my smallest quilt

I stopped buying quilts some time ago--when you live in a teeny tiny cottage, there is only so much space to store things properly.  So it is surprising that I found something I just had to have yesterday.  I was at a regular sewing store and just stopped across the way for a brief moment to say hello to an old friend and there it was---weighing in at 8.5 inches square.  I'm not sure why the quilted shoe prints in the corner but they sorta remind me of Charlie Chaplin or Laurel and Hardy.  Anyway, I can always find room for such a sweet thing:

UFO challenge

I belong to Quilting on a Budget and also the Spicey Strip Quilters and both are challenging us to complete UFOs this year. Good resolution. I allowed Helena to pick what she wanted from the drawers and out these came. Years ago I was making dog quilts and pieced what I thought would be wall hangings with the left over blocks. Since they are such small projects, I am going to do both as one challenge.

A busy week.........

I don't even know where this week went. Mostly it went to the cupcakes!!!! I have been playing with quilting techniques I can use that don't irritate the carpel tunnel and machine applique seems to be the best method for me. After numerous trips to my fabric store, chats with online quilt groups and practicing all the methods suggested, I finally came up with a technique that doesn't hurt me and gets the job done. In the meantime, I have a ton of cupcake quilt blocks strewn all over the house that have various degrees of puckering and other problems but I know what I like now and what works and onto the sewing of it all....

It's been a different kind of week here. Helena's schedule is different because I had quilt study group meeting, Melanie's schedule, etc. Today Helena was so cute! I had found another doll for her at the drug store for $2. The doll's name is Cherry Cobbler--kind of follows Helena's love of all Strawberry Shortcake things these days. I just got done with the red and blue doll quilt for "baby Evan" boy doll that Helena had requested and now she has just put in her order for Cherry Cobbler's doll quilt.

I taught Helena the card game "Go Fish". She was thrilled when she won our first game and told me excitedly, "I am really good at this! I am Helena the 'Go Fish' winner!" Katie came over as well and we had crafts and more games of "Go Fish". When I was a young child, I loved playing this game with my Nana Elsie. I guess I have come full circle.

Tomorrow I finish more cupcake blocks and hopefully start the dog yeared quilt!