Hand Quilting, Wild Dogwood Blooming, American River South Fork

Big color blocks will be quilted with an X.

I finished hand quilting the four patch border!

The corner and side triangles are all quilted.

Wild Dogwood was blooming all along east 50 past Placerville.

The South Fork of the American River was high with spring runoff.

'Megalithic' stone along the river.

Hello from Northern California where the wild Dogwood is in bloom!
Last week we did a little sightseeing out to the South Fork of the American River.
The mountain air was invigorating.

And progress has been made hand quilting my Bright Sampler, approx 84" x 74".
I finished quilting the fourpatch border, it was a bear, just tedious.

And that quilt friends is the news from along the river.
Where I'm remembering to be thankful because it sure beats being grumpy.
I hope you're all well and that you've made progress on your projects.

I'll be by to visit!

Hand Quilting Bright Modern Sampler, American River Walk, My Spring Handbag.

My Bright Modern Sampler hand quilting in progress.

Bridge across the American River, Folsom, CA.

Wild flowers along the river walk.

And more wildflowers along the river walk.

My Vera Bradley handbag, echoing spring colors!

Hello from Northern California!

Where we are enjoying spring walks along the American River.

Yes, we made the move from compacted Los Angeles, Southern CA, back to the north where life is a little more relaxed and less complicated. People here are of course practicing social distancing and many are wearing masks but there are less people here and they tend to live slower lives.

We are in temporary housing and won't be able to unpack for a bit so it's vacation time. Also I'm using a new tablet so getting used to it is a challenge. This is the first time posting on it so we'll see how it goes!

I brought my current hand quilting project along. No sewing machine for a while.

And that quilt friends is the Monday news where life is good. I hope you're all busy and well.

I'll be by to visit!

A Story of Three Liberated Log Cabin Block Quilts, Spring has Come! RSC Green Blocks Arranging..

Liberated Log Cabins Quilt #1, cotton batting, hand quilted, 29" x 29".

Liberated Log Cabins #2, flannel batting, hand quilted.

Liberated Log Cabins #3, craft batting, machine quilted, 28" x 19".

Back up close view.

Back view of LLC#3, my machine quilting.

Front view up close.

Auditioning arrangement for Hour Glass and String blocks.

These blocks were started for the AHIQ challenge Hour Glass Blocks.

Happy spring from Rancho Palos Verdes!

The Wisteria is blooming here and birds are singing.

This week I finished my Liberated Log Cabin Block Quilt #3. I pieced the little log cabin centers from scraps left over from my #1 and #2  Liberated Log Cabin quilts.

Here's a little history on the three; I started #1 being inspired by Tonye Belinda Phillips pattern,Welsh-Folded Log Cabin. I roughly followed her directions but did not hand piece. I chose to machine piece instead. I chose my own colors/prints and arrangement and hand quilted.

I had left over scraps so I slowly pieced more log cabin blocks and arranged them into my #2 Liberated Log Cabin Quilt and hand quilted it.

And I had more scraps, they must reproduce when no one is looking! So I pieced them into small log cabin blocks and got them arranged into a smaller Liberated Log Cabin Quilt #3. I used craft batting; poly, and machine quilted it. I like the puffy look that craft batting gives.

And that is the story of the Three Liberated Log Cabin Block Quilts and how they came to be!

I've been piecing more blocks for the AHIQ Hour Glass challenge and the RSC green challenge for February. I'm not done yet. I work slow, no hurry. Hurry takes the fun out.

So I've been arranging on my 'design' bed and thinking out a plan, slowly.

That quilt friends is the news from the rancho where progress is being made and spring did not forget to come. It's out there, do enjoy!

An old saying goes something like this, 'With difficulty opportunity often comes.'

Don't forget to look up and have hope. The best things in life are free.

I'll be by to visit.

Happy National Quilting Day! Plus Blocks in Turquoise, Liberated Log Cabin Blocks #3 Progress, Flying Geese Medallion in Orange Finish

I've pieced more Turquoise/Teal Plus Blocks for RSC.

Saturday at Torrance Beach, spring weather.

The Pacific Ocean is calm today!

Here's my Flying Geese Medallion in Orange, 14" x 14", another project inspired by RSC.

Start of unpicking the binding on my LLC #3.

Liberated Log Cabins #3, Machine quilted ready for another try at sewing on the binding.



Happy Spring and National Quilting Day from Rancho Palos Verdes!

Where we have spring weather, clouds and sun with showers off and on.
The California Sunflowers are blooming and the birds are singing.

This last week I've had time to piece more turquoise/teal Plus Blocks for my 'parts department'.
Prompted by the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Dawn's 24 Challenge using Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston's book, 'Freddy and Gwen collaborate Again'. 

Have you seen Lori Kennedy's Steampunk Quilting tutorial @ lorikennedyquilts.com?
Steampunk is a literary genre where romance meets technology, very exciting!
Visit for lots of good tutorials and inspiration for quilting.

I also sewed binding onto my Liberated Log Cabins #3, however I was in a hurry and stretched the binding in a few places which caused rippling.
So I decided to redo the binding, so I could live with it!

And hand quilting is progressing on my quilt

'Bright Modern Sampler.'


And that is the quilt news from the rancho, where we are staying warm and practicing 'social distancing.' And yes, we have plenty of toilet paper!
We have a lot to be thankful for.

I hope, quilt friends that you're healthy and well.
I'll be by to visit.

March Calendar Color, RSC Color, Dawn's Challenge 24 Plus Blocks

My calendar color for March, green!

RSC color of the month Teal/Turquoise and Plus blocks for Dawn's Challenge 24.

Using this book, pg. 124 for Challenge 24...

'Sticks', I think they're close enough to call them Plus blocks.

My Liberated Log Cabin quilt #2 with borders, binding sewn onto front, pinned down on back.

Torrance Beach, overcast and cooler today.

Happy March from Rancho Palos Verdes!

And St. Patrick's Day is coming right up.

Reporting the quilt news from the rancho where we have overcast skies.

My color calendar color of the month is green, I like the words used describing green,

nurturing, organic, fertile, healing, generous, etc. Those are some good words.

Wouldn't it be a wonderful change if the media/news industry started using those words and words like them, instead of the usual negative, destructive, gloomy words they pelt everyone with.

What a relief that would be.

For Dawn's Challenge 24, I chose to use my book by Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston, 

'Freddy and Gwen Collaborate Again' pg. 124. The block is titled 'Sticks' but I think it's about the same thing as a Plus Block so that's what I'm calling it. 

I used teal/turquoise scraps to piece the Plus Blocks for the RSC color of the month and so got two challenges fulfilled in one.

I sewed the binding onto the front of my Liberated Log Cabin quilt #2 and now I'm working on hand sewing it down onto the back, almost done!

Torrance Beach for coffee this morning, overcast and cool, but still enjoyable.

And that quilt friends is the news from the rancho, where progress is being made and I'm remembering to be thankful.

We do have so much to be thankful for don't we?

I'll be by to visit.

Orange Flying Geese and Hourglass Blocks, Log Cabin Blocks Sashed and Bordered, a Hand Quilting Finish.

Orange Flying Geese in framed medallion with Hourglass blocks in the border.

Here I've pieced sashing between rows of small liberated Log Cabin blocks.

Closer view of blocks.

And more...

Borders have been pieced on here, 29" x 19".

Blocks started with scraps from another of my liberated Log Cabin Quilts.

Slowly building up, in liberated fashion, Log Cabin blocks from scraps.

This my #2 Log Cabin quilt with Kona Cotton solid 'Wasabi' border, 32" x 32", hand quilting finished here.

Hello Quilt Friends!

It's sunny and warm here on the coast.

This last week or two I've been able to get a little of this and that done. I think breaking it up and working on blocks and projects here and there is the way to go, lessens the possibility of the dreaded burn out.

I finished my small orange quilt with challenge blocks of hourglass and flying geese and using the color orange, three in one! The Hourglass block for AHIQ, the Flying Geese chosen for Dawn's  24 SAL from a quilt book, pg. 24, and then using orange scraps for RSC color for February.

I'll pick a new block for Dawn's 24 SAL sometime this week. It is a good excuse to pick through  my quilt books and choose a new block. 

I finished hand quilting my #2 liberated Log Cabin quilt in neutrals. I used a lot of Kona Cotton "Wasabi' in that one, love the contrast.

From the scraps and left overs from my #1 and #2 liberated Log Cabin quilts I began slowly building small Log Cabin blocks for another project and that began several months ago. I added to them now and then keeping them in a baggie.

Well now I have them sashed and bordered, ready to be layered and quilted, #3 in a series of small liberated Log Cabin blocks. This one is sashed and bordered with neutral colors.

And that's the quilt news from the rancho, where projects are getting done, here and there, and I'm remembering to be thankful!

I'll be by to visit!

Quilt News SAL Challenge 24, Additions to Small Liberated Log Cabin Blocks, More Piecing Units and a Small Quilt Finish

Small Art Quilt finish, this started as a challenge, I needed more time and made my own schedule.

SAL 24 book I'm using for inspiration, pg. 24, Flying Geese.

....said page...

My Flying Geese, made with HSTs, because I had them in my parts department.

Spare parts from other blocks made into new units.

I've been working on this set of liberated Log Cabin blocks for some time now.

Close up view, next will come sashing and a border.

Hello from the Rancho and
Happy Valentines Day!

We have sun and cool temperatures. It's early spring here.

This week I finished a small art quilt started as a group challenge. I realized I was going to need more time to finish this project right. So I set my own time frame, slow! Setting my own schedule freed up the creative juices.

I forget the theme but it was something to do with couture sewing. I left the basting stitches in because I like it that way and used big stitch hand quilting.

Also I read in Julierose's blog about Dawn's SAL 24. Basically you pull out one of your quilt books you've been meaning to go through and using that, you choose either pg. 24 or 42 or 2 or 4 and using the chosen page, piece up 2 or 4 blocks from that page. This is a very relaxed SAL, no deadlines,

just the thing for me.

As you can see, the book I've chosen is 'Gwen and Freddy Collaborate Again' by Gwen Marston and Freddy Moran. It's a used library book, I bought it on Amazon for a good price.

And my small Liberated Log Cabin blocks are shaping up slow but sure. I keep them in a baggie and pull them out occasionally to add to them. They've been around for several months now. They are ready to have sashing sewed between the blocks and then between the rows. 

Slow and steady going.

That quilt friends is the news from the rancho, where I'm making progress unit by unit and I'm remembering to be thankful. 

I'll be by to visit!