Design Wall Monday 4/18/11

This will be a Quilt for Kids donation quilt.

I have 4 ready to send but the box I bought to ship them in has room for one or two more. So I figured I'd wait and fill the box first.

And I'm very happy to say that my version of Bonnie Hunter's Crab Apples  quilt is a flimsy!

Edit 9/1/11 lost the original picture from post, here is one of quilt already quilted.

I'm calling it "My Apple Orchard".  

I changed the block size to 12 inch finish and only have 18 blocks.  A couple weeks ago, or maybe longer, I bought  fabric on sale that I thought would be good for backing.  When I got it home, I washed it and pieced it so it would be ready and it is big enough for this one. (woo-hoo)

So this is now in the closet waiting for quilting.

I r-e-a-l-l-y need to stop piecing tops for a month or so and get my tops quilted.  I thought I was going to try to do that this month, but I've failed.  (oh well).  Perhaps May will be the marathon quilting month.

 

Friday Finish(es)

"A Slice of Summer" (13 x 13) adaption of a Thimbleberries design

"Cute Coins" (17.5 x 22) From Remembering Adelia

 Libby's Brown Bear Quilt


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Today a new customer is coming over; always a little nervous about a new person.  I don't know her or her piecing skills...a delicate matter, for sure.
And then there is deciding on what to quilt on a quilt.  I like to take my time and ponder it for a bit.  Not because I'm waiting for the quilting muse to strike;  but because it takes me a while to remember the different designs I can do.  (if I haven't quilted something for a while I tend to forget about it).   But customers usually either know what they want done, this can be good;  (whew!
 I don't have to think about that part) or bad; (oh my I don't think that's gonna look so good...).
In that case I will give my opinion and try to offer alternate, but in the end it's not my quilt so I won't push.
EDIT:  Lovely lady, her quilt is adorable.


 Have you seen The Whimpy Kid?  The 2nd movie is in theaters around here now but we rented the first one last week...cracked me up...they've got middle school down pat. 
I always refer to that age group as the "larvae" stage of kids--sorta gross and you're not sure what they're going to morph into.....ah memories.

Today, I'm going to Sam's Club! I know my life is just too glamorous! Actually, I got a flyer that this weekend is their open house.  Which means non-members can shop without paying an upcharge.  
I used to belong to Sam's club when our 2 boys (aka the eating machines) lived at home. 

***they (the eating machine boys) were here for dinner on Sunday, along with John's new girlfriend and I made lasagna...there was ONE piece left. Meghan said "wow, we haven't almost finished a lasagna since you two lived here!!! I was thinking the same thing.  Now I make lasagna and we get 3 more meals out of it, which is my kind of cooking anyway.***

Since I don't need to buy vast quantities of food, I let my membership lapse.  And anything I really want a bigger container of I can get at WalMart.
 I'm needing K- cups for my Kuerig and Sam's has the best price locally and even beats the online "coffeeforless" site, although they don't have the selection that coffeeforless has.
But hey I'm going to go browse around and pick up a few things besides coffe, I'm sure.


 I'm also thinking of getting the backing today for my CW Medallion top. When Libby and I were sewing on Tuesday, she suggested I enter it in a quilt show in June.  I said 'nah' I hadn't quilted it yet. But of course the seed was planted and now I'm thinking I'd like to enter it...maybe.  I've already decided to do baptist fans on it...
I'm hoping for a great day today-- it's sunny out. 
Meghan and Paul (they are weather bugs) informed me last night that it's suppose to start raining tonight and continue for the next week.  I can almost feel the sinus/migraine forming. 

Gulp.

When it rains all day

you should stay inside and sew with a friend.

Libby came over today.

We set up our machines and at 10:15 we started our 1600  quilt. It took us 2 1/2 hours to piece. 

Libby's "Berry Bliss" bali pop

My "Spumoni" balipops

We both agreed it was a lot of fun.  I'm going to put a 2" stop border and then a wider outside border. I think Libby is doing to same with hers. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon working on other projects.  Libby worked on her Many Thanks blocks and I worked on Tree quilt

I don't have enough of the checkerboard border made, but I don't think it will take too long to sew what I need.  I'm a little stressed that these borders are going to need some 'adjusting' since I changed the block size...heehee...but we'll see.

 

another day

I finished this little quilt yesterday-free hand baptist fans (a little wonky) but I like it.

I just need to throw it in the wash to crinkle it up a bit.

The watermelon quilt requested by my SIL.  After I snapped this picture I remembered she wants it about 12x17 to fit a specific spot in her kitchen.  This is too wide so I'll need to re-do the borders.  It's from a pattern in At Home with Thimbleberrries by Lynette Jensen (link).  I've had the book for years.

***picture was lost in computer glitch I mean because of user error in other words. I lost the dang thing.***

So here's another one:

 

and the 4th block of Henrietta Whiskers is done.

I had cut out a bunch of 1.5 x 2.5 strips for a coin quilt from the book Remembering Adelia by Kathleen Tracy.  (I'll link later, my computer is doing background scans and going so slow I'm about to rip my hair out.  (breathe in...breathe out...patience the virtue I didn't get--bet the line was too long and I....never mind)

EDIT Here's the  link

I was going to do the coins L/E but couldn't stand it.  So I sewed them up.

Today, after a dental visit (joy; oh joy!) I'm picking up Libby and my SIL (another one not the watermelon one) and we're heading to a quilt shop to purchase our passports for June's Western PA shop hop.  If you get them today, they'll stamp it  "VIQ" Very Important Quilter--which will entitle the shop hopper to extra treats and such during shop hop.  We're not really concerned with that- but it's a great excuse to HAVE to go to a quilt shop (or 2) and out to lunch. 

My SIL is not a quilter, I'd love to bring her over to the dark  fun side of life, so we'll call  this is a 'covert' operation!  buwahahaha

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.

Design Wall Monday 4/4/11

I decided to get Crab apples up on the wall and finish it.
 Hope to get it together this week.

sorry it's sideways!

I finished my little pinwheels quilt

I quilted free-hand baptist fans and even put the binding and label on!  I just forgot to take a finish picture.  My brother and SIL stopped over tonight and I gave it to her.  (she was over a couple days ago saw it and really liked it) We'll be going to their house for Easter dinner so I'll try to get a picture then. 

Spring...AKA migraine season.....

I woke up at 4:30 this morning feeling like doo-doo, ya' know: crap.

After tossing and muttering and waking up Paul (oops he still had 1/2 to go before the alarm), I got up and ate a yogurt so I could take meds.  I was planning on going back to bed; the medicine only took the edge off, which is great, but it wasn't enough that I thought I could sleep.  So down to my sewing room for some distraction.

I sewed the outer border on the CW Medallion quilt-yeah!  It measures 94 x 94! yikes.

No finished picture-- I've been looking at the dang thing on the design wall for so long I just folded it up, put the notes on it about backing, batting and that I have the binding ready and hung it in the closet.

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Then I almost got out the crap  Crab apple blocks to work on,

*edit: whoops, blame it on the headache~ :)*

 

but I looked over my list for 2011 and saw Jonquils & Stars. It's a WIP just like the Crab apples but I only needed to cut and sew on the final outer borders.  I bought the fabric last month...maybe in January and have no idea why I didn't just finish it then. 

ta-da it's now a flimsy.