Two Tops

I snuck into the Studio this weekend, and dug into my UFO piles.  The first thing I did was to pull out all of the boyish 8" blocks and slap them on the design wall.

 After a few adjustments, I stitched it together and put it aside.  I will baste it on another day.

 I then pulled my Charlie applique blocks out of a box they'd been in for TEN years.  Charlie now has his own quilt top.  I hope to quilt it this week.  Goals are good.

 I'm continuing to spruce up the house.  This wreath is my latest attempt to make it look happy.

 And I'm still hunting for estate sales, where I can find treasures.  I found this shell in Kingsburg on Friday.  It is approximately 9" long - the biggest murex (if that's indeed what it is) that I've ever seen.

And that's all I've got for you today.  Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you.  Happy Stitching!

Busy, Busy

I wish that I could report that I've been sewing up a storm.  That has not been the case, but I have been sewing a bit.  A wee little bit.

Several years ago, when I first downloaded some embroidery patterns - gosh, that's got to have been at least a decade ago!!! - I thought I would stitch out every one.  hahahaha!!  yep.  Then I discovered that it was about an hour/design, and that was just for the easy ones.  I stitched out a trio of neon tetras, and set them aside, thinking that I would use them in a quilt, some day.

There is a SAQA call for entry coming up, for a Spotlight Auction Quilt.  These are to be 6" x 8", and will be matted behind a mat with 4x6" opening.  The fishies are just the right size.  And so, I started quilting.

 Once they were quilted and faced, they called out for embellishment.

At the same time, a long involved chat began on the SAQA yahoo list.  It began with a lot of negative comments about people who enter quilt shows and "We Are Artists, not quilters" statements and just a lot of really super strong opinions that left me with a sour taste for the lot of them.

One of the first things I liked about SAQA was its presence at quilt shows.  They introduced a whole new world to me, when I saw their exhibit at the first IQF show in Long Beach years ago.  They opened my mind to possibilities that I never dreamed of.

And now, some of the loudest, most frequent voices, are not only unsupportive of quilt shows, they are openly hostile.

A request that the conversation draw to a close drew even more commentary.   Exhausting, that's what it is.

And so, I tuned them out, and listened to the Three Little Fishies, who told me they wanted their world embellished to the edges, not just in a 4x6" window.

Aren't they cute?  I think they're cute.  I may or may not hang them from a piece of driftwood.  That might be a bit much.

The other quiltie thing I did was to entertain my quiltie friend Sharon and her husband, as they toured Central California after Road to CA, on their way back to Colorado.  We met on the way home from Paducah in 2006, and have been friends ever since.  This was her first time to see my house, so I was quite pleased to show her my newly painted abode, rather than the tired 80's wallpaper that was here for decades.

That's all I've got for now, but I do have plans and I do have goals.  There are still almost three weeks before the entry deadline for Best of the Valley Quilt Show.  I am hoping to finish at least one more quilt before then, so that I have something more than my itty bitty fishies to enter.

Goals are good, but sewing them out and finishing them is even better!
Hope to check in again soon, with some positive progress.  Happy Quilting!!

Lots of Studio Time

Sorry my resolution to "post more!" kind of bit the dust so quickly.  I meant to write, really I did, but I was too busy sewing to tell you about it!

I finished my granddaughter's quilt, finally.  It was only 3.5 months late, so I guess that's not too awful.

 She seems to like it.  This was the first time she saw it.  Her hand is a bit of a blur, as she was trying to grab at it.

 Have you tried those red clips for binding?  I LOVE them.  I kept poking holes in my finger tip, and when I dug around in my bag of tricks, I discovered this unused tin of Poke a Dots.  I love them, too!  The rest of the binding went on without any more holes in my finger.

This year I am in charge of our guild's Block of the Month.  For January, I passed out patterns for a "Garden" Rail Fence block.  The response was quite invigorating, making me excited about the months to come.

 For February, we're making the Perkiomen Valley Block, being distributed by the Ventura Modern Quilt Guild.  They are collecting blocks for the fire/mudslide victims.  Our guild members have been asked to make one block for the victims for each block they make for the drawing.  It's a very speedy 12.5" block, and will make some wonderful comforters for hurting people.  I told my guild to "make it with HAPPY fabric."  I can't wait to see what they come up with.

Our primary philanthropic project is Komforters for Kids.  We supply police/sheriff's patrol cars (and other groups) with comforters for children in distress.  I usually make a number of tops or finish the quilts each year, but in 2017?  I did nothing.  In an effort to seek redemption, I made five tops this weekend, which I will turn in next month.

 This morning as I drove by the Farmer's Market, I saw the truck for the scissors sharpening man parked on the premises.  I went home and got three pairs of scissors which have been out of commission for a LONG time.  For $8/pair, I have what seem like new scissors.  Totally worth it, to have them working again.  yay!!  Can't wait to put them into action.

And that's what I've been up to this week.  I was so busy sewing, I missed our Blog Anniversary yesterday.  On January 12, this blog turned TEN.  wow.  I should go back and see what I was doing ten years ago.  I am certain that my life is very different today.

And I guess that's going to wrap it up for now.  I have three projects lined up for finishing, but I have no idea which one I will tackle first.  The goal is to tackle something.  And we all know that goals are good!

Happy Quilting!!

A New Year and a First Finish

Happy New Year!!  Happy Happy New Year!!  I was so ready to be done with 2017.  So much happened last year, it was enough to exhaust a person.  But here we are, safely into 2018, with a newly updated house and a blank calendar.  What could be better?  I can't think of a thing.

I tried to have a final finish for 2017, but I got as far as stitching on the facing before I had to put it aside.  My son and daughter-in-law came down with the flu, so I babysat for the bulk of New Year's Eve (6am-7pm).  We are all blessed that she is such a GOOD baby.  Even when she's a bit snuffly, she has a hard time complaining.  She gave me her snuffles, so we snuffled together.  kachoo!

Such a cutie pie!  She's always smiling!

We had our son and DIL from MO out for a week.  I spent time in the Studio with both DIL's.  The one from MO, put together an apron panel.

 She finished it just before they headed out to meet up with friends.

 My local DIL received a pattern for placemats.  After "shopping" in my stash, she set right to work.  She has never quilted before, but she's got two placemats ready for binding.  She'll be quilting on her own before we know it!

Just being in the Studio was enough to get me going.  Yesterday, I finished a birthday card, that should have been finished in October.  It went into the mail today.  The binding looks terrible in the photo.  It's not quite so awful in person.

 It took three days, but the facing eventually got stitched in place.

 And, ta da!!  Today I had my first quilt finish of 2018.  It feels fantastic!!

I am very excited about 2018.  I may have already said that.  My hope is that I will replicate what I did back in 2009, setting monthly quilting goals.  I hope to finish at least one UFO each month.  Goals are good, right?  Right!!

Who knows?  I was able to finish the first one on January 2nd.  I doubt I'll be finishing a quilt every 2 days, but hey, you never know.  The next one is pressed and waiting to be basted.

With the Best of the Valley entry deadline coming up on February 14, I don't want to be left behind.  I always feel like it's up to me to set a good example.  And with that, goals are good!

Happy Quilting!!