WIP ~ 1-22-14

My vintage quilt blocks have been a VERY slow “Work in Progress" yesterday and today. It seems like all I have done is rip. I have only finished two blocks because of my ongoing errors. These boo-boos have got to stop ASAP! I think I’m being so careful, and I still mess up.

 Art Square

I do not like the way the white corners came out against the off-white of the fabrics, so when I finish all my blocks I will change the squares to some of my white that has off-white in it. I think that will look lots better.

 Dove at the Window with Upside Down Error

This is the block that about killed me. I made so many mistakes with cutting and placement, and then in the end I still finished it with one upside-down square. And, this was classified as a “beginner” block in the book. UGH! Have any of you done a block incorrectly over and over again? I feel like such a dufus.

I even nipped my left thumb cuticle with the new blade on the rotary cutter. I am really careful with the thing, and this is the first time I have ever had a slip up. A wee bit of blood in my book, but no damage to the quilt block.

 I went back and ripped it out again, and now I think everything is OK.

It sure is a good thing I do not mind ripping.

Here are my 11 blocks out of the 20...that’s half way. I have finished all of the “beginner” ones...that’s a joke...and have made a dent in the “ intermediate” ones. All of the non-paper pieced blocks are complete. The rest require foundation paper piecing.

This post is linked with WIP Wednesdays at Freshly Pieced..

We’re Hungry!

Please help identity. I have never seen these big boys here before.

Buddy thinks they are pigeons.
Update...my blogging friends say these are probably Mourning Doves.

Here is another chubby little lovely that showed up today for some din-din.
Update....Song Sparrow

And here is a series of resident Nuthatch shot one right after the other.

Thank you blogging friends for helping me identify my birds.

This post is linked with:

Wild Bird Wednesday

Snow on the Creek

 7:00 AM

8:45 Bud Leaving for work

 Crossing our Bridge to Somewhere

Up at the Road Where He Left the Car

Here are some shots from around the property...

This post is linked with:
 Our World Tuesday
Rurality Blog Hop

Quilting and Frigid Weather

In the days to come, I am going to be combining my quilting/needlework blog (http://buttonsforbaga.blogspot.com) with this one because it’s just getting way too complicated for me to try to keep up with two different blogs. My photography posts will continue as usual, but I’m going to include the ones that would have gone to my Buttons for Baga blog. 

These are the last three blocks I completed towards my Vintage Revival Quilt.

WOO-HOO! I am up to nice finished.

 Tea Leaf

 Mosaic #19

Diamond Panes

...and here are the nine blocks I’ve completed.

For Christmas my daughter gave me the most wonderful book - 100 Modern Quilt Squares.  I have completed Chapter 1 which focuses on patterns with a cross and below is a mosaic of my blocks. Some did not turn out the way I would have liked, but this is the first time I have been following patterns where whatever I do with the block style is totally up to me with no suggestions or guidance.
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Modern Quit Blocks from Chapter 1 ~ Crosses

The green one in the lower left hand corner is my favorite of all of them.

  I’ve now started on Chapter 2 which focuses on rectangles, but I have only completed one of them. Most of my time has been spent on my Vintage Revival Quilt Block-Along 
quilt.

Our Bridge to Somewhere 

It was 26 degrees at 5:00 last night when I took this, and it went down into the teens during the night.  The bridge was very slick. Not much snow, but lots of cold air.

Last night’s supper...Sinbad’s Apocalypse Soup

Check out the recipe at Sinbad and I on the Loose.

Buddy LOVES it, and it is SO easy to make. 

 This morning was another frigid one...low 20’s at 8:00.

This post is linked with:

Sew Darn Crafty

Slow Sunday Stitching

Sunday Bridges

My Favorite Winter Tree

The rains quit today, and the gray finally gave way to a bit of blue. I was coming home from the grocery store when I decided to stop at my favorite tree and take some picture with my trusty iPhone.

Big House Mountain is in the background. If you look hard enough, you will see a tire swing hanging from one of the branches. Oh, how I wish I could have walked out there and sat in the tire. That would have been such fun for an old lady. I just love the shape and branches of this old tree in the wintertime without any leaves. It is absolutely beautiful.

This is one of those times that I found the telephone pole to be interesting.

This is the fence that kept me from going out into the field.

I am way too old to crawl under barbed wire or climb over a cattle gate.

Across the road is the old homeplace of a fellow former teacher. It has a wonderful view

of Big House and Little House Mountains across the road, and it has heavenly porches on both the front and the right side. It is so pretty.

Finally, as I was leaving, I looked up and there was some blue popping through the clouds.

This post is linked with:

Our World Tuesday

Rurality Blog Hop

OutdoorWednesday

Friday Fences

Skywatch Friday

Bud to the Rescue

The stomach virus I caught from Bud was a killer, but it’s gone and I’m about back to normal. It has been so cold and I have felt so yucky that this week I am using some of Bud’s iPhone shots from his morning runs. He runs rain, sleet, ice, or snow. Nothing stops him!

These two shots were taken this past May.

This post is linked with Skywatch Friday, Friday Fences, and Camera Critters.

UGH!!!

I am not dead, but at times I’ve thought death was not far away. A bit before New Years Eve I received a gift I’d rather not have received....a grim stomach virus which apparently was not “covered” under the umbrella of my yearly flu shot. All I can say it is misery with a capital “M” and does not seem to want to leave. I am living off Gatorade which ordinarily I would not drink. Just the thought of food is unbearable. All I can say is I am too old for this mess. Have read no books, taken no pictures, or played on the computer. I’ve done nothing but watch old timey movies on TV. Hope to be back to normal before too much longer.

A BELATED HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OF YOU