Phooey.....

Still not feeling good this weekend, altho the allergies seem to have settled down to laryngitis at the moment. Could hardly talk yesterday, was so much fun when I was working with fellow project members at school....Not! Thankfully it doesn't hurt, just don't have much in teh way of volume. And even more thankfully - I don't have to worry about presenting a mini-lesson tomorrow in my construction technology class because mine is already done!
In between working on homework this weekend (still to do today - write a paper due tomorrow nite, and study for a midterm test that is tomorrow afternoon), I've been working on UFO's with an online group that I'm in. My post yesterday shows some of what I've finished this week. And the pic in this post shows the 11 quilted postcards that I finished embellishing iwth flowers and final edge finishing this morning. Still have 9 more of these critters in turquoise & Black, greens, fuschia & black, and org & black to finish off. Still thinking about how to embellish them..... Next up on the plate will either be the next batik block or doing the button hole stitching on the green quilt w/yellow flowers.

Gratitudes:
1. For friends who are always there to support me no matter what happens.
2. For my parents safe return from their latest trip.

Ugh.....

...........haven't been feeling good the last couple of days and as of last nite the crud has settled into laryngitis....good thing I live alone. Of course, having laryngitis doesn't work too when you work in retail....but that's another point.

Have finished off several projects, pics that I can show are below.


Gratitudes:
1. My throat doesn't hurt even tho I can't talk very well.
2. I have today off to work on my homework a good thing with the coming week.

Decisions....

Two of the UFO's I have pulled out to work on are pieces of cross-stitch. One will be going into the Block Robin that I'm going to be hosting starting in January. The other is a doorpull featuring some really pretty roses. Rather than put it back into the UFO's that I've got stashed away upstairs, I'm going to get it finished.....and in doing so I'm debating about what fabric I want to use for a small border around the stitched piece.

The fabric I'm drawn to is shown in the pic to the right. It is a hoffman that I rescued from a giveaway pile at the retreat I went to the first weekend of this month. What do any of you think about the combination of the fabric and cross-stitch? Once this is done I'll probably sell it.

Gratitudes:
1. I have a working heater and fan in the apt - just in time for cold weather!
2. For meds that are helping keep the allergies (?) in control at the moment.

Block 16

Was finally able to finish the latest batik block last nite. And at the moment, I've used all the browns that I can in blocks....still have a few pieces left, but not enough variety to make one of these blocks.
Next up will be another yellow block. Don't know if that will be enough to use them all up or not, but I'm gonna try....lol. After that I'll go back to working on the orange scraps again. Looking at the piles, there might be enough for another couple of blocks from each color way. Need to get more patterns drawn up as well so that I've got a variety to work from.


Gratitudes:
1. The storm that just went through here did not do a tremendous amt of damage here where I live (altho I haven't checked for further leaks in the ceiling yet).
2. For the extra hrs at work - the extra income is a blessing to me.

New projects

In case anyone ever wondered, I'm easily distracted by new projects....which is probably why I have so many UFO's. Since the retreat i went to a couple of weeks ago, I've started a couple of new projects. The little one will finish up a cross-stitch UFO and work into an entry for a contest that Quilters Newsletter is holding for the Alzheimers Art Quilt Initiative ( click here for their blog posting about it). The top is together but will be embellished some.





The second one is a top that I've started made from 1" wide strips (cut) that I had left over from another project that I was working on at the retreat. Had too many strips to toss out, and the green top with the flowers below is how that project is turning out so far. Still need to do the Buttonhole stitching around the flowers. Next border will be more of the brown wood print fabric that I used for the first border. After that ..... who knows. =)

Gratitudes:
1. Lots of extra hrs this week at work.
2. Good grades so far in class, and the Midterm I had this week went better than I was afraid it was going to.

Blocks 14 and 15

Finished off Batik blocks 14, and 15 - and finished the yellow batik scraps for now. Still have a few left but not enough variety to make another block with. Found that I had enough browns to make one final 4" finished block center, and that is made, but haven't decided what block (will be#16 when finished) to make with it yet.

Will do that this weekend in between working on altering the waistband of a new pair of jeans (gotta take them in 3" so that they fit me). It's taking me longer than I'd like to get the seams ripped out because my hand keeps going numb and when that happens it doesn't like to work too well. =( I need the jeans to wear to my construction technology lab on Tuesday morning 'cause we'll be outside working on building a shed. And I don't want to wear my good work pants to do that! Gotta get busy on homework today as well.....got oodles of it including a lesson presentation to be written in powerpoint, visual aids to be made for the same lesson, a CAD drawing to be finished (2/3's done), a paper to be started, and a mid-term to study for. Doesn't that all sound like a fun way to spend the weekend? Meanwhile I continue to wait for the broken windows in the apt and the motor in the heater to be replaced....sigh.....

Meanwhile, here are the pics of the three latest blocks.














Gratitudes:
1. For more hrs the next couple of weeks at work
2. for the ability to alter clothes so they fit when needed

Batik Blocks Process

I'm continuing to make more batik blocks and having fun making them. And even enjoying the process of using the teeny tiny pieces that are going into the crazy pieced sections of the blocks. Don't necessarily enjoy pulling the fabric off, but that is a part of the process to making them. Taking it off a block at a time makes it easier to handle doing though. The basic steps that I've been going through to make these blocks are as follows (well after I design the pattern that is!) -

Sort out all of the same 'color' scraps into separate groups. I want these blocks to read as single colors. The color groupings of scraps that I have are as follows - yellow, gold, brown, orange, pink, green, blue, and purple. There will be multiple shades of each broad catagory of color in each block, but over all each block will read as one of the colors. Sizes of scraps range from a 1 inch triangle to larger pieces that I used for multiple pieces. Some of the pieces I've been using are shown in the pic to the right.

Once the scraps are sorted by colors, then I choose a block pattern based on what size scraps that I have and how many that I have. Once the block pattern is chosen, then I proceed to make the pieced section or sections. In this case, like those in the upper right section of the pic above. So I needed a block that would allow me to use those in it. As such I decided to make 4 - 3-inch squares that were crazy pieced, because this pattern had the smallest pieces in it. The resulting squares are shown in the pic to the left.

The final steps of the process include choosing the batik that I'll use to go with the pieced sections, make the sections of the block that are pieced 'normally' or are the final parts of the pp'd pattern, and assemble the block. In this case, the final block is shown to the right. =)

Gratitudes:
1. My road trip to WI was good and the weather was great all weekend.
2. Even tho I've managed to forget one of my flash drives in a school lab, I had already uploaded the needed class assignments so nothing was lost. =)

UFO Blocks now in a top.

Went to a quilt retreat over the weekend and had a great time with friends. Finished up several Christmas gifts and a BD gift for a friend first. Then worked on putting together a top from a set of UFO blocks. That top finishes off my UFO Challenge list for one of the groups that I'm a part of - pretty good for all that has happened this year in my life. =)

Gratitudes:
1. For the safe travels over the past weekend.
2. For school work that is going well so far.

Newest block and this week's doings....

Finished up another batik beauty block, this is number 11. Have enough orange scraps to do one more block with them and then that color may be gone.....or I may end up finishing them off in a quilted postcard....The half sq triangles used in this block were leftover from one of the earlier blocks that I made. Am really trying to not end up putting more scraps into the bags as I empty them. After I finish using up the orange scraps, will work with the yellow and gold that I've got so that I can totally empty the baggie they've been in. =)

Will be working more blocks this weekend at the retreat in WI with some good friends from one of my quilt lists that I'm headed to Thursday. Am looking to the time with them. Will have lots of other projects there with me tho to work on as well. Am taking a number of Christmas gifts with me to get finished as well.

Unfortunately my sewing time will be moderated some by homework 'cause I've got reading that I need to take with me to work on and research for my next paper that needs to be done.

And hopefully by the time I get home on Sunday the heating and fan for the heating will actually be working...both of which aren't at this time. And hopefully the broken windows will have been replaced......Not holding my breath because I've been trying to get hte windows replaced by the prop. mgnt company for over a month and they still aren't done

Gratitudes:
1. For plenty of warm quilts with the heater in my apt not working

2. For the registration process of the student version CAD software finally working tonite after 2 weeks of trying to do it.

Block Robin Possibilities

I'm getting ready to send out a sign up notice for a block robin swap to a group that I'm a part of, and am considering what I want to start out with. Last time I did this I used a piece of cross-stitch that I'd stitched yrs before and never did anything with. And will be doing the same thing this time as well. There are two pieces that I'm debating about using - I've added a picture of these to this post. The floral piece is from about 15 yrs ago, and measures out at about 6.5" by 27.5" as it is now, and the second piece is 11.5" by 17.5" and was dated 1990 for the completion of the stitching. Needless to say it's about time that I do something with both of them......LOL.

Both would need to be trimmed some to fit the 4" grid of squares. They would still end up bigger than the minimum of the equivalent of a 12" finished block. But since this would be the beginning block that's ok. =)

Not sure which way I want to go for this swap, but I've got time to figure that out because the first mailing date for the swap won't be until 1/7/11. =) What do any of you think about the two possibilities?

For those that are interested, here's a pic of the wallhanging I made from the first Block Robin I was in. Used all of the blocks that I got except one, which was a beautiful redwork feathered, floral heart. That got used as the center of a CQ wallhanging. =)

Gratitudes:
1. I've got lots of snuggly sweatshirts to wear in the cool fall weather and cool temps in my apt (heater and fan aren't working....sigh).

2. Making Headway on the pile of homework and school projects that I need to get done.

More blocks and an 'experiment'

Finished up three more batik beauty blocks. And in doing so made a dent in the small orange batik scraps that I've been saving. These blocks are numbers 8, 9, and 10 so far....with a lot more scraps remaining to be used. And after making these three blocks, the even teenier scraps inspired me to try making some snippet postcards..... Still need to finish them, but I think they turned out cute. =) And having made them, means I have almost no scraps in the trash. I can deal with that. Have another 6 or so blocks designed, but need to get more done because I've got way more scraps than those six patterns will use. Am beginning to wonder how big this quilt will end up being......

Gratitudes -
1. Found my work shoes....albeit after buying another pair at Goodwill.
2. The wonderful cool fall weather and the retreat next week!