D4P block

I finally got my sewing machine back from getting a tuneup!  3 weeks is a long time!!  A reminder to myself not to be without my sewing machine in November.....take it in earlier!

This is Pat Sloan's birthday month and she has requested blocks for her birthday and I decided to make a D4P block.  I used 4 charm squares out of her batik Bobbins and Bits fabric.  Here are the photos:

 I did a D4P tutorial in June 2010 on my blog.

I ended up with a difference in the last seams and I tried to pull them together...
so now a decision....
rip it out and hope it improves with a new seam?
just leave it?  I am tempted to leave it as in the past when I change something it gets worse!
Anyone reading this....what would you do?  Thanks for any suggestions.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Update:  thanks for the input...I did send this block to Pat.

ME tabletopper UFO

ME tabletopper, a photo by carylwilson on Flickr.
Here is the photo from flickr that was taken on Christmas 2009.  I didn't have it finished but put it on my sewing machine table.  Now I am going to finish it this year.  Pat Sloan is having a UFO Challenge and this will be the one I finish.  I will take another photo as soon as I find it and the backing.  (smile)

Smiles and hugs, Caryl

Creative play

Here is a big pile of 1 1/2" strips sewn together light to dark....
I used my Go cutter to cut up some of my fabrics into strips...
No idea what I am using them for.....just sewing away.....

 Then I started cutting them into "twosies" ready when I decide how to use them..

I went to the sewing machine yesterday instead of munching on snacks....
It was a great distraction.....
I had walked 5 miles with Leslie Sansone DVD and I was feeling real good...
Being on Weight Watchers keeps you tracking all of your food you eat and all of your exercise...
Most of the time I am doing okay keeping my points within proper range....
but anyone trying to do this knows how difficult it is sometimes....
I was not about to eat up the activity points that I had sweated so hard to get!!

I am thankful for my creative hobbies...specifically sewing when I can get lost with putting the petal to the medal!

Back to creative subject...
Today I read this blog post from 15 Minutes of Play....
It was about making tiny little blocks for a mini quilt....
I have a lot of little pieces and it sounded like fun....
but I did not start off small enough....
I will be making more and see how small I can get the blocks!
It is fun to use up all of these little pieces that I can't bear to throw away....
Back to the fun...

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Halloween Night wallhanging finished - UFO started in 2007

 I first blogged about this in 2010 when it was a UFO I was going to finish that year...
the blog post explains it and it is here if you want to check out more about it....

 Here are some closeups......I really like this little wallhanging....
The kit was purchased at Deer Country Quilts in Seeley Lake, MT....a great shop...

 I decided to leave the pumpkins plain without faces...

The quilt guild I belong to is having a UFO Challenge this year....
We select 3 or 4 quilt projects that we want to complete and list them on the entry form...
The first one is due for the November meeting and this witch wallhanging is the one I chose to finish...
The last photo shows the rules and the Challenge Hexagon Pin they give us when we signed up.  We get a button when each project is completed to add to our pin.  AND we get a ticket to put in a drawing for prizes.  Just a fun way to get a push to finish some projects.  I am so glad I listed this one first...now it is done!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

I will link to Linky Party Tuesday, finish it up Friday, Link a Finish Friday

Pumpkin Party Runner

 Finished Halloween runner...this photo without flash..
For the squares I used a charm pack by Deb Strain called Pumpkin Party.

 I used the 4-patch tutorial here     ....the tutorial I did was for a square table topper....
After sewing them into 4-patches I squared them to 4 1/2" each....

 For this project I wanted a rectangle runner so I used 18 charm squares...9 light and 9 dark...
I figured out a desirable placement....taking a photo and checking it before sewing helps to decide...

Here is a photo with flash....

 Closeup of the bottom area...

 For the back I used an old Debbie Mumm fabric....

Closeup of the bottom....
This is a reversible runner for fall..... and Halloween.
It is very easy and very fun to make!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

I will link to Linky Party Tuesday, finish it up Friday, Link a Finish Friday

Halloween and patriotic

 Projects I worked on this weekend.............
 cutting and sewing pieces for a patriotic wallhanging....

Top done for a simple Halloween runner....
need to decide on the quilting?.....got a fall fabric backing for it.....binding?

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

ticker tape quilt is finished

Here is the little ticker tape quilt I finished this week....
I got the idea from crazymomquilts and it has been been on my bucket list for awhile....
It is just pieces of fabric scraps that I fit together like a puzzle....
Some pieces I cut to fit but a lot of them I left just as I found them in my scrap jar...
This is a totally fun quilt to make.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

I will link to Linky Party Tuesday, finish it up Friday, Link a Finish Friday

Scrappy Trips quilt is finished

 I have blogged many times about this quilt....
And added many photos along the way....
I started it in January with just one jelly roll....
I had quite a collection of jelly rolls....
In fact I had a lot of Sandy Gervais fabric jelly rolls..
So this quilt started small and became large enough for our king bed....
AND this quilt is ALL different fabrics of Sandy Gervais...
I even found a SG fabric for the binding....
The size is 64 blocks (8 x 8) and each block is 36 squares...
For a total of 2,304 squares........

I really was not in a rush to finish this quilt....
I loved every blissful step along the way....
I put a photo of every block as I finished it on my blog....

So many thanks to Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville for her Scrappy Trips free pattern....
Many thanks to Sandy Gervais for all her wonderful fabrics she has designed....
Many thanks to the flickr group with all their inspiration.....
AND many thanks for all who have commented online and in person...

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

I will link to Linky Party Tuesday, finish it up Friday, Link a Finish Friday

52nd anniversary celebration

 Yesterday was our 52nd wedding anniversary and we had a really nice day.....
The curvy road from Hemet to Ildyllwild is one of our favorites.........

 We have been riding to Idyllwild since in the 1970s and always fun......

 We had lunch at the Red Kettle....it used to be Jan's Red Kettle....we have eaten there many times...

Yummy grilled chicken salad with a dash of oil and vinegar.......

 We parked next to the monument sculpted by chain saw....

This ride was 199.2 miles and we hope there are many more rides in our future.

For those checking my blog for quilting and projects...sorry none with this post.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

ticker tape quilt + more

 I have been wanting to make a ticker tape quilt for awhile....
I have a lot of small scraps that I save and this is a perfect way to use them....
This past week I was cutting strips and squares from my stash for projects I am working on....
SOOOOOOOO when I ran into a bag of these little pieces....I had to start a little quilt!!!!

 Here is my scrappy trips quilt.....
in August I finished the wavy line quilting across the squares....

Also in August I put on the binding....

using Sandy Gervais fabric of course....

all of the pieces of this quilt are from her lines of fabrics....

I have blogged many times about this...

Here is the binding in the large glass container on the floor......
A really easy way to keep the binding out of the way and ready to clip to the edge of the quilt...

I am now working slowly on hand stitching the binding to the back and doing this in between other projects.....

I am linking to Pat Sloan's Show and Tell........
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Picnic at the lake

 There is a small lake about 5 miles from our house.....
We picked up some El Pollo Loco and headed over there late yesterday afternoon....

 There was a nice reflection of the sky and hills in the water.....

 We enjoy going to this lake...it is so relaxing there...
but we don't take the time to go there very often....why I don't know!!

Photo as we were leaving about 15 minutes before sunset....
We will be going back soon and next time walk the path by the lake.
Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Mount Laguna Ride

 This is a photo documentation of our cycle ride yesterday to the mountains....
We ate at Lake Cuyamaca Restaurant....we are glad to have them open again as this is ONE of our favorite destinations when we go for a ride to the country.....I didn't get a photo there but the food was good!

 The road through the park was silky smooth as it has been repaved....
Then we went through Guatay and Pine Valley....

 Then we headed up the Sunrise Highway..........
This was one of my favorite roads when I was riding my own cycle....

The area of the Al Bahr Shrine Camp that was destroyed in the fire last month...

 I wasn't sure if I got this shot as I pointed the camera to the side to get the fireplace chimney still standing...and there is new growth showing in the foreground...

 This is coming along Highland Valley Road....

Stopped at the stop light at Pomerado Road looking to Lake Hodges east of 15...
I remember when this was filled with water....
A very pleasant ride of 144.7 miles.....I can't wait until the next ride!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl