Projects Galore...................

The fabric for the quilt with an urgent deadline finally arrived this week so I've been able to start working on it.   Not looking forward to the rush that I've now got to get it finished up and back to where it needs to be very quickly.   Did get one block finished up, and am planning on working on it again this evening after I get home from Thanksgiving Dinner w/friends and family.   Hopefully will make a lot of progress on it this weekend - well when I'm not working at the store or working on grading papers and tests.

In other quilty endeavors I've got the design drawn up for a wedding present that needs to be made by next summer.   Made a test block, and have decided on background color.   The quilt will be scrappy and will finish out at 72" by 84" before borders.   The plan is to have it finish at a queen-sized quilt.   If I'm counting right there are about 180 6" blocks in the design...........good thing I love the kiddo who this is for.   ........lol....

Gratitudes:
1. Spending time with friends at Thanksgiving.
2. Being able to spend time quilting and designing.

Tea Towel Challenge Fabrics and Fav Fabric Swap Wrap-up

After considering which of my two tea towels I wanted to work with for the challenge I've decided to work with the London towel.    Sanity and the thought of all that I have going on over the next few months (quilts with urgent deadlines, my 2014 BOM,  block designs that need to be finished up, commissioned sewing with urgent deadlines, oh and everything that goes with being a teacher!) made it easier to go with what I've already got the fabric for coordinates to the towel.

So here are the fabrics that I'll be using in the quilt.   The two that are predominately green aren't a perfect match for the green in the towel but I figure that's ok 'cause it's mine.  =)  All in all they work well with the colors in the towel.   I just need to go stash diving to find background fabric (cream tonal) for the quilt and I'll be set to work on it in January.

I mailed off the last of the Favorite Fabric blocks that I made for the swap a week or so ago.   Loved working with everyone's fabric.     Click on the pics to see the fabrics better.   I have a quilt that i need to make for a wedding present that I'm considering using this block for at least part of the blocks.   Time will tell if that happens or not.

Gratitudes:
1. I am thankful that I am renting this mobile home because the leasing office gets to take care of the frozen water pipes.

2. For a heater that keeps the house warm enough to be comfortable even when the water pipes are frozen.

Tea Towel Challenge 2014

A couple of weeks ago a quilting friend sent an email out to several of her friends, one of which was me.   In the email she proposed a quilt challenge for the first part of 2014.    The challenge was to make a quilt in which a tea towel formed a prominent part of it and set the color scheme for the quilt.   The challenge is based on the quilt that she made and is shown "Sophie's Cock-a-Doodle Quilt".

The challenge sounded like lots of fun so I said I was in and then the fun started in trying to decide what tea towel I wanted to use for my quilt.   I started by looking on Ebay to see what I could find.   And came across two of them that I ended up bidding on and winning.   The first one has a mama Siamese cat and her two babies.  Lovely browns, black, aqua and blues in this one.  

The second towel shows multiple locations around London, all that places I visited when I was out there in 1997.     When there I had picked up a stack of Rose & Hubble fabrics in colors that will work with the towel and that I haven't had a clue what I wanted to do with them until now.  =)    I plan to use them together in a quilt.

Both towels are made from Irish Linen, the London is a little looser weave than the other.  I'll need to wash it first before using it.   But if it doesn't tighten up then I'll layer it over a muslin backing before stitching anything to it.

Now comes the tricky part  - which one do I pick for the challenge?   I'm leaning towards London simply because I don't have to go trolling through the stash for fabric other than a background fabric.  But I love the Siamese one as well.........which will it be?   At least I have till January to make up my mind on it.

If you're interested in reading more about the Tea Towel Challenge for 2014 and signing up for it, click HERE to go to Sophie's blog and read about it.

Gratitudes:
1.  Thanksgiving and three days off from school is coming!

2.  Lots of exciting things are happening at the moment with my quilt designing.  

Updated fabric requirements

I've gone through and figured the amounts of fabric needed for the blocks in the new BOM.

Blocks
Background (should be the same that is used in the setting blocks) - 2 yards
Color 1 - 1 1/2 yards
Color 1a - 1 FQ (this should read darker than color 1, but be in the same color family)
Color 2 - 1 1/2 yards
Color 2a - 1 FQ (this should read darker than color 1, but be in the same color family)

Color 3 - 1 FQ, (this will be used as an accent, and should go with color 1 and 2)

Note:  I've purposely estimated on the high side because I don't know the width of any yardage that people may use for this nor can I guarantee that they will make the blocks in the way that I say cut the fabric.   So rather than have them run short if using yardage, I've chose to estimate high.

Gratitudes -
1. Being able to spend some time with my niece this morning before she moves 3 hrs away.
2. Being able to creative pursuits.

2013-2014 BOM Fabric requirements and Peek at the Setting

With the setting and all but two of the blocks designed I've been working on adding up the fabric requirements.     The setting was easier to do, but the blocks have given me fits because I plan to do them scrappy.    Having said that, I've split the requirements into sashing/setting and blocks.   the one caveat is that I'll have a better sense of how much fabric is needed for the blocks as soon as I get the final two blocks designed and I start adding up how many of each size piece is needed in each color.

Finished size -
As shown in the picture the quilt will finish at 72" by 72".   An additional 6" border around it would bring the size to 84" by 84".

Sashing and Setting Blocks

Color 1 (shown in red) - 1 1/4 yards
Color 2 (shown in blue) - 3/4 yards
Background (shown in white) - 5 yards

Blocks -
Two main colors - each 1 1/4 yards
1 accent color - 1/2 yard
Background - 1 1/2 yards

Backing and Binding for the quilt as shown - 
Backing - 4.5 yds
Binding - 3/4 yd

I will update the amounts needed for the blocks as soon as I have a better handle on the amount of pieces that need to be cut for them.   I'll then post an updated list including both yardage and sections for those who want to do it scrappy like I am.

Gratitudes:
1. A sofa that is comfortable enough to sleep on since I still haven't been able to sleep the night through in my bed with the sinus troubles.
2. For the a stash that lets me pull all the fabric that I need for this w/o having to buy anything.  =)

Newest Published block

I wasn't able to participate in the blog hop for the coming release of the magazine  'Quiltmakers 100 Blocks, vol 8", but wanted to show the cover of the magazine so that everyone could see it.   My block is shown on the cover in the middle of the page (3 down and 3 over from the right).  

Gratitudes:
1. Getting sleep
2. Friends and Family