Retreat Report #4

I promise this is the last retreat report and it's kind of random leftovers at that...

In response to several comments yesterday hoping to see my Easy Street border fabrics:

The border colors are so rich that they should pick out the same colors
in the quilt center which kind of recede behind the lime green.



The retreat was held at Camp Asbury on Silver Lake, a whopping 3 or 4 miles from my house, but there were people from up to 50 miles away as well as an attendees friend from Florida - she had fun in the snow! My previous experience at Asbury had only been for 3 rescue calls - and 2 of those were for quilt retreats. Luckily we didn't need an ambulance during our retreat!

Another project I worked on was my 4" leader-ender baskets. I kitted up quite a few blocks before the retreat but 90% of what I was working on was kind of self-leader-endering (new word!!) so I didn't get many made during retreat. Instead, I have been trucking away at them since and now have 10 more blocks done for a total of 40. Once I figure out how to do the layout I want in EQ I can determine how many more I need to make. I hope it's a lot because I really enjoy making them...

Ok, you know I had to bring some hexies with me but I didn't make much progress...and I didn't even take a picture for you because it's the same ole hexagon puzzle project. Tomorrow is hexie night at my LQS so I should make some good progress. My goal is to have this project done by the end of March. Keep your fingers crossed.

Quilt Retreat Report #3

Not much to add here other than I seem to be posting projects in the reverse order I worked on them at retreat.

You may recall that I had this in 3 large sections so it didn't take much to get it to this stage.

You may also recall that I was debating  between pieced or plain borders. As much as I liked the pieced border, I am more likely to get this finished faster with plain borders and so it shall be.

Sadly I didn't think to take a picture of the border fabrics so you'll be pleasently surprised when you see my fab batik choices. I do hope I bought some extra cuz my next hexie project will be scrappy batiks!!

Retreat Report #2

While packing for retreat I told myself that I just HAD to make some progress on UFOs and Friday night would be dedicated to such a task.

I finished my Easy Street center (which I'll show tomorrow) and then I worked on Sister's Choice . Not sure how many years ago I started this quilt but I only needed four more blocks. I had cut the pieces at home so it was easy to bang them out. 

The sashing was even already on the other 26 blocks so it was also easy to get the rows put together. Of course by that time it was 2am and I had been working alone for almost 2 hours (didn't these people get the point of working in to the "wee wee" hours?) and said that was enough until I got home. Sunday evening I pressed the rows and got them sewn together. Wootwoot!!

Now on to my nemesis...borders! I have enough of the purple cornerstone fabric to either do an inner border or maybe binding. I was thinking of doing all 9-patches for an outer border but I wasn't sure if that would then be too many colors. I suppose I could do a colored inner border and then all neutrals for the 9-patches. Why can I only think of these things as I post to the blog? What do y'all think cuz I am really liking this idea!!??

Design Wall Monday - 2/25/13

Sew...here is report #1 from Quilt Retreat which already feels like a lifetime ago, yet we are already planning next years. I knew I wanted to start one NewFO at retreat no matter what and this hunter star was going to be it.

I had bought the blue and green batiks back when I lived in Miami after finding a pattern in a magazine. I had barely started to cut out the bits way back but then it sat in a drawer for years until I found out about Deb Hunter's Rapid Fire Hunter Star on youtube and then found the ruler itself at a distant quilt store.

I have half of the 120 required blocks already done...just this last bit needs pressing open.
And the other 120 halves are half done.



I cut out 75% of the pieces I would need before retreat and was just a stitching machine...which has continued in short spurts since then.  There was a lot of cutting/trimming with this method but the strip piecing method was very frugal with my batiks and there is plenty of fabric left so I might be making this quilt a smidge better so it hangs over *my* mattress better.



Option #1 - traditional HS

 Anyway...my dilemma is layout. Side by side on the table I find the fabrics have a lot of contrast. I don't feel the same way once I have made the blocks. Which of the layouts do you like better?

Option #2 - large blocks of color

BTW - I've decided to just completely forget the forgotten February HeLP - We'll be back on March 17th. I hope y'all will be wearin' the green on that day...

HeLP

Sew...I guess I wasn't the only one....

At some point during my no-blog week I realized that HeLP for Hexieaholics was coming this weekend and I better get something together to post. Except when I went to write the post today I realized that it was actually last Sunday! And no one said anything...oops!

Anyone have anything to share? I can post it this coming week. Otherwise we'll wait until March 17th...

Feline Friday - 2/22/13

Once upon a time I was a feral feline...I didn't wanna be but I was and that was that. I was outside for more than a year.

Now-a-days I have a nice warm home but I still like to check out Momma's porch...I know the birdies and squirrels live out there!

But soon enough I want to go back inside where it's WARM  :^)

We're on a blogging break...

Retreat was a blast but I still have bronchitis and I just couldn't bring myself to put together a post for today.

I think I am just going to declare this a no blog week.

I'll be back for Feline Friday and then I'll tell you about quilt retreat next week...hopefully the new meds will have kicked in by then....

Feline Friday - 2/15/13

Midgie asked if this box made her tuckus look fat?

Squeakie knows it makes her look like a phat cat!

Ever the adoring baby boy, Pepper also asked if it made his tuckus look fat...

And then decided he's better off not knowing...

What have all you phat cats been up to this Valentine's Week??!! Do Tell!!

no progress thursday

It seems all I've done this week is get ready for tomorrow's quilt retreat and nightly meetings.

My Bernina is packed in the rolling Tutto case - I have double and tripled checked that the power cord and foot pedal are packed! The ruler is staying home. The sewing box has "all" my hexies supplies - well you know what I mean...

 Yesterday at work I kinda freaked that I wouldn't have enough projects for the weekend and added 2 jelly rolls for pending projects. This morning on the way to work I talked myself into bringing fewer projects because there is no way I'll finish either hexie project or the Omigosh quilt that are packed in addition to the others. Therefore, when I get home I'll be removing a couple projects!

Two bins of projects - I have NewFOs, UFOs, leader/enders and hexies.
And YES! the chair is coming too.

 Don't worry tho, I'll probably change my mind again later...and again tomorrow...

Four Word Wednesday

Hexathon #4 and 5...

Duckling Paddles

I'm not sure about you but I like to follow Mereth's blog for the wonderful scrap quilts that she makes - and she is quite prolific! Recently she made a quilt (the finished quilt was posted today) with blocks she called Duck Paddles.

I was enamored with the block after reading several posts and finally decided to draft it up in EQ last week. BTW - EQ calls the block Crosses and Crowns which just doesn't have the same appeal as duck paddles. I wasn't in the mood for a full sized quilt so I drafted the blocks at just 5" each with the whole quilt about 18"x24" finished. I originally planned to use pink as Meredith had but, having no pink yardage in the stash, opted for this great turquoise color.

And since these are small blocks...I call them Duckling Paddles!

Design Wall Monday - 2/11/13

Just a little bit more and I'll have the hexie puzzle symetrical...then I can make the official determination on what size and shape it will become when it grows up.

I've fussy cut more scrap fabric so I can take this with me to retreat this coming weekend. I hope they have comfy lounge chairs...

Feline Friday - 2/8/13

There was a lot of giggling as Momma put out the plates this morning...

...something about a white kitty sandwich and oreos...We don't quite get the joke but the stinky goodness was a nice treat on a nasty weather day.

What have your mommas made you suffer thru lately?

Batik strip quilt

I have no idea why I decided to make a sample before I made the class sample but that's what this little batik baby is. I modified some of the dimensions to fit the smaller overall size - enjoying all of EQ's talents along the way. And now I best get to the actual sample quilt...

We are not going to talk about my wavy borders
(even tho it is a fab fabric) cuz I'll just quilt that out...somehow...

I also received a squishy in the mail this week!!!!
Ladyquiltsalot at Pieces of My Heart had sponsored a giveaway for surpassing 5,000 page hits. Lucky girl! Anyway...this great little pincushion winged its way from Canada to my house this week. It was a fun little surprise I had forgotten was on it's way so it was a very happy mail day :^)     Thank you !!

Two Word Wednesday

Before...

After...


You can't tell but the bifocals are GONE!



Cat Braids

This little quilt has been on my design wall forever. You think I'm joking, I can tell.

I was gifted the cat panel (about 10x10.5") for Christmas 2008 and I stuck in on the far side of the Design Wall waiting for inspiration. Last year I finally decided to copy the braids of the panel as the border and was lucky enough to find the right colors at the LQS.

At some point I posted a pic of the 4 braids and the panel and asked for public opinion. Erin (a non-quilter at the time) told me that it needed a brown border, colored similar to the cat, but the quilt stayed on the design wall for months.  This past weekend I finally decided it was time to finish this little gem and I agree that it's much better even tho the brown isn't a perfect match.

My question for y'all now is how to draw this up in EQ??!! I tried for a while and finally just used graph paper to figure out measurements because I couldn't find a non-overcomplicated way to do the partial borders. TIA!

And, thanks to a great tip from Janet, I was able to finish a second TATW block in record time. I still think it's fiddly to sew together, cut it, frog it and sew it back together (I know how the Hawaiians felt) but I think it's looking good and will continue to make more blocks.

Janet's tip? Lay out the tubes ahead of time so that the seam you need to frog is at the top (or pick any side) of the layout and then just frog away...no having to *remember* which one you just did. I know, you would think I could remember during the 5 seconds it takes to frog...but I can't and that's that!

Design Wall Monday - 2/4/13

I putzed around the house this weekend between the cold weather and feeling crummy. I did finish up several small quilt tops, which I'll show you later this week and (of course) I worked on hexies but I also continued prepping for retreat by cutting basket blocks for leader enders and I also made my first Trip Around the World Block.

I found the TATW block just a tad fiddly - and I'll be honest, it's entirely because I frogged 2 strips sets apart at the wrong place so that I had to resew and then frog them in a different spot. Hopefully the next block will be easier. I am not yet 100% sure this is coming on retreat with me as I want something a bit relaxing...I'll have to make a few more blocks to see if it gets easier.

No matter what, I am happy to share my one TATW block on my clearest-it's-been-in-months design wall :^)

Feline Friday - 2/1/13

Shadow?      Did you say you can see my shadow?

Please tell me it isn't so cuz if that Punxsutawney dude see's

HIS shadow tomorrow we are doomed to 6 more weeks of this white stuff.

Say it isn't so my little feline friends!!