Girls' Night . . . and A Winner!

Daughter dear and I had a great girls' night last night! We started with a quick dinner at a newish Seattle restaurant, Pie, where sweet and savory mini-pies are the specialty of the house. Very fun and tasty.

Then we traveled on to one of our favorite quilt shops, The Quilting Loft, where we were taking a class from Katie of Sew Katie Did. The class was on half-square triangles, which we had both done before, but great fans of Katie's quilts, we were anxious to gleen her expertise on the subject. By some odd twist, we'd been mailed an incorrect class supply list. Thankfully, what I'd purchased while waiting for the class to start (duh) went well with what I'd brought, so I started in on hst with an nice grouping.

4 new 'Wrenly' prints by Valori Wells + a favorite DS print

It was a very enjoyable class, and Katie is a fun teacher. Besides gaining useful tips on piecing, fabric choices, and layout, she also introduced us to Pinterest. So that's something new to explore!

Well, on to the real topic at hand - the winner of my Mini Swoon quilt!

She's been patiently hanging out in my sewing room, where we've enjoyed her lovely company, but now it's time for her to move on to her new home. So . . . Mini Swoon's new owner, is . . .

Tiffany, who said...Oooo I love this pattern - I've been swooning for it for a while ;-) Would love to win this lovely mini-quilt!

Well, Tiffany, I've sent you an email, so if you write me right back, I'll get Mini Swoon on her way to you! Again, thanks to you all for joining in the quilty fun!

W.i.P. Wednesday

Yay! It's W.i.P. Wednesday!

Completed projects

I snuck in a little project in celebration of my 100th post on Monday. I'll show it again on Thursday, when I announce the winner of my celebration give-away.

Ongoing projects

I finished all 120 4 1/2" bow-tie blocks for the Prairie Women Sewing Circle mini quilt! Here they are on my design wall. I'm relieved to have the little blocks done and have begun to piece the rows together, .

Still making half-square triangle blocks for the Scrapbuster Swap.

I've done the cutting for the Kaleidoscope quilt along hosted by don't call me betsy, so am on hold here until sewing directions come on Thursday.

Dream Big is still at the quilters.

Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow". Soon . . .

Upcoming projects

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. I'm hoping to get started on this at Katie's HST class tonight!

* Shades of Grey. Ideas are still percolating - tentatively to include my variety of KONA grays, and then adding that splash of {as yet undetermined, but I think I've decided} color. . . * Afternoon Snack table runner adapted from this pattern by G. E. Designs.

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while
Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to see more W.i.P.s!

100th Post

I have every intention of making a complete Swoon quilt one of these days. I may wait for Ruby; I don't know. But I've been anxious to try out the block, and decided to make a mini one-block quilt.

It was really fun to make, and is an extra-big 24" block! I decided it would be a great "thank you" in celebration of my 100th post today! Please comment for a chance to win Mini Swoon, as well as a couple of fat quarters I've chosen for you. Many of my followers I have barely gotten acquainted with. I'd love it, if on this special day {to me}, you would tell a little about yourself . . . what you love about quilting, where you find inspiration, your current favorite fabric or designer. You know - something like that. Meanwhile, thank you for being here, and for your encouragement - it adds joy to my days!

I'll randomly choose a winner on Thursday. Meanwhile, linking up with {Sew} Modern Monday. . .

52 lists in 52 weeks//week 4

I've Come a Ways

It amused me, really. There were years - seriously, years - that I would not go to my local quilt store and choose fabric, without my friend right beside me. She was there when I picked out fabric for my first full-size quilt in 1987. . .

when I later needed to choose a border to tie this bar quilt's rows together (from my first 'bee!'). . .

and when I used batiks for the first time. . .

And so yesterday, when my friend asked me to go and help her choose fabric for her latest quilt project, I was amused. Yes, I've been confident enough to actually choose fabric by myself for a while now. Just the same, I was pleased she trusted me enough to lend my opinion as she chose hers. I guess I've come a ways. Thanks, friend!

Finish it Up!

Friday is the day to check in with the Finish it Up! challenge. I have a "near finish" in Dream Big - the top and back are done and off to the quilters.

In addition to Light and Shadow and Gentlemen Caller, I'm adding a couple of projects to my list - not all cut out, but definitely projects I hope to have done by summer's end!

A mini Swoon quilt or two, to tide me over until I get the chance to do a complete quilt (inspired by Fashioned by Meg!). Cut one out last night with some Jay Dewberry Aviary.

AND of course, the Kaleidoscope Quilt along, which I'll be cutting this week. Can't wait!

 

Let the Cutting Begin!

I've been waiting {impatiently} for the cutting instructions for Don't Call Me Betsy's Kaleidoscope Quilt Along! They were posted today, so time to get templates made and start cutting! I'm really excited to cut into the stack of fabrics I've collected for this project:

For those interested in such details, most of the fabrics are
Denyse Schmidt Fairgrounds, with several other fabrics
added to coordinate ~ see the flickr page here to get fabric details.

Stay tuned!

W.i.P. Wednesday

Another week, and here we are at W.i.P. Wednesday again!

Completed projects

My Sherbet Pips Comic Strip Quilt is done!

The Dream Big top and backing are done and got delivered to the long-arm quilter yesterday!

I continue to make bow-tie blocks for the  Prairie Women Sewing Circle mini quilt - about 65/120 are done.

My Hoopla charm pack got combined with the Scrapbuster swap. I am loving this new {to me} method of making half-square triangle blocks and have a very good start on these blocks.

Ongoing projects

* Kaleidoscope quilt along hosted by don't call me betsy starts Thursday!

* Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow". Still on the agenda.

Upcoming projects

* Afternoon Snack table runner adapted from this pattern by G. E. Designs.
* Shades of Grey. Ideas are still percolating - tentatively to include my variety of KONA grays, and then adding that splash of {as yet undetermined, but I think I've decided} color. . .

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. I'm hoping to get started on this at Katie's HST class on June 29!

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while
Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Be sure and head over to Freshly Pieced to wander through other fun W.i.P.s!

To be quilted . . .

Well, it's always nice to have a quilt top and back completed and ready to go off to the long-arm quilter. It's kind of like an adventure - out of your control, but always quite exciting. Dream Big is heading off today. Last night I prepped her binding so it's ready to go the minute she gets back.

It was kind of a nice farewell for her to be featured in Fashioned by Meg's post last night about her Finish It Up! Challenge. Click here to see her collage, which includes Dream Big, as well as several other lovely projects being finished up.

Bye for now, Dream Big! Can't wait to see you again!

52 lists in 52 weeks//week 3

This week's challenge from A Year in Lists . . . things I learned from my dad. Over nine years my dad has been gone. He died unexpectedly at the age of 68, and it was a shock. There are still days I think I see him drive by in his car; days I think of calling him to tell him something I know he'd be interested in.

He was an affectionate, attentive daddy when I was young, and I look back on my childhood and youth with much pleasure. The dad I knew as a child - the one I looked up to so - became almost unrecognizable when I was an adult. He caused brokenness and pain that was hard to understand. With time, somehow, what he had taught me and how he had loved me helped me accept life's changes, and we were quite close. And for that I will always be grateful.

Basics

I may be the last person in quilt-blog-land to discover this technique for half square triangles, but I felt compelled to share, just in case I'm not. I wanted to start working on the Scrapbuster Swap I joined on flickr, where you are asked to make hst using this tutorial. Considering I was beginning with a charm pack, getting going was a snap, and honestly, honestly, I made 20 beautiful hst in 15 minutes. I really don't enjoy the "drawing a line on the diagonal-sewing on both sides-cutting on the line method" and have had inconsistent results, accuracy-wise. But this method was quick, accurate, basically flawless, and fun! From here I will trim to perfect 3" hst, per my swap guidelines. I am totally wowed by this method, and so glad to have found it.

Finish It Up! Challenge and Friday Night Sew-In

Last night was Friday Night Sew-In, and I worked most of the evening on the backing for the Dream Big quilt I've been working on. I had what I thought was a good idea, to create a focal point for the back with 'modern crosses', inspired by Don't Call Me Betsy's latest finish, and then 'fill in' with the large pieces of Central Park fabric left over from the front. Well, it didn't turn out quite like I'd imagined - much more scrappy than I'd hoped, but I think we'll go with it. I'm so inspired by other pieced backs I see online, but never quite 'get it' to my satisfaction. Anyway, I'll be sending Dream Big off to my long-arm quilter next week, as it's a tad large to tackle with my machine. Meanwhile, I've ordered the binding and plan to have that made up by the time the quilt comes back home.

 completed top

modern cross detail on back;

weather precludes a full photo today . . .

Yesterday I joined the Finish it Up! challenge, sponsored by Meg of Fashioned by Meg. It is suggested to only list projects that are actually cut out, so "Dream Big" is my first major w.i.p. listed. Also included will be "Light and Shadow" Bali pop quilt and "Gentlemen Caller", the last quilt in my Prairie Women Sewing Circle series.

Bali pop strips for Cappucino Light and Shadow

bow-ties for "Gentlemen Caller"

There are oodles of other projects listed on my sewing room white-board, but none are actually cut out, so we'll add those as we go along.

I'm linking up with both Friday Night Sew-In and Finish it Up!. . .

 

Quilt-Alongs, Swaps, & Bees

One of the main reasons I started blogging was to join the online quilting community in a fuller sense. Right away, I jumped in quilt-along-ing with Block-a-palooza, Socken, and later, Supernova, which in itself was a profound quilting experience. Now, I am eager to start Kaleidoscope next week, with prints from my stash.

Mostly Denyse Schmidt Fairground, with a Katie Jump Rope plaid,
Amy Butler Lotus dots, Michael Miller Ta Dot, & Cloud Nine Nature Walk.
A prized piece of Flea Market Fancy Green Dot is on its way to round out the collection.

I ventured into the swap arena with safe, low-commitment SewSara's Scrap Swap and  A Little Fabric, A Little Chocolate {Swap!}. They were fun, and gave me the confidence to join Gen X Quilters' Spoonflower Swap, with its slighty higher {read: custom fabric} stakes, and flickr's Scrapbuster Swap, where we'll swap modern Scrappy Depression blocks like these . . .

photo credit: JulieFrick on Flickr

And I confess, when I started blogging, I had high hopes to eventually join a quilting bee. And that I have, just this week! The [3 X 6] Sampler Quilt Mini Bee seems a perfect 'first bee.' I can hardly wait to be assigned to a hive next week.

So. Progress is being made. Quilts are being created. Community is being built. Fun is being had. I've made some bloggy friends, who I enjoy sharing progress and ideas {and life} with. I find great inspiration in seeing the work of my fellow quilters, and I'm learning some things. All in all, it's a good thing.

The Race is On . . . postscript

Ok, so I mentioned a few days ago that the race was on to finish some projects before the upcoming quilt along and hst class starts later this month. But there's also a race due to new fabric coming out! Let me explain . . .

Whew! Finished my Geese in the Park using Kate Spain's Central Park . . .

and almost done with Dream Big for daughter dear . . .

so now looking forward to Kate's Terrain! Seriously can not wait!

Finished Ritzy Cracker with Camille Roskelley's Bliss . . .

so now anxiously waiting for Ruby.

And, just last night finished Annela Hoey's Comic Strip Quilt with Sherbet Pips . . .

Soon . . . Little Apples.

SO much to look forward to!

W.i.P. Wednesday

This week has been a good "back in the groove" kind of week. I sorted through my current and upcoming projects and sort of have a plan for the next couple of weeks. But seriously, there are not enough hours in the day!

Current projects

Comic Strip Quilt is quilted and so close to being complete - about 18" close, in fact.

My Dream Big top is nearing completion also. The 'pluses' are done.

Now the borders are going on - I'm reminded that this is not my favorite step in the quilting process either! But soon it will be done!

The Prairie Women Sewing Circle mini quilt has been put on hold for a few days as things progres on the previous two projects. Lots of little pieces and trimming yet to do here.

Ongoing projects

* Kaleidoscope quilt along hosted by don't call me betsy - I've added a few coordinates to my Denyse Schmidt Fairgrounds prints, and will soon have my stack collected for this qa that begins June 23. 

* Cappuccino Bali Pop "Light & Shadow". Still hoping to get this further underway before the qa starts.

Upcoming projects

* Afternoon Snack table runner adapted from this pattern by G. E. Designs.

* Hoopla charm pack received in May's A Little Fabric, A Little Chocolate {Swap!}.

* Shades of Grey. Ideas are still percolating - tentatively to include my variety of KONA grays, and then adding that splash of {as yet undetermined, but I think I've decided} color. . .

* Stash quilt - Sew Katie Did's zig zag quilt. I'm hoping to get started on this at Katie's HST class on June 29!

* Quilts for our siblings.

On hold for a while
Block-a-palooza quilt along needs basted and quilted.

That's it for this week! Now it's time to head on over to Freshly Pieced to see the other great W.i.P.s!

Tuesday at The Table

To me, The Table isn't always a concrete surface, like in a dining room.

It's
. . . looking forward to the Tupperware of freshly baked cookies waiting when you visit your grandparent's house.
. . . gathering around the fridge, spoons in hand, to dig into the chocolate caramel poke cake, the fridge door boldly standing wide open.
. . . exploring the many options of food-on-a-stick at the state fair, sharing bites at nearly every stand so you can try more things.
. . . wrapping your grandbaby in loving arms to feed her a bottle, even though she can basically hold it herself.

　　

Right? The Table is sharing the experience of good food with people you care about.