Be Attitudes is Done!

My first finish of the year is the Be Attitudes quilt top!  I've had requests for close up's of the finished blocks, so here they are. The eyes are all stitched, along with any other seed beads, but the other buttons are just sitting on the blocks.  I'll stitch them on after this is quilted.

Ok, I have a question for all of you.  Which cupcake 'topper' button do I use for this block?  The plain button or the strawberries?

plain button

strawberry buttons

Here is the finished quilt top.

The pattern shows several borders around this top.  I'm not going to add any borders for a couple of reasons.  One, I want this to be a wall quilt, and two, I don't have any of this fabric, other than the tiny scraps that came with these blocks.

For those that don't remember, I 'won' these blocks, already fused, back in October 2015 from Karen at K's Quilting Korner. 

I don't know when I'll get time to start hand quilting this.  These blocks have been my hand stitching project for several years now.  I guess I'll have to prepare something else for my hand stitching project.

Happy New Year!

Two More Blocks Done!

I've finished the last two Be Attitudes blocks.  This one I finished before Christmas.

February block

I finished this one last night.

January block

There is still a bit of embroidery on a couple of the blocks, and eyes and a few buttons to be added.  Most of the buttons will wait until the blocks are stitched together.  Once I get the blocks stitched into a top, I'll decided if I am going to do any machine quilting on this, or just hand quilting.  I figured I could straight line quilt where the blocks go together, then hand quilt some details on the blocks.  Since this will be a wall quilt, it doesn't really need lots of quilting on it. 

I'm going to try to get the last bits of detail embroidery done on these blocks (it wasn't drawn on until last week) and the eyes stitched on in the next few days.  I don't know if I can get this completed as a quilt top before the end of the year or not.  We'll see. 

Another Be Attitudes block done

I finished the March Be Attitudes block last night.

March Be Attitudes block

I have more applique to do on all of these blocks, but I've done the blanket stitch around all the fused pieces so far.  I pulled out the book this morning to see what else needs to be done to each of these blocks.  Here are the blocks shown in the book.

what the finished quilt will look like

Jan, Feb, March & April blocks

May, June, July & August blocks

Sept, Oct, Nov & Dec blocks

I need to go thru my button jars to find buttons for these blocks.  I have a package of carrot buttons, for the Snowman's nose, and lots of the plain buttons I'm sure, but I'll have to start shopping for flower buttons (May), a candy button (July) and a black triangle button (dog's nose, Oct).

I'll draw on the extra applique' that is needed for some of the blocks, and get started on those as soon as I finish the February and January blocks. 

We've been watching Christmas movies after supper every night.  I can get lots of blanket stitching done during a movie.  In our house, Christmas movies are not what you would always think of as Christmas movies.  To be a Christmas movie, it has to show a character from Christmas, or be set during  the Christmas season, etc. {ex: Die Hard & Die Hard 2 (takes place Christmas Eve), Trading Places (takes place between Thanksgiving and New Years) and last night's movie Operation Petticoat (takes place between Dec 10th & shortly after the new year).  Don't worry, we also watch the 'regular' Christmas movies, like The Santa Clause, and Rudolph, etc.} 

Another one bites the dust

On Monday I showed the May Be Attitudes block finished.  Well, I finished the April block on Wednesday night.

April's Be Attitude block

That is my quickest finish for any of these blocks.  I'm already working on the March block now (yes, I'm working backwards on this stitchery). 

My fabric stash is a mess.  I've had fabrics stored in the basement for ages, in plastic tubs.  There isn't any method in the storage, just what fits in a tub goes in the tub.  That doesn't make it easy to find anything.  I've also run out of space in my sewing room, on the shelves, to put more fabrics.  I like to fold my fabrics around Comic Book backings.  They fit better in my bookshelves that way, and also fit nicely in the plastic tubs.  Here is a link to what the folded fabrics look like in my sewing room along with the Comic Book backings. I can't believe my sewing room & closet looked so neat back then (it sure doesn't now).  I'm working on sorting the fabrics, as I fold them, into color groups.  It should be easier to find fabrics if I can just pull out a tub of 'yellows', or 'greens' when I am trying to 'shop my fabrics'.  I wonder how many UFO's I'll come across as I go thru these tubs?  I've already found one UFO. 

Stitching, Etc.

I've not had much time to get any stitching done, but, I did finish another Be Attitudes block.  This one is the May block (I'm working backwards from December).  I've already started the April block.

May block

Last Monday was my little quilt guild's Holiday Party.  Jo, the president made little magnetic pin dishes for everyone.  Here is mine.

magnetic pin dish

magnet on the back along with non-scratch pads

Jo also got everyone a wooden seam presser.

wooden seam presser

Kay made everyone a candle mat, but I forgot to take a picture of mine (oops). 

At the party, we play Left-Right-Center with 5" charm squares.  This year we used striped charm squares.  (we've used solids, polka dots & batiks in the past).  Thelma won them again (she also won the batiks last year) but she didn't want to do anything with them, so she gave them to me.

over 60 striped charm squares

I have a couple of ideas for these squares.  I'm supposed to have a completed quilt top by the end of 2019.

On Friday night, the ladies group at church had our annual ornament exchange and Secret Sister reveal.  This is what I made for my Secret Sister for Christmas.  The top of the wall quilt I found in the scrap bag at Camp Tuckabatchee, over a year ago.  All I had to do was quilt and bind it.  My Secret Sister's favorite colors are pink and orange, so, I've been saving this all year for her. 

gift for my Secret Sister

I can't make anything for my Secret Sister until the end, since I'm one of the few quilter's in the church.  They would know right off who their Secret Sister was. 

I'm hoping to get in my sewing room this week.  I haven't been in it since early November (other than to put stuff on the cutting table).

Family Reunion and Stone County Museum

My family reunion was last week in Mountain View, Arkansas.  This family reunion started back in 1982, and I've only missed attending one time (my honeymoon won out that year ;).

There is always a family dinner on Friday night, followed by an auction, to raise money to cover the next family reunion.  A few years ago, the auction was changed to a silent auction.  This was a great thing, since we now have more time to chat with family members. 

yummy BBQ dinner

family dinner

family dinner

Two reunions ago I made quilt blocks for everyone to sign.  The quilt was finished and raffled off at the last reunion.  This year I had more quilt blocks for family members to sign.  This has proven so popular, that I plan on not only having the finished quilt at the next reunion, but also a new set of blocks to be signed at each reunion. 

my signed block for this years reunion

people signing quilt blocks

I have less than 2 years to get this quilt finished, and figure out what blocks to make for the next quilt.  Any suggestions for future signature block quilts is appreciated.  I have a Pinterest page started for ideas for future family reunion quilts.

On Saturday morning, we always have a family history session.  This year, it was at the Stone County Museum.  We've not been there before.  What a treat it was to visit this museum that has so much history of the area where my family is from.

Don telling some of the history

family members listening to the history

The Stone County Museum has many 'sewing & quilting' related things. 

Centennial quilt celebrating MountainView's history

up close of one of the quilt blocks

There was a Baptismal Dress from 1898.  It is in excellent condition.

machine stitched

There is a treadle in the museum, but, it is closed, so I don't know what make/model it is.  It is NOT a Singer (no name listed on the treadle irons).

treadle

on top of the treadle

Of course there are quilts.  They had a whole book of photos of quilts that were not on display (no room) along with some of the history of those quilts.  They did have a few quilts on display.

some of the quilts on display

The 2nd quilt down is a Carolina Lily quilt.  This card is attached to the quilt.  Considering when this quilt was made, the use of a treadle for the binding and some of the applique is unique.  All the other stitches are done by hand.

Carolina Lily quilt history

Owners of the quilt

machine stitched applique vines

machine stitched binding

The museum also had a boot patcher machine (for sewing leather).  It was used in a shoe shop in town, and is at least 100 years old.  I couldn't tell what the name on it had been (worn off to just a ghost of a decal) but, I think this is a German machine.

boot patcher sewing machine

There was also a Martha Washington sewing cabinet in the museum.  Inside two of the drawers, it says it was made in Chicago.

Martha Washington sewing cabinet

On Saturday afternoon, the family gathered at the church that some of the family members helped to start back in 1909.  My family is the Gayler's, but, they married members of the Thomas family (and I think the Wade family, too).

short history of the church

leading the Gayler Family 'sing' at the church

Just before you reach the church, you drive by the field where my grandfather was born.  When he was born, there was a house next to the well.

well that was next to the house where my grandfather was born

We love to go to the Gayler Family reunions, and to see the places that were important to our ancestors.  We also love to not only see family members that we know, but to meet the new family members that are attending for the first time. 

While driving home on Sunday, I did get a bit of hand stitching done.  I finally finished this block from the Be Attitudes quilt.

June blocks from Be Attitudes quilt

I'm working from the end of the quilt to the beginning (December backwards to January), so, I only have 5 blocks left to finish.  I've only been doing the hand embroidery on this for 3 years now.