Challenge Quilts

At last months EVQG meeting we revealed our challenge quilts.  Everyone did a really good job of making a quilt to represent the gift bag they drew.

Next years challenge is wide open.  We need to find our birth month on any calendar and make a quilt to represent the picture.  All we have to do is use the colors in the picture.  The quilt doesn’t have to look like the picture.  The picture I found was fireworks, because at the time I thought the quilt had to look like or at least have the theme of the picture and I have been wanting to try thread art.  Thought the fireworks would be something easy to start with.  Now all I have to do is make any quilt that is red, gold, white and black. I think I know which quilt I want to make using black and white fabrics with red and gold accents.  It is the quilt from the AQG black and white exchange.  I didn’t participate in the exchange, so I may have to collect some more black and white fabrics. 

The Christmas exchange for the AQG is a table runner.  We must make it and it has to be at least 14” wide and 44” long.  I found a table runner pattern in  a quilt magazine and made the top.  Well, I left off the last two borders.  It looks nice without them and more than meets the size requirements at 16 1/2” x 47 1/2”.

I also have a T-shirt quilt to get started on.  I just want to get a couple of projects out of the way first.  Like the table runner and quilting and binding a community service quilt.

Just a Little Behind

The AQG had a guest speaker in August.  Pat Wys came with her trunk show.  Think she is going to teach a class at next year’s retreat.  I’m just now finally getting the pictures off my phone.  I forgot my camera and took a few pictures with my phone.  So they probably aren’t the best.

Pat is the lady in the pink blouse and red skirt in all the pictures.  She is an interesting speaker.  She also had her patterns for sale.  I didn’t buy any this time.  I’ve already have several of her patterns. I haven’t made any of them yet, but maybe one day I will get around to it.

We had our September meeting this past Tuesday.  The meetings have been change to the 1st Tuesday of the month.  That works better with my schedule. Now I have one or two quilting groups going on each week, instead of three in one week.

I’d like to say canning season is over, but I still have a few more tomatoes to do something with.  The pepper plants are in full stride, finally.  I’m a little tired of chopping up peppers to freeze. I’ve given quite a few away.  Think the cantaloupe are still producing too.  As much as I like cantaloupe, I have a hard time remembering to eat it.  Guess that is because I’m not used to having it around.  If we hadn’t planted it this year, I wouldn’t have any now.  I very seldom ever buy any.

New Computer

Got a new computer and I’m slow at getting everything set up.  Just now got the windows live writer set up so I could post.  I prefer to use the Live Writer, it seems to be easier to post.

This computer has Vista and I’m still getting used to it.  Had a hard time finding my Kodak pictures.  They weren’t were I thought they should be.  I finally found them.

Hopefully canning season is nearly over.  The beans and corn didn’t do well, so didn’t can any.  I did freeze some corn on the cob.  I’ve lost track of how many jars of tomato sauce I’ve done.

This is just some of what I canned.

Also canned 25 jars of carrots.

I’ve already started using them.  That was a lot of carrots to clean.  Took me two days.  The pantry is so full, it is a good thing the corn and beans didn’t do well, there isn’t any room for them.  I still have a few tomatoes that I need to do something with.  Probably will do diced tomatoes.

Finally got around to taking a picture of my Birthday FQ’s.

There are a lot of pretty Asian fabrics.  I’ve already used a couple of them to make a  little travel case.  It was a class at the AQG.

 

This is the Zebra baby quilt top that I made at quilt camp in July.  Finally got around to quilting it yesterday.  Now to get the binding made and put on.

Day Four

This was day four of quilt camp.  Still having a good time and accomplishing quite a bit.  Sandra took me out to lunch.  We ate at the Meeting Place.  It has been around for years, but neither one of us had ever eaten there.  We had half a chicken salad sandwich, soup and a cookie.  It was good and reasonably price.  After lunch we made a quick stop at Hobby Lobby for 1/2 yd. of grass fabric that I needed for the sashing on the baby quilt I’m making for Dora to give to Aiden, Kristy’s baby.  I’ve got the top ready for borders, which I hope I can get on tomorrow, before the crazy border class.  The rest of the day will be taken up with that. 

Yesterday I finished my purse.

After I show ‘n tell it at the guild meeting Tuesday, I’ll start carrying it.  I really like this pattern.  This time I only used two fabrics on the outside.  Think I like it better with the contrasting pocket, but it looks ok this way too.

Terry was working on a real cute quilt this week.

It still needs borders.  She is making it for one of her granddaughters.

The Pincushion class was yesterday.

Busy at work making cupcake pincushions.  I hadn’t  planned to take the class, but Bev was working on another version of it that looked like the cupcake had frosting on it and I wanted to try my hand at one.  The only fabric I had was left over fabric from my purse, so I made a striped cupcake.

I’ll use different fabric next time, probably brown for chocolate or a cream color for vanilla.  Sandra suggested making the icing patch smaller.  Guess I’ll be making this version of the cupcake pincushion for Christmas presents.

Day Two

This was the 2nd day at quilt camp.  So far it has been fun.  I’m still working on my purse. The “four sided placemat” class was today and I  finished it.

It was a lot easier to make than I thought it would be. 

Yesterday I took a few pictures.

Here is Helen with her Dresden plate top that she was working on.

Judy at her work station.

As you can see, we also do a lot of socializing too, but we do get a lot accomplished.

Sandra and Wennell looking at a quilting book.

Tomorrow is the cup cake pincushion class.  I won’t be doing that, as I’ve already figured out my own way of making them.  Although Bev’s are real cute.  I like how she covered the bottom of the can with felt. 

I hope I can get my pursed finished tomorrow so I can get started on the baby quilt Dora wants me to make.  She came up with a cute, but easy pattern.  She needs to get some more fabric for the sashing, Don’t think 1/4 yd. will be quite enough.

The Allatoona Quilt guild met this morning.  Sandra and I went down for part of it.  I wanted to get my birthday FQ’s.  I got a lot of nice fabrics, mostly Orientals.  I asked for Orientals or reproduction fabrics.  I left them in the truck.  I’ll have to remember to get them out so I can drool over them some more.

 

These are the Ort Jars I made to match the pincushions.  They were pretty easy to make and turned out cute.

This is a picture of them closed up.

Can’t wait to go back to quilt camp in the morning.

Cup Cake Pincushion

Or maybe they are mushrooms. I re-did the first one and I like it a lot better, but think the top is a little too big this time. So, I made another one using a smaller circle. It turned out good too.

Now to decide which one I like best. Think a pincushion and a matching ort jar will be Christmas gifts for the Needle Turners Bee. The kitties will be eating lots of canned cat food for awhile.

Guess I’ll go try making an ort jar. Hope they are as easy to make as the pincushions.

Pickle Queen

That’s what a friend of mine called me.  I just made another batch of pickles this morning.  Made Sweet Pickle Sticks this time.  Next I want to try making Lime Pickles.  I’ll have to get some pickling lime.  Thought I had gotten it yesterday.  When I unpacked the grocery, found I had accidentally picked up a bag of canning salt instead.  I don’t relish having to go back to Wal Mart to exchange it.  Been debating whether to make some Sweet Pickle Slices.  They take two weeks to make.

These are the pickles I made this morning.

This is the pickles in the pantry.  There are dill, garlic dill, bread and butter pickles, sandwich slices, and mustard pickles.  Hope they all taste good. 

After making the pickles this morning, I turned my hand to making a cup cake pincushion.  This is how it turned out.

It isn’t quite how I wanted it to be.  Haven’t decided if I over stuffed it, or if I need to cut a bigger circle for the top.  Think I’ll try using a bigger circle on the next one.  They don’t take long to make, but I’ll have to wait till I feed the cats another can of cat food to make another one.  The bottom is a cat food can.  I clued the top on, but didn’t think it would stay, so ended up hand stitching it to the bottom.  Now I have to think how to cover the stitches that are showing.

I have my project for quilt camp next week, a baby quilt for one of Dora’s friends.  She is due this week-end.  Dora is at Hobby Lobby buying fabric to go with the Zebra print I had already gotten.  Also, have my supplies rounded up for the classes too.  Won’t be taking the pin cushion class, as I’ve already pretty well figured that one out.