Banana River Quilts

scraps

2009-05-22T15:30:00.000-07:00

If those of you who commented on the blog post about scraps could send me your address, I will mail you squishies. (Lean, Nadine, Sue, Gloria and Nova) Send to bananariverquilts@yahoo.com Things are moving right along. I posted yesterday on the Great Hexagon Quilt-Along site about a Grandmother's Flower Garden top that I wanted to give away and am mailing it to SummerSadie. I have it boxed and ready to go but will not get to the post office before Tuesday as it is a holiday weekend and I am working tomorrow. Plus, I need to get the squishies of scraps together!

We had the carpets cleaned today, so I didn't get much cleaning/organizing done as they are too damp for much foot traffic - so I took a nap. Likely excuse!

I have two quilts to bind and I'll take a picture of them when I'm done. For now I'll post a picture of the hex quilt top I'm giving to SummerSadie. I bought it last year at a tag sale at a church and I have left it rolled up in a bag so I'm sure she'll be a better owner for it than me!

Moving & A Scrap Give-Away

2009-05-21T09:05:00.001-07:00

Ok, I have tried to "bloom where I am planted" and it's not working. See the picture at the top of my blog? That's where I want to be - in Florida, not Colorado. Now, mind you, the present circumstances are self-induced. I insisted I wanted to be here and drug the whole family out to live in the foothills. It's beatiful here, really beautiful. But my extended family is not here and I miss them terribly. So, I am preparing to sell the house (we just purchased last year) and move back to Fl. I know, I nedd a shrink in this economy, but, it will be worth it in the end.

So, in getting the house ready, I have discovered I have a serious problem. I am a hoarder. I mean I hoard every little fabric scrap because I love scrap quilts. The problem with that is that I haven't made any (well, one, but that was years ago). So, does anyone want my scraps? There are bags of them. Some small, some bigger. A huge mix of fabric types from traditional to kidstuff to Civil War. Quilt shop quality and not (Joann's). I'll mail them free of charge. Just leave a comment here by Friday at 3 pm EST. If by chance there is more than one taker then I'll do a random drawing. I just can't bring myself to throw them away. It's part of the hoarding disease.
Thanks!

Bad Blogger!

2009-03-05T18:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, my friend Jeri in Florida has browbeat me into posting. She now has a blog www.quiltingangel.blogspot.com and she wants me to post on a rregular basis. Imagine that! Next thing I know she will want me to take down the photo in my header of my former backyard in Florida and put up Colorado photos! Maybe I'll put up a quilt instead!

No photos tonight, but have several works in progress, so I'll post again this weekend. I have to keep Jeri happy!

OOPS!

2008-07-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I didn't notice the photo of the daisy quilt was upside down! Here we go again!

Doll Quilts

2008-07-03T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I know I am starting to sound obsessed with doll quilts (I am) but I received not one, but two in the mail yesterday!

The first lovely southern belle sunbonnet sue's are from Kathi in Utah as part of the doll quilt swap III and the second is from Linda in Oklahoma for the Summer Four Seasons Quilt Swap. It is lovely pink daisies on a green scrappy background. They will both look lovely on my doll quilt wall. I just have to hide them from thieves! My Dad and his girl friend are here visiting from Florida and she is coveting SBS and my daughter thinks the pink daisies will look great in her room.

I really need to post more often - will have to set a goal to post at least weekly in July and maybe build up from there. Right now I'm a pretty boring blogger!

They come and they go!

2008-06-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well, it seems like I am quickly becoming obsessed with doll quilts. I received a beautiful green, burgundy and beige one patch quilt from Ann-Margaret in Montreal for the Miniature Booty Swap. The colors are beautiful and match my family room and I love it! It will look great on the little quilt wall that I am starting in that room.

I made a broken dishes quilt for my partner - at last check it hadn't arrived yet but I'll post a picture of the front. I had never made this pattern before and really enjoyed it. I used the Easy Angle ruler and boy was that a great tool! I'll be using it quite a bit in the future! I also convinced myself that the little quilt should be hand quilted. My first hand quilted piece - not that spectacular looking, but I must admit I enjoyed doing it and can see that practice will definitely help. I hope my swap partner doesn't mind my practicing on her quilt!

4 Seasons Spring Quilt Swap

2008-05-12T08:05:00.000-07:00

My quilt arrived on Saturday from Leah ( pugglelogic.blogspot.com) in Australia. It's a lovely applique flowerpot and is handquilted with echo quilting! It is lovely and will look great with the others that I am collecting for my miniature wall in the family room. She also sent some fabric with acacia plant on it. She tells me that this is the first plant to bloom in the Australian spring. It is really a small world because I had this plant in my front yard in my Florida home!

Quilt Show

2008-05-03T15:09:00.000-07:00

I went to a quilt show in Denver today and it was great fun! I actually got to see my first Baby Jane and boy am I motivated to start now! There were a lot of art quilts there - more so than traditional. I took a few photos of some that I really liked & of course I went by to study Jane twice! I didn't do too bad as far as purchases are concerned. Some lovely hand dyed merino from Cheryl Oberle to make a gorgeous shawl that she has posted on her website www. cheryloberle.com under "favorite things". She sells the merino on her site - it is so soft! I also bought a "few" fat quarters to add to my Civil War repros so I can start my own Dear Jane journey!

4 Seasons Quilt Swap

2008-05-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, the semester is coming to a close and I am finally coming up for air! I can't believe I haven't posted for over a month. I have been busy with little projects though. I just put the label on my little quilt for the 4 seasons quilt swap. The only hint I can give is that it has a bit of a journey before it gets to it's new owner & I sure hope she likes it. This little basket quilt is made from a pattern that I had from a 2006 copy of a Quilter's Newsletter Magazine's Scrap Quilting edition. The pattern is by Gwen Marston and is one that I have wanted to make for a long while. Gwen's version is subdued with mainly solid fabrics. Mine is a bit louder because I chose the floral for the background. honestly it turned out a bit louder than I intended! It is far from perfect and is the first time I've made basket blocks. They were fun but quite tedious with 19 pieces per block. My points definitely leave something to be desired!

Doll Quilt Swap

2008-03-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

I just realized I forgot to post a picture of the lovely doll quilt that I received in the recent swap I participated in. It's a beautiful pink civil war repro sawtooth star pattern and is hand quilted! The little gem was made for me by Ginger at http://www.paisleyandpolkadots.blogspot.com/. Ginger was the hostess for the swap and did a lovely job on my quilt.

I've been off of work this past week and have enjoyed it. I didn't get much done on the quilting front though. I have made 6 blocks for the star quilt I'm making for QOV to send to Alycia at http://www.alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/. If you have a chance check out her blog & see if you can help her in her effort to collect 400 quilts by May for QOV.

Quilts of Valor

2008-03-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post about QOV. I live in Colorado Springs and come in contact with quite a few people in the military. Also, many of my students are military wives whose husbands are in Iraq or have been to Iraq. Anyway, there is a blogger here in Colorado who dedicates a lot of her quilting to QOV. She is trying to bring 400 quilts to Fort Carson in May for wounded soldiers. I am off next week and am going to make a quilt for her to bring. Can anyone else help? Regardless of how you feel about the war, these soldiers are over there doing their job FOR US. anyway, if you are interested, her blog is http://www.alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/

Dear Jane & Doll Quilt Swap II

2008-03-10T17:51:00.000-07:00

I mailed my little doll quilt this am. I sure hope the recipient likes it! I managed to make enough 4 patches to make one for myself but haven't made the half square triangle blocks yet. I only thought I would work on both of them at the same time! This little quilt would have looked better hand quilted, but I was out of time and I am still practicing my hand quilting stitch - I hate to send out something that looks bad! I put the binding on in seperate pieces and I will never do that again really didn't care for the end result! Oh well...next time.

I joined the Dear Baby Jane online group and am ashamed to say I am already behind! I was sure I could manage two blocks a week. Anyway, I 'll have to try and catch up this week.

Doll Quilt Swap

2008-03-02T14:47:00.000-08:00

I finished my quilt top today for the doll quilt swap. I love how it turned out and would hate to let it go, but I made enough four patches to make one for me. I don't have enough of the blue and pink to use those fabrics on mine, but I'm sure there's something in my stash of Civil War repros that will work! I would love to hand quilt it , but I've been practicing and I don't think my hand quilting looks very good. I may just machine quilt this one and keep practicing my hand quilt stitch for the future. I sure love making these little quilts!

Four Patches and Visitors

2008-02-24T18:04:00.000-08:00

I didn't seem to get as far today on my little quilt for the doll quilt swap as I had planned, but I am pleased with the results. I made many (25+) little 2" four-patches out of Civil War Repros (my favorite!). There is an alternate block to be made, but even though I searched through the boxes many times, I could not find a ruler I needed. Of course, this is pure laziness, because there is an alternate way to make the blocks, but I kept searching for the ruler anyway! I made more than enough four-patches because I want to make myself a quilt also. The last time I participated in a doll quilt swap I regretted not making one to keep.

We had four deer come and visit us this afternoon in the backyard. A couple were grazing, but one was lazily lying down and enjoying the temps in the 50's. The photos include the deer, four-patches and my little corner of the den.

Mennonite Mosaic

2008-02-23T16:55:00.000-08:00

Several quilters have posted about the quilt by the name of "Mennonite Mosaic" on their blogs. A group of quilters were making the quilt at the same time and several have finished theirs. I happened to have the magazine the quilt is published in and gave a copy to a good friend of mine in Florida at Christmas. So, I started teasing her about two weeks ago that we should make the quilt also. Well, she took me up on it and has pulled the fabric from her stash and is working on strip piecing it this weekend. So, I had to go out and buy fabric for one of my own (likely excuse!). I plan on making my strips bigger than those in the picture because I would like the finished product to cover my king sized bed. So, my strips will be 2- 1/2" cut and 2" finished. My fabric has been washed and needs ironing, but first... I need to make the top for the Doll Quilt Swap II on quilting forum. I've cut my strips and am ready to sew - but first, since it's dusk here, I think I'll dig around in the boxes in the garage and look for my sewing lamp!

Moved!

2008-02-20T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, we are officially in our new home! The movers came last Wednesday and moved the big items and we are steadily working on the boxes. It amazes me how much "stuff" we can collect. When we left Florida in August I thought I had gotten rid of most of the unwanted items but it seems some of them have followed us here to Colorado!

I'm supposed to be sharing the den with my DH for my sewing room and putting "Bessie" my Pfaff Grand Quilter and New Generation frame in the basement, but the more I look at the boxes of fabric and "PIGS" (projects in grocery sacks) the more I think I may need to negotiate more basement space from my girls - hehe!

Anyway, no pictures today - I'll post some when things get more organized and look a bit better!

Warm Weather!

2008-01-27T14:48:00.001-08:00

We're having a bit of a warm spell here in southern Colorado - it's 60 degrees! My girls are ecstatic! I must admit it feels really weird. Looks like it will only last through tomorrow though! I've been busy, but don't have any pictures to show. I guess I need to get better with the camera - I'm always conning one of the girls into taking photos for me.

Anyway, I've finished Step 2 of Carolina Crossroads and am working on Step 3. I got waylaid by bug jars though! I'm in the jar swap for Quilting Forum & they need to be postmarked by Feb. 1st. I've made 24 jars and have 6 more cut out to finish. I actually have 3 more bug fabrics, but doubt I'll be able to get many more done because I have a crazy week at work. I had to restrain myself from agreeing to take part in the Superbowl Sunday Bargello that Bonnie of Quiltville is organizing - I think I'll sew all day (both DH & I hate football!) but on the Carolina Crossroads quilt. Also, I'm in the doll quilt swap on quilting forum, will be getting my partner info tomorrow. I llove doll quilts - I made one over the holidays for me niece's little girls birthday next month - need to post a picture of that too! I hope to hand quilt that one - I've never handquilted before and would really like to try it - I think a two year old won't notice the imperfections - LOL!

On the house front, we are buying a beautiful multi-level home here in Colorado Springs. We close on Feb. 8th, but won't be actually moving in until the 13th. Can't wait to get out of this apartment and get my sewing stuff organized again - and my Pfaff Grand Quilter and frame setup! My goal was to have Carolina Crossroads done and quilted by a longarmer in the area in time for the move, but that's not going to happen! I'd like to purchase templates for Baptist Fans, so maybe I'll wait and quilt it myself.

Accent Nine Patches

2008-01-13T19:23:00.000-08:00

As usual, everything takes longer than I think. I worked on these yesterday and again today, but only have 28 totally done. I have more that just need the third accent row sewn on, but suspect I only have about 80. Will need to cut and sew more strips over the next few days. I think I'll sew enough to work on Step 3 also. I hate feeling so far behind and have not let myself peek beyond Step 3, but so many of the blogs that I read regularly have pictures that I have a pretty good idea of what's coming up.

I haven't decided yet what to do about the name of my blog. Don't forget to vote!

Changes

2008-01-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

Well, it's official. The house on the Banana River on my header is no longer ours. I spent New Year's week in Florida visiting family and we received a contract on the house while I was there. Isn't that too funny? We've been trying to sell the house for over a year now and I was beginning to think it would never happen! So, we closed yesterday and we already have a contract on a new home here in Colorado Springs. Guess I need to change that picture, eh?

On the quilting front, I am so far behind on Bonnie's mystery http://www.blogger.com/www.quiltville.com that I fear I'll never catch up. One of the things that I liked about this (besides the fact that I adore all of Bonnie's patterns) was getting weekly installments. I tend to get overwhelmed with all the steps of a quilt and give up somewhere in the middle. In this case I never made it to the middle - unless you want to count the middle of step 2 as the middle -- ha, ha. So, I know what I'm doing this weekend!

I've added some pictures of the house, view, and sewing room that is no longer mine. I suppose I need to change the name of my blog. What do you think? Maybe I'll try to put up one of those surveys??

Rail Fence Units

2007-12-16T08:25:00.000-08:00

I finished the rail fence units for the mystery quilt in time for the second clue. However, I just uploaded the pictures to the computer, so I'm posting now. I hate posts without pictures! I've been working on the 9 patch units for clue 2, but haven't finished them as yet. Good thing Bonnie is giving us 2 weeks to finish clue 3 - maybe I can catch up! I'm liking the way the purple and green look together and really like the "controlled scrappiness" of the units.

I'm behind on the mystery quilt because I've been working on a signature quilt for a co-worker that is retiring. I couldn't find my walking foot (oh, the joys of moving & living in a small space!) so I'm tying it. I've never tied a quilt before, but I kind of like how it's looking. I'll post pictures when the binding is done.

It's a mystery!

2007-12-03T19:15:00.000-08:00

I'm following along with Bonnie at Quiltville.com on her mystery quilt. I've picked my colors and dug through the stash. I'll be doing purple, green and cream. I've cut the green strips for the rail fence blocks (need 100 by Thursday!) and am still washing, ironing the purples. From now on nothing is going in my stash without washing first! I'm also going to get my husband to pull out some boxes so I can search for more purples. I know I have them - it's just a matter of what box they are in!

I'm Back!

2007-11-25T17:43:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been four months since I've posted and, I have to admit, I don't have a very good excuse! I moved cross country in August from Merritt Island, Florida to Colorado Springs, Colorado. We had planned on moving, but didn't expect to have to do it in 2 weeks! Anyway, that excuse is good for about a month of blogging, but that's about it!

We still haven't sold the house in Florida, so we are living in an apartment for now. I haven't lived in an apartment in about 20 years, so this is definitely different. For today I'll share pictures of my new quilting area (a corner of the living room) and the master bedroom closet where I have all my stash in boxes. A far cry from my old room that was 10' x 22' and held my stash, sewing area and my Pfaff Grand Quilter with 10' long Grace frame! Nevertheless, we love it here and are enjoying the (huge) climate change.

Notice Ellie, our mini-daschound in the photo of my sewing area sitting in front of the fire - this is where she hangs out to keep warm. She's not so sure about the change in the weather!

Doll Quilt

2007-07-30T18:03:00.000-07:00

I finished my doll quilt for the swap about 10 days ago, but was unable to mail it because the information about my swap partner was lost when the computer went down earlier this month. Anyway, My "Swap Mama" emailed me the information and I was able to send this little quilt off in the mail. Better late than never! So, here is a picture of it. I used Kaffee Fassett fabrics and the "Spool" block. I must admit I loved the top although I wasn't particularly happy with my stitch in the ditch technique. I'd love to make another one to hang in my sewing room!

Sockapalooza 4 Socks

2007-07-29T13:08:00.000-07:00

I've been out of town but wanted to post a picture of my finished Sockapalooza socks. These are part of an international sock swap and we will all be mailing our completed socks to our partners on August 3rd. These were great fun to knit and a pattern I will definitely use again.

Pattern: Fluted Bannister Socks by Laura Gallagher

Yarn: Sheeps Gift from Joslyn's Fiber Farm; colorway "Confetti"

Back Online

2007-07-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the absence, but my computer started acting up on the 4th of July and I was unable to do anything without it freezing. Anyway, the motherboard was bad and needed to be replaced. So, I'm back in business!

I'm participating in the Doll Quilt II swap and received the most adorable quilt in the mail last week. I had requested Civil War Repros and Fiona did such a great job! As you can see in the picture she made it really scrappy (I love scrappy!) and it looks like it came from the 1800's. Check out her blog at http://www.scraps-in-progress.blogspot.com/. As for my quilt I have the top done and need to finish the quilting and binding to get it in the mail on Wednesday. So far I'm loving how it looks and hope my swap partner likes it too! I'll post a picture when it is done and mailed.

Banana's

2007-07-01T09:00:00.001-07:00

Thought I'd show you a picture of the bananas on the plant by our pool. This bunch was actually ripe and harvested the other day. I made banana bread out of them! We have two more stalks on the plant. I've had the plant about four years now and it's just starting to produce - I guess the plant has to reach a certain level of maturity to bear fruit.

Quilters Block

2007-07-01T08:47:00.000-07:00

The topic this week on Stashbusters is what keeps us from getting things done. I've thought about this quite a bit lately because I found myself not working for the summer and I notice that I get less done than when I was working full-time! But, I think one of my biggest problems is worrying too much about what the receiver of the quilt wants! I know that sounds strange, but I've found that most people you make a quilt for are really not that picky. They're just happy to get a handmade quilt! Also, I think we as quilters tend to be too hard on ourselves and focus on what we perceive to be wrong with a quilt and not enough on what is right with it!

I have been going back and forth with myself all week about making the doll quilt for the swap I signed up for. I've changed my mind about the fabric and pattern many times - worrying that my swap partner won't like it. I had decided on "Calico Spools" from Quilters Cache and the printed pattern has been lying on the counter for days! Anyway, I just saw the same blocks on the Quilting Daze blog on Stashbusters and they were adorable! Perfect for an old-fashioned dolly quilt! So, I guess I just need to move along!

Doll Quilt Swap

2007-06-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

I saw Beth's post about the doll quilt swap and couldn't resist joining also! I've never made a doll quilt before, but it sure beats the large t-shirt quilt I've been working on - that monster is going to be queen size and the biggest thing I've ever tackled!

The shuttle launch last evening was picture perfect! Too bad I don't have a camera and couldn't take pictures! Anyway, I'm going to Ft. Pierce today to pick up my girls and the cameras will be back!

Using Stash

2007-06-07T17:27:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I read another quilters blog and she said she had requested to be removed from both the Stashbusters and Stash Quilts rings because she really didn't feel she met the criteria anymore for those rings. It made me sad because I really enjoyed reading her blog and I also wondered if the purpose here is to post just about using up your stash. I must admit that I don't have huge amounts of stash because I've only been quilting a couple of years. Also, I tend to go more for fat quarters if I don't know what I'm going to use a fabric for. In fact, I get kind of envious when I read about someone taking the backing for a fairly large quilt from their stash! I could never do that because I'm sure I don't have any stash pieces larger than 1-2 yards!

I've been working on a t-shirt quilt for my niece and I've framed many of the shirts with various fabrics to make the pieces come up to 16.5". I've had to take several fat quarters from my stash in order to do that. That's how I use up the stash - does that count?

Still no pictures - makes for a boring blog, but my girls are visiting my family in Ft. Pierce and they both took their cameras - poor Mom doesn't have one! It's a shame too because the space shuttle is scheduled for launch tomorrow evening and it's right in my backyard! God speed Atlantis!

Labels

2007-05-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

The topic this week is labels. I must admit I rarely label (like never!) quilts even though I understand the significance of labeling. I have a HP label maker that I have used once for a commissioned quilt, but I did not care for the fabric sheets that you are supposed to use with it. I have seen instructions on how to make your own sheets using muslin and some chemical that you soak it in, but I never seem to remember to buy the supplies when I am out.

I apologise for my lack of posting this month. I've had some personal problems and really haven't had anything to show. Since I hate posting without photos, I just haven't bothered. I've been working on a Bargello for my sister-in-law and a t-shirt quilt for my niece, but neither would make for interesting photos right now.

Dream Quilt

2007-05-01T16:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I've certainly been bad about posting recently. It's not that I haven,t been working on anything quilty, but I really don't have anything to show for my efforts that would look good in a photo and I hate posting without pictures. Anyway, I've been working on a t-shirt quilt for my niece and a bargello for my sister-in-law and her husband. When they get to the point that there is something to view other than little bits, I'll post a photo.

The topic this week for Stashbusters is your "dream quilt". Wow, this is an easy one for me! I would dearly love to make a "Dear Jane" quilt. I have the book, the software, and am collecting Civil War reproduction fabrics to use. It is just such a large, overwhelming project that I freeze everytime I think about starting it. I thought about doing it as a BOM as several on-line shops offer it this way, but when you calculate the cost it is quite pricey that way and, besides, I think I would enjoy choosing the fabric for each block. Another problem with this "dream quilt" is that I have never done paper piecing or applique', so I need to work on those skills first. Oh, well, maybe later this year...

Turning Twenty

2007-04-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

I finally finished the binding on the "Turning Twenty" quilt that I made for my daughter's riding instructor. I used a horse and southwest theme because the instructor just moved to Las Vegas to manage a large horse barn there. I have to admit this was not one of my favorite patterns. I chose it because of the large scale of some of the prints I used and also because it is supposed to be so quick, but it sure wasn't quick for me! Anyway, I'm posting two pictures, one of the quilt being "safety tested" by Jasmine, my number one quilt inspector and the other of it hanging on the fence out back. Unfortunately we've had 25-30 mph winds, so the quilt was flapping in the breeze and you really can't see the borders. I'll try to take a better photo before mailing it.

First Quilt

2007-04-14T16:50:00.000-07:00

The Stashbusters topic of the week is to talk about how long you've been quilting and your first quilt. I started quilting two years ago and am self taught. I have loved quilts for as long as I can remember, but there were no quilters in my family. I bought a beginning quilting book by Alex Anderson and proceeded to follow the directions. Now, mind you, I had not been near a sewing machine since the 7th grade (I really don't want to admit how long ago that was!) so the entire process was quite a challenge. Anyway, I made this rail fence quilt that is supposed to be a wall hanging (36" x 36") and promptly stuffed the top in a drawer without quilting it. After finishing a few more projects I drug it out last year when a friend of mine bought a HandiQuilter so that I would have a piece to practice machine quilting on. I did a simple meander and bound it. It now belongs to Ellie, our miniature Daschound, and she sleeps with it every night!

Productive Day

2007-04-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

I kept myself moving today and really accomplished a lot in the sewing room. Yesterday I finished the quilting on the "Turning Twenty" quilt that I made for my daughter's riding instructor and today I cut off all the excess backing and batting and made the binding. I did not have enough of any one fabric left over to bind the quilt so I made a scrappy binding of the leftover bits. I've wanted to do this for awhile and really like the results. I'll post a picture of the completed quilt once it's done.

I started a quilt a while back for a friend of mine's first grandchild. It's really small, but for some reason I kept doing one thing and putting it aside. I managed to make the binding and sew it on today. I tried the method used by Evelyn aka Starfishy that she described in her blog recently. It was great! I will procrastinate binding a quilt forever because I hate hand sewing the binding on the back (it uses up valuable knitting time!) This method is all done by machine and is so much easier. I'm posting a picture of the quilt - it's a Dutchman's Puzzle block I really like how it came out.

Last but certainly not least I forced myself to work on one of the UFO's from my niece's wedding last year. This is a siggy quilt that she used instead of a bride's book and I'm sure she'd appreciate it if I get it done! This block is called Cracker and works well for this type of quilt. The blocks needed a lot of squaring up (hopefully my skills are improving and this won't be such an issue in the future) and I just dreaded doing it. I squared up 40 of 100 blocks this evening and sewed 20 of the blocks into the units that compose the quilt. I'll post a picture of this later when I get a bit further along. I actually really enjoyed working on this piece and could kick myself for putting it in a drawer!

Sewing Room

2007-03-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

The Stashbuster topic of the week is sewing rooms. I'm fortunate in that I have a fairly large space to work in. The space I use is an addition to our home that was, evidently, once a screen porch. The room was closed in prior to our purchasing the home so we just added vinyl flooring and it works great for me. It faces south and overlooks the pool and canal behind our home. Lot's of windows let a lot of light in (also heat!) which is great during the day, but the room is poorly lit at night. The two biggest drawbacks are the lack of electric plugs (only two) and no vent for the air conditioner. It's a long and narrow room which is perfect for my machine quilting frame. I'm including two photos of the room. Viewer beware - I did not straighten up prior to taking the photos! There is no closet so I have my stash in old dressers and storage drawers. There is a long shelf under the quilting frame that I store my batting on. I mostly buy batting in the package as I have discovered that one of our cats likes to nap on batting.

UFO's

2007-03-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

The Stashbuster topic of the week is UFO's. I procrastinated blogging about this topic almost as much as I procrastinate finishing those UFO's! Anyway, my oldest UFO is a photo memory quilt that I started for my parent's aniversary two years ago. I had just started quilting and it was my second completed quilt top. I (as usual) didn't allow enough time to finish it and showed it to my parents as a work in progress (WIP). I don't have a scanner, so I gave my niece the photo transfer fabric to scan the photos. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I should just square up the photos and add them to the quilt. Instead I ironed the photo transfer fabric to another piece of fabric and used this in the quilt! Now these fabrics feel like cardboard and the probability of my being able to quilt them is zero. The only thing left to do is take the whole thing apart and redo the photos. To make matters worse, my Mom died just after I presented her with this WIP and now I am even less interested in finishing it. However, after digging it out of a drawer tonight to take this photo I feel the need to finish it and give it to my Dad. Maybe in April....

As far as other UFO's are concerned there are several. Four from last year - a signature quilt, a Crown of Thorns, a funky pink & green quilt for my youngest DD and a "Bears in the Woods" from Quilt in a Day (quilt in a day my foot!). The quilts I've started this year are all in various stages of completion and I am making progress on them.

That's enough confession for one night. Here on the home front I am working on the "Turning Twenty" for the riding instructor and will add the borders tomorrow and get it loaded on the quilting frame. Will post a picture of it when it's closer to being done.

Donation Quilt

2007-03-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

I started this "Scrappy Trips Around The World" about 18 months ago. The pattern is from Bonnie at Quiltville (thanks Bonnie, I love your site!) and I finished the binding on Monday night to donate to my children's school for a silent auction. The pattern was fun & easy to do, but when I started it I was quite new to quilting and self-taught, so I had problems lining things up and had a shortage of scraps. I made a few blocks but put them away and didn't get them out again until last fall. I finished the quilt top and practiced machine quilting with a meander stitch. Since I hate binding things and always procrastinate this step, I put it aside again for 4-5 months! In the end, I hated to part with it. I'll have to make this one again now that I have a scrap collection and fabric stash!

Quilt Top Complete

2007-03-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

I finished the top for my great-niece's first birthday on Sunday. The pattern is "Crazy Eights" by Bits 'n Pieces and was a quick, enjoyable quilt. I still need to quilt it, though. Hopefully I'll be able to load it on my Pfaff Grandquilter and Next Generation Frame one evening this week and get it done. It will only be the second quilt I've done with the new set-up. The first was a disaster. One of those situations that make you understand the manufacturer's directions to practice on plain muslin and not a quilt top!

I've started a "Turning Twenty" today as a gift for my daughter's riding instructor who is leaving the state. I bought a few horse themed fat quarters today at the LQS and finished the rest of the fabric from stash. It's probably a bit darker than I would have liked, but wanted to use some fat quarters that have been hanging around a while.

More Pictures

2007-03-05T17:28:00.000-08:00

I'm practicing my photography skills by taking pictures of the canal behind our house. The first picture is another picture at sunset. The second picture is taken from the opposite direction and shows the east end of the canal and the Banana River. I live in Merritt Island which sits in the Indian River on the east coast of Florida. On the west side of the island is the Indian River and on the east is the Banana River. We are about 10 miles south of the space center.

Evening Sky

2007-02-27T17:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of the evening sky taken from the dock in my backyard. I just missed the sunset, but the sky was still pink and looked pretty on the water.

No sewing today, even though I was off work. I had to head to Ft. Pierce to help my Dad move.

First Post

2007-02-25T17:20:00.000-08:00

No quilting this weekend. I spent the time cleaning, painting and doing laundry. Did manage to get a little knitting done though.

Last week I made 30 blocks for a quilt for my great-niece's first birthday. The patternis "Crazy Eight's" from Bits 'N Pieces. She may get the quilt by her second birthday!