Christmas Busy-iness

Whew. I am really on a roll with the holidays coming up - so far, I've finished 6 pillowcases and 5 sets of "bottoms" for the grandkids for gifts. Working on purses for the adult girls and Savanah now. Need to hit JoAnn's for a couple of items to finish things this weekend. Also have several tablerunners done. Have a couple more to do and that's the end.

I am determined to be finished with shopping this month. We will no doubt do the holidays early (yippee) so I have to have it together. I feel pretty good. Once we get done with Thanksgiving, I will be home free.

OK - so this doesn't really affect the pile of unfinished quilts, but it is on the list of completed projects. I am going to take a quilt to the long arm later this month and I don't care when it gets done. At least, that will be one I know will get finished.

Good Weekend

Since Friday was a state Inservice Day for teachers, I got a 3 day weekend! That meant I could get things done AND do some sewing. It didn't hurt that John was off on a "Boy's Weekend" up in the woods. Jammies and Cheerios..... and sewing!

Last weekend, I managed to knock out 5 pillowcases for gifts. Here they are all lined up ready for Christmas. Savanah, Delia, Madison, Emily and Robert......

This weekend I knocked out 4 table runners - little projects are so wonderful! Makes one so feel productive! I bought this fabulous "wine country" stripe to make runners with and got two different runners - The one on the left has lots of grapes on the outside and in the middle. The second one has the bottles and cheeses motif, but the inside looks like the rolling hills where the grapes would grow.

They are so much alike but totally different!

One will go to my dear friend next door, but the second one might stay here - or it might go to my son and his wife. Not sure on that! I also can't decide which one I like best :)

I also made 2 Christmas runners - one turned out OK - it was a light green stripe that didn't turn out quite like I thought it would. The second was this ADORABLE print with gingerbread people and candy. You can see the details in this photo.

As if this wasn't enough, I also went clothes shopping and now have 4 pairs of pants to hem (the joys of being shorter than average). Have two done and two to go.....

Now, if I could just finish quilts at this speed!!!!!

Quilting

Friday I am going to a class that should get me past my "fear of quilting." I don't know why I don't like it - I enjoy hand quilting immensely. It's the machine quilting that drives me nuts. It is a simple concept, I can do it pretty well with practice and if I set things up right, I can manage a twin size pretty easy. The big quilts are impossible and I haven't tried a double yet, s it's an unknown. I do have the quilt in sections book by Marti Mitchell, so it seems reasonable that I should be able to do a double size if I tried.

My goal is to gt at least 2 or 3 small quilts marked and ideas for the rest. Then I need to actually quilt them. If I get the backings done, it would set me up to not have an excuse. At least that's my theory. It isn't like I am quilting anything this month...... even when I am ready to go, it isn't happening. Wonder why????

World Record

In reading through my blogs, I just realized it took me 5 months to finish the red, white and blue quilt top. Not bad, considering lots of others things happened in between. Here's a close up of the pattern. I finally figured out that a second window was open the entire time I was trying to upload another photo. Duh!!!!

Happy Labor Day

Since Labor Day is a traditional American holiday, it is only fitting that I worked on the red,white and blue patriotic quilt this weekend - AND FINISHED THE TOP! My original plan was to make it 18x22 blocks, which was going to be ginormous when it was finished - not sure what the heck I was thinking. As I got down to the end, I realized that I really didn't want it much bigger than a double, so after checking a size chart, I re-sized to 15X20. Not really much smaller, but just enough to make it more quiltable later. It's shown on a queen size bed, so you get the idea.

It's a pretty simple pattern really - a half square triangle with a 2 inch block and small triangles opposite. Alternate that with a four patch. I ran red 4 patches down the blue rows and red 4 patches down the red rows and had red/blue 4 patches in between. I would insert a close up but for some reason, this stupid blogger won't let me. I used up every red and blue charm square I owned, plus quite a bit of white scrap. Had to buy the red border and the backing, but that's all and I found that on sale, big time.

Off to sew the backing. I want to take this one to a quilt marking class I am taking in a couple of weeks to see if I can find something suitable for the middle. The rest of it will be stitch in the ditch for the two smaller borders and something swirly for the red.

Finished Top

WhooHoo! I finished the 9 Patch Crossing quilt top that I started last year at our guild retreat in Central Oregon. It is entirely made from stash fabric - mostly scraps and tons of swap nickels with the exception of the outside border.

This year, after the guild retreat, I stopped by the Madras quilt shop that was going out of business - bought way too much fabric, but one piece was the perfect border for this quilt!

It is one of the nicest things I've done, so I think it will go out for long arm quilting. I think an all over pattern that would swirl through all the angles and boxes would be good with something on the border. It's really a double sized quilt that would totally cover a twin bed.

This is a close up of one of the corners. Still kind of hard to see the pattern of the border fabric, but the little flowers are the exact color of the inner border. They were meant for each other!

Quilt Shopped Out

I never thought a person could get OD'ed on Quilt Shop Hopping, but I can honestly say, I am.

First, it was Central Oregon. On the way down to Bend for classes during the Sister's Quilt Festival week, Jean and I hit 4 shops on Monday, 3 more on Tuesday and two on Friday. I managed to be fairly good, even when we discovered the easy striped table runner pattern and got crazy with border prints.

Then, just a week later, I head to LA for the International Quilt Show. OMG - Kathy, Vickie and I did 6 shops the first day, 5 the next day, and 4 over the last two. That doesn't take into consideration the 500 vendors at the show. I didn't care if I ever saw another piece of fabric as long as I lived.

What is even worse, it that after over two years of attempting to stashbust the fabric in the closet (and I've done a decent job), I spent nearly $500 on fabric in less than one month. Nuts. To be honest, there isn't all that much (nothing like the 42 yards I bought in March at the quilt shop going out of business) but it is NEW FABRIC just the same and there is old stuff in the closet. AUGH!

I guess I just need to start sewing..... good thing I totally rearranged the sewing room to make it more efficient. It isn't very neat in this photo - still have things to put away, but there is more room to work and it feel really good! Had to give away the piano to get there, but I was OK with that. It went to a perfect family who had kids taking lessons. Hopefully, it will motivated me to get more done!

Quilting in Central Oregon

Last week was the Festival of Quilts in Sisters, OR and that means everyone in Central Oregon is quilting! My friend Jean invited me to take classes with her at BJ's Quilt Shop in Bend, so we signed up for two mystery quilts with Linda Ballard. I also signed up for a day class with Linda called Crinkle Stars.

We left on Monday, the 5th in the morning and hit 7 quilt shops on the way down to La Pine, where Jean and her husband own a cabin on Pauline Lake. We got there about 6 pm, built a fire (it was chilly) and settled in. The next day, we hit two more shops, puttered around Bend shopping and then went to our first class. It was a two color quilt - Casablanca. Very nice! She got totally done with the small top minus the borders. I got nearly all the blocks done (I had more than she did) during the class. We both finished up the next morning, sewing at the cabin.

Maggie, Jean's brown lab, managed to lose her collar Wednesday morning, so we spent time looking for it that afternoon We also threw her toy into the lake so she could play. Then we left for Bend to take our second class. It was more complicated, but it is a very nice star quilt using special rulers. I managed to finish 4 blocks and Jean finished two. The pattern name is Latitudes. I chose really wild colors - yellow, dark brown, vibrating orange and a yellow-orange leaf print. Turned out spectacular!

Thursday, Jean brought me into Bend for the day class - it was a technique class and I learned a couple new things. Lots of little pieces, but it turned out nicely. I have 3 blocks left to make to finish, otherwise everything else is done. I used a pastel theme for this one - nothing my style that would make a perfect baby quilt.

Friday we went down to Suttle Lake and visited friends who were at the Quilt Camp at the UMC camp - Jean had never been there so it was fun to show her the camp. Then we "did" Sisters and headed home about 2 pm. Hit two more shops on the way home.It felt so good to hit the house.

Of course the worst part was that I came home bugged about rearranging the sewing room - which I did all Sunday afternoon. Much more room to work, found some stuff I didn't know I had and threw out stuff i don't need. All good, but I didn't get much done. Just the borders on the two color quilt. Now I need to go into overdrive to finish a few things.

Slow But Sure

Last night I finished the 6th block on the sampler quilt I am hand quilting. It is looking fantastic and the quilting I did is the best of all (pattern wise). This will be a stunning thing once I get it done - maybe in 2012. I am now officially 1/5 done with the blocks. Of course there is all the sashing and borders to do, so I am more like 1/10 done with the quilt.

It's still farther along than when it was in a bag unsandwiched and without a backing. I am really enjoying the hand quilting - it is so soothing and I feel such accomplishment when I finish a part. I had forgotten how much I like doing handwork.

I have a wall hanging project that I have to finish this week since it's a gift and the party is next weekend. It will be all machine quilted and I will start tonight. I am thinking it will only take a few hours, since a lot of quilting would really take away from the panel fabric that it's built around.

Need to run up to work for a bit this afternoon, then will come home and get working on the quilts.

Sewing Again

So the last time I wrote, I had been to Suttle Lake, OR with my quilt guild on a sewing retreat. I managed to get a couple things done. Translation: completed two tops and started a third. The problem with me is that I LOVE doing the tops, but get hung up on the quilting. I really enjoy hand quilting, but it's so slow.

Right now I am working on the third top - I had originally planned on doing a scrappy pattern that I fancied in red,white and blue. Turned out the wasn't enough contrast, so I ditched the pattern and started out on my own. Part of the blocks were like a value quilt I had done some time back. I thought it might look really cool if I continued doing the blocks and tried one of the patterns in the value book. Turns out, not enough contrast for that either. I did manage to find a setting that will work, but it involves making a zillion 4 patches. Well, 200. Feels like a zillion.

I also have to make 4 patches that are all red or all blue to make the pattern show up. I think it will be a fun quilt for summer. Definitely patriotic. I need to get photos of all the tops I've been working on and a good shot of the to quilts I finished for the twins. Then I can post them for no one to see but me. It isn't like the world is following this amazing blog :)

Guild Retreat March 2010

Our guild went to Suttle Lake Methodist Church Camp this past weekend to sew and have a great time. I took several things to work on and managed to finish 3 of 4! Of course the first one was nearly finished - it was the Crossing Paths scrap top that simply needed the last few rows attached to each other. Then I made a cloth book for Delia for her baptism next weekend. The organizers bought hot/cold mugs for all of us that you can put a cloth insert in to personalize it, so I also made a strip type insert for my mug. That was all in the first evening!

Saturday, I worked on a wall hanging gift for my outgoing boss. It's all done and everyone loved it! Took two walks in the sunshine too. That evening, I started on a red-white-blue scrap quilt. I had a pattern, but when I started laying it out, it was lame. I decided to make more of the pieces blocks (they were supposed to alternate with plain squares) and just use those to make the quilt. It is going to look fabulous when I get it done.

Photos when I get them transferred.

Free Motion Time

OK - all straight stictch-in-the-ditch is done. Ready to do the free motion heart stuff on borders and plain white blocks. Busy drawing template lines so I can follow the lines. Hopefully I can work on this weekend.

In the meantime, I got a bee in my bonnet and rearranged the sewing room. Took out the big table, moved the TV and created more floor space. I can always bring the big table back when I really need it. In the meantime, it's more floor space for laying things out (meaning the cat will sit on it for sure).

Birthday party for daughter in law today and the Stupid Bowl - won't get much machine work done today - all hand stuff. I'll probably knit.

A Good Weekend

Whoo Hoo! All the straight stitching is done on one quilt! Started on the second but the sunshine was calling so I didn't get any farther than three long lines.

Double the Pleasure

So I am working away on the quilts for my twin grand daughteers, Emily and Madison. They are idenitical twins but very different little girls and the quilts are the identical pattern with very different color schemes. I got the tops done last weekend and the backings and sandwiching done this week in the evenings. Now it's quilt, quilt, quilt! My goal is to be done by Valentine's Day - the girls' original due date!

Not a bad photo considering I was using my new computer web camera.

MLK Jr Weekend

OK - this is going to be a power sewing weekend even though I am starting late. Have to get going on quilts for my beautiful new grand daughters! They arrived 6 weeks early though, so I get to count that, right? I have until Valentine's Day to finish......

Madison Jean weighed 4 pounds 6 ounces and her big sister, Emily Marie, weighed 4 pounds 15 ounces. They are currently living at the hospital, but we hope they will get home soon. Since Delia was born only 2 months ago, we are going to have lots of little girls running around in no time!

Off to sew!