Current Projects and Questions

Here are two of the projects I worked on this weekend.   I am in a Kaffe Fassett Block exchange and this months person requested this pattern Counterspun by The Quilter's Cache/Marcia Hohn.  It is a paper pieced pattern and she requested that the two outer pieces be the same in each block making it appear that it is the background fabric that the panels are spinning on.  It is an easy fun paper piecing and I can't wait to see this one finished since each of us chose our own fabrics to use in each block so they are all really, really different.  I pieced these Sunday afternoon since they needed to get in the mail ASAP. 

 

 

Saturday I worked on this spiral quilt.  I already had the spiral paper pieced and added part of the pink border, but I didn't like it and it wouldn't turn the corners pretty so I picked it all off except for the inside part and started all over.  I was going to put some beads, but the ones I got to use on this quilt, I ended up not liking.  I thought they were way to chunky and heavy for this top.  (which is why I got them to begin with.  I liked the chunkiness)  I am trying to decide if I want to add more of the green on the outside making it look like it is offset.  (small border of green on top and left with larger border of the green on the bottom and right edge.  Then I would bind in the black with maybe a bit of the hot pink piping again.  I am still playing with this idea.  I am also playing with adding some beads after it is quilted.  Which is another dilemma for a later time.  It's not very large - the green background  is about the size of a fat quarter. 

 

 

I also added a dark brown border that is the same background fabric for the stars in my color challenge quilt.  That simple border grounds the quilt and gives it a finishing that it needed.  I don't have a picture of it since it is hanging on my fabric shelves and I can't get a clear picture.  If I can remember to bring it to school, I will get some students to hold it up so I can get a good picture.  Then I can post it here and on the 15 minute play website.   

 

 My mother is trying to work through and finish up UFOs from her quilting room and I decided I would try to do the same.  The color challenge was one of the first, this spiral is a second one and when I finish a third - don't know which one yet - I can start on something new.  I really, really wanted to start a new quilt this weekend, but I had to restrain myself and only work on re-writing the directions and trying to come up with a list of fabrics needed to make the quilt.  I won't tell you which one just yet, but it's a fun one.  So, what are you working on?  Do you have UFOs in your stash or are you one of those that only works on one quilt and finishes it before starting another one?  Do you take a class and finish that quilt before taking another class? 

Dogs and What Else is New

Sometimes it's better to just type first and then add the pictures in second. I have the hardest time trying to add type after I have the pictures in place. I wanted to share with you the newest pictures of three of my dogs. I was sitting on the couch downloading pictures from my phone to my e-mail so I could up-load them at school (and here) so I took a few quick snaps of my dogs. Taegan wasn't in the mood so I left him alone.   Below is Mr. Finnagan.  He is my only non-gray Shi Tzu.  He is also a foundling - found running in the streets after a major rain storm a couple of years ago and when we had thunder and rain the other day, he and Taegan (another one afraid of thunder) were my constant companions. 





Finnagan

Next up is Miss Fiona.  (a foundling)  She was found by a neighbor who thought it was one of mine and to tell you the truth, I thought it was mine, also until she turned her head and looked at me.  

Miss Fiona

 I wasn't going to keep either one of these, but after searching for 3 months and no flyers, ads in the paper or anything, I kept them.  Due to the oilfield traffic, we get people who just up and leave the apartments a couple of blocks over and put their dogs out on the street when they can't keep them or don't want to keep them.  It's sad, but unfortunately part of life.  Last, but not least, is Mr. McCallum.  He is my Yorkie and is a handful sometimes.  He is smart and inquisitive and gets into trouble all the time.  (mostly by climbing over the baby gate on the stairs and taking the squeekers and stuffing from Finnagan's toys.)  this was his second picture.  He moved in the first and I told him we had to take it over and he posed so pretty for me. 

McCallum

 What am I currently working on?  That is a good question.  Last weekend was a semi-quilt-in (only 2 days) for our group and I didn't know what I wanted to work on, so I followed in my mom's footsteps and pulled an unfinished project out and decided to put it together.  The blocks are from a color challenge over at 15 Minutes Play.  I had made 13 of the blocks before I got busy and had planned on coming back to make the other 3 later, but then decided I was finished.  16 didn't go together as well as this 13 did.  I found this fabric in my stash - it's a Terri Mangat fabric - and it is perfect for this quilt.  I plan on adding a small dark brown border (background fabric for the blocks )  and then I am calling it done. 

Color challenge quilt top in progress

 I took a journaling class at the Ogallala and below is my start of the journal.  You take two pieces of muslin and fuse them together.  Then using red and blue thread, you stitch the lines to make your fabric look like a sheet of paper.  I painted the letters and pig and then free-motion stitched around them, added the spider, web and words.  I plan on adding more words and pictures on this one and then I will make several more and put them together in book form.  This was fun and interesting. 


Journaling with the machine

Thunder, Bangs and Sleep

It's that time of year again for Thunder in the Desert.  It's not what you would think.  We aren't getting major thunder and rain storms - which we would welcome just as much - however, drum corp international is here this weekend for another showing.  Do you know how I know it's that time of year again?  They are rehearsing and staying at the junior high and elementary schools surrounding my home.  (one a couple blocks to the north and one a block to the west)  I can hear them practice over and over and it's not helping my headache at all!!

I have been crashing out since I got back home from teaching a class in Andrews.  The class was awesome and I think the ladies really enjoyed it.  I taught my funky stars quilt and threw in a couple of other things, also.  Anyway, about 7 that night I was nodding off watching television so I made myself get up and go to bed!  That is how tired I was!!  SEVEN O'CLOCK!!!!!  I slept until about 11:30, played on the computer for a bit and went back to sleep until 11.  Needless to say, I have slept a lot in the last couple of days.  My body really took me at my word that it could crash after Saturdays class and it did!!  I have been trying to fight off a sinus infection for over a week now and it may just now be clearing up after all the sleeping I have done (and taking NyQuil) for the past couple of days.  Now I am ready to sew.  I have a couple of quilts on the wall that need just a bit more to finish up.  Once the tops are done I will photograph and post them.  So, here is the list of quilty things to work on in the next couple of days:

1.  Olive garden quilt - add a couple of borders
2.  16 patch quilt - finish sashings for last row and add borders
3.  Blogger's BOM - make blocks 10 and 11 (due out tomorrow)
4.  catch up and make all the blocks with the color challenge from 15 minutes play
5.  decide on a layout for the color challenge blocks.

Now the squirrels are adding to the banging and noise by throwing down the green pine cones from the tree next door onto my porch roof which in turn causes McCallum to bark like someone is attacking the house.  Which, if you think about it, is what the little squirrels are doing with their pine cone bombs. 

Taking some Tylenol and moving on to the sewing room to block out all the excess noise with the sounds of sewing and a movie. 

May Stocking Swap

I have been fighting with myself to get on here and write this posting and tonight I finally won.  I hope all of you have been better than me and have already started your May project, the table runner.  I have not.  I don't know why I chose to put a table runner in my list of 12 items to make for this swap, but I did and now I have to live with my decision and make one.  I am not afraid of making a long skinny quilt or a table runner.  I made a table runner a long time ago as part of a challenge and gave it to my mother.  When she packed up to move to Arkansas, I got my runner back.  The challenge was to make something using the orphan block you were given (mine was the 7 sisters block in the middle) I used gold lame in my quilt to give it some sparkle and it is even hand quilted!!  Oh, My!!!

 

 

In big stitch with some kind of gold thread.  I remember that it was really hard to work with.  It really is a nice Christmas quilt that needs to be put out this year, if I remember and if I decorate.  However, this quilt will really class with my hot pink tree and my lime green tree.  This just isn't my Christmas colors that I use at my house.  Tooooo traditional for me!! 

Okay, now you know that I have made and can make a table runner.  I have even made a skinny quilt

that, if it was longer, could be used as a table runner.  My problem is, my table is always full with other stuff so table runner is not wanted or needed.  (I don't really like them!!)  Not to say that on your table it doesn't look wonderful.  I love looking a pictures of tables in other people's homes that are set and have their runners proudly displayed running down the middle of their tables.  I have a squarish table and right now it is covered.  Literally covered with fabric and clean clothes.  Both of which are folded neatly, but just can't find the way upstairs and into their rightful places.  (okay, the fabric needs to be washed first and that is an entirely different posting!)

So, what I am whining about is the fact that I need to make a table runner for this month.  whine, whine, whine. 

I have googled several table runners and I see them out there all the time, but not one has jumped off the pages and said, "MAKE ME!!"  and I truly think that is the problem here.  (okay, it's not the only one, but it is a portion of the problem) I just need to be inspired.  So, if you are working on your table runner or already have it finished - you over achiever, you - OR if you have some you really like and think might be fun to make, send me the URL so I can check it out and maybe my creative juices can get a kick start and I will be inspired to make a runner for this month. 

I am up to 6 blocks finished for the Color challenge over at 15 minutes play and if I can get a good picture this weekend - too dark here since it's RAINING!!!  (we haven't had this much rain in almost two years!) (I mean - we got almost as much rain in the last 24 hours as we had gotten combined in the entire 12 months of last year!!!) I will try to lay them all out and take a good picture of each block this weekend. 

Weekend Workings while Wallowing in the Wasteland

We had our second - well, officially, second - quilt-in of the year.  (remember we snuck one in during spring  break so that one doesn't officially count) I had a lot to work on this time.  Not that I got everything done, but there was quite a bit that got finished on Thursday night.  I made the peach color challenge bits and pieces to go toward putting that quilt together.  I may have changed my mind once again on how I want that quilt to go - I am thinking about putting the blocks on point with some sashing of made fabric.  That would be really beautiful, but let me get a few more weeks behind me before I make that final decision.  That is why I am just making the parts and not putting them together yet. 

Since the 25th was during this week, I also got the new Blogger's Block of the Month pattern and made my two blocks for that quilt.  I am really enjoying my process for making these blocks and can't wait until the 25th of May for the next installment.  I think we are up to block 8 in that series. 

The next thing I worked on was mentioned in one of my recent postings - the Modern 8 Create challenge for April - at least I think it's for April, it could be for May. Taking a picture of something normal around your house and then distorting it or zeroing in on something to make it not what it was. I first took a picture of my modern picture frame.



 I focused in on the dots and tried to make them elongate and the more I played with it, the more I didn't really like that idea.  So, I took a picture of my hot pink wire shelving.

While that is a fun piece in my office, it would be totally boring for me to replicate as a quilt.  Doable, but boring!  So, the next item that caught my eye, was the cool flowers on my Puff's tissue box.  Hmm, that might be fun.  Click.

Interesting.  I especially like the laughing pig in the pyramid shelving caught in the edge of that picture, but that is not what I want to work on right now.  Okay, let's put this in paint and AHHHGGG - totally frustrating!  I can't make it do anything I want it to do.  What if I put it in a word document?  Yes, that is the trick.  Now I can stretch it and squish it and totally distort the picture.  Just what I wanted.  OOPS.  The picture below isn't the finished saved version.  It is a blown up version, but not a stretched and distorted one.  Let me go on a hunt and find that one.  Just a second.

Okay, it won't let me pull it over to here without a major headache so just pretend that I did and below is the quilt I am making based on that picture.  I haven't decided on the borders yet, but this is a start.  It has been a lot of fun and everyone at Bee was interested in what I was making.  Maybe we will have a few more making an art quilt based on an everyday picture.  We will just have to wait and see. 

I also found this pear pincushion pattern out in blogger land and as soon as I find the place, I will link up so you can make one, also.  I thought the pattern was a bit on the slender/small side so I fattened it up some and now, I am not sure - even though this is totally cute, I am not sure if the slender one might have been better.  I do know that it would have been harder to sew together on my machine - not impossible - just a little tougher.  I might have to make the apple pin cushion (from the same person) using that small 1 1/4" X 3" pattern just to see if I like it.  By the way, the original pear was only 1 1/8" X 3 1/2" with dips and curves down to 1/8" at the smallest width.  (that is without the seam allowance - not to scare anyone)  I might have to sew another one by hand.  Oh, one other thing, actually two other things.  The stem is a piece of brown strip - about 1" wide and 10" long rolled tightly and then the end tucked back on itself and hand stitched down.  Then I took two pieces of fabric and fused them wrong sides together and cut out a leaf shape.  I stitched all that to the top by hand.  The stem is a little tricky, but I got it to stay on there really well.  If you try it and can't figure out how to attach the stem, e-mail me and I will give you my technique. 

My friend Kathy made these adorable owl pin cushions - one is for her Stocking swap box!!  I may have to swipe her pattern and make me a few, also.  They are adorable and I don't know if you can see the middle one or not.  According to our friend, Gerrie, he has a massive headache. 

Thank goodness his headache was all gone by the time he left for home!