wrapping things up

Because my mom knows what the Bama Belles meeting schedule is, she told me the other day on the phone that she knows I am going to be posting some quilt pictures right around that time. LOL, today is no exception.

We are, more or less, wrapping things up for the Boy's Ranch since we will put the quilts out on the pews on the 28th and then deliver them to the facility right after that. If you are interested, photos of last years exhibit can be seen in my August 06 archives---two posts, I think, starting with THIS one dated around 8-19, I think. I'll be posting pictures again this year so stay tuned.

Pictured is the Heartstrings top the Belles pieced, I assembled and Ginny quilted with a nice red zigzag. I spent a good chunk of Monday doing the binding.

I just took a trial run up to the Ranch right after lunch since I was not sure how to get there. Good thing too, as I misread the directions the Social Worker had given me on the phone. I got it straight in my head now and enough to write up directions to anyone in the group who needs them.

When I arrived at the meeting site yesterday, there was a package waiting for me. Ashley (I don't believe she has a blog for me to link to---yet) had emailed me a couple weeks ago to ask if we accepted donated quilt tops. She had a couple of children's quilts sitting in the closet that she knew she would not be quilting. I think she felt that they might be better put to use by someone else.


So here they are, with our thanks! Finn will love her orphaned block quilt on the left---a little Ohio Star is peeking out along with a couple of scrappy nine patches and crumb blocks. The center one has cat fabrics plus the same fabric she used for the one on the end in a Once Around log Cabin type set. The group loved them, Ashley. They were trying to figure out just how that third one went together--just where the blocks were. I half expected to see someone with a ruler and paper mapping it out. We dug around in the donation bin and found backings for all three of them and they are pinned and stacked on my armoire.

Next up---Beverly's mystery quilt from the JOY quilt group '06. She had just picked it up from the long arm quilter. I love the blue and yellow combination for quilts. We asked the two tallest people to hold it up for a better picture but they were begging me to hurry and take the picture while someone else was giving them instructions to lift that corner or the other. Aline's version of the same pattern that looks so different because of the colors used can be seen HERE

I think they pinned 6 quilts including the three tops that Ashley sent. I had told Theramae that I didn't want to pin all day since I wanted to hand quilt. I knew there were 7 tops in the closet if they felt like pinning---and there still are, LOL. She and I got things set up to pin a top she had made and I started to help and so did Lois. Then reinforcements came and Lois and I started on other things. I got busy taking pictures and helping Beverly with a quilt idea she had. (It's on point so she needed to know what size to cut the setting triangles and so forth)

Jane had a really pretty Warm Wishes variation in purples and a really cool folded pinwheel top that she is still working on. I hope that she and Sarah will show us just how they did the block at a future meeting. She said that you cut a square in inch smaller or larger than the background and it looked as though you folded it in half on the diagonal and then folded the tip back so it almost looked like one that you would make from paper. Sound familiar to anyone? One of the girls thought it might be a fun sew in block. Agreed!

The bowtie quilt is one that I assembled from blocks that Lois, Beverly and I made. Boys need a bowtie quilt! There may be another one that I saved out from last year for them but I would have to check my documents to be sure about that. Pat had put a rush on the binding so it would be ready in time.

A couple of the girls were sewing--Lois on some more Puss in the Corner blocks. Janet was working on her "Crossing Pathways" top (Eleanor Burns Still Stripping book) from the last meeting and just lacked sewing on one border. I was hoping it would be done so I could share a picture of it. Diane is making the same quilt--they took the same class--but was not happy with her color choices. Diane recently retired from teaching so we hope she can come sew with us more often. Pat was trying to figure out what to use for a backing on her McCloskey butterfly quilt---I found something that I thought might work in the donation bin. Judy and I convinced her it was a better choice, LOL. Of course, Judy had just come from getting her eyes dilated for an exam so Pat had to take my word for it. It needed seaming but she borrowed Janet's machine to take care of it and it is pinned as well and sitting on my armoire.
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Some of us had not brought lunch with us and Pat ran us over to Quizno's to get some sandwiches to bring back. Love those turkey bacon, guacamole sandwiches. Judy got us started on them. Next meeting they are planning a potluck for my birthday. How sweet of them!

I came home with 7 finished quilts and 4 pinned tops. I counted 30 finished quilts in my bedroom and I can only guess just how many are over at Linda S' house. Monday evening I told Mom that I was down to 3 tops and thought I could get them quilted this week . I could then say, however, briefly that I was caught with the Wrap 'Em quilts. But that's okay---more quilts for more kids somewhere.

Here is Finn's Ohio Stars #1 all quilted. I have two motifs of 7 hand quilted on the stars with alternating snowballs. That's what I'll work on today for a while. Not sure what happened to today but it is 4:15 already. And I've done diddly except walk, make breakfast and nuke lunch, update the quilt document, take care of our banking deposit and run up and back to the Ranch--oh and type this up, of course. Till next time-----