Friday, July 22, 2016

Finishing July

As another month comes to a close, we move closer and closer to Christmas.  Have you enjoyed all of the great Christmas in July posts and projects?  There are so many great ideas which I am sure that I will wish I had done when December rolls around.  ;-)

What did I accomplish this week?  Well....I did finish the horse quilt in time for the birthday next Monday.


 The back....


I did the quilting with a star and horseshoe pantograph.



The same group that worked on our Round Robin will now be doing a Row by Row Robin.  I have finished my first row and my spacer rows, but am considering maybe replacing the black spacer rows with two white rows instead.  My thought was to alternate dark and light, but I'm not sure that I care for that idea.  I might alternate with a checkerboard row.  Any thoughts?




My #spellingbee block went out to Simone this month.  I had a hard time wrapping my mind around the colors in this one and made the first word in purple.  Fortunately, one of the other bee-ers recognized my mistake before I sent it off.  It was taxing on the mind to make purple in coral.


A young couple at church had a little baby girl so a couple of burp cloths were sewn up this week.


I had company in my sewing room yesterday when I went to sit at the machine.  This was what I put my hand on when I went to pull out my chair.  It scared us both half to death, but its colors were so pretty - orange and iridescent green.  I did manage to capture it and return it to the outside where it belongs.


I did get some really fun mail this week.  It came from a giveaway that Elizabeth had.  I have loved looking through these Uppercase magazines.  There are so many exceptionally talented and creative people in the world.  Speaking of talented....Elizabeth is someone who fits into that category.  Her work never ceases to amaze me and she tackles it with such precision.




We enjoyed our nephew's wedding last weekend.  It was a perfect day for a wedding with a beach reception.  I managed to grab a shot of a few of our "children" and a couple of their spouses.


So.....that has been my week.  How was yours?


Linking up with Finished or not Friday.

28 comments:

  1. Your horse quilt is fabulous! It will be well loved by the horse lover in your family. To my eye it's the subtle colorations of the horse panel blocks that really makes it shine. What about adding a couple white spacer rows beneath the black ones. Either way, I do like what you've begun with this one.

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  2. The Horse quilt is fabulous with your great quilting.....
    I like both the black and white , white and black spacers but think they detract from the the lovely yellow blok row...does that make sense??
    Sweet burp clothes . Great colours on your little visitor....
    Nice to have had beautiful weather for your nephews wedding and great to get a photo of some of your children and partners...

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  3. I love your new finished horse quilt. Row by row quilts are fun and will be a good documentation of our quilting era. Personally, I like the darker spacer best. Good contrast.

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  4. The horse quilt is wonderful. Love your quilting.

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  5. That is a lovely horse quilt. The birthday horse lover will be delighted with it. The white rows might be best for the overall lookof your rows. However you do it, it will be lovely and fresh.

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  6. ok, what larges bugs you find there..eeeeeek your horse quilt is pretty amazing...you have accomplished a lot considering the heat seems to be getting to us all except maybe your very large eeeeekie bugs..

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  7. love your star quilt, i love stars , just can't make all my quilts of one block pattern

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  8. As always your quilting is perfect, Mary !!! How do you make it?

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  9. That horse quilt is going to be well loved! Great job. You may regret rehoming that bug after he eats all your plants......

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  10. Oh that horse quilt is lovely! And the horseshoes and stars quilting is perfect for it!

    Those burp clothes are sure to get lots of use.

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  11. I DO love your horse quilt!!! Great finish :*). And a Row-by-Row Robin sounds fun! I'll be looking forward to seeing how you decide to sash yours. I like the black, but then black is usually a go-to option for me. Not everyone likes the drama it brings with it :*). Lovely picture of family - weddings are so uplifting aren't they? We will be going to my niece's wedding in a few weeks - they are planning a "hobbit" style wedding - should be interesting :*)

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  12. The horse quilt is so much fun! The quilting just makes it. And your burp clothes are adorable. When looking at your Row-by-Row Robin, my eye goes right to the black and white row. It's overpowering the yellow and gray blocks in my eye. I love all of your black and white rows together in the next photo. Wouldn't they make a fun quilt?? Great family photo, too.

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  13. Congratulations on you finishing your horse quilt! I love the baby burp cloths...are they from a pattern? Too cute! I love the idea of a row by row. The black and white rows do draw your eye but I like the dramatic look that black offers.

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  14. Love the quilting on the awesome horse quilt. EEK BUGS!!! That black and white border is so striking.

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  15. It's hard to tell with only the yellow row so far, but I like the black and white strips.

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  16. Great choice of horseshoes and stars for the quilting!

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  17. My week was busy. I'm pooped! Your horse quilt is lovely as are your blocks. I've yet to make my blocks this month. So hard to do it all

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  18. That pantograph was the perfect way to finish your beautiful Horse Quilt! I bet it will be such a hit Mary!
    I like your black and white stripes. I guess how well they go will depend on how vivid the other rows are.
    LOL - why is purple coral? I would have made those letters purple too.
    I capture and let bugs outside too. :) Not that you want to inadvertently be putting your hand right on one.

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  19. That pantograph was the perfect choice for that quilt! The bug was colorful, but I'm not sure I could have pulled off a "catch and release" ... the only good bugs in my mind are dead ones. Ha!

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  20. Hi there, just love your projects...you are a busy (and generous) lady. Happy Stitching!!

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  21. beautiful horsey quilt! I like the quilting you did on it. Hmmmm....I'd better get started on my row! I was actually upstairs thinking about finishing and quilting my Peacock from the RoundRobin but now....Yikes! I, for one, like the black spacer rows....maybe better than the white one....they seem more delicate....but I know whatever you do will be wonderful.........

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  22. The horses framed in a large star was a wonderful way to feature the fabric, good job!
    It was a little tough to judge the scale of size, but the bug might be a "Rose Beetle" that chews on rose petals and be aware that they can give a nasty bite to you if they fall down inside your neck while you're hanging clothes on the line. Think they're related to Japanese beetles, not sure.

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  23. What a great set of projects and photos. Make purple in coral?! I would have made purple with purple too!! Hmm..I think the black spacer row pulls my attention toward it. So I think only the white ones would be better? The horse quilt looks incredible!! You always use a perfect quilting motif. I love it and I am sure she loves it too :)

    -Soma

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  24. Awesome quilt all around - the fabric, design, and perfect horseshoe quilting! I've pinned it to the Finished or Not Friday Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/busyhandsquilts/finished-or-not-friday-linky-party/

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  25. Fabulous Horse quilt and your horseshoe wth star quilting pattern is perfect. You have certainly been busy and gotten a lot accomplished. If my hand would have touched this bug (no matter how beautiful the colors) you would have heard my screams from here to there. Summer has fully arrived here with very HOT temperatures and no rain we so desperately need.

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  26. Such a busy week and how lucky to win the Uppercase magazines. I also love the idea of the color words but it would be a hard one to get right.

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  27. Sorry I have not visited in so long! My niece passed away just before Christmas time and was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease. So terribly sad! She leaves behind a Loving husband and 3 children, the youngest just graduating from HS.

    Love your quilts, you do such beautiful work! God bless and hugs, Kerrie

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  28. Wow--my cheeks are blushing with the nice things you said. I could say the same things about you, with your industry and creativity! Your horse quilt is terrific, but I'll have to see the row quilt in action to see what you are thinking. . .I love the black/white strips hung up. Those would make a great quilt! Fun to see a snapshot of your children--it's so hard to get photos these days, as busy as our children are!

    I've seen a ton more scarab beetles around here. They are always flying into the window and bonking off. We had one last week that was irridescent blues--so gorgeous. Glad you like the Uppercase stuff. You are definitely a winner in my book!

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