Marathon Sewing

 Sometimes it looks like I've accomplished a lot when in truth it took very little time. This past week I don't feel like I got much done but I spent a LOT of time sewing.

First up, the guild community service quilt was quilted, bound, and turned in today.

I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of the finished quilt! No big loss really as it was kinda ugly. ;o)

I finished the hand sewing of the binding on Brightly.

This picture doesn't do the quilt justice, it is so bright and cheerful. I love it - it's MINE. ;o)

I spent a lot of time stitching everything down on my wool class project.

Everything but the needle turn applique. I got a quick and dirty lesson at today's guild meeting. This is a Sue Spargo type project, we had our second class today and learned five stitches. There is a LOT of homework. Luckily, I have a month to do it all.

The fourth clue for Project Linus The A-Maze-ing Tyler was released last Saturday. I spent all day, and night, trying to catch up. 

I got the first three clues finished and made a good start on the fourth clue.

Aunt Daisy status: 70 out of 192 triangle-in-a-square units are finished. At this rate it's going to take me two years to finish this quilt instead of one. I really need to up my game on this one.

Two Weeks

 Okay, I've got two weeks to cover, and I don't want to write a book so here are the highlights.

Week One

I've already mention that I went to visit Donna in Idaho. While there, we were very busy (mostly talking as we haven't seen each other in almost two years). 

We went to the Boise Basin Quilt Guild's Ruby Jubilee quilt show. It was a large show with lots and lots of very impressive quilts! Here are a few of my favorites:

Most of the quilts I liked was because of the quilting.

Some I liked because they were just too cute.

Witches with Featherweights! 

This is a free Tilda quilt pattern.

The quilting made it sing.

LOVE feathers!

Each wedge had a different quilt motif.

But the corners were what caught my eye. Enlarge the picture and check out the "ruffles" bordering the flowers.

They also had lots of vendors. Here is my show haul.

Not the bowl of clips - those are Donna's.

We also went to a couple of thrift stores. I did pretty good there.

I think it's a hand towel rack but I saw mini quilt rack.

16 fat eights and scraps for $2...score!

Donna's is very generous. She cleaned out her sewing room while I was there. Here is a very small portion of what she gave me.

She made the bags, they are amazing! She also made the following quilts:

This quilt is huge! and the fabrics are fantastic.

Can you tell she likes Judy Niemeyer? 

And Buggy Barn.

These were in her to be quilted pile.

Week Two

I've sewn the binding on Brightly and have one side hand sewn down. I'll show a picture when it's finished.

I've been stitching down the wool pieces for my guild class. Not much to show yet. I have four pieces that need to have needle turn applique...YIKES! I don't know how to do that.

Aunt Daisy status: 60 out of 192 triangle in a square are finished. This is what a single block will look like:

I'll be making 16 of these blocks.

September UFO...not much progress was made. I did decide on a pattern and cut out the extra blocks I'll need to make it. I'm going to continue working on it in October as my October UFO is already made - Amazing. Hopefully it will be quilted this month.

I quilted Stephanie's table runner.

We decided to keep the quilting simple.

And I've already loaded my next quilt...this is a guild community service quilt.

Whew! I'm tired, the last two weeks have been busy.

Haven't sewed a stitch!

 I got home from a road trip to Boise a few hours ago. I'm tired! But I had a great trip. I went to visit my friend Donna in Idaho. Lots of gabbing, sharing, visiting with her friends - we even canned some salsa - and attending the Boise guild quilt show. There was also some quilt and thrift store shopping. I'll share more later.

Donna has a huge Gammill long arm and quilted my Brightly quilt for me.

I love how it turned out. Hopefully I'll get the binding sewn on tomorrow.

Lots of Prep Work

 I spent most of the past week prepping projects.

I started by cutting all the dog themed fabric I had left over from Oliver in the Doghouse into five inch squares so at some time in the future I can make a scrappy hourglass quilt using the technique I showed last week.

Then I moved on to my wool class homework.

All of the pieces are cut out and positioned to be whip stitched or needle turned down. My whip stitching and needle turning applique skills are non-existent so this should be interesting. It has to be done by the October 16th guild meeting. Thank goodness wonky is encouraged.

Then I got the back made for Stephanie's Xmas table runner and found a piece of scrap batting that was long and wide enough.

All ready to load. This should be fun to quilt.

The first clue for the Project Linus mystery was released on Saturday. I completed all the preparation cutting and have the first three blocks ready to applique and piece.

I have unofficially designated Sundays as Aunt Daisy day. I am determined to make progress on this quilt and thought if I designated one day a week that might happen. Last Sunday I finished 20 partially pieced triangle in a square blocks. Yesterday I finished 10 more. I now have 50 out of 192 finished. Maybe by this time next year the quilt will be finished. ;o}

Couple of Finishes

 The guild community service quilt top is finished.

Cute top and an easy pattern. I turned it back into the guild today.

Bon Appetit with Ash is also finished.

I did the background in each food block different. Although my paisleys and swirls always end up looking like the same thing.

It was fun to quilt.

The guild had its annual garage sale today. I don't know why I tell myself that I can't buy anything I never listen. Here's my haul:

Books, patterns and goodies.

Toward the end of the sale no one had bought this little kitty so I brought it home.

This is partially quilted but I think I'm going to take it all out.

Really liked this panel.

And these screamed "take me home", so I did.

Have you ever made a magic hour glass block from 4-patch blocks? I chased a squirrel and gave it a try.

You start by making two 4 patch blocks, then lay them right sides together and sew along the outside edge.

Once sewn, you cut the blocks diagonally to end up with four hourglass blocks. You just have to be careful as all the outside edges are on the bias. 

This is what the result could look like (not my quilt).

Very scrappy and very cute!

Can You Solve the Maze?

 The Amazing quilt top is done.

 I decided the maze was too easy, so I changed the pattern just a bit. Sewing all the little squares together into blocks was easy, sewing the blocks into rows, then sewing the rows together was a bit of a pain as most of the blocks wouldn't nest. LOTS of pinning was needed and even then some of the black is a little off...oh well. This was fun to make and I would even consider making another.

Progress was made on Bon Appetit with Ash but I still have a couple of blocks and three borders to quilt.

I've been quilting a different background filler in each block. I'm running out of ideas.

The guild community service quilt is coming along also.

It still needs borders. I plan on having the top done by next Monday's meeting.

I feel like I don't have anything to piece but it's not true. I haven't touched the Aunt Daisy units in months, I have September's UFO project, and I want to work on one of the dozen panels I have. So I have lots to do...but...

I want to chase a squirrel. Isn't this cute. Sorry about the bad picture, the quilt was hanging in a store window. Love love love the scrappy hearts.

Slow Progress

 I'm a happy camper, we had rain (with lighting and thunder but no new fires) two days last week. We've had two days of clear skies and clean air. Hopefully it will stay that way and fire season is over.

I have been trying to make one block of the Amazing quilt a night...I have one more left.

I'm debating about adding a border. If I do, I'll have to go shopping.

I've loaded Bon Appetit with Ash and have completed the top borders and two passes.

I'm doing a lot of custom quilting and playing, trying to be very careful, so it takes about 1 1/2 - 2 hours to complete a pass. A pass is going left to right filling in the area between the rails. I'm also doing at least two thread color changes with each pass. I'm probably doing everything the hard way, but it is working for me.

My August UFO Challenge project was the butterfly quilt. I'm happy to check it off my list. September's UFO is a bunch of partially sewn blocks I picked up last year at a Quilts for Kids meeting.

There was also lots of pieces and parts and a little bit of extra fabric. I think this is the layout I'm going to do. Not sure yet. Using what I have it will finish roughly 40 x 40 inches...not very big.