Mug Rugs

Two parties in two days – actually three parties but the third one I am saving for tomorrow.

In both Piecemakers and Allatoona, we exchanged mug rugs for Christmas.  For Piecemakers, I made this one.

and I received this one from Karen.

For Allatoona I made this one.

and I received this one from Maddy.

I also brought home this cute little bag made by Nancy.  As president for her second year, she made these for each of the committee chairs.  Also included was a light for handwork – one that you attach to your head.  You might look a little weird but you will be able to see clearly.

Melinda

Design Wall Monday–February 4, 2013

What a busy day yesterday.  It was the annual Super Bolt sale at Tiny Stitches.  Big discounts, big crowds and a wonderful time was had by all.  By the time I got home, I was really tired – so tired that I went to bed before 9 pm.  Feel great this morning.

Here is what is on my design wall this morning.

 

The spool blocks are from the Piecemakers’ exchange last year.  I have more blocks but somehow I sewed them together wrong.  I have a few to take apart and resew and then I need to make three more blocks so I can complete it.  I hope to get it done this week so it can go into the “to be quilted” mountain.

I have Easy Street on the Gammill and am about 3/4 done.  I am going out to breakfast in a couple of minutes but plan to come home and finish it.  Bonnie Hunter will be at Tiny Stitches this afternoon and I want to take it to show to her.  I should be able to get the binding sewn on and do the handwork this afternoon after showing it off.

Fun, fun fun!

For more design walls, go to Patchwork Times.

Melinda

Piecemakers Christmas Party

We had the Piecemakers Christmas party yesterday.  As usual, it was a wonderful day.  Lots of good food, good friends and even good quilts.

I made a pumpkin roll and it all disappeared so it must have been good.

Today was the day to share the quilts we make from our annual exchange.  We also decided to skip a year and not do an exchange next year but to concentrate on the ones that are not yet finished.

I didn’t get my quilt made but here is a reminder of the blocks I received.

As usual, most of the other women were able to finish at least their quilt tops.  Here is the parade.

Isn’t it fun to see all the different ideas using the same blocks.  We hope to enter all of them in the Bulloch Hall Quilt Show – I would love to get mine done also.  I have until the end of January.

Melinda

Piecemakers

I mentioned that we went to Piecemakers on Monday.  Michele taught everyone how to make crumb blocks.  Michele loves little pieces of fabric!

Here is the whole group. We have more members but several were unable to attend this month. Janice came and brought her quilt that we made for her last month.  She looks great and is doing well.

I am in the back on the right – wearing lime green as usual.

Melinda

Piecemakers–Quilt Made

One of the members of Piecemakers needs a comfort quilt.  She will have surgery this week and we wanted to get something make quickly for her.  We had a sample of fabric for color inspiration and all make a couple of Ohio Star blocks.  Yesterday we got together and put together the quilt top.

Here are the blocks on the wall.

We had four people on the sewing machines, one cutting sashing and cornerstones, one ironing, one getting pieces to sew to the sewers and I organized putting the top together.  In less than two hours, here is what we had done.

After this we cut the borders and they were sewn on by the time I left but I forgot to get another photo.  The backing was also made and Michele has the whole thing.  She will be quilting it on her new Sweet Sixteen.

Just goes to show what a small group of determined women can do for a friend.

Melinda

Design Wall Monday–July 2, 2012

First on my design wall is the spool blocks from the exchange.  Jan brought me the rest of the blocks and I put them up on the wall.

After admiring them, I took them down waiting for inspiration on how to make a quilt out of them. Next I sewed together the strips for the Christmas quilt. Next I need to add the white sashing between each strip, add the borders and get it quilted.

I really like non-traditional Christmas fabric.

Lastly, I want to show the wonderful fabric I found on Saturday.  First here is my Happy Village again.

Here is the fabric.

Can you believe how much it looks like my little quilt.  Unfortunately, a customer bought the end of the bolt so I wasn’t able to get any but we did have the same fabric with a white background and I got some of it to back my little quilt with. 

For more design walls, go to Patchwork Times.

Melinda

Bag Project from Piecemakers

I forgot to share that we made tote bags during our Piecemakers meeting.  Actually it is more correct to say we changed existing tote bags by adding a pocket, making them suitable for children.  They will be donated along with quilts to the Cobb County foster care system.

I had the cowboy fabric in my stash for some reason, was glad to use part of it.

The bags were leftover from a long ago quilt show – one of those ideas that sounds good at the time but there were lots of them leftover and it is good to see them used for such a good project.

Melinda

Piecemakers Exchange

We did the exchange and had a wonderful potluck lunch.  I made a cabbage chicken salad and it turned out great.  I had enough left over that I had it for dinner also.  When I went to the store to buy a chicken for the salad, I saw the blackberries so I also made a blackberry cobbler.  It was yummy and it got completely eaten – no leftovers.

Here are the blocks I received in the exchange.

Jan and I made extra blocks but forgot we had done them.  We had a set leftover and it took until this afternoon to realize that those were the ones we were supposed to split.  That means that I have 8 more coming next time I see Jan, which should be Friday at the quilt show meeting.

Now the next challenge will be to complete a quilt using these blocks by our Christmas meeting.  I have a couple of ideas but will wait until I see all the blocks together before I decide.

Melinda

Ready for Piecemakers Annual Swap

On Monday we are having our monthly bee meeting and it is time to swap this years blocks – spool blocks.

I made my 17 a few weeks ago – here they are if you want to know what they look like.

The black ones are for the swap and the extra 4 selvage blocks are for a side swap we have arranged.  One of the members of the group dropped out a couple of weeks ago so Jan and I decided each of us will make an additional 8 blocks and will use these to fill out the swap and split them since each of us wants to to make more anyway.

Here are the eight extra I made last night.

We will be swapping them on Monday, along with a potluck lunch – can’t wait.

Melinda

Bee Blocks Received

I received 3 more blocks from the Let’s Get Together bee.  I love the ones that have come so far.  I sent out the fabric and asked for star blocks.  I love them.

Also, here is a photo of Tina’s second Birdie Stitches quilt.  The first was brighter and this one is made with Sweetwater’s Sunkissed.  I need to get mine out and work on it.

I worked on the spool blocks today and finished them up so I am ready for the swap.  I made 4 blocks using selvages for the thread and the rest have the cool thread fabric I have been using.  The blocks aren’t due until June so I am actually ahead – no last minute sewing this year.

I am teaching tonight so there will be photos of student quilts tomorrow.

Melinda

Design Wall Monday–May 14, 2012

Well, I have more spool blocks completed.  Still have 9 more to make – 5 for the swap and 3 more for my friends.  The extra 3 are going to be selvage thread.

I also finished up the Vintage Modern Double Slice quilt and took it to the shop.

I also picked up two new quilts to make for the shop.  First is a new Halloween layer cake and I am going to make another Double Slice quilt.  Then I have a jelly roll of Urban Cowgirl to make a jelly roll race quilt.

For more design walls, go to Patchwork Times and check out all the other design walls.

Melinda

Design Wall Monday–May 7, 2012

Every year my bee group, Piecemakers does a block exchange.  This year we are exchanging spool blocks.  They are due in June so for a change I am planning on getting them done early.  My design wall today has 5 of the 17 blocks I need to make.

In addition to the spool blocks ( by the way, check out the great “thread” fabric I found) there is my first star block from my bee month.  I was late in getting the fabric out and so I am patiently waiting for the blocks to arrive.  I sent out the same fabric as last year and plan to make a larger quilt.  Here are my blocks from last year.

For more design walls, go to Patchwork Times.

Melinda

Piecemakers and QOV

Yesterday was the monthly meeting of Piecemakers.  The goal for the day was to make at least one QOV quilt.  Nancy had found a pattern at the Georgia Quilt Council convention a couple of weeks ago and asked us to bring 3 1/2 inch strips of red, white and blue.  She supplied gold and many blocks were made.  My contribution was to go through my stash and fine fabrics for borders and backing.  I came up with about 30 yards so my stash report next week will look good.

I forgot to take a photo of the stack of fabrics I took but you can see one of them as the borders on the quilt top we were finished.

I had at least 2 or three fabrics that were large enough for backing.  Yea!

After the meeting, we went for Cuban food – yum! and then I worked on our taxes.  Since we owe some, I have been in no hurry to finish.  I got them done last night and will do a final review today before sending them in.

Melinda

Gifts from Guild Presidents

I have held a position in two guilds this year.  One was Past President (a very easy job) and Quilt Show Chair (a more challenging job).  Tradition says that the current guild president gives a small gift to each board officer and committee chair.

Andrea’s husband is a wonderful woodworker and he made ruler racks for us.  Wonderful ruler racks.

Robin made little art pins for everyone.  They were all different and all wonderful.  Here is mine.

Two fun holiday parties in one week!  Of course there was also the Piecemakers’ brunch and the Tiny Stitches party.  That makes four parties in one week. 

Melinda

Piecemakers on Monday

I belong to a wonderful bee called Piecemakers.  We meet at the church once a month and have a great time together.  At the beginning of each year we ask the members to sign up to lead a program and November was my month.

I decided to show them the hexagon table topper.  I learned this in Las Vegas this summer and taught it again at the Tiny Stitches retreat.  It has been very popular.

Here is the results of the morning.

Lots of different fabric choices but each of them turned out wonderful.  I made the two in the lower left corner.  They still need to have the backing attached and turned.

Next I want to make the sizes of the strips smaller and see if I can make an ornament sized one.  I think it would be cute.  Stay tuned!

Melinda

Blogger’s Quilt Festival

I am still at Quilt Market and will post more about it tomorrow, but for now I want to post my entry in the Blogger’s Quilt Festival.

I made this quilt with my Piecemaker’s Bee.  We exchange swap blocks each year.
In 2010 we exchanged string blocks.  We were able to designate a color we
wanted and a color to avoid.  Of course as usual in exchanges, what you get is
what you get or as they say around here “You get what you get and don’t pitch a fit.”

Here are the blocks I received.

This is what I made from them.

Here is a close-up of the quilting.

My friend Barb did the embroidery for me on her embroidery machine. I cut up the exchange blocks with my 60 degree ruler and sewed it together. I like it!

To see the rest of the Blogger’s Quilt Festival, go to Amy’s blog here.

Melinda

Bulloch Hall

This is Bulloch Hall.  It was the home of Teddy Roosevelt’s mother and is open to the public.  Once a year, the Bulloch Hall Quilt Guild holds a quilt show at the house.

I belong to a quilt bee called Piecemakers and we do a yearly block exchange.  Last year we exchanged string blocks and the challenge was to make a quilt using them.  We could cut them up or use them as exchanged.  Each of us was able to specify a color preference and mine was black and white.  Ten of our quilts were entered in the show and displayed together in the attic.

Here they each are.

Mine was the last one in the row of quilts.

We all went to the show on Monday and then out to lunch – it was a wonderful day with friends.

Here is a photo of the whole group of us at the show.

Melinda