Meeting notes

I believe that I might be in the market for a new mouse as things are NOT staying clicked. I just ended up publishing several pics without any text. The worst is editing documents as I am doing on an almost daily basis as the by-laws are hammered out for Friendship Quilters guild. To say it is getting frustrating would be an understatement. Do you suppose that its getting knocked off the desk on an almost daily basis might be responsible, LOL? Poor mouse!  Can you use a wireless one on a desktop?

Well, you didn't stop here to listen to me complain.  You came to see some quilts. right?  We had a few of the regulars missing-- one gal is helping out her family by keeping her great-grand, two were under the weather. We still managed to get some quilts pinned and made some plans for the sew-in date next month while catching up with each other for a few that were unable to come the previous meeting.  Like always, LOL.

I will tell you about the special project Bev and I teamed up on in another post but I got two more Wrap 'Em quilts pinned as well the Row QOV top.  Man, does that thing seem like a giant compared to the normal 40 x 60' ish range!  We now use a foot or two shorter table at the church to do the job too and that one definitely needed a longer table!


First up, Lois leftovers top.  I don't know the name of the pattern but believe it is in a Fons and  Porter magazine.  (Her husband had sent me a picture of their cat Mittens who looks like Skyler's much bigger brother curled up in her scrap box and the magazine was propped open in her work space----looked like their layout and font.)  She said she used the cutaways from the recent Pineapple Blossom binge for some of the HST units.   Love scrap quilts!

Next, we have Beverly's horse quilt top that she made for her brother.  I thought we might pin it but she is taking it to the long armer to do.  She said her DIL told her it was too short but Beverly wanted it more for a lap quilt, something to throw over the legs on those cool evenings.

Jane turned in this String quilt that Aline had made.  I had quilted it in the end of the year pile of quilting and Jane volunteered for binding detail.  I warned her that my pinned WTIL's count is up to 9 now.  If  I get that pile quilted soon, she and Nancy will be set for hand work for awhile!

And this is Marilyn's quilt for a family member----there is a new baby due any minute and I think this goes to the family's addition.

Most of us did a  quick Hobby Lobby run---no one had a seam ripper with them including me.  Can you believe it?   I also needed a long tape measure for another task.  I had been prepared to give a quilting demo but the two gals that could have benefited from that the most were not there---we'll do that another time.    I had brought the machine with the walking foot only and minimal tools. Normally if I am even remotely planning on sewing, I have a basket set up that has every tool, needle, supply, tape measure that I would need.  I need to tote that out to the car on quilting days just in case, I guess.  We need to have those two items on premises for all of us to use, just like the group mat, rulers and rotary cutter.  It is good that we hit the half price sale on those items!  We  grabbed some fast food on the way back and re-joined the one that hadn't gone out.

And there you have it--------

quilting plans

So far I have not sewn, cut or quilted anything and may not as I am trying to get the car packed up for tomorrow's meeting. Always seems like half my house goes with me, LOL.

But I always have some thoughts about what I want to do next when it comes to sewing. The Belles will be having a sew-in day on the 4th Tuesday in April. I don't know that we are going to do a group block this time or not. Some have expressed interest in doing a Jelly Roll 1600. I also haven't decided exactly what we will do for a challenge this year but we have boatloads of a black fabric in the donation bin.

I would love to make a Mock Trip Around the World like my friend Pat of Bell Creek Quilts makes.  HERE is an example of one she has made.  Could you not see using that black with a bright color of your choice to make a quilt like this?  The blocks are strip pieced using a pattern from Quilt Assistant called Mock Trip Around the World.   Easy block really that goes together quickly once the strip sets are complete.   I would love to see what we would come up with different fabric choices! 

I said I would like to make one---well it turns out I already have in the past but used a different set.  This is on point, called Kris's Three Patch and was featured in Trudie Hughes Template-Free Quiltmaking way back when.  I don't have a decent picture of it but drew it up in EQ so I could show Pat.  I used colors very similar to this for the one I really made.  Not that she would necessarily want to try it since it is on point and all  but another set.  How different it looks!  Sheila suggested to me in a recent email that gave it more of a Boston Commons feel than a Trip Around the World.   I believe she hit the nail on the head!

I have a few things to take care of here at home, the stuff that doesn't get done when you are in the throes of a quilting, sewing blitz really.  Hope you have a good day in whatever you chose to do.

what a busy week!

When I last posted, I had made the quilt delivery trip down to the Presbyterian Home for Children down in Talledega(AL). The week remained busy.

Wednesday my friend Teresa came by to see if we could figure out what was causing her problems with quilting.  She had made a quilt using one of the quilt patterns from MaryQuilts but which one I could not tell you for sure.  It is for her newly married son and daughter-in-law so she wants it done, sooner than later.  As near as I can tell is that she has some tension issues and the batting was not helping matters any.  I had a package of poly down black (the quilt was black and red) so we will substitute that out and re-pin it on Tuesday.  I also told her that since we were going to re-pin she may want to substitute that all black on the back since it was giving her fits trying to un-quilt that bad lines.

She had also wanted me to show her how to rock in hand quilting.  I was holding some extra quilt hoops I had around here and some #10 quilting needles for her to try so those went on home with her.  LIM, right?  Yeah, I know a drop in the bucket in the scheme of things around here.  I found my missing 4 inch EZ angle ruler that I use when I am making the binding joins but have yet to find what the heck happened to my bias press bar???  Norma and I joke that it ran off to join her long missing scissors.

Somewhere in between I got as far as I could on the March rabbit button up.  The fabric I need to complete the job is on the way, but not here yet.  I am in a holding pattern for it and the Bloom wall hanging piece.   That's okay, as I didn't have a whole lot of time to sew anyway.

Thursday:  it was off to the executive board meeting of the Friendship Quilters guild where I serve as the guild secretary.  Last time we were visiting the budget and this time, the by-laws.  We went through the whole document and most stood but it still took me a whole lot of typing to do that minutes.  (about 7 pages)    and a big chunk of Thursday evening.  Friday, I typed the by-laws with the proposed changes---the first draft of it anyway.  There will be changes.  By then I was ready to NOT see a keyboard for a few days.

And then things changed in a hurry.  I found an email late Friday evening from one of the Belles asking me about a quilt for a very ill young boy that lives in her neighborhood. Did we have any on hand w/frog fabric as there is some connection with that for him, she wondered.  There are no finished quilts on hand at my house since I took them all down to PHFC on Tuesday.  We both wish we had known earlier. Of course, the "perfect" one(s) with frog backing was among the ones I took.

 I DID have one of my quilt tops that we recently pinned that had some frog scraps IN it. Starting at about 6 in the morning yesterday I had about 11 hours in involved with quilting and hand finishing the binding.   DJ was lucky to even get supper last night as I was on a mission! I had about 48-50 inches left to finish this morning on the 2nd long side.   Bev made a frog fabric pillowcase that will go with it.  I met her mid-morning  for the hand off.

At left is the picture of it before I ran off to meet her at the Pig.  Silly DJ held it up with the backing facing the camera and said, "I thought you said this was a frog quilt!"  I asked him to turn it around and then pointed out the 4  matching squares with frogs ON them.

There are the frogs at right.  If you know what you are looking for you might spot them scattered on the top---well more like the bottom half of the quilt anyway.  I am not sure which Belle had included it in the scrap bag challenge or maybe it was Linda C's charm squares at any rate I know I had used 5 inch cut squares to make the quilt.  Bev spotted some that fabric she had in it too.

But this whole thing is NOT about me.  I am just showing you a quilt that I happened to have made and finished.  That is probably the fastest I ever finished a donation quilt.  My first donation quilt finish for 2012, I think???   (Will have to verify that for the tabs I have set up.) The boy is very ill, I could do a little something to help him and I hope that others would do the same.  After talking with Bev after she delivered the quilt, I think we need to give a quilt to the young boy's sister as well.  She is having a hard time and needs a hug.  It has got to be hard when a family member is going through such a long illness with no cure in sight.  Sad.  Say a prayer for young Colin if you would? God will knows what the needs are.

Hopefully this next week will settle down a bit.  I have Bama Belles on Tuesday and the girls have asked me to show them how I approach machine quilting.  I have the very quilt in mind to show them.  

Now, I guess I better head out to the kitchen and scare something up for supper.  I'm considering jambalaya with that leftover smoked turkey sausage from last night's hastily thrown together meal but I bet you anything it turns into option 2 before I get those few steps, LOL.  I love being able to go either way.  

Quilt delivery day

A few posts back I showed you the stack of finished quilts that the Belles have made and I had been holding for a day just like today. They were in a basket from the floor up to just over the top of the armoire with about 6 of them stuck on the side to keep the whole tower of quilts from toppling over. This picture below shows what it normally looks like-----pinned quilts on the armoire, for sure.

Atop this heap is some batting for me to use on the QOV row quilt I will pin on Tuesday. Soon to be added, somewhere, is the 76 Bow Tie Medallion. Denise B told me yesterday that she had gotten it quilt up and I can bring it home after the executive board meeting on Tuesday.  You can see I have my work cut out for me to get caught up anytime soon.

Below, the quilts after I hauled them out to the car yesterday afternoon.  DJ was trying to nap so I didn't ask him to help.  By the time I was hauling out the 2nd stack of 10 he said "why didn't you tell me you needed help?".  I said if he was offering, get with the program!  I half expected him to say that he would be up in about 30 minutes and make me wait for him.  I'd be done with the job by then.  44 quilts ready to take to the Presbyterian Home for Children down in Talledega, AL.

And here I am in the conference room------some of the kids were due over in about 40 minutes so I don't know if they were going to pick theirs out today or not.  Carla said they may distribute them through the houseparents.  They know best how to handle things.  We had just enough for the whole place with a few extras.   ( must have been talking to the lady with my camera when she took this, LOL)

Other than a bit warm the weather was perfect for the drive.  Oh, I forgot which traffic light to turn off of but wasn't going to get lost.  I had been there several times before but not for a few years anyway.  I enjoyed seeing some of the big houses in the established neighborhoods.  The dogwood and azaleas are just gorgeous now.  Lots of wisteria hanging from the trees.  The sunlight hitting the hills and trees on the way back on Alabama 21 was a wonderful vista to admire too.

I got a little more of the applique done on the March button up but the expected fabric order has not made it yet.  I'll be switching gears a bit and picking up the April applique till it shows.  Tomorrow my friend Teresa is coming over to see if we can figure out what is happening with her machine when she is trying to quilt.  She had made a quilt for her son and new DIL who were married earlier this month but the quilting had to wait.  Unfortunately what she has put in has had to come out.  Also I had unearthed some black Hobbs poly-down from my sewing room closet she can have since she feels her batting might be the culprit.  I told her we will help her re-pin the quilt on Tuesday.  Meanwhile we'll do some quilt sandwiches and test them out on the machines---mine and hers.  If it will quilt on mine, it is her machine balking---is my theory, anyway.

And sew it goes------------

some progress

 This morning shows me prepping carrots.  No, not for eating though I toyed with the idea of making some carrot raisin salad yesterday when I bought a two lb. bag of real carrots, from Georgia even!  These go to the base part of the March Button Up.  I think mine are going to have slightly blunter tips on them as I am having problems with knowing how close to trim/clip or cut fabric out of that area.

I don't needle turn so freezer paper, modified yo yo over templar and fusibles, it is for this girl.

I ended up doing some hand applique on the basket elements and the bunny tail.  I had a nice turned edge for the bias cut basket handle, basket trim and all the eggs shapes so why not.  I won't need to do much button hold applique this time out especially if I ditch the lettering.  Just the nose and carrot tops would require it.
I did prep the nose and ear accents last night but didn't baste them down yet so the bunny still looks a little blah----but he's getting there!

Thanks again to pals Sheila for the basket fabric and Maggie for the bright yellow rick rack that will serve as bunny whiskers!  Hopefully the yard of brown plaid I ordered will show up before too long and I can complete the bottom part.  I see machine quilting on the horizon.   Who knows?  Maybe this WILL be up for Easter after all!

I've got a few errands to run and the laundry is started.  Still a lot of day ahead of me to do bunny ears.  My primary objective this afternoon is to get the trunk of my car emptied out a bit so I can load up the quilts I will be delivering to the Talledega Presbyterian Home for Children.  There is stuff that needs to go to the recycle center in there now and that is easily delivered.

And sew it goes------------

Happy St. Pat's Day and Happy National Quilting Day

Happy St. Pat's Day and  Happy National Quilting Day!! Got something planned to celebrate both of those things?  DJ said I didn't have to prepare a corned beef meal but I may do it down the line.  Maybe it will just be c.b. hash tonight and go straight to the leftover type meal, LOL.


This is as far as I got on the March Button Up last evening.  I am waiting for some brown plaid fabric that goes at the button to represent the carrot patch.  I'll also use it for the binding cut on the bias and maybe the word "March" at the top.  I am torn about that though since Easter comes in both March and April.  I didn't want brown borders so I extended the yellow above the bunny's ears and then more yellow for the side borders.  The binding brown will frame the whole piece---should work.

I bordered this piece after my last post on the 15th.  The binding will match the narrow green flap of color.  I'll quilt this and finish up the embellishments once I get the March button up done.  For now I'll just enjoy it on the design wall.

The only other thing I got done is pressing 4 quilts worth of binding.   I did that first thing yesterday morning before I allowed myself to play with the March piece.  You cannot work in a cluttered work space or at least I personally can't.   When the binding is all piled up in like a mess of colorful spaghetti on your cutting/pressing surface and you want to sew, it must be dealt with.

So I guess my plans for National Quilting Day will be to prep some of the applique elements of the Button Up.  There are some colored eggs and his tail that I will treat like you would a giant oblong yo-yo over templar material.  There is also some basic trim and accents for the ears that I will prepare over freezer paper.  I have the carrot tops fusible already prepped but not the carrots but I am guessing freezer paper is the way to go on them as well.   The nose, fuse definitely.  That just leaves some decision about the letters---do it or not?  Or try to write "Happy Easter"  hmmmmm

DJ's outdoor workload has picked up a bunch now that spring is here---well he would say spring has been here for weeks.  Not by the calendar perhaps but weatherwise, he may be right.  He came home from Lowe's with a replacement azalea bush.  We have three now along the patio area.  A white one is encore variety and it doesn't show much signs of blooming while the other pink-red one is in full bloom now.  I'll share pics of it later.  The lilac bush is just starting to come out as well.  Dogwood is out all over, both the native and people's trees as you drive around.  The yellow pollen is REALLY out and we could use some rain to dampen it down.   Yesterday there were thunderstorms above and below us, even hail but nothing here.  Weather dude says we will stay in the 80's till the 22nd----ugh, not ready for that.    70's fine but 80's, not so much.

Well, best get this day started and find something to go with green shamrock socks other than my turquoise pj's!  Don't want DJ pinching me every chance he gets.

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.