Avalon Acres Homestead: WIP Wednesday and the continued quest for a homestead

I have finally managed to get some sewing done! Since DH is usually busy on the weekends doing projects around the house (which leaves me to be with the baby and not able to do much beyond taking care of him) I told him last weekend he was going to have tons of bonding time with the baby and the other boys while I spent a good deal of the weekend sewing. He agreed and I managed to get a lot of work done for a change!

My first accomplishment--I finished the Daisy Quilt top, here it is:

It took me quite a while to figure out all the settings for the blanket stitch on my Bernina. My book goes over all the different stitches and what lengths, balances, width and tensions to use for different effects--all but the blanket stitch. I went to the Bernina website and they have nothing for older machines (mine is a 1090 which I bought in 1994) After searching through message board posts that came up on my Google searches, I found enough information on other types of stitches to be able to use different buttons on my machine that I've never used before to achieve the perfect blanket stitch applique. It took a lot of tension adjusting and ripping out stitches, but I finally got it and it looks pretty good--not as good as I'd like but no one else could see the flaws I saw, LOL! I've never done much beyond a typical straight stitch or a zig zag and a few of the embroidery stitches---I never realized how much more I have to learn about using my machine! I found a "recipe" for a hand look quilting stitch, I'm going to try that out on the daisy quilt and try to free motion machine quilt it! I think I have to get a new foot, but at least it's not as expensive as the walking foot that I've been wanting forever, LOL! Still haven't been able to bring myself to spend the bucks on that foot.

While I was messing with my tension and buttons, I was watching episodes of Simply Quilts that I had DVR'ed a while ago and hadn't watched and I saw another project I am going to

tackle, probably this weekend. Alex had on Wendy Etzel who has a book out called Log by Log and it's all different log cabins she's made. Now, it's not the log cabin quilt pattern, it's actual log cabins made from strips and appliques. I fell in love with her quilts and have decided to make one of my own, since I've always dreamed of living in a log cabin, since I was a child reading the Little House books! Anyway, her book is available at Amazon and I am purchasing it this weekend, although I've already planned out my log cabin and picked out all the fabrics for it, I just need to cut them out. I'm on a roll, LOL!

Fabrics picked for my log cabin.

Now, after I finished the top to the Daisy Quilt, I immediately started cutting out fabrics for a mystery quilt that my Ohio Quilters guild has been working on lately. I wasn't going to make it, I have a hard enough time working on the projects I already have started, but I just decided to go for it and I went through my fabrics and started cutting. The pattern is called Spring Stars---but I decided to do it in reds, whites and blues for the 4th. It was also supposed to be a lap quilt, I'm making it twin sized. I need 35 blocks, I've got 17 done so far---here's what I've got:

The original pattern has them in rows of 4 and 3 with edges on the rows of 3 to take the place of the 4th block. Instead, I am putting them on point with sashes in between the blocks---probably a blue sash with a red border and a blue binding or vice versa. The blocks are simple and quick, it's a fun quilt to work on! I should hopefully have the top done by the end of the weekend, I am going to have to get more red fabric to finish it off and I'll probably do a backing of 2 strips of blue with a red strip in the middle. Or not, LOL!

I got my 30's strips from the swap I was in with the Ohio Quilters group---they are so cute! I have to admit, I really didn't care for 30's fabrics before I entered this swap. Now I love them and I joined another 30's swap, this time fat quarters! We also have another quilter in a bottle swap for the summer, so I am really looking forward to that one! I love swaps, LOL! Here are my 30's strips:

Aren't they pretty????

We're still looking for our homestead. We looked at a bunch of houses a week ago, nearly made an offer on one until we found out that that house comes with a neighbor from hell! At least we found out BEFORE we signed anything, LOL! We are going to go power look at 6 houses on Friday, I'm kinda not looking forward to it because it's going to take all day, it's projected to be in the 90's and we have to take all the kids because we can't leave them home that long and while we are that far away. My 15 year old can handle my jaunts to the store, close to home, but the baby is too much of a handful for an all day job! The good news is that there are actually some really good possibilities and hopefully, maybe, we'll be in a new house by mid-summer. I am going to get my planter boxes ready for some veggies this weekend, but nothing to go in the ground since we don't know where we will be.

It's been an emotional week for me. My oldest baby went to her prom. She was so beautiful and grown up in her gown and her BF was very handsome in his tux. I have to admit, I cried when they left---geez, I hope I can make it through her last concert this weekend and her graduation next week! I can't believe she's graduating high school. Time really did fly!!!