What’s On My Design Wall

January 25, 2010 4:50 am ⋅ Pam

This is one of the blocks from Dancing Flowers that is on my design wall. I have a picture of all the blocks I have done, but it’s on my external hard drive and I’m not at home so can’t get the picture.

This is the 2nd UFO I want to finish this year. I took an on-line class from QuiltCampus in early 2007. Yes, this is applique, and “I do not applique”. At the time I was thinking about setting some black and bright swap blocks with a vertical sashing strip with appliqued flowers. I’ve since changed my mind, but this quilt was already started. There are four blocks with appliqued flowers and the cornerstones have appliqued hearts. I have two of the blocks and the cornerstones completed. Most of the pieces are cut out and prepped for the other two blocks.

Before I do any more work on this quilt though, I need to finish the quilt I started Saturday. So in the meantime I’ll leave this on the wall and consider what I’m going to use for sashing. When I get home, I’ll try to remember to post the other picture.

To see what other quilters are working on, check out Judy’s page.

Posted in: designwall

The Quilt is a Race Track

January 24, 2010 7:44 pm ⋅ Pam

When my nephew got up from his nap he had the quilt I made him for Christmas with him. We had to convince him to put it up for dinner. Afterwards, we let him get it out and he showed me how he used it as a race track for his cars. I think he likes it.

Posted in: race cars

Stash Report

January 24, 2010 7:30 am ⋅ Pam

It was a good week. I stopped at a quilt shop on the way to the guild meeting, but only picked up 4 FQ and a Thimblelady Thimble. I also am counting the charm pack I won from Prairie Moon Quilts.

Lots of little projects to use up fabrics – binding for Music Lessons, SBS BOW, cut the binding for Ladder to the Stars so I won’t use it for something else, finished Part 4 of Carolina Christmas and the last 40 pickets for Oklahoma Backroads and then cut fabric for a new quilt. Believe it or not, it only adds up to 5.469 yards.

Fabric Added this Week: 1.0 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 1.684 yards

Fabric Used this Week: 5.469 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 15.184 yards

Net Stash for 2010: -13.5 yard

I’m pretty happy with my totals so far. Next week or the week after I’ll have to buy backing, for the new quilt, but it will get counted out almost immediately.

See how others are doing by checking out Judy’s blog.

Posted in: Stash Busting Report

Carolina Christmas Part 4

January 23, 2010 12:40 pm ⋅ Pam

A few minutes ago I finished Part 4 of Bonnie Hunter’s Carolina Christmas. I think the next steps are making the blocks from all the parts and pieces I’ve made so far.

Since this quilt has no deadline – well, I’d like to get the top done before I meet Bonnie when she visits the quilt guild in May – I’m going to set it aside and put Part 5 on my list of things to do in February. In the meantime, I have another UFO on my design wall, but I think even that is going to get set aside for a few weeks.

This morning I decided that I’m going to make my mom a quilt for her 70th birthday next month. This is the same quilt I didn’t make last year about this time because I didn’t think I could get it done timely and would end up with a UFO on my hands. Well, I’m motivated this year, so we’ll see how it goes.

Posted in: Carolina Christmas

Wind-Up for the Weekend

January 22, 2010 7:30 am ⋅ Pam

I plan on finishing Part 4 of Carolina Christmas this weekend. After that who knows.

See what other quilters will be working on this weekend over at Tamara’s blog.

Posted in: Wind-Up

$10 Quilt Frame?

January 21, 2010 9:14 pm ⋅ Pam

Not really, but we did only spend $10 on a pair of PVC pipe cutters to make my Q-Snap frame easier for me to use.

My husband found some 1 1/4″ PVC pipe in the garage that he no longer was using. We cut 4 pieces 3″ shorter than the Q-Snap short pieces. We also took off the lifts and now I can work on both sides of the frame and more importantly reach the middle. It’s not perfect (note the belts holding the quilt up off the floor), but it beats the heck out of spending big bucks for a frame that I might never use after I finish this quilt.

No Q-Snap parts were harmed during this retro fit.

Posted in: hand quilting

It’s an Empty Project Box!

January 21, 2010 7:30 am ⋅ Pam

No, this does not mean I’ve finished anything new. It does however mean, I’ve moved a quilt from the pieces stage to the top stage and more importantly dealt with the left over fabric. Last night after I cut up my 15 minutes of pressed scraps, I pulled down the project box for Ladder to the Stars. I have left over red, gold and blue fabric — well the blue wasn’t totally leftover — part of it was for the binding. So, I cut, seamed and pressed the binding, then put it with the quilt top in my quilt top box. I’ll get it quilted eventually, but it’s not on the list at the moment. Once that was taken care of I put the larger pieces (anything bigger than a FQ) in the appropriate color box and chopped up the rest for my pre-cut boxes.

I’m sure the box won’t be empty long. Once I finish Part 4 of Carolina Christmas, it won’t fit in the shoe box. That box won’t stay empty long either — several of my pre-cut boxes are stuffed so it will become an overflow box.

For the record, this is a ArtBin Deep Super Satchel One Compartment # 9000AB. I have a dozen of them and they are great keeping projects together. They stack neatly and with the handle, I can just grab the box and go. They are pricey, but I bought mine with 40% or 50% coupons or when they were on sale at Jo-Ann’s and Hobby Lobby – one or two at a time.

Posted in: scraps

QA Wednesday

January 20, 2010 8:09 am ⋅ Pam

Quilting Accountability.

Last week the goals were:

Finish the Music Quilt – Done.
Keep up with the weekly Sylvia’sBridal Sampler Blocks – Done.
Spend 3 1/2 hours of quilting on the Double Wedding Ring – 30 minutes a day. I’ve done that. However, I haven’t gotten as much done as I’d like. I really want to finish a about 1 1/4 ring each week and my speed simply isn’t there yet.

For the next 7 days:

I will continue hand quilting the DWR 30 minutes a day – this is a long term project 🙂
Keep up with the Sylvia’s Bridal Sampler BOW – another long term project
Work on Carolina Christmas. I want to finish Step 4 by the end of the month
Working on my scrap basket. My goal is to have it empty by the July quilt guild meeting. So I’m going to press for 15 minutes and then cut up the scraps Bonnie style.

Wasn’t this basket half empty back in July?

Thanks Bari for starting the Accountability Challenge.

Posted in: goals

Squishies in the Mail

January 19, 2010 9:12 pm ⋅ Pam

Shelly over at Prairie Moon Quilts hosted a 12-Days of Christmas Giveaway. I was one of the lucky winners on Day Six. Today the package arrived. It is a rustic charm pack and a pattern designed by Shelly.

Thanks, Shelly. I’m looking forward to making up the pattern and playing with my charm squares.

Posted in: giveaways