Handle That!

I started going to a Tiny Treasures class once a month last November.  This was the quilt chosen for that month.  I missed December's and wanted to at least get the top done before Tuesday when we start on the next one.  We are using the book, "101 Fabulous Small Quilts"  put out by That Patchwork Place.  I think it will be a good way to test colors, contrast and texture without doing a large quilt. This will finish at about 22x28.  When the quilting is done, I am going to add more beads and ribbon to the one basket on the left-it is supposed to be autobiographical-a basket with attitude:)  Right now I am thinking a dark purple binding.

Used my first piece of hand dyed fabric (green) that I bought from Vicki Welsh on Etsy.  

Always one that walks to the beat of a different drummer

This was the original picture all in Civil War fabrics:

 This was on my 2014 list-so, even though I am out of order-i am still focused on the LIST!

Went on the San Diego quilt run today with 4 friends after water aerobics at 7am.  Too much fun.  I didn't spend much money (under 40.00) and got a modern looking angel quilt pattern

 and 1/2 yard Kaffe Fassett from Starry Night Hollow in Leucadia, some 1/8th yards for Dear Jane at Fat Quarter Quilt Shop in Vista, and 1 yard of a flowered batik

 at Quilt in a Day in San Marcos.  We ended the day at Annie's Quilting Den which isn't on the run but has some of the most beautiful fabrics and innovative designs.

I fought the desire to take a nap when I got home and finished the first block of the quilt along (15"), then I finished most (4 more to go) of  the rest of the border blocks for the Your love is Music to My Ears quilt.

I had planned to lay out the AfA block like the one on the left but changed my mind when I rearranged the block.

I don't normally care for a BOM type quilt but I like the design of this one from Michele Foster.  I used the Dragonfly ruler by Wendy Mathison to mark the 1/2 square triangles and it worked great. 

Ranting Helped

Whew!  Just getting all my anxiety down on the blog this morning helped me to focus and get busy.  I realized that the Aiming for Accuracy quilt has due dates once a week-I am going to save Thursdays for working on it until done.  I can do that. My first assignment only took 1 1/2 hours and I love to cut so it was fun.

My due date for Home Sweet Home is mid Sept.  I have time to get that done.  I worked on the Your Love is Moosic quilt today-what a blast.  This quilt will have a lot of things added to it but I got a big chunk of the body done today-still need a ewe, corn stalks,  musical notes and 1/2 a border to have the basics-that is all that needs to be done before I go to my class in July.  I am going to get that done this week and blanket stitch it down on my machine-then I can start playing with all the fun things and get it done before Sept 1.  The time just flew today because I wasn't following a pattern too closely and so was able to stay in that right brain:).  I don't think I have any left brain left-that is what Greg is for.

Since I am fashioning this bull to represent my Harley driving husband-I think I got the legs right on!  The hooves will be sewn down on the border so the bull escapes the box of the quilt a little. The black is the start of his Harley Jacket. The legs, body and ears are all Kaffe Fassett fabrics

The vertical borders are the Hoochy Mama blocks, the horizontal are the plain squares-they will have writing and an appliqued vine on them.

 Originally I thought it was going to be 24x36 but it will be closer to 56x58 so, I had to dismantle the side borders and add some blocks.

Galaxies Done and Labeled

Spent the morning with friends as we quilted Galaxies at Quilter's Paradise.  I am doing a UFO challenge and the first one is due tomorrow and Galaxies is it.  I basted on the border so I could share it last night at Friendship Quilter's Guild so this afternoon I need to sew on the front side of the border and take out the basting stitches. Glad to be moving on to something else.

Today I am going to the San Diego Safari Park to walk with my husband then we have haircuts in Escondido-we are both a little shaggy.  I have The Comforters prayer quilt meeting tonight so won't sew today-maybe get 4 more swags ironed down.

Made the label with the embroidery module on my machine-fabric is Kaffee Fassett joined in the middle.

really liked the stars and swirls-chose black thread so it wouldn't show too much on the front

DONE! DONE! DONE! So DONE!

2 months= 1 time consuming quilt.   What I learned: paper piecing, I can do something very different from what I normally do and like the end result, I can draft a pattern (even if simple-borders) and it can work the way I planned it,  not sure I will ever have a place for this in my house-but I like it anyway, I can work on something for 2 months and actually finish it without it becoming a UFO.  I will take it to the place where I rent a longarm and quilt it edge to edge-I would rather have it custom quilted but that isn't in the budget-I need to have some practice before I try to quilt something like this.  They have a nice star pattern that would go with the theme and I will like it just fine! Thank-you Janice Ellertson for a great pattern and class!

Last night finished middle and two 1" borders added

Top done with all borders on-wall hanging size 46x46

I may embroider a verse on the 2 turquoise strips but not sure yet. I have a couple in mind that fit-we'll see.  I am going to go clean my studio-yay!!

21/2 rows complete-1/2 way done with Center Section

I was concerned that it was going to be difficult to put the blocks together but so far-not too bad. I like it so much better than the disjointed pieces on the design wall for the last 2 months-I am certainly NOT Wanda Hansen:)

I have changed my mind about the borders.  I am going to add checks along 2 sides but they will be rainbow and background black checks using materials in the circles.  The other 2 sides will be a very simple geometric pattern-think the squares and lines will calm the circles-I am totally out of any comfort zone I ever inhabited.  I am drafting a pattern for the first time-I have always followed the pattern to the T-but it is time to flap a wing or two.

I need to finish up the Beauty and Check because my mind wants to start this whimsical story quilt.  My husband is the "cow" with the Harley jacket and I am the sheep with the quilt-married 44 years in Sept-so want to make this for our anniversary.

One and a half more done-inching my way along

Today was busy with swim this morning and then grocery shopping/errands and a haircut/weave at 12.  I have baby fine thin hair and without a little damage from the bleach-would have no body at all. So, I didn't get home until 2:30.  I really didn't expect to get much done but I sat down and decided to just finish the half completed one I did yesterday.  But then I got a burst of energy and made one more.  17 done and 8 to go.

I thought there was something wrong with my camera-I had it on the wrong settings!  These are much better. I need to make 3 journal covers for thank-you gifts tomorrow so no quilting for a few days.

I Surprised Myself

I didn't think I would get any sewing done today but I finished 1 NYB and 1/2 of one.  YAY! 15 1/2 done and 9 1/2 to go plus borders. I think sewing onto the stabilizer is harder than sewing onto paper and the seams are not as crisp as they are on paper.  I won't do it again.  It also is harder to match points etc. and takes longer than paper piecing-but-I won't have to remove any paper

The New block is 2nd in and up from bottom left corner

this block will have another row of purple diamonds

Liked my week at school last week but am so looking forward to swimming with my friend, Jan who is leaving us for Lancaster.  We have been talking about moving for years and are still here.  Jan and Gary decide to move one day and are almost packed a week later. I am jealous!!!

Dear Jane, Kaffe Fassett and The Sloan Ranger

Yesterday we got the best news.  Our 3 month old granddaughter Sloan was moved from ICU to the regular floor.  She is getting better and they are gradually lowering her h20 levels.  She still has a feeding tube but they expect her to go home Tuesday so that should be removed soon.  Praise God for He is good.  The kids are exhausted but are hanging in there. Jason is going to have a dad and daughter day with Ava because he hasn't seen her much.  Thankfully, my DIL has 2 amazing sisters who are 2nd and 3rd moms to the kids and 2 wonderful nieces who are old enough to take care of her as well.  The nurses love our baby and have renamed Sloan and call her "The Sloan Ranger".  Thanks for the prayers-prayer changes things!

Yesterday was The Dear Jane Clinic and I got 4 blocks prepped and ready to applique down.

I have 17 more blocks printed and my goal will be to get those done by the next time we meet which will be in  May so I might get there.  They really take a long time.  While I was at The Crazy 9 Patch I bought 3 bolt ends at 20 percent off and 1 yard of a beautiful rusty quilting feathers fabric. 

I also got a small New York Beauty done which takes longer than a large block because it is in 4 pieces.

I took one block partially apart and redid it as I kept being bugged by the shade of the bright pink.

new block:

Before revision:

Then the fabric I ordered from fabric.com arrived in the mail-looks like a lot but they are mostly 1/2 yard pieces-Kaffe Fassett at 7.20 a yard.  I am building a stash for the Mary Lou Weidman class in July.

Lastly, I made a label at the embroidery class last Thursday-it isn't perfect but for a first-it will work for my Beauty and Check quilt.

That's it-got to get ready for church-have a blessed day!!!

Getting closer

Stars and Streams is still on the design wall, but I have to say, I am getting proficient at the Y seams.  The first few were painful and I had to rip and resew a few, but the last 1/2 went smoothly-actually got into a little production line.  The top left 1/4 of the top is complete, the remainder of the diamonds have been attached to their respective squares so tomorrow I finish the top because I really should be working on the girls rooms (curtains, bed skirts, quilts and sheets).

Having our first Tea With Thee meeting tonight.  It is a tea that a few of us from different churches coordinate together to benefit the local pregnancy center in town.  Looking forward to getting started-the last two years have been a lot of fun. Got to go vacuum and make dessert-yike