Block Exchange

This morning we exchanged our 9 patches and blocks. My color choices were purple and green. What fun! Everyone was talking at once and ideas were flying all over the room. We were attempting to decide on the next block exchange theme and particulars. Some wanted applique, some wanted patchwork. Some wanted one color and some wanted multiple colors. Some wanted one block (me) and some wanted more. The blocks that we exchanged today are almost enough for a queen/king size quilt. In the original picture, there are 30 blocks and we exchanged 24 today (sort of). We received two blocks, three extra 9 patches, and 5-1/2 inch strips for the border from each participant. We will need to add our own fabric for the sashing (if that is how you decide to put your blocks together). These blocks could be added to blocks from other exchanges, we can sew 6 more blocks and extra parts for the 30 block setting, or we can sew together what we have and make a smaller top. For this particular reason, I love these exchanges. It is so interesting to see what each person does with the same thing. When I take classes, that is also a bonus for me - to see what other quilters come up with using the same instructions and pattern. Everyone is so creative in this group it is fun just to be in the room when ideas are flowing!

We have our next exchange set for July, so for the moment I am deadline free. Oops, that is except for the third Hungry Caterpillar quilt. I need to add a little more quilting in the three main pictures, then it will be finished. Hooray!!! I want to give it to the expectant mother tomorrow since she is thinking she may have this baby any day now! She is not due until February or March, but the feeling is that it will not be that long.

Soon it will be February, and my baby boy's 30th birthday! Time sure flies as I get older. I cannot seem to get as much squeezed into my waking hours as I used to get done. I did get to my Friday night UFO class. I worked on the Hungry Caterpillar quilt. When I arrived home from work, I baked a batch of brownies and took them to the meeting warm and frosted them there.

DH and I went to Modesto Saturday afternoon to a quilt show. It was a good show in a very nice facility. The quilts that were exhibited were varied, with some beautiful applique quilts. There were lots of good vendors. I bought a pair of Ginger scissors (on sale) and two books, The Lover's Knot by Clare O'Donohue and Old Maid's Puzzle by Terri Thayer. This last book is sequel to her first book Wild Goose Chase.

Hope you all have a great week.

Happy Quilting

More Fun With Classes

Whew! What a busy weekend. Friday night I went to my tote bag class. By Friday eve, I am propelled by whispers of energy. I started another tote bag. Since I did not finish it (surprised?) I will take it to the UFO night this Friday eve and attempt to complete it. I really like the bag. It should be finished at that meeting, that is if I have enough energy to sew instead of only socializing and shopping for fabric!

Saturday I conducted the Quilting 101 group at our monthly LAFS (Ladies Academy Finishing School) meeting. We had success in getting some blocks done for a Community Quilt. We also had some success in getting our quarter inch seam allowance under control. Since that was the focus of the gathering this month, I wanted everyone to make progress in that area. When I have not pieced in a while, I seem to lose my control of the quarter inch. It takes some sewing/piecing time to get it back. I need to piece often so that I can maintain my quarter inch skill.

Sunday morning DH and I went out to breakfast with some friends, then we picked up a quilt that I had left with a machine quilter (and she did a great job - will post a picture when I get the binding on), then we drove to a quilt store and I did some shopping. I needed some red and white fabrics for our block exchange. Can you believe I did not have much in my vast fabric stash? Then we came home and I sewed a backing for the third Hungry Caterpillar quilt. I then took it over to my friend's house and quilted it on her HQ16 machine. On the way home I stopped by our favorite Mexican restaurant and I picked up dinner. I drove home and we ate said dinner.

Today I am sewing exchange blocks, doing laundry, I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and I should do a sink full of dirty dishes, but I might leave those for someone else (?) to wash. It was great to have a three day weekend so that I could get all this stuff done. Tomorrow I must return to work. Yuck! I could use a couple more days at home to catch up on things I did not get done this weekend! Oh well! I must work to pay for that new Pilot!

Also, the picture above is of a member, and her quilt, from the mystery quilt class from a week ago Saturday. Fran worked on blocks for a community quilt that day. She and three other ladies were working together making blocks. They are making quilts for a local shelter. Fran made this quilt all on her own last week. Isn't it fun and colorful? This one will go on a bunk bed, I think.

This picture is some of the blocks that were made yesterday at our Quilting 101 meeting. The topic of this meeting was working on an accurate quarter inch seam allowance. That seems like an easy thing, but, for me at least, it sometimes is a daunting task. I found this pattern in a book, Quilts From The Heart, by Karin Renaud. It is full of easy patterns that can be made quickly. We will need a lot more blocks to make a quilt top, but we have a beginning. I cut a few alternate blocks (plain muslin) and put them with the unequal nine patch blocks to see how they would look. I like the design line that goes diagonally across the blocks, like in an Irish Chain quilt.

This photo is one of the blocks in the block exchange I am working on today (hoping to finish). We have our exchange on Sunday, so I must put the pedal to the floor now! We each picked our color range for our blocks. There are red/white, blue/white, black/white, orange, orange/purple and purple/green blocks. Now that the exchange is near, I am getting excited about seeing all the finished blocks. They will be a riot of color if they are all placed on the table at the same time! Just looking at them on my sewing table is fun. The next part will be sewing them together to make a quilt top. I have a few (actually, quite a few) block exchanges in bags and boxes under my sewing table and in the closet waiting for the finish. Finishing five block exchanges was going to be one of my goals for 2009. But I thought that might be an unrealistic goal. Maybe if I finish one, it would be a good beginning.

Have a great week everyone.

Happy Quilting

More photos from the Mystery Class

Here are more pictures from the mystery class. I was not sure how many I could get in a post, so I decided to do two posts. My sample is the picture at the bottom. I have enough fabric left to make three more of the large blocks, so I could make this top 3 x 4 (12 big blocks). With a border, it is possible it could be big enough for a twin bed. I will donate it to Community Quilts for a project they are working on to cover all the beds at a local shelter.

I was so nervous about this class. It is the first mystery quilt class that I have taught. I wanted to use a jelly roll. Some quilters in our guild were talking about jelly rolls, and what to do with them. I was asked to do a mystery quilt class for our January workshop. I decided to go with the jelly roll theme. Each participant was to bring a jelly roll, or 40 2-1/2 cut strips to class. There were quilters in class from all levels, beginners to advanced. I was so worried that folks would not like the pattern. Then I finally decided that everyone who signed up knew it was a mystery class, so they were taking a chance on the finished design. Maybe they would like it, and maybe they would not. I feel that the class was successful since many of the quilters came to me and said they liked their blocks, and the finished design, and that they had fun in class. That is one of the main goals that I have for a class. I want the participants to have a good time if nothing else. I think they did, and so did I.

I like the other quilters blocks more than I like mine. The jelly roll I used had a lot of large floral designs, and when they were cut up, they sometimes read a different color than the background color. Sometimes the pinwheels in the center of each block are not well defined. A lesson learned using that fabric line. It does not show up well in the photo, but the fabric I used was so soft and pretty. What I needed was more sharpness and more contrast. Even though it is not my favorite, it will be a pretty quilt when it is finished.

Happy Quilting

Mystery Class

Here are some pictures from the mystery class I taught yesterday for our quilt guild. There were 20 ladies signed up. Everyone seemed to have a good time. Lots of quilt blocks were made, and by the end of the class, everyone had at least two out of nine large blocks made. I hope to see lots of these completed tops at the next guild meeting.

The picture in the center with the multicolor blocks were made by four ladies who were working on a quilt for Community Quilts. They were all making blocks and were combining them together to get at least one bedsize quilt.

Don't you just love those purple blocks?

Happy Purple Quilting

Happy New Year on Post 100

Happy New Year 2009! 2008 has disappeared. What happened to it? I am trying to reflect on what did happen in my life on 2008. I know I did a lot of sewing and actual quilting. I have pictures in my blog to prove it. By the way, this is my 100th post. Isn't that amazing? It is to me! I started blogging in January of last year. Besides being my 100th post, it is my one year anniversary (or pretty close). Thanks to all of the wonderful bloggers whose blogs I have read, and folks who have read and commented on my blog, and to all you wonderful people who read my blog without commenting. This has been such a great year in Blogland for me. I am still very much a novice when it comes to dealing with my blog, but I have found enough things to do that make it fun for me, and I hope for you as well. I have read many blogs that are much more visually stimulating than mine. I must admit that I am not a super computer/blogging literate, yet, but I am still working on it. I want to take this opportunity to thank all the sharing and caring bloggers who have given me tips and tricks on blogging. Thank you so much. You have made a difference to me. Your help has been priceless! I have made so many new friends through blogging. It is awesome! The friendship and caring that flows through Blogland is astounding to me. It is my earnest hope that this will continue for years to come. As long as I can remember how to turn on the computer and connect to Blogland, I will blog away! It is my heartfelt wish that all of you a have a happy and productive 2009.

Above is a picture of my "finished" tote bag from December's class. I love the colors. I want to find a great purple or turquoise button that maybe is a square shape to match the fabric design motif. But I wanted it finished, so I sewed on a great black button that I found in my grandmother's button box. This is my last project that I completed on December 31, 2008, at almost midnight. I felt that I needed to say good bye to 2008 with a finished project. If I had sewed faster, I could have finished the quilt top for the mystery class I am teaching for our quilt guild this month. OMG - it really is 2009 already! January is a busy quilty month for me. There are two classes I am teaching for our quilt guild, a block(s) exchange, our evening quilting class will begin next week (I think), I have three PIFs to finish and another exchange item also, a tote bag class, and a UFO class this month. Oh, and I return to work on Monday. No rest for the wicked I have heard! Whew, when is my next holiday?

In the meantime.....Happy Quilting in 2009