Stars and Sprigs - Progress Update

I've completed Novembers blocks and here they are:I've grown very fond of these little blocks. Finished size is 8" and there are 81 in the quilt body portion. 12 down,69 to go! (Am I starting to celebrate too soon and is it too early to think about who is going to quilt this?)

Stars and Sprigs

Back in late October, I started "another" project. This time it was the Stars and Sprigs Pattern by Kim McLean as a BOM from a quilt shop in Missouri. The project uses 1800's reproduction fabric, something absolutely not found in my stash, so I thought this project would be a good change of pace.

Each month I receive the fabrics to make 3 pieced and 3 applique blocks. So far, I have completed all the pieced blocks, but I am running a bit behind with the applique. With the holidays in the rear-view mirror, I am trying to catch those up.

Here are the blocks from October:

Check back soon to see how I am progressing.

Quilts Going Home (#51 and #52)

Members of my extended family are receiving quilts this Christmas season. Two brothers, one who lives far, far way and the other, who you could say lives just down the street. These guys have parents who are the nicest people you will ever meet.

The first quilt you might recognize as Carol Doak's Y2K pattern. I added a few more blocks around the edges to finish off the squares. Without them, the quilt looked incomplete and I hate when that happens.The second quilt is a BOM from a local quilt shop. In order to set the blocks on point, I needed to add another block which was the center Mariner's Compass. I am happy with the result, however all those bias edges were not such a good idea. Lesson learned-need to use more starch. (Don't worry, I laundered both quilts before giving them away.)

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year-Vickie

Affairs of the Heart

After posting my last completed quilt top, my sis called to claim it. She wanted it for her department at the hospital to raffle off and raise money for the Heart Association. Sis should have waited for the next one.......

Doesn't matter. I've decided to keep this one. I very rarely keep a quilt, but this one is special. I've created a couple of quilts with my own designs and they usually end up somewhere else, but this time I'm keeping this one. The hearts are paper pieced to look like a crazy quilt patch. I love them and they are just like people......no two hearts are alike.

I have lined up just the right LAer for this project. This quilt is calling for something custom. Can't wait to see what the LAer does with this one.

What am I working on?

This is one of my favorite patterns to eat up a couple of jelly rolls. The pattern is "Honeyberries" by Evelyn Sloppy and is the quilt on the cover of her book, "40 Fabulous Quick-Cut Quilts."( I love that book so much, I have purchased it twice.)

By using a Pink Lemonade Bali Pop and a Meringue Treat Strip, I can complete the entire quilt top except for the third row of border. I cut the jelly rolls to the needed length and throw them in a basket. Whenever I get a couple of minutes or on those days where I'm not feeling so good, I can just feed the sewing machine a couple of strips and not have to think about it. Later on I can cut them apart and do the thinking part. But generally, I can put the strip sets together in a couple of days.

Now that it is finished, it is time to send it off to the LAer. I can't wait to see what she does with it.

OK family and friends, who wants it?

What am I working on?

One of my co-workers stopped me the other day and asked why I wasn't posting pictures of things I was working on. She sees me occasionally during lunch working on a block and she asked me to post them so, here goes.

I have always loved Baltimore Album Quilts and one day I will have one. This block is called "Tree of Life." The entire quilt will be hand stitched, including the quilting. It is taking a long time, but when it is finished, I hope it will be one of those "wow!" quilts.

On to my next current project. . .

This block is called "Hunka, Hunka Burning Love" and is a tribute to Elvis.

I can tell when my husband is not interested in one of my projects. He says, "That isn't staying here is it?" However, when I started this block, he was so concerned with my tribute to Elvis and was checking it occassionally to make sure the sideburns were added. When I finished it, I made sure it met his approval.

This block is part of a little project I have going on. When I started this endeavor, I was concerned that no one would help out, however, I would like to thank Linda in Iowa for being the first to add her block to the festivities.

I'll be posting updates as they come in. It is going to be a nice suprise.

Quilt Going Home

One of my co-workers Donna, has an adorable granddaughter, Madi.

I sent Madi one of my quilts the other day and being the little "model" that she is, she modeled the quilt.

Enjoy Madi!

Raffle Quilt UPDATE

I am very happy to announce that my little quilt raffle raised $600 for Children's Heath Care of Atlanta.

Also, the quilt went to a very good home. Mr. McLemore was the lucky winner.

Here is Tyler's latest picture. He's going to be real cool this summer. Best wishes to him and his family.

Quilt Looking for a Home

One of my co-workers Jessica knows an adorable 4 year old named Tyler. Tyler has been diagnosed with Wilms Tumor which is a form of childhood kidney cancer and is currently undergoing treatment at the AFLAC Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

In order to raise money as a donation to CHOA in Tyler’s name, Jessica and myself have decided to raffle off a quilt in our office. (Sorry friends in blog land, this is only for my office.)

Office Details: Tickets are $1.00 each and may be purchased from Jessica or MarySue on the 5th floor, Lynn on the 6th floor and Fran on the 7th floor. Winner to be announced on May 27 @10:00 am. If you would like to see and feel the quilt, it will be in my cubicle on the 5th floor.

Quilt Details: Title: “Quilting Friends” and measures 70”x70”.The blocks in this quilt came from and international block exchange. If you look very carefully, signatures can be found on the blocks. Assembled and quilted by me, fabrics and batting is cotton and was washed upon completion. “Quilting Friends” was entered in the 2010 Chattahoochee Quilt Show.

Another Quilt Going Home

Well, it's that time of the year. Graduation invitations are being stuffed in the mail and the countdown is on. Despite her best efforts, Jackie is graduating and this is her present.
The quilt is entitled, "What was I thinking?" There are 3,108 pieces and I was beginning to think that I would never finish it. Quilted with feathers, I am very delighted with the result. However, I can assure you that I will never make this pattern again.

Doing a Good Deed

A while back, Kevin, one of my co-workers, approached me about quilting one of his mothers quilt tops. I was shocked when he showed up with a bag of about eight flimsy, and that wasn't all of them. He also has grandma's which he will bring in one day for me to take a look at.

Anyway, we looked thru the bag and decided I would quilt the Christmas Irish Chain. Mrs. Kevin was delighted since this was her favorite one and it was a bonus for her to know the name of the pattern given her ancestry.

To say this top is "vintage" is an understatement. Created before rotary cutters and templates, with many of the points flat and the seams a little askew, and two blocks in the lower right hand corner pieced oddly. I asked Kevin about this and he told me that mom lived over 30 miles from the fabric shop and if she ran out of fabric, it would not be uncharacteristic for her to make do with what she had and put something else in. Also I need to ask him if there was a factory of some sort nearby because there was some strange thread used in piecing. It was loosely twisted, nylon and stretchy. It reminds me of serger thread that would be used on swimsuits. (At one time, many of the factories allowed employees to take home remnants or short spools and I suspect this was the case.) If only these vintage quilts could talk, what a story they would tell.

Quilted all-over using a feather design, I am quite pleased with the result. I hope Kevin and Mrs. Kevin enjoy this quilt for many years.

So, what's in your closet? Do you have grandma's or mom's UFOs waiting to be finished? What wonderful treasures to finish up and share with family and friends.

Brown Paper Bag Adventure

Last year Crazy Crafter, Blondie and Piecrust had a ladies night out in Dawsonville, GA at one of our favorite quilt shops, SM. We worked on on a quilt pattern where you put all the strips in a paper bag and sew them together as you pull them out. Then, you know how it goes, we cut them apart, and then sewed them back together again. This is what we created. (Note to self if I ever make this pattern again, it's huge!)

Once again, I'm giving away a quilt. (#49) Tomorrow is Frank's birthday and I plan to have it wrapped and in his office when he arrives. Hope he likes it.

Quilt Going Home (#46)

We've all got them, you know, the UFO's stashed in our closets and dressers which seem perfectly harmless. However in this case, it was a flimsy UFO from the mid 90's which had been moved to three different states and I was not going to move it again. You may recognize the pattern, it was from the "J" store around 1995 as one of their first BOM's. Gotta love the color scheme.

Anyway, quilt buddy "Blondie" encouraged me to get it quilted and enter it in my guilds quilt show last year. I did complete it in time for the show, but what to do with it now?

After Christmas, one of my co-workers and bowling team member Dave, found a present on his desk. Wrapped so lovely with a card which read, "To: Dave and Mrs. Dave." He's one of the good guys and I knew he would give it a good home.

International Round Robin

I've heard all the horror stories about participating in round robins, but I am going to do it anyway.

This is my block, a feathered star and I am about to send it to CeCelia in Australia. I'll keep you posted on the progress and let you know how it goes. Someone else should be sending me their block within the next two weeks and I can't wait to see it.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I hope I am not setting myself up for a let down.

BTW: (TSC)194-1=193