How an Accountant solves a math problem....

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

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

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

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

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

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

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