It's Quilt Show Time -- Alphabet Challenge

Once again the Faithful Circle Quilters have risen to a challenge.  Last year volunteers were given a brown bag with fabric in it.  The challenge was to make a Project Linus quilt with the fabric given (which had to be used on the front of the quilt) and use the alphabet some how.  All the quilts will be given to Project Linus of Howard County, Maryland.  Here's a few of the challenge quilts being shown at our quilt show. (If I know who made the quilt I have given their name.  Unfortunately, I didn't do a great job of figuring out who made which quilt.  I'll try to get the quilter's name on Saturday. These folks did such a great job they need to get a lot of accolades.)

Lauren Swanger's Quilt

My quilt: 

I hope to be able to post some more shots in some more of my posts.  Enjoy! 

I'm linking up with Needle and Thread Thursday and Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Monday Meandering 3 - 19 - 2018

This past week I've spent quite a bit of time working on the Tee shirt quilt.  I'm now to the point that I can trim each shirt to the exact measurements and start to sew them together.  I'll check with my customer to see if I can post some pictures soon.  

Here's a finish I haven't shared yet.  I've named it Dog Talk.  Faithful Circle Quilters in Columbia, Maryland gave each participant a brown bag with fabrics.  The challenge was to use the fabrics given and somehow incorporate the alphabet too.  I believe I got my bag last May at the spring quilt retreat.  I spent a lot of time mentally planning and by early January I was ready to start.  You can see my original design idea here along with the bag of fabrics.   Before the end of the month I was done with the top.  The white  is a white on white alphabet fabric. Too cool. 

  
My January One Monthly Goal -- was to get the top all together. You probably saw my progress on the embroidered words I put on it. Today, I realized I never shared the finished quilt. (Nor several other finished quilts. What was I thinking??) 

This is a busy quilt.  Lots of different dog fabrics and lots of different blues.  And here's the back.  A friend told me she liked the back the best. She might have a point as it's not quite so busy.  I tried hard to use up all of the blue fabric from the bag.  I probably still have a few pieces but not much. I notice I make dog quilts frequently.  What can I say, I am a dog person.  Cats? Not so much.  Do you have a favorite dog? 

I've been getting my quilts entered in the FCQ quilt show.  I've got to decide on one more quilt before the deadline tonight.  The one above will be in a special section showing other alphabet quilts.  These quilts will go to the Columbia, MD chapter of Project Linus. 

Tomorrow I'll share my goals.  I've done a great job on them from my point of view!  

That's it for today.  I'm linking up with my regular linky parties: Oh Scrap, Monday Making, Main Crush Monday, and Moving It Forward.  I'm looking forward to spending some time seeing what other folks are doing this week.  I've been swamped, or maybe just more dedicated to actually working on quilts rather than looking at quilts.  But today, I'm taking time to just look and comment. I hope you do too. 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Quilts from the At-Home Retreat

Two weeks ago three friends came down from Maryland for our annual at-home retreat.  Ruthie 2 was a popular machine over the weekend.  I finished up a charity quilt that I wanted them to take back up to MD.  And they each brought quilts to long arm. 

Here's Nancy working on her quilt.  She chose Malachite pattern designed by Patricia Ritter. 

It was a lot of fun to see the design stitch out.  I bought the design when I had Ruthie and it was a little too big for her.  But it is much better on Ruthie 2 as she has more space.  Check below for the close up of the design.  It provides a lot of texture.  

Close up of Malachite pattern.

Mary Beth brought a TAPS* quilt to get it finished quickly.  (Nothing like a computerized long arm to make quilting easy!) She chose Ginger Stars by Apricot Moon.  This is one pattern that I have used over and over again. There are other "Ginger" patterns that I use a lot too.  

MB also brought this gorgeous quilt to get finished.  I believe it is a Bonnie Hunter quilt but don't know the name.  (MB -- feel free to leave a note with the name!) Her pattern choice was Easy Peasy Baptist Fan by Naomi Hines. 

After much persuading Sharon decided to quilt a TAPS quilt she had just put together. She made this quilt last year as a block of the month through A Quilting Life blog.

She chose the Ginger Stars design also.  (Sharon -- found another star pattern that I didn't have in my notebook.  Maybe your next red, white and blue quilt will be quilted with it.) 

* TAPS stands for Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors. Members of Faithful Circle Quilters have been supporting the program for several years now.  These donated quilts are given to children who attend the program in May in the DC area.  I recently heard how the children (up through the teens) enjoy receiving the quilts, dragging them around the event.  Even returning campers love getting a new one.  I've got my fabrics pulled and pattern picked out.  It will be my next new quilt, eventually.  Quilts are due by mid-May.

I have more pictures to share of projects that were being worked on... I'll try to remember to include them in another post. 

Today I'm linking up with Midweek Makers, Let's Be Social and tomorrow I'll link with Needle and Thread Thursday. I forgot to come back and link this until Saturday morning -- the link was no longer available.  Sigh.  I hope to spend some time today checking out blogs posted on these linky parties! 

Happy Quilting All!  Bonnie 

Faithful Circle Quilters 2016 Quilt Show

The Maryland weather has been beautiful this week.  I arrived in Columbia with plenty of time to deliver my small collection of items I want to sell at the Peddler's Table way before they planned to quit for the night on Wednesday.  

If you live anywhere near Columbia, you should make an effort to come see over 300 quilts hung for the biennial quilt show put on by Faithful Circle Quilters.  It will be open from 10 to 4 on Saturday, April 16th at the First Presbyterian Church of Howard County at routes 108 and 29.  Watch for the signs directing you to the show. 

Here's a peak at some of the quilts on display:

Building Friendships by Beth Bohac 

These rail fence blocks were exchanged at a retreat.  I like how the black sashing sets off the blocks.  I know I have a collection of these blocks. So, why I haven't I put these together in a pretty quilt like this? I love the lime green and tangerine borders.  This quilt just moved these blocks up a notch or two on my to do list.  Hum, retreat is next month.  This would definitely be an easy quilt to make during that.  

Aunt Grace: Simple Sampler By Debbie Jensen

I was really taken with this quilt.  I have a lot of 30's fabric.  But the part that really pricked my imagination is all of the appliqué blocks were preprinted.  Somewhere I have a Baltimore album preprint, hopefully of blocks, and this would be a great jumping off point to use my blocks.  So, another idea to add to my to do list. 

Scrap Quilt I couldn't read the name on the tag and didn't take a close up of the tag. 

I thought this was a wonderful way to use up a lot of small squares.  If you save your scraps and cut into various size squares, this might be the way to put them to use.  Do you participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge?  I say I do but I've never made more than 4 or 5 blocks.  But couldn't you just see a quilt like this with each block was made of one color from the scrap challenge?  Am I talking myself into another quilt I need want to make? Here's a close up of this one. Ah yes, this is actually a 9 patch made from 9 patches.  Too clever. 

That's it from me tonight.  I'm linking up with Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? and Fabric Frenzy Friday from Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  I hope to post more pictures from this show during the next week or two.  

Happy Quilting All! 

Monday Meanderings 4 - 11 - 2016

Yikes! It's Monday again.  I've had my nose to the grindstone this week.  Or perhaps it is more my foot to the pedal!  The doggy quilt has become a top.  I sewed the blocks into the top.  Purchased some cute little doggy paws for the border and got it on.  I even found a nice big hunk of light grey Kona cotton in my stash to use as the backing with the addition of some more blocks that came from the dog panel I purchased.

You should be able to click on the picture and enlarge it.  After it was together I realized that the side blocks might get cut off after it is quilted.  Bummer.  But I was ready for this to be finished so I'm not changing it!  I'll quilt it early next week and pass it on to the Mid-Atlantic English Springer Spaniel Rescue for their fund raising. You can see part of the front here. 

As I was finishing the backing I started sewing together a few 9 patches to use in the disappearing 9 patch that the local quilt guild is making for Quilt of Valor presentations in July. I need to make 7 more blocks, cut them and then sew the top together.  Hopefully I'll have time to do it between now and the next meeting.

Wednesday I head north to Maryland to Faithful Circle Quilt Guild's biannual show.  For the last 8 years or so I have gone up and spent part of the week helping at the show. I'll be back up working at the end of this week.  I've maintained my membership but I don't get up there all that often.  I do go to the retreats, sometimes I get to a class and a meetings occasionally.  I figure working the show for three days is a good way to give back to the group aside from just paying my dues.   It is a great show held in Columbia, Maryland.  If you are near the area come for a visit.  

I was a super woman this week on goals.  I did way more than I thought I could but still have a little bit unfinished. (Really, was I that vague with sew rows together? What rows, which quilt?)

April 4, 2016

Finish sewing the rows together√

Figure out borders√

Make or buy backing for Slide Show√

Put borders on Boy donation quilt√

Make backing for Boy donation quilt√

Finish small zippered pouch oops!

What wasn't on there and I did was I've got the Boy donation quilt quilted.  I still need to put the binding on but hopefully that won't take all that long. So here's what's coming up this week.

April 11, 2016

Quilt 2 small antique 9 patch quilts

Make and apply binding to antique quilts

Work Faithful Circle Quilt Show

Finish small zippered pouch

Cut out triangles for a red, white & blue quilt

Enjoy a sewing day with Sharon

I'm linking up with Monday Makings and Main Crush Monday.  Enjoy a trip around the world by visiting some of the links at these blogs 

Happy Quilting All!