Monday, May 30, 2011

Fun & Done

We'll start with "done" first.

I finished quilting QB1's quilt. I hope that she didn't hurt her fingertips while she was at the lake this weekend, because she's got a binding to put on her quilt! And it's NO lap quilt. I used an old pantograph that I have - it's got leaves on it. QB1 wanted something loose so that the quilt would be puffy. I used a complimentary thread & like ALWAYS, you can hardly even SEE the thread. Not on the front. I guess that's a good thing. It's finally done & I already took it to her house. She wasn't home, so it will be a surprise!

Now comes the FUN part.

Y'all know right??? That I do NOT need another project? I just don't. I got off work early one day the week boefore last & I wandered up to a quilt shop in Goodlettsville. I can't remember the name (I am sorry, but as many as I go too, it's hard to keep them straight) I bought a pattern (saw that coming didn't you?) by Bonne Blue Quilts, called "Lydia". They had one made hanging up stairs int he shop & let me tell you, it nearly screamed at me to be made! The pattern cover photo does not do , what the REAL quilt looked like, justice at all.

Here's a photo of the quilt on the pattern cover.


But it's really done in a chrome yellow & blues & red. I happen to have aobut 6 yards of a chrome yellow with little red flowers on it. I made 9 blocks in under 2 and a half hours. Super easy & the way they are set on point withthe background color on the outside of the block makes it look like they are floating. Really pretty.

AND.........while digging through my stash, I found what might be the perfrect border fabric for it too. It's blue with chrome yellow motifs on it. I got all the yellow @ Whittles. Saw it on line, called themt o make sure they had X # of yards & I got it the NEXT day. Whittle's is AWESOME. Just AWESOME. When I bought the yellow, I didn't know what project I wanted it for. I had seen a yellow & red quilt in one of Bonnie Hunters recent books, but when I saw the Lydia pattern, I thought "WHY NOT"?

Though, let me tell you.........I finished 9 blocks & have 28 more cut out. I was using fat quarters & the pattern calles for 1/3 yard cuts...anyway, Saturday I go buy 5 more blue fat quarters. As long as I have been sewing, I STILL make STUPID mistakes. Yep! Cut every single FQ wrong for the next 9 blocks. The fabric is not unusable, just not usable for THIS project... Oh Well. Give me my "idiot" sign & I'll gladly wear it. How did I do that you ask? Ha! Because I was too confident in myself & thought that I had all the cuts memorized & when I went to cut the last 5 fat quarters, I didn't even bother reading the instructions. See? Idiot. Doesn't that go with "measure twice, cut once"? Well, duh! Only measruing wasn't my problem.

So, there you have it, my Fun & Done post.

As soon as I have enough different variety of those Lydia blocks, I'll post my progress.

See Ya !

Sam

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Say It On The Wall

This week I got busy hanging up all our pictures on the walls. I emptied a whole closet. I can honestly say that the movers did a wonderful job packing everything.

No, people, we didn't move.

We have lived here 3 years & I FINALLY put the pictures on the walls. No, I don't have a reason. I am not even going to try & figure out WHY I was so lazy. Not worth the effort.

Anyway.......I wanted to be able to hang my quilts behind the bed, full length. The hanger is sort of crude, but Prince Charming has said he'll build a NICE one for me. This set-up will suffice until then.






Sam

ps/ i can never get good pictures....I am up against a wall where I am standing & there is a huge cedar chest there too. I can't get far enough back to get a good picture.....oh well, you get the drift.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Piddle Piddle Piddle & Fiddle

I can't beleive the sewing slump I have been in lately. I have done precious little sewing. I did get 4 more "On Eagles Wings" blocks completed. That gives me (I think) 22. I still have a long way to go. I spent Sunday morning CLEANING my sewing area. What a terrible spread out mess it was. I needed to get it clean so I could prioritize my projects. I have too many going to stay focused, it seems.

So I finished those 4 blocks & put them away in their little box until I can finish something else or to take them to work on whle sewing with QB1. I have finished cutting trimming & tearing the paper off all the BLUE hst's for my r/w/b Belle Meade. Ironing them too for.ever. Now I am cutting the red hst's apart. Once those are trimmed, paper removed & ironed...the blocks will go together super fast. I am excited to get them that far. (I think I made more hst's than I'll need....we'll see!)

I have my Ocean Waves on the table & ready for the outer borders. My freind, Leslie in AL, is making an embroidered label for me. I love her labels. But hte quilting is going to wait a little bit. I am going to quilt an old "Focs Fabric Quilt" that I made several years ago. It's cowboy themed & I am going to send it to my nephew in CA. H'es been diagnosed with a desease & I can't be there to hug him & feel like this is the next best thing that I can do. I am sure my nephew will fare well through his illness, but I worry about my brother. He is really having a hard time coping with this issue.

Anyway - now that my sewing area is cleaned up - it's much easier to feel like i want to sew!

I bought a BUNCH of patterns while I was @ Paducah & I just put them all away. I just have so many projects truning cartwheels in my head that if they are out on the table, I get sidetracked & want to start another project!! Ack! Can't do that.

I'll post some pictures as soon as I get something worth looking at!

sam