My Quilting Calendar

For as long as I've can remember I have loved keeping a calendar. Even in Jr. High I kept one where I'd make important notes of rememberable happenings and visits from Aunt Flow and other exciting things of a young girl.... you know "so&so" sat by me at lunch, clogging tonight, I love you know who... :P

When I was working in Apartment management, I went to a training and was given the expensive Franklin Covey planner. I loved it - but then discovered that www.daytimer.com was exactly the same at a fraction of the price! No matter what type of jobs I've had, Furniture Sales, Apartments, Monsanto, Mommy - YES even as a stay at home Mom! I've loved keeping a calendar! :)

I think it's the nerd in me that loves to see a list of checked off things that I've accomplished...

And last year I picked up a cheap-o book at Walmart and designated it strictly for quilting! It has a wire bound spine and is the size of a magazine - I love it!

A place to plan what I'm working on or want to accomplish... here is the one I started for this year.

I tape things in the book so they are easy to find again later - doodles of designs or fabric swatches... guess what's coming up for February????

Mmm-hmm - Starting 2/6, email invites to past years FQ Bingo players.... eek! It's almost time! :D I can't wait!

And another thing, I love the to do list on the right side. Area for my goals! ;) I don't turn out lots of quilts like all of my famous blogging friends but this planner helps me to do most that I can. (maybe you noticed in an above photo my recent completed projects - only 5 quilts for 2009. That is really good for little ole me! ;)

Here is a look at this coming week.... not much besides Camp Sloanie on Friday ... but I'm sure that will all change soon. :) Those that know me, know that I don't like a lot of white space! LOL :P

OH did you see her post on the block that she is planning to work on at camp??? You can use it or any other of your choice - the point is just to make a lot of blocks over the weekend. I've still not decided what I'm doing.

I also have a different type of calendar in the kitchen for all of our family things - I prefer the Fly Lady Wall Calendar - simply b/c it has lots of room to write things!

So do you have a separate planner for your quilting - no? what are you waiting for!? You will be amazed at how much it helps you to stay on task and get things done.


Love from Texas!

In a Bind..

Boy am I a binding fool or what? or rather - I will be.... see last year in Apil when I went on my quilting retreat with my HGTV Quilter friends to Manchester, NH - I took my Round Robin quilt with me to hand off to Quiltaholic to take back home with her to NC to quilt it as a part of the hurricane Ike Relief fundraiser.

She just blogged about taking it "Off the Frame" here and it looks like it will be making it's journey back home to me this week! ;) Whoooo HOooo!

I love the bunny pano that she choose for it. ;) perfect! Click on over to see a sneak peak!

Love from Texas!

Photos of my stripes for Karen in KY

This post is for my friend Karen in Kentucky.. :0) We talked on the phone this afternoon but sometimes you just need to show someone ;) ya know? At first I was going to just email her then I thought why not share it here with you all encase anyone else had the same question.

She asked me how big did I cut my squares. Mine are all cut 4.5" before making HSTs but you can use any size you like. I measured the part of the strips that was left over from cutting my 4.5" squares and ended up with a piece left over that was 3.25" on each strip... so if that sounds like a lot of waste to you - you might choose to make your squares 5" cut instead... This never occured to me until Karen asked me... :)

She also asked if I had any tips - and the only tip I have is to press everything the same direction as you go... meaning... after I joined all the HSTs into pairs... as I pressed I opened them up so that they looked like the bottom half of the finished block and pressed to the left (I'm right handed so this is the most natural way for me)

oh and pressing the HSTs came first but I forgot to take a photo before joining.. but same applies.

I had them all open up the same direction and pressed them all in the direction that I'm pointing in the photo below.

Now, back to joining the blocks... I found it very helpful that they are all pressed the same b/c when I go to join rows it is gonna be a breeze when they all nessel up and join together...

see I'll show you.... instead of pressing the WHOLE block the same direction - only press the bottom half to the left... then flip it around (pick up the two blocks and rotate them around so the side you just pressed is on top and then repeat for the bottom half - pressing to the left)

This is what the back side looks like.

see all those half blocks... yep all pressed the same direction ;)

so again... see my finger - pointing that all the seams on the bottom go one direction...

while all the seams on top go the opposite...

I didn't press open although you could.... but...

instead I did this little trick that I learned from this video I saw a while back from About.com

CLICK HERE to watch How to sew and Press Patchwork Quilt Seams

since learning this trick = everything nests perfectly for me now! ;)

Hope this helps! ;)

Love from Texas!

Houston we had a small problem!

So today when the twins went down for nap time it was time to start sewing the binding down - thanks to JudyL's tutorial video. Have you seen it? or better yet have you tried it?

If not - click here = Binding - Finishing by Machine by JudyL

Well everything was going fine & dandy... until I turned a corner and came up on this!

about a 3" spot where I had "missed" when sewing the binding down onto the quilt! AaK!

Never fear... ole Jack the Ripper to the rescue. :/

A funny thing - when I first discovered this I cried out like a baby from frusteration and Nora quickly came to check on me and see what was wrong... so I explained it to her and said I'd have to use this seam ripper... and she said, "Mommy, maybe that is why they invinted this stick so you won't have to cry anymore over your hole in your quilt" Awllll! :) LOL

Unfortunately after I got it ripped out it was time to wrap it up for the day b/c the twins were waking up from naptime.. and we all drove to the town next door to do some shopping with David. So I didn't get back to it until tonight after the kids were in bed.

I love it when the corners match up just right!

I F'ed it Up just before midnight.... Finished it up! LOL :P

If you have not tried JudyL's machine finishing - you really must! The end results look fantastic!

Now the only thing left to do is make a label. I've never made one with using my printer so I need to do some research on it. Happy Weekend y'all!

Love from Texas!

1st bed size quilt I ever made (King)

1st bed size quilt I ever made (King)
Originally uploaded by bingobonnie

Made for my fiance, in 1995 shortly after my grandmother's death. I used Momma Newt's scraps and her sewing machine to make it. And it turned out was HUGE!

To the mailbox and back

Here I thought I didn't have enough binding for my Crayola Quilt last weekend... so I drove over to Joann's to buy a tad bit more only to find that they were sold out! AAk!

So I waited till Wednesday for their next truck to come in... went back bought 1/4 yard plus matching green thread. Got home and cut another 2 strips 2.5" wide off of it... joined to what I already had sewn together...

and I actually didn't need it at all! I had enough to stretch out to the mailbox! I didn't actually measure and see - but after I was already half way around the quilt pinning it on today the wind blew and it all look off down the drive way... I'm betting it would have reached the mailbox before I got started pinning! LOL :P

I just know my good friend Lisa-TX is laughing at me! b/c she knows that I always make up WAY more than enough binding for my quilts! :P LOL

What can I say.... I guess going overboard on binding is just my thang!

Love from Texas!

Guess what I noticed when passing the magazine rack at Walmart today?

Quilts For Kids featured ON THE COVER of The Quilter Magazine

Love from Texas!

Looking forward to Mother's Day 2010

If you are a regular reader of mine, then you'll remember last month when I blogged about the Library Quilt Rafael fundraiser. No??? Well...

This BEAUTIFUL and very large quilt was made and donated by JudyL and given to the Bridge City Library. Read more about it on her blog here and here or from my blog where I posted last month here

This week while at Story Time Ms. Ginger updated me that the committee met recently and have decided to draw the WINNING RAFFLE TICKET for the quilt on Mother's Day! ;)

Well maybe the Friday before or the Monday after, as the library is not open on Sundays.... :P

So grab your cell phone, b/c I'm betting you have free long distance on it and call the Bridge City Library to find out how you can purchase tickets to win this treasure!

Just ask to speak to Ginger Tuttle @ 409-735-4242 about the quilt that JudyL made and she will be more than happy to help you get signed up to win! ;)

I do know the physical address of the library - but not sure if that is the mailing address... sometimes places like this get their mail at a PO Box...? when I find out the correct mailing address I'll edit it and add it here to let you know where to mail your check if you'd like to purchase a ticket.

All proceeds will go to the Library to help with damages from Hurricane Ike that devastated and flooded the entire town on September 13, 2008.


Love from Texas!