(The Sound of Trumpets) Taa Daa!!!!!!

The black/white/green twin size quilt for my daughter's guest room is finally finished (sound of cannons shooting confetti all around). Well, okay, it still needs the label sewn on, but for all practical purposes, it is done, complete, fini.

This is the largest I have done so far, I usually stick to throws, crib and smaller, but this one was a bear because she wanted thick batting in it to make it more 'comforter-like', so it was a hard wrangle on the 1260. Never again....it's Warm and Natural/Warm and White from here on out.

Every block has been quilted with a walking foot around it's pattern. The sashing is all outlined, and there's a bit of freemotion going on here and there.

I designed and pieced this baby in April and then I just procrastinated my little heart out to avoid quilting it. Originally it was to be red, she wanted green, then I used too much green sashing so I had to rip it apart and substitute black for half the sashing.

My daughter was a long hard labor, so I guess it's only fitting that this quilt was equally hard to birth.

Another one bites the dust....yay! There's no better feeling than wrapping something up and getting to start on something new.

Happy Birthday To You

As promised, the finished birthday quilt....tah dah!

And the back with my 'signature block'.

My sister pointed out that I didn't have a finished photo of the Maple Leafs of Friendship table cover quilt, so here is that one:

actually covering the table.

So this makes two quilts finished so far this month. The black/white/green is currently in the sewing machine. It's going to be a tedious walking foot with a bit of freemotion job. Hope to have it done by the weekend. Then I've got to quilt Nautilus (which is pinned and ready), and I'm all caught up and can start a new one. Pretty productive summer so far, if I don't say so myself.

Oh, and I tweaked the center block of my group project last night. Instead of making the border be the dusty teal polka dots, I used the star fabric that I used for the smaller circles in the block. I can't wait to see what direction this one goes in.

I've got this weekend and next week to catch things up as I've planned to drop my machine at the 'spa' on the 11th for a well deserved rest and some pampering while I'm in Hawaii. Must get back to work as I have no time to waste.

Is it the Weekend Yet?

Here I sit, brokenhearted
in my office--no quilting started
Watching the clock, the hours tick by
Ever so s-l-o-w-l-y....heavy sigh

Okay, enough waxing poetic. I need to get out of here and run over to Capital Quilts to see if I can find some lime green fabric to use on Jen's guestroom quilt. I finished up some more black and white blocks last night and I'd like to finish this quilt top tomorrow (Sorry Margaret...afraid we might be bringing store-bought cookies to the Easter dinner on Sunday).

Let's see if I can get a decent photo of the block sets on my cell phone so I can post them...

Alrighty then. What I did was choose a predominantly black with white print and a predominantly white with black print and used them with solid black or white to make a traditional pieced block.

I took the two prints and made a same size block of alternating strips. I made another slightly larger strip block, cut the strips in the opposite direction and sewed them together to make a 'checkerboard' block of the two prints.

Each two 'opposite' prints yielded 4 different blocks, for a total of 16 at the moment.

I'm thinking that somehow I should also make a block that mixes the white print with the solid white and the black print with the solid black, and I was thinking diagonal strips. That would give me 2 more blocks for each 'set' of prints. I also have a few other prints I can use to add a couple more block patterns--depends on how this lays out size-wise.

I'm off to find some graph paper.

Black and White Challenge Project

To show that I'm not slacking, I'm attaching a photo of a work in progress. The plan is to make a throw for my daughter using a black and white jelly roll she gifted me for Christmas this year. To spice it up, I'm going to sash in red and the backing is a most excellent Moda red with white print.

I've got 4 block patterns going, two opposites in each pattern (swapping black for white in the pattern I'm using).

The plan is to use the 2-1/2" strips to create 8 striped blocks and 8 checkerboard squared blocks as well. Though I may need to cut that to a smaller number once I see how it's working out size-wise.

No real pattern here, just using some of the Thangle block patterns from the 2007 Thangles BOM. (I love using Thangles--so much cheaper than rotary cutter blades and band-aids).

Two more blocks to put together for the 2008 Thangles BOM. Need to find a good print fabric for that one. Lots of wild colors going on there. (It's the swatch ring on the far right). Last night I started on the final two blocks, and tonight I'll finish them and post a photograph of the 12 blocks.

Considering that I still haven't put together the 2007 Thangles BOM (swatch ring on far left), it's time I finished something before I run up to 'far north' Frederick this weekend to pick up the first block in the 2009 series. I really don't want to become a collector of unfinished pieces of quilts. I'd much rather be known for finishing what I started (hmm.....wait.....how many half finished needlepoint and crewel projects are in a box in my basement right now, and have been there for 30 years?).

Well, I'm not going to be an 'old dog'. It may be too late for those needlework projects, but I will finish every quilt I've started this year. (fingers crossed)

(........Well, ............maybe not ALL those Baltimore Album applique blocks... )