Workshop Link

I mentioned that I taught a two-day paper piecing workshop in this post, and I've finally gotten the pictures downloaded from the camera and uploaded to the guild blog. Here's the link. I figure there's no reason to post all the pictures here when you can just click the link and see them. :-)

http://milanquiltbuilders.blogspot.com/2012/09/paper-piecing-workshop.html

This is the sample that was shown to the group to entice them to attend the workshop.

Eighteen (18) people took the bait and I think they had a good time and learned a lot. (Ok, at least that's what I' hoping!)  This was the first time that many of the participants had paper pieced and they all did an amazing job. I love the Judy Niemeyer paper piecing technique, so that is what I taught.

I can't wait until our next guild meeting to see some of the final results. Stay tuned!!

Design Wall Monday

Well, it's Monday and I have a lot to share - some of it's my stuff, but most of it isn't - but it's all up on the design wall or has been recently. I had every intention of posting a number of times over the last week or so, but I was sick and then quite busy. I spent a couple of days in bed and then struggled with laryngitis. Now I'm sure other people enjoyed that relative quiet time, but it was kind of a pain. I taught a two-day paper piecing workshop just as my voice was returning, but that kind of set me back a bit in terms of talking. (FYI - I'm almost 100% again. Sorry folk. The vacation is over.)

We've had a wonderful weekend here! Linda, Chris and Sam  came to town for a surprise birthday party for Jim S. and slept here. I was so glad we could accommodate them, even though the weekend went by so quickly and it seems like we didn't get to spend much time with them. It seems like it's been a very long time since we visited with them. We really must rectify that and plan a road trip!

I've had the pleasure of hosting my sister Ann and brother Jerry for a sewing/craft/just plain fun weekend and everyone has been very busy. Jerry's first quilt (talked about in this post) is quilted and bound! I love this, especially the binding! Thanks for letting me do the quilting and binding Jerry.  :-)

 

 

I love the back to this quilt also. Ok, I guess I just love everything about this quilt.

 

 

Jerry was also very busy and finished the top to his second quilt. Here's a picture before he added the pieced border. I don't know why I don't have a picture of it totally done. I'm taking a guess here, but I think Jerry learned the value of accurate 1/4" seams while working in this quilt. (Or at least that's what I heard as he was trimming each block.)

 

 

 

I taught a class Saturday and Ann and Jerry went with me. Jerry pieced the strips he needs for his next quilt. (I think he's hooked. What do you think?) Ann worked on cutting out some Snap Happy bags and she finished up eight (8) of them last night. That's right - 8!! Aren't these adorable?

 

 

When we returned home from the class Saturday, we had a houseful of people. Along with Linda, Chris and Sam, Jim, Sheryll and Hannah were here. Plus Pat and Ray from Michigan were here. We walked into a kitchen full of people singing and playing guitars and mandolins. How wonderful! I think we were home about 15 minutes when my friend Donna stopped over to work on a quilt project, but ended up just visiting. She fit right in with the group and I was so glad she just relaxed and enjoyed herself. All that was missing was Connie and Martha, who we had hoped would be able to jooin us for the weekend, but plans changed.  :-(

 

Donna came back yesterday to have me look at a border problem she was having and she ended up staying and finishing all of the borders for her Maple Leaf Log Cabin quilt top. YEAH!!

 

 

Donna also finished her Circle of Geese quilt top that she started last weekend at the paper piecing workshop. I really like her version.  :-)

 

 

I just love it when I see finished quilts from my patterns or classes! Thanks Jerry and Donna. You made my weekend. :-)

 

Now, I really did do some sewing. Besides Jerry's quilting and binding, I put my Kaffe Fassett fabric Summer Solstice back up on the wall and am down to the last 10 seams. This will be done very soon - maybe even today! Keep your fingers crossed.

 

 

 

Can you guess what this is?

 

 

The color is not great in the picture, but I am dying my gridded flannel for my design wall. I'm ready to stick this in the washer, cross my fingers and see how it turns out. WooHoo!! I'll post pictures of this later once it's up.









 

Check out what is on other quilters' design walls today.

Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times.

 







 

Design Wall Monday

Well, the Summer Solstice is still up in the design wall, but so is a new project that I started Friday. I am in the middle of quilting this so please forgive the somewhat crappy picture.

This is fairly small, only about 35" x 35", but I love it! I first saw a similar project on Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts' blog, where she was featuring Laura Jane Taylor, who made the original project.  I knew I would be making this someday and well, someday was Friday!

You can't tell from the picture, but I am quilting it with concentric circles. I think I'll just continue the circles into the borders because I really don't want to stop the movement. I'm using Superior Threads Smoke MonoPoly thread in the top and Superior Threads Sew Fine #411 Black in the bobbin. You can see the quilting on the back really well. Maybe I should have taken a picture of that. I will when it's finished. Another really cool thing about this quilt is that all the fabric came from my stash. YEAH!!

I have a goal for this week. (I know, goals - what a concept!) I would like to get the binding on the Carolina Crossroads quilt, because I'd like to finish it and be able to give it to Nikki and Zach when they're home next. I've made a tentative decision to add a very small red piping at the same time I attach the teal binding. I've felt like it would be missing something and be kind of boring if I just added the teal binding. I'll play a little bit and then decide.

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

Go to Judy L's Patchwork Times; but be prepared to find at least one project that will take your breath away. I always do!  :-)