Preparing for Fall Shows

     We are rapidly hurtling towards autumn around here. It sure doesn't feel like it if you go outside in the afternoon, but the calendar tells me so. Since I have 4 fall shows coming up in the next 3 weeks, I thought it might be a good idea to make a few new sets of pillowcases and potholders to add to my small items. 
 

     I just enjoy choosing the fabric groupings for the pillowcases, and the improvisational piecing on the potholders is so much fun!

     I also finished putting the rest of my Van Gogh economy blocks up on the wall. I will study them for a couple of weeks to make sure I like the layout.

     I sewed with my friend Eleanor last week, and she has started another beautiful quilt, from one of my drawings. I just love the fabrics she chose this time!
 

     So that is what I have been up to this week. Thanks for stopping by! I will link up with:  Design Wall Monday
          Main Crush Monday 
          Moving it Forward Monday 
          Oh Scrap!

Economy Block Quilt Finally on the Design Wall

     So I am finally beginning to put my economy blocks up on the design wall.

     I have been working on these blocks for years, but they are finally all completed. It has been handy to have this easy project to carry around with me on trips, and visits and such. The best part is that all of the fabric for this quilt came from my stash and scrap bins.

     I want to finish it to show in a class I will be teaching for the Lake and Mountain Quilters in Seneca SC this November called My Water Lilies. I got the color way for this quilt from this painting from Vincent Van Gogh. I always like to show class participants several different ways to use any idea iof I can.

     The My Water Lilies class is about using paintings as a reference for your quilts.  

     I am so excited to see it finally going up on the design wall. I think there will be a fair amount of rearranging before I am satisfied with the layout, and can start sewing these blocks together. 

I am linking up with: Design Wall Monday
                            Moving it Forward Monday
                            Monday Making 
                            Oh Scrap! 
                            Main Crush Monday
                               
     That is what I have been up to! I hope you have something you feel you are making good progress on. Thanks for stopping by!

On the Road Again

     Since I have been on the road the last week, first doing a guild program, then visiting friends and family, I have been working on some portable projects. 

At long last, I have gotten all of the blocks for my Van Gogh/economy block quilt pressed, trimmed, and ready to go up on the design wall.

      I am using this painting by Vincent Van Gogh as a color reference for this quilt. 

     I can't wait to see what the blocks look like up on the design wall. It feels like I have been working on them for ages!

     I have also been working on a newer project. I have been cutting, and pairing pieces to make another Jacob's Ladder quilt. Here is the drawing.

     I cut and paired the HST while I was at home, and I have been cutting pieces from strips, for the 4 patches, while traveling. After dinner tonight, I will begin pairing these pieces to make 4 patches. Once I get home I will just set all of these prepared units near the sewing machine, where they will be ready for easy sewing.

      So that is what I have been up to this week. I hope your projects are going well. I will link up with Moving It Forward Monday

                         Design Wall Monday

                         Love Laugh Quilt

                         Oh Scrap!

                                                 

     Check them out to see lots of other quilt projects in progress. Thanks for stopping by!

Moving Right Along

     It has been so hot and wet around here, all I want to do is hide in the house, and sew, of course. 

     I worked on joining the blocks for my red Sonja's Windows quilt. All I have let to do is add the last border, make the back, and this one is ready to go to the quilter. 😊
 

     Since I planned this quilt, I added the narrow, solid red sashing, and an additional row of sashing and stepping stone around the outside of the center. Suddenly, my quilt was 8" larger in both directions than originally planned. This might have been fine, even beneficial for a quilt that was going to live on a bed at home, but I made this quilt to add to my trunk show, and to bring to my Sonja's Windows classes, so I was trying to keep the size down to a full. I made the somewhat painful decision to pull off a column and a row of blocks.  OUCH! But, the pain is behind me now. 

     I will save adding the last border and making the back until I get home from presenting a program to The Sea Island Quilters in Beaufort, South Carolina, and The All Star Quilter's Guild in Jacksonville, Florida, later this month. In between SC and FL, I will teach a Let's Polka workshop for The Chatahoochee Evening Star Quilters in Alpharetta GA.

     In the mean time I am working on getting the sewing finished on as many of my economy blocks as possible, so I can press them and trim them while traveling.

      I am also trying to add a couple of rows to this quilt everyday. This is an A Maze Zing quilt to replace one I sold earlier in the year. I want the colors in this quilt to remind you of the sunset. I want this quilt to get to 75" long or so. Right now it's at 63", so I have only 4 rows to go.

       One more thing. I wanted to share the amazing pincushions 2 of my extremely talented friends made for my birthday last week. 

      Aren't they wonderful! Eleanor found that metal bird at a thrift store. I think it was supposed to be a planter. She added a wool pillow, and those lovely hand embroidered wool feathers. Notice the scissor tale feathers. 

     Mary Beth is a wonderful potter and felt artist. She made that puppy out of clay, and added a needle felted wool ball to the back. The puppy reminds me of Gidget from The Secret Life of Pets. 

     I will cherish them both!

     That is what I have been up to. I hope things are going well with all of your projects. Thanks for stopping by!

I am linking with Moving it Forward Monday
                          Design Wall Monday 
                          Monday Making
                          Oh Scrap! 
                          Main Crush Monday 

Check them out to see loads of other inspiring Projects! 

Neglect

     Time always passes so quickly, so often, I look up, and I can't believe so much time has gone by since the last time I wrote anything! Since my goal is to write twice a week, I have been pretty neglectful. Is that even a word? I hope so.

     I say that I haven't been writing.
That is not entirely true. I haven't
 written on my blog, but, I have
 been writing all day. Next Saturday,
I am teaching my Let's Polka quilt at
A Scarlet Thread in McDonough. I have
 spent a good bit of today writing the
instructions for this pattern, and
gathering my thoughts on just what
 I can tell people to help them make
this quilt. 










    Last Thursday, I did our last demonstration at my guild quilt show. I didn't want to do the whole sewing machine thing again, so I thought it would be fun to try a few blocks for another quilt that has been tugging on my sleeve. Especially since it would be easy to work on while I was talking to people. I had already cut all of the strips for it, and I figured I could demonstrate rotary cutting the strips into squares and triangles, and get a few blocks ready to sew. The quilt was inspired by this painting by Vincent Van Gogh.

    
      I mostly, want to just explore using this color scheme in a very simple quilt with small blocks and an overall design. Here are the blocks that I cut, then I sewed them the next time I was at the sewing machine just to see how they would look together. I think I need a lot more to tell if I will like it. I may or may not add a thin sashing. This will be another good chain piecing, and work on away from home quilt.
 

  

     Yes, I am still working on my pieced hexagons-slow going, and my strip quilt. I have been carrying those strips everywhere, and I have all but 9 strip sets cut and ready to sew. There are about 250 of them. I have been sewing them between the other things, using them as leaders and enders, Right now I have 35 sewn, but they are not trimmed yet.

     One more thing. A couple of posts ago I mentioned meeting Karen from Honey Be Good.com. We have gotten together and done some brainstorming. She liked this drawing and chose some fabrics to make into a lap size to sell as a kit. I am trying to get it together for her ASAP .

      

     This is what I have done so far. I am writing a pattern for it too, as I make it. Sorry about the wonky perspective. My largest, best design wall is behind my loom, which makes photography difficult.

     So really I haven't been just sitting around and eating bon bons. Also, spring is almost here, so spring activities are starting up. The community garden, lending library, and my tennis team are all in need of attention. I am working on getting a newsletter started in my town. And now that the quilt show is down, there are all of those quilts to return to their rightful owners. Hope your life is full of fun too. Thanks for stopping by!