I've been cookin'....

baking actually!  My first loaf of "One-hour French bread"

I had already eaten the two ends before I thought to snap a picture.

this is my 12 days of Christmas quilt (from here).

I never liked the sashing; too white so it's having a coffee staining bath here.

Right now it's out on the deck drying.   It's looking good.

It's hard to tell from the picture but it's way darker and dull-er-

just as I hoped.

I've been finishing bindings-- 9-patch lattice is done-done.

sewing bindings--union jack is just started but I'm hopeful.

quilting an all-over stipple on the Granny Squares quilt. That I first saw here. I can't wait to see this washed and crinkled.

granny square getting quilted

...sewing on more binding. 

I used almost all my leftover pieces of binding from other quilts-hate to toss them, for granny squares. I still have some left but not much. 

granny square w/binding on-not hand sewn to back yet

and all the while thinking more and more of this...

I actually thought for a sec of taking a quilt with me to bind..hahhaaa 

I did find a rug pattern but not sure if I'll have time to transfer it and get a bunch of worms cut, not worrying about it that's for sure.

Went and saw The Bourne Legacy on Sunday (very good if you like that kind of action-I do) and today Meg and I saw "The Odd Life of Timothy Green" (really good.) 

 I can't remember the last movie I saw in a theater and now two in three days- craazzyy.

I have one more quilt on 'the list' that I want to quilt before we leave.  I think I can, I think I can.

Finishes

My latest doll quilt...

I called it "Juber's Doll Quilt" because Juber was the name of one of the three, yes 3, imaginary friends I had when I was little.  It just popped into my head when I was getting ready to make a little label for it. 

Juber's Doll Quilt (16 x 20)

Debby, Seppy and Juber.

I don't remember them, probably just assimilated them into my personality~ but my mom tells how she would ask me who I was talking to and I would tell her, "Debby, Seppy and Juber." "Juber's the bad one." I would add matter-of-factly. My favorite name apparently was Debby. When my mom brought my sister home from the hospital and told me her name was Patty, I was crushed and cried, "But I wanted you to call her Debby." My dad always says at the re-telling of this story, "At least she didn't want to name her Juber!"

And here is Annie showing off my new cushion covers.  I have some fabric left so I might try some more of this cushion redecorating stuff...but the math and just reading the directions really hurts my brain.

Lotsa stuff going on and pictures too

My batik stars quilt is loaded, I've picked the bright variegated threads I want to use, but I haven't started. I know once I take a few minutes and start the first stitches the quilt will be half way done before I know it! 

(this picture is from last July-before the outer borders added-I don't seem to have a picture after this)

On Thursday Libby and I went to the Quilt Co.  If you spend $100 in the month of May, you get a Summer Shopping Pass which entitles you to 20% off your purchases in June/July/August.  Libby had a list a mile long; she's always very organized like that.

I spent the days before "thinking" about what I needed/wanted but sadly didn't write a list out (weird because I LUV to make lists).

I knew I needed a blue fabric for  the LeMoyne star border.  I also forgot to take the quilt top with me, so I bought 2 fabrics that I thought might work.  The Morris Tapestry fabric was perfect so that's what I used.

a flimsy

Now at some point last week I got out my box of Block-a-day blocks and was just looking at them, no plans to start ANOTHER quilt but I did pull out these 3 blocks.

The block on the left will be a "porch pillow", the maple leaf block will be a pillow as well and the block on the right I'm just going to make into a little table topper/candle mat quilt. I pieced leftover batting scraps together for them. 

When I got the plastic bins out that I keep these blocks in, I noticed another container. I forgot that I had last years Shop Hop blocks in it.  I pieced those as block-a-day substitutes when I didn't like a particular block in the Block-a-Day calendar. 

I had stopped working on these because I ran out of the black batik I was using. (the same batik in my Batik Stars sampler quilt) I did find a sorta maybe not really match and just lost interest in this one.

Since Shop Hop 2011 is in June I thought I should get this thing finished.

So I got it out and put it up on the wall. Before Libby and I left, I cut a snippet of the original batik and stuck it in my purse.  I was thrilled, amazed very happy to find a very close match, much better than the one I settled for earlier.  Since the rows were already together finishing this only took an hour or 2 (I lose track of time in my sewing room).



Close up I couldn't see the subtle difference in the fabric-they are that close to a match-but the camera shows it and I love the effect! Just have the outer border to sew on.  I was thinking about making 4 little star blocks for cornerstone blocks but have decided to leave it plain. 

 Meg came down to my room last night (Paul was out with 'the guys'). My camera was sitting there so she took this. 

Say cheese!

And finally a Leader/Ender saga.  I was planning on posting earlier in the week but blogger was having issues-hence all this 'catch-up'.

Not too long ago I started sewing  little 9-patch blocks together (with repro fabric of course),  I made tons of them and then put them away. They finish 4" I think.  So I wanted to just make another little doll quilt.  I don't quite understand this doll quilt fixation I have but I love making them.

First I put up just the 12 blocks on the right for the doll quilt and then I "just for fun" put the rest of the blocks up. As is my luck, I was 3 short.  So I made 3 more. I played with sashing ideas for about 2 minutes and decided I didn't have enough of any one fabric I liked and that would turn it into too much of a big project.

So I moved them all together.

Now in the meantime I am working on the LeMoyne stars and looking at the wall with these blocks  and at some point I thought 'what if I turned them on point?'

Now I missed taking a picture in here because when I turned them on point I was 4 blocks short AGAIN!  But I liked the look.  So I cut out some more pieces and miscounted and made 6 so now I still have leftover blocks....gees-Louise!

While I was pieced these extra blocks, I sewed the little doll quilt ones together

 and added the borders.

oops! it's sideways.



Design Wall Monday 5/9/11

On my design wall are the blocks, eight done-one to go, for my LeMoyne star quilt.  The pattern is in Kathleen Tracy's book, Remembering Adelia .  I was attracted to the blues the first time I saw it.

I finished my little 9-Patch Doll quilt (also a Kathleen Tracy design)!

I machine quilted it on my DSMachine. 

I'm seriously smitten with this little sweetie.

And although it seems just about everybody has already made a Schnibbles quilt, I finally have my first one together.  I pieced it as a Leader/Ender, which was easier to do with the rail fence blocks.  The star blocks I pretty much pieced each one at a time.

The pattern is Lincoln and I used "American Primer" charm packs from Minnick & Simpson.

The backing is pieced, binding made and just waiting for it's turn on HQ.

Check out other design walls over at Patchwork Times and have a great week!

taking everyone's advice

from my last post and NOT doing laundry.  Amazingly, (snicker) if I maintain excellent posture it doesn't bother my back to sew. 

I had the pattern from Kathleen Tracy's website for this sweet little quilt.

(14 x 18)

I cut all the pieces out yesterday, while I was working on the Lemoyne Star blocks. I figured I might as well, since all my fabrics were out and a big mess anyway.

I've also pieced 2 of the star blocks and another star block for the Lincoln schnibbles.  So I'm basically L/Endering 3 tops at one time.  It worked just fine.  Now that I'm so accustomed to piecing more than one thing at a time, it feels like a waste of time not too.



LCQA Block #12

I also sewed together this little doll quilt.  I found the free pattern on Kathleen Tracy's blog. 

I've been enjoying her book Remembering Adelia and just ordered Prairie Children & their Quilts.

Block Four of Henrietta Whiskers came out and I have it traced...too much fun.