Grown-up triangle strips

Finished off the quilt top with the triangle strips that I'd been working on over the last week. When I started this project I had one plan in mind - that of making 12" finished square blocks.....but like so many times before these blocks had a plan of their own and started to talk to me and refused to shut up until I changed my plan and did what they were asking for....LOL. This Quilt will be going to American Heros at some point. Need to finish off more tops for them first before it is sent.

Have been working on the next UFO project that has been sitting on my cutting table for a couple of weeks now. This project started with the strip sets that are in the center of the blocks, they were a gift from a friend. Lots of fun fabrics in them but what to do with them.....lol. Have added fabrics on either side of the strips sets, and will be setting them so that they turn in alternate directions. And if I've done everything right the last fabric added will all go in the same basic direction.

Still need to think about what I want to do for the border(s) yet, but that may happen after the first of the year. I think this one will become a comfort quilt for someone that I know who is undergoing chemo at the present time.

Next project after this one will be a hugs quilt made from heart blocks.

Gratitudes:
1. Final grades are in and I did end up with 3 A's an a B! So thankful for being able to get back into the swing of school and do well!

2. I get to see family and friends in just a couple of days! Woohoo.......

Finished!

Finished off the Christmas gifts this morning. Will post pics of them later, but meanwhile here are a couple of hint of what I was working on .....

Of course with the short attention span that I have I have started a couple of "new UFO" projects....that is new projects made with UFO bits and pieces of stuff. The first one will be with the triangle strips that I talked about last time. I've finished making the triangle strips, and have also finished making the string pieced "yardage" needed out of red scraps. The red strip is cut at 3" wide, and long enough for 16 blocks. Have added the WOW strips on either side of the triangles, and am now trying to decide what side of the strip that I want to add the string-pieced reds to....on the same side as the points, or on the opposite side. Pic to the right shows the two possibilities. Once that is sewn on, then I'll add another row of WOW. Finally I plan to add a row of gold onto the blocks.

The second project I just barely started is some 3-D flying geese blocks made in the one-seam method that Ricky Tims describes in this You-Tube video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78Mu0C_QL8Y . Used a couple of pieces of fabric from the stash that I inherited from a fellow Sunshine Quilter.....Super quick and easy to do. the only thing to remember is that the piece you cut for the geese should be 1/2 inch shorter than what the total of teh background squares are unfinished. For example in the ones I did, I cut 2 - 4.5" unfinished squares for the background, and then cut a triangle that was 4.5" by 8.5" in size. And then sewed them together as shown in the video. Finished sample block is shown to the left.

Gratitudes:
1. Almost ready for vacation!
2. Have enough snow cleared away to make it to work today. =)

UFO or New Project.....that is the question

I'd almost finished off one of the two final christmas gifts that I need to get made before Christmas this year...when of course I ran out of the thread that I need for the final steps (buttonholes!).

So instead of making a special trip out to get more thread yesterday when I knew I'd be working last nite and could get it then.....I started working on a UFO/New Project........can't decide which one it is because it's really both in one project. The pp'd pattern strips are ones that my friend Susan, of http://desertskyquilts.livejournal.com/ gave me when she retired several yrs ago and was house-cleaning stuff prior to going on the road fulltime with her husband. Kept them because they looked like fun but just had never done anything with them. The blue fabrics in the strips I've done so far are 3.5" squares that I trimmed to size several yrs ago and just never did anything with them..........am using a WOW for the background. I've enough of the blues for 16 of the 18 pattern sections that I have. The strips work up to 12.5" unfinished long, and I'm planning on adding to them to make them into 12.5" squares. This is one of those projects that will tell me what it wants to be as it "grows up". =) Next up is a narrow strip of WOW on either side of the pieced strip. Then probably a strip-pieced section of scrappy reds on the white side. After that who knows....

Another project I need to finish up is a few quilted postcards - I found the three at the bottom of the pic. the cross-stitch portions are from little ornaments that I'd made yrs ago and then never used. Figured I'd use them better in this way. Have another pile of these little cross-stitch pieces to use in the same manner. the Christmas ones are all now finished and two of them have already been sent off to their new homes.

Gratitudes:

1. Passed 3 of my classes with A's! Still waiting for the final grade.
2. Vacation is coming!

Goodies in the mail!

Love getting mail when I get goodies in it! Today's mail brought the goodies that I won from Quilters Newsletter and their recent contest for Ami Simms Alzheimers Initiative. My winning quiltlet is shown to the right. I'm thankful for everyone who voted for it!

In the goodies that came were EQ7, which i'm looking forward to being able to use in my quilt designing. 10 yds of fabric from the Wintergraphix III line of fabric by Jason Yenter and In The Beginning Fabrics. There are 8 pieces of fabric total - 7 one yd long pieces, and a 3 yd long piece. Am looking forward to working with these fabrics when I have time to play. =) Pics of the fabrics are below. =)

Meanwhile I finally remembered where my gold E-beads were so that I do the beading needed for the center of a poinsettia that I put on a quilted postcard. Now I can put the back onto it and finish it. I've also two more hooded scarves this week. One for me and one for a classmate. Bought some more remnants of fleece while it is on sale so that I can get some made up and listed for sale. Thankfully they are really quick to make so I should be able to get them made up and listed this weekend w/o a problem. I used a fun dotted fleece, lined in black for the last one of mine. And am enjoying it when i leave for early morning classes at school. =) Am looking forward to having fun playing with color combinations as I make more.

Gratitudes:
1. Apt is staying fairly warm in spite of windows that aren't well sealed.
2. And for figuring out ways to seal off the leaky windows!

Winter is here......

...........and after the 'cool' temps of last week, I decided I really do need to have something to add some protection to my head and ears. It wasn't the temps as such, but the wind was cold! And I know it's gonna get colder before winter is gone. Now don't get me wrong....I love winter. And the snow we got yesterday is beautiful..... but as I get older I've learned a little bit of sense and know I need to wear something on my head.

My frustration has always been that I don't like hats.....so I decided what I wanted was a combination of a hood and scarf. Found a coat pattern for fleece fabrics that I had bought last yr sometime that had a coat with a hood on it. And the way the pieces were made, the front band of the coat was attached to the hood. I took the pattern piece and modified it to do what I want. And now I have a nice comfy, and hopefully warm hood and scarf combo. Used a remnant from Joann's that cost me under $3 total for the 1 yd piece of fabric. =) I want to make at least one more, and have plans for several more fleece scarves as well. Just need to get them made......

Gratitudes:
1. Lots of beautiful, white fluffy snow
2. The semester is almost over!

New Pattern on my Website

I've added a new pattern to my website for a purse organizer. You can find it here -


http://thequiltedsnail.com/quiltPatterns.html


Gratitudes:
1. This semester is almost over!
2. Lovely snow today. =)