#4 & 5 Two Pineapples

The month of March came and went so quickly.  But I'm not complaining since I'm more than ready for spring. 

I finished two more quilt tops, both using Bonnie Hunter's Pineapple Blossom pattern.  These work up so quickly. 

The first one used up some patriotic fabrics

 

The second one used some African looking fabrics I've had forever.

 

Now on to something different.

Happy spring!

#3-Bento Box

I'm continuing to work on quilt tops for this year's Christmas presents.
This Bento Box pattern was pieced last week.

On to #4.

Still Quilting in Kansas

It's hard to beleive it's been over 4 months since I've posted.  And I'm still not sure I'm ready to return to regular or semi-regular blogging.  But I thought I'd take a few minutes to check in and assure some who have missed me (thank you) that I am alive and still quilting, albeit at a slower pace.

I ended 2012 by finishing one more of my long standing UFO's....my version of Dear Jane.  Since I was doing the machine quilting during the last few days of the presidential campaign, I decided to call my quilt "America's Choice 2012".  My quilt is set together far differently than the original.  I based it on a version I saw on the internet several years ago and it was a challenge to figure out the spacing. Thanks to my friend Geta  for her help doing this. 

Here's my quilt

And a close up

We traveled to Des Moines in October to attend the AQS International Show.  It was indeed an honor to have one of my quilts hanging in the show for the second year in a row.  Here is my Dutch Trade.

I've continued to work on my hexagon quilt, not  daily, but frequently.  It's grown a bit since I showed it last.

So the goal this year is at least 12 quilts.  January is ending with two tops completed.

First this strippy quilt based on a photo I found online.

I added a 1" black border on all four sides after this picture was taken.


And the pieced back

 

You all know this is not my normal color palette. Far too bright for me!

 

So while I was working outside my normal box I decided to finish a BOM kit I started two or three years ago called My Secret Garden. It's from a book called "Secrets From the Garden, Quilts With Floral Charm" by Cincy Lammon.  I had previously made four or five of the blocks and then sat it aside because it was just too PINK for me.  Time to get it out and finish, except it turned out that  some of the fabrics were either missing entirely or cut wrong in the kit.  So I had to do some pulling from my stash and also decided to substitue a Sunbonnet Sue applique block for one of the pieced blocks in the original. 

 

That catches us up. 

 

We've experiencing very strange weather here in SE Kansas.  Yesterday morning it was 70º when I got up with a tornado watch in effect, 56º at noon,  and snow was predicted as possible last night (but didn't happen). Today it is in the 30's. 

 

Happy quilting.  I'll try to do better.

 

Quilt Show

There is still not a lot of quilting going on at our house so I haven't had anything to post.   This weekend was our guild's annual quilt show and I was asked if I'd be posting pictures to my blog by someone who had forgotten to bring a camera (or had one that wasn't working?).  So for that person and any blog readers who might still be  stopping by (can't expect to keep any readers when you don't blog :} )  here is a link to a slideshow of quilts from the Little Balkan's Quilt Show in Pittsburg, KS

I was delighted to win the Overall Best Quilt award for my Dutch Trade as well as a blue in it's category.  My four other entries garnered two more blue ribbons and two second place ribbons.

Dutch Trade also won a blue ribbon and Grand Champion Quilt at our country fair last month. 


Tomorrow I ship it to Paducah for it's trip to the AQS show in Des Moines next month. 

Hope you enjoy the show:

Little Balkans Quilt Show Pittsburg KS

Catching Up

It's been been a few months since I last posted, but trust me, you haven't missed out on much.  And the pictures I have to share are barely more than updates to the ones I shared 3 months ago. Sad.

 I've been SLOWLY working on my hexie English paper piecing project.  I'm almost ready to add one more large diamond section to this.

I gave in and did something I thought I'd  never do.  I sent two of my biggest pieced tops out to be long arm quilted.   Between my breathing problems and a really bad shoulder I just didn't see myself getting these done myself on a domestic sit down machine. 

So while I still find it hard to shake the feeling I've somehow "cheated" in calling these "my quilts", they are finally out of the UFO stack (and I have the unquilted tops down to THREE..WOW!). 

It's hard to get a good picture when quilts are this big and these were taken before either were bound.  Perhaps I'll get a chance to hang them and take better pictures later.

This stack 'n whack was made in 2009 after a workshop by a fellow quild member.  I told you earlier that it was outside my comfort zone colorwise, but Tom loves it so I told him it is his 25th anniversary present.  We are calling it "The Big Bang".

This is the Threadhead Quiltalong that I made last year.

I did manage to quilt the sofa sized top for my mother-in-law.  We'll give it to her on her 90th birthday next Saturday in Colorado.

I love the Vera Bradly fabric I found in my stash for the border and backing.

That's it folks...my quilting life has become pretty boring.  A fourth Dutch
Treat keeps calling my name!