Hi everyone.

I have been sick since just after Newyear's Day.  It was like a major sinus infection plus a nasty cough.  I haven't felt like doing  much.  I kind of burned out in November and December, with 3 quilts and a stack of mugrugs and bowl cozies.

I have had the blocks done for about 2 years for Erin Russik's "My Tweets".  I want to show it in the Snake River Valley Quilt Guild's Quilt Show in March, so I decided I had to get up off my duff and get to work.  Instead of trying to push a large quilt through my domestic machine, my newer quilts are done in a modified Quilt As You Go style.  I usually try to make them in two or three strips. After they sections are sewn together, I quilt the borders.

Here is the quilt on my design wall (I hang my design wall on the bookcases).

I have it set up as 3 lengthwise strips, the outside borders and 4 blocks on the left and right. the center square and 2 blocks on top andbottom.  The last two borders will be added and quilted after the three sections are joined.  

Here is how I put them together:  First I lay the backing down wrong side up.  I use T-pins to hold it in place, usually 3 on a side.

I then lay the battiing down and get it where I want it.  I then fold back about a third of the batting, spray the backing with spray baste, then fold the batting back and smooth it down.

I continue in this manner until the batting is all basted down.  It is hard to see, but because of the spray baste, I have the door open about 5 inches for ventilation ( at 16 degrees F).

I then do the same for the top.  I find I can get it smoothed out better this way.

Here are the three pieces, ready for quilting.  I will move my sewing machine to the larger table and get started.

I hope this information was helpful to someone.

Happy quilting.

Susan

What Happened?   I Miss Global Warming!

How did your holidays go?  Most of my plans were upset by the biggest storm since 1992.  I pushed to get some little things done by Christmas after the two big quilts I finished.  A small quilt (35 inches or so), a bunch of microwave bowl holders, a bunch of mug rugs.  I haven't got a picture of the quilt, yet.

My oldest sister and her husband, surprised us by moving back to Idaho from Virginia in October 2016.  For the first time in too many years we were going to all be together for Christmas.  Best laid plans and all that.  Since we are all getting up there in years, the youngest of us is 55, just getting around in good weather is a chore for most of  us.

 My younger sister and I live together on an acre in the country.  Most years we have been meeting here for Christmas.  We got a big storm just after Thanksgiving, and it took us a couple of hours to shovel out to the road.  We had our parking cleared out pretty good.  We were going to have a group of 10 people for Christmas dinner so we needed good parking.  It started to snow again on Christmas Eve.  On Christmas morning this is what we had outside.

You can't see where we had cleaned the driveway earlier.

My brother David was coming about 35 miles from where he lives up the valley.  He was supposed to be here by 10am to help start the prime rib roast.  He called and let us know that the roads were terrible, and he would be late, so we put the roast in.   He got here about 11am.  By the afternoon we had heard from most of the family members and friends and they couldn't get out to us, so we had a grand total of 3 people for dinner.  David stayed here that night. It snowed all day and he was snowed in, in our driveway.   Next morning, we were really snowed in.  The three of us spent about 2 hours digging out to the road.  About noon the snow plow came down our road, so we could get out if we needed to.  David loaded up his presents and some of the leftovers from yesterdays meal and set out for home.  It was slow going, but he called us when he reached his home.  The only good thing about this storm was that we didn't get our customary 20 mph winds.  Thank God. And I mean that sincerely.

A couple of days later, we loaded up all our gifts and started delivering them.
Here are the mug rugs I made.  I had a stack of hexi flowers from another project that I had made into mug rugs.

I had made a small bag for one sister to put her phone in earlier, and made this one for another sister.

               

 Here are some of the bowl cozies for use in the microwave.

Each of my sisters, and a couple of our friends, got two of the mug rugs and two of the cozies. 

My sister decided to not put up a tree this year.  Instead, she got out her Santas that she had painted, one each year for several years.  We can't get them anymore since Zim's in Salt Lake City closed.

Well we will have to try again next year.  Maybe we will have better luck!!

I have had a cold since just before New Year's, and have not wanted to do anything, but sleep and lay around.  I'm feeling better and have 2 applique quilts I need to get put together and quilted by March if I want to have them in the Guild Quilt Show.  

I did a list of my UFO's and have.... wait for it.... 27!!!!  I am going to try to complete at least 2, big or small, each month this year.  I need to get going, January is already half gone!!! EEK!!

Keep quilting, and keep warm.  

Susan