December Retreat

Went for a short retreat from December 5 to 7th at Threads and Beds in Danville. 

Finished the baby quilt top for DH's first grandbaby (a boy) coming in January.

Worked on Classic Strippy from Bonnie Hunter's book "Adventures with Leaders and Enders".

Made the "fivesies" units while sewing other projects over the past couple of years.

Who knew there were so many ways to sew red triangles onto fivesies units? and only one right way! Spent a lot of time with my seam ripper, but eventually made parallelograms pointing in the right direction.

Happy Halloween!!!

Downton Abbey Fabric is coming!!!!

I was reading Pokey Bolton's blog - looking for updates about Quilt Festival in Houston going on now (wish I was there --- someday!), and saw this post. Can't wait to see the collection and add some to mine! Exciting - two of my favorite things, Downton Abbey and fabric!

Basket #197!!

 

 

October 30, 2013

 

Here is basket #197! - finished it tonight. It's the last basket block for my "Trick or Treat" quilt. A little while back I switched to blanket stitch with matching cotton thread; got tired of the invisible thread.)

Will make the "moon" tomorrow to complete the 221 blocks needed for my quilt. (There are some pieced blocks, and cat blocks which are also done.) My goal was to finish for Halloween (which is tomorrow- Yay!,  my favorite holiday!) Quilt won't be completed, but the blocks will be ready to put onto design wall .

Sew Night

 

 

Oct. 30, 2013

Guild had a sew night Friday, Oct. 25. We had a potluck salad supper and worked on our own projects.

I took my featherweight out for her inaugural ( with me) spin. Worked on the 4 inch bowtie blocks made with thirties prints for the evening group swap.

Bus Shop Hop

 On Oct. 4 and 5, 2012, I went on the trip to 8 Illinois quilt shops - was on the bus sponsored by Main Street Quilt Company in Shelbyville. Left there at 7:30 a.m., went to Rochester-Peace N Applique, to Washington- Peddler's Way, to Princeton- Quilter's Garden, to Lockport- Thimbles. Stayed overnight in Joliet. Sat. morning went to Braidwood -Villages, Danville- Threads of Time, Paris- Lori's Pins and Needles, and back to Shelbyville. A great trip, each shop provided either a snack or meal. Had a great time - looking forward to going next year! (Didn't think to take any pictures.)

September Dixie Diary Block

I'm keeping up, here is #9 "The Hands of Strangers". From Barbara Brackman's Civil War history quilt blocks blog.

Guild Meeting

Last evening we met and enjoyed a program by The Fabric Cobbler, a very successful online (Facebook) fabric shop. The owner (Scarlett) lives here in Decatur and runs her business from her home. She told us about her background and how she started and runs her shop. Of course she brought fabric for purchase and here are the goodies I got:

 

We're also doing English paper piecing projects and using the book:

English Paper Piecing: Fresh New Quilts from Bloom Creek by Vicki Bellino   I plan to make "Starflowers" first - I bought the kit from Back Door Quilts booth at the Kokomo One Stop Shop Hop on the guild's bus trip in July.

 

And I signed up for the 1930's Bowties swap, 4 inch blocks that are so cute! Here are the blocks I got:

 

 

Keep calm and quilt on!

 

 

 

 

 

 







 

Trick or Treat

After a very pleasant and mild summer, we've been slammed with high heat and humidity this week, so inside I went to my sewing room. I'm working on my baskets! After trying several methods of appliqué, I've settled on fused with invisible thread zig zag stitch.

25 done, 178 to go.

A Paducah project

I made the blocks for "Tea with Ama" at the Pilgrim Park retreat  the first weekend of June, and am now putting the rows together. I bought the kit just this year!

LLQA Meeting

Saturday I went to the LLQA meeting in Heyworth.
I so enjoyed the quilts shown by the featured quilter, at Show and Tell and by the afternoon speakers. There was a finished Farmer's Wife, Orca Bay( a mystery by Bonnie Hunter, Spools (designed by Edyta Sitar), and some neat "modern" quilts-among others. Nothing like a day full of wonderful quilts!

 

 

I bought the book "When the Cold Wind Blows" by Barb Adams and Alma Allen from a vendor at the meeting. In it is the pattern Trick or Treat with lots of cute applique baskets in autumn colors. I must make it!! Here is a test block-I am forcing myself to finish some projects already started first.

 

 

 



Friday

I finished the Variable Star block in honor of Mary Church Terrill for Women of Influence.

Here is the Log Cabin block in honor of Sojourner Truth (second version). This is a do-over, as the color combination in the first one didn't work for me!








 

iPhone Update - Women of Influence

Working on the block for Sojourner Truth from "Women of Influence: Twelve Leaders of the Suffrage Movement" by Sarah Maxwell and Dolores Smith. This is a BOM project that the evening meeting of
DQG has started.

Rainy Days Projects

 

Worked on Mourning Glory: finished the blocks, cut the sashing and am sewing all together.

 

 

Finished the table runner made by English paper piecing elongated hexagons and squares. Got the idea and bought the papers from the Back Door Quilts booth at IQF Cincinnati show in 2012.
 

Doll Quilt is Finished

Finished stitching down the binding at our sewing group gathering at Wildflour Bakery yesterday. After lunch, I went to their little downstairs antique mall and saw a doll that had to come home with me. She is "Meg" from Little Women. Here she is enjoying her new quilt.

Little Quilt for March

I belong to Kathleen Tracy's Small Quilts Yahoo group and am working on the March selection -Scrappy Triangles Doll Quilt from her book "American Doll Quilts". The challenge was to use our "ugly" fabrics.

 

When those "uglies" are cut into small pieces they don't seem ugly anymore.

 

 

I'm hand quilting it.

Quilt Show 2013 Report

 

 

"Bir Bang" won a third place ribbon in the large wall quilt category.

 

 

"Mothers Gift" won first place in the lap quilt category.

I was in charge of the magazine sales table - they went like hotcakes!

A Finish and some WIPs

Got the "Big Bang" wallhanging from Jan Krentz' Rainbow Star class finished the first of March, and registered it for QuiltFest.

Did block #26 of Grandmother's Choice. Am way behind!

 

Made block #1 Missouri Star for Women of Influence quilt, a BOM of the
evening group of guild that just started this month.

Finished the quilting on color challenge project, shown here with the paint chip I was assigned. Now to get the binding on.

Making Progress

Machine quilting "Big Bang" from Jan Krentz' class- "Rainbow Star"; when she came here to teach in Sept. 2011.

 

Marking the color challenge quilt.

Snow Day

 

Here are a couple of works in progress - I've started blanket stitching the center section of wool applique "Little Tulip Crossing" designed by Lisa
Bongean of Primitive Gatherings. Her method of preparation is to fuse the pieces using Steam a Seam 2 lite. I had trouble getting the pieces to stick, so I pinned some of the pieces, but I don't like getting "stuck". Yesterday I rewatched Lisa's episode of "Quilt with the Stars" on QNN to see what I'm doing wrong - I'll press again using more steam. She used lots of little presses and lots of steam.

 

The February "Dixie Diary" block is finished and posted on the Flicker group. I had an idea to fussy cut the oval applique - the original pattern has either a star or a heart in the center of each block.

 

 







 



First Finish of 2013

Finished stitching the binding last evening. Making the label and scrapbook page today. Registered it for 2013 QuiltFest. The pattern is by Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Designs. I bought the kit at Quilter's General Store in Rockford Oct. 2011. Substituted some of the fabric from my stash. Quilted diagonal lines echoing each side of the ditch with walking foot, and free motioned a flower stencil in the center of each block. The original pattern's name is "Beasley". I named my quilt "Mother's Gift" after a favorite song of that title by Shawna Carol - also the traditional block pattern Grecian Cross was in a quilt on my parents bed as I was growing up. I'm guessing the quilt was a gift to my mother at her marriage.

Winter Sunday

Spent the cold rainy afternoon in my sewing room quilting "Mother's Gift". I quilted straight lines with the walking foot yesterday, and am now free-motioning flowers in the block centers. I tied off and buried  thread ends while watching (and crying through) Downton Abbey this evening.

Pin Basting

I got out Mother's Gift, it has been a whole year ago that I finished the top. I pieced the backing yesterday, and finished pin basting today. It looks better to me now for some reason!

Inauguration Day

Sitting in sunny front room, watching ceremonies on C-SPAN, and doing hand blanket stitching on wool applique project "Little Tulip Crossing" from Primitive Gatherings.

Sunny January Day

Piecing borders on Happy Day this morning. Hope to finish this one for Quilt Fest in March.

Quilt Shop visits in Dallas TX area Dec. 2012

Visited three quilt shops along with DH, his daughter and son-in-law (he drove in the horrible traffic here - bless him!) I much prefer to shop on my own, I feel rushed with others waiting for me, and reluctant for DH to know how much $$ fabric is nowadays; but had a great time none-the-less.  Quilt Country in Lewisville, Quilt Asylum and Happiness is Quilting in McKinney.-there I bought Dutch Chintz panel, charms and fat quarter (pricey, but beautiful). Saw the chintz on their website and have been wanting it. Didn't buy the kit because I didn't care to make the hexies and too much purple in it.I have an idea to border the panel with flying geese, and applique paper pieced stars on it with the corner stones from the gold fat quarter. I might order the border fabric if it needs it. Quilt Country was batik heaven, I've never seen so many, even more than Lolly's of Shipshewana. Whole rows for each color. Was looking for Kona Snow - none to be had in any of those shops, but there was lots of Moda Bella solids. I bought some Snow of that but will keep looking for Kona since that is what the swap calls for (maybe I should have chosen the Moda?) But hallejuha I did find Moda Bella Solid fig tree cream for the jelly roll lone star project which I've been looking for for about 3 years. Yea! Quilt Alylum had lots of neutrals-bought some fats for my Alex Anderson neutral project.(and they were having a year-end sale of 25% off everything! DH paid the bill as part of my Xmas gift. He's a keeper! Was looking for cadet blue for the Scrappy Irish Chain, but no 1800/Civil War repros. to be found in any of those shops. If we go to Denton I'll look for it in shops there.
 Ate lunch at a unique and fabulous boutique/deli ; Patina Green in McKinney. All local organic and handmade sandwiches, salad soup, cookies and CHOCOLATES to die for!!!!! And the most fabulous bathroom I've seen anywhere.

Shipshewana last Sept.

Found this post in my drafts from last Sept. 2012. (no photos)

While on our way to the Midwest Birding Symposium in Lakeside, OH; DH and I spent the night in Shipshewana, and I got to Lolly's Quilt Shop! Only had 45 minutes there so it was quick but good. Didn't make it all the way through the batiks - they have a lot of beauties! And Edyta Sitar kits. I squeezed in another 15 minutes in the downstairs clearance store and found some good fat quarters.
This would be a great place to go with quilty friends; for a more leisurely time. So glad I got to go now though!

Post Holiday Retreat

Happily sewing at Threads and Beds retreat with some of my quilty friends this weekend. Working on my Edyta Sitar "Dresden Star" blocks. Snowing outside but don't have to drive home until tomorrow.