quilts on the brain

I am having a hard time wanting to get going today--just piddle dinking around more or less. I DID do some drawing in EQ6 though. This new version seems to have a snap to grid type thing so placing the blocks using the custom set quilt settings is so much easier than in 5 and the copy/paste feature that was added after version 4 helps too.

SOOO what are you looking at? I believe I have figured out what I want to do with my Merkitties from Michael Miller challenge fabric shown HERE. I've been mulling this over for a week or so now--something that has a big enough square to feature the fabric but not something I have not necessarily made before. Only have a half yard to play around and I don't want a bunch of decapitated kitties.

When I came home from my quilt meeting yesterday afternoon, one of my birthday present books Trudie Hughes On Point had arrived. I was flipping through that and the other Trudie books in my collection last night as I was considering a couple of her patterns for the challenge. Last year I used her "Interlocking Squares" for the butterfly challenge and was pleased with the results but want to try something different this time around.

This "Jacob's Elevator" should fill the bill. I drew the quilt up since I was having a hard time visualizing my colors when compared to the color plates in the book. Merkitties has a soft pink, creamy ivory, two shades of a lime green for the mermaid tales and the royal blue background but I'll use a tone on tone for the geese parts since I don't have a lot of it to play with. I used the design from Crib Quilts but she has a slightly different version in a prior book Even More. The difference between the two designs is the one in Even More is done as blocks, sized 8 inches. The version in Crib Quilts are based on a 6 inch grid and done in rows. I rather like the finished edge look of the chains on this one though I think I would do the corners as a large half square triangle instead. I'm not ready to cut it out yet but it is good to have come to a decision. To me it is just the like looking at a menu: the longer I look, the more likely I am to change my mind about 4 times before the waiter comes back to take the order. LOL, and then most likely order the first thing I chose.

The quilt group did meet yesterday. I know that 4 of the girls were not going to be there but some I was not expecting came so it evened out. Judy was the only one machine piecing. Pat and Rosa were both helping out with binding. Sarah started sewing some batting together from that scrap bin as soon as she arrived while Jane and I (intermittently on my part) were pinning with Theramae. Linda C. is new to quilting and needed a little help with combining fabrics that had once belonged to her mom. She had just grabbed a pile of fabrics and was a little overwhelmed like "now what do I do?" I told her my theories/practices on the subject and just encouraged her to start mixing and matching a bit. She also wanted me to show her how to use the rotary mat, cutter and ruler combo. She had a old quilt booklet on hand that advised cutting templates for something that could be easily strip pieced. I could show her how to make a template if she really wanted but quilting has advanced beyond that point, and in most cases, no longer necessary. Pick out which blocks she would like to try and I'll work with her on making them, step by step.

Truthfully, when I left the house I did not know how long I was going to be able to last there. Because we had house guests Monday, they got my bed and I had the single air mattress. Not much sleep and my back, shoulders and knees were not happy with me. The analgesic I took was making me even woozier. The wife left for the golf course with the DJ and his golfing friend while I was at the meeting and they left for IL after their round. BUT, I stayed on till 3 as Theramae and I pinned another three quilts right before we left for home. No new ones were turned in so no pics to share till the binding is done. The ones I just quilted were divided up for binding detail though I kept one out that I had started and will get busy on it after I post. I laid down and napped for about 2 hours after I got home and amazingly, still slept last night and until 7. I knew when I went to bed that walking was not on the morning's schedule so that "internal alarm clock" got to hit the snooze alarm.

The purple and yellow quilt is one that my friend Woodlyn made for her daughter (Joy's granddaughter). Pretty, isn't it? This is one that I would love to make for myself one day--and in those colors. "Morning Star" from the Nickel Quilts book. I asked her at the recent retreat if she could share a picture of it. (She gave me permission to post it here) Somehow I did not get one taken when she brought the quilt to show us at the quilt group a few years back. You see, the Belles had gone through our stashes to share purple nickels for the quilt. It is fun to look at the closeup view and see bits and pieces that I remember. Woodlyn used the same soft yellow throughout the quilt. One day, I will to do this..............

And whenever, Norma decides she is ready to take a break from customer quilts and me from my quilt stack (4 more for now), we probably are going to try the 4-patch stacked posie pattern from HD Designs. I got some fabric calling me that I purchased at the retreat for this purpose. Then there is a "Kris 3 patch" that will use some more of that retreat purchased yardage and a "Road to St Louis" from another of Trudie's books that has some of the 16 patches done......and the ones from Sloppy's 40 Fabulous Quick Cut Quilts. Ohhhh, I have a pretty ones to share with you that my mom pieced and I am going to quilt for Pam's Mexico project that came from there. Quilts, quilts and more quilts--hey, that's a book I haven't looked at for awhile. Inspiration overload! Come back down to earth and go bind, girl.