Rail Fence Units

I finished the rail fence units for the mystery quilt in time for the second clue. However, I just uploaded the pictures to the computer, so I'm posting now. I hate posts without pictures! I've been working on the 9 patch units for clue 2, but haven't finished them as yet. Good thing Bonnie is giving us 2 weeks to finish clue 3 - maybe I can catch up! I'm liking the way the purple and green look together and really like the "controlled scrappiness" of the units.

I'm behind on the mystery quilt because I've been working on a signature quilt for a co-worker that is retiring. I couldn't find my walking foot (oh, the joys of moving & living in a small space!) so I'm tying it. I've never tied a quilt before, but I kind of like how it's looking. I'll post pictures when the binding is done.

It's a mystery!

I'm following along with Bonnie at Quiltville.com on her mystery quilt. I've picked my colors and dug through the stash. I'll be doing purple, green and cream. I've cut the green strips for the rail fence blocks (need 100 by Thursday!) and am still washing, ironing the purples. From now on nothing is going in my stash without washing first! I'm also going to get my husband to pull out some boxes so I can search for more purples. I know I have them - it's just a matter of what box they are in!

I'm Back!

Well, it's been four months since I've posted and, I have to admit, I don't have a very good excuse! I moved cross country in August from Merritt Island, Florida to Colorado Springs, Colorado. We had planned on moving, but didn't expect to have to do it in 2 weeks! Anyway, that excuse is good for about a month of blogging, but that's about it!

We still haven't sold the house in Florida, so we are living in an apartment for now. I haven't lived in an apartment in about 20 years, so this is definitely different. For today I'll share pictures of my new quilting area (a corner of the living room) and the master bedroom closet where I have all my stash in boxes. A far cry from my old room that was 10' x 22' and held my stash, sewing area and my Pfaff Grand Quilter with 10' long Grace frame! Nevertheless, we love it here and are enjoying the (huge) climate change.

Notice Ellie, our mini-daschound in the photo of my sewing area sitting in front of the fire - this is where she hangs out to keep warm. She's not so sure about the change in the weather!

Doll Quilt

I finished my doll quilt for the swap about 10 days ago, but was unable to mail it because the information about my swap partner was lost when the computer went down earlier this month. Anyway, My "Swap Mama" emailed me the information and I was able to send this little quilt off in the mail. Better late than never! So, here is a picture of it. I used Kaffee Fassett fabrics and the "Spool" block. I must admit I loved the top although I wasn't particularly happy with my stitch in the ditch technique. I'd love to make another one to hang in my sewing room!

Sockapalooza 4 Socks

I've been out of town but wanted to post a picture of my finished Sockapalooza socks. These are part of an international sock swap and we will all be mailing our completed socks to our partners on August 3rd. These were great fun to knit and a pattern I will definitely use again.

Pattern: Fluted Bannister Socks by Laura Gallagher

Yarn: Sheeps Gift from Joslyn's Fiber Farm; colorway "Confetti"

Back Online

Sorry for the absence, but my computer started acting up on the 4th of July and I was unable to do anything without it freezing. Anyway, the motherboard was bad and needed to be replaced. So, I'm back in business!

I'm participating in the Doll Quilt II swap and received the most adorable quilt in the mail last week. I had requested Civil War Repros and Fiona did such a great job! As you can see in the picture she made it really scrappy (I love scrappy!) and it looks like it came from the 1800's. Check out her blog at http://www.scraps-in-progress.blogspot.com/. As for my quilt I have the top done and need to finish the quilting and binding to get it in the mail on Wednesday. So far I'm loving how it looks and hope my swap partner likes it too! I'll post a picture when it is done and mailed.

Banana's

Thought I'd show you a picture of the bananas on the plant by our pool. This bunch was actually ripe and harvested the other day. I made banana bread out of them! We have two more stalks on the plant. I've had the plant about four years now and it's just starting to produce - I guess the plant has to reach a certain level of maturity to bear fruit.

Quilters Block

The topic this week on Stashbusters is what keeps us from getting things done. I've thought about this quite a bit lately because I found myself not working for the summer and I notice that I get less done than when I was working full-time! But, I think one of my biggest problems is worrying too much about what the receiver of the quilt wants! I know that sounds strange, but I've found that most people you make a quilt for are really not that picky. They're just happy to get a handmade quilt! Also, I think we as quilters tend to be too hard on ourselves and focus on what we perceive to be wrong with a quilt and not enough on what is right with it!

I have been going back and forth with myself all week about making the doll quilt for the swap I signed up for. I've changed my mind about the fabric and pattern many times - worrying that my swap partner won't like it. I had decided on "Calico Spools" from Quilters Cache and the printed pattern has been lying on the counter for days! Anyway, I just saw the same blocks on the Quilting Daze blog on Stashbusters and they were adorable! Perfect for an old-fashioned dolly quilt! So, I guess I just need to move along!

Doll Quilt Swap

I saw Beth's post about the doll quilt swap and couldn't resist joining also! I've never made a doll quilt before, but it sure beats the large t-shirt quilt I've been working on - that monster is going to be queen size and the biggest thing I've ever tackled!

The shuttle launch last evening was picture perfect! Too bad I don't have a camera and couldn't take pictures! Anyway, I'm going to Ft. Pierce today to pick up my girls and the cameras will be back!

Using Stash

A few days ago I read another quilters blog and she said she had requested to be removed from both the Stashbusters and Stash Quilts rings because she really didn't feel she met the criteria anymore for those rings. It made me sad because I really enjoyed reading her blog and I also wondered if the purpose here is to post just about using up your stash. I must admit that I don't have huge amounts of stash because I've only been quilting a couple of years. Also, I tend to go more for fat quarters if I don't know what I'm going to use a fabric for. In fact, I get kind of envious when I read about someone taking the backing for a fairly large quilt from their stash! I could never do that because I'm sure I don't have any stash pieces larger than 1-2 yards!

I've been working on a t-shirt quilt for my niece and I've framed many of the shirts with various fabrics to make the pieces come up to 16.5". I've had to take several fat quarters from my stash in order to do that. That's how I use up the stash - does that count?

Still no pictures - makes for a boring blog, but my girls are visiting my family in Ft. Pierce and they both took their cameras - poor Mom doesn't have one! It's a shame too because the space shuttle is scheduled for launch tomorrow evening and it's right in my backyard! God speed Atlantis!

Labels

The topic this week is labels. I must admit I rarely label (like never!) quilts even though I understand the significance of labeling. I have a HP label maker that I have used once for a commissioned quilt, but I did not care for the fabric sheets that you are supposed to use with it. I have seen instructions on how to make your own sheets using muslin and some chemical that you soak it in, but I never seem to remember to buy the supplies when I am out.

I apologise for my lack of posting this month. I've had some personal problems and really haven't had anything to show. Since I hate posting without photos, I just haven't bothered. I've been working on a Bargello for my sister-in-law and a t-shirt quilt for my niece, but neither would make for interesting photos right now.

Dream Quilt

Well, I've certainly been bad about posting recently. It's not that I haven,t been working on anything quilty, but I really don't have anything to show for my efforts that would look good in a photo and I hate posting without pictures. Anyway, I've been working on a t-shirt quilt for my niece and a bargello for my sister-in-law and her husband. When they get to the point that there is something to view other than little bits, I'll post a photo.

The topic this week for Stashbusters is your "dream quilt". Wow, this is an easy one for me! I would dearly love to make a "Dear Jane" quilt. I have the book, the software, and am collecting Civil War reproduction fabrics to use. It is just such a large, overwhelming project that I freeze everytime I think about starting it. I thought about doing it as a BOM as several on-line shops offer it this way, but when you calculate the cost it is quite pricey that way and, besides, I think I would enjoy choosing the fabric for each block. Another problem with this "dream quilt" is that I have never done paper piecing or applique', so I need to work on those skills first. Oh, well, maybe later this year...

Turning Twenty

I finally finished the binding on the "Turning Twenty" quilt that I made for my daughter's riding instructor. I used a horse and southwest theme because the instructor just moved to Las Vegas to manage a large horse barn there. I have to admit this was not one of my favorite patterns. I chose it because of the large scale of some of the prints I used and also because it is supposed to be so quick, but it sure wasn't quick for me! Anyway, I'm posting two pictures, one of the quilt being "safety tested" by Jasmine, my number one quilt inspector and the other of it hanging on the fence out back. Unfortunately we've had 25-30 mph winds, so the quilt was flapping in the breeze and you really can't see the borders. I'll try to take a better photo before mailing it.

First Quilt

The Stashbusters topic of the week is to talk about how long you've been quilting and your first quilt. I started quilting two years ago and am self taught. I have loved quilts for as long as I can remember, but there were no quilters in my family. I bought a beginning quilting book by Alex Anderson and proceeded to follow the directions. Now, mind you, I had not been near a sewing machine since the 7th grade (I really don't want to admit how long ago that was!) so the entire process was quite a challenge. Anyway, I made this rail fence quilt that is supposed to be a wall hanging (36" x 36") and promptly stuffed the top in a drawer without quilting it. After finishing a few more projects I drug it out last year when a friend of mine bought a HandiQuilter so that I would have a piece to practice machine quilting on. I did a simple meander and bound it. It now belongs to Ellie, our miniature Daschound, and she sleeps with it every night!

Productive Day

I kept myself moving today and really accomplished a lot in the sewing room. Yesterday I finished the quilting on the "Turning Twenty" quilt that I made for my daughter's riding instructor and today I cut off all the excess backing and batting and made the binding. I did not have enough of any one fabric left over to bind the quilt so I made a scrappy binding of the leftover bits. I've wanted to do this for awhile and really like the results. I'll post a picture of the completed quilt once it's done.

I started a quilt a while back for a friend of mine's first grandchild. It's really small, but for some reason I kept doing one thing and putting it aside. I managed to make the binding and sew it on today. I tried the method used by Evelyn aka Starfishy that she described in her blog recently. It was great! I will procrastinate binding a quilt forever because I hate hand sewing the binding on the back (it uses up valuable knitting time!) This method is all done by machine and is so much easier. I'm posting a picture of the quilt - it's a Dutchman's Puzzle block I really like how it came out.

Last but certainly not least I forced myself to work on one of the UFO's from my niece's wedding last year. This is a siggy quilt that she used instead of a bride's book and I'm sure she'd appreciate it if I get it done! This block is called Cracker and works well for this type of quilt. The blocks needed a lot of squaring up (hopefully my skills are improving and this won't be such an issue in the future) and I just dreaded doing it. I squared up 40 of 100 blocks this evening and sewed 20 of the blocks into the units that compose the quilt. I'll post a picture of this later when I get a bit further along. I actually really enjoyed working on this piece and could kick myself for putting it in a drawer!

Sewing Room

The Stashbuster topic of the week is sewing rooms. I'm fortunate in that I have a fairly large space to work in. The space I use is an addition to our home that was, evidently, once a screen porch. The room was closed in prior to our purchasing the home so we just added vinyl flooring and it works great for me. It faces south and overlooks the pool and canal behind our home. Lot's of windows let a lot of light in (also heat!) which is great during the day, but the room is poorly lit at night. The two biggest drawbacks are the lack of electric plugs (only two) and no vent for the air conditioner. It's a long and narrow room which is perfect for my machine quilting frame. I'm including two photos of the room. Viewer beware - I did not straighten up prior to taking the photos! There is no closet so I have my stash in old dressers and storage drawers. There is a long shelf under the quilting frame that I store my batting on. I mostly buy batting in the package as I have discovered that one of our cats likes to nap on batting.

UFO's

The Stashbuster topic of the week is UFO's. I procrastinated blogging about this topic almost as much as I procrastinate finishing those UFO's! Anyway, my oldest UFO is a photo memory quilt that I started for my parent's aniversary two years ago. I had just started quilting and it was my second completed quilt top. I (as usual) didn't allow enough time to finish it and showed it to my parents as a work in progress (WIP). I don't have a scanner, so I gave my niece the photo transfer fabric to scan the photos. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I should just square up the photos and add them to the quilt. Instead I ironed the photo transfer fabric to another piece of fabric and used this in the quilt! Now these fabrics feel like cardboard and the probability of my being able to quilt them is zero. The only thing left to do is take the whole thing apart and redo the photos. To make matters worse, my Mom died just after I presented her with this WIP and now I am even less interested in finishing it. However, after digging it out of a drawer tonight to take this photo I feel the need to finish it and give it to my Dad. Maybe in April....

As far as other UFO's are concerned there are several. Four from last year - a signature quilt, a Crown of Thorns, a funky pink & green quilt for my youngest DD and a "Bears in the Woods" from Quilt in a Day (quilt in a day my foot!). The quilts I've started this year are all in various stages of completion and I am making progress on them.

That's enough confession for one night. Here on the home front I am working on the "Turning Twenty" for the riding instructor and will add the borders tomorrow and get it loaded on the quilting frame. Will post a picture of it when it's closer to being done.

Donation Quilt

I started this "Scrappy Trips Around The World" about 18 months ago. The pattern is from Bonnie at Quiltville (thanks Bonnie, I love your site!) and I finished the binding on Monday night to donate to my children's school for a silent auction. The pattern was fun & easy to do, but when I started it I was quite new to quilting and self-taught, so I had problems lining things up and had a shortage of scraps. I made a few blocks but put them away and didn't get them out again until last fall. I finished the quilt top and practiced machine quilting with a meander stitch. Since I hate binding things and always procrastinate this step, I put it aside again for 4-5 months! In the end, I hated to part with it. I'll have to make this one again now that I have a scrap collection and fabric stash!

Quilt Top Complete

I finished the top for my great-niece's first birthday on Sunday. The pattern is "Crazy Eights" by Bits 'n Pieces and was a quick, enjoyable quilt. I still need to quilt it, though. Hopefully I'll be able to load it on my Pfaff Grandquilter and Next Generation Frame one evening this week and get it done. It will only be the second quilt I've done with the new set-up. The first was a disaster. One of those situations that make you understand the manufacturer's directions to practice on plain muslin and not a quilt top!

I've started a "Turning Twenty" today as a gift for my daughter's riding instructor who is leaving the state. I bought a few horse themed fat quarters today at the LQS and finished the rest of the fabric from stash. It's probably a bit darker than I would have liked, but wanted to use some fat quarters that have been hanging around a while.

More Pictures

I'm practicing my photography skills by taking pictures of the canal behind our house. The first picture is another picture at sunset. The second picture is taken from the opposite direction and shows the east end of the canal and the Banana River. I live in Merritt Island which sits in the Indian River on the east coast of Florida. On the west side of the island is the Indian River and on the east is the Banana River. We are about 10 miles south of the space center.

Evening Sky

Here is a picture of the evening sky taken from the dock in my backyard. I just missed the sunset, but the sky was still pink and looked pretty on the water.

No sewing today, even though I was off work. I had to head to Ft. Pierce to help my Dad move.

First Post

No quilting this weekend. I spent the time cleaning, painting and doing laundry. Did manage to get a little knitting done though.

Last week I made 30 blocks for a quilt for my great-niece's first birthday. The patternis "Crazy Eight's" from Bits 'N Pieces. She may get the quilt by her second birthday!