Another Birthday Celebration

Lynda and I have birthdays just a few days apart – they were early this month and the two of us went out to tea to celebrate.  My little Monday morning group got together this afternoon at Jan’s house.  We give each other fabric for our birthdays and I asked for bright dots.  Lynda wanted reproduction fabrics.  I forgot to take photos of her fat quarters but they were lovely but not as great as mine.

Look at the wonderful fabrics I got!  I don’t think I have any of them and several are ones that I haven’t seen before.  I want to make a dotty quilt and this is a good start toward it.

Melinda

Pin Cushion Fairy

The pin cushion fairy has been busy at my house the last couple of days.  Here is what has been made so far.

I am not exactly sure what I am going to do with them but I will be making more.  They really don’t take very long to make.  I also finished the binding on the table runner for the guild gift exchange next week.  Now I just need to make a label and sew it on and then figure out what I am going to take to the potluck and I will be ready.

I am working at the store the next three days so won’t have a lot of time to sew but I need to do some quilting on customer quilts also. I have been sewing a few minutes each morning and it is amazing how much I can get done.

We had a wonderful dinner at Danielle’s house today.  I made pumpkin flan, dinner rolls and cheesy potatoes to take.  Lynda took appetizers and a great green bean casserole.  The whole dinner experience was perfect.  Turkey and all the trimmings.  Danielle and Lyman deep fried the turkey and it was delicious.  Danielle also made cranberries, pecan pie and sweet potatoes.  It was a wonderful dinner with good friends.  If you don’t have family close by, you make your own and Danielle and Lynda are so very special to me – they are my Georgia family.

Melinda

SSCS

I posted my SSCS package today.  It is going a long way from Georgia so I am not sure when it will arrive – my guess is about a week.  Here is a little preview.

I love online swaps and have had such good luck with them.  My partners have been wonderful and I have received great gifts.  Hopefully the people I have sent so think the same. 

I have to put the binding on the table runner and have one more gift to make for the shop gift exchange.  Once those are done, I will be finished with my commitments.  I still have some customer quilts to finish before I can relax and enjoy the holidays but I am making progress on them.

Melinda

Jan’s Quilt Quilted

I have had Jan’s quilt for far too long but it is done and she is pleased with it.  I delivered  it to her today.  Here are some photos of it and the quilting on it.

Isn’t it beautiful?  There is a little secret about it.  It is a cheater cloth.  Jan does absolutely beautiful appliqué but this quilt does not have a single bit of appliqué on it.  She did some piecing to put the borders on it but no appliqué.  It turned out great and looks like a lot more work than it was – at least on Jan’s part.  For my part, it was a lot of work but well worth it for the result.

Melinda

Giveaway Received

I received my gift from Joy of JoyPatch.  She has a very interesting blog here.  The gift is a pattern to make a block keeper and she also included some keys to put on the front of the block keeper.  Here is a photo of the pattern.

Doesn’t it look like a fun project to make.  I have too much to do before Christmas but plan to make it soon after.

Melinda

Four Season Swap Received and Sent

I received my swap from Mari in Norway today.  She sent a wonderful little quilt and several other gifts.

First is the quilt – I love everything about it from the background with words on it to the wonderful colors and stitching.  Next is a little bag, a small wallet/purse and two fat quarters.  Oh – I almost forgot the spool of beautiful red thread.  I forgot to take a photo of it.

Here is what I sent to my partner Patti.  She doesn’t have a blog yet.

I sent her a quilted steno pad and two batik fat quarters along with the yoyo quilt.  She says that she really like everything.

Another successful swap!

Melinda

Design Wall Monday

On my design wall today are some of my red/aqua disappearing nine patch blocks from the recent swap.  They are really fun to play with.  Not sure if this is how I am going to actually sew them together but I think I like this setting.

Aren’t the colors wonderful?  Lots of great prints and different fabrics are in the blocks.

Check out the other design walls on Judy’s blog.

Melinda

Quilt in a Cup Finished

I worked on my Quilt in a Cup this morning.  My wonderful sister Robin sent it to me on my birthday.  It is very simple to make the quilt for the inside but it is always helpful to actually read the directions.  My father used to always tell us that when all else fails, read the directions.  Not that this is complicated but the directions were helpful.  By the way, just because I did read the directions, I didn’t actually follow them.  The directions call for the quilt to be glued into the cup.  I didn’t do that since it can’t move once it is in the cup, I couldn’t see any reason to get the glue out.  Besides, this way I can change the quilt if I want to.

Of course I used some of my selvages to make the cup.  I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends that keep me supplied with selvages. First, here is the box that the cup came in.

  and what it looks like now.

It is a large cup/glass and has a built in straw.  It will be perfect to use for water/tea/lemonade at the shop and at home.  At least no one should be able to pick it up thinking it is their drink.

I love my birthday present – thank you Robin!  Next up is my Quilt in a Clipboard.  I can hardly wait to get it done.

Melinda

Final Beginner Classes

Yesterday was the last of the beginner classes for this session.  Unfortunately two of the students were unable to attend the last session but hopefully I can do a little make-up class for them.

All but one of them sewed their blocks together.  The one that didn’t is making her quilt larger.  She had made double the blocks but it was too long and narrow so she is working on more blocks.  Here are her quilt blocks.

The rest of them at least put part of the inner border on and I feel confident they have the ability to get the rest of the borders on.  They all did a great job and learned a lot.  Here are they with their quilts.

Melinda

Selvage Projects

I have been working on my two guild holiday exchange projects and have one completed and one ready to quilt. First, here is my apron for the holiday exchange at ECQG.  I put premade bias binding around the edges and used Moda twill tape from jelly rolls and fat quarter packs as the ties.  It is done unless I decide to add a pocket – not sure if I want to add one but it is ready to swap, with or without a pocket.

Next is the table runner for the Allatoona Guild.  It is large enough and all sewn together.  I still need to quilt it and will pick up some backing fabric tomorrow so should finish it completely next week.  I think I want to bind it with red/white stripes on the bias but not sure about the backing.  I am sure something will show up that will look good.

After trying several different settings, I decided I like the diamonds best.  I really like the red square towards the center with the large white dot on it.  I knew those nickel squares would come in handy some time. 

Melinda

Table Runner Progress

I made more blocks for the table runner this morning before guild.  I thought I had made all of them needed but somehow didn’t count right and I still need 10 more blocks.  Each block will finish at 4 1/2 inches and the runner has to be at least 44 inches long do so that means I need 10 rows and I have  7 1/2.  They go very quickly so will try to get the rest of them done in the morning.

When I first thought about this block and setting, I thought I wanted them to be set like flying geese.  Like here.

My thought was that I would have selvage flying geese flying toward the center from both ends.  Kind of hard to imagine with only these blocks. It looked good in my head but as I made more blocks, I started playing with them on the design board and think I like this look better.

I like the diamonds that the selvages form in this layout.  I still have to make the extra blocks before I decide how to set them.  What do you think? By the way, I moved one of the two top center blocks since they have the same background fabric.  Didn’t see it until I looked at the photo.

I am not going to border the runner so it should finish at 18 x 45, if I haven’t miscalculated something again.  The rules of the exchange are that it has to be at least 14 x 44.

I also picked up some lime green premade binding from Hancock’s today so can finish the apron.  Almost all of my exchanges will be done.  Just one more thing needed that will be put in the mail late this week and I am finished.

Melinda

YoYos

I have been on a yoyo making marathon recently.  The Allatoona guild is going to make a wine gift bag from yoyos next week and we need 63 of them.  I got started and went way past 63 so I might as well keep going and reach 2x63 and make one as a gift.  Actually, they are way to clever for a wine bag.  They are the perfect size to use as an Ott light carrier.  The only change will be to add a longer handle.

 

As you can see, I am working with my favorite black and whites again.  The class on making this is next week so hopefully I will have at least one finished then.

Melinda

Red and Aqua Blocks

I received my red and aqua disappearing nine patch blocks last week but forgot to post a photo.

Here are some of them.  I won’t have time to do anything with them until after the holidays.  Each block measures 6 1/4 inches now and I have 100 of them.  I am going to make a few extra to add in.  I think I will try to make 20 more so I can set them 10 x 12.  I would end up with a quilt that is 57” by 69” before borders so that will make a good sized throw quilt.  I have to think for a while about how to lay out the blocks but I guess that is what a design wall is for – when I get the time I will play with them and share the options.

Melinda

Design Wall Monday

Here is what is on my design wall today.

 

I am working on Christmas exchange projects.  On the left is my finished mini quilt for the holiday swap.  I quilted it yesterday morning and then bound it during my binding class.  I finished the hand sewing on the binding this morning and put the label on so it is ready to mail.  The apron is for the holiday party at the East Cobb Quilters’ Guild early next month.  I need to put binding around it and put the ties on.  I am using Moda twill from jelly rolls as the ties.

The blocks at the top is the start of my table runner for the Christmas exchange at the Allatoona Guild.  I am using red five inch squares as a base and sewing selvages to them, making half square triangles.  I can’t decide if I want to set them a flying geese or as diamonds.  There will be a total of eight rows and I only have three done so far.  They go very fast since they are so small.  The runner needs to be at least 14 inches wide and 44 inches long so I won’t need to add a border to it.

Check out Judy’s blog for other design walls.

Melinda

Binding Class

I taught a binding class today.  There were four students and they did a great job.  I used pre-quilted fabric and made kits for them.  The kit included the placemat cut to size, 1/4 yard of fabric for the binding and matching thread for the hand sewing.

This class was for straight grain binding, Joyce teaches bias binding which I don’t usually use on my quilts.  I like the way it looks with striped fabric and sometimes use it because it looks better.  Of course you need to use it on curved edges like my journal cover.  The bias was necessary for the curve on the front but it was also great for the stripe.

Here are the placemats in progress.

I demonstrated on my little Christmas YoYo Tree quilt so all I have to do to finish it is to complete the handwork.  I quilted it this morning.  I was able to find binding that I could use straight grain but looks like it is bias.

Melinda

Birthday Gifts

I got two packages in the mail yesterday from my sister Robin yesterday.  Here is what was in them.

A Quilt in a Clipboard kit and a Quilt in a Cup kit.  I already have a quilt in a cup kit but haven’t made it yet.  I might make one of them as a Christmas gift for someone but I am definitely going to make one for myself.  It will be great to use at work.  I see some selvages being used.

Both Robin and I use clipboards all the time and we have decorated some of them before but this kit is fantastic and I can’t wait to work on it.  You make two sides of the quilt and sandwich them in the acrylic clipboard.  They are then held in with the clip.  I am thinking of selvages on one side and perhaps black and white for the other side.

Thank you Robin – you really are the best sister ever.

Melinda

I won a giveaway

 

Joy is giving away 3 of her new patterns for a beautiful block keeper.  She is also including a little set of keys to decorate it with.  I can’t believe that I won!  I am so excited and can’t wait to get the pattern and make one.

Joy is one of the wonderful Gum Tree Designers.  If you haven’t visited them you should go there immediately and see the wonderful patterns they are sharing with us.

Thank you Joy!

Melinda

It’s My Birthday

Today is my birthday and I got a wonderful surprise from my sister.  Check out her blog to see it.  I only have one sister and she is wonderful.  I am so lucky to have her.

I didn’t realize she had some of those old photos.  I especially like the one of us with Mother.

Melinda

Mini YoYo Quilt

I am working on a mini quilt for a swap.  I had a bunch of yoyos made, a stack of 5 inch charms, and a bunch of buttons.  This is what I came up with.

It is about 18 inches square.  I added 5 inch green squares around the center nine patch.  It was too big and didn’t look right so I cut the green down and I like it much better.  I will try to get it quilted tomorrow if I can decide how to quilt it.  I bought a candy cane print to put on the back and do the binding with.

Melinda

Purse Class

Purse class was tonight.  I had three people attend tonight and two people finished their projects.  We found a cute new pattern that we are all going to make next month.

Aren’t they both great!  I really want the black and white one.

Melinda