Quilt for Dee

My minigroup, the Stitching Sisters, have been meeting for breakfast every Weds. morning for a very long time.  We have been meeting at the same coffee shop since forever it seems like and our server is a doll, very attentive and knows us all so well.

Last week she announced she would be leaving to go work at Costco (good for her!  better pay, though no tips, and benefits!).  We will miss her greatly and decided to give her a quilt.  Rather than try to make one and quilt it in one week, we gave her one I had made some time ago.  We just added a new label, personalized for her.

Today was our last day with her, so we gave her the quilt at breakfast.  Here she is, posing with her quilt:

Fortuitously, it turns out she LOVES green!  Not only that, her 'honey' was at the restaurant this morning and he came over and admitted that when traveling, he tends to buy quilts, esp. antiques.  So we know this one went to a good home where it will be loved (and hopefully used).

Warm fuzzy feelings for her and us!  What a great morning!

To add to the goodness of the day, I saw my surgeon today for another follow up appointment, and he says I've healed nicely and don't need to see him again for four months!  Yay!  I'm allowed to lift more than 10 lbs. now, so I am free to take my sewing machine to sew-ins and classes when I want to. 

Refreshing My Quilting Mojo

It's been a while since I posted on the blog, and a while since I've done much in the way of quilting.  Oh, a bit here and there, but nothing major.  Life's been busy lately it seems like though looking back, I can't put my finger on a lot of events.

I did have surgery in August, with orders from my doctor not to lift anything over 10 lbs.  I couldn't even lift and carry my kitties, so moving a sewing machine around was just clearly out of the picture.  I did a bit of sewing here and there on the machine set up in my studio, but I couldn't do any sewing in classes or at open sew-ins with my mini-group.  I did some handwork, making a hexagon pincushion and doing a bit of embroidery, but for the most part, my work kind of stalled out. 

I had signed up for my guild's retreat back in May, and the retreat was last weekend.  I was determined to go and take my machine and my huge case of threads so I could work on my machine applique blocks.  I spent the last two weeks fusing like a madwoman so I'd have blocks ready for edge-stitching.  I had my husband load up the car and I unloaded it myself when I got to the retreat.  It doesn't feel like I damaged anything inside by lifting the machine and thread out of the car, so I hope I'm alright.  I still haven't got clearance from my surgeon to lift things after all. 

I sewed all weekend like a madwoman, starting Thursday afternoon and not finishing up until Saturday night.  I did accomplish a lot, and am proud of my accomplishment.  I managed to load up the car again when it was time to go home, and then feigned weakness when I got home and got my husband to unload the car for me *snicker*. 

Here are some pictures of the pillow I made and the blocks I finished:

Autumn Joy - two blocks finished and sewn together (a BOM)

Woodland Creatures BOM - Fox and Shrew

Woodland Creatures BOM - mother possum with her 3 babies

Raven and Pumpkin pillow (A Thimblecreek design)

Blue Dragon for my fantasy quilt

Castle and Unicorn for my fantasy quilt

Gold Dragon for fantasy quilt

Green dragon for the fantasy quilt

Gryphon for the fantasy quilt

Purple dragon for the fantasy quilt (color doesn't show properly, but he IS purple)

Red dragon for the fantasy quilt

Wizard for the fantasy quilt

All these blocks are stitched with a tiny blanket stitch with matching thread on each motif.  It was a challenge to get it all done before the end of retreat, but I finished up on Saturday evening. 

The rest of  that night, I worked on the binding of another quilt (picture not yet taken).  This quilt was a 5 or 6 year old mystery quilt that I never finished up.  It hasn't got a label yet, but the binding is done and on!  Not sure what I'm even going to do with this one, as it is octagonal and needs to go on a round table, but my dining table is rectangular.  Perhaps I will save it as a gift for the right person sometime in the future.  In the meantime, it is at least done. 

I feel like I could do more sewing now.  I've got about 25 quilts that need backs so they can get quilted.  Perhaps I can start working on making backs soon.  I am obviously up to the challenge of manipulating the quilts to measure them, so that is what I should do.

I was also planning on making a Shakespeare in the Park quilt (google it and click on 'images' to see what I'm talking about) - an incredibly beautiful but challenging quilt.  Perhaps I will start that soon, too. 

I'm kind of torn as to what to do next.  But that's a good thing!  Better to be in a quandary over WHAT to do, than WHETHER to do anything at all. 

Happy quilting to you all... may you never lose your quilting mojo and if you do, may you find it again quickly! 

Using up Stash

I always feel a sense of accomplishment mixed with a little sadness when I make a quilt that uses up some of my stash.  I'm happy to reduce the amount of fabric lining my shelves.  That's a good thing.  Really.  At the same time, when I finish off a piece of fabric, I always get this niggling little thought of 'what if I need that exact fabric in the future?'

I have to continually fight this feeling when I make a quilt from stash, because truly, there will always be something similar or the same on the market in the future.  I have to get over that contrary need to hoard my stash.

In this effort, I have finally made a stash quilt that didn't leave me feeling a little sad.  Maybe because it isn't made from colors I tend to feel territorial about.  Made mostly from beiges, creams, yellows and peaches, it definitely came from a portion of my stash I don't feel proprietary with.

This is the quilt I made from stash.  Even the bright orange pumpkins which are bamboo felt rather than cotton (used because I am allergic to wool - though I would have preferred a more subtle color of wool for those pumpkins) were leftovers from another quilt.  The only piece I bought for the quilt was the outer border (the beige leaf fabric).  I couldn't find anything in my stash that worked for that final element of the quilt, and even Stashbusters allows border and backgrounds to be purchased, asking us only to use the rest of the fabrics from our stash.  So, that said, all the background as well as quilt elements were made from stash on this one.

I was actually a little surprised I found so many beiges, creams and yellows in my stash that all blended and worked together so well. 

The quilting was done by Stovers, who did an excellent job highlighting the Autumn theme of the quilt.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with it.  I'd like to hang it in the fall, but I don't have a large enough wall.

I am working on two block-of-the-month projects, one by mail, one at my LQS.  Time to plan another quilt I can make from my stash.

Here's a couple of the latest BOM projects as works in progress:

This is the apple basket block from 'Autumn Joy'  

and the bunny block from Woodland Creatures.

I don't have to worry about using stash or not on any of these, as the fabrics are provided with the patterns each month.  Just have to get them done.

However, right now it's too hot to think much about quilting.  100+ degrees is definitely NOT quilting weather.  And the humidity is killer, making it seem much hotter than it is, even.  Hope it's cooler wherever you are.

Happy quilting, y'all, and use that stash!!!  It's uplifting!

Finishing Touches

Finally done with Midnight Garden, a sampler quilt I began as a block of the month some two years or so ago in a class.  Got the binding and sleeve on in the past two days, and it's ready for the county fair. 

Done in my favorite colors of purple green and orange.  I have another quilt for the fair as well, but I didn't get the binding on in time, so it will have to wait for next year.  I will be putting one of my kimono quilts into the fair this year also.  Since the brightly coloured one is hanging in the local quilt shop, I will put in the indigo kimono quilt, though I'm not quite happy with the cherry blossom embellishments.

I may also put my wolf quilt in, but only if it can go in a different category from the kimonos.  I will have to check on that before I make a decision.

Tomorrow I have to run the quilts out to the fair.  I will take my husband with me to share the drive.  It will be a fun day regardless of the looming deadline.  I hate deadlines.  

Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show

I drove up to Sisters Oregon for the quilt show the whole town puts on every July.  I came up with two dear friends, Debbie and Marlyn.  We spent our first night in Redding, CA on our way up, and arrived in Bend the afternoon before the show.  We visited a couple of quilt shops in Bend, then returned to the hotel.  I was very good and didn't buy any fabric.

After a relaxing evening, we woke early and drove to Sisters at 5:30 am.  We had an early breakfast at the Ski Inn in Sisters, then relaxed in the car a bit while they hung the quilts around town.  Finally we walked up and down the main street, Cascade Ave.  I separated from them for a bit to walk to the town library to meet up with other Stashbusters.  That was wonderful to put faces to names and meet all the lovely ladies.  We had a nice chat, took a group photo, then split up again to view more quilts.  I met up with my friends for lunch at the Agave Grill.  Lunch was yummy and we drove to the other end of town to visit the quilt store, which had been too crowded to get into in the morning.  The Stitchin' Post was a very nice quilt shop with a lot of cute things, but I was very good and didn't buy anything except a tote bag with the logo of the Sisters Quilt Show on it.

We decided we were tuckered out and headed back to our hotel in Bend.  On the way, Debbie spotted a sign that read 'Quilter's Sale' on the side of the road.  We decided to check it out and found a lovely and sweet lady who was selling off her collection of kits and fabrics and machines and miscellany from the B&B from which she used to run quilt retreats.  I made my first real purchases of the trip - a kit to make a dragon quilt and a couple of pieces of fabric, all at great savings.

We got back on the road to Bend, visited Bend's third, and final, quilt shop before returning to our hotel.  We've been watching movies and relaxing, since then, recovering from the long walk this morning. 

Tomorrow we visit the Quilt Expo in Redmond, Or, a new show the same weekend as the Sisters show, except it is an indoor show with vendors.  We'll spend one more night in Bend before heading home, again stopping in Redding, CA on the way.

I love the Marriott in Redding because they have a hotel cat named Jack, who makes me feel more at home and miss my own kitties a little less.

I have been having a glorious time, traveling and chatting with my friends along the way, and we have been great support for each other not buying unnecessary things, though I did buy a little gift for my secret pal in one of the cute little gift shops in Sisters.  At least I haven't bought a bunch of unnecessary fabric... and believe me when I say there was a lot of fabric that we saw that I REALLY wanted!!!  I was strong and resisted...  Hopefully I will be as strong when we hit the vendor's booths tomorrow at the show in Redmond!

Love that Aurifil Thread!!! part 2

So, someone asked for pics of all that Aurifil thread.  I couldn't even fit all 6 drawers of thread into a single picture, but I did take a couple of pics of the box and the drawers.

 This is the box, all closed up and waiting to be opened... and used!!!

I opened up all three drawers to reveal as much thread as I could get in a single picture. 

I wanted to lay all 6 drawers out and take a picture of all the spools, but my husband said he couldn't get them all in one picture.  Oh well... we took the pictures we could.   The thread is wonderful stuff and I can't wait to get started using it.  I have that appliqued block I posted a picture of in my last post, and that is the one I will be doing the machine stitching on next.  I will probably get around to actually sewing it and getting into the thread when I return from my trip to Sisters, OR on the 15th. 

Yes, I am going to the quilt show in Sisters, my first trip there.  I've heard it's a wonderful show, and there is a show the following day not far away, and my friends and I will be attending that show as well... I look forward to them both! 

And when I return, I will get to sew sew sew with my new Aurifil thread!!!

New Finishes...

Two quilts are 'almost done'.  They just need binding, but I don't have the right colors in my stash to bind them with - so it's off to the quilt store for me (oh horrors, whatever shall I do?  lol). 

This quilt is called 'Paris Cats' because the focus fabric has cats in Paris on it.  The whole quilt is a little too pink for my tastes, so perhaps I will gift it to someone who likes cats AND pink.  It will make a nice table-topper for someone with a large round or square table (mine is rectangular, unfortunately),  

'Pumpkin Hill' was designed by Bunny Hill Designs, and has squirrels on it, so I HAD to do it (I just love squirrels - almost as much as I love cats).  Anyway, I made this quilt and it's now ready for binding... Hopefully it will be done in time to get it into the County Fair this year.