Month: March 2017

Block 25…Triangle Gatherings…and a fish story…

   TRIANGLE GATHERINGS BLOCKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED…BOOK COMING SOON!

Oh it’s so good to be home…Tuesday was a beautiful day…I hung out with the fisherman for a little bit…He is bound and determined to get me to fish with him…He previously took me shopping to buy a pole (I asked if they made a “lady” pole— we found a Lady Trion that was white with an teal reel…perfect!!! …then he let me pick out my own lures…I picked the pretty ones…notice my matching tackle box too?(see those purple and pink lures..pretty huh?) so on Tuesday I thought I would spend some time with him…just a side note…I have not picked up a pole to fish since we bought this place in 2012…I’m pretty coordinated… so I can handle a pole.. he told me where to cast and how to reel in the “crank bait”keeping the pole low so the lure does what it’s supposed to do…so about the 4 cast I told him”I think I got one”..he said no honey that’s just the bait hitting the rocks on the bottom…I’m like no…see the pole?  So this is what I reeled in!! My first fish at Anchor Point and the first fish I ever caught without a worm….also notice he had a new “fishing” shirt for me when I arrived…probably so I wouldn’t notice all the other stuff he got…I really don’t care…you know…don’t ask me what I buy and I won’t ask you kinda thing…I’m sure some of you have this same kind of “arrangement”…

Now back to that fish…I guess it’s a “pig” for a small mouth bass…it was about 4 lbs…I asked if we could “mount” him and he laughed…it was my first “pig” after all..he released him back in the water….Oh and in case you want to know what I caught him on…this guy…

After I caught him..I headed back to the house to my domain…ahhh yes…this is where my happy place is, I had Blockhead blocks to make…but in the meanwhile…the fisherman kept finishing until he caught one…he did admit thought…mine was bigger!!!

the moral of the fish story is…When I make a quilt…it remains…hopefully for a 100 years or so…when we catch a fish we eat them or let it go???  I don’t think I need to say anything else about where I will be spending my time…but it was fun catching the fish…just the look on Nick’s face that I actually can catch a fish!

 

 

PS…I don’t always put the blocks in archive right away…I kinda want you to read my posts!!! So if you know someone is saying they can’t find block X and block Y…it’s because they are looking in the archives…If you look at the top of the blog they are catalogued there..under the heading…

my best…Lisa

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obx….outerbanks NC

I’m so glad I got to visit the Outer Banks of NC (OBX) and I want to share it with you…as I know not all of you can go… so why not share our experience…

…It was a long two days of driving with a packed truck…so packed we couldn’t stop to shop if we wanted to…but once we got to the OBX it was beachhouse after beachhouse on the drive up…with resturants and shops in-between it all…while it was not prime vacation time we did have some nice weather after the first couple of days…but hey..we were focused on stitching so no worries…

I don’t have many pics of the beautiful house…when you are teaching 44 people it is hard to think about the scenery around you …I was focused on teaching these ladies everything I could about wool appliqué and the fun stitches it takes to make them come alive…we also did demos on triangle papers, nine patches (from Nine-patch Gatherings) punch needle, transferring letters with press & seal..and a few finishing techniques for wool appliqué even though our projects didn’t require this..here were our four projects…they will soon be added to our website for all to enjoy!..I’ll let you now when…

The tiny Thimble flag…you got to choose your appliqué for the blue field…and all the Thimbles were cut in the kits… already for them to stitch together…

We all need more pincushions!!

 

OR….make them into little quilts or mug mats…

Home of the Brave picture….or this would make a wonderful pillow too!

USA pillow…I also mounted this mat to a wood board…we tried to give them different finishing options for their projects..three stitches to learn…

The ladies got surprisingly far on their projects!!!  Here is the sewing room…it was a big room so I couldn’t get it all into one pic..here is one half…and then the other half..

It had beautiful views on three sides..I projected up onto the slanted ceiling when demonstrating..

Sunday for us was setup day for the worker bees..lots of hauling..the sewing room was on the third level…I got 15000 steps in that day!!!

Monday was guest arrival day…and open sewing…

Tuesday we worked on two of our wool projects…and played a fun game with lots of prizes and cash!!!

Wednesday was a free day…do what you want…I went shopping and out for lunch…then in the evening we went over a crazy stitch for our USA pillow…

Thursday…Full day of teaching…we stitched little Thimbles to make our little flags… some started their pin cushions…I always tell my students…in every class we have Fast Freddies and Slowpoke Sally stitchers…you are who you are…and just enjoy!!!

Friday…another free day…I had a message at 10am…they came to the house…so awesome!! We stitched till about  noon and then went on an adventure…some of the ladies were going on a dune buggy ride to see the wild horses…the message lady told be I could drive my truck on the beach if I had a Four wheel drive…you don’t live in WI without a FWD….It was a little scary getting on the beach but she told me just to gun it until I was through…good advice…we made it and drove 10 miles on the beach looking for the horses…turned around and came back…didn’t matter that we didn’t get to see them…the ride on the beach was awesome!!

We visited Kill Devil hills to see where Wilbur and Orville first flew… this is the memorial…

Then there was a bronze sculpture recreating the event…

Then we visited the actual spot… where it all happened…

 

Since I ride very frequently on an airplane I really could appreciate this…I would not be able to do what I do…and these two guys started it all here…

Now…lighthouses…we had to visit at least one light house…200 steps to the top…no big deal…HA..right..had to take a little break going up!!!

tried to take a selfie…didn’t work…too windy!!!! We finally stopped and North Banks Pub to eat….and then back to the house…for more crazy stitching and hanging out…

Saturday…lazy day…working on projects…stitching on the deck..walking the beach in search of treasures…the beach was sandy and then there were patches of small rocks/shellsJust as we were going in for the day the dolphins showed up and gave us a show…jumping for the longest time…must have been eating something!!!  Time to pack up and we had to be all moved out by 10am on Sunday!!!

Amy was there with me helping with the store and whatever else me or the ladies needed!!!

The rest of the crew…wonderful ladies to be on retreat with!!! Couldn’t have asked for a better time!

I am so sorry if you missed this one…but there will be more to come…no worries…it was way too much fun not to do it again…and we learned a lot..so the next one will be even better!!!

Lisa

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Blockheads…Block 4

Another week has flown by…but here we are again…this week we are in for a special treat…Jan Patek has given us an applique block!!! How sweet is this little bee skep!!! Hopefully Jan has an appliqué video you can watch if you are not familiar with needle turn applique…or you can always fuse it downn and buttonhole it on your machine.  You can find the pattern or Jan’s block HERE

Now…I am all game for doing an appliqué block…but not two…so I designed another pieced block for my patriotic version…here is an alternative for block 4..

Cutting directions are listed HERE in a PDF:

Darks:

A   1- 1-15/16″ x 1 15/16″ square…ok..I know…its between the 2″ and 1 7/8″…be brave and no whining…mine turned out just fine…

B   4- 1-15/16″ x 1 15/16″ squares

C   4-1 7/8″x 1 7/8″squares- cut in half once to yield 8 total triangles.

Lights:

D   4- 1 7/8″ x 1 7/8″ squares- cut in half once on the diagonal, to yield 8 triangles

E 1- 5 1/4″ square-cut in half twice diagonally, to yield 4 triangles

D-same fabric as E– 2- 1 7/8″ x 1 7/8″ triangles- cut in half once diagonally, to yield 4 triangles

Now I know I did not make a PDF of this…but I’m kind of behind the gun to get this out…please just take a pic of it with your phone for now…

Make the QSTs…stitch together the center row…and then add the two side pieced triangle settings…I know…pretty lame directions…but my excuse is still the same as above…

NOW with all that done…I’m supposed to talk about what kind of thread to use…or what I use…I think by now if you are not using Aurifil you may have your head under a rock…but really it is the best…I am sure the other designers will have tons of specific reason why…and they all are going to be true…trust me…we will never lead you astray!

so here is my tip…if you are using Aurifil 50 wt for your machine piecing …buy the large spools!!! I pretty much use 4 colors for my piecing…2310-light cream, 2370-tan, 1140-taupe and 2692-black...here are my big spools in this pic…I placed a normal one next to them so you could see the difference- and not they all are not brand new…so some are skinnier!!!..Now if you buy these larger spools you will save $$ like getting one of those little ones FREE if you buy the larger quantity…If you click on the links on the numbers of the threads listed you can purchase them on our site…we appreciate you buying them from us and supporting our hard work informing you through this blog and creating this wonderful stitch-along…Now I know you probably won’t be able to get them all…but I am using the 2310-cream for the patriotic blockhead and the 2370- tan for the dark/primitive designer blockhead version

Oh…I almost forgot…the larger spools have 6452 yds…

Make sure you go and see all the other designers blocks!!!  I also didn’t forget…I will do a post on starching…so look for that also!!!  I have been in four states teaching in the last month so again I apologize for doing the bare minimum…

Lynne –
Blog – http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/

Betsy –
Blog – http://betsysbestquiltsandmore.blogspot.com/

Lisa B –
Blog – https://lisabongean.com/

Jo –
Blog – http://jomortonquilts.com/jos_journal/

Moda –
Blog – http://blog.modafabrics.com/

lisabongean28 Comments

Block 24…Triangle Gatherings…

   TRIANGLE GATHERINGS BLOCKS HAVE BEEN REMOVED…BOOK COMING SOON!

Ahhhh…a little relaxing time…and then being rewarded with a dolphin show to end the retreat…couldn’t have been a better end Saturday night…Our Outer Banks retreat was the BOMB!!! We had so much fun…my belly hurt at times…my ladies also learned lots!!! Please tell everyone how great it was!  I know I didn’t want to go home…and that is unusual for me…I will do another post on the sites of OBX!So I’m back…clothes in the wash…mail sorted and bills payed…machine and stitching stuff put back in its spot…grocery shopping done…and just finished with my Jan Patek Blockhead block for tomorrows(Wednesday) post!!! Whew…I made it.. So why not post another TG block!!! So we all are scrambling!!

 

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Summer Mystery Blog Hop!!!

Today is my day to post!!! Yes…I know the day is young…just after 12am…I’m so excited you are visiting to see what my block looks like…Make sure you collect all 13 parts to this Mystery…

Here is my old washtub planted with my favorite all-time  wool flower to stitch…geraniums…and…nothing goes with geraniums like those little American flags…I put one in every potted geranium I have in the summer…

Now we know geraniums come in lots of colors…but really…red is the best!!  I was wondering if I would like the USA on the wash barrel and when I took it off it looked bare…so they stayed on!!!  I love Summer in Wisconsin…nothing like it…I can’t wait to decorate our new yard…but….I am planting all white flowers so my geraniums will have to be white this year, but that flag will still look awesome with white geraniums!!!!   I am looking forward to sharing/posting the flowers this year…but first it will be those tulips I planted last Fall…

Mystery Block Instruction Sheet  for my block…now you will notice my block doesn’t quite fit on the page…but I’m sure you are capable of making the block with a little of the design cut off…The blocks are 10″ and the paper is only 8 1/2″….Trust me you can do it!!!  You can order a KIT here….You can also order the threads for this block there as well…

close-up of flowers and stitching…

Geraniums look good in anything…but…all this needs is an American Flag…don’t you agree.. I’ll be looking for one of these fertilizers this summer!!!

I hope you all enjoy this Block of the Week and have a beautiful quilt finished by Summer for you to enjoy!!!

Here is the list of the other designers/block releases….

March 10- Rhonda McCray, Farmhouse Threads

http://farmhousethreads.com/

March 17- Shawn York, Rusty Crow Quilt Shop

http://shawn-rustycrow.blogspot.com/

March 24- Lisa Bongean, Primitive Gatherings

https://lisabongean.com/

March 31– Jeni Gaston, Woolen Willow Designs

http://jenifromthewillow.blogspot.com/

April 7- Debbie Busby, Wooden Spool Designs

http://woodenspooldesigns.blogspot.com/

April 14- Joyce Weeks, Geoff’s Mom Pattern Co.

http://geoffsmom.blogspot.com

April 21- Kathi Campbell, Heart to Hand

http://www.hearttohand.com/

April 28- Linda and Donna, My Red Door Designs

http://myreddoordesignsblog.blogspot.com

May 5- Joan Grenke, Bits and Pieces by Joan

http://bitsandpiecesbyjoan.com/

May 12- Gloria,Vicky and Heather, Olde Green Cupboard Designs

http://oldegreencupboard.blogspot.com/

May 19- Laural Arestad, Simply Put Plus

http://simplyputplus.blogspot.com/

May 26- Kathi and Taylor, The Cottage at Cardiff Farms

http://thecottageatcardifffarms.com/blog

June 2 – Finishing Instructions from Farmhouse Threads

http://farmhousethreads.com/

Have a great weekend!!! Lisa

We are having an awesome time here on the Outer Banks of NC…the views are fabulous and the ladies are having a blast…I’m making them stitch between their shopping trips and socializing!!!

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