I've been Absent

Seems I have my plate full and running over with things to keep me busy and before I know it each day it is past bedtime.



For the past month or so I've been busy trying to reorganize, rearrange my house. I love it, the rooms are all nice and large, with 10' ceilings (which I like and don't like too). The higher ceilings make the rooms feel so nice and large but to change light bulbs, hang drapes, get in the very top of cabinets etc - YOU need an 8' ladder, other than that I like them. The big disadvantage to this house is that when it was remodeled from a older smaller home and enlarged - they missed the opportunity to add storage. I have 2 closets (1 in each bedroom). There is lots of room for other storage, but it isn't here. The bathroom is huge with NO storage available except a cubby hole over the large shower, which you need an 8' ladder to access, there is also one of these cubby holes over each bedroom closet and the closet housing the hot water heater, my washer and dryer - I have plans but at the moment there are budget constraints that hinder my progress. HMMMM The cubby holes storage is nice for things you want to keep but they are not easily accessible so for all intent and purpose they are almost useless as storage for me.



Spring this year in Texas has been one of the most beautiful in a long time. The Texas bluebonnets outdid themselves along with all the other spring bloom we have each year. After a long spell of very little to no rain at all with all the small ponds (tanks as we know them) dry or almost dry we had a long season of rain and seems it was at the right time to provide our spring flowers and trees the needed watering to show their thanks with full bloom.



Since Feb I've almost finished several quilt tops and hope to get them totally done before April is over. I made a small lap throw and gave to a friend for a donation to the Church school her twins go to. They are seniors this year. The top was a scrappy rendition of 2.5" squares. The backing was in the school colors Navy and White. I used a solid navy fabric and had it machine quilted and the quilter used white bobbin thread so the quilting showed. The school has one annual fund raiser each year. Each class contributes something for the auction as well as individuals and local businesses. The senior class donated a large (very large) basket filled with items for a picnic or gourmet meal - including my quilt. The basket brought $800 at auction. The array of items being auctioned were really nice from fishing gear, hair styling to a vacation complete with maid service and private chef. Almost all the items auctioned (including the silent auction) brought in more than their value. I was treated by my friend to attend the Bar-b-que dinner and auction.


My quilt tops -


One is a pinwheel made with two fabrics white with a flag print. I started it with some 4.5" squares of the fabrics making half-square triangles and run out of squares. I was able to find more but these were 5.5" and I could get enough to make a queen size quilt top. Since I had the smaller ones with the same fabric, I worked out an arrangement to use them too in the quilt. I've taken the larger half-square triangles from the 5.5" squares, assembled them as pin-wheels and then joined 6 to form a rectangular block. I ordered some red and blue fabric (same print) with white stars to use with white for sashing. I will set the quilt together with the smaller pin-wheel block as corner stones and use the white, red/white stars and blue/white stars strips as 3 color sashing.


The second is a scrappy quilt with 4" square (very few alike) pieced very randomly. I put them in a clean small wastebasket and just attach as I pull out a square. The only time I put the square back and get another is if it happens to be the same color or fabric as the one I'm attaching it to. I do rows of 22 squares then join the rows and sometimes when joining the rows two identical fabrics are together. But these have happened so randomly that they still look good. I have a few more rows to add to this top and it will be finished.


The third top is a 9 patch. I had a collection of 4" squares and sorted out the fabrics into colors. I then pulled the pink, red, blue, purple, yellow, and green and made 9 patch blocks. I've set the blocks together using either the darker squares for 5 with 4 alternating lighter or vice versa, in the same color family. I will set the quilt together with white sashing - no corner stones. I will alternate the color so the color will make diagonal rows.


I have two tops I'm assembling for a friend. She had bartered with another lady for a quilt in exchange for an antique Santa figurine. The blocks the lady made are beautiful and she did a fantastic job of the assembly. She make Dresden plate on a neutral background and then 9 patch to alternate between the Dresden plates. When I laid it out on the floor I felt the beautiful work of the machine applique of the Dresden plates got lost in busy look I suggested that she pull them out and make two tops. So we got some additional fabric that coordinated with the 9 patch and made more, then cut the blocks into fourths and will assemble as a disappearing 9 patch. The dresden plate will (at this point this is the plan) sashed and a border added. I was lucky to find enough of a blue print she'd used in the quilt to use to complete the two tops. We will use as the wider borders on one top and as sashing on the other. We then found a solid red to do the reverse with, using it as the wide border on the quilt with the blue sashing and smaller blue border, and as sashing and small border on the other.


Lastly I have a quilt top I made for my ex last year. I have attached a narrow green border and 3 pieced (piano key borders). I made the borders when I made the quilt but then had a fire in the apt where I lived. Everything was in storage for 6 months and I got tired of waiting for the apt to be finished and found the place where I'm at now. Seems when I unpacked and I had all 4 border strips two got separated from the other two. I attached 2, then this past week found the 3rd and now need to find the fourth and that top will be finished and ready or quilting.

My goal for 2010 is to finish at least 4 pieced quilt tops, 1 each for my 4 children. I have an art quilt top to do for each of them, not sure I can do the 8 between now and Christmas. I won't give one thier quilt until all 4 pieced "or" all 4 arts are done, so that I can give them at the same time, to keep from favortism comments. I have the fabric and pattern for oldest son, oldest daughter and youngest son's pieced quilts. I'm getting BOM kits for oldest son and oldest daughter's art quilt. I have the fabric for youngest daughter's art quilt (I'm having to design it as I couldn't find one I like that I wanted for her). I still need to decide on the pattern for piced quilt for youngest daughter and need her to give me her color choice as she is going to change her bedroom colors. If she doesn't make a decision and let me know soon - she may get something that I choose.

Life here is BUSY

Which is good, no time to dwell on things not worth thinking about.



Yesterday I sent a little scrappy quilt throw top, batting and backing with a long arm quilter. It is one I did using 3" squares and is totally scrappy very few of them are the same fabric, and they are very radomly put together. I made it for a donation for a friend son's school. She has twin boys that are seniors and the senior class is donating a Picnic basket filled with all kinds of goodies for the school's annual auction/dinner fund raising event.



I've pieced for several years now, and I've done hand quilting, but didn't have time to do hand quilting on this one, have never machine quilted and didn't want my first attempt to be displayed before so many at an event, so elected to have it professionally quilted. The school colors are Navy and White. So the backing is Navy, the binding will be white and the quilting on the Navy will be white so it will show up. She is doing a feather stitch and I'm anxious to see it finished, I'll do the binding. Quilting thread for the top is varigated.



I have 2 quilts in the work in progress (WIP) stage. I have 36 blocks - 9 patch, 6 of each color, pink, blue, red, purple, green, yellow and will set them together with white (now have enough white fabric to do this and more). I have a pinwheel that has blocks 36 made from 5" squares white on one side and a flag print fabric on the other, then I have 16 made from 4" squares using the same fabric to add for corner stones. I made the 36 into grouping of 6 for 6 rectangle blocks and will sash with 3 strips, one blue with white stars, one red (identical to the blue) and one red. Very patriotic, and will get it quilted and use on my bed or guest bed for patriotic holidays. The 9 patch not sure if it will be put away for a future great grandchild or what yet.



I have quilt patterns, BOM and fabric for 8 quilts for my 4 children (4 pieced and 4 art type) and 1 each for 11 grandchildren and 7 grandchildren, but inbetween guess I'm making and stashing for future Greats as that number is still growing.



I just got a commision to make a throw sized quilt using a "Morning Star" quilt pattern. It will be a scrappy type using browns. Not only are the blocks scrappy but also the sashing. The corner stones are white and the white fabric is used to make half square triangles on either coner of the sashing and the end result looks like an Ohio Star. Neat quilt pattern, looks easy to make.

new Quilt Porjects

With the start of 2010 I finally have my house where I can devote some time to sewing. Jan 2nd and 3rd I made 36 9 patch blocks using 4" blocks. I chose 6 colors (pink, yellow, blue, green, purple and red). The 9 squares are all a different print in each block and most have 5 darker and 4 lighter squares - you are right I goofed, 3 blocks ended up with 4 dark and 5 light squares.
I plan to add a border (width is to be determined) of white or navy to each block with mitered corners, then assemble. Not sure I have a piece of fabric large enough to make all the borders the same - so this quilt may be a work in progress until I can go shopping.

On the 5th I took all the miscellaneous 4" blocks I had put them in a new clean trash basket and stirred them up. Then using an assembly line method, sewed them in groups of 2, then 4, then in rows of 21, then sewed the rows together. I have 11 rows and I'm out of those squares. That quilt is on hold until I get more squares and they are on the way shortly.

Of the 4" Squares I had I pulled the ones that had squares of the same fabric and will work on a trip around the world quilt today. Not sure I have enough for the full top, but will get a start.

The past several months I have been involved in a Round Robin which has been interesting to say the least. There are 3 groups of 5 ladies. I am in two of the groups. I had volunteered to do two blocks in the event the hostess didn't have enough to fill all the groups. Each lady in the group makes a block (we had size guidelines - that few followed). Once our block is finished we mail to the person below us on the list. She adds a border (pieced, appliqued etc) and mails to the person below her on the list. After the last 4th border is added it has completed it journey and is retuned to person that made the block.

At first I was at a loss as to how these borders would look, what I would add etc. But once I it all got started and I began to receive the many beautiful small quilts it was not difficult to decide what to add.

Thanksgiving is almost here and this year is soon to be history. I moved here the 1st of June and it really doesn't seem like 6 months have elapsed - but they have.

A lot has been accomplished in that I have 75% of everything unpacked cleaned and most put away. I still have some fabrics, books and miscellaneous I'm still trying to devise the best way to organize so I can find something when I need/want it.

I'm working on a couple of Round Robins which were really neat ideas and work into a useful item for me. There are groups of 5 ladies (I'm in 2 groups because they were short a person). Each makes a block and sends to the lady on the list below her name. The remaining 4 ladies each add a border (pieced, appliquéd, decorated as she might) and when the 4th is added the piece is returned to the originator of the block. I have a small glass top table in my living room, for games, zig saw puzzles etc and think these will make really neat little quilted table toppers for it. So I chose two holiday themes (valentine's day and 4th of July) for my blocks. I also want to make other small table topper quilts to use in there for other holidays - Yes I Know I need more projects.