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I NOW HAVE ALL TWELVE BLOCKS FINISHED AND WAITING ON LAYOUT INSTRUCTIONS LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. WENT TO MY QUILTER'S TODAY, MARY HAMMER, AT MOTHER'S ORIGINALS  .   TOOK MY BARBARA BRACKMAN'S QUILT. JUST A HINT ,  WE DID DISCUSS FEATHERS. I TOLD HER TO DO WHAT EVER SHE DECIDES  LOOKS BEST AND SHE COULD DO SOME CUSTOM WORK.  SHE ALWAYS DOES A GOOD JOB AND SHE READS MY BLOG AND KNEW IT WAS COMING.  SHE IS SO ON TOP OF IT ,THAT SHE HAD ALREADY RESEARCHED HOW SOME OF THE OTHERS HAD BEEN QUILTED!  DIDN'T I TELL YOU SHE WAS GOOD.  LOVE HER WORK AND ENJOY HER PERSONALLY.  BEEN WORKING ON A COUPLE OF THINGS  BUT WILL SHOW ANOTHER TIME.  HUBBY WANTS TO WATCH A MOVIE.  MARTHA

TODAY WAS THE LAST BARBARA BRACKMAN  BLOCK ;  SO NOW I CAN FINISH PUTTING MY BACK TOGETHER. I HAVE ALSO FINISHED BLOCK SIX OF THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS. THIS IS FROM http://temeculaquiltco.blogspot.com TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR.  I WISH THE BEST FOR YOU AND YOURS! ENJOY EACH AND EVERY MOMENT ,  FOR WHO KNOWS HOW MANY MORE MOMENTS WE HAVE LEFT.  TURN AROUND AND LOOK AT THE PEOPLE YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH.  MAKE SURE THEY KNOW YOU LOVE AND APPRECIATE THEM. HAVE A WONDERFUL NEW YEARS!

I HAVE FIVE DAYS OF MY TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS QUILT BY TEMECULA QUILT CO. FINISHED.FILLS IN  A NICE LULL TILL NEW YEAR , ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU MUST WORK OUTSIDE THE HOME. I HAVE ALSO FINISHED  BLOCK # 52 OF THE BARBARA BRACKMAN ,CIVIL WAR QUILT. WE ALL KNEW IT WOULD COME SOONER OR LATER ,IT SNOWED TODAY!  ENOUGH SO THE SNOW PLOWS GOT OUT. TOMORROW IS THE LAST BLOCK FOR BARBARA BRACKMAN! TAKE CARE OVER THE WEEK-END AND TRAVEL SAFELY!  HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR!! MARTHA

FINISHED BLOCK #51 NEW YORK FROM BARBARA BRACKMAN'S CIVIL WAR. THEN THIS MORNING A LITTLE BIT OF THE WHITE STUFF ACTUALLY FELL.  JUST A LITTLE BIT OF DUSTING; WE WILL SEE IF IT LASTS. THEN I DECIDED TO TRY SOMETHING NEW AND THAT I HAD NOT DONE BEFORE.  I HAVE DEFINITELY DECIDED TO USE TWO DIFFERENT FABRICS FOR MY BORDER.  HOWEVER I WAS THINKING OF MAKING SOME SCALLOPS IN MY BORDER .  SO I THOUGHT I WOULD TRY A METHOD I HAD READ ABOUT.  IT MAKES VERY SMALL SCALLOPS. FIRST TAKE TWO DIFFERENT FABRICS AND SEW THEM TOGETHER USING 1/4 SEAM ALLOWANCE.  THESE PIECES ARE FOUR INCH WIDE AND TWO INCH WIDE.  PRESS SEAM WELL TO ONE SIDE.  I  WOULD USE A MATCHING THREAD TO DO THIS ,HOWEVER I WANT YOU TO BE ABLE TO SEE THIS SO I AM USING A CONTRASTING THREAD.   TAKE A DISSAPPEARING MARKER TO MARK  ONE INCH FROM SEAM LINE. AND PRESS AND FOLD THE LARGER PIECE OF MATERIAL TO THAT LINE. I PUT A PIN EVERY FOUR INCHES ALONG FOLD LINE ...

I HAVE MY BARBARA BRACKMAN COMING TO  AND END ;  AS FAR AS THE TOP. I HAVE THE TOP IN THREE LARGE PIECES , WITH ONE ROW OF SASHING AND CORNERSTONE BLOCKS TO DO BEFORE PUTTING THE TOP COMPLETELY TOGETHER. I WANT TO GIVE YOU A FEW PICS TO LOOK AT. I WENT TODAY TO GET MY LARGE BORDER PRINT WHICH I WILL PLACE AROUND A SMALLER BORDER. I HAVE DECIDED ON A BROWN PRINT FOR THIS. ON THE BACK I INTEND TO PIECE TOGETHER ANY BLOCKS FROM THE FRONT I DID NOT USE , MANY DIFFERENT  LIGHT BROWNS AND ALSO A COPY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.  THE ISSUE OF SLAVERY WAS BROUGHT UP  DURING THE WRITING OF THIS DOCUMENT BY JOHN ADDAMS AND HAD TO BE DROPPED IN ORDER TO PASS, ALONG WITH OTHER ISSUES OF THE TIME.  SO IT TOOK OVER A HUNDRED YEARS , THOUSANDS OF LIVES  AND A WAR BETWEEN BROTHERS OF A NATION TO DELIVER US ,  AS WE ARE TODAY.  BUT WE WOULD NOT BE THE NATION WE ARE TODAY ,  WITHOUT THE TRIBULATION OF BOTH THOSE WARS. ALSO IF YOU ...

YES WE ARE ALMOST THERE, TO  THE END THAT IS.  THIS IS MY BLOCK # 50 GRAPES OF WRATH FROM BARBARA BRACKMAN. I  HAVE ALSO ANOTHER FINISH WHICH I PLAN TO DONATE TO QUILTS OF VALOR.  I  WAS A MEMBER OF A SWEET PICKINS CLUB, (SHERRI FALLS, OF THIS AND THAT BLOG AND PATTERNS)  AND THIS WAS HER YEAR LONG MYSTERY QUILT.  I DO NOT PARTICULARLY CARE FOR IT.  SHE DOES NOT PLAN TO CONTINUE THE CLUB AS SHE HAS MET WITH MORE OBLIGATIONS NEXT YEAR.  I DO NOT KNOW IF ONE PIC IS BETTER THAN THE OTHER OR NOT,BUT HOPE YOU GET THE IDEA.    I AM HOPING SOMEONE ELSE WILL BENEFIT FROM THIS.  ALL FOR NOW , MARTHA

I HAVE BEEN TYING UP SOME LOOSE ENDS IN MY SEWING ROOM. IT HAS KEPT ME BUSY YESTERDAY AND TODAY.  I HAVE MADE SOME MORE RAIL SASHINGS AND SOME MORE CORNERSTONE  9 PATCH BLOCKS FOR MY BARBARA BRACKMAN CIVIL WAR QUILT BLOCK OF THE WEEK. THEN I HAVE BOUND MY HALLOWEEN QUILT AND PUT A SLEEVE ON THE BACK. IT WAS QUILTED IN THE WHITE SQUARE WITH A SMALL CLOSE MEANDER AND THEN A LARGER MEANDER WITH BLACK OUTSIDE OF THE WHITE SQUARE. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN SEE IT IN THIS CLOSE UP. THEN MY BOW TIE QUILT WAS BOUND WITH A STRIPE FABRIC CUT ON THE BIAS AND HAS A FEATHER QUILTING PATTERN ON IT. I WOULD LIKE TO GET MY SEWING ROOM IN ORDER BEFORE THE NEW YEAR BEGINS.  WISH ME LUCK ON THAT!  SEW INTO THE NIGHT  !! MARTHA

WELL I FINISHED LAST SATURDAY'S BLOCK ONLY TO BE DISAPPOINTED THAT MY POINTS WERE CUT OFF.  SO I MIGHT USE IT AS MY LABEL AND CUT IT DOWN.  SO THEN I DID ANOTHER. THIS  ONE WAS ALRIGHT.  SO I BORDERED IT.  I ALSO DID A LITTLE WORK ON PUTTING SOME OF IT TOGETHER . AS YOU CAN SEE BELOW I DID GET THE ORNAMENTS ON THE TREE!  WENT AND DID A LITTLE SHOPPING  AND A WHOLE LOT OF LOOKING. GOT A LITTLE MORE IN THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS TODAY .   STILL NO SNOW, BUT WITH A WEATHERMAN PROMISE OF SOME THURSDAY NIGHT,  I WILL BELIEVE IT WHEN I SEE IT.     MARTHA

THE BARBARA BRACKMAN BLOCK # 46 IS CALLED SOUR APPLE TREE. SINCE WE ARE GETTING SO CLOSE TO BEING DONE WITH INDIVIDUAL BLOCKS , I HAVE MADE SOME DECISIONS ON SETTINGS.  AT FIRST I WAS NOT GOING TO HAVE SASHING ,  HOWEVER NOW I WILL NOT ONLY HAVE SASHINGS BUT ALSO CORNERSTONES.   I PICKED A SMALL NINE-PATCH AS MY CORNERSTONE . THREE RAILS AS MY SASHING.  MY STRIPS ARE 1 1/2 " WIDE.   I WENT WITH A BROWN WITH RED DOTS OF COLOR AND  A LIGHTER BACKROUND WITH BROWN PAISLEY FIGURE ON IT. THESE WILL BE MY NINE-PATCH CORNERSTONES. MY SASHING STRIPS ARE ALSO 1 1/2" WIDE EACH  ; A TEA STAINED OFF WHITE WITH A RED PRINT. HERE ARE FOUR BLOCKS TOGETHER ,  MAYBE WITH A LITTLE MORE SEWING TIME,  I WILL HAVE SOMETHING SOON FOR YOU TO LOOK  AT!   NOW I  AM OFF TO BAKE SOME PUMKIN COOKIES FOR MY HUBBY.      MARTHA

I FINISHED MOST OF THIS TODAY.   I STILL HAVE TO TAKE SOME BASTING STITCHES OUT  IRON IT AND OF COURSE QUILT IT.   ONLY A FEW MINOR TOUCHES!  HA  HA  !! HERE IS A CLOSER LOOK! SO THIS WILL BE ALREADY FOR NEXT YEAR!  SO I GUESS I AM NOT LATE JUST REALLY REALLY EARLY!   DON'T YOU AGREE.  I HAVE ALSO FINISHED BARBARA BRACKMAN'S BLOCK  # 45. NEXT I HAVE PUT TOGETHER MY DEVIL'S PUZZLE BLOCKS WITH SOME SASHING.   MADE IT 5  X  5  BLOCKS WIDE AND LONG. THIS IS A CLOSER LOOK AND I CUT THE SASHING  1 1/4 " WIDE ; SO THAT IT IS 3/4" FINISHED.   I USED LITTLE GATHERINGS FROM PRIMITIVE GATHERINGS FOR MY SASHING.  I LIKE THE LITTLE GATHERINGS FOR MINI- QUILTS AND FOR CIVIL WAR QUILTS.   THE COLORS OR SHADES THAT THEY COME IN IS PERFECT FOR CIVIL WAR.   THE SIZE OF THE LITTLE PRINTS ARE GREAT FOR MINI'S!   HOPE YOU CAN SEW A LITTLE OR AT LEAST ...

I MUST GIVE CREDIT TO MICKEY SMITH  FOR TEACHING ME THIS TECNIQUE OF PUTTING THIS BLOCK TOGETHER.  I TOOK A CLASS FROM HER AND ENJOYED IT IMMENSELY.      THESE BLOCKS ARE MADE FROM  5" CHARM SQUARE BLOCKS.   THE BLOCKS ABOVE ARE MADE FROM CIVIL WAR REUNION   BY BARBARA  BRACKMAN.   SO SORRY THAT I HAVE BEEN SPELLING YOUR NAME WRONG THE LAST FEW POSTS, BARBARA!!  ALWAYS USE A 1/4" SEAM LINE AND LIKE WHEN DOING MINATURES LOWER YOUR STRAIGHT STITCH LENGTH TO AT LEAST A 2 OR BELOW.  WITH THIS BLOCK IT IS BEST TO PRESS ALL SEAMS OPEN AS YOU GO. TO MAKE THE FIRST CUT YOU MUST LAY TWO SQUARES ON TOP OF EACH OTHER AND PLACE YOUR RULER 1/2" OFF TO THE SIDE  THE DIAGONAL AND THEN CUT.  THEN  PROCEED TO CUT 1/2 "ON  THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SAME DIAGONAL. THEN PROCEED ON THE OTHER DIAGONAL SLOPE ,  1/2" AWAY ;  ON BOTH SIDES.    SO THEN YOUR CHARM SQUARES WILL LOOK LIKE THIS! TA...