Yikes!

Hi All!

I guess I've been busy but I'm not sure with what! 

I've started a quick quilt based on the BOM for my guild.  I pick the block and provide the instructions each month for the block of the month.  For July I picked a framed block.  The inside will be a "conversation" print and the outside frame will be a bright color that reads like a solid.  I always make 2 blocks to make sure I know what is needed to write the directions.  Well, talk about easy!  I made the two blocks and kept going.  I'm also cutting extra center blocks to hand out if anyone wants some.  So far I have 12 blocks made and another 3 or 4 cut and ready to go.  I'll get a pic up soon.  

Plans for today:  quilt a charity quilt using a pantogram on Ruthie.  More framed blocks.  

Catch you all later!  Happy Quilting 

Do You Like Mysteries?

Hi quilters!  Here's another mystery opportunity for you.  Bonnie Hunter, of  Quiltville fame, has a new mystery being published in Quiltmaker magazine.  If you are already a groupie you know her mysteries are usually pretty darn involved.  My reading of the first 5 parts that are in the July/Aug Quiltmaker is this is going to be an easier quilt, and probably not full size if I read it correctly.   Read up on Bonnie at the Quiltmaker blog.  And, notice, they are having a giveaway.  Five (yep 5) lucky winners will receive Bonnie's book.  Please don't sign up as I really want to win that!  (laughing over here)  Ok, you can sign up but know that you won't be winning because I want to! 

I am hoping to get going this morning and actually DO something.  I have another charity quilt ready to load on Ruthie.  I ordered zippers for her today to make it easier to put quilts on and off. I have my first Bunny Hill BOM done and another one prepped to go.  (I forgot the backing piece yesterday or I would have gotten it started.)  I have the road quilt ready to bind.  I've actually been hand quilting at least weekly on a Carolina Lily that is many (8+) years old.  

Time to go!  Quilts to quilt, things to plan, cleaning to do. ("Oh no, not cleaning, AGAIN," she whines!) 

Happy Quilting! 

What's On the Design Wall

I took a couple of pictures of my design wall to show that I am actually making things. (not just trying to quilt.) The not square checkerboard pieces are part of a quilt I call The Million Pieces Quilt.  I doubt if it will have a million pieces but the finished size of those little squares are 1 x 1.5".  Am I crazy?  Of course.  And no, I am not cutting each little square.  Well, not often at least.  I keep making blocks.  I may want to re-evaluate how many I need so I don't have left overs.  Either that or I am going to make a smaller quilt!  You can find the pattern at Marge Gordon's Delaware Quilts.  All the profits from her pattern sales go to cancer research.  And, if you like mysteries she sponsors Mysteries for Relay.  (You can click on the button on my side bar for more info.  

Here's a close-up of Bunny Hill Design's block of the month program.  I started out by just collecting these Tisket a Tasket Baskets each month.  But as I prowled around different blogs  I saw a lot of them made up.  Ohhhh... I fell hard for them.  It was a long winter and I was ready for spring.  So I started with block 2.  It was incredibly easy after I spent a good bit of time prepping the pieces.  I hope to do one every Wednesday until I am caught up.  Tomorrow's is ready to sew.  The one below needs a beek or two and some french knot eyes. 

Rumor has it we had 4" of rainfall last night.  And I woke up at 6 am to thunder, lightning and a little dog's single bark.  I was able to get back to sleep for an hour or so but not that good deep sleep. 

And, here's Ragg performing his requested command: "Go Home, Raggs."  I use that command after we've been out in the front yard or for a walk.  I expect him to run up the driveway, up the stairs and sit and wait for me to come huffing and puffing up behind him.  Amazingly, he's been doing it more times than naught.  Good Raggs! (the little treats probably help a bit too.) It's hard to get a good picture of a black dog, with black eyes. Here we get Raggs with his laser eyes -- he can see through brick, aluminum siding, cars with these eyes. 

Just kidding... 

Happy Quilting! 

Ruthie In Action -- Kind of!

Today's to do list has me getting some quilting done on Ruthie, my long arm. (Although, I guess 18" is really a mid-arm.)  After a rash of laundry, I loaded another little quilt.  I changed thread top and bottom.  I argued with the bobbin winder.  I basted the top and sides as I've learned to do. Oops!  I broke the needle.  (I'm not sure how other than the head wasn't moving and I was trying to move it!)  So I now know how to change the needle!  

Went back to trying to quilt the darn thing.  All I really wanted to do was follow some roads on the backing that I loaded as the top.  I am not very good at following the road is all I can say!  I gave up after I did one section.  (Remember that rash of laundry? Folding was needed.) Next I need to add some more quilting to the green spots but I refuse to change the thread from the white.  No doubt I will just try some more outlining.  Maybe I'll try ruler work.  Can it really be that hard? (Ha! Of course it can but I'm game to try it!)  I've decided I need to try a pantograph on a quilt after trying to follow the road.  Foolish me put three quilts on my to do list this week.  I'll probably get to another one after this one but I am not holding my breath on a third one!   

Happy Quilting All! 

Lazy Sunday

Not much going on here -- last day of choir at church.  Wonderful picnic after services.  Awful flies!  Quick trip to grocery store and home to Raggs.  

Then a little reading . . .  or actually napping as I fell sound asleep within a a page or two!  Finally woke up enough to do some piecing.  Worked on the million pieces quilt. No wonder I feel like I get nothing done as I am working with pieces 2" x 1.5".  I'll count again and see if I really need that many more of these blocks.  

Today's eye candy is Heidi's pineapple block I mentioned a few posts ago. 45 pieces but it is going to be gorgeous!  The colors seem a little grayed to me which I assume is the photo.  Keep at it Heidi! I love all the black on blacks Heidi found. 

Happy Quilting All!

What's Up Saturday?

I made this block yesterday for Helen of FCQ Equilters.  Helen sent us each a fat quarter and said to make a block up to 18" as she is going to make bags with the blocks.  I suspect we all got different fabrics too.  I LOVED the print fabric I got.  I used a block called Tumbleweeds that was in an early 1990's book from Eleanor Burns.  The directions seem really strange but the end results are always great!  There is a lot of waste with the method but, heh, those parts all seem to end up so perfect! Honest, the red borders match the print better than the camera shows!

Today I had a community association meeting.  Once home I got a wild hair to clean. (Quick, feel my forehead, maybe I have a fever!) Anyway, Pat and I moved furniture, I vacuumed.  We rolled up the rug, I vacuumed some more. We turned the rug.  Then we got out two different mops and started mopping the hard wood floors.  The whole downstairs is this gorgeous hardwood flooring.  I haven't washed it in ages (well, not true, I washed part of it last week.) Anyway, we got the great room, kitchen and sitting room done.  I did part of the bedroom (where lots of little dog paws always show up.)  Now, I am too pooped to move.  I'm going to take a slight reading break.  

After that I am in charge of making a boat sling.  Should be interesting and probably not all that hard either.  I'll show pictures if the thing works!  Pat made the frame, all I have to do is the fabric.  On to a bit of reading and then maybe the sling.  

Happy Quilting All  

Quilt 2 on Ruthie

Quilt #2 went on Ruthie last night.  Hum, I wonder if I am actually loading the quilt correctly?  I picked up 5 or so charity quilts from Faithful Circle to use to practice on Ruthie.   I did one pass last night.  I fiddled with the tension before I started and it looks pretty good.  Now, I can't quite say the same for my design work.  It definitely isn't horrible, but it is a little "square" rather than round.  I'm very pleased with it overall though.  

Here's the close up of the quilting... a bit square, 

not round. 

On Monday night Jenny and I went to the end of the year pot luck for Faithful Circle Quilters. It was a really nice event this year.  And, I won one of these fat quarters and the other was a door prize.  They will fit right in with my  stash of goodies.  (Of course, I am trying to USE fabric not bring in new!) 

Up next on Ruthie is a quilt not unlike the one shown above.  However, I am going to put the backing as the top because it is a little town scene with roads, etc.  It is a great quilt for little car enthusiasts.  They can drive over the roads with matchbox cars and visit the library and the school.  You get the picture.  Anyway, this evening I will be putting it on.  Now, I want lunch... I'm hungry!  And, yuck, it is poring... good thing Raggs and I went out a half hour ago or so! 

Happy Quilting All!