Yia Yia's Flower Garden Lower Center Section

Wow... I can't believe it's done! It took me forever to do this, but I guess it would help if it doesn't sit in the box I keep it in for weeks at time huh? I have sworn up and down that this section has laughed at me in so many ways.  The next 4 sections shouldn't be too bad to do, since they are smaller than I have the upper center section which is going to be another labor of love.   After finishing this I realized.. this is going to be bigger than I orginally thought... It still go on my bed.. This is mine with the understanding in the family when time comes it will go to my oldest granddaughter Kayley Marie! I can see this on her bed at a later date and time... Much later and date and time.... You hear that Kayley!

I had bought the most amazing fabric for the backing for this but Hubby and I was talking about it on Sunday and we both agree that it will need something else and that most amazing fabric will be used for another quilt....

The Count for the Center Section is : White 165, Dark Green 15, Lt Green, 2, Med Green 20, Red 13, Dark Red 85, White Print 12

The Total Count for the Quilt is:  White 422, Dark Green 48, Med Green 47,  Light Green 39, Red 34, Dark Red 207,

White Print 18

DJ A-3 Hunter's Moon

This would have been a struggle for me, but I did it!!! This had curved piecing in it and I tackled the task. I am thrilled!!! I could had just appliqued the 4 pieces on there, but I wanted the challenge. I am really patting myself on my back..... So now I can do just about anything

DJ A-2 One Two Buckle My Shoe

Wow... I finished this last week.. I am really proud on easy it's coming along. Remember all of this is being done by hand and I am really stunned on how much I am enjoying doing this.
Now there are times I am struggling on getting started... So, I put in Gone With the Wind or North and South and it seems to help me get started!

A-1 Pinwheel Gone Awry

I am really proud of myself! I did this by hand all of it! This is just one of 200 plus blocks! It took me several attempts, but I did it!  Thanks to the Dear Jane computer software having the templates on it!

So in Dear Jane language: 1,0,28

In english that is  1 block, 0 triangles and 28 pieces.

Dear Jane

The Dear Jane Quilt is named for Jane Stickle the woman that orginally did this quilt back in Civil War Era.  Brenda Papadakis, saw the quilt  in Donna Bister's and Richard Cleveland's book, Plain and Fancy she  just knew she had to learn more about Jane and her quilt. Brenda, figured out each block and then she shared her love of this wonderful quilt with the rest of the world.  I want to thank you Brenda for sharing this wonderful find with the rest of us!  I also want to thank Brenda for starting the Dear Jane group at www.dearjane.com  full of wonderful people from all over the world for support.

Dear Jane is a quilt that has become a journey for many people. You usually can find one in the larger quilt shows. I had attempted the journey once before, but I was so discourage it was not funny. I have decided years later I am going to attempt it once again! 

This time it's Dear Jane in blue... I am very excited about this... since blue is such a loving color that draws anyone in.  This Dear Jane is going to be different journey for me.... I am going to e doing this by hand. Yes I am doing a flower garden by hand, but this is different... It's almost like channeling back to my ancestors, I can see my great great grandmother sitting by a fire doing hand work of some kind....

I am doing Dear Jane as a Block of the Month through Stitchin Heaven. I am thanking God that they were still offering it!! I started this journey once again and I hope all of you are willing to take it with me. I may get flustered and fustrated, but I think I will find joy over all!

So here I go on a journey of love...

Border -1 Down 13 to Go

I did one of the border pieces for my BOM. There are 14 total and I have one down!  It was a challenge, but hey I am up for a good challenge! Let me know what you think ....

BOM: March

I finally got March BOM finished today! I am really thrilled about it.  It went pretty smooth with a very small bump in the road.  It's amazing how much fun I am having with applique. Did I just say that. I was really scared of it but now I am facing my fears and doing it! Another thing I am going to scratch off my NOW list. Oh NOW is something I have yet to blog about! Perhaps I should!  That is for another post!

I got a Wall!!!

I got a wall! Not just any wall! A design wall! So does that mean they expect me to do something with it or do I get to go in my Play Area and stare at it??

Well I did it with lots of help! My husband Richard, put it up  for me...what a guy. I guess that what husbands do when you been married for 29 years....

Tom Russell was a huge help on it and Tom thank you for all of your valuable and free advice on it! Something tells me that Tom will be collecting on that advice.....  Tom a huge Texas thank you!!!

So it went into stages.

The stage before it began, my daughter painted the room in her Trading Spaces Phase and she still is in that phase... everytime I go to her house something is different!

The 2nd stage.. I went to Lowes and priced "foam" Insulation. I picked the blue one .... it was best for what I needed it for!

The final Stage of it! The Flannel goes up.  I went to Hobby Lobby and picked it out. It works for me and I am happy!!!

The entire room is getting a face lift and this is all you are going to see of it. I am in a limited space but it will grow a bit... it will be shared room and there will be a futon in it.... So I guess if My family wants to visit me while I am playing.... they will have a place to crash !!

BOM February

Wow I never thought I would get to this point with this particular block! It drove me crazy. I couldn't get it to play nice for anything! How dare it miss behave!!


Well with advice from a Quilting Yahoo Group, I finally got it to play nice with the help of Elmer's Glue Stick. Who would have thought that Elmers would be a part of my quilting life. It had been a huge part of my life while growing up, going to school with me and school with my children. It's invloved with my building of matchsticks .. that is another post :) and now it's quilting with me.

I will start on March's block soon and start on the border blocks. It has been a journey!!

UFO's ??

UFOs?? What are they ?? To most people they are unexplained objects in the sky.... Well in this girls case and many of her friends they are unfinished projects.  For quilters shouldn't it be UFQ (unfinished quits)??

Why does one person have so many unfinished things??? Do we get bored that easily or is it to keep us from pulling our hair out?

For me the UFOs... I find things I want so I move on to the next. My goal for this year is to get as many as my UFOs out of the way... be it quilting, red work (my newest project) and crocheting... I have a zillion things going, but this is what keeps me sane!

I keep adding to this journey and you know what.. that is okay... it's my journey!

BOM January

Well.. this is my first attempt at fusible applique!!

What was I thinking? Am I insane?? What is this?? Oh wait, it's part of my NOW list. I want to learn new techinques this year and well here it is!!

I am really proud of this!

Yes there are mistakes, Yea I know! I believe in the Amish way of doing things. Where only God is perfect. Good thing he is because I am so far from perfect as you can tell!

Yia Yia's Garden Section 2

2nd section: White 102; dk green 31; dk red 53; med green 15; lt green 15; red 15....

The total count is now at: White 257; dk green 33; dk red 122; med green 27;  lt green 27; red 21; white print 6

Total English Paper pieces so far 466

Yia Yia's Garden Section 1

The first section is complete: Hexagon Count is: White-155; Dark Red-69; Red-6; Dark Green; 2; Med Green-12; White Print-6

Yia Yia's Garden

This is something I have been working on for a year now. I had started it last Janurary and put it down for various reasons. When my husband had CHF last Memorial Day Weekend, I picked it up and worked on it for the 3 weeks he was in the hospital. I finished the first section of it while he was there and started on Section 2.  I am now on Section 3..... this is going to be a large quilt but I am proud of it. 

This is the journey into English Paper Piecing, a challenge presented to me by my youngest son Luther. In his mind, I will never be a real quilter until I have done one by hand from start to finish. Well... I have news for him, I am... but I am still taking on this challenge.

So here it goes the journey of Yia Yia's Garden.

Begining the Journey

This is a new year, with new beginnings. I need to cross things off my NOW list (bucket list).  These things maybe silly to those that don’t understand, but they are important to me. I am an artsy crafty person and I have decided there are things I want to accomplish by Christmas of next year. 

My list consists of:

4 crochet Afghans I am really into pineapples these days

Several quilts along with wall quilts.  

Small Quilts for our guilds quilt show and for Alzheimer’s Booth at the International Quilt Show Houston.

Prayer shawl for a dear wonderful friend who I love like a daughter…..

Plus a boat made out of matchsticks.

On top of all these things that I want to do this year… I am helping with the quilt show for our guild and I have the Learn to Quilt Booth at the big Houston Show in November!

So come along with me as I take this new journey into quilting, crocheting, matchsticks, what I am reading, plus all my other loves in my life and blogging. Oh boy this should be fun!

The journey is now beginning ……