Wonky Panel

When I saw this panel on the cover of Keepsake Quilting earlier this year, I knew I had to have one panel, then two panels. I have a friend who loves anything with a Noah's Ark theme. She is a grandmother-to-be, so I decided I would make her daughter-in-law a quilt with this panel as well as a quilt for my friend to keep at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I purchased a second panel at a quilt store when I finally saw it in person. This fabric store carried some coordinating fabric. Fortunately, I purchased a few yards of coordinating fabric. too. The baby shower is this Saturday. I thought about this panel, and thought about this panel. When I realized the baby shower was only two weeks away, I decided I should get serious about making these quilts. I wanted to finish my mystery quilts before starting these two quilts. When I finished the mystery quilts, I pulled out these two panels and began my plan of attack. I knew that I needed to trim the selvedges and square up the quilt. That was not so easy. I measured, and trimmed. Then I measured again, and trimmed some more. In order to make this panel straight with square corners, I had to actually trim off all the borders that are on this panel. Then I still needed to even up the center picture a little to make the panel even on all sides. This first picture is a picture of the original panel as sent to me by Keepsake Quilting. I did wash both panels. Notice the yellow border. Do you see how it bows to the left? There is no way I could square up this panel and have all the borders even. I guess I could have blocked the panel. I thought about that, but then I also thought that when the baby's quilt was washed, it would dry back in the original form, the crooked way. The second picture is what I ended up with after I sewed borders on the trimmed panel. These borders came from strips of the coordinating fabric. It doesn't look bad, but it is definitely not as cute as the original panel, but at least it is even on the sides and has square corners.

This last picture is of the print that I am using for the back of the quilt. It is one of the coordinating fabrics I bought to go with the panel. I love this fabric with all the baby animals. What I should have done was to make a pieced quilt top and use the panel as the back. I would have wanted more of the coordinating fabrics to accomplish this idea.

I was so disappointed in this panel. Why cannot the manufacturers make panels that are straight, and useable? I have used panels before, but I never had this much trouble getting them squared up.

Have you had problems using panels? What did you do to make them useable?

Happy Quilting

Halloween Cuties

I finished sewing together all the Halloween blocks, then this top. If I had known the mystery quilt would have been hearts, I might not have chosen Halloween fabrics as my focus, but then it would not have been a mystery, right? I like this quilt anyway. My focus fabric was the purple background and pumpkins with those darling little cuties popping out of them. It reminded me so much of our grandbaby. She is too little yet to pop out of a pumpkin, but next year...watch out pumpkins!

I finished this top early in the week, before I became sick. I had been well all last year. I thought about that and decided that since I was not at school around all the sick kids last year, I stayed healty. Well, I started volunteering in a Kindergarten class this year, only one day a week. Well, I guess one of those little darlings shared their illness with me, or maybe not. Maybe I obtained these germs somewhere else. Bottom line: congested sinuses, sore throat, cough.

DH and I went up to the Sonora quilt show yesterday. I was determined to keep our date with Julie and husband to view the show and have lunch. I became so tired about half way through the show, that we decided to go home. We missed viewing half the show, and lunch, too! Bummer!

On this coming Saturday, I have an invitation to attend a baby shower for a friend's DIL. I purchased a Noah's Ark panel from Keepsake quilting earlier this summer. Since the shower is this coming weekend, I need to get that quilt finished. Guess what I will be sewing this week!

Hope you have a great week. Stay healty and be happy.

Happy Quilting

Camp Stitches 2010

Camp Stitches is an activity our quilt guild provides for us on a yearly schedule in the month of September. It is held at the community church hall where our monthly quilt guild meetings are held. Members donate items for a silent auction. There are classes available, and there is lots of food and fun. This year the committee offered two mystery quilt classes, a poinsettia wallhanging class, and a hot pocket class (to carry your hot iron). Our admission to the event is usually squares or blocks sewn for Community Quilts. The Community Quilts Coordinator was there sewing together quilt tops all weekend. The theme this year was juvenile prints. There were some very colorful quilt tops that were hung up on the design wall as they were finished. I signed up for both mystery quilt classes. The first class was held Friday night, and the second mystery class was held on Saturday morning. The picture below is the quilt top that I finished today from Saturday's class. I had one and a half borders left to sew onto my top on Saturday afternoon. I ran out of energy on Saturday and did not stay to finish them. I was tired on Sunday, so I finished my top today. I have not used the color black in many of my quilts. I have done one quilt with a black background print, and that was many years ago. I like the design of this mystery quilt, and I like the focus fabric that I picked out for this quilt also. I really was thinking PURPLE, but somehow this fushia color jumped out at me at the quilt store. Friday evening's mystery quilt turned out to be these funky heart blocks. We precut our pieces before class. We had cut enough fabric for 12 blocks, but I finished only two so far.

These are the TWO blocks that I was able to sew up from Friday evening's mystery class. It started around 7:00 p.m. I left about 9:30 p.m. I was not going to stay late and sew up the rest of my blocks as I needed to get up early the next morning for the Saturday Mystery Class.

For the Friday night mystery class, a finished sample that one of the teachers showed to us was darling. It was made with scrappy pinks and a little green. It was very springy. The other teacher had done her blocks in beiges and light browns with a little green and peach thrown in. Her blocks were very elegant.

I did not take my camera, so I was not able to get a picture of all the chaos that was everywhere in the hall last weekend. There were tables, and machines, and irons, and fabric covering every open space. I believe all the quilters accomplished a lot of sewing, and it seemed that all the ladies enjoyed the classes.

There was a silent auction on Saturday. I want you to know I resisted participating in the silent auction this year. I donated several items, but bought only two things on Friday night. I purchased a small stack of black and white fabrics, and a mesh project bag. It was red and very pretty. Too bad it was not purple.

I am so glad I finished one mystery quilt top this year. I was very tired on Saturday. My energy left me about 2:30 p.m. I continued to sew, and resew, until around 5:00 p.m. I had to drag myself and my things out of the hall and into my vehicle. I was not sure I had enough energy to drive myself home, but I made it home okay.

Now that this year's Camp Stitches is over, I can look forward to next year's Camp Stitches.

Happy Sewing

First Two Bear Paws

This is a picture of the first two month's blocks of the Bear Paw Saturday Sampler BOM that I am participating in from In Between Stitches in Livermore. I like the block on the left the best so far because the bear paw tips are more defined. In the second block, they are very muted, but I like the star shape that is produced as a secondary design in the center of the paw. This is what will be different in each month's block - the inner part of the bear's paw. Of course the fabrics will be different, too.

I am anxious to see what the next block will be. Tomorrow is our meeting. Hubby and I must get up early so I can be on time to the gathering, then I will not need to pay for my next block kit. I will also be picking up my next month's Vintage Memories block kit.

Here is a darling pix of a darling grandbaby. Isn't she a cutie patootie! Hopefully we will be able to see her and Mom and Dad this weekend. I hope she is fairing well in the heat wave we have been experiencing. I apologize that this picture may be small. My son emailed it to me and I have not figured out yet how to make it bigger.

Have a safe and happy Labor Day, or for those who do not celebrate Labor Day, please have a safe and happy weekend.

Happy Quilting - Pam