Finishing UFO's and making more....

So today I finished quilting my Batik 9-Patch quilt.  I have to put the binding on so it's not "technically" finished but that's ok.

It's one of the 11 UFO's I have on my list for 2011 and the 5th one finished. 

the leftovers backing....

 

The quilting I just did rows of C-hooks across the blocks in both directions and in the outer border

and this little swirly design in the setting triangles around the outside.

  I used King Tut thread in the top and the stitches really show up.

Awhile back I started making flying geese blocks as  leader/ender's since I didn't want to start another leader/ender quilt as I still have the crab apple one to put together....  The little triangles that get cut off of the flying geese I sewed into HST and then into pinwheel blocks. 

The flying geese blocks I was able to incorporate into my CW Repro top as filler blocks. That was very nice having them already made and amazingly the right size too.

(You can see them in the first round of blocks and in the outside row.)

and  no, I still haven't sewn the final borders on yet...

Well, after letting the pinwheels grow on my wall for a while I got tired of making them and didn't want to make more flying geese so I  switched to making 9-patch blocks.

 (are they called

puss in the corner blocks?  or something else...I can't remember but seems to me there is a name for them.)

I have over 50 of them now and am starting to think about how I want to put them together.

And then I thought, well what the heck am I going to do with the pinwheels? First things first and all that. 

During the last few weeks when the projects I'm working on haven't held my interest, I played with the pinwheels. Yesterday I finished piecing this little top it's about 23x27.

 I have it ready to quilt.  I'm going to quilt it with small free hand baptist fans. Just not sure whether I will hand quilt or put it on HQ.  Earlier this week I was slicing bagels and I slipped and cut my pointer finger...rather nasty actually.  I was able to get the bleeding stopped and a nice snug bandage has done the trick but it's impeding my doing stuff. 

**quilt-y stuff, I mean...I'm taking full advantage of not being able to do 'domestic' chores with such a terrible boo-boo.**

 Threads get caught in the adhesive at the edge of the bandage and it snags on everything.  I am able to quilt on HQ with my finger pointing up in the air;  as if I'm having a constant "ah-hah!" moment.

At some point I have to re-load "oh Man!...".

I have it hanging in the living room for now and the other night I noticed that I missed a section of quilting. It's in the top right side setting triangle around the center block.

  I have only "squiggle stitched" 1/2 of that triangle!  How the heck did I do that! I'm actually thinking of donating it but not sure if it's OK. (it's the right size for Quilts for Kids) I mean obviously it would be for a girl but I'm going back and forth about it. Is is 'little girl-y' enough, appropriate enough?

Your thoughts?

*****

I've finally got the IPod figured out and all the software working (oh knock-on wood--please do not jinx me).

I'm L-O-V-I-N-G listening to books on it.  I have an account set up with the library and my 'wish-list' is really long.  I'm trying to walk every day and having these to listen to while I'm walking is fantastic.  If only the silly weather would improve even slightly I'd probably be giddy with happiness about trekking through the park near our home.  When the kids were in school, I walked every morning after the bus picked them up. I started when Meghan was in kindergarten (she'll be 24 in July) but then when they got into high school something changed, I can't remember what exactly, if anything, got in the way but walking left the schedule.   I've tried over and over to get it back into it but always fall out of the habit before it's cemented in....so I try again.

I've been quilting...

64 x 84

Finished my first leader/ender quilt. I really like it--wish I would have made it queen size for my bed.

A close up:

I just did a meander in the blocks and a spineless feather in the outer border. 

And the pieced backing using some of my 'extra' block-a-day blocks.

*********

I quilted "OH man! This is gonna be bad" quilt yesterday.

It's not so bad after all.
These are a bunch of random block-a- day blocks that I didn't think would work as I was playing around with them on the design wall; hence the name of the quilt.

*******

I'm still working on sewing the outside row of blocks on my CW Medallion. It's slow going as I've been concentrating on quilting on HQ lately and enjoying it. 

Tonight I loaded my 9-patch challenge quilt and started on the outside border I hope to get it done this weekend.



 

LCQA Block #11



LCQA Block 11

I like this block. 

Friday Finish (Block-a-day Pillow)

The pillow I slipped (shoved, stuffed, forced) into this is a tad big but just a tad.

I like a well stuffed pillow better.

15" block

I hand quilted this with black thread and a big needle so my stitches really show up. 

Design Wall Monday (3/14/11)

Civil War Medallion Progress



The colors are a bit off; it's difficult to get a good shot with something this large and with my back smashed against the opposite wall of this room trying to get the picture focused, straight and all of it in the shot...

(the whine of this crappola photographer)

I took this picture yesterday.  The 2 outside side sections of 12 inch blocks are sewn together but not attached to the center yet.  The top on bottom are just there--not sewn together yet at all. 

I'm thinking I will end with a unifying small border around these. It will also contain/control the edges of the outer blocks.  If my math is correct --math phobic/challenged so never surprised when the end result measures different than my jotted down notes :)--this will be  a monstrous 92 x 92!

Yikes!

Check out other design walls here.

LCQAlong Block 10

When I first saw this block I didn't think it was going to work with my CWar fabric palette....but I think it translated very well. 

And I really like the block!



What I've been working on

I have the binding sewn on and pinned for hand sewing to the back on my Eat. Play. Sleep. Repeat baby quilt.

The binding is sewn on my Serengeti Dance quilt as well.

I'm continuing to sew the blocks together for CW Medallion.  In this picture the side rows are already sewn on to the center and the top row is together but not added to the center.

Today I machine blanket-stitched the 3rd Bunny Hill BOM for Henrietta Whiskers

and then put the first row together.

I'm just lovin this project.

And these are SUPPOSE to be my Leader/enders but I keep finding myself piecing the little blocks together in between and then just piecing them for a bit. They are like eating m&m's---a bag at a time.

(that is how everyone eats m&m's right? not just me!)

I do need to take a little time and cut a bunch of patches for these L/E's. I think that's part of the problem; I keep having to stop and cut and then I start arranging the blocks by color and then I want to see how it will look and before you know it I've eaten another bag. 

(I mean I've sewn all the little blocks together and have nothing for L/E's again.)

And I've just printed out the directions for the 10th block for LCQA.  All morning I would say to myself that today was the day it would be posted and then I would say oh wait, NO I think it's not until next week...I was wrong ...and right.... 

******

my stupid silly computer won't recognize my printer cable AGAIN.  I feel like ripping my hair out.  But that would hurt real bad and not help with the printer issue.

I did download another audio book from the library today and now I'm wondering if I had troubles last month after downloading a book.  (I know they're probably not related in any way but when you're techno-challenged you will grasp at anything!) 

Speaking of audio books.  The last one I downloaded I never even got around to putting on the Ipod for listening to and the one I got today Water for Elephants I put on the IPod but can't get it to work.

I NEED MEGHAN!!!!

OK... I'm OK now.  I'm going to run down to the store for something chocolate(perhaps M&M's???) a few errands and then go back to my sewing room where it's safe and I know what I'm doing--at least most of the time.