Design Wall Monday (week 31)

Here is my wall.

12 inch Block-a-Days

  I'm thinking 2 borders: a pieced one next and then a larger outer border. It will depend on the yardage I have how big the outer border can be.

The left side of the wall has my Tisket-Tasket blocks and the right side is my June FFF stitchery from Kaaren at The Painted Quilt. 

block-a-days w/Morris Wkshop fabric

Yesterday I sewed the block-a-day for August 5th, making it the 20th -12 inch block from the Morris workshop fabric (moda).  Of course I had to get them all out and put 'em on the wall. 

I need to decide on borders and sashing so I think I will leave these up for a few more days.

It's a lovely day today with just a small chance of a scattered shower, so Paul and I are going to go for a long bike ride. As long as the weather cooperates our destination is an early dinner at Rachel's Roadhouse. I've been there a few times while on quilting excursions with quilter friends but not with Paul.  

Stitching and quilting

Today I finished Libby's quilt. It's a biggie 93 x 100.  I did wonky feathers in the outer border, cc in the squares in the border and the blocks, stippled the long setting strips and a lg. c-hook type thing in the green border. I used a celery colored thread from connecting threads in the top and bottom line (Superior)in the bobbin-perfect tension, gosh I love that bottom line stuff!

My HQ is in the basement and even with the basement door shut w/the AC on it gets cold down there. My feet freeze.  So a couple times I'd come upstairs and go sit on the deck to warm the tootsies, enjoy the beautiful summer day and do some stitching.  I've been working on Kaaren's FFF. And also my Tisket-Tasket blocks.  These four are machine blanket stitched and waiting for a turn in the hoop.

and this is October's block waiting for the blanket stitching.

block-a-days

Ok these are 7/30-8/4!  I need one more 12" block in the Morris fabric line and I'll have 20 blocks.  I'm thinking a 4 x 5 setting with some kind of scrappy border, probably a sashing around them in a solid or 'reads solid' to calm the blocks down.  Crappola photographer at work again but when I look at these on my wall I just about drool.  That lonely bright's 9" block, hmmm..not so much. 

I've been busy quilting away on Libby's tres large quilt and if I get my butt from in front of this computer I think I can have it done today.  I'm going to accompany her to a quilt shop tomorrow (I am a good friend, so of course I agreed to go and keep her from buying fabric; she wants to check out sewing machines).

I'm wondering if I should purchase a taser....buwahaha. 

(that's really not funny, so sorry!)

so why am I still snickering...

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and a photo of my new bed quilt

I've always wanted this quilt for my bed but with the light background and Annie sometimes losing her mind and jumping up on the bed with dirty doggie paws, I was hesitant. But she hasn't been jumping up too much, I'm afraid she's starting to have some aches and pains. She doesn't even try to get up on the bed on weekends now when Paul is still in bed (that used to be the norm). Dang, I hate it when you notice them slowing down. 

So I thought.

  It's a quilt, it's made to be used not rolled up to keep it from creasing and brought out to air and re-roll.  

 I still have the 1st quilt I made ALL HAND PIECED & HAND-QUILTED and made with 'non-quilt shop fabric' (gasp) and it's well-worn but still works.  But I retired it from bed service after 10+ years.

(well, crap, I can't find a picture of that quilt, I'm going to have to go find it....)

So, if this one gets dirty, I will wash it and if it starts to wear out in some years I will retire it. But until then I'm going to look at it and smile thinking of all those fabrics that I bought in 3 coordinating fat quarters at a time (because that was all I could afford) and being so excited that I could hand piece a mariner's compass block- way back when I was a new quilter and I had been told Mariners compass blocks were for 'very experienced' quilters!--working on it while the kids played; keeping a little baggie of the pieces sitting around or in my purse. (I think we had doctor appts. on a weekly basis back then, or so it seemed.)  And I'm going to run my fingers over my 1st attempt at "mcwerleying" and smile at how far I've come as a quilter.

 And if the kids don't inherit this one....oh well. 

I think they'll be ok.

An Evening with Bonnie Part 2

The lecture and truck show we went to last night was outstanding.

Before Bonnie began her presentation the guild that was hosting her had a short meeting.

One of the show and tell's was a small appliqued picturial quilt. It was a photo that one of them took of Pittsburgh. The picture was divided into 4 sections and 4 quilters interpreted one section as they wanted to and then they joined it back together.

The lady on the left is one of the quilt makers.

*****

If you ever get a chance to attend a lecture/trunkshow by Bonnie Hunter, do it! 

I bought  Adventures w/Leaders & Enders book--which she signed! And although the pictures of the quilts in the book are fabulous; they can't compare to seeing these beauties in 'real life'.

Oh my, I can't wait until my current 9-patch challenge L/E is done so I can start one of these.

I found it very interesting to hear people's reactions and questions to the Leader/ender method. They sounded just like me a few months ago before I became a believer! 

An Evening with Bonnie

Yep, tonight Bonnie Hunter is in the 'burgh and giving a lecture.  I'm waiting for Libby to pick me up, we're hooking up with another quilting friend, Sue and heading to the other side of town. 

We plan on having dinner first and then go to the lecture.  I already put my camera in my purse. Let's hope I remember to use it!

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Oh and can you believe I was the winner of Melinda's 1000 post give away!! I'm so excited.

This is turning out to be a stellar day.

And I cleaned my house too!

(that wasn't stellar...it being done IS)

And I'm not cooking dinner!

Oh my gosh, somebody pinch me!

Design Wall Monday (week 30)

Here is my design wall.

On the left side are my Tisket Tasket blocks. 

The right side of the wall are 5 block-a-days.

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We had a whirlwind of a weekend. Saturday was a lovely wedding & reception.  It was 93 degrees with 99% humidity.

And today we (my husband and his brother and 3 sisters and all our kids- that's 13 grandkids) had a surprise 60th Anniversery party for their parents.  They were completely surprised and for a split second I feared we had given his mom a heart attack. (a little scary). But she was fine and they were thrilled to spend the evening with all of us together.

 This was the most fun...trying to get 26 people in one photo using timers on 3 camera's at one time so everyone could be in the shot.  I'm hoping one of them got us all. I obviously didn't!

Stop on over at  Judy's to see some other design walls!