Just one thing........

It was that kind of a day........a day I just needed to accomplish one thing........the blizzard warning dudded out in our area we were on the outside edge of the snowstorm, we got snow but not with the viciousness that was forecast.  I had a stomach bug but we don't need to go into any details--not polite conversation --I'm better now but certainely didn't do much for a few days other than read and knit a little then fall asleep.  Monday was a new day with fresh snow, I wasn't going anywhere so do something..........

 

This quilt has been lounging in the sewing room for more weeks than I care to admit the only thing left was the binding which was also lounging by the sewing machine.  I went downstairs to get to work before lunch and sat for a while I usually start by tidying up but my table was clear—when did that happen!?! Just one thing...... my jeans were laying there by the machine….fix those first. Then it was time for lunch. Back to the sewing room the one thing was done but I had the rest of the day…….finish the quilt…..the snow put me in a festive mood. I bought the plaid fabric for a skirt 30 some years ago. I think the quilt wears it better.—Ann—

Log cabin

I could see a cardinal in the trees when I was drinking my morning coffee— a sign that I should get to work on these blocks. Later in the afternoon I could see the cardinal in the neighbors tree as I pressed the triangles  urging me to keep working on this quilt. Maybe it cast a spell as it all came together so fast when I sat at the sewing machine.  It needed a border but I didn’t have much in the stash to choose from and very limited yardage. But it’s a scrap quilt just about anything goes.  I had a Santa print and some Christmasy birds. I had to fussy cut the 4 1/4 x 7 1/2 strips for the borders because I didn’t want to cut the heads off the birds. Some are horizontal and some are vertical and I grouped them together so the borders have better unity. Random placement just looked messy. There is one border block that doesn’t have a bird…..it flew away or maybe it was the one outside my window. —Ann—

 

In the zone

 I was in the zone sewing yesterday……I glanced at my watch a couple times while I was sewing, not really registering the time but thinking I don’t have to make lunch yet……then hubby holler’s soup’s hot!  He took the initiative to make lunch—just soup—but made lunch!!

Back to sewing I finished these log cabin blocks, next to sew corner triangles to make a four point star at the intersection of each block.  After the new year I needed an instant gratification project just fast and simple sewing. I pulled out a box of 1 1/2 inch strips, a bunch were leftover from Christmas quilts from a few years ago. Fresh snow here, looks all Christmasy here now. The white everywhere is so pretty and fresh like a clean sheet of paper…..happy sewing…..Ann

Ta DaDa Done

A few weeks ago I finished a little girl quilt for a girlfriend's daughter who was having a baby well she had a baby boy!  I was having fun in my sewing room playing with colors, bright colors, because this winter has been very grey however the last couple days have been bright and sunny but cold, below zero cold, stay in the house cold.  I finished it yesterday my girlfiend picked it up and is on her way to visit the new grandson.  I just did an all over meandering feather / concentric teardrops / free motion quilting design.  Mother, baby, and dad are doing fine.  Another great day to sew on the wind swept plains of South Dakota. --Ann--

quilt top together

Quilt top finished!! get it basted this afternoon and machine quilted.  Another 6 inches or so of snow here, hard to tell when the wind moves it around and makes drifts then the plow goes through and makes piles.  It was a good weekend to sew.   --Ann--

Bright colors and possibilities

Back to gloomy days here but its NOT snowing!  The corner triangles are finished with 3 different possibilities for placement. I suppose there are 6 but lets not confuse things. The pattern suggests the long side of the triangle butted together that would be the polka dots at the top of the quilt.  I could butt the purple side together on the left side.  I like the short side butted together, that would be the multi colored stripe on the right with the polka dots surrounding the quilt.  The stripe on the outside is choppy looking.  I like the continuity of the dots it also creates an optical illusion of a cube.  Just talking through my design process  --Ann--

just playing

 Kaleidoscopes were one of my favorite toys as a child, I still have to check all the possibilities  before I sew them together.  I also have to sew 18 triangle blocks to fill out the hexagon.  The sun came out!! the sky is bright blue I had to go for a walk  I also had to sweep the hard floors, the sun really brings out the dust!!  Back to playing with blocks  --Ann--

brighter day

 I started  something bright and sunny because too many days have been overcast and gloomy except for those few hours over the weekend when we were at son's house and the sun came out.  What a glorious sight to see clear blue sky and feel the sun on my face and on my back for those few hours.   I have made this pattern a few times in the past for baby quilts as this one will be.  So many moms have told me how intently her baby looks at the quilt.  Bright colors and strong contrast are good for babies brain.  Too bad so many of the newer fabrics are so monochromatic.  The multicolored stripes and plaid is from my stash and probably 20 years old.  Get off my soap box and back to my sewing room. --Ann--

deja vu again

These bright fabrics are so much fun for baby quilts this is the third time I have made this pattern, log cabin blocks with diamonds or triangles instead of squares.  I just machine quilted in the center of each strip using a ruler to keep the lines fairly straight sometimes I waver.  No baby is going to cry of that. --Ann--

ta da da top done

 I was so excited to finished the borders on this over the weekend.  I bought the narrow diagonal plaid  for the backing and thought is would be good for the border but a wide chunk of it was too much, too busy for the border but a narrow strip works.  Again I was down to what do I have enough of for the squaring strips and the outside border.  So sadly I am out of so many of these prints.  Some were from designer lines that were meant to be connector fabrics that would connect other lines of fabric in a quilt.  The little tiny prints, the orange with the dots and the turquoise with the little spirals and dots and the 2 tone stripes and the red with the dots are a few of those fabrics.  They provide a place for the eye to rest from the larger busy prints.
Now to decide how to quilt it.  --Ann--

More sunshine on a grey day

A little orange in a quilt top is like turning on a light.  For not having anything planned yesterday I only got one set of diamonds sewn with all the little interruptions.  I would hate to live my life with out interruptions.  I auditioned so many fabrics for each strip but what it came down to was is there enough of that particular fabric for that strip.  Some of the strips are pieced and many more will be pieced and mis matched in the next round of triangles.  It's not raining today but I'm off to have lunch with my cousins!!!--Ann--

brighter and brighter

 Between doing this and that and the everyday stuff that needed to be done yesterday I cut the dark side of the next round of diamond log cabin blocks and every round gets brighter and brighter.  My little bit of sunshine on another gloomy rainy day.    --Ann--

Same design different colors

 A brighter day but only in my sewing room.  Its been almost a week since the sun peeked through the clouds and even longer since we had clear blue sky.  I miss the clear blue sky.  The pile of bright fabrics were still on the table so I'm making another baby quilt of the same pattern from the book Not your Grandmother's Log Cabin. I cut all the logs before sewing, the short sides are all on the left side of the diamond and the long sides are all on the right.  I couldn't keep the angles correct on the last one since I am directionally challenged.  On to the next twelve diamond log cabin blocks on another dreary day.  Hope you are finding a little sunshine.  --Ann--

Borders sewn

Another flimsy to add to the stack to be basted........one more baby quilt top to sew before I baste a bunch I need some cheery colors and fabrics for these grey days in October.  The last sunny day seems weeks ago.  --Ann--

kaleidoscope

 Part of the fun of these triangle and diamond log cabin blocks is how many ways they can be arranged, turn the blocks just like a kaleidoscope.

Just considering the possibilities then back to the original plan, strips in the corners to square it up then add a narrow border because I'm running out of some of these fabrics.  --Ann--