Beyond Beginners

I taught two classes yesterday. It was the second in a series of classes called Beyond Beginners. This is a fairly simple quilt but since it is set on point, it provides a good teaching opportunity. I showed them how to cut squares that are larger than your ruler, how to cut setting triangles for the sides and the corners.

There were four students in the morning and three in the evening.

This is the store sample of the quilt. It is made by Nancy and uses Amy Butler fabrics. I love this quilt.

This one will be gorgeous when finished. Karen got a couple of yards of several gold and red Asian fabrics at Super Bolt Sunday. It is going to look great!

Chris used this beautiful bird fabric for her focus squares and setting triangles.

Illeyse had some beautiful fabrics. She had all her pieces cut so she was able to get several blocks done.

This one belongs to Mary Rose. She had a little problem with her fabrics and anciently used the same borders for bot of her squares. Sometime a mistake discovers a new design opportunity. Since this quilt will be for a little girl, I think it will work out great.

Helen used some of the same fabrics that I used to make my Metro Maze quilt. I love the green and brown together.

This is the same fabric line that I am working on right now. I am making a Yellow Brick Road and I am ready to put the borders on. I got the inner border pieced today and hope to get it on the quilt tomorrow morning.

Look at this one - isn't it interesting how the same quilt looks so different with different fabrics.

Fat Tuesday

We are getting ready for our retreat which is called Mardi Gras in the Mountains. We usually have some kind of name tag - last year Lisa embroidered detective badges for each of us since the theme was Murder in the Mountains. Of course, I was the murderer but I didn't know it at the time.

This year, since our theme is Mardi Gras and today is Fat Tuesday, we decorated our own name tags. We furnished each person who is going to the retreat with a cardboard mask for them to turn into a name tag. The only guidance we gave is that you need to put your name on it somewhere and be able to wear it, either by hanging it around your neck or pinning it to yourself.

Here is my mask so far. I fused lime green felt to the back and then used some of my precious Quilt Diva fabric for the front. I then added some yo-yos for eyes and put buttons on them. I have a bag of these yo-yos that I picked up at some sale - not sure why but I have had them for a long time and this is the first time I used them.

I then put little self-sticking jewels in multi colors around the outside of the mask. I glued together flower pieces with more jewels for the center top. Mary had some wonderfully colored feathers that I glued on to the center top of the mask and then covered the bottom of them with the flowers.

On the theory that too much is never enough, I then put some star sequins around the top. I still haven't added my name but when I went to Joanns today I found some embroidered letters that are lime green. I was going to use my 40% coupon to buy them but when I went to check out, they were on clearance. I couldn't use the coupon but the the clearance price was even better so for $2 I have letters for my name. I am not sure I left enough room on the mask for the letters so I may hang my name off the bottom. Sometimes I wish I had a shorter name.


I took a few pictures of some of the other masks being worked on. The one above is Michelle's. Look at the eyebrows and nose on hers.

I am not sure who this one belongs to but it certainly is colorful!

I like this one with colorful fabric on it. Look at all the feathers on this one. She used some nice buttons also.

Karyn does a lot of machine embroidery and her mask show it.

This one says Jeanne - she had a little trouble with the glue showing through the felt that she glued on the front of her mask. The glue marks may go away after it drys.

Elizabeth made another purple mask. Look at all the sequins she put around hers.

We have lots of beads to give out and are having gumbo for our first dinner. We will have a Mardi Gras parade and lots of fun - we may even sew some!

Material Girls

Today we had a class of wonderful young ladies today. Their ages were around 10 years old. The theme for the day was Kit Kittredge and they made doll quilts of 1930's fabrics. We had a couple of charm packs that they could choose from and they sewed them together. We had helpers that did the ironing but the girls did all the sewing.

After piecing the top, they layered the backing, batting and top and sewed them together, leaving an opening to turn the quilts. After turning, they used embroidery thread to tie them. I don't think they enjoyed this part but they loved the sewing.

Each of them went home with a completed doll quilt. What fun! They were all quite proud of themselves, as they should be.

Max and Chula

I can never get good photos of my dogs. Chula hates the camera and runs from it and Max usually looks like a devil dog with red eyes. I took these photos yesterday while they were napping on Bill's quilt on the couch.

Chula (the Chihuahua) weighs 8-9 pounds and sheds like you can't believe. I think I could knit a new dog from the hair I pick up. I can't imagine how she can have so much hair and still lose so much.

Max (the Yorkie) is our baby. He is 14 years old and weighs about 6 pounds. He weighed less than 1 pound when we got him. He might be little but he has a very big personality. He is asleep right now on my footstool with his head on my foot like it was a pillow.

Sometimes I wonder what Bill and I talked about before we had the dogs - they are such a major part of our lives.

4SQS5 Swap Received

I received my swap quilt(s) from the Four Season Quilt Swap Five today. Vanessa sent me not one but two quilts. She explained that she was having trouble making the first one so made the second - the Bear Paw Quilt as a backup. When the first one worked out, she wrapped it in the second one.

They are both wonderful and she used my favorite lime green very well. The requirements of this swap were that the quilt should be monochromatic and they could use black and white with the chosen color.

Thank you Vanessa - I really appreciate what you made for me. I am working on the one I will be sending out before March 15.

Beginner Update

Here are some of the blocks that were made this week. The stars were the previous week's block and they had some homework. I think all of them managed to get caught up.

This week we learned to do flying geese and we used Marti Michell's Flying Geese Ruler. It is a easy and accurate way to make one flying geese block at a time. My preferred way to make them is to do four at a time but in this quilt top, only one of each fabric combination is needed so Marti's ruler is the way to go.

Next week we will be putting the tops together. That is always a fun time to see what each top looks like.

Pillowcase Class Today

I taught a pillowcase class today at Tiny Stitches. One of the students had not made pillowcases at all but since the class was billed as an advanced class, we put prairie points on the pillowcases. Judy is visiting Marietta while her husband is working here and found the shop a few days ago. She signed up for class and we loaned her a sewing machine. She picked out this black and white fabric and used a Lakehouse alphabet fabric to put her name on her pillowcase. She finished this one in class and then bought enough to make an second one for her husband.

Unfortunately, this is the only one I got a photo of. There was also a great blue and yellow with yellow prairie points.

Whenever I teach a pillowcase class, I make one as it is easier to show them how to make one by actually making it. We got this wonderful I Love Lucy fabric about a week ago and there was an apron made from it for the shop. My neice Shelli is a BIG Lucy fan but I didn't think she would use an apron so I made her a pillowcase.


I used a great check on the cuff on the pillowcase and a gray flange. Lucy is from the famous episode at the candy factory. I think Shelli will like it.

Here it is all folded up ready to be put in an envelope and mailed - on my list for tomorrow.

BOM - Month 2

We had our second meeting for the block of the month at Allatoona today. This is turning out very successful. The newer quilters are learning a lot and the rest of us are getting some sewing done and having a good time helping others. I took a few photos of some of the color combinations that people are using. I love to see what other people choose.

I think I am the only one who is using a dark background. Everyone else is using a light background. I really have to pay attention to the pattern because the drawings show the background as light and color as dark. I keep confusing myself because of this.

Today we made 8 half square log cabin blocks. First we made the center of the log cabin using both color and background. I precut all the logs before we started so it was easy to put them together.

Here are four of the blocks. I am still happy with how the green and black are working together.

We can now put some of the blocks together since the log cabin and double four patch fit together for four sections of the quilt. Next month we will work on more of the feathered star center block (I say more but since I haven't started it, that probably isn't accurate) and make two star blocks. I think these are sawtooth star within sawtooth star blocks.

Dave's ORT Jar

Dave brought his ORT jar to guild today. He made it from my tutorial and it really turned out well. He found some Mardi Gras fabric that I hadn't seen before.

He says that it stands a little wonky but I think it really looks good and I am pleased that he was able to follow my tutorial.

Making Another Purse

There is a wonderful new Moda line out and I love the colors and designs. There are about 30 different fabrics and I like all of them. I found that there is also a pattern for a purse - using this line. Of course, I volunteered to make a sample.


The pattern name is Retro Groovy Bag! It is fairly large and wonderful. I can't wait to get started on it.

Valentine's Day

I participated in the Valentine's Day swap on Pat Sloan's Yahoo Group and as usual, had a great time both selecting what to send and opening the package that I was sent.

The first photo is of the package I mailed. I haven't heard that it was received but hopefully it got there before yesterday.

One of the guidelines of the swap was that we were to make either a tea towel or coasters for Valentine's Day. I made a set of four coasters. I bought a charm pack and used the charms to make the coasters. They are the perfect size.

This next photos is of the towel that Mary made for me. It is embroidered and appliqued and is really cute.

Next is the rest of the package that she sent. Look at the cute bag, wonderful chocolate, a towel that hangs on a towel rack, a tissue case, heart shaped lollipops and a little table mat. I love everything and am going to hide the chocolate so I can savor it over time and not let Bill eat it all. Thankfully it is dark chocolate which I love but he doesn't really care for.

Fun, fun, fun!