meeting date

Bama Belles met yesterday---a few folks had other plans, appointments and one, I know, is traveling with her husband.    The 7 of us that were there still enjoyed some time together.  Teresa's sister Judy came with her and they were doing some cutting on a project Judy is working on, or will be working on soon.   Bev was labeling the quilt she was ready to turn in and had some binding going on another recently pinned and quilted top.  Brenda was labeling and completing the binding on her donation quilt as well.  You'll see all of those below in a minute.

Janet had a quilt to trim up and was binding with two color binding----really a neat technique and something I had not tried.  Brenda and Janet are members of a Wednesday evening group and said that a fellow member, relatively new quilter too, had shared the method with them.  If I can find a link for this, I will share it.  I know my pal Norma had used this on some placemats or table toppers at one point---maybe she can direct me?

Beverly also had a quilt to deliver and was working on a quilt for a little person in her life.  She was using panel pieces, those ones you can sew up for a cloth book for kids, but joining them together, quilt as you go style.  It is going to be cute!!  It already IS cute, LOL.  Pretty green on the back of it.  I'll get a picture when she is further along with her project.

Let me brag on the girls a bit before I tell you how I spent my day--------it being MY blog and all, you would expect that.

First up, Teresa's Toy Story Jewel Box----we had some cut 5 inch squares at the last sew-in.  I showed Teresa, Judy and Judy's guest how you can make 4 patches and half square triangles with 5 inch cut squares and shared this block with her.  She ran with it----pieced and quilted it.  Woohoo!

This is Bev's quilt----the fabric panel was an ebay or flea market find, I believe she said?  Doesn't it look soft and feminine?  Good piece to practice quilting on.  Bev would probably tell you that she is getting more comfortable with her quilting these days. 

This next one is Beverly's String quilt.  I am not sure but this could have been the blocks she was working on at the sew-in earlier this spring as the strips look to be the same size in width.   She used a small star motif to quilt and anchor the strips in the block.  Trust me, I am borrowing this idea as I have one of my own to quilt---either a large heart or 5 pointed star,  I am thinking.

Brenda was working right up to 2 p.m. to get this one finished up.  It will go in the group to be donated to the Red Cross as her husband is the person who works between them and the fire and police departments.   You will recognize the pattern as Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trips Around the World.  I like to think of this as being a block version of Snuggle Up---the technique is the same but on a smaller scale.   These blocks were begun at the spring sew-in as well.   

And me?  I did manage to get some sewing done though I was the last one out the door---first in, last out since I have the keys but I was not about to go till I had another strip added to my pile of 48 Prairie Stroll blocks.  That just leaves adding the top strip of teal fabric.  Picture taken right before I packed it up.  I DID get them pressed up last evening though before I set the project bag aside.

I also showed Teresa how I do a binding join since she had me to do so ahead of the meeting.  I was not sure if she would have a quilt to do it on but I sure did----the pineapple blossom I had just finished quilting the night before.  My method isn't like the books say with all that folding stuff and lining up the fold lines, blah, blah   I lay it out, line it up, mark where the edges touch and then measure a little bit wider than a quarter inch away from my tic marks with my small easy angle ruler so I get the angled cut that will match up with the angled cut I had already made on the other end of the binding.  I still need to sew on the label but that won't take long. 

I pinned up two tops with the help of the gals, two extra wide ones so again, I am grateful that Judy J and I had sewn together batting scraps for this purpose.  We had marked the size of the batting rolls so it made it easier to match things up top size wise.  One was just a hair short on the top left and lower right corner---I flagged the trouble spots. Once I got home I patched it up with some of that heat press tape using the overage of batting on the two opposite corner trim-aways.  One of the pinned tops was my Faux Log Cabin from back in October 11 and part of the scrappy challenge.  The other, one of Linda C's that I had made binding for some time back.  Yep, they go in the quilting pile but I said I was going to do this.  I planned for it, LOL.  Two finished up and two more take its place.  No wonder I am never "done" but quilting is cylical.

Brenda and I were talking about a top she had seen in Fons and Porter magazine that used a Crossed Canoes quilt block, mostly about the coloration though.  That link is for a foundation pieced block which would make piecing it a little easier, but I like to foundation piece while others are not so fond of  it.   Anyway, I said if she did not want to make a blocks with as many pieces as that one called for she might consider using the Album Cross block.  A few years back the Belles and I had explored a technique from Fons and Porter magazine--Sept/Oct. 1998 that had you piece the crossing stuff  longer than needed and the sections of quarter square triangles slightly oversized.  You then put a template shape on the ruler which lined up over the blocks center square, centered it and then trimmed down the block.   Brenda and I looked through all the printouts, clippings and patterns we had at the church and I could not find the magazine clipping---dang it but I did find a picture I could share with her that showed what an Album Cross was!  We have several photo albums (5) of our completed quilts to look through too.  Always fun to go back and visit those.   I finally found it after going through several of my notebooks here at home---that one sorta defies the categories I have my notebooks organized in, LOL and could send it off to Brenda if she wants to try the block. 

I spent some time logging in the donation quilts and updating my document as I unpacked my haul around cart after the  meeting.  Today's list contains some paper work stuff and a couple errands so I am not apt to get much done in the quilting or sewing department.  When I was looking for binding for the Pineapple Blossom in the two containers I have set up for that, I found two "somethings" that might work for the one we just pinned---strips that I had cut and then not seamed for previous quilt projects.  Seaming and pressing that along with applying that label might be all I will aspire to in the sewing department.  Also my warm and natural order just came in which means my pressing board can be recovered since I have the iron quick fabric on hand already.  I already warned DJ that the plywood board may need replacing and he might have to accompany me to Lowe's should the wood be staple worn out on both sides.  That might get tended to as well.

Okay, see how it goes.  Laundry was finished up hours ago.  Balance the checking account(s), pay the bills, bank and post office await.  Meanwhile DJ completes the kitchen cabinet project---the frame is built and he is working on the trim board.  Eventually I will get to put the stuff the is stored in there back in its place.  I believe he mentioned min-wax  or painting it yet.  Guess I better not run the newspapers to the recycle bin just yet. 


Stay cool and thanks for stopping by--------