Playing Hooky

Well, not really. I had a day of PTO (paid time off) today. The plans I made last week included sewing all day and perhaps going down to Heritage to get the backing for my DWR. Then over the weekend I got an e-mail from Quilter's Quarters in Leavenworth, Kansas saying that Earlene Fowler, who writes the Bennie Harper Mysteries would be in the store for an informal book signing. So my plans changed to include the drive up to Leavenworth.

By the morning my plans had changed again. #1 I still don't have the DWR finished and #2 it was rainy and overcast all morning. Since the DWR still isn't finished, I don't have the finished dimensions, so I don't know how much backing I'll need. And with the rain, I didn't want to drive for an hour to the book signing. So, instead I spent the morning working on my 6" Arizona block, ripping out various pieces because I kept sewing my HST facing the wrong direction.

By noon I think I had had it. Even listening to Voyager by Diana Gabaldon wasn't soothing me (Jamie and Claire are preparing to sail to the West Indies). So, my DH decided I needed to get out of the house and do something besides go to the grocery store. (Not getting out of the house can become one of the pitfalls of working from home if you are not careful).

So, off we went in the drizzle to Leavenworth. I got to meet Earlene Fowler, she signed my copy of Bennie Harper's Quilt Album (my husband gave it to me the Christmas after it came out), and while I was in the store I picked up a FQ purple to try with my SBS blocks (it's too dark) and the Little Gripper.

On our way out of town we stopped at The Bargain Factory - a closeout/liquidation store - because I saw a sign that said "fabric". Didn't bring home any fabric (didn't really think I would), but DH got a couple of pieces of music and a new lunch box.

Even with the rain (it poured on the way home) it turned out to be a great break and just what I needed.

Blue and Brown SBS Swap Blocks

The Blue & Brown Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks will be back in the next couple of weeks. I think they are due to the hostess tomorrow or Saturday. Mine were sent off in early September.

Anyway, when I made my blocks, I made the five to swap and one to keep -- except for G10 - Arizona. I ran out of the background fabric. I decided go ahead and make the block so I'll have a complete set when they arrive. I think I like the original better than the new block, but in the long run I doubt it will matter much.

What's On My Design Wall? - 10/26

These are the melons for the last planned row in my DWR. One I get the previous row attached and these into a row and attached I'll make my final decision. The melon on the bottom doesn't have it's corner squares yet because I'm not sure if they are supposed to be red or blue.

Right now I'm seaming the corner squares for the previous row. When I get these two rows attached, I'll finish up the borders on Ladder to the Stars.

Check out what's on everyone's design wall by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

Stash Report Week # 43

Last week was mostly piecing what I already had cut. So just a little bit out -- enough for my SBS BOW and the rest of the cornerstones I need to complete the row of rings I'm working on for my DWR.

Even though I saw some great fabrics as the show yesterday, I didn't buy any. I even walked away from music FQs that I had not seen before!

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 282.083 yards

Fabric Used this Week: .25 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 77.511 yards

Net Stash: +204.572 yards (162.583 was received as gifts)

See how others are doing by following the links over at Patchwork Times.

SBS Block Due 10/25

A10 - Bachelor's Puzzle

Today S, T & I went to the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo here in Kansas City. It was the first time I attended the event since it moved up to the KCI-Expo Center.

They had some great quilt and garment displays and of course vendors. I nearly made it out without buying anything.

The very first booth got me -- although I made it through the entire show and circled back to make my purchase.

It was the Bo-Nash booth with the Bo-Nash Bonding Agent. Apparently it can be used to baste quilts instead of the quilt basting spray. It also came with a tube of vinyl/leather repair, so I'm going to try and fix my car seats. I'll let you know how it works after I use it.

FQ Bundle Giveaway at Pumpkin Patch Primitvies

Pumpkin Patch Primitves Quilt Shoppe is having a giveaway. A FQ Bundle of Red Rooster's Pumpkins & Spice Fabrics. There is a picture in the linked blog listing, and this looks like a cool collection. Check it out.

Borders Needed

The center of my Ladder to the Stars is done. Well, I need to trim it. The picture here is the result of a bit of photo cropping magic.

I'll follow my original design, shrinking the borders proportionally for the smaller 6" blocks.

The original quilt was raffled off for charity by the quilt club. At the time, the club had only 12 or 13 members with varying skill levels. Everyone pieced at least one block pulling fabric from their stash. The border and sashing fabrics were purchased from the LQS where we met. The sashings were pieced by several ladies, then I assembled it before it was sent out to be quilted.

What's On My Design Wall? - 10/19

I've fixed the block -- it was actually every block in the row, but only the red one was noticeable. Anyway, I've got 3 more rows to sew together and then the borders.

Check out other quilters' design wall via Patchwork Times.

Stash Report Week # 42

The week started off with 1/2 yard inbound from the Kansas Troubles Stash Society and ended with cutting the setting triangles for Ladder to the Stars. In between a sample pineapple block and this week'sSBS BOW. As a result, a bit more fabric went out than came in.

I've also pulled 2 1/2" squares out of my pre-cut box to use as leader/enders, but since these were already cut I don't think I'll count them until I put them into blocks.

See how everyone else is doing with their projects over at Patchwork Times.

P.S. I guess I should actually put the #s in the report. Must have gotten distracted by the timmer going off on the microwave.

Fabric Added this Week: .5 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 282.083 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 1.207 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 77.261 yards

Net Stash: +204.822 yards (162.583 was gifted)

10/19 - Added another 1/8 yard to the totals used. Forgot about my extra SBS block I did.

Ugh!

I'm sewing the sashings and cornerstones on each block and then the blocks together. Clearly, however, I need to do one block at a time.

I had trouble sewing row three to row two -- my seams weren't nesting like they should have, but I plowed ahead and sewed the long seam. Then I started putting the sashings on the next row. It was wasn't until I was putting the individual blocks back up on the wall to verify their placement that I realized I had a problem.

I'm off to frog.

Giveaway at The Quilting Cat

Piwacket is having an anniversary giveaway. Here's a link to The Quilting Cat and the giveaway.

Stayed on the Straight and Narrow

Well, after an evening of fingers itching to start something new, I stayed on the straight and narrow and finished up the sashings for Ladder to the Stars. They are all finished, and I've got the setting triangles cut. Now to sew them together.

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Today is the official last day of the Bloggers Quilt Festival that Amy at Park City Girl is hosting. However, the links to the quilts entries will remain on her blog. Which is a good thing since there are over 650 entires and I still haven't made it to all of them!

I want to thank everyone who has commented on my entry, and encourage everyone to check out the rest of the quilts in the show by clicking on the badge at the top of this entry.

Itching to Start Something New

Someone please stop me.

I'm itching to start something new.

I'm so close to completing the piecing of my DWR. Just two more rows.

I'm just over halfway through the sashings on Ladder to the Stars.

There are another 24 projects in various stages of completion on my UFO list which I want to finish -- eventually -- and that doesn't include the tops which need to be quilted.

But I want to start something new. I'm not sure if it's one of my various kits or something else completely.

Stop me. I need to finish a few more UFOs (Or at least get them to the top stage.)

This is Just a Technique Block

If you don't count the Blue and Brown Sylvia's Bridal Sampler Swap I joined in late July, I haven't started anything new since May 17th. That's nearly 5 months! Unbelievable! I didn't know I could go that long without starting anything new.

Wait -- I'm looking at my sidebar. Perhaps I should say I haven't started anything new that I haven't FINISHED since May 17th. Cherry Frolic was started and finished in June, and the Cranberry Wishes Table Runner was started and essentially completed in June, although it didn't get declared finished until August. I didn't think I had enough focus for 5 months. I'm still surprised it's been 3 1/2 months.

Over the past couple of months I've been looking at my strip bins -- which are full -- and thinking I need to do something with them (but refraining). If you asked me a 3 or 4 weeks ago, I would have told you I was leaning toward a log cabin. The last couple of weeks I've browsed Bonnie's site, Quiltville.com eyeing Star Struck. Today, it's the pineapple block.

I've seen several pineapple quilt's recently. The ones last night at the quilt shop, Mary's mom made one, and I suspect I saw one as part of the Blogger's Quilt Festival. Anyway, I decided I had to try to make one of these blocks.

I used the instructions on the Possibilities website.

If I decide to make a pineapple quilt, I think I'll either use them a leader/enders for the first few rows, or at least cut up the strips to the right length and do a bunch at a time.

Meanwhile this block will go in the orphan box to be put in some future quilt, and I'll get back to the UFOs I'm currently working on - Ladder to the Stars, DWR, SBS and Josh's Quilt.

Kansas Troubles Stash Society

Last night was the Kansas Troubles Stash Society meeting at Prairie Point Quilts. There are five of us which generally attend the meeting together, but forces were working such that I'm the only one who made it to the meeting, and then just barely.

I got out of the house in time to run by the library to pick up Part One of Diana Gabaldon's Voyager and grab a bite to eat at the Sonic across the street before going to the meeting. While I was waiting for my food, I popped in the first disk and started listening to the book. When I got ready to leave, the engine wouldn't turn over. Apparently, between the cold and leaving the lights while waiting on my food, my old battery couldn't take it. So, I called my husband to the rescue. We jumped my car off, swapped vehicles, he went home and I got to the meeting about 5 minutes late.

Lots of great quilts using Kansas Troubles fabrics both in KTQ patterns and other patterns. There were two pattern books which caught my eye. Scrap-Basket Surprises by Kim Brackett and Positively Pineapple by Lynda Milligan and Nancy Smith. I've looked at Scrap-Basket Surprises a number of times, but I haven't gotten to the point of purchase. Tonight was no different. I'm not sure what is holding me back, except for my pile of UFOs and more patterns in my personal library than I'll ever get around to making.

Positively Pineapple came closer. There was a quilt with 2 1/2" strips and another with 1 1/2" strips. Neither the book nor ruler came home tonight, but I do have the book on reserve at the library. After I look at it closer we'll see if it makes the cut the next time I have a bit of book money.

What did come home with me? Just those 4 eighth yard cuts -- which were paid for back in January or February.

So tell me, does it count as a new project if I make a sample block, or if I'm using strips from my pre-cut bins?

SBS Block Due 10/18

K8 - Grandmother's Fan

I am not a big template fan -- as in draw around a template and cut it out with scissors. However, sometimes it can't be helped and this is one of those times. Fortunately I have EQ6 and was able to draw this block and print out the templates. I suppose I could copy them out of the book, but I don't know if I could get the book to lay flat enough in my scanner, and I haven't taken it to the office place to get a spiral binding.

Anyway, I'm pleased with the way this block turned out. After working on the DWR, I didn't have any problems with these curves.

Next to the Last Block

This is the next to the last block to be hand quilted before I can pull the quilt off the frame. I finished it up Sunday night after a two week hiatus. I pushed myself a couple of weeks ago and aggravated my wrist. Needless to say there was no hand quilting for a while and now I'm limiting my time at the frame. I'll miss my self-imposed deadline of October 15th, but since my DWR is not going to be finished by then I still have time -- my guess is it will take another week -- for both.

What's On My Design Wall? - 10/12

Ladder to the Stars is up on the wall. The blocks have been made since May, I'm currently working on the paper pieced sashings. I'm not sewing the sashings to the blocks yet, as I'm still deciding if the blocks are in the right spots.

I'm flitting back and forth between this quilt and the DWR.

See what other quilters are up to by checking out the link's on Judy's blog Patchwork Times.

Stash Report Week # 41

Two weeks in a row with no fabric coming into the house. Tomorrow night is the Kansas Trouble Stash Society meeting so I'll be in a quilt shop for at least an hour, so there is no telling what will come home with me. At least 1/2 yard of Kansas Trouble fabric.

After Monday's marathon sewing, I was only able to spend 10 or 15 minutes at a time at the sewing machine. But still I accomplished a bit. Finished another 9 sashings for Ladder to the Stars and added arcs to both sides of 12 melons for the DWR. Saturday I had more time and it all went to the the SBS Block.

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 281.583 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 1.125 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 76.054 yards

Net Stash: +205.529 yards (162.583 was gifted)

See how others are doing with their stash over at Patchwork Times.

SBS Block Due 10/11

H7 - Odd Fellow's Chain

73 tiny pieces. The half square triangle units finish at 3/4". Originally I planned to paper piece this block, but this evening I realized I could use my Easy Angle and Companion Angle rulers. All in all, the block went together quite well, it just took 'forever'.

My Favorite Quilt - Quilt Festival

Amy at Park City Girl is hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival today through Oct 16th. She asked us to post a picture of our favorite quilt and tell it's story. Well nearly every quilt is my favorite quilt, but I could only pick one, so here is my Blue Charm Applecore quilt.


Actually, it's my husband's. This quilt was finished New Year's Eve 2005. It was only 2 to 6 days late -- depending on whether it was supposed to be his Christmas present or his birthday present, and that was dependent on when I finished it. Regardless, with the exception of the quilt I gave my mother for Mother's Day 2005, it's the quilt closest to meeting the gift giving deadline.

I've previously blogged about this quilt here.

My best guess is I purchased the pattern, ruler and rotary cutter (love my Ergo 2000) in October 2004 at a quilt show. It might have been the previous year. The pattern sat for a while and then late spring 2005 I got a wild idea to make this quilt for my husband in all blue fabric -- at this time, no deadline had been set.

Previously I had been collecting music fabric, so now I added blue fabric to my collection each time I entered a quilt shop. I gathered fabric from my friends' stashes. When a fabric was both blue and music themed I scored.

Part of what makes this quilt special is the time I spent collecting the fabric with my friends. My friends T & S and I took a road trip to Iowa to hit quilt shops. We left Kansas City late afternoon on Friday and then hit 11 shops over the next 2 1/2 days. By Monday, we were so exhausted, we walked into one of the last quilt shops and said "Yep, this is a quilt shop" and then left without any of us buying anything. I picked up blue and/or music themed FQs at each shop.

Surprisingly, I ended up with only a couple of duplicates fabrics.

It helped that I put together a book of my fabric before I left home. This quilt is made with 6" circles that overlap. So, before the trip, I started cutting circles of each of my fabrics. I then scanned them 18 - 20 of them at a time, and printed off the scan so I had a record of my fabrics.


I was still collecting fabric - I wanted all 400 pieces to be unique, but impatience won out in late summer and I started it when I only had about 225 different blue fabrics. The next decision I had to make was how to arrange the pieces. I finally decided on light to dark to light. So, I took the scans I made earlier and converted them to black and white to help with value placement -- then I went back and cut additional circles where I had more fabric.


The final quilt has 400 pieces in it. Not including the 400 pieces of the backing. For the backing I purchased 10 different pieces of blue flannel.


So when it came time to putting the quilt together, I had to know where in the quilt to top fabric belonged, and which piece of the back went with it and keep all 20 rows in order or the pattern (front and/or back) would be disturbed.

I ended up stringing each row together, and as I finished each step of the process, it went back on the table in the correct position.


My husband likes the quilt -- It's too warm for me with the flannel backing, not to mention it's heavy. It think it finished about 70" square, more or less.

Check out other quilter's favorite quilts by clicking on the button below.

Marathon Sewing

Last night I had 3 hours of uninterrupted piecing. The 34 arcs for the next row on the DWR have now been pieced and I pieced 10 more sashings for Ladder to the Stars. Didn't get the last of the trimming finished as I simply ran out of steam.

What's On My Design Wall? - 10/05

This does not mean I'm finished with my DWR.

This is a 6" version of Ladder to the Stars. I designed this quilt to be raffled off by the quilting group I was in a couple of years ago. The original quilt has 12" blocks and finished approximately 87 x 105. This one will finish around 58 x 70.

I've finally gotten the sashings down to a 'science', so need to cut the rest of the blue fabric so I can go to town on it. That's not to say I've put away my DWR. The row that was up on the wall last week is complete and needs to be attached to the quilt. I've got the pieces for the next row sitting on my sewing machine ready to be pieced together. This coming week it will probably be a bit of both, plus this week's SBS BOW.

Check out what other quilters are up to by visiting Patchwork Times.

Stash Report Week # 40

This week I managed to use a smidgen over a yard of fabric making my SBS blocks, cutting the background for more DWR rings and cutting the background fabric for a dozen paper pieced sashings to Ladder to the Stars (I need 80).

Nothing came in - and I stepped foot into a quilt shop on Friday. (OK, just as the store was closing, as I was waiting to the owner to go to dinner, but doesn't it still count as being in a quilt shop?)

More fabric might have been used this week, but I traveled to Rock Springs, Kansas for String Romp. My original plan was to sew in the hotel room Saturday on the sashings, but a combination of events resulted in me driving out myself Saturday afternoon, so I didn't bother to drag the sewing machine. The group above is the 6th grade orchestra that my husband conducted this weekend. The kids were from all over Kansas.

Back to the report:

Fabric Added this Week: 0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 281.583 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 1.050 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 74.929 yards

Net Stash: +206.654 yards (162.583 was gifted)

See how others are doing with their stash over at Patchwork Times.

October 2009 Quilting Goals

More of the same this month.

* Keep up with the SBS BOW

* Finish the hand quilting on Josh's Quilt - needs to be off the frame by 10/15

* Finish piecing the DWR - top needs to be done by 10/15

* Hand quilt 2 rings on DWR

* Complete Finishing Instructions for both sizes of Kansas Spirit BOM

* Machine quilt borders on Josh's Quilt

* Make at least 4 make-up SBS blocks

* Decide on the quilting for Jeremiah's quilt

* Work on Ladder to the Star sashings

* Keep Scraps Cut Up