Spring??? maybe

Finally, maybe we will have some spring weather.  Although I am afraid it will go from the 40's to the 80's in one week.
I have finished up the bindings on four quilts and started three new ones.  What am I thinking???
The one I was going to do for my neighbor for her graduation has changed to a different Bonnie Hunter pattern.  I really like the Roll Roll Cotton Boll pattern and have made three of the 50 blocks.
It includes the string piecing as the alternate block but is on a 8.5 inch foundation so goes faster.  Or I could make strips and cut from there.  The main block is colorful but not bright so the neutral string blocks help lightening up the quilt a lot.
 

I really like the combination of colors in the main block.  I thought at first I was going to have to go fabric shopping oh no!! for the red ( the only fabric which does not change) but found three yards of a nice red in my stash. 

Short blog.  Have to get to work.

Spring quilting.

Sally  

The sun the sun....

What a glorious morning with the sun shining and hopes for the temps to rise above 40 degrees.  I went out on the deck and chipped away at the bird bath.  No luck so I filled a shallow container and hoped they could drink before it froze.  Put out sunflower seeds and the cardinals just about pushed me out of the way.  Yesterday morning I looked out and sitting on a limb in the woods was a red-shouldered hawk.  I loved watching it watch the ground and float down to grab some poor frog or other wiggly thing.

I finished the binding on grand illusion and have sewn the binding on Smith Mountain Morning.  It has been a binding marathon as each was 100 by 100.

 I think I like the pillow cases better than the quilt. Sorry BH but to be fair the quilt does not show up horizontally as well as when it is hanging vertically.  Tough to sleep that way though.
 
The next thing on my long list is the dresden plate for my friend M.  We decided on blues with some tans thrown in.  I love the look and am working on choosing background.

I have always loved the bug jar quilts and am making one now.  This is the practice block I made at C's yesterday.  Just love the way it looks and really like the blue background for a children's quilt.  Thanks C for suggesting the different jar lid fabric.  

Finally I completed the Australian fabric quilt and thanks to the fast turn around from H on the quilting have it hanging over my sewing workspace.  If M from Snead's Ferry can have one so can I.

My favorite is the white witchety grub worms in the red blocks.  We acutally saw one dug up and one of our group volunteered to eat it.  Ewwwwwwwe!

Since I don't have enough to do I am also starting another BH quilt.  What is it about the scrappy that pulls me in?  This is "Zuckerwatte" which is pinks, creams and some purples.  I just love the sweetness of that quilt.  

In my defense it has been a long winter.

Sunny quilting

Sally

Briar Patch

It is snowing, we are getting ice on top of that, the temps are in 20's and I have to stay home because my driveway is an uphill sheet of ice in the shade.  "Oh please don't throw me into that briar patch" said mr rabbit.
Officially this is my fourth day in the house and Cecil and I are fine.  Plenty of food, electricity (thank you Lord) and plenty of fabric and thread.  I might even clean out a drawer or two.  Maybe.

This is a quilt inspired by my two friends C and P because I started making the wonky stars that I saw C making and then P reversed the white with the backgrounds and I liked that also.  I wanted to make it longer so added a header and footer!  I am trying to use my many civil war fabrics!  Now if it will get warm enough to go out on the screened porch and put the sandwiches together for 3 quilt tops hanging on my finished rack.

I have finished the binding on the Harriet's Sampler quilt and it is hanging on the wall in my "lividen" which is my name for my living room-den.

Now I have to tackle the binding on the Bonnie Hunter "Grand Illusion Mystery Quilt."  I did decide to make pillow cases to go with it because it is 100x100  which is not long enough to pull over the pillows.  One of the UC bee members emailed the link to someone demonstrating how to make the pillow case without any raw seams.  It is the "sausage method" and I love it.  It only takes about 15 minutes to make a pillow case.  The link is https://www.govf.org/content/presentation-case.html. 

Check the size because I think the demo lady makes these for QOV quilts but they fit queen size pillows.

I do love the Kaffe fabrics and they show up so well in big chunks.  I am cutting up fabric for one of the next quilts i want to make.  It is called Zuckerwatte (Cotton Candy) from Bonnie Hunter's String Fling book.  It is pinks and creams and a little purple.  I have to have something to do on retreat.  In addition to the four projects I still have on my ufo list.

Time to start cutting.

Warm quilting.

Sally

Winter

It seems as if we will get some of winter's wrath next week.  Today was beautiful- cold, crisp, sunny with some gusty winds.  The next three days will not be so nice.
I went to Heather's to pick up my BH mystery quilt and the Harriet's Sampler which was a block of the month from ME's shop.  They look so nice after quilting.  I took her my BH Smith Mountain Morning top and an Australian fabric top to quilt.  I will be sick of binding.  The BH quilts are 100" x100"and the others are 50"by 50".
Our quilt exhibit at the Arts Council opened Thursday night with a nice reception.  I hope people will enjoy seeing our work.
This picture is of Ann's bear quilt.

the next picture is one of my favorite quilts.  I used log cabin blocks to make the stripes.

This one is Vickie T's applique art quilt.  I just love this witch.

And this one is my cutie pie.

Hope to get bindings done while weather is bad.  

Chilly quilting

Sally

Escaped

It seems as if we escaped bad weather in January this year.  Better watch out for February.  It can be our worst weather month.  And it is always so busy.  Beginning of lent, church convention, quilt shows and retreats.  I guess these are helpful to break the winter.  Some people need to escape even our relatively mild winters.  One relative always schedules a two week trip to some sunny place like Arizona or Costa Rica or wherever.  Not me I love and embrace the cold just not the bad weather.
More time to sew.
I have finished the BH mystery quilt top and it is at the quilters.  It will certainly brighten up my bedroom.  It will be my May June bed quilt.  I also have finished the BH Smith Mountain Morning quilt top and am waiting for backing.  I hope it is what I want.  If not I have alternate fabric.  I know I know doesn't everyone.  I can't wait to see that one finished.  It will be the September October bed topping.  I did make 81 blocks instead of the 49 the pattern called for.  I can say after 5 of her quilts that Bonnie Hunter does a great job with measurements because I had no problem putting blocks, sashings, and pieced borders on each of these quilts.  Everything fit and that makes it easy.
This is four blocks and sashings (green, black, and white).

This is the Smith Mountain Morning layout of my 81 blocks.  

This is Mary's quilt made from fabric we got in Australia in 2012.  I have just started cutting out the fabric for mine and am waiting for the red to be shipped.  Just love the way it looks.  It will go on the wall behind my sewing table.

It may have to share space there with this one when I can make it.  It hangs over the desk at Wish Upon a Quilt.  The designer and owner of this one gave permission for the pic and for us to make one like it.  Can't wait.  All the geese backgrounds are Kaffe circles in muted colors.  Just love this one.

So many quilts so little time.  Also starting dresden plate quilt for M.

Windy and cold quilting today after soup to workers at Habitat House.

Sally

clear blue sky

This is the kind of winter I love.  The sky is clear blue, the temps in 40's, and the sun is out.  Oh yes and I am in looking forward to some more sewing.  Trying to finish the units on BH mystery so I can get blocks put together and finally the top.  It is really nice but busy as her quilts are.

I am not sure how my brights will look when put with other blocks and the sashing.  Oh well what is is. Now to finish the last 34 units of the Clue #1 and I can begin to put blocks and sashing together.  

I am not sure I want a yellow inner border.  Right now I am thinking pink.

I am also trying to finish up Smith Mountain Morning that I started at a workshop in June with BH.

The border units are the leader enders for these units.  It is a wonderful system if you have the pieces cut and thread matches both projects.  Will have to float a loan to get both quilted.  The Mystery quilt is supposed to be 88x88 and the SMM is larger because I added blocks. Yikes I just thought that I will have to make more of the border units for that!!!Arrrrrgh.

Cecil and I are snug in the sewing room glad for strong house and heater!!! God is good.

Bright day quilting

Sally

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

What a joy to have some days at home with no meetings, duties or chores to attend.  Just trying to finish up some UFO's.  Also working on Bonnie Hunter's Mystery quilt.  And that takes time to cut and sew so many units in a busy week.  Not complaining just commenting.

This is all 80 of Clue #4 units.  It is mostly perseverance and a strong back to do all the cutting.
I am doing everything scrappy even the yellows.  Have 66/100 of clue #1, Half of Clue #2 and over half of Clue #3.  Going to work on finishing them today and tomorrow.

This is the top for Harriet's Sampler which I did as a BOM ( I know I said no more but I really liked the store sample just did not realize how small some of the pieces were) for 2014.  This year will be no BOM.  I am committed to finishing all the ones I have started and to do two quilts that have been in the queue for a year.

I have had the border material for a while and really like how it looks with the fabrics in the blocks.

The inner border is dark brown which is homage to all the brown in the blocks. The border is wild because the quilt is not.

Cold, windy and rainy quilting.

Sally