tada---#7 11n11

#7 11n11, PIF challenge flimsy completed

today's goals

This is where I left off last night with #7 of 11n11 and the sewing weekend---all the strip sets are done. The pattern is The Craftsman Quilt from the Quiltwoman.com site and like the one I did over the last two days, designed by Anne Wiens. Basically the same fabrics, plus 1 since I didn't have extra of the focus fabric to use.

SO since all my grocery errands are run, menu planned for the week, frozen stuff pulled out to thaw, etc I am ready to put this puppy's borders together and finish up the top.






This is who has greeted me when I have headed back and forth from the kitchen for the last 10 minutes. I do not have a clue what he wants and he won't tell ME. DJ had left to help someone next door so he might be hoping he will come back soon. Who knows??



And look what has just come up in our back yard---yellow crocuses. There is a bunch more but I just focuses on this clump. We also have some purple ones planted but the yellows always arrive first.

Well, the quilt top will not sew itself so I guess I better get to creating! Tomorrow I hope to switch gears and go back to the pieced and appliqued birthday project. But it has been sewing the last few days too.

I'll post the finished top in a bit----------

#6 of 11n11

Finished to flimsy #6 and part of the "Pay It Forward" challenge as well. Some of the WTIL list group is working together this weekend to see what we can get done.

Center panel from fabric from Over the Rainbow and rest from my stash. I know it looks kind of dead out on the edge but it will be bound in the same blue as the sashing.

Moving on to #7 from the same fabrics but different pattern.

Note cat chewing on hanging down string? That little booger boy!

finished to flimsy #5

Done with this yesterday/today's sewing project. #5 of 11n11 challenge

Next up: February Joined at the Hip quilt of the month and a FAB bday challenge piece.

Design wall Monday, wk. 4---amended

Not much on the "wall"---the next donation quilt top from the fabric that keeps on giving. This is the last of the green habitat fabric, it and its companion print that some of the group got when we did the challenge. I don't have enough fabric to make another BQ 2 from this same stuff so I came up with this instead. The Patience Corner top will be the 4th one I made using this particular challenge fabric. Apparently the challenges continue long after they are officially completed, LOL. I stumbled upon some of the paint splash stuff from the 1st one the other day!! And there is still some of the most recent Romance stuff left. Some point down the line, I will come up with a plan.

No, I am not crazy about this combo but I am busting stash. I found the tan print the other day when I was hunting for backing yardage. It had been used for backing and/or some long ago quilt. Nice Moda Marble left from a previous project too---a past t-shirt quilt if I recall. It is only 12 blocks and maybe it will be okay.

I told Norma yesterday that I may be in the process of making the world's ugliest quilt. I thought that there should be a name for committing this "crime"----quilticide or fabric abuse, maybe? Yeah, I am stash busting but at what cost to the eyes for this combo?? I like the EQ printout, LOL...... and if I were not whining, I would have to admit to having made or quilted worse in the last 11 years, I guess.

The previous shot shows the pile that I had chained thru Sunday evening,adding the short strips to each square. At right is another trick I picked up from my friend Joy. Hiding under the block components is a flannel (actually this one has heavy dressmaker weight felt on it) covered piece of cardboard/foamboard. She suggested that you lay the block out as it should be pieced---always a good idea. It is easy to get confused about what goes at the top and sides on this pattern. Ask me how I know! The board is big enough to cover the bottom of a pizza box for transporting and light weight enough to carry it to your machine. In my case I will pull out the desk flat surface so it is right at my workspace and ready to nab a section.

Hopefully the weather will hold off on the precip and freezing temp combo so we can have our quilt meeting. I have already started making the strawberry pretzel salad/dessert that I was taking for the potluck part. Just waiting for the crust to cool down a bit and then the strawberry jello/frozen strawberry part can happen. I'll prep our supper taco toppings while I am out there. Because I shared our Sunday supper with our recently hospitalized friend, I'll have to fix lunch today too. I am beginning to feel like I am taking up residence in the kitchen but some days are like that. I really don't mind as it is just another way of being creative, right?

Better get going or I will be chopping tomatoes at noon!

#4 of 11n11

Truly Twisted set for Twisted Sister pattern from Ami Simms. Fabrics, thanks to my mom.

Our guest was here about lunch time on Friday so last evening while the guys watched TV and talked golf I fired up the sewing machine getting the lower half assembled. Today was just joining top and bottom halves and putting on the borders.

Yesterday Jane and Aline had invited me to ride along to the Ashville House Quilt Shop over in St. Clair County, Alabama. Aline had a quilt to drop off and pickup from the long armer at the shop as well. It is located in a restored Victorian house that at one point had been a tea room and a private residence. When you take the north county roads from the northern end of Calhoun Co. to get over to I-59 (and the Trussville quilt shop) we would go right by there and admire the home.

Anyway I found the green border fabric (with a gold metallic star on it) at the shop who happened to be having a 40% off the bolt sale and another pretty 30's piece that may be used for FAB birthday challenge project. It might be a Christmas fabric, but I don't really care. It picks up the yellow of the block centers....and more importantly something fun for a kid's donation quilt.

In between I have been messing in the kitchen. A dear friend has just been released from the hospital and I took something over for their lunch today. Our houseguest left me a big bag of apples that I made up into apple sauce in the crockpot. No sooner was the pot emptied out and I am poaching chicken to make some chicken noodle soup for their/our supper tomorrow.

What is next sewing? I am due a reward project, actually past due. I am thinking I will cut out my February Joined at the Hip QOM and/or the aforementioned FAB birthday gift. One I can share, one I can't LOL.

About time for supper so will sign off------thanks for stopping by!

#3 of 11

Just finished my #3 top in the 11n11 challenge plus fulfilled one of my PIF challenge quilts. Makes me wonder how many other quilts are hiding in my stash but I know the impetus was that yard of stripe that I didn't have available to me before.

Not sure what I will do tomorrow in the creative department. I would really like to work on the February Joined at the Hip Button Up (look for BU 2) but I am waiting on some background fabric. I over-dyed some of the fabrics and jumbo rick rack that I DO have here this morning. I will pull the rosy pinky reds for the hearts in anticipation of a start anyway.

Maybe some hand work rather than be hunched up over the machine? That might be a good break.



I couldn't resist snapping Skyler's picture this afternoon as he slept in his window seat here in the sewing room with me. Little cutie patootie enjoying the sun, paw thrown over his face.

You might be able to see from the pic that the snow is basically gone in the front yard. If we hit the 50's as they are predicting this weekend, the remaining bits of icy stuff and piled up snow will probably be gone as well.

Till next time---------

finished to flimsy #2 of 11n11

Not the best picture but quilt holder was NOT going to be able to hold the width and length for very long without complaint. The top finishes about 58 x 73. Skyler wandered over to inspect as you can see.

Still need to round up backing, seam the binding and mark the quilting lines but in essence, I am done.

So reward time or pick #3 of 11? I am itching to get at the February Joined at the Hip QOM but have a piece of fabric ordered for background that won't be here for a few days.

Another option would be to start working on a few of my revised Oxmoor Christmas Sampler last seen in the sketch HERE. Looking at the screenshot I know I made a few more tweaks after that. I already have scraps pulled to do some of the log cabin and ornament blocks.

See what sounds good in the morning! I will be happy to get out of the house a bit tomorrow now that the roads are officially open.

WIP Weds. wk #2

Bridge Creek Blossom assembly, it is for #2 of 11 in the 11n11 challenge. I had made enough blocks in a bright colorway for donation in mid 2010 so this is the 2nd set of blocks. Yeah, I cut even though I was not really in the mood to do so mostly because it meant ironing first.

HERE is the shot of the first one as a flimsy. I quilted that version in late November and my friend Jane took it and a couple more for binding. Of course, with the holidays and the inclement weather it has not been turned in yet for its "beauty" shot.

I am using that nice blue with itty bitty cherries on it for borders instead of more jig saw fabric as the first one used. While that jig saw was a fun print, it was also directional and I am not in the mood for more fabric matching, LOL. Did that once! The bright green will be the narrow inner border or a flap just to add a spark between the floating white setting triangles.

I left off last night with the top half done---today, the bottom half. You know where to find me.

#1 of 11

Tada! Finished the BQ2 top as the last seam was taken while waiting for supper to finish baking Monday evening. I call this one the "pinwheel" set as opposed to the diagonal configurations you might see. You may need to back up and squint to see it. It really stood out on the thumbnail in EQ that I drew up to re-size the blocks. I looked at some BQ 2's on webshots to see how others have worked with the pattern and liked this set the best. I guess it goes diagonally as well but not in the concentrated areas of color that you see on the pattern jacket.

LOL, I just noticed that Skyler managed to sneak in to the shot ( his scratch box is right near that spot)

Pile of binding to press, backing to dig up and back to JATH BOM is today's plan.

looking ahead and a finish

Norma asked me over the weekend if I had considered what goals I wanted to reach this next year with regards to the UFOs and such. We were going to try to commit to completing 10n10. Of course, that led to some re-examination of whether those goals were attained or whether they got shoved aside in favor of something new that attracted our attention. How many things are we going to carry over into next year?? Are we even interested in continuing with them or is it time to give them away, make it a smaller project, whatever. Would we be biting off more than we can chew it we call it 11 n 11?

I know how I work and having to list every blessed half done project or kit I have in my possession would depress me no end. I have better luck if I work on the reward system---for example quilt my way thru a stack of some donation quilts and then I get to piece something that I have wanted to do. Similar to a carrot dangling in front of me, LOL.

Because I want to move two of the cut strips bins into the new storage drawers I just got I would like to commit to " sewing my way to space" and empty out two of the UFO drawers to replace them with strips. Each month I think I will pick a project from either the storage drawers or one of the pizza box kits. That seems do-able. I have a good idea of what the "rewards projects" could be. There will always be deadline work (gifts to make, quilt group challenges) There will always be a BOM, either piecing or stitching but I should be able to make this plan work for me.

So what are you looking at above?? My Pieces from the Heart calendar cat blocks (designed by Sandy Gervais) pinned top that has been living first in my bedroom closet and then the armoire top antiquing. I was unhappy with the setting. What was I thinking making it a landscape rather than a portrait set? It will never fit in the hanging space above my bed like this!

I got out the ripper to make it "right" to my mind, anyway. It took me most of yesterday afternoon and evening but it is ready to be re-sewn in a 3 x 4 set. To put the blocks in order by month, I had to take the whole thing apart. I had sewn the blocks in vertical columns with a long piece of sashing between columns which is something I never, ever do. Yeah, it was work but I will be more happy with the quilt for doing it. Sewing in the opposite direction, right?

Saturday and even this morning I was still dinking around with the Oxmoor quilt designs but more of less, trying to patch draw. UGH but I need more practice there. EQ7 has a nice free hand drawing button but I have such problems trying to work with the bezier curves. I feel like a cowboy with a wild lariat with that thing! I have declared myself done, for real this time and will start piecing on it next week. Should be fun to see that sketch come to life. A couple of my pals have some extra time off between Christmas and New Years so no doubt we will spur each other on as we often do.

Now this one you see is a Joined at the Hip pattern that I pieced who remembers exactly when. I quilted it during my last quilting siege in late November. I got the binding finished right after supper. Cross another thing off the 10n10 list. If I decide to do the binding on my Daisy Chain, I can cross something else off my list but I sincerely doubt that will happen tomorrow, LOL. My fingers are not happy with me after a small project let alone a queen sized quilt!

Just looking at the list I posted about a year ago, the specific Dinosaur UFOs I wanted to work on were not touched. My Two of a Kind/Cheap Trick is still half done. One that I wanted to finish quilting is still waiting.

BUT I refuse to beat myself up about that. I still got a lot done this year though less donation quilt work than in past years. Even that is okay as my own stuff has been put off long enough. I had a ball working on the redwork hearts earlier this year. That top is waiting to be pinned but it IS done. I am still working on my Santa redwork too but the main blocks are done and WILL be a flimsy next year sometime! I loved working on my 12 BOM quiltlets too. I made birthday gifts for each of the FABs and participated in two challenge projects, three counting the quilt group one. DJ has a new made by me quilt on his bed (strip twist) and I will have another one soon. (Daisy Chain). I just whipped up that Christmas Patience Corner this month---still needs borders but that will be done at some point.

So one a month will work for me-- 11 in 11 and use the reward system so I don't get bored.

THX for stopping by-----till next time.