Silent Sunday

Getting It Together

After having these blocks on the design wall a dozen or more ways, I finally made a decision and got them sewn together.  It was so much fun playing with all the different layout options and who knew there were so many different options?  It took longer to decide on the layout for my little HST quilt than it did to sew it together!

It's Quilted

My latest UFO is quilted...but it ain't pretty!  Seems that this quilt was pieced by a beginner (aka me, about 9 years ago) and it was not square and more than a few blocks were a little on the full side.  Needless to say, this quilt was a quilter's nightmare!  You can see in the photo that seams were pushed to the left as I was quilting and there are even a few puckers here and there.  I quit swearing after quilting about four rows and decided "it is what it is" and a non-quilter will think it's lovely.  As soon as the binding is on I'm shipping it off to the local hospice and hopefully it will end up in the hands of someone who doesn't quilt!

Carrots For Easter!

How cute are these scrappy carrots from the Missouri Star Co.?  And my next question is, why don't I have orange in my scrap basket?

Silent Sunday

Hats, Hats, And More Hats!

My daughter-in-law, of Half Pint Knits fame, and I put our knitting needles to work over the last few weeks to make hats for the NICU at our local hospital.  Together we made a dozen hats of all styles, colors, and sizes!  She definitely out knit me 2 to 1, so I lost our knitting contest, but it's really the babies who will win when they get these cute little hats to wear while they are in the hospital!

Fun With HST's

Just about a year ago a won a couple of charm packs from Vroomans' Quilts in a giveaway.  I wasn't quite sure what to do with just two charm packs, so I decided that I would throw caution to the wind and just make them into half square triangles and put them together into a crib size quilt.  Little did I know how much fun it would be playing with all the possible layouts (which I believe are endless)!  Why have I not done this before?

A Scrappy Trip

Here is my MLQG Finish 6 Challenge quilt all finished and ready for show and tell at tonight's guild meeting!  The pattern is Bonnie Hunter's Scrappy Trip Around The World and I think I started this quilt shortly after she first posted the pattern on her website in 2005!  Again, this UFO was a finished top just waiting with backing and binding to be quilted and once I again I am asking myself why it took me so long to finish it because I love it!

Silent Sunday

Another UFO On The Frame

I've always said that I'm a piecer, not a quilter, but with all the quilts that I have been quilting lately, I may have to start calling myself a quilter!  Once this quilt comes off the frame it will be the tenth quilt that I have quilted since the beginning of the year!  If I keep up the pace, my UFO pile will be nonexistent in no time!

To Sew Or Unsew?

This UFO is so old that I can't even remember when I started working on it!  Quite awhile ago, I pulled it out thinking that I would turn it into a throw and a couple of pillow shams, so I added the finishing border rows and then promptly put it back in the UFO pile.  Now I am DETERMINED to get my unfinished projects finished, one way or another, and this one is next on the list.  However, I think I need to reconsider my throw and sham set idea and go back to the original plan of simply making a larger quilt and add the blocks that I saved out for the shams back to the quilt.  That means I have to unsew the finishing borders if I want to continue the matchstick pattern or I could take the easy way out and leave the extra row of squares at the one end of the quilt.  What would you do?

A Little Thread

I added a bit of stitching to my Starry Night block.  I didn't go crazy with the thread, but added just enough to suggest brush strokes and secure the fused pieces.  I think it's done, but I'm going to let it talk to me for a bit before I make that decision.

Silent Sunday

Vintage Quilt at the Packwood House Museum

# ? * !

Tail-draggin'

A little ragged

Hangin' by a thread

That's startin' to fray

Just in case there might be

Little ears around

I won't say it

I'll just spell it out

I feel like pound-sign, 

Question mark,

Star, 

Exclamation point

Don't give a blank

And a whole lot of other

Choice words I can't say!

Can you see it?  Right there by the pin?  That tiny hole?  Yes, I was snipping a basting thread as I was quilting and completely cut through the quilt top!  Yes, I said bad words. Thankfully the snip is close to the edge.  I put a drop of fray check on it and hopefully I'll be able to tuck it inside the binding.

Winter Doldrums

If you lay a spring colored quilt out on the icy snow, will it help melt the snow and bring spring faster?  No? I really didn't think so either, but it was a nice thought and you can't blame me for trying!  I don't know about anyone else, but I am more than ready for warm sunshine, green grass and flowers!  Working on this bright Quick Strippie quilt did help my case of winter doldrums...how could one feel blah when working with bright blue and yellow?

A Few Puzzle Pieces

The Ithaca Modern Quilt Guild met yesterday, so a few of us got a chance to put our Starry Night blocks up on the design wall to see how they were going to look together.  Considering that it was an anything goes kind of project and we did not discuss fabrics or techniques, I don't think my block was too far off from how everyone else approached the project.  There was a lot of thread work on the other blocks, so I brought mine home so I could do a little thread painting before the next meeting.  I can hardly wait until next month to see all the pieces of the puzzle together!

Silent Sunday

Plying

I have been practicing my new spinning skills and decided to try plying a couple of lightweight baby yarns together.  The result was a soft almost worsted weight yarn that is perfect for a little newborn hat!