Field Trips in Fiber

A small finish!

I know it's hard to believe but I have many UFOs in addition to the sizable stash. This is a baby quilt that I made specifically for longarm feather practice a while back. The binding was never completed. I've decided to finish a few of these "near done" projects. Since I was using white thread on the machine to finish the scrubs top I decided to get this one done.

I love this little quilt. It's 36 x 44. I designed it to use 6" charm squares. I used to collect the 6" squares and I have 2 bins of them. It only used 24 squares but it's still cute! The feathers in the sashing and border were my first feathers on a quilt. The pieced strips were quilted with a cross-hatch pattern. You can see that better on the back - a yummy soft flannel.  I'm not sure what I will do with this quilt but I have a few more in a similar pattern that need to be finished. maybe I will donate the lot of them to Project Linus or something. I'm open for ideas!

This one WILL count in stash used, once I figure out how much fabric is in it.

Beginner Sewing Class Sample

I realize that this isn't much to get excited about but these are scrubs for a beginner garment sewing class. I really enjoy teaching beginner sewing classes. It's fun to be there when someone finishes their first sewing project, especially if it's something that they are proud to wear. I am teaching two beginner sewing classes at Quilting Adventures. The first is the Retro Aprons class. I taught this last month. I had two students and neither had made a garment before. One of the students was so stressed at the beginning of class (she was moving to a new home in a week) that I though she was going to break down and cry before lunch. By the end of the day she was enjoying sewing and she finished her apron before going home.

In May I am going to teach some basic garment sewing with a 2-Saturday class to make a simple shirt and elastic waist pants. I like to let the students pick their pattern and I will just provide criteria for pattern selection. For the sample we picked Kwik Sew 2807. I made 3 pieces for the shop sample and did each on a different machine. The green top was done on my Pfaff and has the seams finished with a zig-zag stitch. The pants were made totally on the serger, thanks to the cover stitch and the white print top was done totally on a straight-stitch machine with the seams either top stitched or double stitched. I want to make sure that people know they can sew garments with whatever machine they have. I sure hope I get some students!

Unfortunately, these do not count in stash used for the week. This fabric was supplied by the shop so it never counted as "in". I did use 6 buttons out of the million that I own though!

This and that....

Let's start with the stash report. It's boring this week! Nothing in, nothing out. I've been working on lots of stuff but nothing that uses a lot of fabric.

This week IN: 0

This week OUT: 0

YTD IN: 34.5 yards

YTD out: 61.5 yards

I'm continuing to make progress on my list but there's nothing interesting to show. Yesterday turned into a slow day. After I got all of the financial records sorted I wanted to put some in the attic. The short version of the adventure is that it ended with a bad allergic reaction so I was very sluggish the rest of the day. Today I hope to get the last piece of the scrubs sample made. It's going slow because it's kind of boring. To make it interesting I am using a different machine in each of the 3 pieces: my fancy Pfaff, the serger and a straight stitch only machine.

It's chilly today so I hope to spend the afternoon and evening with my TIF maybe watching an old movie on TV. I did have a nice visitor yesterday. The Great Blue Heron came by to do a little fishing. Here's a close up taken from inside my living room!

As soon as I tried to open the window for a better shot he flew away. I always get excited to see the Heron visit. During drought years when the pond levels are down it's fun to watch him stalk around the edge of the pond.

All-in-all, not a bad day!

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Bird Watch

She's feathering her nest now! The previous post is here.

TGIF with a list!

Ahhhh, it's the weekend again! I've been working my list diligently since last weekend. I don't have everything done but I've made good progress.

• Finish the Chinese Coins QOV (it's half quilted and then needs binding)
• Prepare a set of fabric printer sheets (so I can print QOV labels for the 3 quilts) I got the fabric treated but I haven't cut it and fused it to the freezer paper sheets yet. It turned out that I had enough sheets ready to do the QOV labels. I'll get the freezer paper sheets done tonight.
• Make the matching pillowcases for the 3 QOV quilts and the quilts are in the mail to Walter Reed
• Organize the taxes - uh, no. I had a lot of excuses on this one but it has to be the FIRST thing I do tomorrow morning before any fun commences.
• Make a batch of soap A batch of Shea Butter soap is curing now.
• Finish my Fibre&Stitch article
• Make the scrubs samples for the Quilting Adventures class This is half done.
• Make the MQResource sapphire postcards

Last night I felt like I had been doing nothing but working. Most of the things on my list were "finishing tasks". I needed a treat! Sue B has been doing a lot of painting on brown paper so I decided to give it a try last night. It's so nice to have a dyeing and painting area set up permanently. I was able to spend some time playing. In about an hour I had these done and all of the mess cleaned up. That clean up part is going to get even easier in a week. The plumber is going to install a double utility sink in the basement in my dye area! The basement is below the septic so it will have a pump but it's going to be great and should save my kitchen from the inevitable big paint or dye spill.

I have a specific plan for these papers but I will share that on another day.

This weekend is basically a continuation of the remaining tasks from last week.

• FIRST - Get our taxes together!
• Finish the scrubs pattern sample for my Quilting Adventures class.
• Make a batch of lotion
• Finish my March Take If Further piece

What are you doing this weekend?

Bird Watch

Sorry, no fiber post today. I'm working diligently through my list but there's nothing photo worthy! These bird photos will have to hold you for a day or so!

Here are the Bluebird nest boxes. I think Chris was right that one pair was building in both boxes. It appears they have selected Box 1. I believe we will have eggs in Box 1 soon! There's virtually no progress on box 2 in the last 3 days. The previous update is here. If it looks the same this weekend I will clean it out for another couple to try.

Here are a few more photos that I've taken in the past 2 days.

The Red-winged blackbirds have returned

I've seen lots of American Robins around

The Goldfinches are getting their summer plumage

and Stanley visited me today. He likes to walk with anyone but you have to play "stick" with him. Sometimes he plays "branch". You have to be careful when he plays "branch" because he likes to walk right next to you. I've been swept and poked when he's playing "branch". He's not partiularly bright but he's sweet.

Bird Watch

The Bluebirds are busy! The previous post is here.

Birthstone Postcards

The theme for the current MQResource swap is "birthstone". This one was difficult for me to design and I can't blame anyone but myself - it was my idea! I always seem to struggle with my own themes.

My birthstone is Sapphire. I knew that I wanted to use some blue sapphire silk that Kim gave me and I knew that I wanted to experiment with some bobbin embroidery. I had also purchased a lot of blue and crystal hit fix crystals at the quilt show in February. Those were the ingredients. Off I went to the Internet and my books to find some clip art to use for my image and that's where I got stuck. I finally narrowed the theme to using a bird image. Since Chris and I both have our birthday in September I decided on 2 birds. Another search of Microsoft Clip Art and here's what I found. It's really not my style - way to sappy! But it worked and I learned a lot about bobbin embroider along the way! The thread is Superior Razzle Dazzle.

I did have fun with Chris though when I showed him the card and told him it represented us. That was certainly worth the laugh!

Here are the other cards that I have received so far:

Diamonds from Gretchen:

Rubies from Shirley:

Blue Topaz from Michelle:

Peridot from Becca:

Aquamarine from Gayle:

Easter Stash Report

I don't have a fiber photo for you today so I'll share this photo of the blooms on our peach tree. We never get any peaches off this tree. Just as the peaches are getting ripe the deer eat every single peach! We go out on a morning and find the ground covered in peach pits.

I have a GREAT stash report this week! As of last week I had YTD 33 yards in and 17 yards out.

I'm not counting Anne's gift and you all seemed to agree that's fair. My only other addition was 1.5 yards of this Monkey N Around fabric. I'm making a baby quilt for a friend and she picked this as her theme. I was so happy, I love the sock monkey fabrics! This is a good example of the discipline that I am trying to develop around buying fabrics. I decided that I would design the quilt before buying the remaining fabrics. Usually I would just buy about 6 times more than I needed so that I could make "whatever".

But I have a great "out" report this week! First the fabric from my Chinese Coins QOV. I don't count any fabric until the project is totally complete. According to EQ this pattern uses about 9 yards of fabric. I think that's an over-estimation so I'm going to count 7.5 yards for the top and 6 for the back. I dyed 7 for the back but had some left over that went back into the stash. I also used about a yard for the pillowcase. That's 14.5 for this quilt.

When I went to my Guild meeting last week one of the members did an amazing show and tell of about a dozen children's quilt tops that she has been making for a couple of local groups. One of the things she is doing is making nap quilts for a local Head Start program. She asked for donations of bright kids fabrics. I decided that some of my fabrics needed to be in her quilts so I put together a box of 30 yards of fabrics - everything from large yardage to fat quarters. She also took about 7 bags of poly batting - stuff that I had bought to for practice on my longarm but never used. She took a box and a large black trash bag from my sewing room and you can't even tell! Pitiful.

This week IN: 1.5 yards

This week OUT: 44.5 yards !!!!!!!

YTD IN: 34.5 yards

YTD out: 61.5 yards

Net OUT 27 yards. Finally, some progress in the right direction. Please let me have some tiny bit of self-control at MQX.

The third QOV is done!

Last night I finished the quilting, this morning I put the binding on and all three QOV (Quilt of Valor) quilts have now been washed. All that's left to do is sew on the labels. That's a project for American Idol next week! You can see the other two QOV quilts here and here.

This pattern is based on several Chinese Coin quilts designed by Mary for the Heartstrings Project. My pattern is here.  Mary's patterns are  here. The finished quilt is 64" x 78".

In the close up on the right you can see the quilting. I used the Ebb & Flow pantograph with Superior King Tut thread on top and Superior So Fine in the bobbin. You might remember that I was worried that the orange thread was too bright. You said it was OK and you were right. I love the end result. I like this quilt so much that I think I am going to start another - from stash fabric of course!

I even finished the pillowcases for all three QOV quilts!

I used Warm & Natural batting in all three QOV quilts. I know that  lot of people think that W&N is too stiff. I often prewash my W&N batting and that softens it up considerably. All three quilts are very soft and snuggly after being washed.

2008 Bird Watch

Chris started building Bluebird nest boxes shortly after we moved here 10 years ago. We love watching the birds nest each year. He adjusts positions as we watch the bird behavior and assess the best locations. We have found that the birds have the best survival opportunity if we place the nest boxes about 10 feet or more from the areas that we let grow natural. If the box is in the natural areas the baby bluebirds most often become snake dinner. We now have 3 bluebird boxes. Two of them are pretty reliable for bluebirds and one is most reliable for Tree Swallows.

This year he added boxes for Chickadees, Wrens and Wood Ducks. We are going to try to post frequent photos of the activity in the boxes. First, I'll show you where he placed the nest boxes.

We live on a 10 acre lot. This first photo is taken in front of the house looking toward the road. All three Bluebird boxes are in the front. There are two on the right and one on the left, just beyond the garden.

Here's the view from the furthest box looking back toward the house. There is a pond to the left of the house (behind the guest house) and the river runs behind the house.

Here's Bluebird Box #3. It's the closets to the house. All three boxes are position so that the front (opening) of the box is 10 - 15 feet from a tree so that the Bluebirds have a place to perch while guarding the nest.

He put up two Wood Duck boxes. We are are only "moderately hopeful" that we will get any Wood Ducks to nest but it was worth a try!

The first one is in the pond. This pond is just behind the guest house. See the second photo above for a point of reference.

He put the second one down by the river.

The next two boxes are the Chickadee and Wren boxes. There are several types of birds that might nest in these boxes. We've named them just based on the box pattern name.

This is the Chickadee box. If you are looking at the front of the house, it's to the right behind the garage. I can see this one from my "TV/Internet chair". That tree at the right edge of the photo is one of our bird feeder stations. We have seen Chickadees checking this one out already!

This is the Wren box. It is behind the house. Chris placed it so that I would be able to see it from my sewing room.

Now you have the settings. Here are the first photos of the 2008 birding season!

The early birds are building in Bluebird Box 1

But Bluebird Box 2 is also starting. The other properties are still vacant.

(I hope my friends D & C from New Hampshire will come to visit me again this year to see all of the birds nesting.)

To-Do or Will-Do?

Thanks to everyone who posted a comment on my Enablers post. It was fun and funny to read all of the responses!

I'm posting about lists because it's the weekend for me. Tomorrow is a holiday! Today, as I was counting away the work day to get to the weekend, I was thinking about my list for the weekend and thinking about list-making in general. I love my lists. I have several of them: work to-do list, home to-do list, hobby to-do list, shopping list, wish list, husband's to-do list, husband's grocery list....you get the picture. I love lists. I have so many that they run into my next lifetime.

Sasha Cagen also loves lists. She has devoted her blog to gathering up to do lists for just about everything in life. She has now even published a lot of them in her book, to-do list. I wondered just how many books about to-do lists there might be. A search of "to do list" on Barnes and Noble yielded 877 books! Amazing! That proves that there are a lot of other people like me out there that live by the list.

Don't like to-do lists? Maybe you would prefer using will-do lists. That approach is from the blog Litemind. It's all about using the brain more efficiently. There's some pretty interesting stuff out there.

But back to me. :)

My weekend is starting now and here's my list. I suppose that technically it really is a will-do list since it's a subset of all of my to-do lists.

• Finish the Chinese Coins QOV (it's half quilted and then needs binding)
• Prepare a set of fabric printer sheets (so I can print QOV labels for the 3 quilts)
• Make the matching pillowcases for the 3 QOV quilts
• Organize the taxes
• Make a batch of soap
• Finish my Fibre&Stitch article
• Make the scrubs samples for the Quilting Adventures class
• Make the MQResource sapphire postcards

I might also get to work on my March Take It Further Challenge. I'll have 3 days after all!

Enablers

My friend Anne knows that I am trying to get control over my fabric stash. What does she do to help? She buys me fabric! 

Finding these on my desk yesterday was a great way to greet a Monday morning! She knows me well. These are two collections that I have been resisting from my LQS. The stack on the left is "Kasuri" from Hoffman and the group on the right is "Bohemian Manor" from In The Beginning.

This situation, however, creates a few dilemmas.

If I didn't buy it does it really count as adding to the stash?  It does add bulk, there's no getting around that fact. It's 6 1/4 yards of additional bulk! But technically I didn't BUY it. Do I give myself "good intentions credit" and only count half of it in my stash report? What to do!!

These enablers are everywhere. What do we do about them? Once you determine how to treat the gift, what do you do about these enablers? Enablers of fabric addictions may be perfectly well-meaning but they are ultimately very bad people! The throw our new tender fabric control persona into a tailspin. Now I might need to buy yardage for borders for these fabrics. And if I'm getting border fabric then I msut also buy the backing too! Next thing you know I will have increased that 6 1/4 yards to 45!

Do you chastise the enablers for giving you fabric? I don't think so! After all, she bought me fabrics that I've been coveting and resisted buying myself. We don't necessarily want to discourage that behavior and they are the only friends we have. Are we willing to lose a friend over a fat quarter? I don't think so but there must be a limit - maybe it's around 6 1/2 yards.

Do I punish her by buying her some fabric for her overflowing stash? It's an idea. But that opens a possible stash accounting loophole. If I buy her fabric every time she buys me fabric then aren't I really paying for the fabric she bought me? Yes, I think so and the next step off that cliff is collusion. We would all just set up secret wish lists and we would all start arranging to buy "gifts" for each other. That could be really ugly and the next thing you know unemployed Arthur Anderson auditors would  be all over our blog stash finances. That would be a controversy that would turn the sewing blog world upside down.

It's a conundrum. What would you do? Besides telling this best of all friend "Thank you "!

Weekend In Review

Spring is finally arriving. Here's a little photo of the daffodils in bloom by the pond. Spring is a double-edged swprd for me. It's much prettier outside but it means that I go back indoors for Spring - Summer - Fall allergy seasons. I can't complain though. We had a much longer winter this year and I'll son be eating fresh veggies from Chris' garden.

Lets start with the Stash Control report. I didn't buy anything this week and I packed up about 6 yards of strings and pieces larger than 1/2 yard to send to someone making QOV quilts.  I didn't actually total my purchases from last week but it was about 28 yards. I went back through my previous posts and I think I have my year to date stats calculated as:

This week IN: zero

This week OUT: 6 yards

YTD IN: 33 yards

YTD OUT: 17 yards

Net: IN 17 yards

There will be some real stash reduction in next week's report!

I haven't gotten as much done as I wanted this weekend. I finished Wanda's second QOV quilt and that's about it so far. Thats A-OK because I had a great time Friday with my nephew. I picked him up at the Eastern Trombone Workshop sponsored by the US Army Band at Ft. Myer in Arlington. Ft. Myer is the base that serves Arlington Cemetery. The Post Chapel is where many of the funerals for Arlington Cemetery take place and was right next door to the building where James was attending his Workshop. This little Chapel is also where Chris and I got married 20 years ago. It was very cool to see it again!

After the Trombone extravaganza we headed to the State Theater, in Falls Church, for the Pat Metheny concert. His music isn't everyone's cup of tea. It's what I call "art music". It's very technical and experimental and the concert was awesome! Take a look at this video and you'll get a taste of his music and will see his custom "guitar" Pikasso I.

Pat Metheny Video

 

Wanda's Hearts and Stars QOV

Here is the second QOV quilt top that Wanda made. Isn't it perfect for a QOV?  I quilted it with the Ebb and Flow panto using Superior So Fine! thread. This fabric in the quilt, front and back, is super soft flannel. Here's a close up of one of the blocks.

Thanks Wanda for another fun quilt!

Friday list

It's not going to be a very quilty weekend but it's going to be fun anyway. This afternoon I'm driving up to Northern Virginia to pick up my nephew for spring break. We are going to a Pat Metheny concert this evening in Falls Church before heading home. Tomorrow his Dad is coming to pick him up to take him the rest of the way home. Mom is coming to town to visit with her Grandson so we will all have a nice lunch together. We don't get to do that very often so it will be a nice treat for the weekend.

I have a few things that I need to get accomplished this weekend:

• organize the taxes
• make my MQResource postcards

If I have time I would like to:

• finish quilting my QOV quilt
• put the binding on one of the two remaining QOV quilts.

We'll see how it all goes!

Pinwheel QOV

This is the first QOV quilt of the year. It's one of several quilts that Wanda and I are collaborating on. I absolutely love this quilt! The pinwheels are dimensional. You can see it in the close up photo below. I quilted it with an overall spiral pattern using Superior Rainbows thread in the needed and So Fine in the bobbin.

After it was quilted I added a button to the center of each pinwheel. I think this is a very cheerful quilt and perfect for a female QOV. I have two more QOV quilts to complete this weekend and then they will all three be shipped off together.

Thanks, Wanda, for letting me work on these quilts with you!

 

Flora's Quilts!

Several (at least 6) years ago my Aunt Edna gave me all of the quilting stuff that was left by my Great-Grandmother Flora. The box included 3 quit tops. I quilted the first one in 2006 for my Aunt and posted about it and Flora here. Now I have finally finished the last two tops. Mom is going to put the labels on and I believe these quilts will go to two of her cousins.

They are both quilted with my Quilt EZ Baptist Fan template using Superior So Fine! thread. The Baptist Fan pattern was perfect for dealing with some of the fullness in the blocks and borders. Here are the quilts!

Maple Leaf, approximately 68" x 84"

Rolling Stone or Broken Wheel (This quilt could be either pattern. Both patterns are the same layout but the fabric layout is different. Flora's quilt doesn't match either exactly.)

You might be wondering just what's left in the Flora box. Let's take a gander!

There's this center for a hand-pieced Trip Around the World. Mom has one of Flora's TATW quilts. I'm not sure what I would do with this. Maybe quilt it and make it a wall hanging.

I have about 8 of these foundation pieced stars. They are huge! They make about 25" blocks. I don't have a clue what to do with them.

There were also a whole set of pieced curves for a Double Wedding Ring. Mom and Dad got one of her DWR quilts when they got married. Mom now has the DWR blocks so that responsibility is off my plate! I have these star blocks. I haven't researched the blocks but I have bought a couple of pieces of vintage fabric that I've bought for sashing. I love these blocks.

Finally, the coolest thing in the box are Flora's pattern blocks. She made sample blocks of the patterns that she used. You can tell the ones that she actually used because the pattern pieces are full of pin holes!

For now everything is going back into the box. It's time for me to get a few other projects done.

 

Thank you Michele!

I had a lovely surprise in the mail today when I received the notebook in this post from Michele. Thank you Michele, I love it!

Be sure to check out Michele's blog, she does some great projects and she just did an excellent post about the pros and cons of online classes. She's currently taking Sue Bleiweiss' Mixed Media class at joggles.

Bad Vicki. Bad, bad Vicki.

You know it's going to be a fun day when you arrive at the first fabric store and Kim has already secured a shopping cart! She only beat us there by 5 minutes. Kim and Denise were having so much fun and I thought it would be rude not to join in. So I jumped in with both feet!

Our first stop was Quilting Adventures where Kim took advantage of a great rayon batik sale and Denise bought several quilt backs and a bag of fat quarters. I found this red, white and blue stripe to use in future QOV quilts and the ugly print at 60% off to use for my metallic painting technique. Quilting Adventures has also started selling Wonderfil Invisafil. I've been using the black and I love it so I picked up white and beige.

We had to break for lunch before heading to Quilter's Corner in Midlothian. It's like we won prizes! I bought waayyy too much stuff but Denise needed the support. I totally fell in love with the Moda Mary Engelbreit Friends and Flowers fabric. Wasn't I lucky that they had the entire collection in a fat quarter bundle. I picked up another fat quarter bundle of bright tone-on-tone fabrics. Of the large pieces the two on the left were on sale, the green floral was a pure frivolous purchase, the stripes are for possible QOV quilts and the sport print is for a couple of Project Linus quilts using Mary's quick quilt pattern.

I think I've been a very good friend today.

Total stash Used: ZERO!

Total stash added: a lot

A very productive day!

Denise doesn't arrive until this evening so I had the day to do all of my weekend chores. Not only did I get the laundry done but I made a new batch of soap, finished quilting Wanda's second QOV quilt, started quilting my QOV and made some gluten-free cupcakes for Denise. The cupcake recipe is from the vegan cupcake cookbook that I mentioned yesterday. We were pleasantly surprised that the gluten-free cupcakes are awesome! They are a little denser than the vegan vanilla cupcake so they will be perfect for strawberry shortcake this Spring.

I am using the Ebb and Flow panto on both quilts. On the flannel quilt I used So Fine thread in an ivory color. I should have used a heavier thread, like King Tut, because the So Fine really doesn't show. On this quilt I was determined to have the quilting show. I used King Tut in a variegated orange. Oh, it shows alright! I swung that pendulum to the other extreme. I should have used the darker orange King Tut thread that I have. I consulted with my reliable quilting critic and he said it wasn't so bad and continue on. That's what I'm doing. At least when it's done it will look consistent!  Thread selection can be a tricky business.

Almond Avocado Soap

Another new soap recipe! I expect it to be similar to the Almond Mango or Shea Butter soaps. I made this one up because I had the Almond butter and Avocado oil that I needed to use. I'll post the results in a few weeks.

Almond Butter 4 oz.

Avocado Oil 4 oz

Coconut Oil 10 oz

Olive Oil 4.5 oz

Palm Oil 8 oz.

Stearic Acid .5 oz

Castor Oil 1 oz.

Lye 4.6 oz

Distilled Water 12.15 oz.

Even a rainy Friday is a good Friday

It's rainy and gloomy today but that's A-OK by me because it's Friday anyway! There will not be a lot accomplished on the quilting front because my friend and co-worker, Denise, is coming in tomorrow night from LA! Fortunately, she is NOT going through Dallas where my friend Anne has been stranded. I hope Anne makes it back tonight because she is supposed to leave tomorrow for a conference in San Diego. If you have ever held any illusions that business travel is exciting and fun, think again! As far as I'm concerned, unless you can tack some fabric or other related shopping on to the business trip, it's totally unappealing.

So, back to Denise. In the name of friendship I am probably going to break my fabric control streak Sunday because she desperately NEEDS to go fabric shopping. Kim and I, being the stellar friends that we are, will take Denise to every fabric store that she wants to visit. I am certain that Denise will need for us to show support with some sympathy purchases. I'm nothing if not a good and loyal friend!

I will not get much done on my own project list because I want to make things comfortable for Denise. I need to get the guest room ready and make some gluten-free cupcakes for her. The two of us eating together is a riot. She can eat most everything I am allergic to and I can eat most everything that she can't! Lately I have been making vegan cupcakes. I'm allergic to dairy and eggs and I really, really miss having cakes and cookies. I've found a couple of recipes over the years that I use but I really wanted more variety. Let's be honest, most vegan food tastes like grass. When I want cake I want "real" cake. Not healthy, low fat, high fiber grass cake. I found a vegan cupcake  recipe book recently and the recipes ROCK!!! Even Chris likes the lemon cupcakes and last night I made the orange pudding cupcakes. We will probably eat all of them tonight. I noticed that it has a gluten-free recipe too so I am making those tomorrow for Denise. First I have to go to the store and buy about 16 different types of non-wheat flour. I can't wait to see how they taste!

Have a great weekend yourself and I'll see you again late Sunday or early Monday with a fabric confession report!

March Take It Further Challenge

I just realized that I had not commented on my response to the March challenge.

The them this month is to pay attention to the tiny details and the color palette is

I love the color palette but I decided that the message to pay attention to the details was a sign to go back to my February piece and take the time to make it right. I can add some more fibers, beads and other details to fix my horizon line and the light. I like that piece and want to make it more right. So at the end of March you will see a re-run.

A longarming first!

Where's the confetti and streamers? I've finished off my first full cone of thread! I feel like I've graduated from Longarm Elementary School. Aren't balloons supposed to drop from the ceiling or something? Of course it's Superior So Fine in color 402. Is there a more popular thread in the Superior collection?

I am working on the second of the QOV quit tops from Wanda. I'm using the Ebb and Flow pantograph.  This one is flannel and it's so perfect for a QOV. I probably should have used a heavier thread, like King Tut, but it's still going to be nice as is. I think this one wil be done this weekend.

PS: I do have another cone of that thread to finish the quilt.

A QOV done and weekend wrap-up

I didn't get a chance to post last night. Kim came over and we had a nice dinner and visited through the watching and ridiculing of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. What a lame movie. It was saved by the "scenery" though. I had big plans for the weekend. Let's see how I did.

Get Chris' sauna assembled and installed.  First task accomplished!

QOV quilting I was into it so I kept going and finished the quilt.

Fibre&Stitch article Finished all of the photographs

March birthday postcards

Shop sample and class description for the scrubs class

I didn't get anything done on the last two tasks because I got wrapped up in completing the QOV quilt. I'll show a full size photo at a later date but you can see in this photo that I did overall swirls. I used a Superior Rainbows in Berry Delightful. I swear that thread was designed for the fabrics in this quilt. It was a perfect match! I used Superior So Fine in Antique Rose in the bobbin. After looking at it finished Kim and I thought that it would be cute with buttons in the pinwheels. So I searched through my vast button collection for a good variety and attached them with DMC embroidery floss. This quilt top was perfectly pieced by Wanda.

I have two more QOV tops to quilt by the end of March. Although I didn't stick to the list I think I got quite a lot accomplished this weekend!

I'm in a bind....

That was easy! It's amazing how well made kits are there days. This one from Costco went together in about an hour and a half and that included all of the clean up too. Not only did it go togther quickly, it actually works as advertised! Chris is happy so I'm happy. :)

I could have joined Judy's Quiltathon given all of the quilting I accomplished yesterday! The theme of this weekend is turning out to be "binding". I finished all of the hand sewing on Flora's maple leaf quilt and made the binding for her second quilt. The big surprise is that I got all of the quilting done on Wanda's pinwheel QOV. I'll show the quilting when I do the final shots of the quilt after it's done. I did an all over swirl except for the pinwheels and light squares. I like how it turned out and I got the binding made for that one too. Today I will sew binding to these 2 quilts and work on my F&S article photos.

Kim is coming over for dinner. Chris is making crab cakes. Yum!!

Stash Report

Now that Flora's first quilt is done I can report the backing and binding fabric as offically OUT of the stash! I did not purchase any fabric this week but I did restock lots of MistyFuse but that doesn't count.

In: zero!

Out: 6.5 yards