Road Trip

What a great day.  Yesterday I took a road trip with friends, Debbie, Martha and Carol to Road to California.  We left at 7:30 and stopped in Temecula for breakfast at the Swing Inn  which was packed.  After a hearty breakfast, we headed to Road.  It was packed!  The first 2 aisles were so crowded we couldn't really see much but as we wound our way through it got better.  Some beautiful quilts but the trend to load them with thread and crystals is not to my liking.

I like this jacket

I seem to be drawn to quilts made from photographs

 

I really like Sue Spargo's designs

 

Sharon Schamber does exquisite work-I just don't care for the genre

 

Sorry for the blur.  This pattern is from Kim McLean,  Stars and Sprigs

 

 

You can find Kim McLean's pattern here: http://www.gloriouscolor.com/store.php?cat=352

My favorite kind of quilt-traditional pattern with an entirely new interpretation-color and design-no crystals-no over the top quilting-I LOVE THIS.  I give it best of show.

 

This artist won a ribbon last year for the first of the series which was the  Madonna done in silver

 

another quilt from a picture-love it

 

This was a mug rug in the Misty Fuse booth-I just liked it.

This year there was an outer tent with vendors-hard to find at best.

My lighting wasn't good-but this was a really cute quilt

All in all a good show-I bought some fibers, batiks, and Misty Fuse

My poor dog was beside herself by the time I got home-she never gets left for 12 hours

I felt so bad I let her sleep with me and we wrestled in bed this morning before I got up at 5am.

Going to finish prep on Pies and Tarts today so i can get rid of the table in the living room.

19 More Sewn-21 or 28 to go

I got the 19 prepped blocks sewn but not ironed so they are not included in the photo.  I have 11 more sets of strips to sew then if the size is right I am done, If not, I'll cut 4 more sets of strips:  This will be one of my finishes for January. 

Click on the blue button in the right sidebar to join A Lovely year of Finishes.

The rest of my finishes are listed here.   Somehow I referenced the incorrect page:)
:
Going to Visions Art Gallery to see a quilt exhibition tomorrow with Greg-then to lunch and home.  Our good friends, Dan and Lisa are bring over dinner.  A perfect day.

A 16 patch quilt for Tedi

My niece is getting married.  I can't be at her wedding but I am putting all my love for her into this quilt.  She likes neutrals and simple design.  I collaborated with her mom and she thought the 16 patch would be a good match for Tedi and Jeff, her husband to be.  My first 16 patch and first low volume quilt.  LOVE LOVE LOVE 8, count them, 8 inch blocks.  I haven't done a fast easy quilt in a very long time-I need a quick finish on something.  I got 10 done in 2 1/2 - 3 hours just taking my time.  Wanda has a tute on her blog..  You'll find it under "tutorials (20)" on the right side near the bottom.  She made a whole series of these so I trust her tips.  All but one of the fabrics will be batiks-the silver gray multi-toned in the middle far right is a frosted fabric and it gives the pretty flat batiks a little zipideedoda.  I think I will make it 6x8 blocks or 7x9, either way, less total number than clue 1 of Bonnie Hunters QAL:) NOT a complaint-just an observation.

2 1/2  inch strips

I am trimming and sewing the end scrap (you get 2,   8 inch finished squares out of 2 WOF strips.) into matching placemats as I sew the squares:

I'll just add borders and bind

House is clean after New Year's party and we were in bed by 11pm after watching the ball drop in NY at 9pm we toasted the New Year and prayed the New Year in -then, because it is an Old Geezer game night, everyone went home by 9:45.  The dishes were all in the dishwasher and house put back together by 10:15.  I put 2 of 5 boxes of Christmas decor away this morning.  Will do 1 box a day until it gradually disappears.  It is time for my nap!  A good start to a New Year.

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.