Today was my first day using a Nolting quilting machine. Earlier this week I took the certification class at Quilted Memories and then I rented time to do this quilt. The shop is only 15 minutes away, so I was home by 1, which left plenty of time to run around with my husband this afternoon.
The lighting is poor in this picture so the quilting shows up. A better picture of the quilt is HERE. My plan is to get the binding and label done in time for a complete revel on Monday.
A couple of weeks ago I went to see the Kansas City Star Quilt Show. They were showing quilts from various Kansas City Star authors. Can you guess whose quilt this is? (No, I’m not touching the quilt.)
Yes, it’s Bonnie Hunter’s!
I started to post these pictures to illustrate yesterday’s post, but thought I better ask since I hadn’t seen the quilt or the title to the new book on Bonnie’s website or blog. Bonnie asked me to hold off until she had a cover and she posted that this morning.
At the show, I stood awestruck by Pineapple Crazy I bet I stood there for a good 5 minutes just taking in the quilt. And I wasn’t the only one.
Bonnie has a great picture of this quilt – and all the others in her book on today’s post. I’m not sure which pattern I want to do first — Pineapple Crazy, Jamestown Landing or Zuckerwatte. Perhaps I should finish Orca Bay before my copy of the book arrives.
Bonnie is taking pre-orders for String Fling. When Google Reader recognized a new post from her blog, I immediately popped over and placed my order. ( I think her post is at 11:45 AM Eastern and my e-mail receipt shows a time stamp of 12:03 PM Eastern — how’s that for fast!)
It’s another great book Bonnie! Check it out and then go order it!
This was supposed to be an applique block. If you have read my blog very long you know how much I much I like doing applique –NOT! Anyway, I thought I’d take another stab at Faux Applique on this block. It’s definitely a work in progress. Another night of stitching and I’ll be done with this block.
At first glance June’s block # 12 will be easier. Two trees and the church.
But first I have to make the backing for Autumn Splendor and make significant progress on Eeyore.
To see how others are doing on their UFOs, check out the links over at Patchwork Times.
When I was in grade school my grandmother would visit and stay for a couple of weeks. I suppose at the time I thought it was so she could celebrate my birthday (28th) – and OK, my sister’s birthday (18th). In reality it was probably so she could help my parents with the many end of the school year activities the three of us were in (dance, twirling, music, Scouting and Camp Fire Girls, school award assemblies and who knows what else I’m missing).
As the wife of an instrumental music teacher I too get involved with end of school activities. This year there were three — the 7th & 8th grade band and strings concert, the 6th grade band & string concert and end of year inventory. That should have left me plenty of time to get my list of quilting goals accomplished.
But I threw quilting extra curricular activities into the mix and I only have myself to blame if I’m exhausted.
The month started off with a quilt show in Lansing, KS. The next week, I attended Stitch and Chat at Quilted Memories where I finished this section of Winter Wonderland.
Then there was the visit to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum in Lincoln, NE and the class with Helen Stubbings at The Quilted Kitty. Here’s my Faux Applique which still needs finishing.
When I got back from Lincoln, I went to MQS, then finished the week by attending my niece’s high school graduation ceremony. And it’s only the 19th.
The following week started off with the Kansas City Star Quilt Show. After that I’m not real sure what I did for the rest of the week, but I finished up the month of extra curricular quilting with the long arm certification class at Quilted Memories.
Here’s a recap of the rest of the quilting I got done this month (so far).
I assembled the top to my Blue & Brown Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler blocks.
Pieced a small section of one block from Just Takes Two – I think this is a block from March.
I finished two of my Christmas BOM blocks:
and worked on the Eyeore quilt. It’s still in pieces, but I’ll try to get a picture of what I’ve got done in the next day or two.
There’s one more day left in the month and I might just get this month’s UFO done — the Mistletoe block. I’m using my new Faux Applique skills to do this block. All that is left if the embroidery.
It looks like June will start off with a bang — I’m making use of my certification class and quilting Autumn Splendor. The only other thing I see on my calendar is the KVQG meeting.
So, check back tomorrow (probably late) to see see what else I managed to squeeze out of May.
I didn’t get as much work done in my sewing room as I would have liked. But I can now cross off both March & April’s UFO. I finished the Ohio Start timely, but also due in March was the Bells. The wreath was April’s UFO. May’s UFO is the Mistletoe block and I have a plan. Now if I can only find the pattern. Apparently I took it out of the binder at the beginning of the month and it’s been buried.
Check out what others have on their design walls by following the links over at Patchwork Times.
This is April’s UFO block. I figure I’m half way through the block now. The leaves and ribbon are fused in place and now I just need to stitch them down. This started off on a dark tan and green window pane plaid, but the thought of making those berries did not excite me – I can’t cut out a decent circle that small. Although it might explain why I was looking at THESE the last couple of weeks.
When I realized my leaves were not fused down, I picked a lighter color background and decided to put my last class to work. I used Helen Stubbing’s Colourque method to Faux Applique the berries. I even have finished the stitching around them!
Perhaps tomorrow, after the oil change in my car I’ll quickly finish up this block and the one from March which also just needs the stitching. Then it will be time to work on this month’s block — or Eeyore.
If I can just stay home and awake I could make more progress on this quilt.
Looks like I’ll be lining Piglet so the finger board doesn’t show through. Those gray blobs are Eeyore’s left feet.
Very little. But then, if you read yesterday’s post you would understand why. The little light brown rectangle thing is for the Eeyore quilt. To be honest, I can’t tell you when I did that last week or the week before. But it’s upon the wall.
I wish my Piglet parts had been up there too. That’s part of why I had to stop and straighten. I couldn’t find Piglet! Turned out I had taken the pins holding him together out and stuff the parts into a zip bag for “safe” keeping.
Last night I finally sat down at my sewing machine. Something I could actually finish probably would have been better to work on, but instead, I pulled out block # 23 from Just Takes 2. I’ve re-drafted the pattern so part of it is paper pieced. This is as far as I got. It’s still not perfect, but it’s so much further along than it was. Three more sections like this, the center and the outer ring and I’ll have it done.
Don’t forget to check out what others have on their design wall by following the links over at Patchwork Times.
It’s been a long and busy week around here. It started off with a road trip to Lincoln, Nebraska, home to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum and The Quilted Kitty. The trip was so I could attended a Colurque Class taught by Helen Stubbings from Hugs & Kisses. My friend T and I drove up a day early to visit the Museum. So that was Sunday and Monday.
Tuesday the evening was spent assisting my husband in preparing for the 6th grade band and string concert. Certificates to print and t-shirts to wash. Oh, there was that quick trip to Hobby Lobby which set me back a few yards.
Wednesday was a quilty type day. I went to the Machine Quilter’s Showcase. Breath taking quilting and vendors to visit. A few notions came home with me, but no fabric.
Thursday was the big concert. Afterwards I helped to clear the stage and fell into bed when I got home.
Friday I collapsed after work. Imagine that! I woke up in time to make a quick dash to Jo-Ann’s for a couple of pieces a fabric for the Eeyore quilt and thread.
Saturday morning was more dashing around. First up was driver’s license renewal. Then I spotted a sign that said “quilt exhibit”. The Raytown Historical Society has a small quilt exhibit that I stopped in to see. When I got home there as a little bit of house cleaning and straighten my sewing room. Then it was off to Sedalia, Missouri to see my niece graduate from high school. She loved the quilt, so I didn’t get to bring it home. Again I collapsed into bed when I got home.
This morning, I’m moving slowly, but plan to take in the quilt exhibit at the Kansas City Star, and then maybe, just maybe get a little bit of work done on the Eeyore quilt. I haven’t looked at my schedule for the rest of the week. I’m afraid to.
If you’ve read this far, here’s the results of my shopping and not stitching.
Fabric Added Last Week: 13.125 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 59.338 yards
Fabric Used Last Week: 0 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 32.562 yards
Net Used for the year -26.776 yards
Hop over to Judy’s to see if anyone else was able to quilt this past week.
I headed over to Hobby Lobby this evening to pick up more fabric for my Just Takes 2 quilt. My plan was to pick up 3 yards each. I ended up only getting two yards as this gorgeous turquoise and lavender paisley jumped into my cart.
I have no idea what I’m going to do with it. It’s been so long since I bought fabric just because I liked it, I had a hard time deciding how much I needed wanted. In the end I bought 4 yards of the paisley, 2 yards of the yellow (I’m thinking background), 1 yard of the blue and 1 5/8 yards of the lavender since that was what the cut piece measured. I hope this gives me enough to make something cool — and if I have to add to it from my stash, that’s alright too.
Now, to get a few other things done so I can work with this new fabric.
