Flying Geese

This week I saw a flock of geese flying over my house.  I hurriedly grabbed my camera and snapped this picture.

Several months ago I bought a new quilting ruler to help me make flying geese blocks.

This is what a flying geese quilt looks like.

Quilt made by Allison Vaccaro

Pretty cool!  Now I am very inspired to try to make a Flying Geese quilt.  One more project on the to-do list.



Until next time,

Chemo - Bye Bye

Hello blogging friends.  I'm back and feeling great. 

I had my last chemotherapy treatment on January 19 and felt bad for a few days but I feel absolutely normal now.  And I still have all my hair!!  My oncologist is going to make me wait 2 months before they will remove my port.  The port is in my chest and it was used to administer the chemo.  I thought it would be removed immediately but she tells me it is standard procedure to wait 2 months...dang it!

Radiation starts around March 19.  I will go to the hospital every day (5 days a week M-F) for 6 weeks.  I am not looking forward to that. 

For now I have a little break from seeing doctors.  I have been spending my time with family, also quilting and reading. 

I finally finished quilting this quilt.  I machine quilted it using my Bernina Activa 145.  This quilt is for my cats.  They seem to really like laying on it.  And it will keep their fur off my furniture!!

I used fabric from my stash and pieced the backing fabric.

For the binding again I used fabric from my stash and pieced the binding using coordinating fabrics. 

I borrowed this book from my local library.  I really enjoyed reading this book.  It has motivated me to dig in and get rid of things I no longer need.  If you are interested in decluttering your home, organizing your home, simplifing your life and becoming a better steward of this earth then you will find this book to be an interesting read. 

It feels good to be back in the blogging world.
Until next time,

Quilty Goodness

We are in the middle of a dry, heat wave with daily temperatures in the 100's F.  When it is this hot I work in the yard early in the morning then try to get a little quilting done during the extreme heat of the day.

A few weeks ago I took a paper piecing class at my local quilt shop.  I just loved this christmas tree wall hanging and couldn't wait to take the class.  This is a Alex Anderson pattern.  The pattern has an appliqued border.  I am thinking about using a pieced border.  I have to think about this. 

I am machine quilting this quilt that I made using a jelly roll.  The fabric is Neptune by Tula Pink.  This is half of the quilt.  I machine quilt in sections since the harp of my sewing machine is so small.

I hope to share a few more of the quilt projects that I am working on soon. 
Until next time,

Goodbye 2010 Hello 2011

As we end this year I want to share a few photos of my current quilting project, the Empty Nest Gardens and a possible goal for 2011.

Today I am trying to finish my December stars for the Star Crazy block of the month quilt.  I will be piecing the quilt top together in January, just a month late which is pretty good for me.

Nandina berries are providing a little color in the garden.

I love the green moss that grows in the garden path.

The grasses are providing a little visual interest.  This is the view from my office.

I love this grass.  It is a native grass that I did not plant.  It has looked good all year.  I love the snow flake look of what I think may be the seed pods.

This is my lawyers bookcase that I have in my kitchen.  It is full of cookbooks.

This 18 inch tall basket is full of recipes I have printed from the internet or cut out of magazines.

This is my folder for my extra special recipes that I really want to cook...ha ha.  And I have at least 100 recipes on my computer stored digitally.

So as you can see I need to quit being a recipe hoarder and start cooking or tossing.  My goal in 2011 is to start working through these cookbooks and recipes.  I have a feeling Goodwill and the trash can will see a lot of these.  If I run into anything good I will be sharing those recipes on my blog.

As I leave 2010 I want to leave you with an inspirational quote.  I don't know the author.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world!"

To all my blog friends everywhere

Happy New Year.

Pieced Quilt Tops

Hello.  Welcome to Empty Nest Gardens and Quilts.  Today I am finally going to show you that I actually do a little quilting (piecing) from time to time. 

I have 3 quilts top that I have finished piecing and all I need to do now is machine quilt them.

First, let me tell you that I don't have anyone to help me hold my quilts during my photography sessions so my dear trusty swing set serves as the holder.  My husband would help if I ask but he is really not the type to model quilts...lol.

The quilt above was made from a jelly roll by Tula Pink.  The fabric is Neptune.  The quilt top is in 2 pieces.  I will be machine quilting it in sections using my Bernina sewing machine and a method taken from the book Divide and Conquer by Nancy Smith and Lynda Milligan.  Their book is out of print but I was able to purchase a pdf document of the general directions on this method from their website Great American Quilt Factory.

This is a table topper that was made from a charm pack.  I used the Disappearing 9 patch pattern.  You may be able to tell that it is already layered (top, batting and backing) using the 505 temporary fabric adhesive.  I started quilting this one yesterday. 

This will be a queen size quilt.  The pattern is called Springtime in Oklahoma and I used Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  I left it in 2 sections so I can again use the Divide and Conquer Method. 

This is a quilt top my daughter cross stitched.  She wants me to put a backing on it to cover up the stitching on the back.  I haven't decided how I want to do this since it is already quilted.  Some how I want to add a thin bat and a backing, then do a little quilting to hold it together, then add a binding. 

I have 5 more quilt tops started so there will be more quilty blog posts coming soon.
Until next time,

Spring has Sprung

I can feel that spring fever in my bones, my daffodils have started blooming!!

My mini daffodils are the only bulbs that have completely opened. 

These little blooms are only 1 inch across, about 4 inches tall.  I cut these for my daughter, she is a daffy lover.   

This week I started a new quilt top.  I am using a pattern from Kaffe Fassett's Kaleidoscope of Quilts called Morning Garden Quilt.  This fabric really makes me have spring fever.

My granddaughter turned 10 yesterday.  She had her first slumber party Friday night then yesterday she got her ears pierced.  In our family you must be 10 before you get your ears pierced.  That way you can take care of them.  It is a big deal to us and we make a day of it.   There were 8 of us that went to the 23rd street Body Piercing shop to support her.  When my girls were young they used a piercing gun.  Yesterday they used a large needle and did not numb her ears.  She did great!!

I hope to get my onions planted this week.  I am also looking for tomato plants to purchase but haven't found any yet.  I set my tomatos out in March in Wall-O-Waters.  These protect the tomatos from the cold weather and give me about a 1 month head start on the tomato season.  If I plant tomatos this week I will blog about it. 

Until next time,

To End the Year - 2009

Today I am ending the year doing exactly what I want to do. 

Working on my BOM "Stars for a New Day" from the Quilt Show.  I am working on the month of May...I am a little behind. 

I am watching old Quilt in the Day video that I have recorded on VCR tape.  It's fun to get these old tapes out and watch (or should I say listen) while I am quilting. 

From me, Kclily, to you I want to wish you a Happy New Year.  My all our new years resolutions come true.

Quilty Goodness

It is finally that time of year when I can do a little quilting.  Except for falling leaves the yard is not requiring much attention.  Below is what is on my design wall.

I took my first beginner quilting class in October 1989 at Hobby Lobby.  In the last 20 years I have only finished 7 quilts.  Raising kids and a career were my priority.....BUT now I am retired and an empty nester!  I decided it was time to start fresh so in October 2009 I took another beginner quilting class at Oklahoma Quiltworks.  The purple quilt above is the sampler doll quilt that we made in class.  The red/brown quilt top is a Disappearing Nine Patch that I will use as a table topper.  Below that is a Ricky Tim's convergence that is an experiment.

Next Friday I am taking a Free Motion Doodling class.  I hope to use that knowledge to quilt and FINISH these 3 little quilts.

This is the BIG quilt project that I am trying to finish.  It is a twin size.  I am attempting to do some straight line quilting and it is just so-so.  I need more practice but that is how you master anything right...practice, practice, practice.

This week we traveled through the panhandle of Oklahoma.  I always check the Quilters' Travel Companion book to see what quilt shops I might find along the way.  In Turpin, Oklahoma I visited Prairie Trails Quilting.  It is owned and operated by Janet Lewis.  I throughly enjoyed my visit with her.

Of course I had to buy something.  I bought 2 Moda Glory charm packs and the X-Blocks Land book to go along with the X-Block ruler that I purchased at Houston IQF 2008.

And lastly I finally got up the nerve to cut into my Kaffe fabrics.  On Wednesdays I am attending Sit-n-Sew at Oklahoma Quiltworks.  It is so nice to devote an entire day to quilt projects.  This is a quilt that was featured in the Quilt Sampler Magazine Spring/Summer 2006.  It is called Springtime in Oklahoma and the designer is Verlinda Magby. 

That is all the quilty goodness I have to share for now.

Until next time,