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.

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More Spring UFO Club Projects

So now I had a helper and daylight, although we WERE burdened by a windy day for it. Still, at least they're pictures, even if they're not the best pictures.

This first one is one I showed in a previous picture yesterday, as blocks. Here it is all put together and with borders. I don't have measurements for these, but the blocks are 16" so this would be a good-sized throw. I'm calling this one November Stars, which I think I explained in my earlier post, so I won't go through it again.

This is from the pattern "Take Five." It's a good sized throw, too. It's hard to see, but the fabric that started it all is the outer border fabric, which is also in the blocks. It's a sewing notions print, and I'm a sucker for those. I pulled fabrics to go with it, and just used a simple pattern so that I could just enjoy the fabrics for what they are. I really love the colors in this one.

This top came out of a group I used to belong to, called "Stash Sisters." The idea, obviously, was to do things from stash. One year we did a different kind of BOM (block of the month). Each of us took a month, and when it was our month we brought in a block pattern, with copies for everyone, and a sample of the block made up. Each of us went home and made our own blocks in our own fabrics. So I made all my own blocks, but didn't choose all of them -- they were chosen by the different members. This is hard to see, but there are blues and greens and teals and reds all in this quilt top. The setting idea came from a pattern in QUILT magazine a few years ago, though that pattern just used two alternating blocks. This one is somewhere between a twin and a double size, I'd guess.


This was the result of a fun night out. There's a delightful quilt shop, sort of in the middle of nowhere in northwestern Ohio, called The Door Mouse. When I lived in Cleveland, Ohio, it was a shop that we would sometimes go on "field trips" to. They have a really large selection, and if you're looking for it and can't find it there, chances are you won't find it. Anyhow, they used to periodically do overnight classes. It would run from 6 PM until 6 AM, and included breakfast. Folks brought snacks to share, and we sewed all night. I went to several of those, and they were a lot of fun. This was the project from one of those, I think it was back in 1998. I've had the top done since shortly after the class, and it's probably been basted up since at least 1999. It's time to get it quilted and start using it! I don't have measurements for it yet, but it's obviously wider than DH's "wingspan," but not as long as you'd want it, I think, for a bed quilt. But that's just me speculating, at this point. When it's finished, I'll measure it. I LOVE this one.

This was a day-long Thimbleberries mystery quilt class at Abigayle's Quiltery, back in early 1999. I just recently finished assembling the top (it would get put aside for long stretches at a time), and I'm ready to see it finished at last. This is probably a twin size or close to it.


That's my five pictures that Blogger lets me upload at a time. I just find it too fiddly to go back and add more pictures, so I'll do another post with more. It should be up soon -- stay tuned!

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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.

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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.

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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.

Tops Completed at Retreat

I've got photos of some of the tops I completed at retreat that I'll show today. There are still one or two I need to get pictures of, but it was raining here yesterday. All of these just needed the last borders added to them, so finishing this many isn't as impressive as it might otherwise sound ;-)

Once again, my lovely photo assistants are Celeste and Julie.

First is a nice twin size top, a mystery from Debbie Caffrey called "Chip Off the Old Block." I didn't really get enough contrast between my blue and green fabrics -- in real life these seem a lot closer in value to each other. It measures about 64"x88" .

Then there's another mystery quilt, this one is called "Sedona Stones," and was from Creations Sew Clever, in Chillicothe, Ohio. This is a double bed size, at around 85"x95".

Then, yet another mystery quilt. This one, as far as I know, doesn't have a name. We did this as our Quilt Sitters Circle summer picnic mystery in 2004 at A Piece in Time. I'm pretty sure it was designed by the shop owner, Sandy Heminger. This is really big, at 95"x108".

Finally, a Thimbleberries pattern called "Jacket Plaid." I also did this one at A Piece in Time -- it was the Thimbleberries Club project one month, back in the days before the club was quite so organized as it is now, with a year-long project each year. I think I probably started this one in 2001 or 2002, though I don't remember for sure. We used to just decide what Thimbleberries pattern we wanted to do as a club project each month -- which led to me having a LOT of Thimbleberries patterns started, but not finished. This one is also big, at 87"x96".

Can you tell it was windy outside when we were trying to take these pictures? The girls had a bit of a fight on their hands on occasion, just getting the tops to stay still long enough to have their pictures taken.

So now I have four more to add to the "needing to be quilted" stack. Or rather, not "stack" but "totes." Yes, plural -- I think I have two, maybe three, large plastic totes of quilt tops that need to be quilted. Probably about half of them have the backings already prepared. I think that may be my next project I tackle, preparing backings for the rest of them. Then, I think a quilting marathon is in order.

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Finishes from Retreat

Here are the four quilts I finished binding at retreat. These are pictures I took while there, and the quilts are being held by Celeste and Julie. I think you may see Julie in some of the pictures, but Celeste did a better job of hiding ;-).

First is one that's an adaptation of a pattern from a book called "Angels" by Jan Patek. Her quilt was called, I believe, "Archangel." I just call this one Folk Art Angels. It's large -- 82"x104".

Next is a quilt, called "Puzzler" from Maple Island Quilts. This one is about twin size, at 59"x91". It's for my husband, because he likes bright colors and tropical fish.







The pattern tells you to randomly applique the triangle offcuts from making those half-flying geese units onto the quilt top. I didn't want to do that, so I pieced the triangles together and made a strip that gave me the extra width I needed for the backing.



Here's a quilt I did as a mystery. This one was Mystery #6 from Webequilts. I love the fabrics in this, and am really happy with how it turned out. It's a great size, too, at 78"x88".



Finally is this really big quilt. This was also done as a mystery, but it's a pattern called "Confetti Stars," and I think it's by Terry Atkinson. I don't see that it's on her website now, unfortunately. There's a funny story about this one. The instructor had made her sample in Thimbleberries fabrics. I made mine from scraps and FQs that I pulled in pinks/burgundies, greens, and blues, and used a hand-dyed gold for the stars. She was looking at everyone's fabric selections, and when she saw mine, she said "oh, Lydia, you're using those brights." Ummmmm, yeah, brights. I've got some Thimbleberries, some Jinny Beyer, and other fabrics in there, but none of them are what I'd call "bright." As a result, this quilt has a name! I don't very often name my quilts, but sometimes a name just "attaches" itself to a particular quilt, and that has definitely happened here. This quilt will always and forever be known as "Bright Confetti Stars." It's really big, at 96" square.


Tomorrow I'll show the tops I got finished at retreat, assuming I can get pictures of the last two.



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Mystery Quilt time

Every New Year's Eve, the Fabricaholics Anonymous Yahoo group does a mystery together, which is designed by Ann Smith. I believe there are some other groups who also do the same mystery, though I don't remember what they are for sure. The 2008 one is one of my about-to-be-completed UFOs. I didn't do the 2009 mystery with the group, but liked the design so well I cut out and started (barely!) two of them. This year, I'm planning to sew along with the group.



Here are the fabrics I'll be using:








I'd planned to get my cutting done more than a week ago, but life got in the way. I'll do it today, and be ready to go on Friday. When the top is finished I'll post a picture, since it probably won't get quilted right away.


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Self-Proclaimed Queen of UFOs