Sunday, February 28, 2010
Dinah's Delight Step Three
Next step you can start assembling. It's a really cool quilt..trust me!
Friday, February 26, 2010
It Doesn't Look Like Spring
Close up. I love using metallic threads for accents.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Two New Siggies
From Mandy in Australia..isn't he cute?
Simone in Croatia makes a personalized Gothic initial for everyone she swaps with.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Siggies & Some New Goals
From Cristina in Italy
Ria in The Netherlands
Mary from The Netherlands
I finished cutting, sewing and embroidering 4 new siggies last night so I'm good to go for a few days or so on that front.
First of all.............my sewing room is a MESS!!!! I'm going to devote at least 1 hour each day until it is back in order.
After that is done (or concurrently??) I am going to devote at least 1 hour a day to about five projects that keep nagging at me but not getting done.
- Copying all of my best recipes to the computer so all of my kids and grandkids canhave copies. I started doing this several years ago and actually completed several sections and gave them to everyone at Christmas a couple of years. But I have a long way to go and no progress has been made for much too long.
- Going through the last of a stack of hometown newspapers and cutting clippings I want to save for genealogy records. I finally got smart and started cutting and pasting the info from their website directly into my genealogy software. But I still have a stack of a couple years worth of newspapers from before I got smart.
- Washing my kitchen cupboards. Enough said about that.
- Updating my quilt record books
- Updating family picture albums
Well, there are probably a dozen more things I've been putting off. But that's good for now to work on. Don't bet your hard earned money on me getting it all accomplished very quickly. But I'll let you know every now and then if I've been sticking to the hour a day commitment or not.
Of course tomorrow doesn't count because we have a 3 hour drive to Wichita (each way) for a doctor appointment. But today works assuming I get off this computer and get started!
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Inspiration Comes When You Aren't Expecting It.
Tuesday or thereabouts, I was sewing on another project when a piece of template plastic fell out of the cubby hole under the desk and onto the floor. It was a piece I had drawn and used for a quilting template in the white inner border of my string star quilt "The Fabric Of My Life" .
It occurred to me that I could use it for an appliqued swag of sorts and that is exactly what I did!
It's pretty hard to get a straight on picture of the top since Tom's arms (and legs) aren't long enough to stretch it all the way out. At this point it is about 84" square. What do you think?
Lastly I added flowers to each corner.
Now I really should get busy quilting this instead of adding to the ever growing stack of tops needing quilted. At least I can move it from the list of UFO's on my sidebar to the "Flimsy" section.
I need to take a bit and make a new supply of siggies to trade; make a few 9-patches for ribbon toppers for this year's guild quilt show; and start a new (or pick up an old) hand project so that I have something to work on in the car Tuesday when we drive to Wichita for Tom's doctor's appointment.
After that..maybe I'll start to quilt this..or one of the other tops on the list.
It feels really good to be done with the top four years after starting.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Quilting Among Friends
wowed us with her fabulous use of color and creative designs.
If you are not familiar with Linda, please visit her website . She has developed a unique method for raw edge reverse fusing and machine applique/quilting which she calls Fusique. If you've ever wanted to make a stained glass quilt, for instance, but didn't want to deal with all that bias tape, this might be just what you've been looking for.
Linda has appeared on Simply Quilts and Kaye's Quilting Friends on PBS. You can even watch the latter show on her website. She has traveled internationally sharing her love of quilting with many. Many of her stunning patterns are actually "twofers" as you can create a reverse image version at the same time. You'll see what I mean in the pictures below.
It was a pleasure meeting Linda and hearing about her quilting journey and philosophy of life.
With her permission I'm happy to share some pictures from Monday night's trunk show.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Reality Check
I don't know who bought it or remember how much it went for, but I think it was a decent price.
It was one of favorites, actually. I liked it alot.
Well guess what? It's back in my home!
A couple weeks ago a friend from quilt guild was shopping at a local thrift shop and guess what she found there?
With this price tag?
No chance of getting a big head around here! LOL.
I'm glad I had my name on the back. For $1.50 I'll happily keep it myself.
Last weekend I was feeling in between projects and still letting ideas for the border of my Baltimore Album quilt percolate in my brain. So I dug out a box with more of the pieces my grandmother cut out.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Pray For Kate
Her name is Kate McRae. I worked with her grandmother many years ago when we both were nurses in Iowa. Kate and her family were featured on the Dr. Phil show, so some of you may already be familiar with her story. Kate really needs your prayers right now.
If you believe in the power of prayer as I do, then please take time each day to ask for God's healing hand. If you don't pray, then consider sending your positive thoughts Kate's way. It may be the most important thing you can do today.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Decisions, Decisions.........
I don't think I've ever agonized this much over a setting before. My problem wasn't so much that I couldn't think of what to do, but that everything sounded like a good idea to me. I really liked the idea of no sashing and having the blocks "float". But I really liked the idea of sashing too. And I liked plain sashing and pieced sashing.
Finally I just made myself pick one! And this is what I've done so far. And I like it, even though I know I would have liked no sashing just as much. That would have been an entirely different look. Maybe I'll have to make another???
Quick supper tonight and a meatless one. We love spinach/pepper and feta pizzas. So easy with store bought crusts (almost as easy to make your own but I didn't this time), creamed spinach and lots of chopped and sauteed onions and peppers.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Final Block and Layout Decisions
And here are all 25 blocks laying on my living room floor.
It's kind of a reverse of the sashing my friend Linda has used on her set. She's more ambitious than I am and I think she plans a pretty elaborate border, possibly appliqued. I just want a plain border..maybe won't be the traditional Baltimore Album look, but then I seldom do things the traditional way.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
And One More BA Block
Just one more block and I will have 25 and I think that will be it. I haven't done too bad..7 blocks in the last 9 days.
One More
Siggie Catch-up
Jannine from The Netherlands
Jolanda, also from The Netherlands
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Crocus Wreath
The background fabric is the same on all of these blocks, even if it looks different in the pictures. I don't always get the color adjustment the same.