Another Monday~April 30

Good Morning!

Where was I last Monday? At the beach! And really, as I'd not been too productive I didn't feel too awful that I wasn't posting.

I'm still not being productive. I've got the time but I guess I'm kinda' in a slump. I mean I'm not even finishing the doll quilts which were going to be my salvation. As in play with colors, fabrics, design on a small scale. Anyway, I won't bore you any longer. I am going to share this picture of my Hopscotch quilt. I actually think I will have this top finished today. I wish I could have only used "Tilly". I much prefer the orignal blocks that I made just using "Tilly". Remember when I won the fat quarters from LiMA Sews? But there wasn't enough for the whole quilt and I am trying to use stash.

It's raining here. I love Oregon weather for  quilting! If it's raining I don't have to feel guilty about not being outside doing something on these seventeen acres.

Enjoy your weather, whatever it is!
Toni

Another Monday~April 16

Eeek! She’s at it again! Creating more UFO’s! But at least they are little doll quilts and I really think I can have them all done by the end of the month. They’re great fun!

This wool doll quilt from my friend Dianne and is what got me started.

For a couple of years I’ve had “doll bed” on my Christmas list with no results. Obviously it wasn’t that important to me or I would have purchased one before Mom bought me one last week. But now that I have, I don’t want to stop making doll quilts. Or maybe I should say doll quilt tops.

Being fair to myself, I am being resourceful. The following Bowtie quilt was made from leftover bowtie blocks that I cut down to a smaller size. There is distortion in this picture. Believe me when I say each square of the bowtie is equal in size.

And this one is from leftover square stripped blocks. I just cut sections from different blocks and sewed end to end to make strips. So I am using leftovers. 

Enjoy!

Toni 

Enjoy!

Joining A Quilt Along

My goodness! Three posts in one day! I mentioned in an earlier post that I was going to join the Finish Along. http://www.flickr.com/groups/finishalong/

One of the rules, we need to keep everyone honest, is that we post pictures of the projects we are committing to finish this quarter in the "Pre Quarter Signup". These are my four with notes.

The Halloween Quilt. I call it this as the backing is a Halloween fabric. To finish I need to complete the machine quilting and then bind it.
 

The next one is this Rainbow Quilt. It is basted. I need to mark it (I want to try Baptist Fans), machine quilt and bind it.
 

The third one is the Granny Square quilt. Only the top is finished so I will need to layer, baste, quilt and bind.
 

And the fourth, yes, I'm trying for four in this quarter, will be this thirties, pastel top. Again, I will need to layer, baste, quilt and bind.
 

I love making a public promise, to try my best, to finish all these, this quarter. I'll keep you updated!

Enjoy!
Toni

Whats on my Bed?

Bonnie Hunter asks! We currently sleep with all three of these quilts. The basket quilt, for whatever reason, was never one of my favorites. I usually keep it on top as we do allow our dogs access to the bed. If company is coming, I let the Seven Sisters shine. It actually "goes with" the colors and accessories in the bedroom. The Spiderweb is probably the first full size quilt I made. Do you see the large borders? I had to make it large enough to fit! And it was the first quilt I had machine quilted by a professional. It is at LEAST 20 years old and getting faded but still well loved.

Enjoy! Toni

Manic Monday~April 9

Whoo Hoo!  Another week has come and gone!

Progress report? I have 43 blocks out of 77 blocks finished for Hopscotch. I’m doing that as a block a day so I’m still right on target. Can I say “right on” when I’m actually a little ahead?  I also have four blocks finished for each of the five weeks, twenty blocks to date, of the New York Beauty Quilt Along. New finishes? None

I think I am only going to do one more week of New York Beauty. I love the patterns but they take a lot of time. I’m ready to have twenty four blocks and finish as a lap quilt. I’m not done with paper piecing tho’. I think when I’m ready, I will do a “Pickle Dish” similar to the one that Kaffe Fassett has in the book “Quilt Romance.”

I am looking at joining the Finish A quilt challenge on Flicker. http://www.flickr.com/groups/finishalong/ Watch for my name there “smalltown97038.” This is being sponsored by  http://gapquilter.blogspot.com/p/2012-finish-long.html. You can view the group at   http://www.flickr.com/groups/finishalong/. There are rules. Now I just have to pick which ones I’m going to finish this quarter.

Last week I mentioned “Doll Quilts”. I think I’m going to take a break and not start any new quilts….other than doll quilts. I want to continue to play with design and color but feel it’s only fair to my UFO’s to get some of those done. We will see how long this phase lasts!

And speaking of doll quilts. I’ve been looking for a doll bed. As I’ve not found exactly what I want, at a price I’m willing to pay, I’ve requested some books from our library system and I’m thinking about making my own. I’ve always thought about woodworking…although saws do scare me a bit!

And each blog post has to have pictures, or at least a picture. Here is a picture of the first doll quilt top I finished. I know! Fall colors...but I already had the left over HST's.

And here is a cute, cute, cute doll quilt (well, it’s not really quilted but I’m thinking of tying it) I just finished last night.

This design came from http://nanacompany.typepad.com/nanacompany/2012/03/the-perfect-sleepy-time-doll-quilt.html and is available in her Itsy shop. I’m actually working on another of the same  embroidery pattern, more of the vintage look, for the second little quilt. I already have the top pieced.

Enjoy! Find time to quilt!

Toni

Manic Monday~April 2

April 2^nd. The first quarter of 2012 is over. Time to review goals and adjust as necessary. At least for me! Mentally (I don’t think I ever put it in writing) this year I was going to finish two quilt projects a month. Last year I finished twelve UFOs and seven new projects. Admittedly some of these were wall hangings but notice even this year I put in the word “projects. And although two quilted projects per month was going to be a stretch. I thought I could do it.

Where am I? I have finished two wall hangings, one lap quilt and one large quilt. SWOON! And no UFO’s. You can see I’m sadly behind on my goal. And the one thing I didn’t tell you about that January resolution was that I also told myself “do no harm”. And that meant do not create any more UFO’s. But I think I have. Created UFO’s. It depends on your definition of UFO. Could I tweek my definition to work for me? Sure! But honestly. What do you consider a UFO? For me, it means, did I finish the top and then set it aside and start something new? Did I put the fabrics away that I was using on that top? And, sigh, I have to say, that so far this year I’ve added the Blue Flying Geese and the Granny Square to the UFO pile. Still folded and visible, not yet put away in the closet, but still, sadly, close to being UFO’s. Additionally, there is Hopscotch on my design wall and the New York Beauty Quilt Along. Will they become UFO’s?  Hopefully not. I'm still on target for Hopscotch and here is a picture of last weeks New York Beauty blocks.

Being fair. I am actively FMQ a Halloween quilt I started two years ago. And this weekend, I layered and started marking a Rainbow quilt from the end of last year. So I’m not totally neglecting the UFO’s but I’m not meeting my goal.

And my new thought? Doll Quilts! I will share next week.

Did you notice that in this post I did not delineate my new goals? Hmmm, don’t put it in writing.

Oh! And visit http://sewhappygeek.co.uk/index.php/2012/04/02/manic-monday-linky-party-31/  for Manic Monday.

Enjoy!

Toni