Heart Quilt√

It has been a very busy week up until Friday afternoon when I flaked out napping and reading! 

First, I got Jenny's quilt for Pulse quilted -- in one day.  I tend to take a couple of days for most quilts bigger than baby size.  But I was focused so I finished it up Tuesday night.  A lot of Jenny's quilting buddies sent her hearts to incorporate into the quilt.  Some hearts were on the front, others on the back.  I chose a very loose pattern called Mermaid Fingers to quilt.  This is my go to pattern for a fast, easy to do design.  I probably should have tightened it up a bit but it definitely did not distract from the great hearts. (Hum, I'm pretty sure the two I made her did not make it in the quilt. Sigh.  They probably were both grayed fabrics instead of bright.) 

You can see the quilting a bit in this closeup taken before I took it off the frame. 

We picked up the Grands on Wednesday evening.  Rush hour around the DC/Northern Virginia area is never fun.  We met for dinner and then took the girls home with us.  I won't go into details but the first 12 hours were not fun but after that we had a great time.  Our pool time Thursday was great fun except I forgot to put sun screen on me even though I did both girls.  Sigh.  I still have a slight burn.  Hopefully I won't have peeling skin later! 

I've filled the shelves with fabrics, UFOS, scraps.Next up -- Books! 

The Grands enjoying cookies at the pool.

I'm linking up with Can I have a Whoop, Whoop? That's it for me today.  

Happy Quilting All! Bonnie 

Design Wall Monday -- 2 - 3 - 2014

Did you hit a Super Bowl fabric sale?  I did.  And it was great fun and great bargains.  I had to be talked into going but with a week before the sale I was all excited.  And, I had some plans -- I wasn't going shopping without a list. 

First I needed to figure out some quilts or UFOs to focus on.  Well part of that was easy.  I had already decided that I would do an An Art to Heart Christmas Favorites quilt as my own block of the month.  I decided to look for a border fabric for it, some beard fabric, and maybe a stripe.  

Next up I picked a UFO. I won a set of 12" blocks of red and pink hearts on black backgrounds last year.  A while ago I had decided to use a book called Circle of Nines to figure out a setting.  Hum, I couldn't find the book at either Martingale's or C&T. Here's what I did find -- Quilting a Circle of Nine.  It is based on the same layout concept, but not the book I have.  Late Saturday night I was playing with the blocks and came up with two possible fabrics to use.  Here is fabric one.  It is "newspaper" bits with funny quilting events.  Ok, that might work. 

And layout number two. This is a darker picture when you realize how bad the fabric above looks.  The grey is a sueded look and it is leftover from Easy Street (which I haven't finished....) Does one appeal to you more than the other?  I just now thought I might like to see it with a red and white fabric I have in the stash.  Hum.  I really like the layout, I just need to figure out the fabric.  On to the list went fabric for a border or maybe a backing. 

Then I pulled out the 8 blocks I have finished of the A Tisket, A Tasket from Bunny Hill's bom in 2009.  (Nobody can accuse me of rushing through things!) I had gotten 6 pinks from Pink Castle in their monthly Short Stack mailing last year.  I plowed through all my pinks and came up with one that I think is perfect. The picture is fuzzy but the fabric I chose was perfect.  Then I decided I need either a small inner border or a final border in green or maybe a blue.  So that idea went on my shopping list.  By now it was way past my bedtime and was time to quit coming up with stuff to shop for!

Fast forward to Sunday afternoon where I joined Kay and Jane for lunch and then on to shopping.  We hit Rose's Quilt Patch in Crewe, Virginia close to opening time. Once I got the lay of the quilt shop I was grabbing bolts and fat quarters. I found a great green for A Tisket, A Tasket. A possible border for the hearts, a border for the Christmas quilt along with beard fabric. Then I threw in a white on white stars fabric. I don't know about you but I can always use white on white. There was a line to have your fabric cut and a line to pay but we had a great time. And, perhaps the best thing is I stuck to my list.  Of course, I will need to finish a quilt in February to keep my fabric used bigger than my fabric bought! 

Here's the goals from last week which are mostly checked off. Good week. 

Week of January 27, 2014

Finish borders on Split 9 Patch -- one is on, one is cut and pinned

Quilt brown and blue quilt√

Make and put binding on stain glass quilt√ done

Write a shopping list for Sunday’s quilt shopping expedition and go shopping! √

Embroider shirts for Sophie and Natalie nope Dumb.  Some how this was duplicated last week. 

Finish√ & mail Valentine T Shirts for Natalie & Sophie

Get hair cut√

And this week's plans: 

Week of February 3, 2014

Finish & mail hearts for Quiltville Hearts group

Make block for CP bom lottery

Make first Christmas Favorites bom

Work on A Tisket, A Tasket

Mail Valentine T Shirts for Natalie & Sophie

Make & mail FCQ Equilters blocks

Finish borders on Split 9 Patch

Make backing for Split 9 Patch

And, I leave you with a photo that came into my email box this weekend. 

Ellie wearing her Valentine shirt that I embroidered.

Make sure you visit Patchwork Times to see what folks are showing on their design walls today.  

Happy Quilting All! 

A Fast Finish

Snoopy Dancing all over the house. I finished a quilt in less than 2 weeks. Woowee! This was a mystery quilt at Mysteries for Relay. I took the giant hint that it would look good in two main colors (such as red and white.) I had planned to use a red that I had used for the backing of another quilt but I found enough odd pieces of different reds to not really use much of the yardage. (Well, I did use if for the back!) I also used several different white on whites including some little vw bugs white on white.  I've had that fabric for a long time and have never figured out what quilt to put it.  But my thought process was, VW Bug, the Love Bug, Valentine's Day Quilt.  I only used a strip of it 2.5" but it is a start.  This entire quilt came from my stash.  Nothing was purchased for it.  Another accomplishment! 

I did this wall hanging completely by machine including both sides of the binding.  I stitched the binding on the back side and then turned it to the front. Stitching as close to the fold of the binding I carefully maneuvered it under the machine.  At the corners I sewed down the folds.  I was extremely pleased with how it turned out.  I probably wouldn't do this technique on a quilt I wanted to give away or enter in a show but for a fast little wall hanging that will probably only be hung during February -- machine stitching the binding down made sense.  And, you know I am tickled pink to have it done so fast! 

We have had 5 days of nice weather here -- that means above freezing temperatures both days and nights.  I was in for a surprise when I looked out over the back yard. (No, there is no "yard" there but what else do you call it? The back rocks?)  Anyway, I found ferns growing up in a profusion of green.  Moss (lichen?) was greening up.  It looked like spring was coming on fast. 

Don't get too excited.  For the last 2 days it's been back in the teens at night and barely over 30 in the day.  The green has died off completely and winter is back with us.  Sigh.  It was a nice thought. 

Happy Quilting All.  Bonnie