Retail Therapy

 This has been me this week:

Sorry for the bad picture.

I got lots of prep work done...story of my life. I swear I spend more time prepping to sew than actually sewing. I have all the chain blocks laid out ready to sew. Cut strips for the additional 4-patch blocks I need to make. Cut the background fabric for my leader-ender quilt. Cut and ironed all the leader-ender strip sets I'd already sewn...yup, enough for two quilts. Loaded a quilt on the frame.

And didn't sew a single stitch.

One of my favorite not-very-local quilt shops is going out of business. I think I was her very first customer as I showed up one day before she had actually opened for business and she let me shop. I don't get there often but every time I've been there she remembered my name. 

I may have gone a little bit overboard. Lots of wide back fabric, lots of Aurfil thread, and some other fun goodies. The red wide back is for the Ginger Belle quilt. The blue is for the quilt Donna gave me last year and the other three were nice neutral fabrics that I know I'll be able to use someday.

The black print is for my next quilting project.

Donna gave me the aboriginal fabrics a few years ago. I bought the pattern a few years ago. Last month someone posted their version of the quilt with aboriginal fabrics on one of the Facebook groups I belong to and I thought Bingo! Love the combination and found the perfect background fabric at the sale. I so want to start making this quilt NOW!

Making Good Progress

 I've been making lots of progress on Ginger Belle. I don't think I'll have it finished by the end of the month like I hoped but I will be close.

All the star blocks have been framed and I've made four out of twelve chain blocks. Bella isn't as sweet as she looks, she was trying to chew on the book two seconds before I took this picture.

I've decided I'm bored with my leader-ender project. Since I've already sewn and cut a large number of strip sets, and I don't want to waste what I've done, I'm going to make a variation of this quilt instead.

I love Villa Rosa Design quilt cards. Most of their patterns are easy and quick to make. My strip sets are wider than the pattern calls for, so some creative adjustments will be made. I should be able to make the quilt fairly quickly. I might even have enough strip sets made for two quilts.

Impromptu Visit

 Donna (lives in Idaho) was visiting family in California and decided to take the long way home in order to have a quick overnight visit. I talked her into staying two nights. We had lots of fun and did lots of talking about quilting. We also went to the Valley Girl's quilt show. Best part, I got revenge! When I leave her house she always gives me lots and lots of fabric and kits, this time I was able to give her a bunch of fabric, almost all my wool, a few goodies from my mom's estate sale that I knew she would like, and a few goodies from all the fabrics and kits that Angela had brought up.

Below are a few of the quilts from the quilt show that I liked.

I've seen this quilt online but never in person. It would be a great scrap buster.

Another scrap buster. Loved how the stars popped out next to the yellow.

This one was so cute! the "sashing" is black rick-rack.

There was a theme to the quilts I liked...again very scrapy, very small disappearing nine patch. I think the blocks were 3 inches. I really want to make this one.

Donna bought us both a cute little button flower bouquet.

I made progress on my Ginger Belle. I made more 4 patch blocks but still managed to be short a few. I'll make them when they are needed.

I made all of the star blocks. Next step is to frame them with more background fabric and 4 patch corners.

Ginger Belle

 Okay, are you sitting down? This will be a shock, and I don't want you to get hurt.

I've been piecing quilt units...and not just any quilt units, units for a quilt for me! I know, amazing right?

The pattern is Ginger Belle from Miss Rosie's Spice of Life Book by Carrie Nelson. The fabric is a Moda fat quarter bundle I bought over 15 years ago. I cut it out two years ago, put it in a project box and haven't touched it since.

It calls for 60 hour glass blocks and 261 4 patch blocks. I don't know how I managed it but I didn't cut enough strips for the 4 patch blocks. Normally I over cut, not undercut. I have about 50 more to make then I get to spend some quality time pressing them all open.

My goal is to finish the quilt top by the end of the month. Make sure you hold me to it.

This was my morning view a couple of days ago. The tempts are cooling and we've started getting morning fog. When it sits low in the valley like this it almost looks like a very large lake.

Visitors

 Angela and her husband Randy drove up for a really quick trip. Palo Alto to Grants Pass in one day, then back to Palo Alto the next day. A lot of driving in two days.

Recently one of the ladies in Angela's guild (a modern guild) gave her a LOT of fabric, kits, and patterns. Angela kept some of the fabric and kits but a lot of it wasn't her style. She was going to donate everything to a local thrift shop. Well guess who opened her big mouth. Yup. Me.

Yardage.

Over a dozen BOM applique kits.

Fat quarters and more kits. This isn't all of it. There was also a bag of Halloween fabric, a bag of Christmas fabrics, and other odd bits and pieces that I forgot to include in the pictures.

A lot, most, of the fabric and kits were from 1998 - 2002. I don't applique but I know a lot of my guild members do so I took about a third of the kits and some of the fabric to my guild meeting today. Most of it was gone before you could say Free (although they do have a jar for donations to the guild).

I'll take the rest to the next guild meeting in two weeks. I'm giving the next batch, the good stuff, to the chairperson of our quilt show boutique. The proceeds from it go to two local non-profits.

And yes, I did keep a little bit (a LOT) for myself.

I think Angela's and Randy's trip was so quick because they were afraid I'd give it all back. hehehe

Oops, Forgot it was Monday

 I know it was Monday yesterday, but it didn't feel like Monday. It felt like Sunday...kinda. Also felt like Saturday as my landscape guy usually comes the last Saturday of the month and he was here yesterday. 

Do those sound like good excuses why I forgot a blog post yesterday? Yeah, I thought it was pretty lame too.

I don't have anything exciting to show.

Airplanes with red flannel.

Bears with blue flannel.

Sports with blue flannel.

Lion flannel with yellow fabric. I think these lions are so CUTE!

All are about 40 x 48 inches. I could easily do one a day...and almost have. They take a little more than three hours to prep, load, quilt, and machine sew the binding. I got a little wild and quilted loops on the sports quilt. ;o)

Monday Again?

 Didn't do much last week. The sale of my mom's house finalized today. We signed the papers last week and I spent Sunday doing a quick clean.

I loaded, quilted, and added binding to one of the sandwiches I prepped last week.

You'll probably get bored of these long before I finish with them.

You'd be proud of me. I took four quilts to turn in at the Quilts for Kids meeting and didn't bring home any new quilt tops or sandwiches. That's gotta be a first for me. (hehehehe)