Statue of Liberty, because she always talked about "The Lady". I have no memory of this, but maybe on some level I was aware of it.

 

So here is Peggy starting to unwrap her quilt.

 

I think she was surprised!

 Auditioning fabrics for the Border. My DGrandteen chose the colors and "Oked" the Combinations. LOL she has a better color sense than me.

Quilting in progress

On the frame.

Close up of quilting.I used a red white and blue variegated thread, it's hard to see in the quilt pictures though.

 The two strips in the middle are 'orphaned' blocks from DD's quilt.I think they look like Twin Towers....So she "always has her Best Friend with her in bed"