Retreat Update and UFO Update

I had a great time last weekend at the QuiltChicks quilt retreat in Oshkosh WI.   Did not enjoy the drive up there Thursday night in horrendous Thunderstorms, but that's another story.   Had a wonderful time with friends and was able to spend 2 full days working on UFO's and a new project or two.....  =)

I finished up the buttonhole stitching on 4 more pumpkin blocks.   Still need to do the embroidered vines on 3 of the blocks, but am going to wait till I have all of the blocks completed and then will do all of the vines at one time.  Need to get the top panel for the quilt redrawn with the design that I have in mind for it so that I can start to work on it once the last 4 monthly blocks are done.   Feels good to be making progress in getting this UFO done (well at least to the completed top stage).


Also finished up the top that i had started from leftovers from a long ago quilt.   The center panel came from a strip that had been trimmed off of a quilt back from a long ago quilt.   I added 4 borders to finish off the quilt top.   The colors in the picture do not do justice to the bright colors in the actual fabrics.  I floated the center panel in black, then added a bright lime green, red-org batik, and bright turquoise blue.

The final top that I managed to get together was one that I made with a "UFO" kit of fabrics that went together.   The pieces of fabric sticking up in the middle are there to remind me where I need to add some appliques.   More applique will be scattered across the top as well.   I still need to add a final border as well (5" final width), and there will be vanishing flying geese in it.   Need to draw up the patterns for it so I can pp the geese.

The last project that I worked on at the retreat was the BOM (from my patterns) that I had started with the fabrics I bought as remnants.   I like how the blocks have turned out, and have all 12 completed.  I plan to set them together with sashing and cornerstones.   Am still debating about what how I want to make the final border for the quilt.   I'd like to use up the remaining bits and pieces of the fabrics that I've used in the first border.   The final border will be a solid one using the floral print that started the whole thing.

The picture to the left does not do justice to the colors of the fabrics, but at the moment it's the only one I've got of them.   Will post another one when I get the blocks put together.

I'm currently working on adding muslin to the 3" blocks that I'll be using as the next border on the pink teddy bear quilt.    I plan to make the blocks 'wonky' in their layout when I trim up the blocks.   These are wonky to begin with as a result I think it'll be a lot more fun if they twist and turn along the sides of the quilt.  

The blocks shown in the pic to the right are ones that I made from cut pieces that someone gave me a couple of yrs ago.   Lots of sewing went into them because they were all individual squares.   I've got them laid out how I plan to sew them together.   Still to be done - figure out what color to use for the setting triangles on the 16-patch blocks (thinking about muslin or a COC), and figure out what to make the center star of the quilt (the open area at the center of the blocks).   Am thinking maybe rose or a dark green for the center star, but haven't pulled anything yet to see how it looks.

Gratitudes:
1. For safety in driving in the torrential storms last Thursday night.
2. For the jobs that God has provided for me.

Playing Hooky.....

......from all of the commissioned sewing here that is and working on a new quilt project.  I had so much fun this past weekend at the quilt retreat that I couldn't resist starting a new quilt project last night/this morning.     When finished it will probably end up as a donation quilt for Sunshine.

The focus print is actually two pillow panels that I bought about 15 years ago at Ben Franklin's in Phoenix.   The store went out of business many years ago and the fabric languished in my stash of fabrics that I had pulled for 'kits'.   When getting ready for the retreat last week I had pulled three coordinating fabrics which I've added in the asymmetrical piano key border that connects the two blocks.   The current size is about 20" wide by 38" long.   And I'm happy to say that I was able to correctly miter the corners to put the border on.  

Next up will be a narrow border of a darker color all the way around.   Then I want to put something down both sides, and then finish with a final border around the whole thing.    What I haven't figured out is what I want to put down the sides of the quilt to add width to it.    Any one got any ideas?

Gratitudes:
1. Weather out here has finally cooled off!
2. Only 2 weeks till the next quilt retreat.  =)

Retreat memories and tally

I was blessed to be able to attend a quilt retreat this weekend with a group of friends from an online quilt group, many of whom I've known in person and virtually since 1996 or so.    And one of my best quilt buddies came through this group of wonderful gals and their DH's.  

To set the stage, I hadn't really been able to do much sewing of quilty stuff for pleasure in more than a year.  While most everyone else was out shopping on Saturday or at the Amish dinner on Friday nite, I made up for lost time this weekend!   Pics below are of the pumpkin BOM blocks that I got the stitching finished on (BOM was started in 2005), 2 pairs of pillowcases that will be Christmas presents this year, 2 quilt tops that were done start to finish (one has been sold, the other will be a donation to sunshine), and the start of another donation quilt made from a leftover piece of backing from a long ago quilt.    Both of the quilt tops were made from 'kits' of coordinating fabric that I'd pulled yrs ago and never had time to make up.   Both used up multiple pieces of fabric from my stash, yeah!  

The black and peacock feather print is the top in progress.   I'm planning on adding a black border, then a piano key border in turquoise, lime, orange, and pink, followed by a narrow border in black and ending in one of the 4 colors in the piano key border.   This will also be a donation for Sunshine quilts.


I've got another retreat coming up in 3 weeks so I'll be prepping more (maybe all remaining) pumpkin blocks, prepping blocks for the other two BOM's that I've got in progress from this year and pulling more fabric kits to take with me to get made up and out of my stash.  

Gratitudes -
1. Safe travels this weekend to/from the retreat, good times with friends and my roommate for the weekend.
2. For the blessing of knowing that I have a job to go to tomorrow morning.

Been a while since I posted and I've actually been able to do some quilty type work for the first time in what seems a long time.

One of the things I managed to get done was to pull backing fabrics to go with the quilts I finally found that are for Sunshine quilts.   I knew when I had moved over a yr ago now that I had a tote filled with quilt tops for American Heroes and for Sunshine Quilts.   Well, that tote managed to stay hidden until a couple of weeks ago when it decided to make an appearance again.  These five pics are the ones that I made for Sunshine a couple of yrs ago and then never managed to get them sent off to be quilted by someone.   Thanks to today being payday I can finally afford to mail them off next week.   Just need to confirm with the quilter that that is ok.  Some of the fabric in them (upper right quilt and lower left quilt) is from Bev, a very special quilting angel that Sunshine misses very much.   I've still got some of her fabrics somewhere so her love for the kids will carry on as I have time to make it up.   The middle quilt on the right was made from the leftover fabric that I had in making up backings for the other 4 quilts.

 I finished up a couple of commissioned projects for a friend back in Dallas.   These included felt Wordless books and bean bags.   The bean bags are made out of cotton fabrics, with one side being solid green and the other side being a rail fence type block with 4 stripes.   They are supposed to finish at 4", but I ended up cutting the strips wrong and the blocks finished at 6".   Net result was that I had to remake the strip sets for the bean bags.   But because I hate to see fabric go to waste - especially as much as this would have been, I too the blocks that were too big and put them into a quilt top.   This quilt will end up going to American Heroes at some point in the future for the child of a service man/woman.

This weekend I'll be headed to a quilt retreat after getting out of school on Friday.   I'm taking lots of goodies to work on, and hopefully I'll make a dent in what I'm taking with me.  Among other things that I'm taking with me are blocks from 3 BOM projects - one of which I started back in 2005, the other two are from this year.   Here's a pic of the three blocks that I'm taking to do the buttonhole stitching on for the 2005 BOM.  I've got a number of other projects with me as well to work on including pillowcases for Christmas gifts and fabric for a sample block for my next block submission.  And I should say, I'm not taking a one of the commissioned garments that I need to get made up.   This weekend will be spent sewing on fun stuff.    I'll post a pic next week of what I get done over the weekend.  =)

Gratitudes -
1. The hot temps are finally gone!
2. Quilt Retreat is this weekend and I can afford to go again.

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.

Retreat is coming..........

The last couple of weeks have been crazier than normal because things at work are getting close to deadlines. And projects are competing for the same resources - myself and the gal I work with. Both of us will be glad when the end of the month arrives and it's back to the normal level of "insanity". Life has been so crazy with work that i haven't even been able to go to the gym like I want to. =(

I've been busy quilting and cross-stitching trying to cope with the stress. And among other things have been able to get several projects either finished or closer to being finished. The biggest one of these is I finished up the last of the blocks for my pineapple quilt yesterday, just in time for the quilt retreat I'm headed too this weekend. Getting the blocks put together and the borders on this quilt is the first project I am taking with me.

Also finished, well until I decide what to do with them at any rate, are these two little cross-stitch pieces. A friend gave me the kit for these last year, so I'm doing good to finish these off so quickly when compared to the umpteen kits that I've had for yrs and not done.

I've got 6 different projects that i'm taking with me this weekend, and i'm looking forward to getting some of them finished up. I'm going to have to work part of the time while I'm there, but that's life when you need the money. I'll just enjoy the time when I'm not working all the more. =) I'll post pics later of the projects that I'm taking to work on.

Gratitudes -

1. As stressful as it can be, I'm thankful for the part-time contract that I am working at this time.

2. For the opportunity to go away this weekend and spend time with quilting friends.

Quilter's ADD?

I've come to realize that I have a short attention span with my quilting - Is there such a think as Quilter's ADD? I start quilts, and then I'll see another pile of blocks or scraps and I stop working on the first project and I'm off and running on the next one and so it goes and goes...... I do eventually get things done, but I almost always have many things going on at the same time. As a result I've got the center panels for two quilts for American Heroes finished. Haven't a clue what I want to do yet for borders, so they have been set aside so that ideas may germinate..... Pics of the two tops are below. Any suggestions for borders?

I'm making progress on my pineapple quilt and only have 7 more blocks to sew together (the fabric is all prepped. My thanks go to my friends Susan and to Gabriele for making blocks for me. Had designed a tuck panel, but then realized that something happened somewhere along the way when I sewed the strip sets together, phoeey..........so the design for that has morphed and shrunk a wee bit............Such is life. Will post a picture of the blocks and tuck panel when I've got them all done - hopefully by the end of this week. =)

Have finally found a 'background' fabric to use in the borders of Bekah's quilt. And I think that I've got a plan for what to do. I probably won't post another picture of the quilt until after she gets is so that she is surprised by the finished quilt. =)

Finally bought my plane ticket last week for the quilt retreat I'm going to in 2 weeks.....woohoo....I'm soooooooooo looking forward to it. Lots of time to quilt and lots of fun with my friends there in Wisconsin.

Peaceful Saturday

This week has been productive quilt-wise for me, partially due to the fact that when things get stressful I quilt – and usually a lot! I’ve finished up a quilted postcard for a monthly swap that I'm in. For the theme this round, everyone picks a "holiday" or "day of" to design a postcard for. For September, I chose September 3rd - Skyscraper Day. As I was doing my postcard, I was thinking of Boston and the view of the skyscrapers in downtown from the Boston Commons. A view that I really miss a lot. This will go in the mail on Monday and will wing it's way to SC.

Today I spent several hours working to straighten up my cutting table so that I could actually see the top of it again and use it. Now what most people don't know is that I have what would normally be a kitchen island for my cutting table in my sewing room. It is 6 feet long by 40 inches wide or there abouts.........and I had managed to cover it almost totally. After all my work I can actually see the top of it......and no, I didn't manage to get it totally cleared off but at least there's a little bit of room now. Still to come is figuring out what projects I'm going to be taking with me to the quilt retreat that I'm going to in October. The only thing I know of at this point is the fabric for two sets of swap blocks and maybe a queen-size quilt for American Heros.

One of the other projects that I worked on today was putting together the center part of a quilt I'm making my niece Bekah. I've still got the borders to go yet but it's getting there. I'm happy with the way it is turning out even though it has driven me crazy at times........... I'm turning over ideas on how to quilt it in my mind, so if you've got ideas let me know in a comment. =)

Next week I'll start working on the CQ block that I've received for the round robin that I'm in. I've got some ideas in my head for what I want to do and am looking forward to working on it. =)

As for my pineapple quilt that is in the works, I've now finished 31 blocks and 2 more finished blocks will be heading my way before long. That means I've only got about 23 more blocks to get made before the end of September. Am trying to get at least one per day made, and aiming for 2 or 3.....now if only I don't get too distracted I can make it.