Exchange Blocks

Aren't these wonderful PURPLE blocks? Yesterday we exchanged our blocks. All the blocks were great, even the beige ones. I really liked the orange person's blocks, and the orange and purple ones, too. But I especially like my purple/blue/burgundy (cool colors) blocks. Above are pictures of some of my blocks. I am thinking of making some more, but not right now. I must get through the first month of school, then I can think about making some more. I still need to make my own two blocks. I decided to wait until I received all my other blocks before I made mine. I thought that I might need some certain colors to balance them out. What I have are more medium to dark colors. I have a couple of lighter color blocks, so I might make a couple more of those to help balance the light and dark.

Since we are quite a lively bunch it made for such a fun time yesterday. After we exchange our blocks, and before we leave, we decide on the guidelines for our next block exchange. There were lots of ideas being thrown around; lots of noise and energy. We sounded like a bunch of cackling hens at a hen party! Everyone was talking at once. But eventually, someone starts writing down ideas, and we eliminate some until we are down to one or two. From there we come up with our guidelines for the next exchange. I think we are exchanging fall blocks, but I will know for sure when I receive the guidelines.

Happy Quilting

Crayon Quilt

I finished the binding on the crayon quilt this morning. I tried to work on it last week, but could not keep my eyes focused on the black fabric. Too tired I guess! I want to hang this in my office at school, but I am not sure I have a space big enough. I guess I will find that out when I take it in to school.

Last week was a wing-dinger! Yesterday I stayed until almost 9:00 p.m. to get the classlists done and posted. Since I started at 7:00 a.m., it was a long day. School does not start for us until Tuesday, but the teachers have an inservice on Monday, so the students return on Tuesday. That makes for a three day weekend for me as I do not work on teacher inservice days. Six days of work and I am wasted! I am really getting too old for this stuff! Next week will be very busy for everyone. The first couple of weeks of school are super busy for the office staff.

Tomorrow is the block exchange for our crazy quilt style blocks. I am so excited to see all the blocks. They are really going to be great! This weekend I want to finish a tote bag I am making for a swap. I also have a Community Quilt to finish. I would like to have it done by the guild meeting next Tuesday. It needs binding and the ties cut and knotted.

I would also like to make some more string pieced blocks (Heartstrings and crumbs). I am enthralled with random piecing lately. It is a no brainer kind of sewing. Since I do not have much of a brain right now, it might be the best therapy for me at the moment. *LOL*

I should be cutting up some of my scraps to put into my bins for my scrap piecing. It takes time to organize it, but when it is done, I am sure it will be great. I purchased this cute plastic basket (with purple handles) for collecting scraps from my sewing table. If I cut up those scraps in that basket, then pull some more out of a bag underneath my sewing table, eventually I will get those bags emptied. Soon I will have full bins of usable pieces. My theory is that if I do a little at a time, it will all be done sometime, right? But my problem is that I seem to put more into my little basket than I take out. So how am I ever going to get to those bags under my table? And my working time definitely gets in the way of my sewing time!

BTW, does anyone make dish rags? I want to crotchet some, but I do not know what is the best yarn to use. I have a couple of patterns, but I am not sure what yarn will work best. It must be durable and withstand many trips into the dish pan. No, I do not have an automatic dishwasher. Yes, unfortunately, I am the dishwasher! I want some durable dish rags. The ones I buy at the store fall apart very quickly.

I need to get my next load of clothes into the wash machine, so I must go for now.

Happy Quilting

Back to Work!!!

Last Friday was my first day back to work this school year. My computer was not working, there was a new phone system I did not know how to use, and my principal was not in all day. These were a few of the challenges that I had to conquer that day! But, the floors were cleaned and shiny.

On a better note, Saturday I went to our guild's monthly LAFS meeting at the church. We meet once a month to work on our own projects, and sometimes we tie a quilt for Community Quilts. A couple of years ago there was a demo done at each meeting which we called Quilting 101. I wanted to revise this activity (which had not been done for a year or two). On Saturday, I did a class/lecture on scrap quilts, especially strips and strings. I brought some 10 inch foundation squares, and some donated fabric, and demonstrated how to sew a Heartstrings block (not difficult at all). We talked about scrap quilts. We also talked about what we want to have as a subject for our Quilting 101 meetings. The ladies mentioned some things they would like to see done, so we have some ideas for future meetings.

All of us had a good time that day. There was lots of laughter, and I received 12 completed Heartstrings blocks for a Community Quilt. That is one of the pictures I am posting.

The other picture is a logo for an award that was given to me by Julie (Through the Barn Door). I am supposed to pass it on naming 7 bloggers who have inspired me. It is difficult to limit the number to seven for me. Every blogger whose name is on my side bar has inspired me. So I pass this award on to ALL of you listed there.

The first quilt blog that I began to read was Bonnie K. Hunter of Quiltville. I had read her website and blog for a few months. She inspired me so much that I began to write my own quilting blog. All the bloggers on my side bar have been very encouraging and supportive. I have enjoyed reading their blogs, along with many others. I wish I had time to read them all on a daily basis.

Since I have returned to work, my time is much more limited for "play". I spent so much time reading blogs this summer that I did not get as much quilting done as I wanted. But I enjoyed all my time with all the quilt bloggers. This blogging thing is so awesome. I have made blogging friends around the world. I have learned much, and I am constantly being inspired by each and everyone.

Again, thank you Julie.

Happy Quilting

Exchange Blocks Done

They are done. My exchange blocks are done, at least the ones that I will give away. This is a picture of a few of the blocks. We were doing a crazy quilt type block. They turned out very colorful, except for the beige/tan/off white ones. Those are very muted and soft. I like the all purple ones. Does that surprise you?

There is another exchange that I must work on. The deadline for those blocks was postponed, so of course I have postponed getting them done. But I like this feeling of "finished". So I shall start on those tomorrow, I think. I also want to get some samples done for a workshop I am leading for our guild. I want to make some Heartstring type blocks (string pieced). They are so easy and fun to do, and use up lots of scraps.

Speaking of scraps, I went to work with the Community Quilts group yesterday. They were making crumb blocks with scraps, and tying quilts. There were six ladies sewing in the room I was in, and two other ladies pressing and cutting the sewn parts.

I went in after lunch, and worked on finishing my 10+ year old community quilt. I had the last side of the binding to sew down. I like to sew the binding on the back by hand. I finished my binding, and rang the bell (you ring the bell when you finish a block, or a quilt). I played a tune on that bell being so excited that I finally finished the quilt that I started so long ago. It is the one I posted about that has pink in it. My thought was to make a quilt for a man since we make so many feminine type quilts, and children's quilts. So, I decided that blue would be a good "manly" color. I am not sure how the pink worked into that quilt, but somehow it did.

I made the blocks for that quilt from a pattern booklet by Sharon Craig. It was the first time I cut strips and sewed blocks from the strips. I cut so many strips. I don't know what I was thinking at the time. I made enough blocks to make two quilts, almost. I have several blocks left over, and lots of strips left over. I know the strips can go into my strip bins, but I must do something with those left over blocks. I want to take the tote bag they are in out from under my sewing table (and make room for another one!).

I have so many projects that I can work on that are stashed under my sewing table. There is so much stuff under my table that I can hardly fit my feet under the table when I am sewing! I also have my Singer Featherweight machines under there as well.

What started this activity was that I was looking for some black fabric for a project today, and I started moving everything that is in front of the closet door in my sewing room so that I could get into the closet to look for the fabric. I have a bolt of black fabric that I have not cut yet, and I thought that it was in the closet. Actually, I found it in front of the door, but since I had started on a quest to get into the closet, I continued moving everything.

When I finally did get into the closet (after watching a Perry Mason episode, and a Georgia Bonsteel quilt show - remember, I am still on vacation and I can still do those things), I found all kinds of treasures that I forgot about. I found a complete set of patterns (with fabric) for an applique cat quilt, a darling Santa quilt (including fabric for each pattern), and (among other things) my box of Baltimore Album blocks. I found four more blocks in that box that I had set up to be appliqued. I think I will have enough to make a 25 block quilt when those blocks are finished. In that same box are a bunch of blocks (with a heart theme) of various sizes and colors. There are enough to make a quilt, for sure.

Also in the closet (and mind you, I have not gone through the whole closet, yet), I found all the patterns for a Mama Said applique quilt. I know one member from our group who has actually finished her Mama Said quilt (I'm so envious). Then there is a complete set of the monster patterns for a quilt that I did as samples for a quilt store as an applique BOM. Lots of other things are in the closet that I do not have the interest in discovering today. Although, some of those bags and boxes have piked my interest!

I had thoughts of organizing this closet at the beginning of my summer break. Unfortunately I did not get around to that project, again. I had that same goal last summer, too.

My sewing room is a mess (more than usual) since I have all that wonderful stuff all over everywhere in there. Now I cannot even get to the bolt of black fabric to cut some for my project! I may close the door and revisit it tomorrow. In the meantime.....

Happy Quilting

FYI: DH found an article in today's newspaper. A little baby girl was born in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, on 08-08-08 at 8:08 in the morning weighing 8 pounds and 8 ounces! Ya gotta love it!

You know it is 08-08-08, right?

You do realize that today's date is (numerilogically - big word, probably spelled wrong, too) the eighth day of the eighth month of the eighth year, 08-08-08? No, you did not? Well, it is! So, please write a note to someone with today's date, or write a check, or write a blog with today's date. We will not have this numerical sequence again for another century. And eight is a lucky number, right? I wonder how many babies will be born today? I wonder how many folks have August 8 as their birthday, and are celebrating today? I feel like celebrating, even though it is not my birthday. Happy Celebration and Happy Quilting

Collaborative Quilting

When visiting my aunt last week, we stopped at a quilt shop in the town where she lives. I found this wonderful book, Collaborative Quilting, by Freddy Moran (a local quilter) and Gwen Marston. It is so great! It was only $19.95 with 256 pages. The book is filled with wonderful color photographs of Freddy and Gwen's studios, quilts, and their homes. This is such an informative book. If you can, get a copy and cruise through the pages. Once you look at it, I am sure you will be hooked. If you like the quilting style of Gwen or Freddy (both very colorful quilters), you will love this book. There are directions, and patterns, for different quilts. Also included are directions for doing certain styles, like their liberated flying geese blocks, and different border treatments.

This is such a fun book. It is a delight just to read through the pages and learn about these two phenominal women. Putting both of them together, a collaboration, is earth shattering. Give yourself a treat and read this book.

Well, I am still working on my exchange blocks. I want to post a picture when I get some more color combinations done. Our date for the actual exchange has been postponed, so I do not have such a tight deadline, but I do want them finished before I go back to work (which is in one more week - eek!).

This summer has been different than I expected. We had travelled to visit with my husband's mother and stepfather at the end of June. His mother seemed a little more tired than usual, but was not complaining much about her health. The week after we returned home, we received a call from his stepfather. His mother had gone to the doctor after we had left. The doctor told them she had cancer, and had a limited time left. She passed away just 21 days later.

I have not posted much the last few weeks because I just could not get connected with my quilting in the way that I wanted. So, I have not finished what I had planned this summer because I seem to have lost my energy somewhat. Life goes on, and I must get it together since I need to return to work next week.

Finding that Collaborative Quilting book made me feel so much better. While reading that book, I found a smile, and a renewal of energy. I do not know why, or exactly what it was that made me smile, but it did. As I said, life goes on, and so must we.

I hope you all have a smile today.

Happy Quilting