Quilting in the Green Mountains

Finally, an update

2011-01-01T12:36:00.000-05:00

Happy 2011 and Happy Birthday DAD!

Interesting date today 1/1/11. I wonder how many times I will write/type 2010 over the next few weeks?

I finally have a quilting accomplishment to post. Here is the center of the Star Crazy Quilt - done! I really love the colors. This is going to be great once it is really done. Just 9 borders more to go. I have to buy the fabric for the next inner border. I wanted to pick the color after seeing how the center looked. I am leaning towards a medium blue rather than green as shown in the pattern.

Here is an interesting picture from a trip to Boston. The store front was lined with old sewing machines, it had nothing to do with what the store was selling. I really like the reflection of the city in the window.

Well, not much sewing today. Time to take down the Christmas decorations and make our traditional New Year day lasagne. The hubby is taking advantage of the rare 44 degree temperature to take down the outside lights. Much better than the usual chilly temps!

August Star Crazy Blocks

2010-08-21T17:04:00.000-04:00

Here are the August blocks for the Star Crazy BOM. Eight months done, four more to go. This month was 9 of the 6 inch blocks for the border.

Here are all of the 6 inch blocks that I have done so far. Coming along nicely!

I also went to take some pictures of my garden today. This is my clematis. I have had this for about 5 years. Last year was the first time it bloomed. Only one flower. Look at what is happening this year!! This is only one side of the plant. There are about 30 flowers this year. Yea!

This is a lily that I planted last year. I love the colors.

And one last picture of a rose that is blooming. This is a Tropicana rose, it smells wonderful.

Have a great day.

Another mystery solved

2010-08-15T19:42:00.000-04:00

Yea!! I have finally gotten all of the pieces of the Yankee Pride Spring 2010 mystery quilt together. We had a very nice Vermont summer day here which was helpful in the final push to get this done. Along with the nice temperature we did have a windy day, which presented a challenge in keeping all of these pieces oriented in the correct direction. I still have an inner and the outer border to still put on, but I love this quilt. I have to say, this was a complete mystery for a long time. The only thing I knew was that there were what felt like a million of those little burgundy 1 inch squares.

The other finish that I have to show is another baby quilt. A coworker of mine is having a baby any day now. Maybe this weekend? We will see if she is at work tomorrow. When I started the quilt I didn't know if it was a boy or a girl, so I picked neutral colors. I hope the baby enjoys it. I was very happy with the results.

I will be back soon........Kristin

Star Quilt Installment

2010-07-04T18:46:00.000-04:00

Time to get caught up with my blocks for The Quilt Show BOM - Star Crazy quilt. I was able to knock June an July off of the to do list this weekend.

Here are the June blocks. There are also a bunch of half square triangles that I have finished, just no picture of those.

Here are the July blocks.

Then I decided to put all of the blocks that I have done (January through July) up on the design wall. Since I am making all of my blocks from my stash, I wanted to check the color balance of what I have so far.

Last, but not least, I realized that I have all 13 of the center stars completed. I wanted to get an idea of how my center would look. There are still quite a few of the Irish Chain blocks left to fill this in, but I really like how the center of the quilt is shaping up.

I have started another baby quilt today. Another woman that I work with is expecting a girl mid-August. I made good progress today, and will enjoy the extra day off tomorrow to keep on plugging away.

Happy 4th of July!

Catching Up.....

2010-05-17T22:47:00.000-04:00

So, did you miss me? I sure missed bloggin! April was a blur of a month. Easter, school vacation, and little league started. Whew...and now it is the middle of May? How did that happen? This weekend was a very productive few days. I have finally made some big progress on my "to do" list. Here are a few snaps of what I was working on.

First up, the Star Crazy BOM from The Quilt Show. These are the April and May blocks. I also made 96 half square triangles to keep me right on track. Now I can breath and wait for the June directions to come out.

Here are all of the blocks for Star Crazy for the year. I love how this is coming together. Still a lot more to go, but I think this is off to a good start.

Next up, the last 3 blocks for the 2009 Fat Quarter Shop Mystery quilt. I have been working on the setting blocks, so hope to hve this one put together pretty quickly. We will see about that though.

I also spent A LOT of time getting caught up on my Yankee Pride Spring 2010 mystery quilt, but those pictures will be for another day.

I also am working on getting the vacation pictures in order. Here is a preveiw of what I have been looking at. We made the big trek from Vermont to San Francisco for school vacation week. It was awesome. We had a really great time, saw the sights, and enjoyed the weather. What a fantastic city.

Well, that is for tonight. Need to head off to the land of nod. Good night all.

How an Accountant solves a math problem....

2010-03-14T21:02:00.000-04:00

If my books for math in high shcool had been based on quilts, it would have been a lot more interesting. I can just imagine how cool Dr. Gorfin's geometry classes would have been if they had been about quilts! Well, I just have to make my own entertainment with math. I have been working out some math for a quilt that my Mom and I split. So, the math comes in with trying to figure out how to best layout half of the blocks for each of the months of the year. I didn't want to make this a 12 row long and skinny quilt because that just doesn't fit the walls in my house. Here are the blocks (Mom made all of them and then sent me half, yes I am lucky).

For a while I have been pondering how to best layout the blocks to suit my house. I have finally decided to put two months together on each row. This will make the quilt approximately 58" to 60", before borders, wide. That works. So, how does an accountant solve a math problem like this one? Well, thank you for asking. The answer is, of course, Excel. I have plotted each of the blocks/rows out in a spreadsheet!

This is what math looks like in my mind. Ahhh... the balance just makes me happy. Well... that is what I am up to. Have a great week...

March Update

2010-03-07T22:52:00.000-05:00

Hi, I am back. I had to go to San Antonio, TX for business. It was nice to see another part of the country, and even nicer to be back home. I thought it was going to be warmer in Texas, not so much. But it was nice to see the sun. Traveling is not easy at all these days. I had 4 flights total (two there and two home), of the four flights, three were oversold. I got bumped from one of them. What a hassle. Oh well.

Here is what I have been up to in my sewing world since I have had time to focus. I have completed my latest month for the Fat Quarter Myster Quilt.

I have also finished the March homework for "The Quilt Show" BOM. I really love how this is turning out.

That is it for now. Have a great week.

Kristin

Mystery Solved

2010-02-15T16:53:00.000-05:00

I have finished my Yankee Pride Fall 2009 Mystery quilt! I feel like I have had a very productive President's Day around here. I have put on the 3 borders and completed the backing. I had to piece it because I wanted to use what I already had in my stash.

The next mystery series starts in 2 weeks. Whew, piecing done just in time. Now, I have to focus on getting quilts done this year, not just piecing the top.

Well, that is it for today. I will be back soon.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T17:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day. This is what I have made for my sweetheart(s). The cookies that still need filling will get either raspberry filling or black cherry filling. Both of these are favorites of my husand. The others with the sprinkles are form my son.

The next thing I have to share is the Yankee Pride Fall 2009 Mystery quilt. Next weekend is our reunion where we bring our completed tops and see how different they all look. It is the big reveal. That meant it was time for met to get cracking on this. I haven't touched this since December. Here is the top put together. This quilt is for my husband. I haven't made him a quilt in a very long time, he was due.

Here are the inner and outer border laid out. I hope to get to that tomorrow since I am lucky enough to get President's Day as a holiday. Wohoo!!!

Next up, my February assignment for the Star Crazy quilt that I am doing. I love how this looks already. The colors are a lot of fun. The one inch squares were not even a pain to work with, I was worried about all of them when I was reading the directions.

And my final picture is of a new reading or TV watching area that we have created in the master bedroom. Moving the furniture around turned into a painting project too. The color is very similiar to what we had before, but a little darker shade. I really love how this has turned out. New paint, new book shelf (kind of hidden by the chair), and new chair. Today we finally hung the pictures up. Only took us five years of living in this house! The only thing I still need to get is a floor lamp so I can see to read or stitch at night.

Well, that is all I have for now. I will update with pictures of the borders on the mystery quilt when they are done. Time to settle in and watch some Olympics. We were very excited to see a Vermonter win the first USA gold last night! Go team!!

Woodchuck Day - In Vermont at least

2010-02-02T19:31:00.000-05:00

Woodchuck Day for Vermonters, that is what the Governor said. The press release from Gov. Jim Douglas today was "Vermont Governor vetoes Punxsutawney Phil's forecast - says VT woodchucks confirm 12 more weeks of winter." Nothing like dashing a girls hopes. Well, I guess that just means more time to sew without a worry of it getting to hot to even think if quilts.

On that nice wintery note, I was able to work on the quilt I have been making for a friend of mine. Her husband has been deployed to Afghanistan. I really wanted to do something for her and her girls. I thought a comfy place to snuggle together might help this next year pass just a little more quickly.

This was a pattern that I found at the Moda Bake Shop. A FREE pattern to boot. The directions were very easy to follow and I am very pleased with the outcome. I was able to give it to my friend this morning. She was very surprised and I got a big hug, a very nice way to start the day.

The only other news around these parts is the twins that we have been awaiting at work arrived 1/25/2010. A boy and a girl, everyone is healthy and happy. Ah.....baby watch over, quilts DONE. Wait just a minute....that was on Monday, on Wednesday we found out another woman in our group is going to have a baby in August!! Yep, another baby quilt to get cracking on.

Well, since it is Februray I need to get my thoughts together for the next installment of The Quilt Show BOM that I am working on. Stay tuned for an update, hopefully next weekend with those blocks.

Star Crazy - Month 1 Done

2010-01-10T16:35:00.001-05:00

Today I took advantage of the freezing cold tempatures outside, to stay inside and quilt! I have gotten the first month of the Star Crazy blocks done. This is the first of the 12 months for a block of the month from The Quilt Show that have decided to do. Yea, like I really needed another project.

I really love the bright colors so far. The blocks this month were two 8" stars that will go in the center and six 6" stars for one of the boarders.

I have also started another quilt. This one is for a friend at work. Her husband has just deployed to Afghanastan today for a year. She has two little girls and a more than full time job. Her husand is also a co-worker of mine. I have been trying to think of something that I can do for them to give them some support during this difficult time. I thought a good start would be a quilt. I hope that this can provide some comfort for them during the next year. Maybe a place for them to snuggle at the end of a day.

Kristin

2010-01-07T21:01:00.001-05:00

How about a look at a few quilts I have been working on while absent from my blog?

2009 seemed to be a baby boom at work. Here are the last two baby quilts for the year. A co-worker and good friend is having twins! A boy and a girl, they should be making their arrival by the end of the month. Knowing my friends tastes, I really didn't want to make the quilts using the typical baby fabrics. Instead I decided to use bali fabrics in a traditional block. I used the same pattern for both the boy and the girl quilts. I really like how they turned out. Hope the babies do too!

The other top that I have been able to get together was the Fall Mystery quilt from Yankee Pride, my local quilt store. This is for my son and he picked out a lot of the fabric. I have to say, by the time I was done with this I had seen enough orange to last me quite a while. He loves it which is what is important. Now I just need to get it quilted.

Well, that is all for tonight.

Kristin

Happy New Year - 2010

2010-01-03T17:22:00.006-05:00

Well, it is high time that my unplanned and extended absence from my blog end. What better time to get back in gear but a new year. I have been plugging away on projects even though I haven't updated the blog. I will get caught up on pictures over the next month.

So here is what I do have for recent updates. First, I have used the holiday break to clean and re-organized my stash. Here is my closet now. I didn't take a before picture, but this is much nicer...trust me.

Now that my stash is in order I can work on finishing projects that are in the works. I am also starting a new project. The Quilt Show offers a block of the month project to its members each year. This year there are two free BOM projects, one pieced and one applique. While I love both of them, I am going to make the pieced quilt called Star Crazy. I have seen this mentioned on some other blogs today too! Cactus Needle and Canton Village Quilt Works both have great posts about the BOM if you are curious to see more. I was able to get some time today to sew. Oh right, that is because we have gotten 30 inches of snow in the last 24 hours!!!

So what does our yard look like with the greatest single snow fall on record? That is saying something considering we live in Northern Vermont. This was first thing this morning.

And this was at about 4 pm. Yes, it is STILL snowing.

Quite a birthday present for me. Oh, really mother nature, you shouldn't have!

Well that is it for now. It is nice to be back.

Kristin

VQF

2009-06-28T16:06:00.004-04:00

I can't believe that VQF has come and gone already. I really enjoyed it as I always do. I feel like I have really gotten a creative boost just viewing all of the beautiful quilts.

This was the Best of Show.....words can not even begin to describe the workmanship of this beauty. This was from a special exhibit, the thread work was AMAZING. There was also a VQF shop hop quilt from the vendors that were there. Although I had no intention of participating as of the first day, by the second day I was buying the blocks. Well, for a change I actually jumped right into this and as of about 30 minutes ago, all 12 blocks are put together! This is my favorite block. This was from Mary K. Ryan. The instructions were great and went together very nicely. Love this one! I was also lucky enough to take a class again this year. On tap this year was hand applique with Becky Goldsmith of Piece O'Cake fame. This was the best quilt related class I have ever taken. Here is the quilt the block we worked on is from. The individual squares are only 8 inches in total, so a lot of teeny tiny pieces. I managed getting a stem and a leaf done. Now I will have to stick to it and keep practicing.

Well that is it for today. Keep cool and enjoy the summer days.

I Heart These Blocks

2009-05-31T17:58:00.003-04:00

I just don't know how the days turn into weeks so quickly. Tomorrow is June, huh??? Let's see....what has happened since my last vacation post. After vacation the DH and I both got sick with a nasty cold that also involved spring allergies. Thankfully that is over and we are all better now. Little league baseball is moving into the final few weeks. We have had a lot of fun with that this season. I have to say this is the nicest team and coaching we have ever had. The only other not fun thing is our computer is misbehaving. It seems as the battery has shorted out and the USB ports don't appear to be working. A mystery for tech support, aka the dear husband.

Other than that, I have only worked on quilting for the MANY babies that seem to be on the way. Here is a completed baby quilt for a girl that is on the way.

I have also started on the next baby girl quilt for another little one on the way. I just love these colors. This is not the layout for the final quilt, just a nice grouping for a photo.

I have also started knitting a baby blanket for another little one that is on the way. I don't know what this one is so the colors are pistachio green and cream. I will take a picture of that soon and post.

I have also worked on cross stitching. Here is what I have done so far for Quaker Virtues. (36 ct Sandcastle by Silkweaver and Belle Soie Silks that are in Spring Violets and Lily Pad).

Last but not least, is some 3rd grade homework that my son and I had a few weeks back. We had to make a loaf of bread to donate to the food shelf and got to keep a loaf to share as a family. I don't bake much mostly because I don't want to eat what is hanging around. My son was shocked that I knew how to make bread from scratch. We followed the recipe together and he did most of the work. He was surprised at how much effort it took to knead bread. Ohhh it smelled so good.

So here is the before picture:

And the after picture: YUMMMMY!

Spring Vacation

2009-05-02T17:44:00.006-04:00

We went on our first trip to Washington DC for spring vacation. We had a great time, the weather was really nice. It is already so green and lush there. That, of course, has kicked my spring allergies into full speed ahead. Not to mention the cold that the husband and I seemed to have picked up. Oh well, it was great to get away.We got to see the White House, from the outside at least. We walked, and walked, and walked. There is so much to see there it is really incredible.

We also got to see the US Capital, this was on our last day and the weather was PERFECT!

We went to 4 Smithsonian Museums. The family informed me their favorite was the Air & Space Museum, while my favorite was the National Art Museum. I made them get some culture, heehee.
We also got to see all of the Monuments, very moving. Abe is so distinguished. We actually spent some time with him during a brief shower.

So, there was a lot accomplished, but NO quilting, cross stitching, or knitting. A great week anyway. Time for some allergy medicine, I can't breathe very well.

Yes, I'm still here

2009-04-19T16:16:00.005-04:00

First, Happy Belated Easter. I hope everyone had a nice weekend. We went to visit my parents and had a great time. This is a picture of their backyard. If you look very closely to the right of the big tree in the middle, there is a doe that spent the day watching us and resting in the nice pine straw. We were wondering if she was going to have a fawn or if she was sick, but no baby deer or obvious injuries. She was gone the next day.

Next up is an update on the knitting front. A woman I work with got a group of us interested in knitting blocks for a blanket for refugees. The blocks are to be 13" sq, any pattern, and the blanket will be 6 x 7 blocks. Here is what we had collectively as of Wednesday (with a few that are done but not in the picture). This has been such a fun project that we have decided to continue to meet at lunch on Wednesdays and see what else we can do. One suggestion is hats for premature babies.

An update on my mystery quilt. Here are assignments 1 thru 5 all done. Hmm, I still really have no idea where we are going with this one. The big mystery reveal will be in two weeks. My son is anxious for the results as this quilt is for him.And my final progress is some cross stitching that I worked on while away for Easter. I just love this design. The only bad thing I have noticed, is the words are stitched over one thread. I seem to have finally reached "that" point with my eyes that I have had to borrow my husbands reading glasses to see.

Sunday Finish

2009-03-29T17:48:00.005-04:00

I am three for three today in the crafting world. I was able to spend some time knitting this morning, before the grocery shopping needed to be done. This afternoon was devoted to quilting as I will show below. Now, I have my hand next to cross stitching and the hubby will be watching basketball - perfect for some stitching. Oh yeah, it is raining too. What a great day!!

On Friday, March 20th little Emma Claire was born to a friend from work. Baby Girl Quilt #1 needed to get done! I had this quilt underway, but it was not done. Today I decided to tackle the quilting. This is always the hardest part for me. I really need to build confidence in that area. Maybe these baby quilts will be the way. I like this size, easy to manage. Well, here is Emma Claire's quilt. Nothing fancy, but soft and cuddly and PINK!!! I love pink. My room when I was little was pink everywhere. I have a son, so not much pink time for me now. I hope Emma Claire will enjoy this quilt for years to come.

Knit 1, Purl 1

2009-03-27T07:28:00.003-04:00

I guess the 4th time is the charm. This is my square for a charity blanket that a group of us at work are making. I fully disclosed that I am a novice knitter, but the group still welcomed me. I started this 13" block 4 times. Whew....I was wondering if I would ever get done. I guess at this point I have actually knitted about half the blanket, but only have this to show. It was actually a lot of fun once I relearned what the heck I was doing. I may actually start another one this weekend. They aren't due until April 15th so I have some time.

Not much done on the quilt front this week. A lot of the week was lost to a migraine. All I did manage to get done were the 32 flying geese that are due tomorrow for my Saturday Mystery quilt. I still don't have a clue where we are going with this, I love a good mystery. So far I have 160 half square triangles and 32 flying geese, hmmm... Stay tuned.

All right time to get the kiddo on the bus and head off to work. Have a good few days.

Happy Spring

2009-03-21T21:06:00.003-04:00

No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth. The days have just gotten away from me lately! We have had a beautiful stretch of blue skies with no clouds. Spring may actually be here?! Feels a little bold to be thinking and saying that in March for Northern Vermont. This is the time of the year when we get whomped with BIG snow falls. I am going with the thought of not this year. I bought these daffodils at the grocery store. Nothing says spring like daffodils to me. Sigh.....I was able to spend this afternoon volunteering for my quilt guild. We were putting together kits for our charity quilts. We were packing up donated tops with batting and backings to now be sown. Just today we went through an entire roll of Warm and Natural batting for our kits. It is pretty impressive what the group is able to accomplish. I have also been recruited for a charity knitting project at work. I am NOT an accomplished knitter and this has been good training for me. We are making blankets to donate to a local group for refugees. The assignment is a 13" block with a few suggested patterns. I have ripped mine out 3 times so far. I am about 6" into the 4th version and this seems to be going pretty well. We are hoping to have enough to make a whole blanket from just our work group.

As for my own sewing, I have been working on a baby girl quilt. It seems like every time I turn around another friend is going to have a baby! Just found about another one on the way this week. I have one friend who is due any day now, so I need to get moving. It is still a mystery about whether this will be for the boy or girl quilt. Not that either of them are done!!!
Have a great few days!

Batik Challenge Update #5

2009-03-08T18:00:00.003-04:00

The top is done! I have spent a large part of today in my sewing room. What a nice treat that was. As a result, I was able to get the 3 borders on my Chocolate Truffles batik challenge. I am very pleased with the results. I am also surprised at how this top seemed to grow. I have also been able to work on my homework for the current mystery quilt that I am involved with. I just love a good mystery - books, TV shows, and quilts you name it, I love them. Here are ALL of the 160 half square triangles that we need to have done for this coming Saturday. Cool.....I wonder how these will be used.

Other than that, I also worked a little on a baby quilt that is under way. I discovered that I had 2 pieces within one block flipped. Whoops. So, seeing as I was in a groove today, I got out the seam ripper. Now the quilt is all better.

Have a great few days!

A Tisket, A Tasket - BOM 2

2009-03-01T20:39:00.005-05:00

Whew, I was able to get this block done in the nick of time. This is the "A Tisket, A Tasket" BOM that is being published over at Bunny Hill. The next block will be available at the end of this week.

I haven't seemed to be able to get to my sewing machine much the last two weeks. I guess life is just too busy right now. This is what I was able to accomplish. The first installment of the Spring Mystery quilt that I am doing through my local quilt shop. I have to make 160 half square triangles. As of this afternoon, I had 2 of them done and trimmed. Only 158 more to go!

While, I haven't gotten much quilting done, I was able to spend some time working on my cross stitch this weekend. This has been a complete joy to work on. Well, that is all that is going on for today. I have a guild meeting this week, yipee. I love show & tell, always fun to see what everyone is up to.

Have a great few days friends.

Where did the Weekend Go?

2009-02-24T20:28:00.004-05:00

How did it get to be the end of Tuesday already?! It is school vacation week, so we went away for a few days. Geesh, time flies when you are having fun. I didn't do any quilting over the weekend, but I did bring my current cross stitching project. It was so nice to spend time working on this Shepherd's Bush Sail Away pattern. It is so relaxing to quietly stitch. Here is snapshot of what I have gotten done so far. The picture isn't great, I need to work on low light photos. Have a great few days.

Batik Challenge Update #4

2009-02-15T17:55:00.005-05:00

Wow, I have a lot to show you! I have sewed my Chocolate Truffle (aka Murky Pond) top for the Batik Challenge, wohoo. I had this laid out on my design wall for the last week. Just about every time I went by my sewing room, I rearranged a few of the blocks. I finally decided that the only way to stop this obsessive behavior was to sew to top together. Done. I am very please with the results too. I don't think the colors show completely true in my photos (I am sure this has to do with the camera operator-me). The colors look richer in person than I seem to be able to capture. So....here is the top sewn together.

Now that the batik top is done, I can put some other items on my design wall. Yipee. I have been working on Wonky Stars for the Bushfire Quilt Project. These will be sent to Australia to try to provide some comfort and support for the many victims of the wildfires of the last few weeks. These blocks were a lot of fun to make, and I really hope that they can in some small way provide some comfort to someone who needs it.

As you can see, I had fun with the colors for these blocks.

A few caribbean blues/teals/purples-
A few sunny orange and yellow-

A few soft greens/and various pastels. I really love the centers of both of these.

And then one with a butterfly and aqua and one with purples/raspberry (Chocolate Truffle scraps!)

And finally, so happy flowers/red. I love these. I am going to see if I have more of these scraps, this could be a really nice quilt.

No I will get these in the mail to Austrailia to be assembled with all the others.

Have a great few days!

Batik Challenge Update #3

2009-02-09T21:29:00.002-05:00

I got into a good sewing groove this weekend. I had the remainder of my Murky Pond (aka Chocolate Truffles) blocks sorted and ready to go. I was able to steal some time on both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, very nice.
Here all all 48 blocks on my new design wall! This pattern is a lot of fun and goes up very quickly. I thought I would put these up so I can keep rearranging the colors and light vs. dark blocks throughout the week. This is a snapshot of the blocks on Sunday morning, and yes I have moved them around just about each time I walk by.
The next mystery quilt that I am signed up for starts on Saturday, so I thought I needed to keep plugging away on this one.

Goodnight quilty friends.

The Bushfire Quilt Project

2009-02-09T20:45:00.003-05:00

Like so many people, today I was feeling like I wish there was something I could do for the folks in Australia dealing with devastating fires. What can I possibly do a half a world away? Then I found this information posted on Quilt Dad's blog.

There is a new Flickr group that has been set up by Tia (CampFollowerBagLady). The Flickr group is called the Bushfire Quilt Project. Basically, Tia is asking for donated quilt blocks that are stars on white (you can see the details at the Flickr group). Donate the blocks to Tia and she will turn them into quilts for those who are suffering "so they can wrap themselves in our love and prayers as they return and rebuild". Seems like a small gesture to aid those in such need.

Another Block of the Month

2009-02-02T19:58:00.002-05:00

One of my projects that is in my Projects in Progress list is Tokyo's Triangles. This quilt is made with all flying geese blocks. How is that for bitting off more than I can chew. Oh well, I always am more productive when presented with a challenge. I want to do this with only stash fabric, at least for the goose part of the block. Anyway, the reason for the post is if you wander over to the Twiddletails blog you can see a layout of her version of this quilt called "Geese in the Forest". To get even better, each month there will be a free pattern for a different piece of this quilt on the blog! Don't forget to check out her tutorial on freezer paper piecing.

Tomorrow is the monthly guild meeting, wonder what show and tell will be like.....

Have a great night quilty friends!

Batik Update #2

2009-02-01T19:34:00.005-05:00

I had some handyman assistance in my sewing room this weekend. Mr. QGM hung up a new curtain rod for me so I could have a design wall. Believe it or not, after over 15 years of quilting, this is the first time I have ever had a design wall. Yipee!

It took me no time to put this to use. I LOVE my new design space. Since the sewing room is also our guest room, now I can have a quilt hanging when we have company.

As you can see the design space is getting filled up with my Batik Challenge quilt. I am already half done with my Murky Pond blocks. These are really flying along, I have 24 of the 48 blocks put together. I think I will call my quilt "Chocolate Truffles" rather than Murky Pond. I find myself thinking about chocolate raspberry, strawberries and cream, and chocolate orange while I am sewing these together. My local quilt store was having a Superbowl sale this weekend. I thought it was worth a trip over yesterday. The sale was up to 40% off of all fabric!! I stocked up on some fabric for backings and a few pieces of Kaffe Fassett and Amy Butler. That was yesterday and the sale ran through today. Hmm, while I was laying in bed this morning trying to wake up I thought of a few more reasons that I should make one more trip to the store today. In a few more weeks I start the Spring Mystery quilt so I NEEDED to buy fabric for that. When you sign up for the mystery you have to pick one color from a select list. For this quilt I selected bright blue (like a royal blue). With the vague gidelines I have selected these for the rest of the quilt. All also 40% off! Sweet. This quilt will be for my son when it is done.

Have a great few days quilty friends.

Sail Away to Cross Stitching

2009-01-29T20:34:00.006-05:00

I know there is not much to see here, but this is an exciting day. I have done a little cross stitching! It has been at least a few years since I have been inspired to do any of this. Cross stitching was my first serious hobby (obsession). Then I discovered quilting and my focus shifted. I still like to cross stitch, just didn't have the time. Wonder if that had anything to do with all of the shopping to grow the fabric stash? Well, I saw this Shepherd's Bush pattern - Sail Away and I really was drawn to it. I got the kit for this for my birthday, COOL and thanks Mom. I can't wait to see how the beautiful rows unfold.

Happy almost Friday quilty friends.

Batik Challenge Update #1

2009-01-25T18:28:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was devoted to errands (Costco on a Saturday-eeewww), cleaning, and various other weekend responsibilites. I even managed to finish my library book. It was overdue, so I had to get to it! With all of that out the way yesterday that left today nice a open, wohoo. Sunday is usually the day that I get my sewing done, and today had the perfect set up to fit the bill. I started the day with some cutting. I was able to get all of the block pieces cut for the Batik Challenge that I am participating in. It is being hosted by Nicole of Sister's Choice Quilts. Not only is she currently hosting the challenge, she has been turning out some other BEAUTIFUL quilts. I really enjoy her blog, you should go visit if you haven't already.

Ok, so back to my day. I was thinking that getting my cutting done would be a good accomplishment for the day. Next thing I know, I look out the window and this was happening. I don't know how well the snow will show in the photo, but we had quite a squall. It snowed for about an hour. Hmmm...cold and snowing, I think I will stay in and work on putting together some blocks.

About two hours later, with a movie playing in the background (No Reservations - it was cute), I got the first 10 of 48 blocks done for my batik challenge, yea! Might as well make progress while I can, never know what next week might bring. I had such a good time making these. I keep thinking "chocolate raspberry" while putting these together. This may turn out to be a very yummy quilt. Have a great few days quilty friends!

A Batik Challenge?

2009-01-20T21:26:00.002-05:00

There is a new challenge on the horizon. Over at Sister's Choice Quilts there is a new batik challenge. The challenge is to pick a pattern out of the Batik Beauties or Batiks and Beyond books by Laurie Shifrin, post your progress, and the deadline is April 24th. Ohhh, is this perfect timing. I got this yummy group of fabric for Christmas from my Mom (hi Mom!) and it is to make the pattern Murky Pond from Batiks and Beyond. I hope I will be a part of this challenge!

Have a great evening quilty friends.

A Tisket, A Tasket - BOM 1

2009-01-19T17:19:00.005-05:00

I love this BOM already! I have started the free BOM from Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill Studio. Here is my first block, the January block. Each month is going to have the same size basket, but what will be in the basket is a surprise. I can't wait to see the next one. Also, I have decided that one of my goals for this year is to really work on using some of the fabric that I already own! As in, stash management. I found a piece of this background fabric that was big enough for all twelve months, sweet! Backgrounds are now cut and set aside as the next month pattern becomes available. Boy, is that a different and nice approach for me. I am also trying to brush the rust off of my applique skills. I think this will be perfect. Fun, fun, fun! I still have to add buttons to the top, in between the leaves, but I think I will wait to get a feel for a few other blocks before I decide what to use.

I had the day off today, yippee extra sewing time. I worked on the baby quilts that I am trying to get done (seems like everyone is having babies lately). Again, this was fabric from the stash. If you feel like there is a theme with the repeating chain block, you are correct. Originally I made the chain blocks for my 2008 fall mystery quilt, but I didn't like the blue and white blocks with the other fabrics in that quilt. I ending up making a different set for the mystery quilt and put these aside for some other use.

The more I looked at the squares, the more I thought they would be good for the baby quilts that I wanted to start working on. So, here is what I have done with them. I really like how the red and blue top has turned out. I have a soft flannel for the backing. I have to decide what border to put on the blue and yellow top still. I know this burst of getting things done won't last forever, but it sure is nice to get through a few items on "the list".

Oh and speaking of "the list", and I signed up for the next Yankee Pride Mystery quilt this weekend. Yep, add another one back to "the list".

Have a great day quilty friends.

Oh baby, it's cold out there!

2009-01-14T20:18:00.005-05:00

Brrrr, it is so cold it hurts today! It was -7 f when I went to work this morning and it was -1 f when I was on my way home at 5 pm!!! The next few days don't look any better. The weather report is throwing around numbers like -20 to -30 f and -5 f for a high temp! I guess the way to look at this is that this is perfect weather for quilting.

This is a quilt that I made for my quild's annual quilt show. I made this for the silent auction. The best part, one of my dear friends had the highest bid and took this home!

This is an "in progress" picture of my grandmother's flower garden quilt. I laid this out to try to balance the flowers AND to see just how many of the filler hexagons I will have to make. This is my portable project so the going is slow. I have now worked on this at soccer games, basketball games, and in New Jersey while on a trip for my Grandmothers 100th birthday. Maybe I should call this Charlotte's Flower Garden in honor of her.

Keep warm quilty friends!

First Finish of 2009

2009-01-11T17:15:00.009-05:00

Yea! My first quilt top finish for 2009. I was able to spend a fair amount of time working on some projects during the holiday break. As a result, I finished the Yankee Pride Fall Mystery quilt top. Wohoo...

It seems as though I know a lot of people having babies lately. I decided that I would get started on both a Baby Boy Quilt and Baby Girl Quilt to be prepared with a gift when the time comes. It will be nice to have these on hand instead of my normal of "oh, I need that for the shower tomorrow?". It is a new year, a good time to try to turn over a new leaf. We will see how that goes. As for my stash management, the Baby Boy Quilt is adhering to that approach.

I started this this weekend, and ALL of the fabric came from the stash. I really love the colors in this quilt. I was also how surprised at how nice it was to use some fabric I have already acquired!Hope you all had a nice weekend.

I've got mail

2009-01-07T20:20:00.005-05:00

Oooh, I have gotten wonderful mail. I was one of the very lucky winners of Freda's Hive 1 year blogaversay giveaway! I can not believe that I was one of the very lucky 7 winners. Here is what Mr. Postman delievered to me from Nanette. THANK YOU!! You can visit her here: http://fredashive.blogspot.com/

There was another package from Mr. Postman. Oh boy, too good to be true. Could it be fabric? Who me? Adding to the stash? I thought my approach for 2009 was stash management, hmmm. I will have keep working on that thought.

Oh, and there were these too. Cherries and cupcakes, well at least the fabric doesn't cause weight gain! Ah ha, maybe that is the right approach, buying fabric is good for my health. Certainly better than eating cupcakes, right?

Have a great night quilty friends.

Happy New Year

2009-01-05T19:53:00.008-05:00

Wow, how did it get to be the 5th of January already! Today was back to work and school. I could have easily ignored the alarm and stayed in bed. Oh well, need to pay for the fabric some way.

I haven't gotten much sewing done yet this year. We have already had 2 family birthdays this year, New Year's Day, and a quick trip to Boston. The DH got tickets to the Boston Celtics for Christmas. A great reason to spend the weekend in the city! I brought the camera but....no one picture. Whoops, never got the camera out of the hotel room. We had a great time despite the cold, whipping wind. It is always a great get away.

Since I haven't gotten any other projects I thought I would post a few pictures of things I got done this past fall. This is a Lakehouse Fabrics pattern by Holly Holderman. This was in McCall's Quilting magazine - February 2008. I just LOVE the pink and black together. This has wall hanging has prompted a quilting room redo. The redo is "in progress" just like the quilt, some things never change.

Here is a little fabric basket that I made with a tutorial found on the Pink Penguin blog; http://ayumills.blogspot.com/2008/05/tutorial-fabric-basket.html

I just love the results. I have had a thing with red and turquoise lately and the addition of the rick rack just makes me smile.

The directions were very clear and easy to follow. I was able to get this done in one Sunday afternoon!

Thank you Ayumills!

Whirl into Winter Giveaway

2008-12-30T18:41:00.002-05:00

Here is a great place to visit to ring in the new year. On New Year's Day check out the giveaway that is being hosted here: http://whirlintowinter.blogspot.com/. Currently there are around 60 bloggers that are participating in this giveaway. Happy New Year!

Making the most of a few days off

2008-12-29T22:10:00.008-05:00

I have been able to make a lot of progress on my mystery quilt the last few days. It is so nice to have vacation time! Here is the update and I have 2 more borders to add.

I also thought I would share some of my "finishes" from the past year. Since we are on the cusp of a new year, it seems appropriate to review what has happened in 2008.

This was a quilt pattern that was from the Quilt Sampler Magazine (I believe it was Spring/Summer 2007). I made this with the thought that deep in our very long winter in Northern New England, I would look at this and think of warm caribbean breezes and sand in between my toes.

This is my Sring 2008 Mystery quilt from my local quilt store, Yankee Pride. The color that I selected from the available colorways was light bali. This was the background fabric. I have worked on getting better at a scrappy look. This is not easy for me at all, although I think I have made some good progress with the mystery quilts.

Time to get my feet wet

2008-12-27T16:47:00.005-05:00

Well, here goes. I thought I might start out by posting some pictures over the next few days of what I am working on and what I have finished over the last year. A kind of get to know me few posts. I have to admit, this is kind of scary for me. I have always been a reader or lurker of blogs (at least over the last year or so that I have really been following various blogs). I am now jumping into uncomfortable territory, but there are some may wonderful blogger peeps "out there" in the blogosphere, I figure I am in good company. I hope you enjoy.

This is what I am currently working on. I took a little break over Christmas as my sewing room is also my guest room. I am now ready to get back to work! This is a mystery quilt that I have been making with a group at my local quilt store, Yankee Pride Quilts. When I started I was able to pick the design fabric. I selected the red bali from the available colorways. These are the alternate star blocks that are done.

And here are the connecting blocks that I am in the process of completing.

It's Launch Day

2008-12-23T14:50:00.003-05:00

Welcome to my new blog. While I have enjoyed reading others blogs for sometime now, I think I am finally ready to jump into my own blog. I hope you will enjoy my ramblings and comments on daily live.