WIP Weds

 Me, working on my current WIP.  Cindy had just finished the joining rows on her 2nd top of the day and I was trying to get the last pieced border on my Hopscotch top before we left for my house.  LOL, she tried twice to get my picture but I kept looking back at my work.

Today I just need to add a 3 1/2 inch border of that same rust print all around and then this puppy will be done!

I'll post a few more pictures later in the week but here is Aline with a top she had recently completed from leftover bits of batiks and such.  It will be large enough for taller person so that is always good.

I've got some batting bits to stitch onto an existing piece that I had already prepped before we can pin it up.   Cindy had brought some fabric to share with the Belles, some large enough for backing---there was a perfect neutral toned piece among the selections.  Woohoo!  Love it when a "plan" comes together!

 And here is my pal Cindy with her first completed quilt top.  Cindy is more a hand piecer than a machine piecer but she had her little featherweight just a hummin'.   In fact, she is even teaching hand piecing with some applique at a Joann's near her home in Mt. Juliet (TN)

 I was intrigued with her method of chain piecing her rows---maybe how Eleanor Burns does it but I never try??   It worked for her, that is all that matters.  Cute water melon print!   There was a piece of shamrocks on white that may well work for backing this.

Here is the 2nd one---with Scottie dogs on the pink background. Actually it is a bit longer but folded over.  Cindy pointed out that this was the same print I have in my scrappy bargello quilt but mine has a blue background.   She noticed it as she pulled up the quilt on my bed.

I had found a black print with pink and red words on it that should be perfect for this.  We'll get them pinned and I'll quilt them up for the kids.

This is some of the fabric that Cindy brought that I  kept to use at home.  The top fabric is a good match  for a grouping I have but am not quite sure what I will do with yet---some Marilyn had given me.  I am pretty sure that the two under it will go with another project that is missing a "bridger" piece.

The one of the very bottom will be perfect for the Belles "miles of black" challenge.  I know what I want to do there but just need the light background piece for a three color quilt.  There is may be enough for another quilt or even the backing.

More later----I have a 3rd border to put on!  Then move on to another that I can finish up at the retreat days on Friday and Saturday.  (I'm day tripping for that one)   I just about left the car packed up, LOL.

works in progress---post 2

As it is in a lot of quilt groups (I hope so anyway!) there is a lot of sharing and "consultation" going on.   The Belles and I don't ever seem to be able to pull off an organized show and tell, LOL.  People arrive when they can and leave when they must.   We scatter out all over the Fellowship Hall---some pinning, some sewing, some binding, some looking at books and magazines from our library cart.  We spread things out on the tables or holler when we have something to hold up.  Fairly informal.   Opinions are solicited or kept to ourselves.

These are a few of the projects seen at the Tuesday meeting-----

That gray-y black tone on tone used in this top is the challenge fabric this year.  Bev donated it and we had like 20 yards of it to do something with.   It might have been easier to work with it were 1)  not a bit directional in the striations and  2) if it were truly black.  I guess that is where the challenge comes in!  As far as I know, Beverly is the first one to get a top made with  the challenge yardage.

She said at first she was not so crazy about the quilt.  It has an Amish quilt feel to it, doesn't it?   By the time she finished it was growing on her.  Her husband Jack was helping her decided what fabrics to include--- if he groaned that meant a veto of the choice but he okay'd others, from what Beverly reported.  I think this "works" as she stayed with the grayed, dusty tones  in the blues, pinks, greens and then added just enough brights to make it pop.   We dug around in the closet for some backing but will pin it down the line.   After all, we only have to have a top done by December  (if we can---that is loose too, LOL)


Next up we have Marilyn's Wonky Stars that she is making as an ovarian cancer fund raiser.  We were consulting about whether she should include some of the non-teal blocks or the ones that were not screaming teal but had teal in the prints.  I was always told to look at what a block looks to be from 10 feet away (or the camera lens, door peephole) and then decide.  It may look tan or gray from the distance and you have to decide if it fits or not.

We were also wondering what size to cut the sashing----looks like the churches' vinyl table cloth looks pretty good with the blocks floating on it.   She is considering doing little wonky stars in the sashing.  I had some EQ sketches that had been done that way and some friendship stars that have the same sizes of block stitched in to show her though I have also done the teeny ones in the sashing as well.  We had talked on the phone about it the day before so that was why I knew to throw the project box in the car. It can be done scrappy but you have to be watchful and a design wall helps immensely.  Well, HERE is a post about that   I don't think that the actual project progressed much past the picture show in THIS post, LOL.  Another one to re-visit circa 2006.

The next picture shows Brenda's recently completed Grandmother's Flower Garden top.  I love the applique she has done in the corners!  She is considering adding a few buds to it.   Other than admiring it we were discussing how she might hand quilt it.  The blocks are hand done so she wants to hand quilt it but not every stinkin' hexie!!

We talked about how you often see them quilted a quarter inch in from the seam lines but each and every hexagon.  Could you just do it a quarter inch away from the centers and do the same thing on the outside or inside of the rosette??  Try it and see if it will pop and recede in a pleasing manner to you, maybe on a small project first.   I believe she is planning on cross hatching in the outer border since there is a fair amount of space to be filled there.   Wouldn't double lines look cool--even with the initial grid about 2.5 or 3 inches apart??  That just came to me.   Not my quilt so I can come up with more work ideas, LOL.


The next three are some of the shots I took of Bev's Block of the Month Crazy Patches.  (Just a few selected months are shown here though she has all 12 of them done.)  Bev is so inventive and seems to enjoy improvisational work with fun embellishments so this is right up her alley, I would say.   I think you will see themes each block represents.

Here we have Pat F and Betsy pinning Pat's fall toned quilt.  The girls set up two tables since Bev was pinning some of her Christmas gift quilts and the usual one was tied up for quite a bit.   Table two is normally covered with the Bunn-o matic and the coffee supplies.  Actually this worked better for Pat as the table is longer than the one we normally use.  The quilt would need to be shifted up and down as well as side to side.

And this was another point of discussion.  How to make an Album Cross block.  Brenda and I were talking about it at the last meeting in relation to a quilt she was considering.  The background information is found on that post.  Crossed Canoes versus Album Cross---less pieces but still effective.

The Fons and Porter method I had in mind was in their magazine September/October 1998 when it was still called "Sew Many Quilts"   I found the magazine the other day while looking for something else FOR someone else, LOL.    My mind leapt to the abandoned blocks from my mom that I had taken apart to re-purpose the fabric.  I cut out 6 blocks that would finish 8 inches as the magazine shows---some used the re-purposed fabric and others, some of the over-cuts from that Prairie Stroll top I was working on.

Even though the block was not pieced yet, I showed the girls how Liz avoided making a template as you use an overlay at the half way mark of your finished blocks and just trim the extra fabric away using your 8 1/2 inch square ruler.  I had some vinyl to attach to the ruler top that I had picked up years ago at a quilt show from Master Piece Products called Static Sticker.  There are 1/4 inch grid lines marked on the back of the vinyl make it easy to trim to size. You can see the seam lines and it comes right off when you no longer need it.

That brings up to today's creative plans-----
In my haste Tuesday morning I mis-cut the 2 1/2 inch strips I had intended to use with the re-claimed fabric.  I decided to see if I can make a six inch finished Album Cross block instead of the 8 inch finished shown in the magazine.  I'll  use the same principles but  will be looking for the 3 1/4 inch mark to orient my little square---you have to angle the square with one tip on the  middle of the block horizontally and vertically.  6 inch finished---this might go in my Farmer's Wife Sampler.  There is a similar block listed that she called Seasons but more chunky looking.  2 inch strips would work and I have an easy way to piece it.  Because I may be using white sashing on that project I think I am going to put these cut QST back in the abandoned block project bag and cut a soft green background instead---I just decided that.    Whip that block right up today!

Also on today's plans----start on the QOV binding.  I think I'll put up the machine after I whip up that little block and spread out for a day or two--- or knowing me, three.  Gotta be done as a deadline awaits.  Jane, Aline, me and I think Bev all have quilts that will need to be delivered for the Veteran's Home and we are shooting for the Aug. 30th small group day.

I did get the Prairie Stroll top colored flap and borders on yesterday.  Backing has been found for it and it is now with the 4 other pro bono tops in my bedroom closet.   Still not ready to pin those, nor could I this week with the tables in continuous use even if I wanted to---which I didn't.  I already told you 3 of them need marking and batting pieced meaning more work, LOL.

Okay, posting is done, the laundry is done, almost time for lunch----and that is how a morning can slip away from you!

WIP Weds

Today finds me button hole appliqueing by hand on all these watermelon seeds.  At this writing 16 are done so that leaves 13 1/2 to go.  How do I have a half seed?  That one is under the crow.  I am liking how it looks so may continue to just hand button hole the lettering and the crow as well.

Since I last posted, I completed the Lil Twister Christmas wall hanging as well as the vintage spoon.  Both are shown below.

I have also gotten some batting joined, labels on two quilts that were turned in with them and re-did up the binding since I sewed two sides into the quilt.  Quilt document is updated and quilts put up in the closet in a holding pattern.  Lots of hand work as you can tell.  Oh, and spent a big chunk of the day un-sewing a pile or abandoned blocks so I can re-purpose the sections and fabrics.

Jane had asked me to make a run over to Ashville House Quilt Shop today as she had missed the Block of the Month this past Saturday due to the Friendship Quilters sew-in.  Also the owner Pat had ordered something for her that she needed to pick up.  Jane had gotten a new sewing machine for her birthday and this was an ancillary piece.  We also ran into a husband and wife quilting team for her guild in Gadsden.  I know the couple as well from helping to set up for the quilt show.  They had wonderful quilt that was similar to Lady of the Lake with a lot of Civil War fabrics in it.  Kathy said they had used other pieces in their stash to make the top.  Howard reported that he had learned how to do log cabin blocks recently.

The shop was having 20% off everything and 25% off Christmas related items and will till the end of the month.  What did I get?  Boring old white Moda solid, LOL for the Farmer's Wife Sampler.  Not sure if it is block backgrounds or sashing bits yet but I believe I got plenty enough to at least get started----one of these days!

Since it was lunch time we shot over to Gadsden and a Mexican restaurant that Jane had  been to before.  I was home by 1:30 and back to watermelon seeds while I try to back up my computer files.  I do it monthly and today is the day, even though I had to leave in the middle of it.  Woohoo!  It is finally done. just now and had started at 8 a.m.

A quilter acquaintance from the Jacksonville quilt group had called and left a message about my possibly piecing two quilt tops for someone using her two daughter's clothing.  I do not know why this person was calling other than she does know me nor do I know how Carolyn had gotten my cell phone number.  Few people use it including me, LOL.  I don't know what sizes of tops or any details other than the woman is ill (can't do it herself?) and is willing to pay to have the work done.  I begged off.  Even if  I were caught up, which I am not, she wants them in time for Christmas.  Don't they always?

It will take me a month to get done what I need/want to do at the very least.  Should I get the 8 pinned donation tops on the armoire quilted as well as the two summer Button Ups done, there are still 8 more donation  tops to be pinned along with 3 other personal project.   This is starting to sound like work, not fun!  I am all about the fun, right?   Some of the long armers will set a September deadline for when they will take tops in order to have them done by the holidays.  It is a losing proposition as well---no one is ever willing to pay what you should ask for something like this.  I am also a little curious as to why no one in their actual quilt group is willing to do it when I have not been a member of that group for some time.  One of the last t-shirt tops I did for Out of the Box, the woman actually wanted the actual shirts fastened to the top, I guess.  Last I heard Joan and Susan were going to tack baby socks on to it after it was quilted.    You can't win.   I pass.  Ask someone else.

Elsewhere around the house,  DJ and I discovered that we have a real mess under the kitchen sink.  I was getting out something the other day and noticed that the bottom of the cabinet had completely buckled up.  Also we got a mold/mildew thing going on.  When we were going thru the 3 different dishwashers saga a few months back, we would take everything out from under the sink plus take one of the cabinet doors off the hinges to allow for access to the dishwasher hook ups.  We had applied new contact paper and noted no such mold/mildew situation.  At some point I noticed an odor but because we didn't see anything, I thought it must be the drains or something.  We don't use one side of the sink much and I needed to keep it flushed out better, I thought.   There was no standing water, no dripping from the hose, it is dry under the dishwasher itself.  I had visions of water having seeped under the laminate flooring or something and growing a bunch of mold.  DJ pooh poohed that notion.  Who knew about this mess though?

For now he has tried to clean out the area and of course, is working on removing the bottom board and spraying it again this morning.  What a mess!!!  I feel bad that DJ is having to deal with it.  He has watched enough of "Holmes on Homes" to know what NOT to do.  He tried calling a mold remediation guy but they charge 150 bucks to just come out and consult, before they even do anything----he said forget that!  My main job was to find some place to put the kitchen towels and dish cloths as well as the cleaning supplies and storage bags plus keep Skyler out of the way.   The joys of home ownership.

And sew it goes-----back to the watermelon seeds for me.

WIP Thursday

In the past few days I have gotten a few things moved along------April Button Up finally has the tulips and leaves basted down for hand applique.  I  must have spaced the stems differently than they show on the pattern jacket as the leaves do not look like theirs at all!  I like it but I guess mine will have its own touches.

I picked up some plastic pellets at  Hobby Lobby on Tuesday, Belles quilting day. ( Once I get to the meeting place it is a heck of a lot closer than from my house.)  My pal Veronica sent me the larger chicken you see below, minus the "innards" for me to stuff.  I was able to re-use the contents of one of long time chicken pin cushions that met its demise.  This bad boy, being so much larger than any of the 4 you see pictured plus the "dead" one I needed more pellets to complete the job.   The two red chickens are cute but are filled with fiber-fil exclusively and tend to topple.  I may do a little surgery on them since I have plenty of pellets left----but not today.

I cut the borders for "Bloom" ----the lighting is not the best in the shot but there you have it, LOL.  One the list to sew----  if not today, tomorrow.

I also did some of the "boring" sewing-----in the 3 B's category.  (backs, borders and binding=boring!)  I seamed the 3 quilt backs for my recently completed QOV's.  I also cut binding but seaming it did not happen yesterday when I had the machine fired up.

 I DID go over to Pell City for the informal work day today.   A couple of the girls who follow me on Facebook from the Friendship Quilters wanted to know if I could show them how to do it.  The Belles and I were playing with this on Tuesday and I was yakking about it on FB.  My attempts on Tuesday with the Belles fell short---fumble fingers and I lent someone else my needle, LOL.  I had offered to lend one of the gals my Fantastic Folded Flower book (by Rebecca Wat) but I would sit down and work through it with them if they wanted to try it.    I'll post that stuff up here on another day or when I more seriously, pick that UFO up again.

Come to find out, Teresa sent me a link with a tutorial for the folded flowers that shows a way to use them for a table runner, rather than the small wall hanging mine may become some day.   Sew WE quilt has a guest tutorial  for the technique---scroll on down to the bottom for the print friendly version.  Actually their graphics are a little easier to see than the books, I thought.

My main objective for the trip was to turn in the QOV tops (Row quilt, Land of Liberty panel and the 76 Bowties)  and the D4P I have completed----yeah, the ones I ran off without on Saturday!  I have decided that I will quilt the row quilt so we cut batting for all three of the tops.  Denise, the gal that I lent my book to will quilt the bowtie medallion as she has a long arm.  The 3rd one is bagged up for whoever quilts it down the line. The president Peggy will put it with the other 16 or 17 waiting for a volunteer.  It will NOT be me.

Next week I'll be back on the road again.  I am taking the large stack of I think, 40 donation quilts down to the Presbyterian  Home for Children in Talledega.  The stack is up over the top of the armoire next to it now and are blocking access to my spring/summer clothes closet.  Seeing as we have been up in the high 70's early 80's this week, I may need my shorts outfits sooner than later, LOL.   I had hoped to run them over there this afternoon after I left Pell City taking the backroads over but it just didn't work out with their schedule.  The coordinator suggested next Tuesday afternoon when some of the kids would be coming to that area for a class.  They would be able to pick out their quilts from the conference room display.  Carla was working there when we have given them quilts in the past so knows best how to handle the distribution.  The church we use sponsors one of the cottages so we want to be sure those kids get one.

Thursday I'll need to go back over to Pell City for an executive board meeting.  Husband not happy but can't help it.  Had I known it was coming this month and not early April, I would have combined trips.

And sew it goes----I have a date with some binding.

WIP Weds, wk 51

Technically you could say that I am between projects.

The Christmas Patience Corner expansion is completed.  Yesterday I got the backing all seamed and with DJ's help folded up and put in the box for mailing.  My pal Norma will be quilting it up for me after she does her own.  Actually my quilt contains some of Norma and our pal Cher's fabrics in it so it will be fun to spot them as she quilts mine.   The binding is seamed for it but not pressed.   

I also added some more black solid strips to the one you see rolled on the bolt core.  (Borrowing a trick from my mom there.)  There is one or more of the quilts in this pile of donation quilts that will need it.  I want these quilts finished and not hanging over my head in the new year.  Other quilts to be made, after all.  Other tops to pin too---my own tops.

So what's with the bin of fabrics?  Norma will at some point announce a date for her postponed FAB bday par-tay.  She would like for us to explore Popsicle Sticks from one of our favs Atkinson Designs.  I have a collection of teals and purples that I have been saving for "some project, some day".  The day may have come. At one point I would get one yard of this grouping from the section at the now defunct Quiltmaker's Workshop on each trip I made to Trussville (AL)  and just hoard it.  I would add more fabric that sorta fit in with it as they came along and think "some day I'll find the perfect pattern for these".  OR more like, raid it for another project.  I see a section of  Marble Mate with about a 6 1/2 inch square cut out so I already DID poach a bit for something.    Popsicle Sticks will probably need an infusion of pinks and limey greens, I'm thinking.  I have a little holiday money to spend from the Belles so I will augment this stuff with an Amelia  jelly roll designed by Me & My Sister for Moda.  (Scroll down for the thumbnails)  It is fun fabric for something else if it doesn't work for this.   That stripe might work for binding if I have enough----that is leftover from some donation quilts in the past.   HMMMMMM

In the meantime, I intend to get those donation quilts dealt with and hopefully by years end.  A couple are more or less "zoom" lines so will not take too long.  None of them are mine though I voluteered for one of them---6 total.     The Belles are having a pinning day on Tuesday and I may get some binding volunteers.  Ordinarily we would not be meeting till the 2nd Tuesday in January but some of the girls were free and requested it.  I'll be there as I have the door key, LOL.

This next part is a little gross but Skyler caught a mouse somewhere, sometime last night in the living room. I found it laying on the rug near the coffee table when I got up to feed Skyler. DJ said he heard something out there thumping around just before he was due to get up. Just Skyler playing.  Or worse, he  thought Skyler had managed to finally pull over the Christmas tree but didn't go inspect matters. So here is this limp mouse stretched out on the floor and he barely noticed as he headed out to the kitchen to eat.  I am not going to deal with it!  Skyler is looking at it and about to start pawing at it.   DJ says he was sorry he missed seeing the attack.   What?? I swear he was almost crowing "That's MY boy! Bagged him a mouse" or something. Me, I'm just glad he didn't drag it off to my bed!

I had a couple of errands to run but it is pouring down rain.   Tomorrow it is supposed clear off so I am guessing it might ever I thought was so important may have to wait.   Or not if it slows down a bit.

And there you have it

WIP Thursday

I never did get around to sewing anything yesterday. Paperwork, a few errands and the next thing I knew it was time to fix supper---almost. By then I was out of the notion. I looked at quilt magazines last night instead.



I had intended to take my Brother machine in for servicing but when it came right down to it, I didn't feel much like leaving the house. Maybe tomorrow. I set up the older model Singer that I got from Lois' mom estate. Though it is a mechanical machine it has a nice stitch on it. I did have to pull out the manual to remind myself how to thread it though. Had I needed to wind bobbins, I would need a refresher on that part too.

So, I am sewing 6 1/2 inch strips together. Thus far I have changed my mind about the inclusion of one fabric and then later the color sequencing too. Read: more unsewing perhaps than sewing??

This is a case of using what you have on hand. In this case I had only one strip of a lighter olive-y green and needed more but found something in my stash that will work. Not my first choice but it shoujld work. It is a hodge podge anyway. IIWII. Some is Linda C's that she put in the bin for anyone to use, some is from Theramae's estate and other yardage that Ellen sent from Wrap Them In Love headquarters, possibly from her mother's estate. The point is, it is being put to use in something I hope someone will enjoy.

This is where I am headed with it----I am not sure if I ever knew what this is called but it is one I made some time ago. Staggered Bricks? I think Joy and I named it "Basketweave" for our records but it was just something we saw in one of her quilt stuff---House of White Birches or Quilt magazine maybe???? Really the colors went with the border fabrics better than the picture shows.



I have cut the strips 6 1/2 inches and then will do 3 1/2 inch sub cuts when I have all 10 strips joined. ED NOTE: vertical seams, not horizontal. It helps if you sew the thing in pairs and when you join them to the next pair, start you seam on the OTHER end. The feed dogs will help keep the sets from bowing. To sew the body of the quilt, you fold the top color brick in half to find the midway mark and that's where you start your strips. No intersections to match. Trim off the jagged edge on the top and bottom when you are done. Border it, if you want.



One of my readers commented "How many quilts do you finish in a year and what do you do with them all?" I could not answer her personally since she is set to "no-reply blogger". One part I can answer pretty easily---the "where do they go part". We donate our quilts under the auspices of Wrap Them In Love based in Mt. Vernon, WA though Ellen does allow us to donated them locally if we know of a need. Last year they went to the Salvation Army and to WTIL headquarters for distribution around the globe. I have been at this since the fall of 1999 and the group, since 2000. The last time I totalled it up we had donated about 1300 quilts since that time. We have fewer members now and making donation quilts is not a mandatory activity for membership. Everyone does not make tops but help in other ways, such as finishing binding and helping to pin the tops.



The answer to my yearly quilt counts are more complex. To be truthful I don't really count them unless it is on my lists for the various challenges I am doing. That stuff is in the blog in the left sidebar. I will say, that I used to make more donation quilts than have the last two years but I am finally doing some things for myself for a change. There have also been some years where I have quilted more of them than I have generated myself. More than a few of those if I were to bother to add things up.



I can also give you a count from the tops hanging in my closet.

• I have 16 tops in my closet waiting to be pinned---both personal and donation projects.
  
• 2 more waiting to be spray basted
  
• 2 donation tops that are pinned, one mine and one I volunteered to do for a group member.

LOL, draw your own conclusions. We won't get into a count of how many kits are cut waiting for me or all the embroidery projects I have going either. Suffice it to say, I keep busy with this. Not bragging, just stating fact. I have a husband who helps with the laundry, vacuuming and unloading the dishwasher and I do not work outside the home. It also helps that these are usually in the 40 x 60 range as opposed to those 60 x 90 QOVs I just did that are huge in comparison.



Moving on-----

It is hotter than a pistol outside, still no rain on the horizon. The yard is turning brown and crunchy again. The kudzu is flowering so DJ knows that it a sign that the growth will slow and he won't have to keep trimming it back weekly. The trees between our house and the neighbors are losing their leaves already. Other bushes just look plain stressed with drooping leaves. I hope Irene behaves herself as she passes the eastern seaboard. Weird week from them with Tuesday earthquake and a hurricane coming in at a Cat. 3, all in the same week. Some claim to have felt the quake clear down here but not me, or my quilting buddies.



Other sad news, an Anniston police officer was shot in the head by a fleeing individual. There was a big manhunt from several different law enforcement agencies and they have made an arrest. Unfortunately the officer is essentially brain dead and on life support so his organs can be donated. Senseless, just plain senseless. Remember Justin Sollohub and his family in your prayers if you would.



And sew it goes--till next time.

WIP Weds.

Well, to be honest it is NOT quite in progress yet but it IS what I will be stitching on as soon as I am done cleaning the bathroom, LOL. Nosy kitty climbed into the folds of the quilt last night to check it out.

I was busy with kitchen chores this morning. A pot of pinto beans are simmering in the crockpot. I also made some cranberry sauce and a no-bake pumpkin pie for our turkey meal tomorrow. After making a store run and a few other errands, it was time for lunch. Where has the morning gone?


Pictured at right, DJ and Skyler testing out the new to them recliner "throne". DJ's beloved recliner that he had for 25 yrs and babied thru dropped hardware, etc finally gave up the ghost Monday night. He called someone in a classified ad about on they had listed. They had a used burgundy Lane recliner in stock and he had just knocked it down half price to 75 bucks. DJ insisted that I go look at with him or risk me complaining about a "monstrosity" in my living room till the end of time, LOL. We did look at some new ones as well but the delivery rate was as much as the used chair! If it doesn't work out for him, we are not out much money and have an idea of what a new one would cost.

Skyler gave it, and the new kitchen throw rug I had gotten, the old sniff and circle test. New stuff to scout out that wasn't here before, you know. DJ thought that Skyler would not get in the chair with him that readily but it only took a hour or so. It looks like these two will be sitting there in their customary positions come TV viewing time tonight.

That bathroom is not going to clean itself. DJ received confirmation that the golfing friend will not be here till late Thursday night-early Friday morning. The forecast is not good for getting a round so I doubt he is here long. We'll see. Meanwhile, I have a clean house to enjoy and some hand work to keep me busy.

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.

WIP Weds

My stitching was put on hold for a few days while I re-organized the contents of 20 various sized notebooks---some of which are pictured to the left. All this started because I was talking to Norma about getting my redwork stuff all in the same notebook. By Monday evening the cutting/pressing table was loaded with piles of patterns and printouts in sheet protectors grouped by category and held with a ring binder till I could file it all back. At that point had 4 more to go through. Fortunately the last two were already broken down and better organized and I was done by yesterday afternoon.

Then I got busy updating the embroidery floss document and winding the newest acquisitions for the next project. Norma and I have decided to do the Snowman Year block of the month stitchery from Freckles Collection. Norma was lucky enough to see this one "in the flesh" so to speak when the BC, CA Designer Dougal Walker visited her guild and did a trunk show for them. See this post for a much better picture. We plan on starting with the April Easter themed block so I had purchased things for that particular block but not the whole project. Looks like I am only short 4 colors---woohoo! Mark the backing fabric and I will be ready to roll.

Here is my WIP then---March calendar quilt block from Nancy Halvorsen. If you hadn't noticed, I changed gears from the appliqued version to stitchery version as it is hard to machine applique around itty bitty pieces and the fusible makes it too stiff to buttonhole stitch by hand. I still don't have my sewing mojo back either.

I just finished the lettering, then pressed and trimmed the block. It needs some bordering pieces but I don't know with what just yet. As you can see it is missing some details as well. It calls for a tulip shaped button and embroidery floss ties to the kite string so that will act like a tack would. There is also a running stitched border around the motif that you might be able to faintly see in pencil. That should work like a utility stitch with perle cotton, I think. At this point it measure 9 x 10.5 so it will need some anchoring but will that be enough? I knew that I wanted the stitchery image to be larger than shown in the book so after I scanned it, I printed it off about page sized. I'll do the same with the next months block as well. This month is going by so fast!

So is this day----it is just about time to fix supper.

Hope that you have enjoyed a nice spring day wherever you live---------

WIP Weds and meeting days

Yesterday marked the first quilt group meeting for the 2010 program year. Other than our going out to lunch in early December for our Christmas "party" we had not had a "work" session for two months. Some were expressing withdrawal symptoms, LOL. The cold weather cancelled another quilt group opportunity last week so probably did seem like a long time to see our buddies.

Several of us had tops to pin, a few are out for binding but the one at left is one that Jane had just finished. The top was made by Aline's granddaughter Leann. I can tell you that gma is busting her buttons that one of the girls is following in her foot steps. Leann is largely self taught in the quilting department but I think she is doing a wonderful job. I quilted this one for her and last week, a boy themed one she also made. Aline is almost done with the binding but the quilt will need to take a bath to remove some markings I made prior to picture taking.


I came home with two donation quilts to replace the ones that I just finished which I knew would happen. In this case, one is my own WTIL challenge quilt and the other, Aline's using the lunch box fabric. The girls were asking about this coming year's fabric choice. I had tried to describe it before but had it out in the car to show them. Since I had a goal to get borders on my Daisy Chain top, I was not prepared to cut it and parcel it out quite yet, LOL.

The fellowship hall tables were a great spot to spread out the top to get the border cutting measurements. By the time I left all I lacked was one long side border but that was primarily because, DUH, I neglected to cut it! Even long time piecers can have mental lapses. I guess I thought I was doing two at once or some such thing. Here I thought I was so smart because I had even cut the sleeve and binding but then forget to cut a 4th border, LOL. Though I had hope to have that outer border unseamed by cutting them on the length of grain, that obviously wasn't going to happen. All I basically had left of the yardage was a wide enough strip WOF to cut from and the two cutaways from top and bottom with only 6 inches leftover.

BUT first, I had to pick out the last row of stitching I had made at the meeting. When I switched thread color, I had some tension issues. I could get back on a different machine to deal home to deal with it. It still took me the better part of the evening to get the last side on. Turns out I cut it about 2 inches too long so no wonder it wouldn't fit, LOL in spite of my pinning and re-pinning trying to make it work. Then pin and re-pin to get it all eased in once it was re-cut took a bit of time as well. I wish the quilt was just a hair wider since I have one of those bulky pillow top mattresses but it will be fine for spring and summer when a blanket under it won't be needed. Other than that, I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out---and another finish to flimsy can be recorded!

To the left is my reward project in progress "Sleep Tight, Mr. Snowman" from Piecemaker's Something to Crow About. Years ago I had made one for a secret pal on a quilt list I help moderate. It was one of those things that I wish I had made for me as well. (Oh come on, we all do that!) Sunday I cut and fused it, filching some Wonder Under from another project in order to do so. The pattern called for using #8 perle cotton and a running stitch but I did it by machine this time. I recall what it was like to do that through fusible (windowed out this time) and warm and natural for inner batting plus the snow piles on the first go-round. No thank you! I quilted it Monday but needed for it to dry a bit from the chalk markings I had made for crosshatching the background. That's why it is hanging in that direction---it had been hanging over the bathroom vent on the pants hanger, LOL. Today I will add the buttons and other embellishments and work on the binding to get it finished up and hung.

Since I had a little time Monday evening and handwork was stalled out on the snowman, I did a couple of the short rows on the "Two of a Kind/Cheap Trick" that I had set aside this past summer. That is what you see peeking out from behind the snowman wallhanging. As much as I would like to keep going with it, the FAB challenge deadline is coming up so I best get cracking on that! The bed quilt waited this long, after all.

DJ's golfing friend from IL will be here sometime on Sunday. Provided the weather situation has warmed up and not warmed up to rain they will be off to the golf course Monday, maybe Tuesday. DJ didn't tell me how long a visit to expect so I guess I will get it from the horses mouth soon enough. Men never ask the "right questions" so I should just ask his wife if I want the straight story. Deeper house cleaning will happen on Saturday. Otherwise, not much going on around here---regular day to day stuff. Laundry is done and about time to get lunch together. Meanwhile DJ is messing with installing a new toilet seat and finding rusty bolts to deal with. Who do you thing is having more fun around here, LOL?

a little progress

Awwwww! Guess who I saw on the way into the kitchen a few minutes ago. He posed for a few more pictures but this was interrupted by a bath and a lot of rolling around on the chair to sun that belly fur. Gotta love it!

Baby steps, I grant you but here is some UFO progress from yesterday's sewing session. I bet that piece of redwork has been clipped to the shelving unit for at least 4 years? Long enough to become part of the rooom landscape anyway. The pattern is from APQ Dec. 99 but I did the embroidery way after the fact. My guess is that the Convergence top that needs some borders will take its place.

After nearly driving myself around the bend the night before printing out foundations for those pieced HST's in EQ, something clicked. I was finally able to print the pieced triangles I was looking for rather than skewed squares in two different sizes. I was trying to follow the directions in one of the EQ supplemental books for printing templates on quarter square triangles. I was able to draw them up and eliminate pattern lines but they looked entirely different when placed on the quilt. Apparently I am missing a step somewhere. I will re-visit that lesson down the line for another project I have in mind. Note to self---I wouldn't have had to do anything if I had not re-sized the center square and followed the printed directions (duh, seam allowances need to be added to EQ as that is the finished size! Recalculate after that) In other words it is all my "fault", not the software or the pattern designer.

I panicked at first when I laid out the top border row----it is way too big, I thought. Oh, no--now I have to scrap a whole days sewing? Then it occured to me that I had to miter the seam so yes, it might look that there was too much fabric but it looks to be spot on. I am not sure that I know how to miter seams but I guess I'll find out. Like at attic window block, right? But do I sew from the block out to the edge? Guess I better read those directions when I get to that point.

Mitered borders are NOT an entry on my "quilting bucket list" but it could be! Should be, LOL.

getting ready to roll

I'm getting ready to roll on out of here for the retreat tomorrow afternoon. A load of laundry is tumbling in the dryer. The wardrobe selections have been narrowed down--some lighter clothes if the room is too hot and sweaters if it is not. The suitcase is on the bed ready to be packed. Pippi is not sure that she likes THAT idea since it is encroaching on HER space. The car trunk is emptied of non-essentials since I need to make room for Aline's luggage and sewing things too.

My sewing projects that I would like to work on are all set and packed up as of yesterday afternoon incorporating something old and something new. Do-able in that time that I have to work:

• Bargello--WIP
• 4 patch posie--UFO
• Christmas Patience Corner--PIM

We had thunderstorms and tornadic activity here in Alabama on Sunday and I had intended to get some bargello sewing done. Instead I had to bail from the computer and sewing machine for a good chunk of the afternoon. To make good use of the time, I cut bargello strips and paired them up for sewing the last two stratas. In the end, the only sewing that got done Sunday was joining the subcut sections for the 3rd panel and adding it to the two I had done already. Then on Monday, between errands, walking and a haircut appointment , I got the 4th panel done and the 5th panel up to the subcut stage---it is about done, in other words. I hope to find some border fabric at the quilt shop this weekend as I know I do not have any long enough dark green yardage--at least so far I am thinking green will work. I need it all to be spread out and look at it first.

I did some cutting yesterday trimming a pile of print Christmas squares to a uniform 5 inches for the Patience Corner I intend to make (like Finn's and Norma's). You see who had to test it out at least temporarily. Earlier in the afternoon I had cut a stack of squares from a scrap bag from the Christmas Cloth Store. I had purchased it a month or so back when Norma and I were talking about my making one of these quilts. (The website/store is merging with the fatquartershop.com site today and the site indicates that. ) So anyway, the Patience Corner is all cut and kitted up in the pizza box, minus the cat, of course. I also cut out the sashing strips for the 4 patch stacked posie UFO so I am ready! It won't take me long to grab my sewing supplies though I know I have to wind a pile of bobbins for the machine I am taking first.

I plan on quilting a bit this afternoon and tomorrow morning so best get the packing part done. In some ways it would just be easier to stay home and sew by myself like always but no way, no how would I want to miss out on this fun time with my friends! DJ is acting like I am abandoning him and pulling that "poor me" act but it won't hurt him to miss me a little. Good company, good food and shopping plus a break from the home routine? No contest. I'm there!

checking in

Best laid plans are subject to change. I had intended for a week or so to get that last WTIL quilt in the stack quilted---it didn't happen. SO challenge quilt first and then close out the 07 year of donation quilt work.

What intervened? Well, the last couple of years other than the nativity set being put out and DJ adding lights to the cedar tree outside, I have not decorated for the holidays. Much of my previous decorating surfaces is no longer available for various reasons so I couldn't go all out even if I wanted to. Which I didn't..........

Then DJ was looking through a sales flyer and found a reasonably priced 6 foot artificial tree and bought one as a surprise for me on Friday. We decorated it that afternoon. I spent the rest of the afternoon putting other things up and going through the boxes to see what we could get rid of. I was horrified to find out both of my snow globes had lost their liquid and one was still dripping---my good Dept. 56 one that had been a gift and I don't think I can replace, gone. The other was a department store promotional one for 2000--cute but not so emotionally attached. Which strands of lights work and which don't? Why are keeping this stuff? I was able to combine two boxes and hope DJ can do the same with the inside and outside lights.


I am showing the two little quilts that are on display. The one above is a "take off" on a Tonee White angel quilt from "Appliquilt for Christmas" The golfing friend's wife and I started this on one of their visits. I enlarged it a bit and probably scaled the angels down a bit in size so I could add the line from "It's a Wonderful Life"----did the little girl say "his" or "its" wings? I recorded the last part of the movie and listened to it repeatedly before I did the stitching. I heard it as "his"

The other wall hanging is up in the spot usually reserved for my Katrinka Designs "Multi-seasonal Banner"--never did get the Santa insert done for that thing, and should. This Debbie Mumm Santa that Joy and I worked on together is up instead. As I look at this, I am reminded on our day of sewing together as well as her being my secret pal "gifter" that year--some of the fabrics in the pieced border are gifts from her. The ornament he is holding is a hand painted one from a friend in Bloomington, IL and my former quilt guild, now deceased. I also have a little wreath up on my sewing room door that Carolyn had made. Gifted quilter and gifted artist.


I have a Christmas log cabin quilt top completed and even pinned but obviously, not gracing my bed--still waiting to be quilted and antiquing up in the closet. SIGH, maybe next year. This is Pippi's "new" napping spot. She had ignored her wool throw for weeks when it was sitting on the pressing/cutting table but throw it on the bed when she had decided the pillows were the place to be and she is all over it, LOL. I picked this woven throw at the Amana Colonies years ago when DJ and I took a little mini-vacation there.

I do have hopes of working on my own version of the Oxmoor House BOM though this year. After all, I finished one last year for my friend Betsy at her family's request after she passed away. The picture shows the top though I think I have one after I finished the binding and it came back from the long armer. This was the second one she had worked on and I knew she was making substitutions in blocks from those in the project bag. It was not going to be an exact replica of the one that went to her other son. I redesigned it to fit in those blocks. I did the same for my own quilt, long set aside.

Which brings me to the next deterrent to sewing this past weekend--- Jane had given us tickets to the lodge pancake tickets and she and her mom were at the event when we arrived. She said a couple of the girls were going over to the Birmingham area quilt shop to their Christmas open house and they had room in the car if I wanted to go. Miss a day of shopping with the girls? My low back and right knee were expressing dissatisfaction with me and I had already decided to lay off a day of walking. What time are you leaving and were do we meet?

The shop Heart to Heart was featuring their HQ proquilting machine and was doing some hands on, door prizes, goodies and so forth. I got a few 30's fats, one pattern, the quilt sampler magazine for my collection. I even found some little glass bulbs to put on reindeer antlers, a block that I had included in Betsy's quilt though I used something else for hers.

Then the girls wanted to run down to Knit and Stitch in the same strip mall. I didn't even know there was one down there---let's go! Oh, the yarns were so pretty. Aline got some floss to start some redwork Sunbonnet Sue's from an Aunt Martha transfer but I was more fascinated with the sweater that one of the women was working on. A cardigan #9725 from Knitting Pure and Simple that was knit from the neck down and without sewing sections together. On display in cool variegated yard was the pullover version #9724 yarn. I got them both--only one was in stock but the owner will mail the other one when it comes in. Turns out that is the same pullover pattern that Cher used on one she made. We lost them temporarily while Aline and I paid for our purchases--they had run into the Sew Bizz shop a couple of doors down. Turns out they service and sell Brother machines and parts which is good to know as an owner of same. Terry found some fabric she wanted there. (She also insisted that we stop at a garage sale coming and going--to each their own) Lunch at Cracker Barrel and home around 4.

I found a Coats and Clarks yarn at Wal-mart the next day in fall colors that will look good with my auburn hair but not enough skeins so I ran up to the supercenter north of us and got the rest. Since the whole thing is knit on a combination of double point needles circular needles I thought I was good to go. Yikes, I was missing the #9 points from my Denise Interchangeable Knitting set I had received as a long ago Christmas gift from my parents but thankfully, the company has been sold from the original makers of the item. The new team have a website rather than the ancient address I had on file with the kit and sell replacement points and cables. I also found out that the largest sized double points I had were 8's. Found an online supplier for those since Wal-mart only had straight needles. After the fact, I remembered that I could have probably drove down to Hobby Lobby some 15 miles from the house to see if they possibly had any. Oh, well!

I wanted to knit, doggone it! I thought about the ancient knitting UFO I had--a pullover Aran knit that probably won't even fit it has been sitting for so long. It might fit my niece though. I hate sewing these sections together. That and time factors is what was holding this up---one stinkin' shoulder seam, really. Someone, somewhere (Pam?) suggested that I just join it with the sewing machine--a little hard to feed on my contrary machine but it worked. I picked up the neck stitches and have a couple rows done for pickup work, TV time with DJ. I probably won't get it done in time for Christmas but maybe her birthday. A little progress anyway. I had also started an Aran cardigan a couple years ago--the back is done and a bit of one front--as a carry along project on a plane trip. No shortage of things I can work on when the mood strikes.

Monday I spent the morning doing the calculations on what I needed to cut for my merkitties project. I did some re-designing on the corner units first since I noticed that there was an easier way to piece them then I had it in the original drawing. Once it was straight in my head, I cut it out and stitched up the strip sets. The design requires big flying geese units so I'll use the no waste four at once method there. Another part, some diagonal corners for the fill in parts. I did the Puss in the Corners and half Puss in the Corner's yesterday and I'll do a pile of 4 patches today and move on to the square in the squares if I have time. Some progress on that then before the Dec. 10th deadline. Thank heavens, this is not a huge quilt, LOL.

Well, that's how it goes around here. I think it has warmed up sufficiently to get dressed and head to the walking trail. Sun's out, breeze is blowing but up to 48 degrees so should not have to bundle up too much. I just got some thermal underwear that I could have used three days ago but I am just as happy not to have to use them.