Friday, September 13, 2013

I'm Gonna Miss This Quilt!

I'm really enjoying this block-a-week project, Aiming for Accuracy (see link on sidebar). Of course, I wind up waiting until the day the next block is being released to work on the block from the previous week (I just learned from watching Jeopardy that this is the result of my being passive-aggressive...in addition to being borderline obsessive-compulsive....and apparently now a psychiatric hypochondriac).

So, today I finished these three little blocks at the bottom of a previously finished block:


And now, the design wall looks like this:



The blocks released today go across the bottom of the quilt. I'm hoping to get those done well in advance of next Thursday, but track record not withstanding, it's likely not going to happen that way.

Not sure I mentioned it, but Tucker had his first grooming a couple of weeks ago. The best way to describe it is that he went in looking like a throwback to the 60s hippie,


and he came out as the captain of the high school football team.


Tucker is the largest, most solid chihuahua I've seen. Clearly there is 'big dog' somewhere in that lineage, as we barely feed the guy and he only gets half a treat at a time. Maybe he needs thyroid medication. Since the haircut, I've taken to calling him 'Butch'--it just seems to fit.

Back to the subject of quilting.....Vintage Rouge won a blue ribbon at the Montgomery County Agricultural Fair in the applique quilt category. Surprisingly, it beat out a Baltimore Album.


This is the first time I had a quilt judged, so it was very interesting to see how it stacked up


Guess I need to work on my binding.  How perfect that I just discovered that I have one of the original copies of Mimi Dietrich's 'Happy Endings' book that was recently re-published. And I've also got her book 'Borders & Bindings'. Guess they both need to be relocated to the nightstand.



(Or maybe the magazine basket in the master bath would offer a better chance they'd be read).

Happy Friday!

Thursday, September 12, 2013

A Whirlwind Photo Catch-Up

Ordered these cool personalized wood buttons from Pick Your Plum. Once they arrived, I had to stain them to make them more legible. No biggie, quick and effective.

  
Hammered down fabric selection for the Lemon Pepper quilt for my daughter's new couch. Hope to start it soon.

 
Went to Fat Quarter Frenzy at the local quilt shop. Pretty proud of myself that I came home with only 30 new fat quarters. (Come on...they were $1.50....cut me some slack)



Attended my first Modern Quilt Guild meeting at same local quilt shop. Impulse purchase made the night of the guild meeting...how can you not shop when the store is open only for your group and they are letting the group use the space for free. These are half yards, so they'll probably become a table runner or maybe a fall tote bag. We shall see what the tide brings in on this one.


Been working diligently (okay, so more like been PROCRASTINATING diligently) on the Aiming for Accuracy Block-a-Week quilt. There's still a lot to be done, but this is what's on the design wall so far. Visiting SIL saw this over the Labor Day Weekend and asked if she could have it, so it's been adopted...hopefully that will be incentive to keep up with finishing it.



Same quilt/different borders. Think this is the pattern I'd like to use for those 30's reproduction prints I've been hoarding collecting. (Did I mention that it's got about 2200 pieces to cut? May need to rethink this one.)


Went to an antique mall with a neighbor. Picked up these little souvenir wooden shoes for a buck. Turned them into these....



 

Took a run up to Frederick for the new Crabapple Hill gingerbread house patterns. Instead I came back with this one. Not deluding myself about this seeing Halloween 2013. (Heck, it probably won't see Halloween 2014)

Spent 4 hours in Hobby Lobby last Saturday (Obviously, I don't get there much). Among other purchases, I bought a can of stone texture spray paint and 5 little lampshades. I have visions of grandeur for my dining room chandelier. Of course this involves ladders and switching off breakers, splicing electrical wiring to take apart the current chandelier and only use a part of it.... Right now my excuse is that it's too darn hot and sticky to be painting something you don't want to wait a month for it to dry. I think the time limit on that excuse expires Friday, so it's more likely to be a crafty weekend than a quilty one.

Well, that's what's happening in my life. Summer's over and I've gotta put my nose to the grindstone and keep up with the blogging. I'm off to catch up with your posts, so I'll catch you on the flip side.

Happy Thursday!