January Guild

I’ll try to catch you up a bit…. I’m surprised at how bothered I continue to be with my back.  It was a week on Wednesday and I’ve been to the chiropractor 3 times and today had my massage.  Tomorrow must be better!! 🙂

Monday night I helped with the guild program on how to take your quilt to your long-arm quilter.   I didn’t have anyone there to be my photographer but I do have some photos from show & tell.  (The guts of the program will be in my brochure and on my business site…. later.  🙂   Those were my thoughts to include there but I just hadn’t stopped to write it out!)  I feel like I made some good contacts as well.

I missed the whole story to this 1930’s quilt but somehow (easily) she got the top and then finished it.

Lynda had finished her Round Robin and I had helped on this one so it was great to see!

Ann completed these lovely trees!

The committee showed the group the completed raffle quilt so now the ticket committee can get to work!  Yeah – they loved it!!  🙂

IRL, I finished a customer quilt and the tshirt quilt is loaded.  I hope to get a lot of the quilting done on that this weekend.  We are forecast to get a LOAD of snow tomorrow so at least one day (probably Saturday too) will be good days at home.

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Round Robins Wrap Up!

I never got an email out with the before & after for the quilt I had for the April Round Robin.   I can post now so this was what I got in March…

And this is how I returned it in April… The colors are a bit washed out… creams, tans, beige — those families with black.  Very striking!  This month’s rule was triangles.  I added large pieced triangles with triangles in the triangles.  🙂    I’m not sure it was a good idea to put the whole quilt on point at this juncture but I did it anyway.

In April I brought home this….

Well, I brought it home w/o the gray/blue border but I forgot to take a photo before adding what I thought was a filler border. I pieced a border to add and in the end didn’t need this filler border so removed it anyway!!  *sigh*

I returned this in May which was our last month of this project….

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During refreshments at the May meeting, it was announced that the Round Robin quilts were on display in 2 classrooms at the end of the hall.  I was SO excited to go see them! And very glad they were laid out so we could see all of them and not just see a quick parade across the room.

Finally in the second room, I found my quilt! I barely recognized it but I LOVE IT!!

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Hopefully, this will help you understand the Round Robin a bit better.  I submitted my choice of a center block, required to be 8″ finished size, in October.  Each month my quilt went home with someone else who followed a simple guideline for what to add for the next border.   For this round robin, each was asked to add a border to all 4 sides each month. We kept them hidden from the owners until the big reveal on Monday night.

I really like my quilt!  Right now I have it hanging in my long-arm studio and I’m trying to decide if I want to make it bigger or keep it this wallhanging size.  The jumbo green squares are dynamic around the center!   I like how Donna brought in brown fabrics.   I think it really added a new dimension to the whole quilt!  Mary L’s triangles are perfectly pieced and pressed – I wonder what method she uses.   And I love the pink scalloped border.  ♥

Here are some other completed tops that I worked on —

The first photo shows what I did as the last border and the photo on the right is the finished top from Monday night.

The first month - I added the red triangles and the checkerboard

I added the diamond border - this was quilter's choice month (anything BUT the before & after months).

This was appliqué month. I added the cream border and did the appliqué. (machine buttonhole stitch, pattern from Pat Sloan's site) I see I didn't get the whole finished top in my photo. The last border has fussy-cut blocks (like her center 4 - peacock feathers) in the corner squares.

I added the large pieced triangles to set the quilt on point.

I added the pieced Irish Chain in the last border.

Here are some of the other finished tops that I didn't work on.

This is the first time I’ve participated in a Round Robin.  I think that most of us loved what we got back.   It made all the sweating bullets moments while working on someone else’s quilt all worthwhile!   I hope I get to do this again.  It was fun and really taught me a lot and took me out of my box.

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What I’m Working On…

midst the cleaning & sorting that is happening in the basement and the end of year wrap-up on the bookkeeping…..

Here is my sewing room table mess —

I nearly panicked myself when this week appeared and I hadn’t started on my Round Robin due at guild next Monday.  (yikes!)   This round is appliqué and I’ve had an idea floating in my head but just hadn’t started.  On Monday, I dug out fabrics — I had good choices in my stash this time so that is good!   I worked on it in bits & pieces, tracing the applique shapes in front of the TV at night, cutting them out another night.  I hardly ever sit to watch TV but I’ve been super tired this week.  With the sitting jobs, it was a good reason to sit.

I laid out the appliqué yesterday and started sewing, thinking it would take forever!  It didn’t – I’m done!! 🙂   As usual, I can’t post it here so if you want to see, you’ll have to email me for before & after pictures.  🙂

Soon I’ll have curriculum listed here ala garage sale and I’ll also tell you about Phil’s mission trip!

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November Guild

Our guild doesn’t meet in December so we have a Christmas potluck for our November meeting.   I arrived purposely late for the potluck after eating at home.  After the potluck, we played “Left, Center, Right” with 2 1/2″ strips of fabric.  We had each taken 6 strips of suggested Christmas prints.  Each round was played with 3 strips and all 3 groups chose to play both rounds.  It was fun and a new thing to do while getting to know some others in the group.

Nearing the end of round 1 at my table.   Most of us were out along with our neighbors but Susan, Sandy, & Shirley were still in.   In the end, Susan’s neighbor, Judy, won the nice pile in the center!!  🙂

 

At noon on Monday, I finished my round robin border for the month.  Whew!! I’m usually an early person but this one slipped by and I didn’t start it until last week.   Then I was gone for most of 3 days!

I did paper-piecing ~ my way! ~ and here are some trimmings.

The corners are small – finished at 2″

But that is all you get to see!  🙂  The quilt belongs to another member that I doubt sees my blog but just trying to follow the rules.   😉

This November border was Quilter’s Choice but not squares from the month before or appliqué from next month.   It was sort of like Yahoo!! – no rules but Ack! – no guidelines!!  🙂   I wish I could take a peek at the others each month.  I don’t go in a group to guild so don’t get the fun of sharing in the car like others do.

I’ll need advice for my next Round Robin quilt.  Thankfully it isn’t due until January but…. it is appliqué, and I’m not sure of what design to use.  Gorgeous quilt tho!!

As always, if you want to see more of the Round Robin, let me know privately.   🙂

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New Books

A few months ago (really??? I’m so slow!), I made some things for my dear friend in Brazil.  To repay me for the postage and supplies, she paid me with an amazon gift card.  What a novel idea!!  I loved it and it is such an easier way for them to send money back home for things like this.

The gift card sat with me for a bit while I mulled around what to get.  🙂

Last week I put 3 books in my shopping cart.

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….I thought this would have good ideas for my months of borders for the Round Robin fun at guild.

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…. Another choice for aiding in the Round Robin at guild but really just lovely ideas for any time.

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…This is brand-new, hot off the press, and I had put it in my cart waiting for the release.  It is all about using plants and other natural items to dye fabrics.  It is very fascinating once I :blech: over the environmental bits.   I’m not even sure I’ll do any of these methods but will consider it.

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I really like the chapter on solar dyeing (go figure!  🙂 ) and want to try that sometime.  Of course, I have had NO need for lids on my pickle jars so let one go out the other day with the trash.  I’m doubting anyone wants to go dumpster diving for a lid.  (especially for me…)

Seriously, there is a chapter called, Mud Pies and Cow Patties.   In lieu of getting cows again, Phil offered to call a friend with cattle and figured the farmer would let me walk the pasture.   LOL!!   I think not!  But of course, you’d be the first to know.   🙂

The Eco Colour book is my favorite so has been officially dubbed the book I spent my gift certificate on.  🙂   Thanks dear Reader!!  (((abracos)))

The other books came along for the ride.

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Round Robin – October

On Thursday, I was bound & determined to get to working on an anniversary gift needed this weekend.  However, the Round Robin for October was on the table so I finished that.

The owner of the center square (and the finished quilt) isn’t to see their quilt in progress during these months so I can’t show you the whole thing.   Unless you ask me privately.  🙂

I added red setting triangles to put her block on point.   Then I added a checkerboard as it went with her theme as well as the rule for October to “use squares” in the border.   My first size try at the checkerboard was too big so I trimmed them down (while still 4-patches) and had a big pile of trimmings leftover.

Her center is now up to an 18″ square.  I will be anxious to see how these are worked on after my additions.

It is a  busy week coming up (aren’t they all???)  and I have a lot to accomplish before next Monday’s guild meeting!  Phil is putting in 16 hour work days.  Lots of dry sunny days here!

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Round Robin Begins

At quilt guild tonight, I’m turning in the beginning of our Round Robin project.   I’ve always thought it would be fun to participate in one of these and I’m excited the guild is doing this!  Last month there were over 20 people signed up so that will be fun!!  (We have around 60 members.)

This is my center block —

Yes, I showed this before but hadn't said it was for the Round Robin.

The rules gave us the size of block to submit for the center — 8″ finished square.  Not very big!

In a brown paper grocery bag will be:  my center block, my journal, and up to a yard of ONE companion fabric.   I don’t know YET what fabric I’ll include!  Each month it will come back with a border added and sent home with another member.   We aren’t to see “our” quilt until the end!

Because I love paper piecing (and piece w/o stitching on the paper  🙂  ), I hunted for a block in Carol Doak’s 50 Fabulous Paper Pieced Stars book.

One would think… that when there is a CD in the back of the book, that one could print the patterns off the CD.  Not with this book!     So I had to order the companion CD with the printable patterns.  *sigh*   But I have already used it twice and really will use it often so not such a big deal.

(The patterns in the book are 12″ finished blocks so, with the CD, I could chose to finish to 8″ (really 4″ quarters) and have the correct sized pattern!  Slick!!)

I chose the California block in honor of Dad’s home state but also because it had a great design.  🙂

I bought my fabrics at the quilt shop south of the bypass and wanted a fresh look with pink, of course.   Each month our center will be sent home with another member in the Round Robin with rules of what to add that month.  One border will be with triangles, another with squares, one with applique, etc.  We aren’t to see our center until the very end but we can chat with others if we need help.  Just not the owner of the center.  Barring no big snow storms that would cancel our monthly meeting, we’ll be done in early spring next year.  I doubt I’ll be able to show you progress here on the blog so that the owner won’t see her quilt.

It is suggested that we include a place for the others to write notes to us on the border they worked on.  I got excited for a reason to make a fabric paper book for myself!!   🙂

It is about 6″ x 6″ and ties with a bit of brown organdy ribbon.  There are 2 signatures with 2 papers sewed in each one.  The pages each have a wash of pink or green paint and some have stamping on them.   I made a title page, wrote my welcome page, and made a page for my center block.  There are 16 pages/sides so I hope the others will write plenty in the book.   On my center block page, I added a scrap from an old book and a title block.  The stitching is a little rough/rustic on purpose.

You can click on the combo picture above and see it a bit bigger.

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