Monday, July 11, 2011

A Completed Mystery

For fast-acting relief, try slowing down.
~Lily Tomlin

What a relaxing weekend I had.  With DH gone, there were no errands to run or meals to fix.  I had a wonderful time visiting with my SIL.  We watched a few movies, caught up with each others lives, and just relaxed.  We even had dinner delivered to the door Saturday evening :)  I was able to get quite a bit of hand sewing in and spent very little time online.  DH and BIL arrived home around 3:00 Sunday happy and a little sunburned.  It was a great weekend all around.  Sometimes it's nice to have the regular routine of life interrupted, even if it's just for a couple of days.  I hope you all had a great weekend, too.

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PHOTO FACT OF THE DAY

Blueberries

July is National Blueberry Month, unless you live in British Columbia - then National Blueberry Month is August.  Doesn't a blueberry muffin sound good right about now?  Or a fresh picked bowl of blueberries?  How about a warm out of the oven blueberry pie?  I'll take all three, thank you very much.  Here are a few facts about blueberries to help you celebrate:
* blueberries are related to azaleas, camellias, heathers, and rhododendrons
* Wild blueberries tend to contain more brain-saving bioflavonoids than the domestic ones
* blueberries are native to North America
* In Sweden, dried blueberries are used to treat childhood diarrhea.  This use is attributed to anthocyanosides, a natural substance found in blueberries which is believed to be lethal to E.Coli
* blueberries won't ripen once they are picked
* On January 12, 2004, Gov. James E. McGreevey of New Jersey signed a bill into law naming the blueberry the Garden State’s official fruit
* blueberries have more antioxidants than most other fruits and vegetables
* Blueberry Jelly Bellies were created especially for Ronald Reagan

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ONE MORE JOURNAL BLOCK

On Friday I finished up the second block for A Gardener's Journal quilt......


This block is called Watering The Garden.  It will end up being 4 1/2" X 6 1/2".  I don't really  like the way the blue thread shows through for the water lines but it called for a running stitch and I couldn't really figure out how to prevent this and still have the spaces in between the stitches.
 
Here is the back.  I had to use knots this time on the back because of the french knots (the flower buds on the large bush) and for the beginning and ends of the running stitches.  Two down and 22 more to go.  Of course, some of those 22 blocks are very small - thank goodness :)

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IT'S A WRAP!

Over the weekend I worked on hand stitching down the binding.....

It seemed like an endless binding.......but I finally finished!

This is the Designer Mystery BOM 2009/2010 that you watched me work on for almost a year.  One block a month, each with a Christmas theme. 

The beautiful quilting was done by my friend, Vera Watkins.  And, do you know, when it was time to pick up my quilt from Vera, she presented us with an absolutely delicious pan of homemade cinnamon breakfast rolls.  Thank you so very much, Vera, for the wonderful quilting job and for the scrumptious breakfast rolls!
This is my first, and probably last, Christmas quilt.  This was a fun quilt to make.  Fat Quarter Shop provided plenty of fabric for each block, so much so that I lots of scraps for future projects.  The finished size is 69" X 75".  It feels good to have another quilt finished this year!!!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on a the 'simple' quilt I started last week.

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GIVEAWAYS

Threadgatherer is having a giveaway.  Here is one more chance for you to win a GO! Baby Cutter and 3 dies.  Deb will select a winner on Thursday, July 14.

I'm Just A Guy Who Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win some fabric from Robert Kaufman and/or some Amanda Murphy patterns.  Ryan will announce the winners on  Wednesday, July 13.

Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches is having a Thank You giveaway.  You could win a notebook cover made from a "Lizzy Kate" pattern and some other added surprises.  This giveaway ends Sunday, July 17, at midnight.

The Intrepid Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win 2 charm packs (76 charms total) of Kate Spain's new Terrain that is not yet available in the stores.  This giveaway ends Friday, July 15, at midnight.

My Quilt Diary is celebrating her blogiversary with a giveaway.  Julie is giving away a few things that are very Japanese.  She will draw a winner on her actual blogiversary, Monday, July 23.

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FINAL THOUGHT

It's a new week.  Monday brings all sorts of plans and wishes for the week to come.  I hope to get lots of sewing in this week.  I plan to finish a quilt top this week.  Perhaps I'll make a block or two of the WIP that is sitting on my sewing table that just recently moved from the UFO pile.  Maybe I can even get some stitchery time in too.  Oh, and I need to make some 12" blocks so I can start practicing fmq.  Of course there's reading blogs, emails, and preparing my own blog.  And I suppose I need to fix a dinner or two - DH sometimes likes to eat dinner when he gets home from a long day at work.  No shopping is planned for this week - that's definitely a good thing!!  And, of course, I have to stop numerous times a day to give doggy loves and hugs - therapy for both pups and me.  Do you have big plans this week?  Do you have a specific wish for this week?

I like to think of thoughts as living blossoms borne by the human tree.
~James Douglas

32 comments:

Unknown said...

Well done on finishing the BOM christmas block, I love the fresh blue with the cheery red. And blueberries - yum. I love blueberry cheesecake the best.

Donna said...

Love your Designer Mystery BOM. The blue fabric really sets the reds and greens off. Pretty!

Cheryl said...

Fabulous finish!! The blue and aqua in this "Xmas" quilt are so fresh! Good luck with your goals for the week...it will be hard to surpass what sounds like a perfect weekend.

Teresa said...

Glad you had a nice quiet weekend. Watering the garden is very cute. Learned something new, love the use of hair clips to hold down your border. Wonderful finish on the Christmas quilt.
Teresa's Heartfelt Stitches

Lynda said...

Love the Garden Journal stitchery. That is just not my talent! Your Christmas mystery quilt was fun to follow all year and the finished quilt is beautiful. As for my week...my daughter and 4 grandchildren are coming for a few days. It will be a busy, hectic, noisy, laughing, fun time.....but I doubt if I get any sewing time for awhile. Those projects will always be waiting for me but those grandchildren are only here for a few days!

Mommarock said...

Your Christmas quilt turned out beautifully! I do so want to make a Christmas quilt as well. I just have to find a pattern for one. I would also like to make a Christmas wall hanging. Christmas is my favorite holiday to decorate for... oh and a table runner... etc..etc..

Joanna said...

Your Christmas quilt is one of my favorite designs, and it is beautiful. Love your Garden Journal, too.

krisgray said...

Love your BOM! I am just starting to embroidery and "thank you" for the peak of the back of your block. That's very helpful!

Linda said...

I love your embroidered block. I do a lot of embroidering of words along the borders of my quilts. I often put a very thin batting behind my border (I baste it in along the seam allowance so it covers the border area completely) and then embroider through the batting. It hides any threads that may show through and gives a little definition to the stitches. It may not be a look you like, but it might be worth a try!

Vroomans' Quilts said...

I just love the x-mas quilt! The basket is still my favorite block. Your stitchery is cute - have you tried using a lite weight fuseable pellon on the back (or a piece of muslin) - that will help to hide any carry threads and knots. I have the small weekend project to finish today and the rest of the week is hopefully another finish and one off to long armer.

The Mayo Family said...

GOOD morning to you!
Glad you had a nice relaxing weekend.
I love your quilt...the colors are beautiful :) Just love the combo!
The lil-sweet stitchery so reminds me that my girls are itch-en' to stitch & I'd better get them going!
We have blueberries coming in the later part of the week! Yum!
Have a wonderful week & may your list of what you'd like to accomplish get done!
Blessings~
~Lori

Staci said...

Oh, your blog makes me hungry. . . And not a blueberry in sight right now. . .

Love your quilt, it is quite an accomplishment. LOL! Know how you feel about endless binding. =)

Sandra :) said...

Your Christmas quilt is gorgeous - I bet you'll have a lot of fun making small goodies with those scraps! Maybe little gift bags or a throw pillow to match the quilt, or even little ornaments!

I bought two smallish containers of blueberries yesterday @ the grocery store - I washed one container and ate the whole thing myself between snacking yesterday and blueberries on my cereal this morning, lol! YUMMY!

Jessica said...

Your Christmas quilt is BEAUTIFUL, Linda! Isn't it satisfying when you've been working on a quilt for a long time, and then you finish! It's like closure :) Congrats and I hope you have a fabulous week!

Seams to Sew and Quilt said...

Linda the Christmas quilt turned out beautiful.
Glad you had a good weekend.
Love the little garden journal blocks. They will so pretty in the quilt when all done, can't wait to see it.
Again glad you like the quilting work and the cinnamon rolls.
Now I have a hankering to make another batch of rolls. ;-)
Have a great day!

Myra said...

Your Journal block is wonderful! Too cute! 8-)

I absolutely love your Christmas BOM quilt!! Quite eye-catching! Great fabrics! Awesome design!

rubyslipperz1052 said...

I'm a terrible friend! All I could think of when I saw your quilt...besides how bee-YOU-tee-FULL it is - is how JAIL-ous I AM that I didn't do that quilt!

I didn't know that blueberries are related to the Rhodie...thaz cool!
I definitely should eat more of them! ...BBs not Rhodies lol

My oldest GrandDD flies in from Alabama tonight and I am really excited to spend the rest of this week with her! ...she likes to sew and make quilts...YIPEEE

hugZ,
annie
rubyslipperz106.blogspot

quiltercaroline said...

Hi Linda. Congratulations on your quilt - I love it. It is getting me in the mood to get my Christmas fabric out and get a head start on my Christmas things. C

merumo said...

What a coincident of me making some blueberry scones yesterday without knowing it's a blueberry month this month! This is one of the great scone's recipe I've tried and would like to share with you ;) It's so easy, yet yummy!!

http://cookeatshare.com/recipes/glazed-blueberry-scones-361515

Congratulations on finishing your Christmas BOM quilt! It looks so special. And your stitchery looks so pretty and relaxing...

Raewyn said...

Blueberry and Apple Pie is tops too; I've not long planted 10 blueberry bushes and I hope they grow well!! Yourfinished quilt is lovely - nice and cheerful and I like that it is different from a lot of Xmas quilts. I was going to suggest using something on the back of your stitcheries too - you can get different makes and weights,depending on what you are doing. They help to stabilise as well as hide the travelling threads. Sounds like you have a busy week ahead - so I'll let you get on with it!!

Needled Mom said...

It sounds like it was a great weekend. I love your finishes. The quilt turned out so beautifully and I think I would be picking one up everyday if it came with hot cinnamon rolls.

Your Garden stitchery looks great. How many more???

Barbara said...

I lovr your "Watering the Garden" block. Are you using a separate piece of muslin behing the main fabric? That's what I do on my embroidered blocks to keep the thread from showing through. I spray it lightly with 505 so that it clings.

Miss Hillbilly said...

I am just going to have to break down and buy that Gardener's Journal book. Every time I see it I am in love with it.

Blueberries are very yummy. I made some blueberry tea today :)

Please do hug the pup once for me. I miss having furry babies so much!

marina said...

Your gj block is very sweet!
Love the mystery bom, it looks wonderful, I love the aqua!

Melissa said...

Your Mystery Quilt is beautiful! Just in time for Christmas in July :)

crafty pug said...

love the stitching and the quilt - glad you enjoyed time with your SIL
xx

Kathryn D. Duke said...

really like your embroidery...and thanks for always posting the give a ways!!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Congrats on finishing your Christmas quilt. Good job!

Unknown said...

I have a confession. I participated in this BOM quilt and have yet to open even one of the envelopes to look. I am so happy to see how it turns out. I am hoping to start working on it in October. Congratulations! It is beautiful.

quiltzyx said...

Your Christmas quilt is lovely! Looking at it, I was remembering - oh! that was the one block I guessed right! lol

I want to finish a kitty wall hanging this week. I have the cat & her pillow fused to the background already. Now I need to decide what colors to make the borders & then get stitching. :D
I also have the strips cut for 2 more Jelly Roll Race quilts, that will be the backs to the other two I've done, so I want to get those sewn up. If I do it before Thursday, I can take all 4 tops to my guild meeting for Show & Tell. :D

Kimberlee, The Spunky Diva said...

I love the xmas bom quilt. very nice, and such pretty quilting. Gotta love cinnamon rolls!

My wish/goal for this week is to get time to start the QAL I have fabric picked out for, but havent' started yet. It took till this morning to get my goals from last week done, so now this is the goal on the 'top' of my list.

~Kimberlee

Cathy said...

great quilt finish! And thanks for the blueberry facts! We are anxiously awaiting for our berries to ripen. Late this year!

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