Design Wall Monday~March 20

Good Morning!

Just touching base to let you know how my projects are going. And then, I will have to slow down for a few weeks.  I told my husband that I would start painting the interior of the house on the first day of Spring. Do you know what tomorrow is? The vernal equinox. So less sewing, more painting. (Yuck!)

This last week I finally got “Heat Lightning” quilted. And I’m sick about the stain on the bottom. There was residue oil/grease? leftover from when I had it serviced. I tired several products to remove it and it looked fine wet. When it dried I had this mess. I’ll have to work on it.

I also finished the number of blocks I’m doing for the Granny Square Quilt A long. Today, I will sew the rows together and add sashing.

These are my blocks for the second week of the Flickr New York Beauty QAL.

And these are only five of the eight blocks I have done for "The Swooning on a Hop Along" over on the Flickr Group. This is the Hopscotch pattern by Camille Roskelly. The same designer as the "Swoon" pattern everyone liked so well. I’m treating that as a block a day. Surprisingly easy blocks. Don’t you love the “Lilly” fabrics?  These are the ones I told you I won.  I will be adding in other fabrics from my scrap strip tote.

 Additionally, I pieced the back for the Rainbow quilt and plan on getting that machine quilted by this next weekend.

I also have hopes to finish one other UFO, already layered and partially quilted.  

I hope you have BIG plans for your quilting pleasure this week!

Enjoy!

Toni

Design Wall Monday March 12

How lucky am I? I have probably only entered five give aways in two years. Last year I won two patterns (one give away) and this year I won fabric from LiMA Sews http://www.limasews.com/.
The give away was sponsored by Sara of  http://www.sewsweetness.com/ who is in Chicago. Besides the great fabric it was fun to find that I was getting fabric from Portland Oregon. LiMa Sews is in Portland. I’m in Molalla, OR which is about 30 miles southeast of Portland. Isn’t that fun? Funny?
 

Sara at Sew Sweetness is the one mentoring the New York Beauty Quilt Along. http://www.flickr.com/groups/1900096@N20/   I had only done one paper piecing project previously. I did the “LOVE” wall hanging to become familiar with paper piecing. I’d always thought paper piecing didn’t appeal to me but I was successful with the wall hanging so decided to TRY the NYB Quilt Along. I am so thrilled with my first NYB blocks!  Now I'm hooked! I didn’t like the directional fabric in the first one

But thought the colors were okay so made two more blocks.

 Still, okay, but they didn’t tickle my fancy. And lastly, I did darks and brights. I had always thought if I ever did a NYB it would be something eye catching. The reason I didn’t start with the brights? ‘cause I am (supposed to be) shopping from my stash and there really aren’t that many brights in there.  So, too bad! I guess if I want to do this quilt this way, I will have to spend money on fabric. You know I’m not crying over that!

Oh! I almost forgot. Here are the blocks I’ve finished for the GrannySquare Quilt Along. For those who don’t know, they will have sashing between the blocks.

 See more here:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/oldredbarncoquiltalong2009/

Visit Judys for more great inspiration: http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Enjoy!

Toni

Design Wall Monday~March 5

Good Morning!

Swoon is finished! I hesitate to show you any more pictures as I’ve taken, and shared, so many throughout the process. But….. just one more to show that it is actually done! (I know “meat is “done” people are “finished”!) I guess I should have said “Swoon is complete.” Here is a pix so you can see the quilting,the binding and how the backing looked after using the QAYG method I chose with pieced blocks and sashing.

I consider myself a fairly intelligent person but somehow I struggled with the block that is part of another Quilt Along. Granny Squares. Just a block a day: http://www.flickr.com/groups/oldredbarncoquiltalong2009/

I know the link shows a date of 2009 but it is current. Anyway, I couldn’t really get the concept of “ inner ring, outer ring” as it applies to this block. Trust me! I crocheted plenty of “Granny Squares” in my day. I thought “No problem. I will just use white for all the centers and it will be easy.”  And although I am using scraps and will be using all colors, I did red, white and blue first. Pretty snazzy looking, huh?

  

But not really the old fashioned look I wanted.

So I did another block…..hmmm, nice enough but still no inner and outer rings. Back to the Flickr group to see the pictures and choose the ones I LOVE and see how they do it.

Aha! I think I now have it!

Now off to play with more Granny Squares…gotta stay caught up. And also to play with the paper pieced block for the New York Beauty QAL that starts today. Only one block a week! http://www.flickr.com/groups/1900096@N20/

Don’t forget Judys Design Wall: http://www.patchworktimes.com/

I love my Flickr groups! Visit them too!

Enjoy!

Toni

Design Wall Monday~February 27

Last week I mentioned “too much inspiration” and referred you to Rachels site: http://www.stitchedincolor.com/2012/02/too-much-inspiration.html

The reason that thought engaged me was because I was looking at my quilt “Bucket List” (one of those phrases I’m tired of but everyone knows what it means) for 2011. Having made that list I sorta’ thought that whenever I wanted to make a new quilt, it would be something from that list. I did finish a record number of, for me, quilts last year. Both UFO’s and new quilts. And do you know how many of those quilts came from the “Bucket List”?  None!               Well sorta’ two.

I had “Circle Quilt” and I was thinking of something along the lines of the beauty found here:

http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/

But this is the only circle quilt I made.

Not as many circles as I pictured. But with this project I did learn a technique that I like for doing circles:  

http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com/2008/01/circle-tutorial.html

I had “Spools” quilt and I was thinking of something traditional sorta’ like the one on this site:

http://dquilts.blogspot.com/

To cross this off my list I counted this Double Hourglass. It does sorta look like spools, doesn’t it?

Do I think there is too much inspiration available? No! There are lots of opportunities to see new ideas, new fabrics, new techniques. No wonder we change out minds daily about what we want to make! So in honor of that thought….no more “Bucket List”. I will continue to do Quilt a Longs and Block Swaps and Bee’s. And I will be inspired, daily, by all the knowledge and creative people whose blogs I follow and whose pictures I see on Flickr and Pinterest and other sites. It’s an exciting time to be a quilter. And if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to finish one quilted project a month.

Oh! Before I get rid of that "Bucket List" maybe I should finish this top I made last week and cross off "Flying Geese"

Don't forget to visit Judys Design Wall Monday!   

http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Enjoy!

Toni



Design Wall Monday~February 20

I was in bed this morning with my husbands arm wrapped around me and my mind was awhirl. I had so many things I wanted to say in my blog this morning. But my blog would be too long if I covered all of them. So I picked one topic

Time. Where does it go? Dad always said “the older you get the faster it goes”. I thought “Ha! I don’t think summer vacation will ever get here”. Then when I was laid off two years ago, I begged answers from non working friends, “what do you do with all your time?” And after one year of collecting employment benefits and now almost one year of being officially retired, I can say finding things to fill my time is not an issue!

I guess there really is a time for everything. I had tried not working when I was 30, four months later I begged for my job back….my husband worked, my child had school, I had had a job I loved, I was bored at home, so back to work. Then when I was 57 I once again left a job I had loved (until new management!) and again was bored. I lasted six months not working.

Now, having not worked for almost two years, I can honestly say I am not bored. I am more than stimulated and inspired by all the quilting activities available on the Internet. You might want to read Rachels blog on the subject of “too much inspirations”: http://www.stitchedincolor.com/2012/02/too-much-inspiration.html

 You are probably tired of Swoon but those of us who have swooned are still in love.

 I did change the way I was joining the blocks after I did QAYG…because I had not planned for sashing. The original block had sashing. I just ignored it but then I thought “matching all those points?” “matching all those lines on my diagonal machine quilting?” Ha! I  need some space to fool the eye into thinking everything is wonderful. Here is the website for this version

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/2012/02/quilt-along-7-connected-quilted-pieces.html

You can either watch the video or just follow the written/pictured steps. It is wonderful! I have all the verticals attached. Well, the front machine sewn part. Now on to the back and the hand sewn part.

And I’m playing with this block for my Flying Geese quilt along. I want to do a two color quilt but I always end up adding more color. I’m sure even this one will end up with a bright border.

 Don’t forget Judys Design Wall: http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Enjoy!

Toni

Design Wall Monday~February 13

Hello! You are not going to get much from me this morning. It’s a softly raining day, the woodstove is feeling good and I’m still feeling a little drowsy. Normally I get up anywhere between 5:00 and 6:30. Last night I stayed up until 1:00 and so managed to sleep in until 6:40! Wow! And although I’m not “tired” I am thinking I should snuggle on the loveseat with a book…..and the four little dogs.

This morning I will just show you pictures.

 I am doing my Swoon blocks as a QAYG and I’m using this technique. http://sewtakeahike.typepad.com/sewtakeahike/2010/04/quilt-as-you-go-quiltalong-part-three.html. I looked at many different ways to do this but tho’ this has more hand sewing (thank goodness I LIKE hand sewing) it is the one that will achieve the look I want. My goal is to do one block a day. I like hand sewing so much I am even doing basting the old fashioned way…with needle and thread. No pins or spray this time!

With Valentines Day just around the corner, who could resist this little wall hanging? Today I will do the binding.

 My sis’ was really hoping I was making it for her! Maybe next year Joanne! If you want to try paper piecing on a small project, but big pieces, try this mini/wall hanging that Kelly was nice enough to share with us.     http://www.kelbysews.blogspot.com/search/label/love%20letters

 

Be sure and visit other “Designers” over at Judys http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Enjoy!

Toni

Design Wall Monday~February 6

Good Morning! And it is a great frosty, but sunny, morning outside Molalla Oregon!

First! We were busy Saturday and so did not stop to get our mail. Yesterday when I went down to the mail box I found a big package. I mean a BIG package!  My first thought was “I didn’t order anything.” And my second thought was “They must have put it in the wrong box.” Reading my name and then the return address didn’t help much at first, but then I realized it was a present from Kim of http://kimsbigquiltingadventure.blogspot.com/

Now I know the reason the word BIG is in the name of her blog! She is generous and big hearted! Last year Kim had a Flickr group called “11 in ‘11” http://www.flickr.com/groups/1615547@N24/.

It was to encourage/challenge us to finish eleven quilts or quilted projects in 2011. And at the end, she rewarded us. I expected a small, squishy envelope. I mean who can afford the postage let alone the value of fabric. But look at this~

Is this not BIG? Thank you Kim! I will be sending you a real thank you but in the mean time I wanted everyone to see how generous you are!

 

On my design wall is the latest iteration of my Swoon quilt top. Hopefully by the end of this week I will have decided which blocks I am going to use for the front. You can see the fun comments people have made on the Flickr Swoon-a-long page http://www.flickr.com/groups/1904864@N22/. On Flickr I am known as smalltown97038.

And don’t forget to visit Judys http://www.patchworktimes.com/ today for more quilty, design wall, inspiration.

Enjoy!

Toni