Wild and Crazy

I think this is the brightest, wildest, quilt I have ever attempted. Fun too . The original was from American Patchwork and Quilting, Feb 2008, Bohemian Charm. Sandra - it is also in a new magazine, a compilation of scrappy quilts from AP&Q. Been going back and forth on various quilts trying to get them all done, getting closer.

Christmas Greetings from Elm Creek Manor top done

I've been leading a block of the month for this quilt, posting the next month's block at the beginning of the month. That meant I could be trying to do a complex block in a busy month, so during some slow months I worked ahead. Consequently I got all my blocks done ahead of time, and got my quilt top put together before Christmas. Yeah! Will it get quilted before Christmas? Don't know, I have a couple of other quilts I need to get back to finishing, before this one gets basted. But meanwhile, I can enjoy it pinned to something, and I'll take that and be happy.

Getting Back to the Civil War - blks 41 to 48

I've been busy doing other things quilty, and have been roadblocked by block #41, Red, white and Blue, picking the fabrics just wasn't working. I finally decided to just do it, and came up with this:

After that it was pretty easy sailing, doing several paper pieced blocks, like #42 H is for Hospital,

and #43 Right Hand of Friendship,

and #44 Union

Then there was #45 Port and Starboard, that I did with Marti Michell templates (B set), which also worked for

#46 Apple Tree

Back to paper piecing #47 Dixie Tea

and then a combination of Marti Michell templates and printed templates from EQ, this week's #48 West Virginia.

All caught up!

This scarf is to go with a hat I made for my daughter earlier this year. Fairly simple pattern that I found on Ravelry (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/seaweed-stole-scarf), and I was so glad when I finally finished it! Made with two skeins of Sirdar Crofter Dk (60% acrylic, 25% cotton, and 15% wool).

Mexican Star table runner

I started this in a Debbie Caffrey class at International Quilt Festival, Houston last fall. finally finished, just in time to go on my buffet this Christmas season

"Bard Babes: and other things

Today was a good day, no a fabulous day. The only thing that will make it better is sewing a bit this evening. After a late night sewing, I slept late, then after a leisurely morning, DH and I ventured over the hill to see Robin Goodley Nordlii in the self-written "Bard Babes". What fun! From Prologue to Warm-up to Pleading to Curtsies to Swooning to Cross-dressing, and I am sure I forgot some, it was a hoot, things an actor must be able to do when being a Bard Babe. Only wish my daughter was there too. After that it was downtown to do a bit of shopping. Unfortunately, the shop we were hoping to go to was closed, permanently. Fortunately, there were other equally good shops close by! Then to wonderful dinner on the coast, watching the sunset from our table. Oh, and I slept late because last night was "Santaland Diaries" at City Lights Theatre Company, another fun night, and a friend in the lead role - go Adam!

Mariners Compass

I had two small quilts sitting by my sewing machine, ready to quilt. Once I got the placemats done I thought I would get at last one of these done and get it on my completed list. The picture shows it quilted. This was started in a Judy Mathieson class at Empty Spools (Asilomar) last spring. I finally got the quilting thread at PIQF this October (Superior Threads King Tut #403, Thebes), but was so engrossed with my other projects to get to quilting this.

It was primarily free motion quilting. The skinny gold border got a stitch in the ditch treatment using the new sole plate for my walking foot, with the stitch in the ditch blade. That took some work to replace the sole plate, but it finally got done. Now I need to put the open toe sole plate back on to attach the binding, which is prepped and ready to go, same as the border fabric. The border quilt pattern came from Quiltmaker volume 4, size modified in EQ7.

Quilting, actually quilting

After I finished the center for the Mill Girls quilt I decided to take a break from piecing and finally get the placemats done that I had gotten back to in October. So I pulled out the BSR foot and got to work.
I now have eight sets of Harvest placemats and napkins!

Mill Girls center done

Been busy putting the blocks together with sashing and cornerstones. I had leftover squares from making the blocks (and cutting twice as many as I needed...), and went back and forth between colored cornerstones or not. Finally decided to use them once I decided to sash the whole center as well as the inner bits, making the quilt 4" longer and wider, which will fit a queen size bed much better. Next is the skinny cream border, then the quarter square triangle border. So, probably won't get that all done this weekend!

Mill Girls Quilt

I am taking part in a quilt-along of the Mill Girls quilt. This is week 4, and I have managed to piece all of the blocks for the center! Wish I could count better. First I overcut, then I undercut pieces. But like how it is turning out. These are the 36 blocks, taken in two pictures because my design wall is not big enough to show them all at once.