Shop Hop by the Bay 2008

Spent Friday and Saturday going to 15 stores and the quilt museum, which included 2 stores not in the Shop Hop. I got several things, including:
Time Out Quilts – Atkinson Designs, where I hope to make String of Lights, using the almost white batik from Always Quilting and batiks from stash and Lily pads using Blank fabric from Gold Country Retreat
Teapots 2 to appliqué – Kay McKenzie (signed) at Round Robin Quilts - using Blue and white fat quarters from Always Quilting, & blue & white border fabric, background unknown, perhaps light gold or very light blue pseudo solid It’s Hip to be Square (HST and squares) – Debbie Caffrey (Back Porch Fabrics) - making Beary Patches (Bear’s Paw variation) using Periwinkle, purple, blue and off-white fat quarters from Back Porch, along with setting fabrics and a few more fat quarters from Fabrics n Fun (now Sewing Machine Center)
Quilts for Rosie – Carolyn Cullinan McCormick - using red, blue, and gold 30s fabrics and white (got 25 fat quarters from Golden State)Put Rosie Panel on the back, and Rosies in the cornerstones. Drafted the blocks into EQ today to make it easier to print the paper piecing foundations.
Now I have the makings for a charm bracelet, just need to get out the jewelry pliers. Each store and the museum gave out charms, and the last shop you went to gave you the chain bracelet. It was a lot of fun driving around with my friends, and we were all exhausted when the end of Saturday came.

SBS BOW C-1 Contrary Husband done

While I am debating on what border to put onto the Cube Lattice, I got back to making the SBS BOW in a timely manner, and even got a prior BOW done as well. Contrary Husband is like a pinwheel, while B-6 Crow's Feet is similar to Bear's Paw. Maybe I'll get a few more old one's done this week, or not. It is a busy week coming up. And Friday and Saturday will be Shop Hop by the Bay days.

Got home late today, not for lack of trying, but lack of commen sense on my DD's part. She called DH for a ride home, then told him she was about 10 miles from where she was. I was meeting DH, then we would pick her up. We ended going around in a big circle (I was originally about 2miles from where she was, looped around about 6 to DH, then down about 5, over about 3, then back up to her before coming home. Yikes. Not happy with her.

I only pieced C-1 tonight, did B-6 last night along with cutting out C-1.

Enough Paris Cats projects!

I really liked the Paris Cats fabric when I got it, and I got some more, and I got some more. One large Yellow Brick Road quilt, a baby Yellow Brick Road (made from leftover blocks and bits), two pillowcases and a baby LoneStar sewing machine cover later, I am tired of working with this fabric. Back in April I finished the quilts, and pieced the baby Lonestar to have as a sample. I didn't really have enough to do borders, and didn't have a recipient. I started using it to cover my sewing machine so it wouldn't get dusty and finally decided that was its intended lot in the world. So I took more leftovers and pieced a back, stitched them together, turned them so right sides were out and stitched around the edge and in the ditch of the star. Now the edges won't fray and I have a snazzy sewing machine cover.

Mystery Quilt

Ta Da! This was a mystery quilt that was developed by Constatine Quilts, aka Cube Lattice. The leftovers from the High Country Garden worked pretty good. I had lots of leftovers. The white with black square dots was new, but the rest, well, I tend to overbuy a bit . I still have to add the borders but I couldn't wait any longer to share. The original was 12 blocks but I expanded it to 20 so it will fit a twin size bed nicely. Right now it is 60" x 75", but will end up about 75" x 90". I've been listening to "The Quilter's Apprentice" while stitching.

Took a break this morning and went to our local Farmer’s Market and got a lot of nice looking vegetables. I do hope I can get into the Farmer’s Share plan next year. I liked it a lot when I got the veggie share. Meanwhile I will use the Farmer’s Market more often. Got a nice walk in the bargain (it is about a mile away). Trying to use the car less. I made brunch after we got back, French Toast with Marion berries. We had asperagus and new potatoes and Monterey Rock Sole for dinner. It was yummy.

SBS BOW H-2 Wedding Ring Done

Got to the SBS BOW a little late this week since I have been working on the Mystery Quilt this week, but it is finally done. Still don't have the Mystery Quilt far enough along to post a picture here, although I do have 11 blocks completely done and most of the other 9 are well on their way. I want to have the top done before I post it, or at least the center.

We are in the midst of a heat wave here, about 100 degrees Fahrenheit for the last couple of days, which is hot for here. I've been keeping the iron off except when pressing the various steps of the mystery quilt. I didn't press the Wedding Ring block until it was all sewn, except for finger pressing.

Busy work week = Little piecing

It has been a busy, tiring week at work, and consequently very little piecing has been accomplished this week. I do have 8 of 20 blocks done on the mystery quilt, three more are almost done, but that still leaves quite a few to do. And I haven't done this week's SBS BOW yet. I do have the templates printed at least.
DD will be in charge of Brown Bag at school next year, lots of work, but she is up to it. BB is a student led series of one act plays (written, directed, and acted by students). Very proud of her!

Basic and Beyond - Done!

It has been a long time in the making (Feb 1989 to June 2008), but my Basic and Beyond is finally finished. It was begun with Quilts, Quilts, Quilts (McClun and Nownes) in my second quilt class. We learned about drafting and I substituted a few blocks. I learned how to draft Castle Wall from a book by Jinny Beyer, and added a Mariner's Compass block from Judy Mathieson. It is hand pieced and hand quilted.

Mystery quilt and other happenings

This weekend I attended a Mystery Quilt class. It turned out that my High Country Garden leftovers were perfect for this quilt. So far I only have one block done, but many more are on their way. I hope to make 20 so this will be a twin or double bed size quilt. Pictures when I have more on the design wall.
The Basic and Beyond quilt is now almost bound, about 3-4 feet of binding left to stitch down, and all of the corners are done.
For Father's Day we ended up going out to dinner. I was cleaning up and cut my thumb and decided that was it and out we went. I had a nice chat with my Dad earlier and then saw DD in her play, again. I liked it better the second time around. After dinner we watched the Tony awards, which is when I worked on binding a bit.

SBS BOW K-6 Gentleman's Fancy done

Originally I was going to paper piece K-6, but decided since it had "nice" dimensions (2" edges), it would be easy enough to rotary cut, so that is what I did.
Earlier I did the double nine patch N-8, also rotary cut, although not "nice" dimensions, strips were cut at 1 3/16" which worked out perfectly. So now I have 25 blocks done.
And, I finally got Basic and Beyond quilted! And while I didn't find the binding I thought I would use, I found a perfect binding and it is now waiting to be attached. But not tonight. The quilt lies flatly too.
And High Country Garden is basted and ready to quilt. That will wait until I have B&B bound.

Moonlighters Quilt Show and quilt progress

Three more LeMoyne variations are done for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler. The Split version done in two shades of gold has quite a few (16) bits of fabric all going into the same point, yikes, a bit of a bump there. Now to work on other projects until this week's BOW is announced.

I went to the Moonlight Quilters of Sonoma county quilt show on Saturday specifically to see the Quilt Mavens, Deb Karasik and Janet Mednick. They had some spectucular quilts on display. I found out they have a book out, although they were sold out at the show. Tell you anything ? Check out their website at http://www.quiltmavens.com/ You can get their book at Amazon.com, Quilt Mavens: Perfect Paper Piecing. Deb Karasik will be teaching at Empty Spools next March. I'll have to see if I can take a class from either her or Janet before 2010. Because, I got into Suzanne Marshall's class at Empty Spools in 2009 Got the confirmation yesterday.

I have been slowly ironing the backing for High Country Garden and finally got it done. This afternoon/evening I should get the quilt basted for machine quilting. I found some varigated thread in my stash that looks like it will work nicely, and will use navy Bottom Line in the bobbin.

Basic and Beyond did get a few threads into it this week, another 3 or so repositionings of the hoop and it will be completely quilted!

SBS L-4 BOW done

This week's BOW was Bride's Bouquet, definately done with templates. There are several other LeMoyne Star-like blocks that I might attempt this week as well, if time permits.

I also managed to get the medium light, medium and medium dark squares cut for the mystery quilt I am taking part in next weekend. Now I just need to get the dark and light fabrics cut.

Sylvia's Bridal Sampler Progress

Three more blocks are finished, B-2 (Gulf Star), B-3 (Cross and Crown) and B-4 (Children's Delight), for 19 done now. The last two were not old BOWs, but rather, just close to what I had been working on. I used the Marti Michell templates to pre-cut some of the pieces in B-2, overlarge for paper piecing, which worked out nicely.