Thursday, April 18, 2013

Is it Friday yet?

The latest update is that I do have 6 quilts, ranging in size from 37" square to 101" square, back from Ginger and waiting for me finish.  I also have 138 potholder tops quilted and will finish quilting 16 more tonight after work.  Afterward I should start cutting potholder backs but will probably get busy making bindings for the quilts mentioned previously.  Well, and get this Saturday's project ready to go ...

No fun pictures ... yet anyway.  I'm hoping to get that done this weekend also.  Below is what 138 quilted potholder tops look like though ... just in case you've ever wondered.



Thursday, April 11, 2013

Julie's visit

Julie's visit was here and gone before we knew it.  Who knew that one week could fly by in a blink of an eye.  We sewed almost every night.  We started on the LeMoyne Star.  Julie got hers done and to the quilter.  I started on mine planning to follow the Links pattern from the Fons and Porter magazine, but as it progressed my plans changed.  I completed the center but then ran out of yellow fabric.  I'm heading to the fabric store to find more of the mottled yellow. 


Once the LeMoyne Star got to the stopping point, I decided to work on a baby quilt for a friend who had her second grandbaby.  She loves animals and I found these animal prints in my stash then pulled several different fabrics to go with it.  I love how it turned out.  I can't wait to get it quilted and give it to my friend!

 
 
Finally Julie showed me how to make a strip quilt with foundation.  We started with a 8" block of foundation interfacing.  cut a center 2" strip of fabric.  Then sewed strips on either side.  I can't find the blocks right now.  Everything from quilt week is stuffed back into my sewing room until I have time to clean it up.
 
Here is the Red and White Maple Leaf that I'm donating to the IMEF silent auction.  I love how it turned out and Ginger did a fantanstic job of quilting it!   All I have left is to make the label.

Can't wait till Julie comes for her next visit!

Quilting calms the nerves and brings peace to those of us that are take pleasure out of creating!


TGIF!

Talk about a wacky week, due in part to the drive home last Sunday and part because of the crazy work week.  Mother Nature isn't helping either with all of this rain.

I dropped off the LeMoyne star quilt and the Wild block table topper at Ginger's on Wednesday night ... in the middle of a down pour.  Those were the only two items I got finished at Sewing Central last week.  It doesn't sound like a lot but it is.  

I worked on the LeMoyne star quilt off and on for 5 or 6 days ... I ended with 26 stars and used 25 of them in the quilt.  I opted for an on point setting and alternated the stars with pinwheel blocks made from the same fabrics as the star points.

Thanks to June, I was able to figure out the order of fabrics for the Wild table topper.  I just couldn't get it to work until we played with them.  

No pictures though ... just haven't had time to get what I have uploaded for posting.  

Praying for a better week next week ... slower paced as I'd like to get more quilting (well, and work too) done.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Oh how time flies!

With the way that last week went, I decided to take an extra day off work and head for MN Sewing Central.  I started early and drove by the light of one of the most beautiful moons that I've ever seen.  It turned into an even more beautiful day to drive.  Traffic was excellent, even what I ran into around Chicago was extremely light.

Yes, I brought more fabric than I necessarily needed.  But June wasn't mad when she got home and Joel didn't laugh at me.

I've got the potholder blocks done!  Nancy helped be cut the Warm & Natural batting last week so I just need to get them quilted.  Then I can cut the backs and InsulBright and get them assembled.

We're making great progress on the LeMoyne star quilt ... even if it's not as fast as we intended it to be.  I'll let June tell you about her very yummy stars.

I have 26 LeMoyne star blocks done, and used 49 different fabrics.  That was quite by accident.  BUT it works out nicely as the quilt is to be a gift for a past D&D Region I Director.  As there are seven clubs in Region I, and 49 is a multiple of 7 ... well, it was just meant to be.   I've not yet decided on which layout to use, but am leaning towards on point.  I also think I'm going to alternate the blocks with hour glass blocks, or at least a version of the hour glass block.  Pictures to come once I've decided ...

Happy Quilting!
Julie