Actually, my whole life is a work in progress, but here are some quilty things that are getting my attention lately.  Judy Laquidara’s latest Quilt for an Hour (QFAH) is a star quilt with an interestingly shaded background called Shine on Bayou Cane.  It will really make the stars *pop*.  The idea is that you get her instructions for each day, it should only take about an hour (unless you’re slow like me), and then you post your progress, hopefully each day so you stay caught up!  So for Monday and Tuesday of this week, here are my 120 half-square triangle-blocks, composed of my two background fabrics.  I also included in the photo 32 fat eighths in Civil War reproduction prints that I had squirreled away for a rainy day (and it IS raining today).  If need be, I will break into my fat quarter collection of Civil War fabrics.  And my colors photographed pretty accurately, for a change.

Another fun project is Judy Laquidara’s Star BOM.  We are up to Block #5!  Here is block 5, along with a photo of blocks 1-5.  These will finish at 12″ each, so they are good-sized blocks.  The Star BOM is another example of Judy taking familiar blocks and shaking things up by making the background, the borders, and the settings more interesting.  She also seems to favor nearly solid fabrics.  I’ve always been drawn to prints with maybe a couple of nearly solids, so this has been a new direction for me, and I’m enjoying it!

Here are a couple of table runners that are awaiting binding.  The one on the left is an Anka’s Treasures pinwheel pattern included in the pattern Little Charmers III, designed to use charm packs.  (Eileen, I think you were looking for the name of that pattern?)  And the one on the right is from a Terry Atkinson book, Lessons from Mama.  (Although I’ve never met Terry, I know she’s a local pattern designer.  Her patterns are always easy to follow.)  For a fall theme, I used an Indian corn fabric for the center of the stripe, which you can see better if you click on the photo for an enlarged view (you might even be able to click twice to enlarge it twice).

While I had a neutral backing fabric on the longarm, I floated the two table runners plus this sweet Mary Engelbreit panel.  (Mary also needs a hanging sleeve and binding.)  Panels are such a great “cheat”.  I have a place by the front door for panels of this size, and I would like to be able to change them out at least once a month, so I have a few to go.  It’s fun to look for them for different seasons/holidays/moods.

So that’s it for now! 

Sue

Our Quilting Mini-Camp was a big success and tons of fun. I have to admit that I didn’t take a single photo. I should have, but the days just flew by. There were 14 of us on Tuesday, and 12 on Thursday. We sewed in the morning, had a sit-down lunch all at the same table (my dining room table has HUGE leaves), did a little clean-up, then back to work for more fun and sewing.

The “admission” each day was to bring a fat quarter. Betty also donated a beautiful basket to put the FQs in, and we drew names to determine the winner. Jan won Tuesday’s basket of FQs. Tuesday morning I demonstrated making a handbag out of a placemat. I used that purse to place Thursday’s FQs into, and when I have a chance I will take a photo of the purse and insert it into this post so there’s SOMETHING to look at! Betty won Thursday’s FQs & purse.

We had hand-stitchers and machine-sewers, all working like crazy, but still having fun. We have such a great group, it was a joy to spend some extra time together. I gave them each a little gift bag with a breakfast bar, a bit of chocolate, a Busy as a Bee fat quarter, and my favorite item from Ikea: a stackable mug. (Some day I will have to blog about Ikea. I love that store. I don’t buy much beyond frying pans, hangers, and mugs, but it’s a great store.)

Thursday afternoon I loaded some cheater fabric on the longarm, and those who were interested could take “Elvis” for a spin. I did this once before when some ladies were visiting, and I used the interestly quilted end result for a doggie blanket for my Grandpuppy Tucson. This one I will bind up for my new Grandpuppy Milo. (Dave, send me a pic of Tucson and I’ll post him.) I haven’t met Milo yet (or Tucson yet, for that matter, but Tucson lives in Virginia), so I’ll have to get a picture of Milo and Grandkitty TJ also.

Two days of sewing sounds like such a long time, but it literally flew by. Food: Thursday we had soup and salad. I made Sabina’s Cheesy Potato Soup, and the recipe can be found at the Recipes tab at the top of this page. Thursday I made my friend Carol’s Chicken Salad (slightly modified), a fruit bowl, and roll. I will post the Chicken Salad October 1st as October’s new recipe. It was fabulous, if I say so myself. And I guess I just did!

Sue

I really wanted to do some kind of retreat or quilt show outing this fall.  I nearly went to the ND quilt show in Fargo, but things just didn’t work out.  I finally decided to have a “sort of” retreat at my house, and invite all the women in our Wednesday DayStitchers group.  So we start tomorrow, all day; of course, on Wednesday we go back to our regular afternoon quilting group; then about a dozen or so of us back at my house Thursday, all day.  How fun will that be?  Well, I’ll know tomorrow.

The “price” of admission is one fat quarter per day, and they will go to one of the day’s participants (by a drawing at the end of the day).  I seeded the bowl with a few starter FQ’s:

I’ve been busy removing some furniture, moving the rest around, borrowing tables (thanks, Betty!) and an iron, and probably something else I haven’t even thought of yet.  I am expecting about 14 quilters tomorrow, and so I’m getting stations set up for the ones that are bringing their sewing machines — 14 of them!  Part of us will be upstairs, part downstairs, but we will be meeting up midday in the dining room (after we clear the sewing stuff off the table) for some lunch.  I’m going to make my mother-in-law’s Cheesy Potato Soup, a tossed salad, and some nice crusty bread.  I’ll also have my sister-in-law Jeanne’s Dump Cake (MUCH better than it sounds) for dessert.

My husband is out of town for a funeral, and he may be a little disoriented when he comes back to the new furniture configuration:

There are several sewing stations that don’t appear in the pictures.  I also need to get the pressing stations set up, and the exercise room place we store our exercise equipment will be set up with table and chairs for a little magazine and book viewing.  I still have lots to do.  You will notice I’m not posting a photo of my sewing room yet!  So back to work I go.  We will have a great two days sewing up a storm!  Wish you could all be here, but I definitely don’t have enough chairs!

Sue

(I revised this post — added better photos, and added a couple of additional thoughts to the end.  Sue)

Last weekend Judy Laquidara at www.PatchworkTimes.com  offered up one of her own designs for an easy-to-make quilt as a Labor Day Challenge, and part of the challenge was to make it from stash (actually, I think she specified something ugly from your stash). I’ve had this gold/red/black floral for ages.  I bought it on the cheap (about $2/yard) thinking I would use it for a stack & whack quilt.  Now that I’ve done a few stack & whacks, I know this fabric is too repetitious, so it’s been patiently waiting to be rediscovered.  (I have a lot of this fabric, so I’m thinking I’ll use it for the backing also.)  I’m really pleased with how it turned out:

 I made the last border wider, so this quilt ended up being almost 72 x 90.  This quilt was a lot of fun to do.  The blocks go together very quickly.  And I think the best thing is that I used some fabric from 2001!!!  Thank you, Judy, for another fun project.  There’s always something fun going on at Judy’s site!  She has a Star BOM project going on, and there’s a Quiltathon AND a Quilt For An Hour quilt coming up this month.  (Okay, I don’t work for Judy, I just really like her stuff!  And she’s so generous to share with us.)

I LOVE making quilts, and I LOVE sharing them as gifts.  I don’t make award-winning showstoppers.  I make quilts made to go on a bed or sofa or crib and be loved and used.  Utility quilts.  We also have a large extended family, and I’ve made a tradition of giving the newlyweds, babes, and septuagenarians a quilt.  Since I also quilt for other people, sometimes I am scrambling to get something done for our special family members, and I have given away quilts that I originally made to keep (thinking I can always make another one), because I didn’t have anything else ready — or even close to ready!

So, here’s my plan!  I’m going to be jumping on the bandwagon for as many of Judy’s on-line quilt offerings as I can possibly do (or other bloggers who generously share patterns and mysteries).  I’ll get the top completed, as this one is, and make up the binding (put it in a bag, and attach it to the quilt top!!!  We all know why…)  Then when a special occasion arises, it’s just a matter of whipping it onto the old Gammill and getting it done.  A day’s work.  I can handle that.  One flaw I can already see with this approach is I pretty much love everything I make.  Not because they’re fabulous, but I think it’s because they’re sort of like children (or husbands).  Even if they’re not perfect, they’re YOURS!

Sue

On the first Wednesday of the month, we DayStitchers exchange boxes.  I’ve added a button at the top of my Web page where I can post photos of our blocks:  Box Quilts.

This month I took home Cathy’s box.  Cathy’s request is to make a heart block, but use no heart fabric.  The colors are turquoise/purple/olive and white (which she has supplied).  Any suggestions for a fun heart block?  She hasn’t requested a specific size.

Sue

Judy Laquidara has done it again — come up with a quilt project that’s too tempting to not join in!  I thought I would do a block, just to see how it’s going to come out…and what fun!!!  This is a perfect no-points, no-matching, no-brainer project.  Besides burgandy reds to almost rose, my other colors are sage-y greens, golds, and grays.  The grays are the only ones I purchased (3 FQs).  Everything else is from stash.  This should be a fun, quick quilt — just the things for a holiday weekend.  And it has some of my favorite colors in it.

Sue

 (Click on photo for a larger image)

Is this the cutest bag or what?  I think we all love bags.  Yesterday fellow DayStitchers (and they’re also friends) June, Betty, Margarget and I met at Pam’s house for a day of quilting.  We each made one of these bags.  I hope to get a picture of the five of us with our finished products.  It was a super fun day, chatting, laughing, sewing, laughing, lunching, laughing – and actually getting something done.  This bag (I did the “tote” size in the whole-cloth variation) is by Indygo Junction.  Not a beginner pattern, for sure, but the end result is just smashing.  This pattern utilizes drapery grommets to thread the handle through.  Very clever, and a very nice bag.  And isn’t quilting with friends just the best!

Sue

Here is my little baby of the weekend (I think it’s about 23″ by 24″ — not sure if I mentioned the size before).  And I cut off the bottom part of the picture again.  That annoying habit is going to be my trademark pretty soon.  After arranging the flowers and leaves into a heart shape (actually a LOT of REARRANGING went on during this process), I bravely fused them down with heat and steam.  I am surprised at how good it looks!  It felt more like a craft project than a quilt project, but I’m pleased so far.  I have a couple of borders to put on, then I’ll quilt it.  The borders are first a narrow black border, then a wider deep mottled purple.

There’s another kit that’s a wreath of cats by this same company, Whims, that I think my mom would like.  Some day.  For right now I’m ready to do some regular straight piecing where I’m much more in my own element, although it’s good to try something different once in a while.

Sue

My watercolor wall hanging is coming along.  The other ones I did would have been done by now, as the heart was pieced right into the watercolor.  This one has the heart added on top of the watercolor background by fusible applique, so I’ve been busily cutting out flower motifs from the included floral fabric.  It’s a little tedius.  Thanks goodness for the Olympics.  Next I will arrange the flowers in a heart shape on the watercolor background and fuse them down.  More Olympics.

I’m in “gift mode”, as there are a number of people I need to “gift”, so I am also making some quick table toppers, about 36″ square:

This one is from a charm pack and a little yardage that came in a kit.  (Note to Self:  Check border fabric for vertical pattern.  I cut this one on the grain, and the printing must have been a little off.  II didn’t realize it before cutting it that it wasn’t an all-over type pattern.)  Oh, well, that will be part of its charm, right?

Staying in gift mode, I will then move on to aprons, table runners, and bags/purses.  I wasn’t too concerned until I sat down with pen and paper and tallied up the gifts I want to make.  NINE!!!  I love the quote (saw it on some else’s site, and this isn’t exactly worded), “Don’t tell me not to burn the candle at both ends.  Tell me where I can get more wax!!!”

We’re going to the Minnesota State Fair tomorrow.  I received my first State Fair ribbon.  A fourth place.  On a little whole-cloth wall hanging that I don’t even have a picture of.  It was an afterthought to even enter it.  Isn’t that the way things go?  It’s fun to go and see all the fabulous quilts, and then try to find my friends’ quilts plus a few of my own. 

Something new at the fair this year is “Quilt on a Stick”.  It’s a 9″ x 8″ quilt with a vertical sleeve on the back to hold a paint stick.  Photos to come…

Sue

When we were in Seattle in July (gee, that was only LAST month???), I ran across some Whims patterns.  They are watercolor-type quilt patterns.  I did a couple of them several years ago, and then they kind of disappeared from the local quilt shops around here.  I would see them in a catalog once in a while, but figured they were a once-hot item that had passed on.    ANYWAY, I thought this heart kit would make a perfect thank-you gift for someone special (whom I already have in mind), and I started on it yesterday.  Because there are a number of new quilters out there that maybe haven’t seen this type of pattern before (actually, it’s a kit), I thought I would share some photos as I work on this little wall hanging.  Included in the kit came stacks of pre-cut 2″ floral squares, which you sort by value, lightest to darkest.  (The few leftovers are shown below.)  This particular kit also came with some yardage, from which I will cut individual flowers.  I will arrange these flowers, hopefully somewhat similarly to the heart that appears on the package.

But back to the beginning.  You start by arranging the individual blocks on a light-weight fusible product that has a grid printed on it (purchased separately).  The directions contain a drawing of the grid pattern, showing where to place the dark fabric, the medium-darks, the medium fabric, and so on.  It is sort of like doing a paint-by-number painting in fabric squares.

The final effect is a color wash, or a watercolor, effect.  The photo above shows my fabrics placed on the fusible grid, which has been pressed so the squares are staying “put” (remember, it’s a fusible base).  The next step is you fold right sides together on the grid lines and stitch your seams.  You can see I have started this on the right-hand side.  Once all the up-and-down seams are stitched, I will press them well to one side, then stitch the side-to-side seams.  THEN I will get to build the heart from the fussy-cut flowers. 

I’m sure this is all as clear as mud, but I’m having so much fun doing this little project, I thought I would share.  Hopefully, I’ll get a finished photo posted soon.

Sue

ps:  If this look intrigues you, there are many watercolor quilt books out there where you can build your quilt from “scratch”.