Guess who's back.....

My girl April is back.  She's so well rested and ready to go.   She sounds so good with all her new boards, belts and stuff.  She even has interchangeable feet.  Can't wait to give the those a try when I do the custom quilting for Lorisquarepant.

April's back - yahoooooo!!

I have two quilts finished, the Awesome lap quilt and Little Boy Blue Chevron quilt - done.  I used the same pantograph on both Curly Q.  The little boy blue quilt is turned 90 degrees, I think it makes it looks a bit like a wave pattern, with the teals and blues I thought it was perfect.  Little Boy Blue has Hobbs Polydown batting  and the Awesome Lap Quilt has Hobb's 80/20 batting.  I had scraps big enough for both.  I really like getting the king size rolls simply for this reason. The scraps are usually big enough for a small lap or baby quilt and don't have to be pieced.  Although as you can see, sometimes really close! Love it.

Awesome Lap Top Quilt - Moda Bake Shop

Curly Q pantograph

You know I just love brigh!!

Even the back is crazy wild

Little Boy Blue Chevron (3 in finish HST)

Curly Q flipped 90 degrees

Little Boy Blue back - looks like waves in the water doesn't it?

I still have 3 quilts lined up with backings ready to go.  And here's my wild design wall.  I did another Charm Pack Cherry this time with out a background color, I really like it.  a couple of other works in progress.

Check out all the linky parties on the side bar.  Oh and 100 quilts for kids is coming up soon!! There's a new button right at the top.  So excited!! 

DWM - 4 flimsies!

April is have a spa week, getting all tuned up cleaned up, regular maintenance and new interchangeable feet.  I sure do miss her. But when she's back I'll be ready.  My "waiting to be quilted" list has gone from 0 to four in just one short weekend.  Here's what I have finished up - Lorisquarepants - all 30 blocks done.  Measures at 90x 108.   Ugggghhh, I know it's going to have some level of shrinkage at first wash and while quilting.  Do I make 6 more  blocks and just make it 108 square?

Guess what's coming up???   100 Quilts for Kids, that's right and this year it's hosted by Quilts in the Queue.  I'm getting a head start with 2 quilts already.  The first one is "Awesome" lap quilt from Moda Bake Shop - goes together so quick and seriously awesome, great name huh?  The second one from Fat Quarter Shop free pattern is "Charm Pack Cherry Quilt Pattern".  I made mine one column larger and then flipped 90 degrees.

Charm Pack Cherry

Awesome Lap Quilt 

And last is a chevron quilt I'm calling little boy blue.  Ok I'm so ready for April to come back home.  Oh and very excited, I order my first roll ever of wool batting.

Little boy blue

Almost 50 miles on the bike this weekend  - here's a couple of pics of what's in bloom on the prairie

Yellow Cone Flowers

Prairie Coreopsis

Check out all the linky love on the side bar, so much inspiration out there in blog land.  Have a great week!

Lots going on for Tuesday

My goodness I missed DWM and Anything Goes Mondays, but I'm right on track for Tuesday - Fabric Tuesday at Quilt Story, Freemotion by the River with Connie, Sew Cute at Blossom Hearts and Show and Tell Tuesday with Freshly Squeezed, see the buttons on the sidebar.  Plenty there for the rest of the week too!  Well it is definitely a slow sewing summer.  I've got a few blocks done on the Lorisquarepants but that's about it.  April's gone to the APQS spa in Iowa, oh someone needs to ship me away for a spa week :)  Here's some of the blocks in various stages.  Hmm doesn't look like there are over 100 fabrics in there does it.  I"m a little concerned abotu some of those reds being a bit over powering.

Some blocks are done

some quarter blocks are done

and then there are some that are just waiting.

Ialos got some riding in this weekend.  Just a little over 54 miles this weekend. That was pretty sweet.  On Sunday we went for a 36 mile ride.  We stop at a little ice cream place in Hebron IL that is just adorable.  They have gardens, flowers and vegetables growing like crazy!  There's a little free library box on the side of the window and the metal shed out back has those fun letter magnets.  The ice cream is awesome, I was too busy eating it to get a picture.

18 mile break spot - Dari Company ice cream stand

Love the little free library on the side of the building

look at this, they are growing in bales of straw, and so healthy!!

Little shed in the back area, two sides filled with letters.

Lots of pretty flowers here too

Prairie wildflower of the week is wild bee balm - blooming like crazy on the prairie out here.  This was on the Hebron Trail.

Wild Bee Balm

Prairie Blossoms

Blocks, Flimsy and Finish - we've got em all

Just a little quilting over the long holiday weekend.  I quilted this adorable quilt for a customer.  Hobbs 80/20 batting, Premo Soft on top, bottom line in the bobbin.  I printed out a puppy paw  for the corner stones, drew a dog bone for the sashing and then just simple out line and echo stitch with background loops to really make those pups stand out a bit.  Oh and look at that backing material - puppy love for sure.

Since I had nothing on the waiting to be quilted list and April is getting ready for a spa treatment at APQS resort in Iowa, I put some borders on a panel quilt and got my quilting fix in before she leaves.  Just out line the letters and the animals, loops for back ground fill, Hobbs 80/20 batting, Glide thread on top bottom line in the bobbin.  I think this one is super cute, nice and bright the way I like em!  I'll try to get some better pics when there's natural day light.  It's going to be a couple of weeks that's she'll be gone, oh boy I'm gonna miss her.

And  a couple of blocks for Lori Square pants along with the design table, all the pieces for each block sorted, 2 done, 28 to go.  And another panel quilt.  Now I have something on my waiting to be quilted list  :)  I love panel quilts for a quick quilting fix.

Went for a bike ride this weekend too, 26.72 miles. Love riding on the Prairie path and the cone flowers are in full bloom

And a garden walk at my house, I think I'm finally getting use to my shade gardens.

Stop by all the linky parties on the side bar, something for every day!