Lots of Quilting - Little Blogging!

It's been a busy month and I just realized I had not done any posting. So, here goes!

July began with my 62nd birthday and we celebrated with my daughter and her family.

Jake and Lacey both in the picture here. 

 Jake helped me blow out the candles, in fact, it was so much fun he did it three times!

 Daddy's lighting them again for him/us - lol!

 A fun evening! The cake was later topped with hot fudge sauce and ice cream.

 And now for some quilting - I've been finishing up some of the quilts I made while in Florida. This is a fun back I made with pieces from my stash.

 And here is the front - no recipient yet.

A close-up!

Here is a dress for Lacey. I was just trying the pattern for size and I think she'll be able to wear it next spring! 

 Jake loves bulldozers, cement trucks, backhoes, etc, so when I saw this fabric and kit in Florida, I could not resist. So easy yet fun. They had some really cool patterns that are on a postcard. I had never seen these before by Villa Rosa Designs. They are called Rosecards and only $2 each. The kits I bought already had the pattern included. Simple yet nice!

Now I am trying to use up some fabrics in my stash/closet. I did a lot of piecing for the back of Jake's quilt but it turned out quite interesting to me. I've always been a fan of back art!

Here is a picture of the whole back before it was quilted.

 Not only am I using some fabric from my stash, I am using up some batting. For years, I have zigzagged batting together but it gets a little difficult with larger pieces. I bought this Heat Press for bonding pieces together and it works really well. A light touch with the iron and it bonds the pieces.

Guess it's a lightweight interfacing but the way it comes on a roll makes it very convenient to use. Very quickly you have a batting ready for your quilt. I just cut some straight lines to make the edges meet well.

 And one more quilt finish - Hugs and Kisses for Lacey when she comes to Nana's house (which will be soon).

 Up close!

And another pieced back. I had some fun fat quarters from years ago with some girlie things on them, including paper dolls, and just cut them up with a few more brights and had a back all ready to go.

Hugs and Kisses

I completed this quilt top over the weekend. It was a UFO from, hmmm, maybe 2004. I had made all the blocks, sewn the applique by machine and just had it filed away neatly in a plastic shoebox for all these years. When I made it, I did not know of a baby girl being born to give it to but just liked the colorful cute quilt on the front of this magazine below from 2003.

 It is a good thing I had completed the applique earlier because I would not be wanting to do that just now. It went together very quickly though and I will bind it with the stripe below. My friend, Nancy, and I were just talking of forgetting details about those UFOs we bring out to finish. There were some filler fabrics needed and I had to go find them from my stash - they had not made it into the shoe box. I had no idea the project was so old until I looked at the magazine date.

This quilt will be for Lacey when she comes to visit at Nana's house - perfect for a sweet little girl!

My husband is being treated for prostate cancer and we are staying near the University of Florida Proton Therapy Institute. This treatment is a type of radiation with less side effects than other treatment types and certainly a great alternative to the surgery that was recommended to him. He is writing a blog to share mostly with other men who may be facing this type of cancer. He is doing great, very pleased with the treatment he is receiving here and this is my temporary sewing room for now. I brought several projects to work on while we are here. Stitch when you can! I am.