Saturday Sew In

Just me.

And it's all Joan's fault! I started a quilt. Yes.....another one. Y'all can roll your eyes here becasue we all know that I do NOT need another project. But I started one anyway!

I am no good at linking stuff from other blogs with that click on the word technique (so I am not gonna do it & if I do, remember, I dont' do it enough to make it work properly!!) Joan was looking for a pattern for a quilt that she saw on line or at a show...It is called IRISH STARS. I have a pattern in my extensive quilt book library. But it was not the same. Looked similar, just not the SAME. The pattern is from A Pieceful Gathering in Cary IL.

Saw it on THIS blog. And the quilt pictured below is HERS and it was what inspired me to wnat to make the quilt too:
"

I like it. So I went to the website of A Pieceful Gathering:
And bought the pattern. I think that was 2 weeks ago? Maybe....Bought BEFORE I started my painting spree. So I know its more than 3 weeks ago.

When I got the pattern, I read it front to back. As I do most patterns. Now, that being said what I am about to say/write is MY own opinion. So if you want to know MY OPINION then keep reading, otherwise stop.

I like the pattern. I like that they show you how to cut your fat quarters with little inch marks & diagrams. The pattern is also in COLOR (hear angels singing???) I REALLY like that. But!...Yah, y'all knew THAT was coming didn't you???. If I was a beginner, I could NOT do this pattern. I feel like I am a pretty accomplished quilt maker. I imagine myself as ADVANCED. The pattern shows you how to cut the peices & assemble the 2 major units for construction. But it does not give any kind of diagram or setting OR layout information of the sub-units. And there are no pressing instructions. So, if YOU decide to get the pattern, know in advance that these things are missing from the pattern. I feel confident that I can figure it out & get it done. I sure hope so, as I cut up enough fat quarters for TWO quilts.

I am currently working on the DARK 2 pc sub-units & the LIGHT 2 pc sub-units. I already have the CHAIN blocks completed. I used all different reds for the chain part of the quilt. Since I cut enough fabric for 2 quilts, I have more variety in the selection of strips for the chain blocks. I was able to make all 52 chain blocks without repeating the dark strip or the red chain in EACH block! I was NOT able to do that with the light parts of the blocks. Pick your battle & I decided not to bother trying too hard on the light parts of the blocks.

So...here is a rather chaotic view of my progress:

This picture is a view of my sewing space. You're seeing multiple projects in progres here & I am NOT going into detail of what is what....:(though the red basket holds 3 BOM's from 2010 that I determined to cut out & complete this year...)


And here are 52 blocks for quilt #1:


And....THIS is my attempt at trying to mix up the dark strips (when I cut strips out, I stack 2 or 4 fat quarters up & cut together - saves time- i assume everyone does this? But the fabric sticks together - so I throw them in a box & mix them up!):



I am hoping REALLY hard that I can get the body of the quilt done this weekend. We shall see! I will be making the blue stars all from the same color blue & the gold stars all from the same color gold. but the red blocks are going to be scrappy. While I have LOTS of blue to choose from, the same can not be said for GOLD. So That's why I'm doing it that way. Also - I don't know (at this point) if I'll use the exact same blue & gold for quilt #2. We'll see how much I use of what I have before I can determine that step. So far? I have bought ZERO fabric for BOTH quilts. 100% from my stash! Whoo-Hoo! That always feels good.

I'll show you more when I get there.

Sam

Now, it's Sunday morning & I have work to do for my REAL JOB, but before I get started on THAT work, I got all the sub-units completed.

Here is a photo of all the sub-units. This is, effectively, where the instructions stop. I have all these units & a photo (computer generated, it seems) of the completed quilt & thassit. I wing it from here. I wonder if MAYBE there is a page of the instructions missing????? Who knows, I am this far & I am not emailing to ask whether or not there is.



Here is a photo of half the sub-units laid out on my family room floor! See? I tolla you I could figure it out!!!

More Painting

You'l have to search thru old posts to see the BEFORE pictures of the bedroom. The walls used to be a dark green. I just don't DO dark colors. These pictures seem a little more yellow than it actually is, it's less yellow & more towards the tan side of yellow. It's called SUGAR COOKIE and I LOVE it.

Prince Charming is goingto build a crown molding shelf to go on the wall above the headboard. A really WIDE one too.

We painted the masterbathroom too. It makes a difference in how much lighter it seems.

I am glad it's done & I hope I am NOT painting for a few weeks. Maybe a few months....maybe? Hoepfully!!

Sam

Painting The Dining Room

I love Red. It's my favorite color. But it's been really hard to live with in my dining room.

Before:



After



Sam

PS - 2 coats of primer & 2 coats of color. We didn't repaint the lower part of the room. Left it the high gloss white. I still lack getting the fabric for the curtains & the chair seats. We'll be making a cornice box that I'll cover witht he curtain fabric.

Joan~ I think you hit the nail onthe head. I think the red was overwhelming in that space, and the furniture looked SO crowded in the there. The whole time we were painting, I kept telling Prince Charming that it looked bigger to me! He said it was my imagination, but this morning after we moved all the SAME furniture back in, he siad that it looked less crowded. And it's all in the same exact spot! Nothing less & nothing more! And he likes the color too. It looks washed out in these pictures, but it's a gray green color. I love it. Now....to paint hte master bedroom & m-bathroom!

Mine Mine MINE ! Quilting for Me.

This weekend, I decided to make a list of things I wanted to accomplish. Not one item on the list was SLEEPING IN. Seems (recently) that sleeping in is a luxury & when I do sleep in, it's usually past 8:30 in the morning before I ever roust myslef out of bed & then it's 9:30 or 10:00 before I ever get moving & get something started. Needless to say, that is a terrible waste of valuable TIME. One item on my list was to paint the dining room. That is going to be another post later...but quilting my finished Ladyof The Lake / Belle Meade quilt WAS on the list. Here you see it half way done.




I am always excited when it's my very own quilt that is getting quilted. Oddly enough? It takes me FOREVER to pick out a quilting pattern. Why is that? And thread too. Takes me forever to decide on a color.

My good friend Mamie (whom I miss dearly) and I would always try to pick a contrasting thread, so that MAYBE the quilting of the pantograph could be seen. Well, on this quilt, I chose a red thread. Blood red. It's actually called STRAWBERRY but it was a deeper red than the cone of thread I had that said RED...so strawberry is what I went with. Same color red as the Thimbleberries border fabric. I have a cream colored backing & the red thread is glaringly bright! But on the FRONT of the quilt? Not so much..........Amazingly? You can barely see it. But there's a LOT going on in this quilt.

This is the pantograph that I am using. I knew ahead of time (experience maybe?) that the panto would not be seen on the front & since I was using red thread & the backing is cream, I wanted something really pretty that I COULD see on the back! This pantograph is called MARIPOSA and it is by Urban Elementz. It is a busy , detailed panto. The butterflies look a lot like flowers. That's why I like it!


Here is a shot of 3 more quilts of mine waiting to be quilted. From right to left: Ocean Waves (been finished since AUGUST !!!!) Second Hand Clothes, and last is a floral quilt that reminds me of a rug. (I don't like the floral quilt & after I quilt it, I am going to donate it to my guild. Someone will love it one day, but that person is not me)It really looks like ther are more than 3 quilts here, but I have 3 backings hanging up too.


Lastly - Here is a picute of my dog Bourbon. I had the radio cranked up & I was jamming to a bunch of rock, I could hear him snoring over the machine & the radio! He does this everytime! It's comical. I can't figure out what lying on his back accomplishes for him, but he does it all the time. Especially when I sew.


Talk to you all later!!

Sam