Curve it up Block 10

The scrap X's are growing 

Urban Candy is a flimsy

I took a bit of time to sew 2 of the blocks for the guild BOM

there are a couple more six inch block options but guild is Monday night and this may be it for now.

Last Saturday I met with a group of quilters from the guild to explore modern quilts.  It was a fun afternoon.  Well how could looking at quilts, books, patterns and discussing quilts NOT be fun. 

So inspiration struck while I was making our bed a few mornings ago.  I was folding a stack n whack quilt that we use as an extra quilt in the winter.  It's Meghan's college quilt.  Reversible-blue and gold (Pitt colors) on the one side and   red/lt. blue/ beige scrappy on the other side.  Flannels on both sides.  It's dang warm and snuggily.

When I made it I thought that if the Pitt colors got old before the quilt did she could use the other side.

So as I'm folding it, I'm thinking how the block is modern looking and what if I used white in some of the layers.   

So I went downstairs and found a piece of white and cut four 5 inch squares and layers them with 5 batik charms I had.  

The blocks trimmed up to 3 3/4. 

I like it.  I'm going to make another one using 5 white charms.   I will have to get some more white fabric, it's sadly lacking in my stash.

If I do decide to make a quilt, I will be making the blocks bigger, these are a bit too small. 

As I look at this the ideas are jumping around like crazy...

quiltin' and quiltin'

Libby picked up her quilt today.

and the back

another quilt done, all-over hooks to go with the backing...

I finished the squaring up and then spent a long time moving these blocks around.

the final layout for Urban Candy, random wins! And I've started sewing the rows together.

woot-woot

Curves on the Design Wall!

I have the blocks up sideways since my wall is wider than longer-but you get the idea.  

This quilt has 10 rows.  

All the green blocks and grey blocks are up there.  The rest, which I am still in the process of squaring up are the pink/red ones.  

I have used up all of the fabric and have made exactly 90 blocks.

I am not happy with the 5 darker grey blocks.  I had to add them from my stash as I didn't have enough of the lighter grey stripe to reach the 90 blocks.  You can see I made a green block from my stash as well, it's the far right bottom row of green ones.  It's a little too green but not enough to scream at me so it stays. 

The pattern shows a very random placement.  

I am going to compare this layout to a random arrangement and then if I like this better, I guess I'll have to go searching for some a lighter grey or grey stripe and swap out those 5 dreary solid reading ones.  

When I first started putting these up, I was doing it randomly but didn't like how it was looking; hence the change.

******

This weekend I am going to the first meeting of a new small modern quilt group forming in my guild.  

The email asked us to bring whatever we might have to share.

So Modern Misfits is finally getting the binding finished.  

Nothing like a deadline to light a fire under my butt. 

 *grin*

Fun Times, fun times...

Life is Good.

Retreat!!

The Quilt guild I belong to had it's annual retreat over the weekend.

I'm always a bit negative about going on retreats.  It seems like such a bother gathering up all my stuff and taking it to a strange place to sew. When I already have an organized routine at home.  

But after getting settled in, I'm happy I did.

Of course:

I packed too much!  

I ate too much.

I laughed too much-no that's not possible! But you know what I mean.

I made some new friends. (Hi Mary Lynne!) and got to know some of the other guild members a little better and attached a few more names to faces. 

And I got a lot done.  

I thought I would get much more done but isn't that how it always is?

The two latest blocks in Jenny's Curve it Up Quilt along were first.

Here's all my blocks so far.

I pieced all 85 of the 90 blocks I need for Urban Candy.  I didn't finish the final five because I didn't have enough of the colored curve pieces cut!  How the heck did that happen!

They are cut now and I will post a picture soon.

They need pressed before I put 'em up on the design wall.

Although I'm not thrilled with the colors, this quilt is not for me and I'm excited to see all the blocks together.

And finally, I pieced 8 of these X blocks.

Four blocks (12 inches each) make an X.  I'm using my strings to make the centers. After all the curved piecing I did, it was very nice to slip back into mindless sewing.

I've finished quilting a huge quilt for Libby and can't wait until she picks it up so I can show a few pictures.  She says she hasn't been on the blog for a while but just in case I want her to see this one in person first.  

Oh and I got a new pattern.

oh my gosh! I can't wait to make this one!!

scattered...

just like these photos. 

Thought I should pop in and document what's going on in the sewing room.

Lots.

Too much.

This is the back of Swirled Christmas Trees 

all leftover stash pieces.

***********

The start of a long project I fear.  

Meghan loved the purple yo-yo quilt I quilted for a customer.

She wanted one. I said 'oh we could do it together if you like--I'll show you, it's more of a craft thing than a quilt thing....'

I bought the yo-yo maker.  I made one.  

Meghan came down a few days later while I was working on something else and started fiddling with the yo-yo's  (be still my heart).  I tried to ignore her--ie: not pounce and scare her away ya know.

Finally, she asked how this works.  I calmly got up and went through the steps, trying to keep ALL signs of over EXCITEMENT out of my voice.

I showed her how to line up the front and back. I picked up the already threaded needle and said 'and then you just sew through the holes' like this.

She blanched (not an exaggerated word for effect)

Her: WHAT? you have to sew this?  YOU TRICKED me!!

(yep, she actually said 'you tricked me')

Me, laughing:  What are you talking about this is how you make them?

Her:  I didn't know we had to SEW them!

Me: well, yah, that's how you make them, how did you think it worked?

Her:  I thought you just popped them in and out of this thing and it was done somehow.

Oh my shattered dreams.......

This picture shows the first Three yo-yo's.

409 (yes, four hundred and nine) are all that is needed.

sigh......

*******

My guild's Christmas BOM blocks.  I will be taking out the applique globe one and just making the pieced ones.  (they give us both pieced and applique patterns every month) I thought it was required that we make both. I was going to give up the project.

  It's not required.  

So I'm not.

I love it when I get all rebel-y.

******

Thread catchers.  I started making these while I was pulling stash for the back of the Christmas swirls quilt (see above).  I had some nice pieces and had been thinking of making some of these for either the guild's silent auction at the end of the year and/or the guild's show gift boutique.  I ran out of the strapping to finish them. Hubby is going to bring some home next time he gets a delivery.  I use the stuff that they put around boxes.  It's perfect and free. And another example of how/why things don't get finished around here.

******

Christmas Swirls quilted with swirls

am I an original or what????  

:)

I do love this and have the binding made-same aged muslin as the background.

I'm thinking of sewing it on and then taking it to retreat so I can hand sew it to the back when I get tired of piecing.  

Right!  Like that's going to happen-stop piecing to hand sew binding....

I probably won't work on it but I might and I do so like dragging everything with me when I go on retreat so take it I will.

Unless, of course, I finish it before retreat.

buwhahhahahahaaha.

*********

 My design wall.

starting at the left.  

My urban candy blocks:  no work on them for weeks.  I have all the pieces cut and they will be going on retreat with me.

The lime green and blue * asterisk* block-ain't it cute.  I saw it in a book I was looking through at JoAnn's last week and just wanted to see if I could make one when I got home...uh-huh so now what to do.

The 2 blocks with blue background are another block I saw in a book and thought would be cool to use for the strings I have.  It looks like the bottom left of the first block has a chunk cut out, but that is a little note with how I made it pinned to it so I don't forget.  Four blocks sewn together forms an "X".
These are going on retreat with me too.

Dresdens: The fifth and final row with sashing sewn on is last, if I ever get off this computer and get dressed I'd like to take the 10 minutes to sew it on to the bottom of the quilt, for pity's sake why do I put this kind of easy thing off.

  ********

My sewing table-and hence this posts' title 

SCATTERED

holy mackerel!

and yes that is a Christmas wreath above the fire place.
It's seen better days and I had it sitting by the door to get rid of it (before Christmas) and then I didn't so I stuck it up there on an empty nail and forgot about it
until now.
*******

fun times, fun times.

Life is good.

I've been

Baking bread,

enjoying the view and the deer in the woods behind the house,

baking more bread, 

customer quilting,

wonky feathers

and 2 yo-yo quilts 

and how about this:

I woke up this morning and Paul had my valentine's card on the table.

I went into my little Hallmark organizer where I keep all my cards.

Egad! no valentine for hubby!!!  I've been under the false assumption that I got one when I put the cards up at work in January!  Either that is correct or it's misplaced somewhere here.  

How embarrassing....

so now I'm off to get a card on my day off

sheesh.

Happy Valentines Day!

quilting swirls

these take a bit of time but I love the texture

not sure if I showed the final (crossed fingers) 4 Dresden blocks.

I pulled out my CW blues/greys to cut some more 2.5 inch squares for the sashing and the pile is just sitting there...

I quilted the second Baby Life quilt yesterday-random wiggly lines.  I even have the binding sewn to the front.  

Modern Misfits is still sitting in a heap on a chair with about 1/2 of one side with the binding sewn down.  

It's mocking me even as I sit here writing this.

I hate it when they mock me.

*********

Paul put the new wheels and carriage track updates on my HQ on Saturday.  The hardest part was getting the old glue off the carriage.  

He has the patience of Job.  I would have been swearing and thrown the dang thing through a window.

I've been having a bobble in my quilting right in the middle of the table, which I have been blaming on the new table tracks.  After talking with the local rep on Friday, it doesn't appear that was the problem.  I explained this all to Paul and said, please fix it.  I can't have this bobble happening. And then (half serious/half joking) if it can't be fixed, I guess I'll have to get the new table....and as the rep said, 'new table might as well upgrade to the bigger machine...

it didn't even get too much of a reaction  

:(

sigh......

Long story short, my table has a slight bow in it.  The weight of the machine over time and all that jazz.

Paul being the mechanical/fixing/welding genius that he is, got busy and has made some kind of support that hopefully will 'fix' the problem.  As soon as the paint dries, we'll try it out.  

I being proactive have been visiting the HQ site...just in case.

oh. I kid, I kid...