Be My Valentine?

Happy Valentine's Day. I've got on my red sweater, my Tiffany hearts. The hubs went out to see Avatar. He asked me along, but I really need to be working on the Diamond Challenge as I'm running out of days. And, while I do realize that half the world thinks this is the greatest movie of all time. I'm not a big fan of the whole computer generated movie thing. I'd much rather be watching Johnny Depp in a ton of wicked crazy makeup as the Mad Hatter than some cartoon-like blue creature with Ridley's voice. I'd rather be doing anything else for 3 hours. Sorry.

Friday, I picked up a little more black on black print to add to the background, and while in the quilt shop I picked a key from a bowl of keys that opened the treasure chest and I then pulled an envelope out and won an Easy Angle ruler. Interesting, I'll learn to use it eventually. Apparently it is for cutting HSTs. I've only ever used Thangles, so it will be enlightening, I'm sure. I was tickled pink to win something. Once I'm done with these challenges, I'll give it a whirl.

Continuing on the lucky streak, I won Mega Millions Friday night. Well, only $2.00, but hey, it's a win. (Sadly, I did not win PowerBall yesterday.)

I then spent Friday night working on painstakingly piecing the diamonds together.

Finally figured out they had to be offset (precisely, no less) in order to align once stitched.

(no, that's not black nail polish, it's navy blue)

And then those little dog ears align to create rows where the seams from each are aligned.

And wah-la! -- you've got a nice big diamond of diamonds.

Yesterday was a trip to Sistos in Frederick for their sale. Bought a boatload of cotton thread, black cotton, black batting (for this piece), and a couple of FQs for an online pin cushion challenge. Also went to Kohls looking for some men's oxford shirts for a novelty quilt I'd like to do, but couldn't find any on sale for less than $15 each. The hubs, always the voice of reason, reinforced the fact that this isn't something I need to do today, and seems to think that if I'm just patient for a bit longer, I'll find what I'm looking for at half that price in a few weeks. We'll see.

So rather than sew last night I instead had to reorganize all my thread in order to find a home for all the new cotton. And I labeled each spool with the project it was bought for (sometimes I frighten myself, I'm so organized).

Today, in addition to coloring the hair (see new profile photo above), I've salvaged some of the silk/cotton strips and sashed that diamond block. Now I'm getting ready to cut out some hulking huge diamonds to turn this into a square that meets the challenge size requirements.

After that, it's anyone's guess to what happens. I'm not sure the red batik collection is going to play now. While rinsing haircolor in the shower 'Velvet Elvis' just popped into my head (I think it might have been the fumes from the L'oreal chemicals). Hmmm......

Stay tuned.

Is It Over Yet?

Yes, I think it is.

Just finished cleaning up after my brunch for 18 (well, 17 really, as one was just a baby and didn't eat anything). That was the last entertainment commitment for 2009. Hoo-RAH!

Christmas dinner for 18 was lovely. The hubs handled 99% of the cooking for that one And thank God for that. I fried the shrimp and cleaned up. (Mostly after 3 a.m., after which I had to sit down and work out the logistics for the next soiree).

It's been a whirlwind 3 days. Off tomorrow and then back to work Tuesday (telecommute). I should be able to work in some quilting. I need to get the SIL's quilt on the pinning table and quilted. The goal is to have it in the mail early next week.

And yes, I did finish Anna's knitting tote (surely you didn't lose faith now, did you?)

 5 different fabrics, 9 outside pockets, most of them pleated. A bit of a challenge, but I pulled it off.

Oh, and it's darn big.

In case you're wondering how I fared for Christmas, I got a Piece O' Cake applique quilt kit and a Gees' Bend quilt kit from the hubs. As well as some books and an Elly Sinkiewicz DVD. (also jewelry, slippers, makeup, Cap'n Jack Sparrow toy and a new badly-needed watch--he's much too good to me)

My daughter gave me Cheryl Ann's design wall--that was pretty funny, her and I attempting to set that up in the family room Christammas morning. 6'x6' is a lot larger in real life than it is in your head. My daughter's boyfriend gave me a way-too-generous gift certificate to Needles and Pins in Frederick, so I've got a lot of damage to do there, which I think I may embark on tomorrow. I'm thinking of outfitting myself with everything needed to pull off a Dear Jane....heck with these Thangles BOMs....let's take on a project with some serious substance!

Well, I'm headed up to pin the SIL's quilt. The hubs bought me one of those little awl-like safety pin closing/opening tools. This should prove to be amusing (and elicit much cursing). I've not exactly won any prizes for my stellar coordination skills....

Good Thing I Picked Up Another 500 Safety Pins Friday

As we can see, I've been busy this weekend. Figured out block placement on the Neptune quilt, pieced it sashed it and it hit the pinning table this morning. Phew! Of course, I love it.

And the birthday quilt for my neice was next up for pinning, right after I finished Neptune. I just love how bright and cheery this one is...very teenage girlish.

Now all I've got to do is strap on the walking foot and get to work, but first a break to run out and pick up a dozen crabs and a few sides for dinner, feed the always hungry dogs and then later I hope to get back up to the studio to finish at least one of these tonight.

If only I were 'bewitched'.....my sister came to sew yesterday and left her Bernina 830 Record (and no, I didn't have to twist her arm, thank you) behind since she's coming back to sew next Saturday. A little nose wigglin' and I'd be done!

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.

Slacking Again

Excuses, excuses, excuses....story of my life, which is why I never seem to get the hang of regular posts.

I have been busy quilting--rather piecing. Here's a photo of what I locked myself in my workroom with the weekend before last.

This is the 2007 Thangles Buck a Block...my very first piecing project. It got better as the months progressed. I actually did finish the blocks in 2007, they just sat in a box while I made the 2008 Buck a Block blocks. Now that I've started the 2009 (which I really like the color combo), I thought it might be a good idea to go back and actually finish the ones I've finished.

I made up the sashing and sashing squares (which used leftover fabric from the blocks). It will have a light blue print backing. All that remains is to whip out the 'sandwich table' and put it together...oooh, I can use my new curved safety pins my daughter put in my Christmas stocking.

I seem to be avoiding doing that, probably because once I do I'm comitted to machine quilting, and it's just a bit larger than the last piece I freemotioned on my 1260. So this weekend I pulled out my Baltimore Blues applique blocks and finished one block and started another. Sometimes it just feels right to do some hand sewing.

Hopefully I'll do a little quilting this weekend. Or maybe I'll pull out the Babylock and learn how to serge...Lord knows I've had that machine for 5 years now and never even plugged it in.

I've also got a Santa I'd like to make (Beachwalker)--yep, the one I've been procrastinating about for the past 2 years--ever since Cap'n Jack was finished, but I'm still not feeling the doll-making creative vibe enough for that one. I need a beach trip for some inspiration, so he may have to stand down until we get back from Hawaii, though I have been thinking it might be fun to just suck up the 3 hour drive and hop in the car and head to the Eastern Shore for a little Winter Beach Walk.

Time Flies!

Oh my gosh! It's been over a month and I haven't posted, which means that a month has passed that I have not finished a quilting project. (This is how UFOs develop).

So to not look so lame, I'm going to post a photo of my Ugly New York Beauty challenge block which I created as a challenge project for my Yahoo quilting group last month. The object was to pick an ugly fabric and to make it look okay through the use of layout and color.

Obvously I didn't win this challenge, but I did learn how to paper piece, and I got to work with curves, spikes, and most importantly, I got in some practice with freemotion.

And since we're rehashing old projects, what better time to pull out the 'almost' quilts and the UFO....

This is fused applique with machine satin stitching. I made this from a pattern to hang outside my daughter's classroom door. It was fun, but tedious. Not exactly a quilt, but in the same family....kind of like chicken and cornish hen.

This is a wall hanging (also made from a kit) I whipped up for my sister who has a large Americana display. I thought this might go well with it. The cool thing about this was how all the little squares were pieced together. You stitched all the different red strips together lengthwise into a tube and then you cut them into strips along the width. Next you ripped out a seam in different places in the tube so the fabric patterns of the strips were now random and no two fabrics aligned next to each other. Really neat. Stitched in the ditch (do we detect a pattern here?)

Let's close this post with the granddaddy of all UFOs.....my HGTV Strolling the Block quilt. The photo shows a pieced top. We are actually sandwiched, all the ditch stitching is done and we have started some freemotion. I'm not exactly sure what the problem is. Either:

a. I'm sick of it (it's been a work in progress for at least 5 years), or

b. I've got so much time and labor invested in it I'm afraid I'll screw up the quilting, or

c. I have nowhere to use or display this so what is the point?

This is fused applique, every single piece is meticulously hand blanket-stitched. There are major emellishments throughout (embroidery, buttons, charms, fishnet, etc.). More of a wall hanging (albeit it almost twin bed sized) rather than a snuggle under--all that 'charmage' does not bode well for comfort.

One day I'll look back on this and laugh about how long it took to complete (sigh)

Finished My First Quilt

I fell in love with the Moda Posh fabric line a few weeks ago so I ordered a jelly roll and a pack of charm squares. ('Jelly Roll'....how cute is that!). Anyway, admidst all the various projects in progress I've got going on, I have managed to complete this quilt, which will be a cozy throw in the family room.

I really wanted to freemotion quilt it, but when I started it (on two separate occasions) I had trouble with skipping stitches. Now I am strictly a beginner quilter, but I just felt that something wasn't right, and it might have been the thread. Yet I really wanted ot use that thread because it was so perfect--the variegated thread that had all my colors in it, so I just whipped out the old Walking Foot and tediously stitched in the ditch along each strip and block.

I found the perfect pink already made bias quilt binding, so I saved some time there. Machine stitched down one side and practiced my applique stitch blindstitching the binding on the back side.

This was a happy quilt to work on because of the colors and the patterns, and I thoroughly enjoyed working on it

I'm so excited and can't wait to start on another. Hopefully I'll be able to freemotion my next project without having the skipped stitches. Maybe I should make a few sandwiches and practice, it could very well be 'operator error'.