Sunday, March 30, 2008

Another Duck Quilt

While the oven was preheating last night, I got the quilt labels made. While we watched a movie, I sewed them on. So, I did accomplish something yesterday, after all.


To day I made a sample block for Kevin's quilt. I like the block, but I'm still undecided about the outside color.
I also have a blue leaning towards green, kind of a dark turquoise, fabric that I like also. I decided to wash all the fabrics, because some of them had been washed and some not. I was all set to make another block using the blue where the dark brownish green is, when I remembered I hadn't washed the duck panels. It never dawned on me to wash them when I was washing the other fabrics. The panels are in the washer now. The blocks are 18-1/2" finished size, so it will only take 12 blocks for the quilt.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Camera Stolen

Dora borrowed my camera yesterday to take pictures. Her and some friends went to Sidelines in Marietta last night. They were celebrating a friends birthday. They were there about 30 minutes when her car was broken into. She was going out to the car to get the camera when she discovered it. The driver's side window was broken out. The only thing that was taken was my digital camera. She felt bad about it and bought me a new 12 pixel Kodak Easy Share Z1285 Camera. It is the one she has been wanting to get for herself. The one that was stolen was only 5 pixels, but it took good pictures and I liked it. I'll have to call the insurance company Monday and see if it covers the car being broken into and if the deductible applies. I've never had a car broken into before. She said they broke into some other cars too.



I took a picture with the new camera and it wasn't as good as my old one, then I noticed she had it set on P/M setting. I changed it to what I needed it to be on and took another picture and it turned out much better. Had me worried for a minute.



The challenge quilt top is finished. Now I need to get the backing ready and get it on the frame so I can get it quilted.

I guess it looks ok. I'm not real happy with the ocean waves blocks. Too much blue. I would have left it out, but that is were I used the challenge fabric. I did think about (for about 2 seconds) taking one of the fish blocks apart and substituting a fish made from the challenge fabric. I didn't feel like going to that much trouble. Now I kind of wish I had. Dora doesn't like the fabric I used for the sashing and inner border. All I can say is, it is what I had. The same colors in it are in the border fabric and it doesn't clash with the colors in the blocks. What more can you want!



All the little hour glass blocks have been made. So now I'm finally on part 6 and get to put all these little blocks together to make bigger blocks.

I sure haven't gotten much done today, just finished putting the top and bottom borders on the challenge quilt. I pulled out the fabric for the duck quilt for Kevin. I found a pattern in one of my quilt magazines that I like, but want to try doing it a little differently, but basically the same idea. I started to make a sample block, but couldn't decide what fabric to use where. Then I decided to make the quilt labels for the paint chip challenge quilts, but all I got done was cutting a strip of bleached muslin off the bolt to use. So I guess the same list I had for Friday and today will roll over as tomorrow's list. I did get one thing crossed off. And I did load the dishwasher, which I forgot to put that on the list. I usually do, it is not a quilting list, it is a list of all the things I need to do.

Thursday, March 27, 2008

More Blocks Made

All of the blocks are now made for my challenge quilt. I did two more rows yesterday.


These are my colorful little fishes.

This is the last row. Not quite so colorful, but I used a grayish blue fabric and I think it helps to make the first row to not look quite so out of place. Now to decide on what to use as sashing in between the rows. Something that isn't blue, but what?

I now have 50 of the 100 little hour glass blocks made. I can't wait to get to part 6, and start putting all these little blocks together.

The Paradise Piecers met this morning. We had a nice time. I was invited to go out to eat this evening, but turned it down. I would have liked to have gone, but am afraid I wouldn't get back in time to fix Paul's supper.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Two More Rows

Yesterday I made blocks for two more rows of the challenge quilt. I ended up doing 12" blocks. Most of the blocks I picked had half square triangles and if I'd made 6" blocks I would have had to make 1" and 1-1/2" half square triangles. I suppose I could have, but I just didn't feel like it.


Here are the Ocean Waves blocks I made. It will probably be the third row. That sure is a lot of blue and makes my first row look out of place. I'm hoping when I do my next row it will blend in better. It doesn't have quite as much blue.

Here are my little sail boats that I will use as the second row. The next row will be fish, all nice and colorful.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Challenge Quilts

My challenge quilts for the AQG are complete except for labels.


My daughter likes the table runner best and I like the Poppy wall hanging best. I don't know if I will take them both to guild or not. That might look a little over ambitious. The truth of the matter, I couldn't make up my mind which one I wanted to do and I had enough fabric for both. As different as they look, they both are made from the exact same fabrics. I should go a head and make the labels and get them on, so I can put them up till July when the challenge is due. Putting them up could be dangerous. I have a bad habit of forgetting where I put things.


The EVQG challenge quilt is due in June, so I got started on it. I've got a basic plan in my head with perfect it as I go. So far I've got the blocks for one row done. These are "four winds" blocks.

I really like these blocks and think I should just stop right now, before I mess it up. These blocks were a lot of work, 36 units of which 28 were half square triangles. It is a good thing that I like them. The next row won't be as bad. I'm doing Ocean waves. The block patterns can be found at http://www.quilterscache.com A good resource for block patterns.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Camera Finally Returned

So, I finally got to take some pictures of what I've been working on for the past week. I've got a couple more quilts to take pictures of, but decided to wait until I get the binding on my little wall hanging first and take pictures of it and the table runner at the same time. They are made from the AQG challenge fabric.


I finally got all my little triangle blocks made for part four of the Quiltsville mystery.



Now I'm working on the hour glass blocks for part 5. Got lots of parts, but only one hour glass so far.






Last Tuesday evening the EVQG met. We had a very interesting quest speaker. She did a presentation of her Great Aunt Della's quilts. She also had a couple of patterns, fudge and peanut brittle for sale. The fudge and peanut brittle were made from family recipes. I didn't buy anything. One pattern was hand pieced and the other was her way of making a jewel box quilt. Of course she called it something else.







Step 3 of the mystery our guild is doing was passed out. I got busy and finished it.



Here are all the little four patches I made from the strips from part one. Hopefully my color choices will work out ok.



I also finished the 4 patch and friends quilt using the strips from last years EVQG exchange.

I'm pleased with the way it has turned out. Maybe I'll get it on the frame this week to quilt. I think I know where it will go.

I need to get started on the the EVQG challenge quilt. It is due in June and is a little more involved then the two I just finished for the AQG paint chip challenge. This one is a row quilt, so I will have to decided on patterns and size and how to lay them out. I want to try to get by making a wall hanging size.



Monday, March 17, 2008

Weather and Quilting

We had the storms Saturday. Our power was off for several hours. Tornadoes touched down in Bartow county not too far from us. We were lucky, we just got rain and a little hail. I haven't heard if anyone was killed here or not, but a couple of people in Polk county were killed by the tornadoes. After the storm passed, we went to Lowes and bought seeds. We are planning to have a vegetable garden this year. We also stopped and got movies and food. When we got home, our power was back on.



After taking the class for using the strips we exchanged last year, I thought I'd come home and finish that top last week. Well, I sewed and sewed and sewed and finally got 40 blocks made. Unfortunately, the "Four Patch and Friends" quilt requires 80 blocks. So I started again pairing up strips, sewing them together and dissecting them and sewing them back together to make four patch blocks and sewing little squares on opposite corners of 4-1/2" squares to make the signature blocks. Maybe by the end of the day I will have 40 more blocks done. So much for thinking I could just zap this top together. All that chain piecing kind of slowed down progress on the little triangle blocks for the mystery. I'll make better progress once I start sewing the blocks into rows.

Why can't I resist a challenge?! Now I have two challenge quilts to make. AQG is doing a paint chip challenge. It sounded like fun and before I knew it, I was in Home Depot picking up paint samples.

Here is the one I picked.



Friday the Needle Turners Bee met and we went to Rome, GA to the Lavender Mountain Quilt Guild quilt show. It was at the Library. They had some nice quilts on display, not quite as many as last year. It is a small show, but they do it every year.



After viewing the quilts we headed to Hancock Fabrics. Before I could stop myself, I had whipped out my paint sample, it was still in my purse, and started matching fabrics. Here is what I came up with for the challenge.


Sandra and Bobby were helping me to pick the fabrics and they kept asking if I had a pattern picked out. I said no, I just planned to get a yard of each and that should be enough for a wall hanging. Then I spotted a book with a quilt on the cover that the block looked like a round saw blade. So I told the girls I was going to make four of those blocks and put sashing in between them for a wall hanging. The book is "Quilts inspired by Beautiful Blooms" by Pat Converse and the saw blades turned out to be poppies. The shade of pink in the sample says it is Pink Linen, but lit looks like a peachy pink to me and that is the color of the fabrics I picked that I thought matched the sample. I always think of poppies as being red, so I was worried about the peach colors I had. Low and behold, while at Lowes I found poppy seeds for Oriental Coral poppies that look the same color as my fabric. I bought the seeds.

The book has several nice quilts in it. Several are table runner/wall hanging size. Another one that I liked is a Morning Glory table runner. I have a couple of blues in my stash that, although they didn't qualify as a match for the blue in the paint sample, I do like them with the blue I picked as a match. So I'm thinking about making it also, as it only requires 1/4 or 3/8 yards of the fabrics, so that should leave me plenty of fabric left to make the four poppy blocks.







Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Half Logs for Community Service

I finished the borders this afternoon on the half log cabin block community service top. Think I'll use the 2" strips for the binding and have a scrappy binding to go with a scrappy quilt.






Finally finished all the little 9 patches for the Quiltville mystery.


Now for the little triangle blocks in step 4. I managed to get a good start on them while piecing the borders for the half log cabin top.

This is a busy week. Monday I had a doctors appointment and then went grocery shopping at WalMart, because I needed some batting and didn't want to go to two stores. Yesterday EVQG had the strip class using the strips we swapped last year. We are doing a quilt from the book "Open a Can of Worms". I want to get that top finished before I move on to anything else.

Today was my day to stay home and quilt, but I still have to run to the store in a little bit. I really don't want to. Tomorrow is the Paradise Piecers Bee and Friday is our monthly meeting of the Needle Turners Bee. We are planning to go to the Rome Quilt Guild quilt show. They have they're quilts on display at the Rome Library for the entire month of March. Sandra and I went last year. Afterwards, we'll probably go out to lunch.

I went to the sewing machine repair class. We had a great time. Ray sure did try to cram a lot of information into our heads in those three days. My head is still spinning. I feel like I've forgotten 3/4 of what he taught us. I think the class was worth while and would like to take the advanced class next year. First I'd like to work on a few machines so I'll know what I want to learn in the class. Hope I can find some older machines cheap. I'll have to keep checking with the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity stores here. I'd like to go to some auctions, but doubt that I can get Paul to go with me.

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Time to Pack

I swept floors yesterday, but couldn't resist quilting. I pieced the left over half log cabin blocks into a top. Now it needs borders. I'll do that when I get back from my trip.


It is 52" X 60". The width is good, but I'd like it to be a little bit longer. I'm going to use some of the left over strips and do a scrappy border, so will make the top and bottom borders bigger than the side borders. I'd like it to be at least 66" long so it will be suitable for an adult or teenager.

Guess I'd better start rounding up my stuff and get ready to leave this evening.

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Pictures




Dora loved her quilt. She wants a baby quilt. Don't think I have enough fabric left. I do have the one row I took off, and the scraps, so maybe I can do something. we'll see. I do have a little of the dark blue and yellow left. It is just the duck print flannel that I don't have, well, except for some scraps. This was my first flannel quilt, besides the ragged edge throws that I did. I never liked them that well.




I got two of the community service quilts for EVQG quilted on the long arm. They are now finished. This year we are making children's quilts for the Women's Resource Center.





Both quilts are panels that I added a couple of borders to. Quick and easy, but cute. I have two more ready to be quilted. They are the giant uneven 9 patches. One of them, plus the two above goes to EVQG. The other one goes to AQG. I have some left over (57) blocks from the half log cabin quilt. I way over estimated the number of blocks I would need. I've got them on the design wall now for another community service quilt for AQG. While I was doing the EVQG quilts which are due in April, I think, I wanted to do for AQG too and get it out of the way and have that pressure off. AQG's aren't due till later in the year, so if I have the time and fabric and come across a pattern I can always do more. If not, I've contributed to both guilds' community service projects and can feel quilt free.

I've got to clean house a little before I leave tomorrow for Oak Ridge and my sewing machine repair classes. I need to get packed too. Gee, I'd rather quilt.

I got my cutting table cleared off. Wonder how long that will last. Plus, all my scraps have been cut into usable strips and charms. The bag I keep them in was over flowing and needed to do something before I collected up more.