Sunday Quilting Upate

Well it has been a nice evening. Kierra stopped by to pick up her wedding gift from us. Money, a very practical gift. I showed her the quilts I'm making her, since they are not a surprise but something she picked out and she is pleased with how they are turning out. That is a good thing. I have the binding half down on the black one.

Krystal's horse has the borders on, and it is hidden away until after I finish the DJ Halloween Swap quilt. I sure like how the horse has turned out. I'm going to wait to sandwich it and quilt it. I added on the borders when I need something easy to do this week in between the angles of the DJ Halloween quilt.


It is official the Halloween top is now completed! YES!! Is is a good feeling. Getting that last piece on was a little tricky, but I got it down or is It on! It's very different working on a free style quilt like this. I will do another one some day but not this year. It has challenged me and did a lot of playing with fabric and changing things as I went. I'm pleased with how it turned out. I did have to rip that last piece out, the lower left corner because it didn't lay flat. It does now.
Well it's time to go to bed, tomorrow is Monday, back to work in the AM.

A Gentle Reminder

Don't be horrified and don't be surprised but today is September 25th and that means there is only 3 months until Christmas. A lot of people say how did Christmas get here so fast. Well it gets here one day at a time. So I thought I give you a little gentle reminder that it is closer than you think. It's a little too soon for the Christmas count down widget, plus I don't want to take away from the big event our family is having on Halloween.

I have done some more work on my DJ Boo Swap, I'm not happy with the bottom left corner, so I'll be doing some frog stitches and more fabric preview. I'm thinking big triangles of the blue and orange and let it go at that. I'm also wondering about borders. The original design I was modeling after doesn't have borders. I don't think it really needs them but I have some great orange & black fabric to use up.

I'm a little bummer today I have one of my cats in the vets. She must have had a fight with a visiting cat, and she had an abscess that drained. Now she is getting a drain put in, and antibiotics. She was a good kitty in the vets office. The visiting cats are baned from the house and locked in the kids room. Richard will pick her up from work, as I'm working evenings today.

Well now I have to go to work.

Sunday Quilting Upate

Here are the pictures to show what I have accomplished this week. I'm too tired now Sunday 9:45 PM) to add the comments about each project. I'll do that tomorrow.
Well, it's now tomorrow (Monday, 6:45 PM).
I feel better after a good night's sleep and surviving Monday at work. Actually I think eating dinner did the most good.

I went ahead and finished part 7 of the Washington Medallion block of the month. There are actually 12 pin wheels, not just 3. I could have waited to finish but I was on a role and it is one of those things I'm afraid to get behind one, or I'll never finish it.


I added the pieced borders to Krystal's Horse. I'm really pleased with this. I think it is screaming for a purple border but she likes blue, I do also but I have come to love purple. I don't have enough of the dark purple border to do borders and binding, so it's on to plan B. I have a pretty bluish multicolor piece I wanted to use for the border but it blends to much with the pieced borders. After work today I stopped by a shop close to me, but I didn't find anything I wanted. One of the gals said here is a pretty purple. See I told you it needs purple.
I may go with plan C, a small purple like I have and use the multi as a larger border and binding. I'll like to check it our tonight once I go to the sewing room. Maybe a dark blue like the horse for a resting border than the multi color. It's almost time to play with fabric.


I made some progress on my Dear Jane Halloween Swap Quilt. The bottom right corner is joined up to the orange strip. The center is joined down to the black fabric with circles, that part will be next. I have been trying to think of ways to quilt it. The only thing I can think of so far is spider webs up in the left top corner where the spider web fabric is. I don't think I'm good enough to do that on my short arm frame. It also would be a good one to stitch in the ditch. Maybe I should baste it on my frame and quilt it under my table top machine. Oh well I don't have to decide today!
So that's all folks, I'm off to the sewing room!!

Sunday Quilting Upate

Just for those who are curious if we were able to get all of our things into Jan's car, here is the proof in the picture. One car, two quilters and their stuff, room for nothing else, "priceless".

We had a great time! I didn't take many pictures and none of Jan or I. The few I did take didn't turn out well. We did lots of sewing, lots of eating and some talking. The four of us at our table were the quietest in the group. But when we did talk we had something good to share.
I was able to share some of my talents with others, that always feels good. I gave Linda a private mini lesson in EQ6 and had Ann, Sandi and Judy look on. It was fun to watch Linda's eyes light up as she saw the possibilities of the program.


Here is what I worked on while at camp. The black and gray is for Kierra's front room window. The red one is for her bathroom window, it needs a dark gray binding. Both are quilted in a crosshatch pattern. The Angel is my December mini quilt, the last one in a series of twelve. Needs the borders to be quilted and a binding. The horse is for Krystal as a Christmas gift (no fears the kids don't read my blog.), the 2 blocks under the horse are part of the borders. It needs a bunch more blocks for the borders. Some will be pieced and some will have applique and some will be plain. I remade one DJ blocks for my DJ Halloween swap, that's the slime green & purple blocks. Also I made a ton of half square triangles and made 12 pin wheels and 3 other blocks for the Washington Medallion Quilt. I got a lot done!! I'm happy!

I know you can't tell it but behind these quilts is a brand new design wall. My husband put some insulation on the wall I use all the time. I was tired of pushing pins into the wall, now I have nice easy insulation to stick those pins into. Tomorrow I'll cover it with flannel. He did a great job!! Thanks Honey!!!


Here is the last picture of my DJ Halloween Swap as of 9.9.09. I'm planing to do blue and orange half square blocks around the 4 blocks on the bottom left. I moved two blocks to the back, they just don't fit the colors I'm using. I'm happy with the bottom right corner, now just to cut and sew all the new parts. I'm seeing less white all the time.
Well the laundry is almost done, I need to finish unpacking my sewing stuff. So take care all!!
P.S. My little gift bag was liked by all, especially the lucky winner.

I'm off..

To quilt camp!!! I'm so excited! I'm just waiting for Jan to come pick me up. I'm in luck Kinsen is here and doesn't go to work until later, so he can help me pack the car. As you can see from my camp pile help will be nice.

What a Surprise!

I had a very pleasant surprise and I'm very excited for my friend. Each morning I receive an email notification from Meridian Magazine a LDS online magazine. Today the first article was about my friend Angela Johnson with a YouTube video of some of her work. I can remember when she started sculpturing. Has her work grown and it is magnificent. I have the clip here.


Here is the link to her website. Angela Johnson If you look in the Galleries, Savior One, slide 14 you will see my favorite sculpture, Free to Choose. I have seen this in the Mesa Arizona Temple Visitor's Center. It has special meaning to me as a convert and as a mother of inactive children.

I'm so excited for my friend and her success. Her work is magnificent and uplifting. If her exhibit is ever near you please make an effort to see it.

Congratulations Angela!

What a fun day!

It is always nice to be on vacation and do some fun things with friends. I meet three of my friends, Irene, Kathy & Carma Lee and we went to lunch. We had a nice visit and talked about lots of interesting and fun things and of course we talked about quilting.
After lunch I went to A Quilter's Oasis to meet a new friend, Lorene. I meet her on her blog, and we emailed a couple of times, found out we are in the same town. So I went to the shop where she works and we visited for a while in between customers. It is always fun to make new friends.


Back at the house I finally unwounded the quilt and took a picture or two. I have it draped over a chair, to try and get a better picture. I did loop de loops. I always worried if the person I'm doing the quilt for will be happy with my quilting. I have to learn to relax about that. I keep telling myself, I'm doing the best I can for what I know. I know I'll improve with time and practice. The best part is Julie was happy the result. What a relief. My worrying is part of why I don't want to do a lot of quilts for others. Plus I don't like dead lines, but the little extra money is fun.

Of course I found time to work on my DJ Halloween Swap. I finally found a place for those 3 color blocks and they don't look mushy any more. I also found a way to us my Witches Undies. I like how it changes form day to day. It's like I sleep on it and it becomes clearer and I see how it will look better.
Well I'm off to bed. I'll need my rest so I can have energy to get packed up tomorrow for Quilt Camp!!

Monday Quilting Upate

Well besides designing a window covering and packing projects for quilt camp I finished quilting the T-shirt quilt. Here it is all rolled up on the frame. This is definitely the biggest quilt I have done on my frame. The take up roller is sagging in the middle a little. It is still on the frame because I washed my floors today and I decided it was safer on the frame then off. Plus the visiting cats like to jump on the frame and sleep on any quilts I have there. Tomorrow I'll call Julie to come get and unroll it just before she comes.

I also made some progress on my DJ Halloween Swap. The right top corner is sewed down to the and including the black strip. The center square on point has the checker broad border and the three floating blocks border attached. I'm kind of liking the Witches Undies in the upper left corner, too bad it is a directional print. I'm not liking the green, purple and orange square, they blend too much. You might notice one block, green and purple that is partially taken apart. It was too small. I must have been very tired the night I made it for it to turn out that much smaller. After I got it apart and was trying to decided what needed to go where, I spent so much time on it, I think I could have made it over again faster. The quilt is filling in nicely.

It is so hard..

...to be a talented artistic type person and live with or know others who have no artistic anything.
Our daughter Kierra has a window in the living room by the front door. I offered to make a little quilt for it, to cover it, since she has it covered with a plastic bag. Her colors are black and red. I took pictures of my stash of black & red, I draw up a quick little bargello quilt in EQ6. I sent her the pictures and this is what she wants. Double Click on it to see the larger imagine.

I tell this to my husband who has no understanding as to why I would call this the ugliest quilt I will ever make. He also told me I should cut it up and sew it back together again as if it would have had different colors. Of course I'm thinking he is a little off his rocker with this idea. He thinks I don't get it because I won't cut it up and sew it together like a quilt.
So since this what the kid wants that is what she will get, I'll quilt it with a straight lines cross hatching and call it done. It will service it's purpose to cover a window and she will know I care because I made her something how she wants and likes.
Meanwhile I will know she could have had something nicer and I did my best...

Here is how it would look in black & gray. As well as the black & red version.

I guess that is why they make 31 flavors of ice cream we all have different tastes.

Door Prize for Quilt Camp

On one of my favorite blogs Kim's Blog. She had a post about this cute little bag she designed for Moda Bake Shop. I liked it so much I decided to make it and use it as part of my door prize for Quilt Camp. Here it is empty, our theme is Falling Leaves.

Charmed Gift Bag Pattern at Moda Bake Shop. Here is the link to the pattern.


And here it is with some treasures in it. It still lacks chocolate and maybe some thread to go with the charm pack. There is also a copy of the pattern and a small bottle of scent free Best Press. I had resisted buying Best Press until I was in CO and found these little bottles. I love the size and it is great for traveling. I had never seen the smaller size here in AZ. Of course as soon as I purchased it in CO I found them in AZ.

Quilting Update

I'm just so excited I have to do an extra post. I have had a very productive day quilt wise. Plus I worked a full eight hour day! This morning before I went to work I drew a few more blocks for my Caribbean Sea quilt and started working on the quilt setting in EQ6. I like it so far, but I might have to add another border. I finished four drawing four more blocks this evening and getting the setting set up right. I wanted to get this done, so next week while I'm going up to quilt camp and I stop in a couple of quilt shops I can find my material for the quilt setting. I really do try to plan ahead.


After dinner and drawing the last of the blocks I tackled the DJ Halloween Swap. I wanted to do the six blocks on the diagonal and I did. I first did a test sew with some muslin to make sure I had my dimensions right. I did and I'm very pleased with how they turned out!! Plus I sewed the background fabric around the blocks in the upper right corner. I decided to remove the one black strip next to the zipper strip and the corner blocks. I like how it sets the blocks off.

This sure has been a fun quilting day!! I hope you had one also. Back to work in the morning and that will be it until the 15th! Vacation here I come!!

Blogging Fun

I'm playing with my blog background and making a signature with a background color to match. Now to see how this looks. So far so good. Now to get my tilt back!