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. =)

Finished school design project!

Woohoo, finished my part of the group design project for my technical design and communication class tonite. Am so glad to have this done. Project will be going back to school tomorrow. As a group we decided to design a possible solution for the problem of how to transport aid received by those people in developing countries in times of natural disasters. To this end we designed and built a prototype pack and frame to make transporting aid easier.

Yours truly got to make the pack because I was the only one that knows how to sew in the group, much less knows anything about designing anything to be sewn. the pack is made from flourescent Orange vinyl. The vinyl is the type that hanging outdoor signs are made from. And while not as heavy as some vinyl is, it was still 'interesting' to work with, not necessarily fun though!

Gratitudes:

1. For my machine behaving for the most part while sewing on the pack today.

2. For the odds and ends of fabric and batting that I have and how they help to block the drafts of cold air from antique windows that are not snuggly fitted.

Batik Blocks To Date

I got the latest five batik blocks put together today from the yellow sections that I had posted earlier. I was initially worried that the yellows would blend in with the muslin I'm using for the background. But after seeing how they look in the picture as finished blocks I'm much happier. =) And I ended up with a pile of small scraps from making these five that will give me at least one more block as well. =)

With these five blocks finished, I now have a total of 21 blocks completed. And have drawn up a total of 42 different patterns to use in making blocks.....so I'm only half way through what I've got drawn up....now if I were half way through using up the scraps I'd be doing good...LOL.............however, having basically used up only two of the seven colors of these teeny scraps that I've been saving.....I do believe that it is going to take me a while to use them all up....not to mention that I'm going to end up having a whole lot of blocks as a result. I have a feeling I'll be making more than one quilt from these blocks...maybe one for me and one to sell.

The blocks as they look all together are shown to the left.

Gratitudes:

1. For the work that God has given me.
2. For the ability that God has given me in designing and quilting.

Finally!

Finally finished off all of the teeny yellow scraps of batiks that I had.....and have ended up with enough pp'd sections for 5 more blocks. Began to think I was never going to get them all used up. =) Untrimmed sections are shown over at the right....most of these i know what block they are going into, just have one more to figure out.

I've pulled the coordinating fabrics for the blocks and will finish up the blocks sometime tonite after I get home from work and running a couple of errands after work. The pile if itty-bitty scraps shown at the top right of the pic below is going to end up as snippets and will be used as applique for quilted postcards. Thinking at the moment I'll do flowers of some sort out of them.

Gratitudes -

1. Laryngitis is almost gone, altho allergies are still driving me nuts.

2. For surviving the two tests I had last week. =) And getting an A on one of my midterms.

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!

The Process Pledge

For a while now I've seen a gif on several of the blogs that my quilty friends have, for "The Process Pledge"....and having been a huge proponent of processes in my IT work, had to check it out and see what it was. Basically, the blogger who started this challenged others to do more than just to blog about what they've finished. But instead to talk about the process of creating their quilts and artworks.

And I have to admit I'm so guilty of posting only about the end product rather than what goes on as I'm in the midst of creating. And that's not reflective how I feel of the process of design and creation - I love that part and do it constantly. So with having said all of that - I'm going to take part in this as well.

I, Moira, pledge to talk more about my processes, even when i can't quite put them into words or be totally clear. I'm going to put my feelings and thinking out there for others.

Gratitudes:
1. The gift from God of being able to design and work with my quilts.
2. My stash of beautiful fabrics to work with.

Goodwill Find....

Was down in Indianapolis the past couple of days with my GF (had to attend a conference for school down there), and we went to the Goodwill Outlet there. Found a pair of shoes for work for $4 - almost brand new, and in great shape. A couple of embroidered pieces for my quilting work, and a nice mid-weight jacket for this fall / winter.

One of the best things tho that I came home with was a quilt top made from 30's prints, Feedsack prints (real ones!), and 40's prints. I think the blocks are made from a variation of the Puss-in-the-Corner block pattern. All of the fabrics are in great shape, only one of the muslin squares has any slight (very slight) darkening. Blocks were hand pieced, and then for the most part were machine pieced together. A couple of blocks have sections where the original maker had to be creative because she was running out of fabric. Quilt size is roughly 76" square. Haven't decided what I'm going to do with it yet....but just knew I couldn't leave it there. Pics of the quilt top are below. =)

Gratitudes:

1. Wonderful fall weather - and it's even starting to cool off!
2. For the retreat that I'm looking forward to in a couple of weeks!

Latest Blocks

I've finished up four more batik blocks this week. Used all of the brown itty-bitty scraps that I had been saving. =) One color down, six more colors to go. =) About time to start designing more blocks ....... Pics of the latest ones are below.

Gratitudes -

1. School is going well.
2. Have started back to work at Joann's....now only if corporate would cooperate....

Another batik lovely finished

Finished up another block this afternoon from my itty-bitty batik scraps. This one is in purples. =) Still have enough purple for another block. Made one oops in this block, but am not going to go back and fix the goof. Now to decide what block to make with them.....

Gratitudes -

1. The wonderful fall weather we are having out here.
2. For the provision of the wonderfully lg apt I'm living in out here.

Settling in.....

Hard to believe that it was one month ago that I arrived here in IN...and I'm now finishing my third week of grad school. Where does the time go? Am finally starting to feel a little more settled in, altho to look at the disaster that is still present here in my apt you might wonder about that. Have been going thru everything and sorting stuff to go out as I go thru it. Some of my stuff will remain boxed up while here because I just don't need it out, but don't want to or can't get rid of it at this point in time. However, I have been sorting out oodles of stuff....such as at least 1/3 of the kitchen stuff that I moved out here...........

And as I was unpacking some of my quilting stuff, I found a couple of pp'd patterns that I'd printed off yrs ago and had never made up. Now seemed the perfect time to start working making the blocks because I'd also found a back of itty-bitty batik scraps that I was saving for the 'perfect' project that are perfect for the blocks. =) Will be drawing up additional block patterns to go with the two that I had printed, and once I have worked through all of the scraps will figure out how I'm going to set them. Pics of the two blocks, including a closeup of one of them with my thumb drive in the picture to give perspective to how small the batik pieces really are, are below.

Gratitudes:
1. A safe move out here

2. A smooth transition back to school