I Spy Done !

I had enough of this Christmas fabric for three quilts this size.  I managed to finish two of them but still need to make the blocks for the third.  I used my hand dyed green for the triangles.

I didn't have enough of the green for the second quilt and decided against the red as I would pre-wash and was too lazy to do that!

The second iteration with more of the white.  I have used up 25 yards of white in my latest binge of quilt making and luckily found another huge bolt of white with the dye stains which I just cut around!!  Bad idea to store the whites in the basement!

Each morning I worked on the I Spy quilt and finally decided that 21 rows were enough -- it was beginning to look too long and skinny.  Sewing the rows together was tedious as each row took about 20 pins to make sure everything lined up.

Took this picture with my phone so a little wonky but the top is finished and I still have blocks left over!  I do overachieve in cutting.  I decided the leftover blocks would make good borders on neo-natal quilts.  They were so much work (all that fussy cutting), I want to use them all!  The top measures 40 x 72.

I have been busy the last two days cutting the backs for all the charity quilts, the I Spy quilt and a big quilt that I think will be a Christmas gift.  I cut batting for all these as well (11 tops altogether).  I have spray basted 7 of these.  I actually have consolidated a bit and have three empty boxes (good sized) so must be making some inroads in getting rid of excess fabric!!

 

I Spy!!

This is the beginning of an "I Spy" quilt for a special girl.  I found these blocks when looking for projects to work on when laid up this summer.  I made two quilts 11 years ago with more of these blocks and have enough left for a good sized quilt for 3 1/2 year old.
 

Making quite a bit of progress on the top  It has been a challenge putting it together as I tried to put pairs together so that I didn't have quite as much variation in the surrounding triangles.  I had randomly added the triangles to the hexagons.  I still have about 10 more rows to go and then I will start sewing the rows together.  I do a little each day but am still trying to make a dent in all those stack and whack blocks I have.  I am currently working on 3 from the same fabric as I had 117 blocks!!

Another top from the blocks that were a little larger than the baby quilt blocks.

This is the baby quilt made from the smaller version of the above blocks.  I have actually been dipping quite a bit into my hand dyed fabric lately for these quilts and may have to dye some more yellow, purple and green!

First February Fun Day!

When Jeanne and I left Webster to go to Marcia's, the sun was brightly shining and there were blue skies. The closer we got to Palmyra, the foggier it got (what a switch from our usual story). I couldn't resist taking this picture from the door of Marcia's studio looking out to the barn. It was a black and white world!

This is one of the two "I Spy" baby quilts that I have bordered and basted and ready to machine quilt! The back of this one is covered with pigs doing all sorts of things. The other one (my grandchild's) has dinosaurs all over it.

This is the Depression Extreme Sampler with it's borders. It has a 1/2 inch yellow border, then the green and the lavender and I think it calms it down quite a bit. The hand quilting is coming along and it may actually get done in time for the quilt show!!

This is of course Suki helping me out while I am making tick marks on the heron! She only goes to the places I am specifically working on!

The heron has been drawn, redrawn, marked, traced, ticked and I am still not entirely happy with it. I am working on a lily now and tried a different approach which is a little better but still not totally okay. The heron was difficult because it is shades of gray and so very hard to keep track of where you are and what color pieces should be. When I originally started drawing my lines, I didn't first break the picture down which was a big mistake and caused much redrawing but this is a learning process -- how to abstract very realistic images. My biggest lesson was that "if you can't break it down easily into sections, the beginning composition might be the problem!" Both my pelican and the Birds of Paradise were fairly easy to break down. Even though I have spent many, many days on the heron, it may never see the light of "quilt".

Both Nancy and Marcia were working on pieces to be donated to Women Helping Girls for their auction. This is Nancy's piece with a camel she drew as the main motif.(www.communitywishbook.com/WomenHelpingGirls.html)
This is Marcia's piece with zebras. I think we have an animal theme working here!

Jeanne was working on finishing a piece from the Sharon Craig workshop we took a year ago. Her colors and choice of fabrics were exceptional. I did love this workshop also and it is too bad that Sharon Craig will no longer be teaching as she is fantastic!

I Spy Many Too Many Hexagons

Well, I have been trying to get together projects for doing at the beach and the I Spy for both my daughter and the daughter of a close friend have risen high on the list! I spent much time tracing around a template and cutting out different objects from the novelty fabrics from friends as well as from my own stash! Oh My.... I then attached triangles to two opposing corners so that I could make them up in rows. I figured I had finally done enough for ONE quilt after leaving my daughter's a couple of weeks ago. I still had a ton of hexagons left.

Two tops later which are pretty good sized I still have 50 hexagons with triangles attached and enough for probably two more that don't have triangles attached. Guess the next few babies born to my daughter's friends will have "I Spy"s. I think I still owe her two quilts for recent births. I haven't put them altogether but have put them up on the design wall and then taken them down all nicely numbered and in rows so that I can mindlessly sew them together at the beach. I also have a quilt for quilting and of course will have about 30 books as I live in fear of running out of reading matter!!

A Few Days Relaxing at LJ's

Well, the most exciting news of today is that Zann found out that she is going to have a baby girl in March!! Everything is good and she is sending video and pictures from the ultrasound which we should get when we arrive back in Rochester!! Her husband is just going to be a sucker for a little girl -- of this, I am totally sure!! So I will be grandmother to a little girl!

Well, after several cloudy Rochester days here in Charlotte, the nice weather has returned! The sky is a cerulean blue with all the beautiful leaves turning colors around us. The deer are out in numbers this week and I again saw them this morning -- I had seen them two days ago as well running through the woods -- too early to get a picture though!!

We are spending the weekdays here in Charlotte, trying to pick up some furniture and get some chores done around the house for Lisa while she works. She and I went to a great furniture store which they have here in the south called Rooms To Go. We bought a living room and a dining room for the new house and they will both be there by Thanksgiving. Now to get some beds.....

LJ's kitties continually entertain us with their antics although they sleep a lot more than they did when they were full-fledged kittens! They have very distinct kitty personalities now! They seem to know us now and go about their usual daily activities and follow us around. Their best time is spent out on Lisa's screened in porch. Her alpha cat is a chewer and he routinely pulls or pushes the screen to escape to the yard. Putting up new kitty-proof screening has been Warren's main task this week.

I, in the meantime, have been working on the "I Spy" quilt for my new grandchild to be. It is going surprisingly fast now that I have fussy cut the hexagons out of all the novelty fabrics. I just attach 60 degree triangles to two opposite sides making diamonds which go together very smoothly.

Although I try to be apolitical, have to say that I was very proud to be an American yesterday seeing an African American man elected to the presidency. No matter what your political affiliation, it shows that as a nation that we have made great strides in the past 50 years. Now let's hope that we can stay on the road to economic recovery (so I can afford my new house!)

I am a Fabriholic.....

Isn't this the first step to recovery? Although not previously announced on my blog, I will be a first time grandmother (I know, I know my profile says that my children haven't had any children to distract me) and OF COURSE am making a quilt for the new arrival (March). With some luck, it will be done by his or her second or third birthday. What does this have to do with being a fabriholic? Well, I have collected novelty prints since the early 70's when all you could get was poly/cotton. These were all for those baby quilts or children's quilts that I would someday make.

About four years ago I had a MASSIVE garage sale and sold 90 Large boxes of fabric (gave away anything that I didn't sell). I didn't offer up any of this novelty fabric and it has lanquished in its boxes every since, occasionally being added to from current "can't live without" fabrics. Well, TODAY was the day to go through my own stash to find prints for the quilt for my grandchild to be!

Oh my..... I used to buy large quantities of fabrics I really liked -- just in case they stopped manufacturing fabrics, you know.... Well, I must have somewhere between 500 and 1000 novelty prints and lots of it in multiple yards... It really paints a picture of my particular interests as well... I mean, how many people do you know that own three pelican prints (probably close to 15 yards altogether)? Or 200 different kitty prints? Or 30 different fabrics with seashells on it?

Now, I don't know how many of you have ever been to a very BAD website called http://www.thousandsofbolts.com but don't go there as they have wonderful and very cheap quilting cottons. It is a very bad place for us fabriholics to go. I have no connection to them whatsoever except an unfortunate very satisfied customer feeding her addiction. I figure if enough people know about it, they will buy up all the nice fabric and I will save a bundle every year.

Another wonderful place for those addicted to good fabric but cheap prices is http://www.maryjos.com. It has only been recently that they have a web presence but many of you probably have wished you could go to this wonderful store in Gastonia, NC. They are not as cheap as the above store, but they are filled with bargain fabric and a good selection.

Of course there is always Hancocks of Paducah(http://www.hancocks-paducah.com) where occasionally I find some great fabrics at greatly reduced prices (like Kaffe Fassett fabrics). Anyone who has ever been to Paducah knows this fabric store and how much time (and money)you can spend there!

Well, had to state my particular addiction as part of my steps to recovery. Eventually, I will cut quarter yard pieces of most of these novelty fabrics and sell the rest on ebay or at quilt club, keeping only the ones that I cannot live without (my pelicans).