Must get creative again

 I haven't been quilting much lately and it feels good to get back to machine quilting today...

I also have a new computer and it has a different way to download photos...

In my last post I was checking how to post with this computer...

Since May I have been doing the hard work of losing weight and it has used up a lot of my energy...
Tracking every bite I eat and exercising more than I have in a long time!!!
I have been blogging at the WW site and it is time I devoted some time with this blog!
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Quick HST table runner

Last week I showed the easy triangle tool... I used 10 light and 10 dark charm squares...

I alternated them in a zigzag pattern....

I sewed them in long rows.... close up of the rows....

Then I sewed the rows together...

I added some red fabric for borders.... This is soooooo quick to make.... Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Quilt Guild Demos

In my last post I talked about one of the demos from quilt guild this month. Five of our members volunteered to do a demo instead of having a guest speaker for the month. The five are listed here: Keychain... Mile-a-Minute... Easy Triangle Tool... Great Flying Geese... English Paper Piecing... There were tables set up with chairs around for each demo teacher. They had a timer of about 10 minutes for each and then we moved to the next. It was very organized moving from table 1 to 2 etc... Those starting at 2 went to 3 next etc... Sorry...no photos...I will try to do some of the projects and show later. And I didn't get my FMQ challenge done this month.... it is the first month I have missed for the year... I will get back to quilting... Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Easy Triangle Tool

We had demo night at our quilt guild this month... Wendy Mathson demonstrated her new easy triangle tool...

This tool does all the measuring for you...

I used some charm squares.... marked the lines.... sewed on the lines.... cut them apart....

and in just a short time 20 charm squares... became 20 half-square triangles.... and you don't have to square up.... I bought my easy triangle tool from Wendy... but you can find them at your local quilt shop....

I used Roman Holiday charm squares.............................................. At our quilt guild there were 5 of our members who did demos.... another time I will post about the other demos.................. Smiles and hugs....Caryl

August FMQ Challenge

This month at the beginning of August was the tutorial by Wendy Sheppard. It seems like it should be easy to do but I had a hard time getting it. I like the design so I will practice more and use it in the future on quilts. This challenge is from SewCalGal and is a year long challenge. Smiles and hugs....Caryl

cycle ride to the bench

we stopped at the Sizzler in Ramona..... Saturday late afternoon on our ride to Julian....

really like the shadows and sunny spots late afternoon....

here is the corner we used to turn to go to our house in Pine Hills...

sitting on "the bench".... main street Julian.....

Dave enjoying the atmosphere....

sunset as we were on our way home.... from top the hill outside of Santa Ysabel.... Smiles and hugs....Caryl.................... PS For those looking here for quilty things...I will get back to it soon!!!

July FMQ Challenge

This month was the tutorial by Angela Walters at SewCalGal blog.... I haven't been machine quilting much over the past weeks and months... I should have done more paper practice....

but I just wanted to get to the quilting.... Angela's tutorial is so beautiful and I hope to make mine more like that... but I will need a lot more practice...

here is a tabletopper I put together with Eden charm squares... I am going to do all kinds of FMQ on it..... Be sure to check at the July 1 blog to see the tutorial... Smiles and hugs....Caryl

more on FMQ zendoodling

I finished this little project several weeks ago... it was from the June FMQ Challenge... I had only done part of it in June...

I think most people would love this type of machine quilting... it is so fun to just let the design evolve... this one I put on top of a TV tray... flipped over with the backing on top!!.......................... I got my machine back from getting a tune up so ready to get at some projects!! Smiles and hugs....Caryl

cycle ride to the lake

Last evening we had a nice ride to the lake for dinner.... Jeff, Dave and I.......

Photo as we got there....

Photo as we were leaving..... I have not been doing much creative lately... concentrating on exercising and WW......... planning on getting to a healthy weight.... Smiles and hugs....Caryl

June FMQ Challenge

This month the tutorial is by Cindy Needham at SewCalGal's blog. I am having a lot of fun with this....just practicing and designing as I go...whatever comes to me next. This is my favorite type of quilting...just go with the flow!!! Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Beatrix Potter figurines

Since Susan Branch is visiting in Beatrix Potter country now.................... it reminded me to show some of my BP figurines... My favorite is Hunca Munca with her babies.... just love that figurine....this display is on a shelf in my bathroom... and on the wall below the shelf is the framed Hunca Munca and babies.... In the photo frames are photos of me in the early 90s with Duke and Mandy... And the last photo is me with them later in the 90s.... still miss those two little precious dogs....so glad to have the photos... I don't collect figurines anymore....but I do enjoy looking at them.... at some point I will sell these as I don't know anyone in my family that would want them... but for now....they will keep making me happy when I look at them!! Smiles and hugs....Caryl

pink and zebra baby quilt for Kali

Here is the finished quilt.... I started with the fabric first and then started making blocks... I was going to use some pink and white striped fabrics... but they did not look good with the zebra stripes....

I have quilted a lot of words into this quilt....

a few of the words included are adorable....sweet...angelic...

precious....her name and date of birth....plus others...

I have already had a lot of blog posts about this quilt.... AND there is a photo of the center of the quilt here............................................ Smiles and hugs....Caryl