slow Saturday

Try this again--apparently I cannot post from Picassa with beta blogger as I lost another post. Anyone else having problems? Also I cannot seem to get edit html to open----hmmmm. BUT pictures seem to load from blogger okay for a change. Bloglines isn't notifying either but the "plumber" was visiting last night----hmmm again.

I thank you for the positive comments that you made about my butterfly challenge quilt. Several of you asked about the pattern or block. I should have re-stated the pattern source and had neglected to do that in my post. It is Trudie Hughes "Interlocking Squares" from Crib Quilts. A lot of cool patterns in that book to try out and eventually I will.

I DID draft up the alternating star block in EQ but mainly because I wanted to foundation piece the flying geese type units. Drew up the interlocking square too but that was after the fact and more or less for the challenge of doing so. In paging through BlockBase by pattern type I thought that it most generally resembled the units in Spider Web #292 and use that as a jumping off point and eliminated/added some of the lines. I wasn't having problems with wonkiness or seam allowances on these so I just made them as directed----well, amend that. I kept goofing up the triangles on the outside edge and a few minor snafus along the way but it wasn't Trudie's fault!

Paul at the The Quilter had asked if we knew how to draft. Oh yes, I do! And here is proof. I had taken a workshop from Evanston (IL) quilter Judy Anne Walters in the early 90's at my guild at the time Hands All Around Quilt Guild in central Illinois. She called the block "Interlocking Square" but technically that is incorrect. AFTER I drew mine up I found it in BlockBase called "Interlocked Square" #2618 and attributed to KC Star 1932. No matter though. Judy had drafted up a lot of multi-pieced blocks that many would not have attempted to machine piece and this one was on them. The templates were provided BUT these are xeroxed papers. I was always taught not to trust the printout for accuracy and to draw it up on graph paper to verify and make my own templates. I knew about grids a long time ago and can follow Joen Wolfrom's advice to "Make Any Block Any Size" and draw it up. I may use EQ now but these skills help in that process as well.

Speaking of which, my upgrade copy of EQ6 arrived yesterday afternoon but I was busy cutting squares for the SEC quilts and did not load it till last evening. DJ wanted to watch a DVD together but he was not ready when I was. That just gave me time enough to get engrossed in EQ. Kinda weird having both 5 and 6 available on the same computer. I thought that the project files and all my downloaded palettes would move but I need to check the help files or the manual to see what I need to do there. I drew up the Picture Frame file that I need for the project in custom set so am better able to cut the sashing strips today.

Two plus years ago I had cut squares when I made three SEC quilts--2 for each school (except for Vanderbilt) using both the emblem and the mascot and set those aside for the man's son's quilt that I will be asked to make in the future (he's the one who is getting that king sized t-shirt quilt) SOOO I needed to take stock of what remained of the yardage and cut all that down to usable squares. Had to rob one square from young Vaughn's bag though. Tennessee only had the word VOLS spelled out and it is longer than the 10 1/2 inches that everything is cut and Vanderbilt did not have any licensed fabric available so we have to use T-shirts for that----also oversized. Everything but the sashing fabrics is NOT traditional quilters cotton---canvas weight, what looks like sheets and the t-shirts which will need to be interfaced yet.

The other pictures is my Pippi, of course, curled up in my new bag Cher brought me. She was keeping me company as I worked last night. It is hard to keep her off anything new she spots. Last night after supper I came in here to find her curled up in the bag that was holding the cut squares--she moved before I could get a picture. Then she noticed that I had moved a stack of fabric from the book shelf and she could squeeze in the baskets there. She hadn't been up there in months so I needed the space more for fabric than kitties and took it back from her. Another example: our neighbor brought us some angel trumpet and Confederate rose cuttings to propagate over winter. Bob had cautioned DJ to not put them in the shed as it would be too cold so he stuck them in a container near his recliner and one of narrow windows by the fireplace. Miss Nosy Nose had to circle around there to see what was up within hours of his putting them back there. Like trying to sneak daylight passed a rooster, LOL.

Other than that--big football game on today. Alabama and Auburn (two state rivals) are playing each other in the Iron Bowl. Auburn is leading as they head into half time. DJ watches them both and probably should not admit to not leaning towards one or the other. Fierce rivalry and you are expected to declare allegiance to one over the other. (I think I heard him snoring a bit ago.) He says it is easier on the nerves for him to watch this as he doesn't care one way or the other who wins or loses.

Almost time to think about supper preparation--I think I might go start anyway as we are having chicken chow mein and there is a far amount of slicing and dicing to be done. Not long to cook though. After I change the blade (again--that was a new one but its shot with that crap fabric), I will get to cutting the sashing strips so I can start sewing. I would really like these two tops done by the end of the week. Round robin right after that.

Hope you all are having a good weekend at your spot.......