Retreat Progress, Day 4

Yesterday (Thursday) was a productive day for me, even though it started out a little slow. Early on, I was pretty easily distracted, and had trouble staying on task with anything for very long. But later on, by the middle of the evening, I got back into the groove. I finished adding borders to my The Body in the Kelp Sampler. It's hanging sideways on a not-straight design wall here, so the picture looks a bit odd. But you can get the idea, at least.


Then I got the borders added to this quilt, which is blocks from a panel, which I cut apart, and added sashing and cornerstones to. I'm a sucker for anything with kitties on it, and anything with sewing notions on it, so this panel and the companion stripe I used for the border were just destined to come home with me.
I got the Yellow Brick Road blocks assembled, though I still have to add borders. The printed blocks here are from a panel by Teresa Kogut from some years back. Some of the fabrics are from the same line, others are from my stash. The outer border will be a stripe from this same fabric line.
I got borders added to this lap quilt. This will probably be donated to charity.
And I got borders on this lap quilt, as well. This one will also probably be donated. Today, there's more piecing in the works! More pictures to follow.

Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again soon.

Design Wall Monday, 6/13/2011

I can't believe June is almost half over already! I haven't done any sewing, really, since I've been back from retreat. That's almost a month now, and the withdrawal symptoms are getting bad!

On my design wall at the moment are these pieced backgrounds, from scrap squares. I plan to applique silhouettes in Kona black on top of them. Eventually, they'll be for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. It's a good concept, I think, but I'm still letting it stew in my brain for a while.



I really need to get some sewing done, both to cure my withdrawal symptoms, and to make some more progress on my UFOs. Check out Judy's blog, to see what others are working on today.

Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again soon.

Retreat Wrap-Up/Design Wall Monday

I'm home now from retreat, and I was thinking about just how much I got done. Frankly, I'm impressed! I've already shown some of the pictures, and some will be in my Quilter's Accountability (QA) Report post on Wednesday, but here's what I accomplished:

1. Made two hobo bags. pictures are in this post

2. Assembled two quilt tops, added borders, and made the bindings for them. pictures will be in Wednesday's upcoming QA Report post

3. Added the last two border strips to a quilt top I was donating, made bindings for it and another top (already completed) I was also donating, and handed them both off to someone who will take them to the person who's collecting these donated tops. They'll be quilted, and will be for a fundraising event in late Fall. Silly me, I forgot to take pictures of these tops before I handed them off!

4. Assembled a quilt top from four stitchery blocks, which have been done for several years at least. pictures will be in Wednesday's upcoming QA Report post

5. Made three sock knitting project bags. pictures are in this post

6. Quilted, bound, and added hanging sleeves to two wall quilts. pictures will be in Wednesday's upcoming QA Report post

7. Made 12 fan blocks, though I still have to applique the fans down to the background blocks. I have border fabrics for these, but I'm thinking about saving them to use as the basis for a new jacket for next winter, so for now I'm going to "live with them" for a while, and see what they say they want to be, quilt or jacket.


8. Finished applying the fabrics to the sweatshirt base for my mother's jacket, zigzagged around the pieces on both sleeves, and started the zigzagging on the jacket front. pictures when it's closer to finished, as right now it doesn't really look like much

9. Squared up a set of 16 stitchery blocks, and started thinking about the design of the quilt they'll become. picture of the blocks, and the fabrics for the quilt, are in this post


If I hadn't had to leave retreat, and essentially lost 2 days of sewing time, I'd probably have finished the fan blocks, gotten them set into a top (if that's what I'd decided to do with them), started setting together the stitchery blocks, and finished my mother's jacket. Who knows what else I might have done, as well? It was a fun and relaxing time, and also productive. I can hardly wait for the next one!

Check out Judy's blog, and see what's on other folks' design walls. Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again soon.

Quilter's Accountability Report, a Day Late...

Well, Bari was going to be a day late this week with her QA report, so I figured that gave me an extra day to tackle my VERY long list. Let's see how I did this week.

1. Finish charity top from blocks made by mystery guild member (from previous QA post and above). Done.

2. Add borders to As Time Goes By quilt, make backing and binding (from previous QA post and above). Inner border added, I just decided between two possible fabrics for the outer border this morning.

3. Make top for this month's UFO for the Judy L UFO Challenge project. I'm 0 for 3 so far, so I'd really like to get the April UFO done. I realized, too late, that I can't do this one at the moment -- it's at the house in Ohio, and I'm not.

4. Finish the Winterscape top (January's UFO Challenge project), make backing and binding. Nope, didn't touch it.

5. Make the backing and binding for the TB Goose in the Pond (February's UFO Challenge project). Done -- well, the binding was already made, but I did get the backing made for it. No picture, it's just a quilt back. Pictures when the quilt's finished ;-)

6. Finish the Bargello top (March's UFO Challenge project). Nope, didn't touch it.

7. Quilt the Oak Leaf and Reel quilt that I have loaded on the machine. (See the picture, admittedly not a very good one, on last week's Monday's Design Wall post.) Nope, didn't get to it -- where did the time go this week?

8. Quilt and bind the Quilts for Kids quilt (which can also be seen on last week's Monday's Design Wall post). This should really be #1 on my list, and I think it's the thing I'll tackle first. Done and in the mail.




For next week, I'm going to be on the road quite a bit. My mother's having surgery on Tuesday (April 19), so I'll be going to be with my parents for a while. I don't know if I'll be able to post for the next couple weeks, but I'll set some goals for while I'm gone, all the same.

1. Piece Max & Miss Kitty top.

2. Piece Diadem top.

3. Finish piecing Improvisational quilt.

4. Quilt and bind Strippy Mini.

5. Quilt and bind Mini Bow Ties.

6. Quilt and bind Colorwash TATW wallhanging, and add a sleeve. Leave with mom for Mother's Day.

7. Finish mom's jacket, and leave it with her.

That ought to keep me out of trouble! Check out Bari's blog, to see how others did on their lists last week.

Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again soon.

Still Another Quilt Top Going to Alycia

Here's the last of the quilt tops that I'm sending to Alycia for wounded service members. This one was a mystery by Debbie Caffrey, called "Chip Off the Old Block." In the picture, the blue and green seem to contrast reasonably well, but in real life they're too close in value. This is probably also more feminine, given that the outer border is a floral print. Otherwise, it might have been a gender-neutral design. This one measures 64"x88" so it's essentially a twin size.



I'll have more project pictures to share tomorrow, for another challenge I'm participating in.

Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again soon.

More Tops Going to Alycia

Here are some more tops that are going into the package(s) I'll be sending to Alycia, to be finished and given to wounded service members.

This first one is a design called "Timberline Lodge," from A Piece in Time. It's nearly twin sized at 59"x83". This one should be completely gender-neutral.


This is a Turning Twenty, from a kit I got at Creations Sew Clever. I just made this last summer or fall. It's no doubt more female-oriented, between the pastels and the florals. It measures 64"x80".

Here's another version of the "Square Dance" pattern from Creations Sew Clever. This, too, is more feminine because of the florals and the colors. It measures 63"x76".

This is a Puss in the Corner. I made this in a class at A Piece in Time in approximately 2001 or 2002. We were doing quilts based on the titles of books by Earlene Fowler. This was (I think) "Irish Chain." The border fabric is a paisley, with the red and green in it plus some purple and a screaming bright cheddar gold. I love it, but I think it's probably another more feminine quilt. This one measures 68"x84" which is between a twin and a double, to me.

Here's one that's pretty gender-neutral. Maple Leaves in autumn colors, with a leave print border. This one's also quite large, at 71"x89". I made this as a class sample in 1999 when I was teaching basic quick-piecing techniques.


There's one more top to be included in this shipment. I'll show that one in the next post.

Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again soon.

Tops Going to Alycia

Here are some of the quilt tops that I'll be sending to Alycia, to be given to wounded service members. I hope to get this box sent off by the end of next week.

This first one is a terrible picture of a throw (56"x76") in a design called "Love Knot," by my friend Peg Bingham. We did this as a guild mystery in about 2001, and I've had the top completed since at least 2004. The background is a purple fabric with a sort of Jacobean floral design in it, so this is one that will likely have to go to a woman.

This is a design called Jellystone Park. I can't recall the name of the line I used for this one. It's 70" x 80". I'm not sure if this one is gender-neutral enough or not, really. The outer border is a paisley, and there's some pink in it. I know some guys who wouldn't think anything about that, but a lot of others who would. I've got to work on more guy-friendly stuff to send to Alycia next time ;-)

Here's one that's pretty guy-friendly. It's another design by Sandy Heminger of A Piece in Time. She calls this one "Almost No Intersections." This one is nearly a twin, at 60"x84".


Here's another version of the same design, in brushed cotton plaids and stripes. Thie one has more blocks than the first, but no border, and it measures 60"x74".

This is a design that was originally a mystery quilt, by Creations Sew Clever. This one measures 55"x74", and again because it's got a fairly large amount of a floral fabric, it probably will need to be for a woman. It's called "Argyle Sox."


Blogger only lets me upload five pictures at a time, and I find it frustrating to try to go back and add more photos to a post, so I'll do another post or two with the rest of the tops I'm sending to Alycia.

Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again soon.

For the Boys (and Girls) in Blue (and Green, and Camo)

Do you know about Alycia? She's committed to getting a quilt to every wounded service member who crosses her path ;-) I've been wanting to help her with that goal for some time, and I'm finally getting some things sent to her. I've got 5 or 6 completed quilts I'm sending her, as well as a number of tops that she'll need to quilt or have someone else quilt.

First, here are the finished quilts I'm sending her. This first one ended up sideways, but it's a rail fence throw, with safari animals in the border. My friend Sally quilted it (she was looking for practice quilts when she bought her Gammill with Statler Stitcher a while back) with an allover design with animals -- tigers, elephants, and more. It's perfect for this quilt!



This next one is a large throw or a twin. The pattern is Take Five, and it's all in browns and pinks. This one will no doubt have to go to a female, but the sad reality is that women who are serving in the armed forces are getting wounded too, so I'm sure it will go to someone who will enjoy it. My friend Sally quilted this one as well.


This next one is flannel, and it's oh so snuggly! This one is a pattern called "Chain Link," by Creations Sew Clever. My friend Sally also quilted this one. It's a nice throw size.

This is another pattern from Creations Sew Clever. This one is called "Square Dance." This is a largish throw size. This was also quilted by Sally.

This one is half log cabin blocks, in bright batiks and black. This was a design created by Sandy Heminger of A Piece in Time in Akron, Ohio. We used to live about 4 miles from that shop, and when we did, I took a LOT of classes there. That's when I really started accumulating UFOs! This is a large throw or almost a twin size. I quilted this one, with a fun meander-y design in bright variegated thread.

This is a throw made from fabric with Australian aboriginal designs. The orange is a shot cotton by Kaffe Fassett. My friend Sally quilted this one, too.



Tomorrow I'll show you some of the tops I'm sending to Alycia in the box(es) I'm packing up for her. Thanks for coming by to play. Come back again soon.

Quilter's Accountability Report

Last time I posted for Quilter's Accountability, I set myself some very modest goals. So, let's see how I did:

Turn charity blocks into a quilt top? Nope, although I did get the center pieced.

Get borders on my version of the quilt from As Time Goes By? Nope, didn't even touch it.

My goals for this next week are to finish what I didn't get done in the last FOUR weeks (that's how long it's been since my last QA post, which was also my FIRST QA post). I'm really going to make an effort to be more consistent in posting my Quilter's Accountability progress, because if I'm not doing the posts, it can't possibly be motivating me, right?

There are some other things I'd LIKE to get done this week, and just for kicks I'll list them all and see how far I get.

1. Finish charity top from blocks made by mystery guild member (from previous QA post and above).

2. Add borders to As Time Goes By quilt, make backing and binding (from previous QA post and above).

3. Make top for this month's UFO for the Judy L UFO Challenge project. I'm 0 for 3 so far, so I'd really like to get the April UFO done.

4. Finish the Winterscape top (January's UFO Challenge project), make backing and binding.

5. Make the backing and binding for the TB Goose in the Pond (February's UFO Challenge project).

6. Finish the Bargello top (March's UFO Challenge project).

7. Quilt the Oak Leaf and Reel quilt that I have loaded on the machine. (See the picture, admittedly not a very good one, on last week's Monday's Design Wall post.)

8. Quilt and bind the Quilts for Kids quilt (which can also be seen on last week's Monday's Design Wall post). This should really be #1 on my list, and I think it's the thing I'll tackle first.

That's going to be a very full week for me, but I'll give it my best shot! At least by making a list of what I hope to get done, maybe I won't spend all week just spinning my wheels.

Thanks for coming by to play. Check out Bari's blog to see how others are doing on their Quilter's Accountability. Come back again soon.

One Way to Reduce the UFO Count...

Right near the end of last year (2010), I learned of the existence of Gladys. Gladys lives in Des Moines, sews like the wind, and has a knack for taking the orphans, UFOs and other unloved or incomplete quilty items of others, and turning them into wonderful quilts. In January, I sent her a box full of things -- blocks from swaps that were never going to become quilts in my house, a false start on a serialized project from Quilter's Newsletter from about 15 years ago, a Round Robin top I just never did feel the love for, and other things. Yesterday, I put together another box to send her. There's a quilt top that one of my water aerobics instructors gave me, that I told her I'd finish and donate, a small top I started in a Mary Ellen Hopkins workshop back in 2000, some orphan block-of-the-month kits from a shop owned by a friend in Ohio from when she was cleaning up her back room, and four quilt tops.

This first one is a pattern called "Pandora's Box," from Pam and Nicky Lintott's first book, Jelly Roll Quilts. I made this one on a retreat weekend in about 2008. It measures about 52"x77".

This next, wrinkled, one is a Thimbleberries pattern. I can't remember the name of it, nor for sure which book it came from, but I think it came from one of the three hardbound books she did. The pattern called for applique in the background areas, but instead I used a patterned background, and omitted the applique. I made this one in 1999, as part of the Thimbleberries Club at Abigayle's Quiltery. This one measures right around 69" square.


This next one was a kit I got from a shop in Chillicothe, Ohio, Creations Sew Clever. It's all in brushed cottons, and the appliques are fused and blanket-stitched by machine. I made this one on my own at home, in about 2000 or 2001. It measures about 52"x60".

Finally, this was the New Year's Eve mystery 2008 by Ann Smith, presented to several Yahoo groups, among them Fabricaholics Anonymous. I didn't get the measurements of this one, but it's a large twin. I've had this top finished for probably close to 3 years now, except for the borders, which just recently finally got added.



I know Gladys will have these quilted and bound and donated almost before I can blink! I'm happy that they'll be fulfilling their intended purpose, spreading warmth and comfort. I'm also happy to be able to reduce my UFO list a bit.

Thanks for coming by to play! Come back again soon.

Design Wall Monday

I've missed several weeks of Design Wall posts. For most of that time, there's been nothing on my Design Wall, and no sewing of note going on, either. Today I have something on my design wall, because I'm getting ready to spray-baste it together for quilting. This is a top (you can see the backing wrong-side-up behind it) I made for Quilts for Kids.

I really need to get this finished up and returned to them. I've had it WAY too long -- I think since last May or June! I got bogged down and didn't finish it right away, and then there were some big life changes including DH changing jobs, and then it just got buried and forgotten. I'm going to just quilt this on my DSM, because there's something on my HQ16 at the moment, too.


This is a top I made back in about 1995 or maybe 1996 at the latest. You can really only see one corner of it here -- there are six of those large blocks:


At some point, probably ten or more years ago, I started quilting it on my DSM, got all the sashings and the inner border done, and in one block I'd outlined the applique shapes and completely microstippled the background. Then I decided I didn't really like it, and had to frog all that quilting -- and my stitch length was pretty inconsistent, but there were a lot of really SMALL stitches in there. It got folded up and set aside for quite a while, before I decided to tackle all that unquilting. I finally finished the frogging a while back, and got it loaded up on the HQ16. And there it sits. I really hope to finish it this week. I love this quilt, and would really like to have it done.

Other than a little bit of sorting, I haven't done a thing with all those wonderful decorator fabric samples I got a few weeks ago. I want to make some sock bags -- small bags to carry a sock knitting project around in. I have some pieces paired up to use for that purpose, I just haven't had any time to do any sewing at all. I hope to change that this week, and get a lot of things done.

That's all from me for now. Thanks for coming by to play. Come back again any time.

Today's goal...

Well, besides some cleaning and organizing, that is. Today's somewhat quilty goal is to get this:

into the house (from the garage) and get it covered with flannel, so I can use it as my design wall. At the moment, I'm using a flannel-backed tablecloth hanging flannel-side-out in front of a bookcase. It's okay, but only about 30" wide, ripply, and I have to pin everything to it. So I'm looking forward to having these two 4'x8' insulation sheets covered and ready to use.

I also hope to get the setting squares and triangles cut for my charity top, and maybe sew the center together. DH is working tonight, so this evening SHOULD be prime sewing time.... And since that first picture isn't very thrilling, let me give you a little bit of cute for today -- the kitty you can see is Max, and the big lump next to him under the covers is Muffin.

Getting under the covers is a new trick of Muffin's, he's only been doing that for a few months. This winter, I guess. He's almost 12 years old, so maybe he's starting to feel the cold more.

Wish me luck on getting my tasks for the day accomplished! Thanks for stopping by to play. Come back again any time.

On the Design Wall Today...

Today I'm sharing two things. First, here's what's on the makeshift design wall at the moment:




This is a set of blocks for a charity quilt. At a guild meeting some time last year, I picked up a large plastic bag labeled "Blocks and Bits and Pieces," which was to be made into a charity quilt. Well, the other bits and pieces have been made into two tops, one that was just squares, and one that was just bricks. These blocks were already made, along with 10 smaller ones (with one fewer round on them). I decided I didn't want to make any more blocks, so I'll finish them up as they are. I'm planning to set these on point, and make borders top and bottom with the smaller blocks, either also on point, or set straight. I'll probably use a solid Kona cotton for the setting squares and triangles, but haven't yet decided on a color for them.


Then, although this isn't on a design wall per se, I'm going to be auditioning borders for it very soon. This is the quilt center that I assembled on my recent retreat.

Can you tell it was windy?

This is my version of the quilt on the main characters' bed in the Britcom "As Time Goes By," which stars Dame Judy Dench and Geoffrey Palmer. I love that series, and from the first time I saw the quilt on the bed, I wanted it! I've watched and watched, and rather than trying to make an exact replica, I figured out what elements about the quilt in the show I liked, and made sure to include those. The things I liked were the center design, and the fact that many of the pinwheels had fabric substitutions in them. My pinwheels are almost all a bit "maverick." There are very few of them that are made from only two fabrics. Anyhow, I made myself a sketch on graph paper:

And went from there. The eagle-eyed will notice that my center design deviates from my sketch. I mis-cut for the squares in the corners of the center unit, and decided to just use what I'd cut. Then I decided to put half-square triangles in the corners of the borders around the center, to continue the pinwheels' movement. I'm not sure I like it better than the sketch, now that I see it, but I'm NOT going to undo it all and change it. I've been excited about making this quilt for quite some time, so I'm going to finish it up very soon, so I can start enjoying it.

Thanks for coming by to play. Check out Judy's blog, to see what others have on their design walls today. Come back again soon!