Baby, It's Cold Outside

 
And foggy. With beautiful clear blue sky's in the afternoons. We really need some rain here.

I am working on my second quilt from Kim Brackett's book Scrap-Basket Sensations. I LOVE THIS BOOK! I want to make every quilt in it.

I'm currently making Picnic:

 

I cut the fabric out over a year ago. The jelly roll is Fresh Air by Moda that I've had for years. It had a lot of strips that read like a solid so I had a difficult time laying it out randomly.

So I finally gave up on random and put the solids at diagonals on the outside edges and opposite each other in the center.  Ended up looking very random. ;o)

Hmmm...I think those two bright pink blocks in the center are too close together. Other than those the colors look evenly dispersed.

It may have to sit for a bit. I'm determined to get a top quilted, large or small doesn't matter, before I continue. My un-quilted tops are starting to feel like monkeys on my back. More on that in my next post.

 

and a Happy New Year!

 
I started off the new year with a LOT of quilting...and not just by me. I started a new project when I was at my mom's during Christmas... hmmm... is it a new project if you cut it out over a year ago and just started sewing it last week? No pictures of it yet. Soon.

I loaded a quilt on the frame and quilted it last weekend. I don't think I've shown this quilt before even though I made it months (and months) ago. Fun easy quilt.

It now has binding, has been washed, and is being stored in a matching pillowcase until it gets donated.

Nancy and Stephanie came over to sew on January 1 and 2.  Stephanie sewed the rows and borders on this baby quilt.

Nancy added the borders to this quilt.

...and started making disappearing pinwheel blocks. She was having a blast making this block. I think the fabric is Be Jolly by Moda. It is going to be really cute when she finishes it.

While they were sewing I was cutting my scraps into 2.5, 2 and 1.5 inch strips and finished up the sub-piecing on the quilt I started. It looked like my house had been hit by a fabric bomb with sewing machines, bags and bins of fabric and scraps, cutting mats set up on the kitchen counter, and the ironing board set up in the family room.

All this was January 1. On January 2, after a little retail therapy, Nancy continued to make disappear pinwheel blocks and Stephanie started making a cute little stuffed wool cat for one of her sisters.

No, not these cats. ;o)

I made a couple of little wall hangings from some embroidered dish towels I had that were stained and torn.

And Stephanie and I both made microwave bowl potholders.

These things are so easy to make and more useful than you would think.

I can't think of a better way to start the year than spending it quilting/sewing with friends.
 

Dash Away December

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Wishing you peace, joy and the merriest Christmas.

 

 

Where'd November Go?

 
I keep taking pictures of things I want to show, or think "oh I should post that" and that's about as far as that thought goes.

So what's been going on? I went to the Pioneer Quilt Guild show...I think there were more quilts there I liked than at PIQF.

Then I went to Oregon for my Mom's birthday. My grand-niece got a new puppy, his name is Prince Charming...it should have been Prince Piddle.

Then I won a giveaway at Fons and Porter. Love the Scrap Explosion book.

Finally...FINALLY...finished quilting the Hot Pocket quilt...when did I start it? September! Still needs binding and washed.

And this past weekend I cooked my first turkey in the convection oven. OMG...it was so pretty (except I forgot to take a pictures until after we ate half), and it was done in about 2 1/2 hours.

So I guess that's where November went.  Hopeful December doesn't go as quickly because I've barely started my Christmas shopping.
 

Finally Done

I don't know why I was so fixated on the spools not becoming a UFO. I decided I didn't really like any of the fabrics I showed in my last post. After pulling out almost every piece of fabric I owned (cause I was NOT going to buy anything) I finally made a decision - why didn't I think of this sooner? I'm a scrap kinda gal...it is a scrap kinda quilt...made from scraps...so the border should be scraps...right?

RIGHT!! I didn't even have to cut the squares, I had a bin full of them. Whew, I'm so glad this top is done. FYI, it is made of 100 2 3/8 inch spools and 56 2 1/2 inch squares in the border...final size 34 inches square.

Finishing this quilt top was painful, what wasn't painful was going to the Pacific International Quilt Festival. Lots of great quilts, LOTS of great shopping, and the best part was I got to meet Loris of Luckypup Quilter. We have been trying to meet up at PIQF for years. This time she stuck around an extra day and braved shopping with Stephanie and me.

It was so nice to meet you Loris, thank you again for the snippets. I hope we can meet up again next year.

 

Still not a UFO

Barely...I decided if these spools were going to get finished I'd better chuck the idea of including the applique.

Now I need to decide on a border fabric. I had originally thought a sewing/quilting related fabric would be nice but I don't have any in my stash (how in the world did that happen I use to have tons).

So what do you think? I'm leaning toward the top left fabric in the first two pics... red roses / blue morning glories. I had hoped taking pictures would help me decide...

...didn't work.

I'm a Lucky Duck

Loris at Luckypup Quilter recently had a giveaway and I won!

Bird and butterflies - so pretty.  Thank you Loris! Nancy came over to sew yesterday. She loves butterflies. I had to check all her bags before she left to make sure she didn't steal accidently take them home.

While here Nancy finished this quilt...

 

It's called Open Your Window by Zen Chic. She is such a prolithic quilter, she was half way through a second quilt by the time she left my house.

 

I got about a third of the way through this quilt...then the bobbin ran out. I like to use prewound with the Juki but it never fails...the first bobbin and tension are perfect. The second? Not so perfect.



 

I have learned my lesson. I always check the tension on a piece of scrap fabric before going back to the quilting.

The quilt is called Hot Pocket and I posted a picture here. Notice the date...March 2010.  Oh well, at least it is getting done.