"Sierra Sunset"

     I started and finished project this week! As I've said many times before, small projects have a much higher chance of completion in this house! This finished at 16" x 33". I teach a class called "Woven Silhouettes" which is quite popular. It's a technique from Anna Faustino's book, "Simply Stunning Woven Quilts". When I'm booked for a class at a quilt guild or quilt shop, of course, they'd like a sample to put on the wall for a couple of months to entice quilters to sign up. Right now, I have all 3 of my samples 'out' and decided to make another just in case. I'm quite happy with the result! I used gold metallic thread to outline the silhouette and didn't have too awful a time with it considering how ornery it can be. Glad I tried it as it gives it a 'glint'.



       I also started a baby quilt this week and finished the top. I faithfully followed Moda's "Spell It With Fabric Blog Hop" for the past 2 weeks and was so inspired to make something with letters in it. Sandy Gervais' website offered a free pattern that hit my spot. Can you see it says "U R my Sunshine"? Although I had to resize the pattern to fit in the center of this quilt, it's just the right sentiment for this particular baby quilt.

       I'm a member of the Odd Fellows of Davis, CA and we have a delightful young couple in the process of adopting a baby from Korea. It's a long, frustrating process and we really feel for them. The child was an infant when the process started but will be 2 1/2 by the time the paperwork and government agree to let them go to Korea and take him bake to the U.S. The couple must stay in Korea 5 weeks meeting with the baby and his foster parents, quite a costly proposition! The Odd Fellows is holding a fundraiser to help with costs and this quilt will be presented to them.

      Go see the other great Design Wall projects on Judy's blog!

Mini QOM

That's "Mini Quilt of the Month". I signed up at my local quilt shop to make one of these little wall-hangings each month (although I'm not sure I'll do them EVERY month). I have an 'eyebrow' window on my front door I like to cover as the sunlight shines a little too brightly through it in the afternoon and these little quilts are the perfect size for it. 

I must tell you that this is quite a bit of a 'cheater' quilt. It's by Laundry Basket Quilts and each little piece is pre-fused and laser cut to make it super easy to put together. I did quilt it very nicely though :-) The piano key border and last border made this quilt 24" x 28".

Have you posted to Judy's blog yet today? 

Road 2 California Show

 How many things other than quilts have you made? Garments, curtains, slipcovers, bags? I think many of us have made bags. I've constructed about 6 of them and tried another one this week. I went to the Road 2 California quilt show in Ontario, CA and chanced upon the ByAnnie.com booth. Annie has come up with a lot of really cute bags (this is the On The Go bag) and a new "batting" that is soft yet sturdy and makes the bag stand up rather than collapse.

I have to admit, this was a BEAR of a pattern to construct. It took me about 12 hours to make this little bag! Of course, all the seams are bound with bias binding and there are a lot of pockets and "see through" areas for ID and an adjustable strap which required watching a video on her website to figure out! 

The pattern was pretty clearly written but I still ended up with a couple of extra pieces I cut and one part of the directions I never figured 
out--! But that's a lot better than most patterns I've used.

Were I to make this again (which will be never!) I would use a thinner batting. It was such a struggle to get around inner corners using this very thick product she recommended for this small purse. I will use it though for a larger bag that doesn't call for binding in inner seams! 

I also splurged on this portable "Sew-EZI" sewing table! I've wanted one for years and when I set it up in the living room, next to the fireplace, across from the TV and in sight of my kitty, Bobo I was in heaven! It's super sturdy and even when I'm sewing "peddle to the metal", there's no vibration or shaking at all! It folds up very easily, stores in a very nice case and off you go!

Did you post to Judy's Design Wall Monday today? I'd love to see what you've been working on!

Celtic Solstice Finish

I love scrappy quilts! I love using up my stash (making room to buy more fabric) and how they 'sparkle' unlike quilts of just 3-4 fabrics. They are a hassle though; having to press all those different pieces of fabric and cut tiny pieces off them. . . 
I have, however, finished the top (which is one-half of the small-sized quilt!) of Bonnie Hunter's latest free mystery quilt. Phew--what a lot of pieces--close to 1,000! It's 46" square and doesn't have the final element of the 3" Peaky and Spike squares we made but since it's larger than I wanted it to be, I won't be adding those squares but will bind it in purple. 
I used my own colors instead of Bonnie's and know it would have been better if my yellow was purple which I think would have shown off the secondary circle pattern better but, that's what happens with mystery quilts sometimes. But, I like it and have the perfect place to hang it in my home. Thanks to Bonnie for her generosity and creative talent!

Christmas Quilts

I've finally gotten over my 2-month "block"of not feeling much like sewing and I'm back to multiple projects--LOL! First, I'm making Bonnie Hunter's annual mystery quilt which started on Thanksgiving. I'm proud of myself for keeping up with every week's 'clue' but have to come clean: After making Bonnie's wonderful scrap quilts for 2 years now, I've learned my lesson! I'm making a very small quilt--half the size of Bonnie's 'small' quilt. My colors are different than hers too: aqua, lime, lilac and yellow/gold (although it looks orange here).

And. . . I started another project too *sigh*
Every year since I've been quilting, round about November, all I want to do is make Christmas quilts and every year I'm just SURE I'm going to want to make nothing but Christmas quilts ALL year. By about mid-February, I'm on to spring florals--SO, I have to get going on this adorable "Deck the Halls" quilt! 


I'm going to make it smaller than the pattern to fit on my foyer wall so I'm making 2 of these units and 3 of the applique units and reducing the size of everything. Instead of 3" finished half-square triangles, mine will be 2 1/2" and the wool applique candies and gingerbread men will be 2/3 their size. It will end up about 38" x 45".

Wonder if there's any other Christmas quilts to see on Judy's blog for Design Wall Monday!

Ahoy, It's A Boy!

It's been ages since I've posted but life has been tempting me with things other than quilting! My husband is retired now and travel seems to take up a lot of our time--no, I'm NOT complaining--LOL!

My daughter's best friend is expecting her second child on Christmas day and I wanted to make a quilt for her as I did for her adorable first child. Here's the cute story: It's a boy and they've named him Pierce. She promised her husband if he'd agree to have a THIRD child, (yes, she loves parenthood that much!) she would let her husband get a boat. Thus the theme of little Pierce's bedroom: Ahoy, it's a boy. Here's my rendition in quilt form--Minkee on back, of course!

A Finished Top!

Remember the Wagon Wheels blocks I made a couple of weeks ago in a Sandy Klop class? I decided 4 would be enough what with sashing, a first border, a piano keys second border and another plain border. (I'm loving that red!) This finished 44" square and is the perfect size for the wall quilt rack in my foyer. AND, since this week commemorates the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, the Civil War reproduction fabrics I used are appropriate. I was able to show this top to my Civil War-buff husband on Father's Day, promising him I would finish quilting it within a couple of weeks. 

Here's the quilt I just hung in my foyer rack: the block exchange I did with my quilting group, the Calendar Girls, at the end of last year. Really gets me in the spirit for the 4th of July!

Did you post your week's efforts on Judy's Design Wall Monday?