Jelly Roll Jam II finish

I finished this quilt this week that I started on Jelly Roll Day and blogged about it here

The fabric is Attitude Girls by Mary Engelbreit.  I took a photo before I opened up the jelly roll!  Now ....doesn't everyone do that??  

 The pattern is a shortcut free pattern from fatquartershop.com.  A very fun quilt to make!!

 I did the serpentine stitch with light green thread.  My "go to" quilting lately!

 And the backing is also a fabric piece from the same line.  And the binding is the same fabric as the back.  I finished this binding at a quilt retreat this past week.

I brought my Hello Kitty machine to the retreat and finished another little mat.  I also finished two others in different sizes this past month.  I used the blocks from improvisational piecing...crazy piecing like I have blogged about before.  I will be doing another post with more about the retreat.

I am linking to:
   crazy mom quilts finish it up Friday
   Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Cool Cats quilt and some fall small project finishes

 What a fun quilt to make!  The pattern has borders but I am not adding borders and will quilt and bind it.  The fabric is Spirited Halloweenie by Bird Brain Designs.  It is so whimsical and fun!

 I just hung in front of another quilt in the living room for now with wonder clips!

 I blogged about the Cool Cats several weeks ago.  I had the blocks laying on the back of another quilt on the floor and it was so difficult for me bending over, etc.....and then last weekend we put the quilt pieces on that quilt backing on two folding tables side by side in our dining/living room.   What a wonderful difference.  It takes up a lot of room but is so much easier than on the floor.  I had taken a photo of the layout I had planned and I kept referring to that photo over and over.  You will notice in the photo that the bottom left cats are sewn backwards.  I didn't notice it until I did the same thing with another group of cats.  That is what seam rippers are for!!  It is an easy pattern to make but you need to pay attention to placement! 

 Here is the pattern by Peggy Martin.  Very well written instruction.

 I finished this little mat/coaster/mug rug that I have hand quilted and blanket stitched around the outside edge.  I used it as a project to work on with my Tuesday quilt group.  I also finished the larger mat in the photo.  I blogged about it in this blog post   last week.

I am linking to:
 crazy mom quilts  finish it up Friday
 freemotion by the river   linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

HST placemats and easy triangle tool

 These did not start out to be placemats......
to make these I used the easy triangle tool I had purchased and used in 2012 and then forgot about it!!
Several weeks ago I decided to use some charm squares of Pat Sloan's Hometown Girl to make a mat.

 This photo is the second one I finished this past week after I decided these would be placemats.  The size is a little different than my others....16 ½" x 8½".

I blogged about a runner I made with this tool in 2012 and it is http://carylquilts.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-hst-runner.html  and there is a link on that blog post to the September 2012 blog post where I show the ruler.  Designed by Wendy Mathson.
This ruler is called fast2mark easy triangle tool   You mark on the lines and SEW on the lines.  AND no need to square up afterwards!

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Next I am going to tell about something I usually don't do..........decide to quit on making a quilt that I have started!!  But I decided to quit making the Regatta quilt that I started in January.  It was with a sew along with Home Sewn by Us.  I have photos I took this week of what I had done so far.  I had half of them in the strip sets with the light strips.  I have them draped on a long table ready to continue but I woke up yesterday and decided I have too many other things I am doing and I will use all of this fabric for other quilts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Weight Watcher lifestyle~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is some really good peanut butter banana bread I have made serveral times now using a recipe on WW site and IG.....Kodiak cakes and Quest protein powder and it is low points.  There are many versions of this recipe and might be called salted caramel banana bread if you are searching for it.

 The WW lifestyle is all about choices and planning and tracking!  This is not a diet and you can eat any food you choose as long as you track it.............and there are NOT lists of things not to eat like the old WW days!

Linking to crazy mom quilts    finish it up Friday
                Freemotion by the River Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Friday finish dissappearing jelly roll rails

Today I finished another mini quilt like I made a year ago.  I did a tutorial then of my accidental design.
Link to that tutorial is here 
The following photos show the way I did it this time............

 Start with 9 strips about 17" and sew them together thinking about where each strip will end up if you are making the mini quilt like the photo above.

Cut every other strip down the center.  Cut into blocks.

Lay out the 4" blocks to check the design.

This is the photo I put on instagram of quilting....I really look forward to the straight quilting 1/4" next to the seams.  For some reason...it makes me happy!!  I try to figure the best way so I can quilt in a continuous line as much as possible!

I will link with crazy mom quilts and freemotion by the river.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Another Christmas mini quilt and a challenge block

 I finally finished this block.  It is from Pat Sloan's Solstice Challenge.  I have pressed some seams to the side and some open.  There are a lot of bulky seams in this and I remember a  trick I learned to flatten the seams is to spray and then they will iron flat.  I am not taking these seams out.....I am practicing to be perfectly imperfect and not rip out any seams unless absolutely necessary!

 Here is another Christmas mini quilt front and back that I finished today.

I really enjoy walking foot quilting......I have probably said that hundreds of times!! 

Linking to finish it up Friday and Linky Tuesday.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Christmas mini quilt finish

 I finished this little quilt that I started at a retreat in December.  AND the backing I used is what I purchased at the retreat from someone in another group that brought fabric from her home store to sell.  It has gold in it and I bought it mainly to go with the fabrics I was using for the Solstice quilt along.  Yes....I will get back to those blocks............. 

 I like having this as a memory of that wonderful retreat!

 Last month Amanda Jean of crazy mom quilts mentioned in her blog about her Hello Kitty sewing machine.  Reading that sparked my search to get one for me and to teach my GGD how to sew.  She just turned 6 and has an interest in sewing.  This will make it even more fun for her and it is a great extra machine for me to use too....it is not a toy.

There are more creative things I will share in another blog post.  I did start a group on FB that makes it easier for me to snap a photo and post from my phone.  I like to document and keep records of my creative projects.  AND I like to be creative every day.  I like to learn new things and inspire and be inspired.  It is a closed group but can be found with a search for those interested.
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Weight Watcher lifestyle

Here is a photo of a breakfast I have 2 or 3 times a week.  A light English muffin, Jimmy Dean turkey sausage crumbles and egg with tiny bit of FF cheddar cheese.  With cuties and coffee.....makes a delicious breakfast.

Linking to crazy mom quilts
and Freemotion by the River

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

My first quilt retreat

 This week I went on my first quilting retreat with my quilting group that meets every week.
We were there from Monday to Wednesday.
It was a wonderful experience and we are planning another retreat next year.
I finished this Christmas mug rug today.   I started it at the retreat on my old sewing machine and the walking foot was not behaving so I had to finish this at home on my other Bernina.

 Here are just a few of the things I was working on at the retreat.  I started a small little book that has memories from the retreat.  All of my friends decorated a page and I am adding their photos and other things to the book now.  I used some sewing and Christmas stamps, markers, stencils, etc to make it fun!  AND some of them added little pieces of fabric to the book........so fun!!

 I took some of my journals and did doodles, lettering, etc.  I ordered the 72 Inktense pencils and I added the number and name and color of each in one of my journals.  I will be doing this same thing on fabric too.

 We were at Vina de Lestonnac Retreat Cener in Temecula.  It has a very quiet and relaxed atmosphere with lots of space and great light.  We each worked on our own projects from morning till bedtime!  AND the food was exceptional.  Photos of one breakfast and one evening meal.

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Weight Watcher Lifestyle

The new WW program started this week while I was on the retreat.  I wasn't worried about following the program because the app on my phone tells me the changes in points.  It was easy to fall right into the new program and I love it so far.  I lose weight very...very slowly and I am already losing weight this week after eating such wonderful delicious meals at a retreat!!

Anyone else on WW having any reactions to this new plan??

Linking to finish it up Friday and Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Scrappy picnic quilt

Yesterday I finished this perfectly imperfect scrappy picnic quilt and it is just as I like it!!

The story about this quilt starts in 2014 when I started making 1½" strips from older fabrics and then I used them to make 16 patches.  I did a blog post November 7, 2014 of how I made them using the tutorial from red pepper quilts.  The blog post is here  

I did not have a plan for them I was just going to keep making them and maybe make another postage stamp quilt.
In March 2015 I researched mile a minute blocks and started making some of them.  I called them made up blocks!

May 24, 2015 on IG I posted about a Weekend Challenge by studiojujuquilts to do something with fabric scraps.   THAT is when I decided to combine my 16 patches and madeup blocks into a quilt!!
I started making 8½" blocks from my 4½" blocks.  Ar the time I was calling it a scrap quilt.  The photo is above.

After I got all the blocks sewn together I started calling it a picnic quilt and I did a blog post on June 24, 2015.  The blog post has a photo tute about my made up blocks, the backs of the 16 patch blocks to show how I presssed them, and a photo of the finished top ready to be quilted.  That blog post is here

I used this quilt to practice FMQ.  First I did the #4 stitch along each of the block seams all over and then and I used all different FMQ designs.  In May this year Vicky of Vicky's Crafts & Quilting posted about a FMQ pattern squiggles and wiggles.  I had to try it and it was fun!!  I took a close up of that pattern I stitched in May.

 Here are more photos I took yesterday after I finished the quilt.

The last photo shows where I stitched picnic quilt and my name.  The last two photos also show the hand quilting, which I did around all of the outside and scattered in places.  I used this as a project to work on when I met with my Tuesday quilting group.  I made a scrappy binding using some of the same fabrics I had in the quilt. 
As I was doing research for this blog post from my photos, blog posts, IG and my daily log of creative projects, I was surprised how long ago this was started.  It was soooo fun to go back and review all of this for this blog post.  😍

I am linking to finish it up Friday and Linky Tuesday.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Halloween mug rug

 Jenny at Missouri Star Quilt Company has a tutorial called periwinkle mug rug.
I used the Wacky Web template to cut out the shapes following her tutorial.
It is so much fun to make and I will be making more of these I am sure!

 Here is a photo before I quilted it.  I actually had the layout different but I didn't follow my rule of taking a photo of the way I wanted it before sewing!  SO....when I picked up the pieces in order I actually sewed them different than my plan!!

 Here is the fabric I ordered for a Halloween quilt....but the quilt won't be done before this Halloween!

Weight Watcher Lifestyle
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The following are from eating out over the past month.
Denny's tilapia dinner..............very delicious!

 Denny's select a burger...chicken...........very delicious!  Roast potatoes are a lot less points than fries.

 Lake Wohlford  breakfast.  Smokey's scramble and home fries with sourdough toast.  I have had this so many times and really love it!  I don't eat all of the potatoes and the scramble is two eggs instead of three.  No butter on the toast and I put a tiny amount of jam on the pieces.

 Lake Cuyamaca rheuben and the best fries that are coated to be so delicious!
I could only eat one of the sandwiches and took the rest home for later.

There are so many delicious things to order when we eat out....AND I do NOT have to feel deprived!  Checking the points ahead of time and sticking with my plan is the best way to enjoy eating out!!

Let me know any special meals you enjoy when eating out?
And also any low point foods/meals to make during the holidays?

Linking with finish it up Friday   
and Linky Tuesday

Smiles and hugs....Caryl