Design Wall Monday

It's Monday and that means I get to show off what's on my design wall!

This is Summer Solstice (a Judy Niemeyer pattern) done in Kaffe Fassett and batik fabrics. I bought this kit while I was at Tennessee Quilts for the Judy workshop back in March and April. I still remember walking into the shop on Wednesday late afternoon (the day before the workshop began) and seeing this sample. Even before Mary and I could ask where we should put our things I knew I wanted to make this quilt! Since this was the quilt on which we would be working on the first day of the workshop, I had already cut out the fabric for my version; but I really wanted to make this quilt with these fabrics. I was excited to see that they had kits for sale, and gobbled one up right then and there. I can't believe it has taken me this long to start working on this quilt! In case you're wondering, yes, they still have kits available on their website. Here's a direct link to the kit. :-)   It sure looks different than my original version doesn't it?

I'd like to say that the quilt will be finished in the next day or so, but I really doubt it. I have a class tomorrow and a couple of other pressing projects so this might have to go on the back burner. :-(  Either way, I'll keep you posted on the progress.

I did some quilting over the weekend and got two UFOs quilted. They just need trimmed and bound. YEAH!! I'll show you the front after they done. I know, I'm a tease.  :-)

I'm also finishing up the binding on the Amazon Star quilt and my goal is to complete that tonight because even though this quilt is for Jack, it will hang in the quilt shop for a little bit to help sell the kits they made up. This will return home in the Fall so we can use it on our bed.

Check out what other quilters have on their design walls today.
Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.

Design Wall Monday

Even though the sewing machine has been pretty quiet lately I'm still being pretty productive. I finished Ronan's quilt, which by the way has been initiated, if you know what I mean what can happen when you change a baby boy's diaper and you aren't quite fast enough to get the new diaper in place.  :-)

I finished both bindings that just needed the hand stitching. The puzzle quilt can be seen here, and below is one quarter of the pink and white star quilt that Lynn started a number of years ago and is finally done. I'll take a better picture later.

And I decided to pull out the Carolina Crossroads UFO that Nikki has been wanting me to finish for her. That's what is on the design wall.

I started this quilt back in late 2007 - early 2008 when Bonnie Hunter offered it as a mystery quilt. I followed along with the mystery and was even keeping up until it came time for the borders. I wanted something different than the original design, but I just didn't know what. Of course, I couldn't decide and then other quilts "got in the way" and this was set aside.

A couple of years ago, Nikki saw the top and asked if she could have it when it was done. I finally told her that she could have it, but that I had no idea of when it would be done. She said she'd be patient. (Yeah, right!) Anyway, this resurfaced a couple of weeks ago when my friend Kare told me that she had signed the two of us up for a class with Bonnie Hunter at Quilt Beginnings in Columbus. (I have great friends, don't I?)

Kare wants to take one of Bonnie's quilts that she has made with us when we go and that got her started on a search of projects. I decided to do the same. I've made a fair number of different quilts using Bonnie's patterns or variations of her patterns - Pineapple Blossom, Four Patch and Furrows, Fourth of July, Double Delight, Patches and Pinwheels, and Strip Twist - to name of few. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, most of these have been gifted already and I have no way of taking them with me, and I just realized that I don't have pictures of some of these quilts on this coputer. I'm pretty sure I took pictures. I just have to figure out where I put them.

Of course, the quilts I mentioned here are the ones I have finished. Besides the Carolina Crossroads shown above, I have two Double Delights that are UFOs and I'm really not sure what else. Sad, isn't it?

Anyway, to get back to the borders of the Carolina Crossroads....When I put this quilt away, I put it with some fabrics that I thought I might use in the border. After discussion with my brother Jerry and Nikki, here are the fabrics we decided to use.

I have to piece the borders and then add them to the quilt, but I'm doubting that the whole thing will be completed before the worshop with Bonnie, which is May 21st. It doesn't really matter. I'm excited that we figured out what to do and that I can soon cross this off my UFO list.

I finally got a decent picture of the Amazon Star quilt top this morning. As you can see below, it's big (104" x 104") and the guys had to hold it from the balcony so I could get a picture of the entire thing.

If you have a few minutes and want to read how a young person pays tribute to a special teacher, follow this link. http://blog.scholarshippoints.com/scholarship-contests/she-gave-us-a-life-lesson-more-valuable-than-any-chemical-equation-zoe-pendleton/

The granddaughter of my friend Vaughn wrote the essay as a scholarship entry and I encourage you to read and then vote for Zoe. I think this essay is well-written and speaks volumes of not only the teacher's quality, but of Zoe's ability to recognize  and thank someone who has played an important role in her life.  Good luck with the scholorship and school, Zoe!!

What is on your design wall? Check out what other quilters have on their design walls.
Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.

Stash Report - Weeks 16 and 17

I've been using up some of the massive amount of fabric that I reported as "In" in my last stash report. I still have a lot to use, but I'm out of the red for now. I'm really not stressing about this. I know it'll all get used - eventually. I'm please with my numbers here, especially the five UFOs completely done (and three more that are quilted and ready for binding) and the nine new quilts completely done.

Of course, the fact that I have eleven quilts that are ready for quilting is a bit daunting, but I'll get to them. It's just that I seeem to always find a new project that just calls out to me and says "Joanne, you need to make me. Put aside other things and move me to the front of the list. NOW!" Well, as you all probably understand, you just have to listen to the voice of reason fabric and do what needs to be done. I admit it. I lack quilting discipline. Maybe there should be a support group for those of us with this affliction. Maybe I should work on this. Maybe.....see there I go again. Distraction!!

Back to the stash report. I finished the Amazon Star top and that used a lot of fabric, and I'm close to finishing the Summer Solstice. I finished up a couple of little projects and those are already gifted; plus I got the binding machine sewn to the Pink Stars quilt that Lynn started a number of years ago and I finally finished. I don't think I ever showed a picture of that. Heck, I don't even find a picture of the quilt at all, so I'll try to remember to snap a shot of that and post a picture later today or tomorrow.

I've been working on a couple of other projects that have deadlines and that has defintely put a kink in my sewing time. My goal is to finish up all those things in the next day or so and get back to sewing. Well, maybe not actual productive sewing, but some sewing. Jerry is coming to visit this coming weekend and Nikki and family will be arriving here in a few days. I just have to spend time being Grandma.  :-) 

Here's the Report:
Fabric Added These Two Weeks: 0.00 yards
Fabric Added to Date: 150.25 yards
Fabric Used These Weeks: 28.50 yards
Fabric Used to Date: 160.375 yards
Net Fabric Used for 2012: 10.25 yard

UFOs Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 5
UFOs Still to Do: ??? (I really should make a list, but that would only upset me!)
New Quilts Done, Done, Done (Pieced, Quilted, and Bound): 9
Quilts Ready to be Quilted and Bound: 11
Quilts Quilted and Ready to be Bound: 3

Check out what other quilters are doing with their stash by going to Judy L's
Patchwork Times.

Done!

I decided to stop talking about finishing the Amazon Star quilt and just do it! Here's the result.

I was going to try to get a picture outside hanging from the clothes line or something so you could see the entire quilt, but it is way too windy to do that. As a matter of fact, my friend Kare just said that the wind picked up their trampoline and moved it accross the yard! I'm on the lookout for Dorothy and Toto and she's looking for Miss Gulch.  :-)

Design Wall Monday

Wow, this past week has been very busy/crazy!

Last Monday, I showed the progress of my Amazon Star and I had hoped to spend some quality time finishing that, but of course that didn't happen. I did have the chance to do more, but not finish. Here's where it stands. I only have the final two corners to add, and I just need to take the time to do them.

UPDATE:  Click here to see a picture of the finished quilt top.

It's funny but there are two fabrics that I was unsure about - the lightest green and one of the light background fabrics in the outer border. As usual, I fret for a while and then end up liking them. Do you do that? Anyway, I'm loving this quilt and have begun thinking about the actual quilting part. Any ideas?

Here are a couple of things that had to move to the front of the line, thus pushing the Amazon Star back a bit. Here's a quilt that I finished and quilted for my friend Mary. She needed it for a baby shower this past weekend. She picked up this fabric at Tennessee Quilts while we were there for the Judy Niemeyer workshop. This is so quick and easy. I may just have to make one or two of these. They make great baby gifts and I should always have one or two on hand, don't you think?

I had fun quilting this. I outine-quilted around the fish, fins, and tails and then mimicked the seaweed in the borders. The binding is the fish fabric and I think it works perfectly to bring out the colors. Love this!!

Ok, I also finished Quinn's birthday quilt and we gave it to her when we were there this past weekend. Besides the quilt, we also gave her a couple of Dr. Suess books. I think she likes it!

This is just a panel to which I added borders, but it it so darn cute. I usually don't enjoy working with panels. I often find that they are not printed on grain and that the quilt looks skewed when it's complete, but this panel wasn't too bad. Besides, I know this will be used and loved rather than critiqued and that's what's most important. I think the picture below proves my point. I guess this quilt is well on its way to doing its job. It put everyone to sleep! Isn't Ronan so cute? I love new babies!

I took a bunch of pictures this weekend and I'm still going through them. I'm the first to admit that I'm really a bad photographer.  There are pictures where I was trying to get Nikki, Quinn, Sadie and Ronan together, but someone either has their eyes closed, is moving, or I've cut off the top of their head. ARGGGGG. Can I blame it on the fact that I was trying to work with a newborn, and two kids under the age of four? It's worth a try. Besides, Nikki has some pictures she's going to forward to me and I know they're good.  :-)

 Even though I don't have the pictures to prove it, we had a wonderful time. What could be better? I was with my husband, two daughters, three grandkids and even got to spend time with Mom! 

 Check out what other quilters have on their design walls today.

Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.

Progress

I'm finally getting around to working on the Amazon Star quilt again. The center is sewn together and anxiously awaiting the corner units to be added. They are sewn together, and have been since Monday but I just haven't had time to work on it. Well, tonight I have some time.  :-)

I'll post pictures tomorrow of the progress. Keep  your fingers crossed!

Design Wall Monday

I worked on 3 projects while I was at Tennessee Quilts for a workshop with Judy Niemeyer and this Amazon Star is one of them. This is just the center, but I have all the components made, so I just need to sew them together.

I am making this quilt for Jack and will give it to him for our anniversary. He doesn't usually read my blog, so I feel pretty safe in posting a picture here. Of course, that means he'll probably read this post! Anyway, I'm excited about giving this to him. The picture isn't the greatest, but the colors are green, purple, cream and off-white and this baby is big - 104" x 104". 

I plan to pull out the other two projects I worked on at the workshop (Summer Solstice and Bali Bed Runner) and hope to gt them done relatively soon. I'll keep you posted on that.

To see what other quilters are working on, go to Judy L.'s Patchwork Times.