{Post 1,109} Are Those Quilt Blocks?

What do you know?  Quilt blocks on my hairdo blog!!

Here are some paper pieced blocks I worked on this AM.  I am going to make them when my scrap box gets too full.  Since it's a plastic spinach box, that happens rather quickly.    These are 4" square unfinished.  I'm taking them in my to-go bag for de-papering in my free time tonight before church.

No real solid plans for them yet other than to make a bunch!

Spent the first part of the sewing time piecing a back for my grandson's first quilt from me.  Head on over to my secret blog to see it.  If you don't have the URL, email me, and I'll get it to you.

{Post 1,108} Knot Braid

It's another hairdo.  This one was my very own idea.  How about that?  I was lying down on my bed reading with my feet up in the air (having problems with my feet swelling a LOT).  I started combing my hair with just my fingers.  I wondered if I could tie my hair in knots down the back to keep it out of the way?  Here's the result of my experiment.  Keep in mind that I did not comb it thoroughly first, so this is very rough.  Still, it's another twist on hairdos.

I divided it into a top section, then divided the section in half, doing a simple right over left tie, then added the next section down and repeated the tie motion, and so on until I ran out of hair.

{Post 1,107} Couple New 'Do's

I've tried out a couple new hairdos the past two days.  So many of you have commented on hairdo pics of the past (and I thought you ladies were here so see my quilts!).  So without further ado...here are my last two days' hairdos.

My son, Isaac, took both pictures.  He was much closer in the second one, so the flash made my hair look lighter.  It couldn't look that gray in person, right (cough, cough)??

The top one, I braided from my neckline up in a French braid.  When I used up about half of my hair, I braided the rest in a regular braid and secured with an clear elastic.  Then I pulled the top front half of my hair into a bun, secured it with 2 bobby pins and then wrapped the tail of the braid around and secured it.

The second one was much simpler.  I twisted both sides of my hair to the center back, leaving about 2" of hair down the center untwisted.  Then I did a regular braid with the left side, center hair, and right side.  Secured the end and then twisted it into a bun, again securing with 3 (I think) bobby pins.  

I used to wear one of those octopus-looking hair clips on a French-twist type thing for months.  This seems so streamline and neat.  It's my new-grandma look (just practicing for now!).

{Post 1,106} Foyer Table Redecorated

This is our foyer table, the first thing one sees when entering our home.  I just de-Christmatized it, and it was looking very bare.  Here is the "new and improved" top.  I still need to find something decorative for the opening in the bottom right as well as replace the wall quilt with something non-Christmasy.

My husband noticed this right away when I arranged it, and that's always a good thing!

I like the way the "rag balls" in the wooden box and the "threads" on the table topper match.  Both are homespun/shirt fabrics.  

{Post 1,105} 36 Blocks Strong

Here are the 36 blocks sewn together.  I also sewed together the 2 flying geese rows.  Enough for tonight.

{Post 1,104} Sewing Room Cleanup Benefits

Cleaned up my sewing room last night.  It has its rewards.  A clean slate with which to start my 2013 sewing.  I should have taken before and after pictures to encourage such clean-up in the future, but it was so scary.  Now my cutting and sewing tables are both clean, and in-work projects are corralled and organized.

First thing I did was zigzag the raw edges of my Winter Welcome quilt down.  Every year when I hang it, something pops off.  I didn't make it, but I love it.  The Wonder Under product is very stiff on mine.  I don't have a pic of mine, but this is one I made for my daughter, Emily, after procuring the pattern myself:

The zigzagging was the thing I wanted to do least, so I started with that.  It didn't take long. 

Then I cut out the "thread" for this quilt top, quilted it, and sewed the binding to the front (it's bias binding):

It is 17" across.  I worked on it on the way to the dentist office today.  Ben drove.  Hazardous to my health (his driving).  I got from "11 o'clock to 7 o'clock" sewn down.  This will go on my foyer table after the Christmas village is put away.  The threads are 2" square shirt fabrics cut on the bias.  Used up 9 more of those!  

Then I added the last log of this set of blocks, pressed them, and trimmed them to 7-1/2" square each:

This has been my leader/ender for a little while (not too long).  After a busy day, I wanted to just sit 'n sew for a while, so I finished these up and laid them out on the design wall.  Soon I'll be sewing them to each other and be ready to move on to the next step (for which all the flying geese are sewn) for a Bear Mountain Cabin quilt.  Here is the pattern:

It's fuzzy because I enlarged it.  You get the idea!  The flying geese were also a leader/ender as I sewed Christmas gifts.

After the dentist I went to Mary Jo's to get fabric for the background for the blocks for my grandson-to-be-born's baby quilt.  I also got backing and binding for my daughter's SIL's baby quilt (just a panel of Peter Rabbit that I'm quilting).  Much to work on in the upcoming days.

{Post 1,103} 2012 Recap

No pictures in this post, just a recap of 2012 projects for my own curiosity's sake.

This year I made 45 quilted items.  

28 were gifts.
1 has no home yet.
2 were made to sell.
14 were for my own family here at the Parker Ranchero.  

Of the 14 things I made for us, 3 of them were my "Count On It" twelve-inch square calendar blocks.  Three were sets of pillow shams.  One was my shower curtain.  Two were hand quilted (Grandmother's Flower Garden wallhanging and Hearts and Gizzards bed quilts).

I was surprised at all the gifts I made.  I've been a busy bee in that department at least!

It's been a while since I've had some good, long sewing time.  I look forward to that soon.  I need to do a deep clean of my cutting table and sewing table.  They both runneth over with scraps.