Quarter-Inch Capers

Quilt Film

2011-02-19T10:34:00.000-06:00

I wanted to share a link to a short film that took traditional quilt block patterns and used computer graphics to tesselate the patterns. All mathematicians love tesselations so naturally I really enjoyed this one done with quilt blocks:

http://blog.nfb.ca/2011/02/17/quilt-fever/

The film is done by the Canadian Film Council.

Why I Haven't Updated My Blog

2011-02-18T12:54:00.000-06:00

I know I've let things go for a while. Maybe no news is good news? Actually I get my fill of computers on a daily basis at work. Sorry to use that four-letter word (w-o-r-k). Here's a picture of my desk at work

By the time I get home, I've had enough of staring into a screen. Not much sewing either--just some pretty mindless stuff and some hand work. I have reading some fiction though--something I don't normally take time for. When I was at the International Quilt Festival, Sandra Dallas was there autographing books, and I bought Maddie Spenser and got it autographed. I liked it so much, I started looking for more. So far, I've read The Persian Pickle Club and Alice's Tulips and am currently reading Prayers for Sale. I've liked them all, and although they're not specifically about quilting, all the main characters are quilters which makes things that much more interesting for me!

Until next time,

Carolyn

Sunday Sewing

2010-10-17T20:12:00.000-05:00

Not much sewing around here lately, or at least not enough to stay caught up with everything I want to get done. A quick trip to the LQS netted some BOM kits priced to sell at $1.00 each. I actually bought nine alike thinking they could be put together for a quick wall hanging. I thought I could hurry through it and get it done, but nooooooo. Here's what happens when I get in a hurry:

One of these block has a problem..... I decided to take a nap before I got it fixed, but I did get it taken apart and put back together the right way.

Other than that, I got some blocks made for one of my monthly swaps.

Three-inch nine patches--very cute, and I like this month's color theme (cheddar and brown) because it worked well for using some of my 1800's repro stash. Even better news: they're not due until the 28th, so I'm ahead of schedule on these for once.

More later,

Carolyn

Blog Giveaway

2010-09-26T09:20:00.000-05:00

Here's something I'd really like to win:

An Accuquilt Go! Cutter. What a great tool for a gadget lover like me! I know Accuquilt has given Go! Cutters to some bloggers to give away on their blogs, but I usually discover them a few days too late. This one I found before the drawing. I'm crossing my fingers that I win!.

UFO's

2010-09-14T20:05:00.001-05:00

I had a long weekend, and it was a rainy one. Perfect for sewing. I actually got a UFO done but forgot to take a pic--I'll try to remember to get one up later. Also found this UFO while looking for something else. I don't know where they all come from, they seem to be multiplying when I'm not looking!

I really don't even remember starting this one....it's several years old as those are some of the first charm packs I'd seen. They're American Jane from Sandy Klopp. The good thing is that it was already cut and about half of the blocks were sewn. All I had to do was finish the sewing, iron, and trim. Now they're all done and ready to be put together. I even had a few left overs from the charm packs:

Not many, but enough to try something fun.......which reminds me that I got a cool new tool. It's called L'il Twister, and it's a template designed specifically for use with charm packs.

So, I saw a demo at the quilt shop and it's supposed to be easy to use...............just sew the charm squares together, add a three inch border, and start cutting.

I added solid red squares to get some more intense color as my leftovers were low-contrast, and here's what I got:

It's quite a bit longer that this, but it wouldn't all fit in the pic. But you get the general idea. Starting at the border, you lay the template with the cross at the intersection of the first block corner and the border. Like this:

and cut all the way around the template.

Here's what it looked like after a few cuts!

And here are the first two rows laid out to sew.

By the way, the sewing is super-easy as there are no intersections except when joining the rows. One word of caution though, all four sides of the square are on the bias--not the true bias, but still stretchy enough that I had to handle them carefully, especially when pressing. I hope to finish getting this together soon and figure out what kind of borders I want. I'm trying to think of a way to use up the little squares that are left over from the cutting to make some type of border.

Later,
Carolyn

First Day of School

2010-08-24T13:41:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the pictures from granddaughter's first day of school (Pre-K).

Guess you can tell who's proud of their new backpack!

Outside the school.

At her table and feeling like a big girl.

With the rest of the class.

Quilt Show

2010-04-25T08:39:00.008-05:00

I had forgotten I'd taken some pictures at the recent Victoria quilt show until I discovered them while looking for someone else. I have few spare minutes this morning so I'll get them uploaded to this post.

This one is the "Rabbits Love Chocolate" BOM from the LQS.

The quilt on the left is a sampler of the shop hop blocks from the Houston International Quilt Festival -- I don't remember what year these are from......

There was a one-block wonder class done at the guild last year--may have been where these two originated.

The last one was my favorite. Wish I would have taken more pictures of it. The colors were so warm and soft, and the piecing was excellent.

Happy quilting,

Carolyn

Rotten Dogs

2010-04-07T21:46:00.005-05:00

Just thought I'd share what I came home to after church tonight. I stopped at the grocery store after work and got everything put away except for one bag. Left for church. Came home to this:

An overturned bag and a carton of dog food with the top gnawed off and licked clean. Who'd have thought they could smell the dog food through the packaging? I was a little annoyed but probably should just be happy they didn't eat all of them. Although... I can't remember for sure how many I bought, and there may be one missing. Rotten little creatures......

Table Runners

2010-04-06T08:33:00.012-05:00

Where has the time gone? I am happy to say that I've gotten lots and lots of things made, finished up some block swaps, and have several UFO tops completed and ready to quilt. I have been on a table runner kick for several months now....I started last year and was able to get some made in time for Christmas...here are pics of three of them, also pics of the recipients:

Melanie is a dog groomer (also a dog lover) so her runner has dogs.

Julia and Nichole got coffee prints to match their kitchens.

After the first of the year, I made two runners for a table runner challenge sponsored by one of my on-line quilting groups. These were my two entries:

Neither one was the winner of the challenge, but I am happy with the way they turned out.

About this time, I saw a short demo at my local quilt shop for a really fast, easy pattern, and I was hooked again! The pattern demo coincided with Easter prints going on sale at the fabric store where I work, and the result was lots of Easter table runners:

I have made several more from the book Let's Do Lunch by Terry Atkinson, but don't have pics as they are not quilted yet. It's a really great book with lots of great patterns; I recommend it to anyone who is looking for patterns for quick gifts. I bought mine at the Calico Cat Quilt Shop in Lake Jackson, Texas, so I know you can get them there if you are interested.

December BOM

2009-12-17T20:10:00.003-06:00

I have been a bad blogger. This is always the busiest time of year for me, and there are so many things I have let slip the past month. I did, however, manage to get the December BOM done. This is the 20th and final block, so now I can sew all my blocks together with the sashing and red cornerstones and have a completed quilt top.

The December block is from Quilterscache and is called Red Cross 2. I used a light background with my Civil War reproduction fabrics, and this is what I ended up with:

The fabric in the background is what I picked to use as sashing. All of my blocks are done in reds and navy blues, and the sashing fabric is a lighter blue with a navy print. I'll be using the same red as the block centers for the sashing cornerstones. I am going to lay out my blocks as soon as I finish this post and get some sashing strips cut so I can get this one finished! I'll post a picture of the top as soon as I get it all together.

Carolyn

November Block of the Month

2009-11-04T18:24:00.004-06:00

I got a BOM made for November--just one more to go to meet my goal of 20 blocks! I already have the sashing fabric picked, so I'm almost ready to start putting them together. I liked the block from Quilter's Cache called Home Circle because it had a technique that none of the other BOM's have used yet. The instructions show it made in one main color plus a background color; I used three colors plus a background color. I used the same red I've been using for the center, a red and navy print for the 4-1/2" circles, and navy print for the squares that make the ring around the center square.

To make the block using more colors, I cut twelve of the 2-1/2" background squares, and eight of the 2-1/2" navy squares. I cut the 4-1/2" squares from the navy and red print. I sewed one of the background squares to the corner of the 4-1/2" squares

and then sewed a navy square to the opposite corner. You sew on the diagonal line you drew on each square.

Trim off the excess fabric between the sewn line and the corner.

and press the remaining triangle to the outside. It should look like this:

Now, add background squares to the other two corners.

Trim the excess fabric and press the triangles out and you have something like this:

Here's a picture of the completed block:

On page two of the instructions, there is a link to a quilt that is made from different bright colors with a light background that would make a cute scrap quilt. On page one, it tells you how many blocks will make a Project Linus quilt which would be really cute.

Happy sewing,

Carolyn

Sometimes Things Just Don't Work Out.......

2009-10-31T19:30:00.003-05:00

....the way you planned. I got the latest issue of Quiltmaker a few weeks ago and was a little too anxious to get my Christmas Lights mystery quilt finished.

So what's wrong with this picture? I managed to sew an entire row with the blocks going the wrong direction! That's what I get for being in such a big hurry. Now I have to unsew and fix the whole bottom corner.

On a better note, look what I found when I was cleaning up in my sewing room:

A charm pack with a matching jelly roll. I already know what I'll do with it; something simple enough that I won't mess up!

Happy sewing,

Carolyn

International Quilt Festival

2009-10-26T09:32:00.010-05:00

I finally got around to looking at all the pictures I took at the International Quilt Festival in Houston and thought I'd share them here. Keep in mind that I didn't photograph all the quilts that were displayed; just the ones that I liked the best, or ones that I have the pattern for and thought of making. It's always nice to see someone else's interpretation of a familiar pattern.

Close-up shots of the quilt above:

A Dear Jane quilt, which I have no desire to make, but I like seeing ones that others have made:

It seems that I am partial to the medalion-style quilts as that is mostly what I took pictures of; odd that I've never made a medalion quilt......I knew that I was partial to the appliqued borders on pieced quilt, and frequently use that technique.

Here's a view from the second floor of the vendor section. There were literally hundreds of different vendors and lots of nice things for sale.

Here's a picture of me with one of my internet quilting friends, Eileen from New York, whom I got to meet at the Festival on Friday. (I'm the one in yellow.)

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures, but they really don't do justice to all the beautiful quilts. If you ever have a chance to attend and are a quilter, I highly recommend the trip.

Carolyn

Another Block of the Month

2009-10-23T06:39:00.002-05:00

Here's another BOM for October. My goal is to get 20 of these ten-inch blocks made and pieced into a quilt top by then end of the year. I bought a yard or so of fabric that I think I want to use for the sashing; I'll try to remember to include a picture of it with the next BOM. Here's a link to the instructions for this block: http://www.quilterscache.com/F/FarmersDaughterBlock.html

It's easy and there are a lot of great color choices for could use for this one.

I have to be at work early this morning, so enough for now. I still have pictures from the International Quilt Festival that I need to get posted--that's one of my "to do's" for the weekend!

What I Did at Camp

2009-10-06T10:23:00.007-05:00

I was MIA for most of September; one of the reasons was that I was able to attend a quilting retreat. If almost takes an act of Congress for me to get away for a few days.....I have to board my dogs, clear my work calendar, reschedule my dad's doctor appointments, and arrange for someone to check on my dad while I'm away. The retreat was three days, included room and meals, and was not that far from down (at the Catholic Retreat Center).

It's a remote enough location that I didn't have cell phone service (maybe a good thing, although it made me a little nervous). No phones, no tv, no computer, nothing to do all day except sew and eat and just generally get myself recharged. I had a private room with bath--I forgot to take a picture of the room, but the pic on the above right shows what the outside of the cabins looks like. We had two large meeting rooms for sewing. Each quilter has a table with electrical outlets and brings their own machine, iron, and all the needed items for sewing. Here are pics of the room I was in with about eight other ladies:

The second room had six or seven ladies. Here they are hard at work (or maybe I should say play):

A beautiful batik paper pieced quilt another quilter was working on. I had to take some pics, but they really don't do it justice........

The meals were okay (especially since we didn't have to fix them ourselves), heavier than what I

would normally eat, and of course, we had plenty of snacks in the workrooms! The second and third days brought heavy rain and thunderstorms. I don't like rain, but can't complain when we've had a drought all summer and are in desperate need of any and all rain. I came home to a green yard full of mushrooms........

Isn't this cool, almost a perfect circle. As for the retreat, I definitely enjoyed it, will go again if I have the opportunity, and best of all, I got a few things finished:

An apron

A pair of pillowcases

Finished a quilt top, about a twin size.....

An on the third day, when my mind was just about numb from hours and hours of sewing, I worked on my normal "mental health" sewing--making nine patch blocks. These are six-inch navy and white to add to my growing collection.

Happy sewing,

Carolyn

October Block of the Month

2009-10-05T21:41:00.004-05:00

I have a new block for October. I chose it from Quilterscache, and it's called Dakota Gold. You can find the instructions here. Be sure and look at the second page of the instructions to see what a finished quilt made from this block would look like. The block is made from 2-1/2" squares and half-square triangles; also four 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangles, two from each of the two main colors. You can construct it in four quadrants which are joined together with the rectangles and the center square. Here's a pic:

And here it is all sewn together:

I apologize (as always) for the quality of the pictures. Photography is not one of my talents. Anyway, enjoy the block!

Carolyn

September Block of the Month x 2

2009-09-26T18:22:00.005-05:00

Since I'm so late this month I did two blocks for September. The first is called Fool's Square, and the instructions are on Quilterscache.

I'm not crazy about the name, but I do like the block, If you look carefully, you might notice that I didn't make it exactly like the instructions. Note the outside centers on the instructions are made from a 6-1/2" rectangle with squares stitched diagonally to either side to form the triangles. I made the same piece with a 2-1/2" square and two half-square triangles. Either way is okay; it was just easier for me to do it the way I did.

The second block is Alpine Cross and although it uses basically the same pieces, they are arranged to give it a different look.

The only challenge with this one is that the four quadrants are mirror images so be sure and have a picture handy when you piece the block as it's easy to get the patches turned around.

That's it for today, but I promise I'll be posting more often. I've got lots of stuff to share.

Carolyn

August Block of the Month

2009-08-03T13:26:00.004-05:00

I've got a new BOM for August. It's an original block from Quilterscache called The Queen's X. To make it you need two color's plus a background color, although I added a third color to mine--the same red I've been using in the center of all my BOM's. The block consists of 2-1/2" squares and half-square triangles, joined together with 2-1/2" x 4-1/2" rectangles. When you join the squares and half-square triangles into four-patch units, notice that two of them are mirror images of the other two. Here's a picture of what I mean:

I wanted to share a trick I learned from one of Darlene Zimmerman's books (sorry, I don't remember which one) for joining four-patch units. Turn the four-patch unit to the wrong side, undo the stitching in the seam allowance at the center, and twist the seam allowances in the opposite directions, so that it will lay flatter when you press the seams. Here's a pic of what I'm trying to say:

And here's a picture of the completed block all sewn together:

I hope to get another block done in August if time permits, so check back around the middle of the month.

Carolyn

Another Giveaway

2009-07-29T13:31:00.002-05:00

There's another good giveaway at QuiltingB29's Quilt Life. Be sure and check out the great prizes she's giving away in honor of her 100th post!

Blog Giveaway

2009-07-28T13:24:00.002-05:00

Here's a giveaway I'd really like to win: http://bittybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2009/07/charmed-gift-bag-giveaway.html. Isn't that the cutest little bag? If you visit the blog, be sure and take a look at the previous entry with the cute quilted placemats. They're just darling.

New Inspiration

2009-07-13T12:13:00.004-05:00

No wonder I can't get my UFO's finished.....there are too many new project calling my name. I got the July/August issue of Quiltmaker magazine primarily for the new Bonnie Hunter mystery that starts in this issue, but I found a new inspiration even though I wasn't looking for one--the Thirty Something quilt project:

I love this quilt, and I've been collecting reproduction thirties fabrics for a long time hoping the "right" project would come along. Something that would justify cutting into all those pretty prints. Here's a pic of some of my fabric--this is just a small sample--LOL!

The quilt requires 56 blocks, but I've already got about 30 of them stitched. Pretty good progress considering I'm hand-sewing them. I hope to hand quilt the finished top; I haven't done any hand quilting in a few years, and I'm surprised how good it feels to have a needle in my hand again.

Happy quilting,

Carolyn

July Block of the Month

2009-07-06T09:16:00.005-05:00

I only managed to get one block of the month posted for June, but I was away for a significant part of the month because of a death in the family. I have been very lucky to still have grandparents living (even at my age!!), but in February 2008 I lost my paternal grandmother, and now in June, my maternal grandmother has gone to heaven. I had planned on a quick trip to West Virginia for the funeral and ended up staying longer than originally planned.

So anyway, on to the block. The one I chose for July is called State of Georgia, and the instructions are on Quilter's Cache.

I had never made this particular block before, but it's easy enough with no new techniques, just simple sqaures and half-square triangles.

Here are all the patches laid out after I finished sewing the hst's.

And, here's the finished block:

When you open the instructions on Quilter's Cache, be sure and click over to the second page to see how the blocks look once they are all put together. It's really neat how the secondary pattern develops and forms "circles" across the quilt. This block would make a great quilt in planned colors or even in scraps if you are careful with the light-medium-dark contrasts.

Have fun sewing!
Carolyn

Birthday Fun

2009-06-10T11:12:00.004-05:00

Kathryn Grace, darling granddaughter and light of my life, is two years old! How about that for a milestone? The birthday party was Saturday at the park.

The problem with a two-year old's birthday party is getting the birthday girl to hold still long enough to get her picture taken.

Apparently, playing on the playground is more fun than singing Happy Birthday or opening presents.

At least she seemed to enjoy the cake! How big a bite did she put in her mouth?!

What I've Been Working On

2009-06-05T10:48:00.004-05:00

I've been busy sewing.....not sure it can be considered quilting though. I got a pattern a few months ago called "Little Glam Bag" and finally got time to try it out. Here's some pics of the five I've made so far.

The one with the cherries is for me (of course!). I really enjoyed making these little bags--each one uses less than a fat quarter quilted to some fusible fleece, and it's a good way to use up some of those little pieces of ribbon and trims that I can't seem to throw away. I also made a set of pillowcases. Sorry the picture's not better--they're already on my bed. I like that novelty fabric with the chocolates on it. Now I can have chocolates on my pillow every night with no calories.

Happy sewing,

Carolyn

Choices

2009-06-02T17:45:00.004-05:00

I recently saw a picture of an old quilt and decided I wanted to figure out how it was made. Before I knew what was happening, I had 24 blocks done! The old quilt in the picture had the blocks set solid without sashing and without borders. I really didn't want to match up all the points on the edges, plus there would be a lot of bulk where the points meet, so I decided to use some sashing. I thought the bright pink would brighten up the blocks which turned out a little more blah than I had envisioned. Of course, the problem I run into when I really have little or no plan is that the planning part of my brain is slow to catch up with the cutting and sewing part! I want to add some cornerstones but can't decide on the color. I thought maybe I could lay out two rows of blocks with a strip of sashing and insert little squares of my two choices and take a picture of it. Sometimes looking at a picture makes it easier to decide--at least for me. Anyhow, I am posting the pictures of both options and asking for opinions. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know which color cornerstones looks better.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Thanks!
Carolyn

June Block of the Month

2009-06-02T13:12:00.003-05:00

Here's the BOM for June. It's a ten-inch block from Quilterscache I really like called Marion's Choice. Here's a link for the instructions:
http://www.quilterscache.com/M/MarionsChoiceBlock.html

It's all 2" squares and half-sqaure triangles so nothing we haven't already been doing. The way they're arranged makes a really nice block. You might want to keep the picture handy while you're sewing the block. I didn't the first time and managed the get the half-square trianges upside down when I made the first row. It was easy to correct

after I looked at the picture. I spressed the rows

with the patches going away from the half-square
triangles, and I pressed the middle row with the
patches going toward the outer patches and
toward the red center patch. Sorry I didn't take a
pic showing how I pressed it, but here's a pic of
the finished block.

Until next time,
Carolyn

May 2009 Block of the Month #2

2009-05-18T10:39:00.003-05:00

The next May block is called Baton Rouge. It’s another 10” block from Quilterscache. Here’s a link to the instructions:

http://www.quilterscache.com/B/BatonRougeSquareBlock.html

I followed the block instructions on the Quilterscache page so I won't duplicate the steps here, but here's a pic of how the individual patches look laid out after the half-square triangles are made:

The instructions will tell you to press each row in alternating directions, but I did make a small deviation on that step. I prefer to press away from each half-square triangle if I can do it without having seams facing the same directions when I put the rows together. I think it reduces the bulk at the intersections, and it also lets you see the intersection of the sewn thread lines so you can cross the seam exactly at the intersection point. Doing this prevents points from being "chopped off". Here's a pic of the wrong side of my rows after pressing:

And, here's the completed block:

Happy sewing,

Carolyn

May 2009 Block of the Month #1

2009-05-07T21:23:00.003-05:00

Sorry this is late....I have been having camera problems not to mention life problems in general.

Quilterscache has a new ten inch block called Grandmother’s Puzzle which will be our first block of the month for May. Here’s a link to the instructions:

http://www.quilterscache.com/G/GrandmothersPuzzleBlock.html

And, here’s the pic of mine:

It looks a little complicated with those large triangles, but they are actually pieced from a square and two smaller triangles, so you can just make half square triangles and piece the block by rows. Give it a try!

Carolyn

April BOM #2

2009-04-15T15:17:00.003-05:00

How about another Block of the Month for April? In the post for the first April block, I had suggested playing around with the colors on the Cain and Abel block to see what other combinations might appeal to you. I was looking through the blocks on Quilterscache, and it looks like someone else had the same idea way back in time and came up with a block called The Wishing Ring. (Click on the Quilterscache link to get the instructions.)

All the patches, as well as how they're arranged, are the same as the Cain and Abel block, just the arrangement of color is different......hmmm, wonder how many other looks you could get from this idea?

Hope you have fun with this one!

Carolyn

Happy Easter

2009-04-10T22:24:00.003-05:00

Easter blessings to all!

Carolyn

April Block of the Month

2009-04-06T17:03:00.005-05:00

Okay, here I am, running late on the April block of the month. I had actually chosen a block for April some time ago, and then I promptly forgot about it. Yesterday morning in church, Pastor had a reference to Cain and Abel in his sermon, and I felt my short-term memory click into place. The block for April is a traditional one (instructions from Quilterscache) called Cain and Abel. It's another 10" block and I took a pic of the pieces laid out before I started sewing.

You can maybe tell from my patches that I didn't exactly follow the directions in the link. Since I was in a hurry to get the block done, I cut 2.5" strips of everything and used my easy angle ruler to cut the triangles. That's the way I most often make half-square triangles, so that's the fastest way for me. Here's a pic showing how I pressed each row after sewing the pieces together:

I'm a big advocate in putting a little thought into pressing because I like the block intersections to snug up against each other when I sew the rows together (seams going in opposing directions).

If you are making this one, you might want to play with the colors. I had originally made different choices on the colors, but after laying the individual patches out to see how it looked, I changed my mind and this is how the block ended up:

Please feel free to leave a comment, and if you make the block, I'd love to see a picture!

Carolyn

Vintage Thingie Thursday

2009-03-26T08:34:00.007-05:00

It's Thursday again and time for another vintage thingie! Last weekend was the first Victoria Market Days of 2009, and of course I was there. Wasn't really planning to buy, but sometimes you find something that just has to come home with you...........

This time it was this little vanity bench. The top is covered with an old quilt piece that repurposed into upholstery fabric. Normally, I don't like the idea of cutting up old quilts, but this one is a little threadbare and machine pieced and quilted so I can live with it. This one wasn't a fabulous bargain, but at $20.00, still not too bad. Anyway, it's cute and I can always use it for something (?), maybe to stack folded quilts on........

Visit Colorodolady's blog to see who else is participating this week and happy Thursday!

Carolyn

No finishes.....

2009-03-22T20:04:00.004-05:00

...on my UFO's yet. But I did make some progress on a couple of the BOM quilts. Also have the Mosaic Tiles mystery quilt almost finished, but I had precut some pieces for the border, and now I can't find them! I could have cut more, but I'm thinking that as I make a dent in the UFO pile they'll most likely turn up somewhere. Since I didn't finish anything, I don't have any project pics to post so here's a pic of my two favorite girls (DD and DGD):

BTW, I went to Market Days on Saturday and will have something new to blog about on Vintage Thingie Thursday.

Until then,

Carolyn

2009 UFO List

2009-03-16T21:10:00.003-05:00

One of my primary goals for creating this blog was to track my UFO progress (for non-quilters, UFO's are unfinished objects), but I got caught up in all the fun stuff and never did get my hand-written list typed up into a blog list. Another problem was that the list was so long it was just intimidating. Easier to close the notebook and pretend that list didn't exist. In the meantime, things are still stacked up in my sewing room, not much progress gets made, and I dream of new projects I want to start. I decided I'd better get that list posted and commit to some progress before I give in to my natural inclinations to start new things.

Are you ready for this? Nine completed tops need to be quilted, one quilt needs binding (my least favorite quilty thing to do), and I have 20 tops or sets of blocks that I need to finish piecing! One dates back to 1998--that's over 10 years old. I'd say things are definitely getting out of hand! I divided my list into three categories (piecing to finish, tops to quilt, and quilts to bind) with the idea that once I finish piecing the top, I'll mark through it on that list and move it to the tops to be quilted list. That way I can at least see some progress even if a project isn't completely finished. Time to get off the computer and get busy at the sewing machine.

Oh, I forgot to say the list is on the right side near the bottom of the blog.

Carolyn

March BOM #2

2009-03-15T16:03:00.002-05:00

The second BOM for March is called Plaid, and here’s the Quilterscache link:

http://www.quilterscache.com/P/PlaidBlock.html

This is a really easy block with no triangles or partial seams, only squares and rectangles, perfect for a Sunday afternoon.

Have fun with this one. You can change the colors around to get different looks, but you may want to keep the darker colors running through the middle to get the “plaid” effect. Here's what mine looks like:

Vintage Thingie Thursday

2009-03-12T10:28:00.005-05:00

Oh gosh, it's Thursday again! I really enjoyed seeing everyone's vintage treasures last week, and even though I'm not really a cookie-jar collector, seeing one participant's lamb cookie jar made me thing of this one:

I don't know how well the pic is going to show up; there's not a lot of light in my house, especially on a rainy day like today. The cow cookie jar was given to me by my grandmother who said she bought it when my dad and his brothers were little boys. So some time in the 1930's. It was always in her kitchen, and I can remember being fascinated with it as a kid (or maybe I was just fascinated by the cookies that were in it). Sorry I don't have a whole collection of cookie jars to show you--this is the only one I own, but I really like it. BTW, here's a little trivia: It was made by McCoy and they made one from the same mold but purple in color. The purple one is quite rare and very collectible. So if you happen to find a purple one at the right price, grab it quick!

Don't forget to hop over to Coloradolady's blog for a list of today's Vintage Thingie Thusday participants!

Thanks for looking,
Carolyn

Vintage Thingie Thursday

2009-03-05T12:50:00.007-06:00

While blog-surfing, I found a blog (Coloradolady) with some cool pics of vintage collectibles. She has invited viewers to join her in Vintage Thingie Thursday by posting pics of their own vintage treasures. I was enjoying seeing what other viewers had chosen to post and decided to post a pic of my own.
The cutest thing about this little washboard is the writing on the top saying it's ideal for silks, lingerie and hosiery. Can you just imagine washing your hosiery on those rough metal ridges? Oh, it also says it's the perfect size for traveling as it fits in a suitcase or small travel bag. Makes you think about how things have changed.........

Carolyn

March BOM #1

2009-03-03T20:27:00.004-06:00

Here’s another traditional block to get March started. It’s Johnny Round the Corner, and here’s the Quilterscache link:

http://www.quilterscache.com/J/JohnnyRoundBlock.html

It’s another two-color block and I tried to stick with that this time, but my center is a little different from the other red I used. If you use a different color center, you will need one less of the white-red-white strips and a strip set with your color center in the middle of it.

There are no difficult techniques in this one; if you’ve been doing the previous BOM’s, you won’t see anything different, other than the sizes of the squares and HST’s are a little smaller.

February 2009 BOM #2

2009-02-20T16:21:00.004-06:00

Here’s the second block for February. I picked one that a little different; it’s an original pattern from Quilterscache and the link to the instructions follows:

http://www.quilterscache.com/T/Twist&ShoutBlock.html

This block has a technique that we haven’t done yet on the BOM’s. It’s commonly called partial-seam piecing. If you haven’t ever tried it, this would be a good time to add a new skill to your reportoire. The last paragraph on page 1 of the instructions says to sew to a point ¼” from the center square. My personal preference is to leave more than ¼” open; up to 1” is good and won’t get you into any trouble. If you need help with this technique, let me know.

Here’s a pic of the one I did:

As you can probably see, I altered the color-way a little. If you want yours to look like mine, cut only two of the light 2-1/2” squares, and two dark ones. When you get to the instructions for making the unit B’s substitute the dark squares for the light ones in the picture. You can do it either way, but I thought adding those dark squares gave the block a little more interest and movement.

Have fun!

Carolyn

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-13T21:22:00.001-06:00

Vegetable Chili Recipe

2009-02-11T13:53:00.004-06:00

I thought I'd share a recipe today. I'm not normally much of a "recipe" type cook, but I got this one recently from Sue in New York, and it's so good and easy that I thought it was worth sharing.

Vegetable Chili

28 oz. diced tomatoes
16 oz. salsa
16 oz. chicken broth
16 oz. black beans, undrained
16 oz. corn, drained
16 oz. green beans, drained
1 T chili powder

Open cans, dump it all in a large pan, heat and enjoy.

I used the Pace medium salsa, but you can use milder or hotter depending on what you like. Sue says it's about 90 calories per serving so you can enjoy this one guilt free. And, even though it's called "Chili", it's not what a Texan would call chili. It's really more of a spicy vegetable soup.

Carolyn

Blogland Give Away

2009-02-09T19:37:00.003-06:00

Rhonda at Patches and Pieces is giving away six fat quarters in honor of the month of February. Check it out here.

Carolyn

February 2009 BOM #1

2009-02-09T13:09:00.003-06:00

Oh gee, I'm late on posting a block of the month for February. I've had it done, just neglected to get the pic and instructions posted here.

There will two blocks for February. The first one is a traditional block called Grandmother’s Choice. Here's a picture, and the link is for the instructions on Quilterscache:

http://www.quilterscache.com/G/GrandmothersChoiceBlock.html

The picture on Quilterscache shows it made in two colors, but I used three so I could keep that red center triangle. If you like the more traditional look, you might want to stick with one color plus the background color.

The half-square triangles on this one are a little different because one half of them is pieced from a 2-1/2 inch square with 2-7/8” triangles added to two of the sides to make the larger triangle. If you are sewing an accurate quarter-inch seam and pressing carefully, they should fit just fine.

I'll have another one done (and posted!) mid-month.

Carolyn

Can somebody tell me.....

2009-02-06T09:19:00.006-06:00

.....what happened to January? I always enjoy the opportunity of starting a new year and am a big fan of goal setting, but I seem to have missed it this year. I was disorganized and running behind on everything for most of 2008, and I now I've started 2009 the same way! I think that's how I lost January. I refuse to spend this year in the fog of the past year, so I've spent the first week of February catching up on everything. All my January swaps that were late and lingering got put in the mail on Wednesday.

I'm happy to say that one of the envelopes contained the three sets of red and white 9 patches I owed Teresa.

I don't know yet how I'm going to get the rest of my life under control, but I'm sure going to try!

Carolyn

Pain and Trauma

2009-02-04T22:01:00.002-06:00

First, let me say that there won't be any pics in this post. I'm a big fan of blogs with lots of cool pics, but it's been that kind of week for me so far. Here's what's happening: I've had a tooth that's been really sensitive for some time. I've been to the dentist twice to get it checked to see if it was cracked, but nothing ever showed up. Last week, when I bit down on something hard, it finally cracked all the way through. Seems it's been cracked all along but not in a spot that showed up on the x-rays. I called the dentist and got an appointment for this past Monday, and by the time Monday got here I had an infection that made me look like a rabid chipmunk. I was more than ready to have it pulled or whatever needed to be done, but I had no idea having a tooth pulled was that painful! I will say that the pain is gone now, and I'm already feeling a lot better. But, the idea of having one of my teeth missing is really strange. It will be eight weeks before I can get something in there to replace it........I'm really not vain, but eight weeks with no tooth? At least the lost tooth won't affect my sewing.

Carolyn

Blog-land Give Away

2009-02-02T08:44:00.002-06:00

One of our Australian bloggers, Christine, is having a giving away of three cute projects on February 7th. Her work is really nice and who doesn't like to win free gifts? I think there were already about 60 comments left; it will be interesting to see how many have commented by the 7th!

Carolyn

Mystery Quilting

2009-01-31T10:23:00.004-06:00

Like so many other quilters, I love mystery quilts. There seems to be two definite camps out there about mystery quilts. Some people never do them and don't like the idea of not knowing what the finished quilt will look like; their philosophy is, "Why put perfectly good fabric (and time) into something that may not turn out to be something I like?" The other camp loves mysteries and enjoys the challenge of making something on blind faith. I am one of the ones who loves the surprise of a not knowing how the finished product will turn out. Sure, I have made a few I didn't like that well, but those can always be donated to a favorite charity or gifted to someone else who loves it. It's pretty exciting for me to see how so many quilters can turn out the same finished quilt top and have them look so different because of the different fabrics they started out with.

Two mysteries that I have been working on this month are the Christmas Eve Mystery from pocketfullofmysteries and the Double Delight Mystery from Bonnie Hunter at Quiltville. It's been a slow-go this month, and I still haven't got finished tops, but I'm still plugging away at it. I'm hoping to get both finished as soon as possible so I don't have to add them to my UFO list!

Here's a pic of the fabrics for the Christmas Eve mystery:

And, here's a pic of the fabrics for the Double Delight:

I will have more pictures (hopefully soon) to post on my progress. The Double Delight quilt is turning out to be really time consuming with lots of little pieces, but I think that once I get steps one and two completed and the patches all trimmed and squared up, things should start progressing nicely.

January BOM #2

2009-01-24T17:14:00.004-06:00

Here’s another BOM for January. It’s called Broken Arrows, and I have attached a link to the quilterscache instructions:

http://www.quilterscache.com/B/BrokenArrowsBlock.html

If you did the first January block, you won’t have any trouble with this one—the piecing is exactly the same. In fact, it’s the same block! The only difference is the way the colors are arranged to emphasize different shapes.

Once again, I used the red (my focus fabric) in the center of the block. I used a dark indigo blue for the darkest patches and mixed my lighter colors a little. If you give it a try, leave me a comment and let me know how yours turned out.

Swapping Nine Patch Blocks

2009-01-06T16:55:00.007-06:00

Here's a pic of the nine patch blocks I sent to Teresa in Boise. We did blue and white blocks for December.

And, here's the three sets I got in the mail today from Teresa.

These blocks are just so cute and work up really fast. We're swapping 4-1/2" blocks for January done in red and white. The swap is still open; if you'd like to join us, click on the link to our Yahoo group in the right sidebar.

Carolyn

2009 Block of the Month

2009-01-05T12:50:00.007-06:00

I am hosting a block of the month for an on-line quilt group and wanted to share it here for anyone who wants to follow along via my blog. I have chosen ten-inch blocks from the Quilterscache website and will be doing about two a month. My colors will be red and navy Civil War Reproduction fabrics with dark cream or shirtings for the backgrounds. Over the years, I have collected lots of these fabrics and there are some older ones that need to be put to use.

The first block for January is the Alaska Homestead block. Here's a link to the instructions on Quilterscache:

http://www.quilterscache.com/A/AlaskaHomesteadBlock.html

This is such a cute, simple block. Notice that I reversed the colors in mine. The reason I did that is because I wanted the red in the middle. I have picked out blocks with two-inch squares in the centers and I wanted to use that same red (I have a lot of it which needs to get used up) in all the centers and in the sashing cornerstones.

If you'd like to play along on this block of the month, please leave a comment and let me know how it's going! And stay tuned, there will be another one posted in the middle of the month.

Carolyn

A Quilter's Prayer

2009-01-04T15:59:00.002-06:00

Take the pieces of my life
And stitch them together
According to Your will.

May I yield to the pricks of Your needle
so that Your stitches
may surround me with the pattern of Your love.

May I allow You to order the squares
any way You want,
To pattern me by Your design
So that all will know
You quilted me.

from Quilted with Love, by Debbie Salter Goodwin

Happy 2009

2009-01-04T14:30:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! One of my goals for 2009 was to create a blog to (1) Track my progress on UFO's, (2) Stay organized on on-going projects, and (3) Get to know other bloggers. So far, so good on creating the blog; now I just need to get the UFO's sorted and learn to upload images to the blog. Wish me luck--I'll need it! Carolyn