Snow Day

It ended up being a snow day for Tom after all. This afternoon the snow started coming down pretty heavily. I stuck my head out the front door trying to capture the snow falling, but it doesn't really show up. By now a lot more has fallen. Schools are already cancelled for tomorrow. We'll have to see if Tom's work is cancelled or not in the morning.

So this isn't snow by Iowa standards, but it's more than I've come to want, especially when it comes on top of ice.

I was asked for a picture of the fabric I started with for my Stack 'n Whack. Here it is. Pretty "kaleidoscopy" looking to start with. I found it at Wal-mart and the price was right to try my first SNW.

I finished the last of 25 blocks. I think I'm going to set them on point like this. Still have to cut the setting and corner triangles of course.

And have to decide about borders. I have enough of the focus fabric but wonder if that wouldn't be a bit much? Gotta let it percolate in my head over night.

And now it's time for American Idol.

Definitely Out of Character

We're definitely getting ice. It was icy by the time Tom drove home and it continues to get worse. We're experiencing what they say is round two of three lines of freezing rain/sleet/snow. It sounds like we'll just get the ice part. The poor folks in Oklahoma are really getting smacked and there have been lots of accidents, including a couple of deaths already. It was a relief to hear my son, his wife, and grandkids over in Missouri all got home safely. I'm hoping the police officer granddaughter isn't working tonight.

So what's out of character....that would be the BRIGHT colors of this stack 'n whack I worked on this afternoon. Definitely doesn't have the "Mary" look at all. But it's kind of fun. It will be a very large top as I have 11 more blocks to make, plus borders.

Only one Dutch Treat completed tonight. It's called Clowns. I have no idea why. Is suppose you could see clown mouths..but I see tulips.



Hope everyone in the area affected by this winter storm stays safe and warm. Don't go out unless you absolutely have to.

Lots of Eye Candy!

Two very busy days just passed. Yesterday after church in the morning, I spent most of the afternoon and evening cooking and baking. I'm program chair for our quilt guild this year and I decided it would be both fun and economical to cook the meal for the workshop I had scheduled for today. I've now instructed my husband that the next time I plan so many things to do in a single day he is to remind me I'm nearly 63 and on oxygen 24/7. He doesn't seem to think he'd be all that successful and he's probably right. Still...........

I made a huge pot of what my family calls "stew", but what is actually a beef-vegetable soup. After I started that simmering, I made dough for butter semmel dinner rolls to go along with the soup. Then I had to make a big batch of pie crusts to put in the freezer, since I'll be baking four pies on Wednesday for our church's monthly chicken and noodle dinner.

After that was done it was time to stop and get my fabric and supplies ready for today's workshop. Then I stirred up dough for the cinnamon rolls that would raise over night. Remember I promised the guild I'd bake them for every workshop as an inducement to get people to enroll.

Then I baked 5 dozen dinner rolls. And got more supplies ready for today. Okay..I also took a break and watched Desperate Housewives and Brothers and Sisters and later the first episode of the new season of Big Love. That was over at midnight and then I had to form the cinnamon rolls and put them in the pans to continue raising. Got up at 6 to bake them this morning.

I'll probably do it all again sometime, but not tomorrow!

Now on to the fun stuff you'd rather hear about (as opposed to my whining about being tired).

We are fortunate as a quilt guild to have lots of very talented members. One of them is Jan Campbell. She is also one of our most productive quilters. I sometimes think I get quite a bit done, but Jan just leaves me in the dust! When I started working on my programs for this year I was happy when she offered to conduct a Stack 'n Whack workshop and give a trunk show.

I have no idea how many quilts Jan has made over the years, nor even how many Stack 'n Whack ones. All I know is A LOT! And she is also one of our most generous quilters, donating lots of her work to community quilts and other worthwhile causes.

The workshop was so much fun. We had twelve members and it is always so amazing to see the unique talents and tastes individuals bring with them.

Here's some of the promised eye candy from the beautiful blocks made today:

First the only picture I got of Jan as she instructs one the participants Ida was first to get a block completed

Myldred Phyllis Marie Norma This is the interesting fabric Elma chose to work with

And look at her cool blocks! Theresa cut up Laurel Burch panels..who would have thought to use panels?

Hazel
Ida block #2

Phyllis block #2

Shirley

Stephanie made slightly smaller blocks

One of the very cool blocks..or block segments from Theresa's Laurel Burch panels. She thought you couldn't use it because of the letters. I think it will be one of the neatest blocks in her quilt! What do you think?

Stacia

Marie block #2

Stephanie block #2

I didn't make the same blocks as everyone else. You always have to have one oddball in every group, right? I purchased the fabric below last fall with the idea of making a One Block Wonder quilt. When I asked my husband if he wanted me to use it to make regular Stack 'n Whack blocks or the OBW, he voted for the later, so that is what I worked on today.

Because it will be sewed together in rows of half hexagons to avoid Y-seams, it's necessary to make all the blocks and decide on their arrangement before sewing any together. So I just laid the blocks I had done on the table to get a feel for how the quilt might develop. I think it has possibilities.

And here's another I started a long, long time ago. It was a small piece of fabric I picked up in the remnant bin. I did sew the blocks together using Y-seam contruction. If I ever get it finished it will be a wall hanging.

Jan's trunk show was wonderful. It was hard to get good pictures but you can see more of her quilts and other pics taken today at the workshop in one of my Photobucket albums.

This is one of my favorites among her Stack 'n Whacks. It's called "Bills Babes". And she made it for her father. The first picture shows only a quarter section of the quilt.

Hey. I'm thinking that blouse Hazel has on would make great Stack 'n Whack blocks!

And here's a closeup in which you can hopefully see the border fabric which was used to make the blocks. Isn't it great?

She ended her trunk show with this amazing antique postage stamp quilt. Hopefully if you click on it, it will enlarge enough for you to get some idea of the fantastic work. The hand quilting is superb and the quilt itself is in perfect condition..made in the 1920's.

Aren't quilters just the most fascinating bunch to spend a day with? I'm glad I didn't have to pick a favorite from the blocks made because it would be an impossible task. They were all wonderful!