Block of the Month: Starts and Re-starts

July 1, 2013April 27, 2014 Elizabeth E.6 Comments

I’ve been working on Amish With a Twist–part II, having sewn up some strip sets before I went under the knife for foot surgery, then cut them apart:

While this is how the pattern recommended we proceed, but when sewing them together I found lots of repeated colors. Think carefully about where you sew your lights and mediums, trying not to have the same order of colors from bottom to top, otherwise you’ll find yourself with the problem I have below:

So yes, today I’ll be unpicking and re-stitching in order to break up the two yellows. What you see up on my pinwall is where I got a bit smarter and laid out the strips and the stars and the sets, and could mix and match before sewing them up in a rush.

Actually, when you open that first package, I’d recommend making yourself one of these:

A swatch card. I wrote the name of the color on each clip of selvage, then also coded them as to whether the pattern designer considered it a “medium” or a “light,” as shown by the pink or yellow lines next to the swatch. While it was true that I was cutting these out while hanging out with my three younger grandchildren, and I was trying to follow the plots of their multiple episodes of Witches of Waverly Place streaming down on Netflix as their mother took a nap, I was also pulling out my hair over which color was which. The pattern does include a color chart, but as we all know, print colors can vary from actual colors. So, do your best to sort out which is what color and go forward.

I’m past the initial confusion and aside from the bit of re-stitching I’m going to be doing in a minute, I’m enjoying this process. I’ve never done a Block of the Month (BOM) before, and it’s kind of fun to get a package and a pattern on your doorstep. It is fun to pick and choose colors in the fabric shop, I admit, as well as patterns and ideas, but this summer, given all the sturm und drang (aka “storm and stress”) of the surgery, family trips, and other sundry complications in my world, it will be nice to have part of the creative process simplified. This is my inspiration (the finished quilt top) and I look at it often:

Hopefully, if I stay on track and don’t get too far behind (yes, I’m three blocks behind already!) I’ll have a gorgeous quilt like this one.

˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙

On a side note: for those of you with tons of zucchini in your gardens, I finally got a handle on an interesting zucchini bread recipe, with dried cranberries and walnuts. Recipe *here.*

Holiday Quilt Night for the Good Heart Quilters

December 3, 2012December 3, 2012 Elizabeth E.5 Comments

I’m sure I’ve told you, but our little quilt group–named The Good Heart Quilters–began when Lisa, majorly pregnant with her second daughter, enlisted my help (as well as few others) to get us all together to sew. Our first quilt night was December of that year, and just about every month after that we loaded up our sewing machines, rulers, mats and rotary cutters on the first Friday and sewed until the caffeine from our stash of Coke and root beer wore off and we headed home, usually in the wee hours of the morning.

Fast foward sixteen years. Lisa is in the middle in the brown vest and still looks as young as she did that night (and by the way, she had her baby the next day). We have some new Good Heart Quilters, but it’s fun to have this gang hang together as long as we have. In the middle next to Lisa is Cindy of Live a Colorful Life, who joined us for the party (and stayed with me for the weekend). And now, everyone was cleared out by 10:30 p.m.

Leisa and I hosted this gig, and she arrived early to give my tired Christmas wreath a makeover. Thanks, Leisa, it looks terrific (I didn’t get wreath-making DNA).

We set up two long tables, plus had the one in the kitchen, ready to go. I hate juggling too many utensils, so Cindy and I set them out. Cindy had arrived the day before, and that morning we had done a little shop-hop, but were back in time to set up the party. I’d cooked up a slew of my mother’s chili on Thursday (because chili always tastes better the next day), Leisa brought rolls and sodas, and everyone brought the toppings.

Leisa found these sweet pincushions for everyone, and together we sewed a bunch of zippered pouches to give out as gifts (below).

Bethany brought two kinds of cupcakes: chocolate and white.

And she brought one of her first sewing projects to show us: a cute Christmasy pillowcase.

The chili and all the fixins. Karen brought us some vegan chili, as we have a couple of women who are watching what they eat. I like that our group changes and flexes to our needs.

Quilters in the kitchen. . .

. . . and the dining room.

After dinner and visiting, we got to work. Lisa brought a yo-yo project and everyone helped.

Bridget curled up in a red chair to sew on her red/white quilt.

Simone’s working on her apple core quilt. Someone commented that she seemd to have dressed to match what she was working on, but she denied any overt connection.

Kelly, who came just for a little holiday cheer and destressing, quickly joined us in visiting.

Tauni has finished two quilts–the one above, and the one below.

Tauni and Sara.

JoDy is getting the binding on a zoo-themed quilt.

Jean helped Lisa with the yo-yo project and in the background, Carol listens intently.

Cindy and Laurel talk shop: Farmer’s Wife blocks. Seeing those blocks all together was really stunning. It’s hard to appreciate them only on the blog. I got a closer look the next day, when Cindy and I decided we’d had enough running around and hunkered down to sew.

This is the string of them, coming off the machine. She was bordering them, but I kept finding ones that I loved.

Like this one. Almost thou dost persuade me to make my own set, Cindy. Almost. But I think I’ll just admire yours.

I got busy on the shams to go with the Christmas Star Quilt that I’d made a couple of years ago. I did want to get these done last year, but we went to Ohio for Christmas, and then there was that cancer surgery thing I had to go through (I’m fine) but it sure disrupts a life. So, better late than never. I’m guest-hosting at Lee’s Freshly Pieced Blog on Wednesday, so check back then for the finished reveal on the shams.

Sunday morning, the weekend with Cindy came to an end, when I drove her down to the train station to catch her ride home. We were early, so sat and talked quilting stuff: blogs, creativity, challenges, feelings of inadequacy, and the impact of online distraction. From our conversation, I have enough ideas for many more posts. I appreciate my quilting friends–both those that I have had for many months and years–as well as those I meet online.

**************

P.S. Those of you who read my blog through your readers, click through to see the new Christmas banner at the top of my blog. Some of these photos were taken when we lived in Virginia and are trees found around Washington DC during the holidays.

Good Heart Quilters · Quilts

Quilt Night and Black & White Winners

October 6, 2012October 6, 2012 Elizabeth E.3 Comments

As promised, last night Simone’s daughter Camille helped me pick the winners for the Black and White Giveaway. I’m terrible at picking winners because I want everyone to win. So to take it out of my hands and back into the hands of Random (without that hideous Random Number Generator which I am convinced HATES me), I cut up all the names and put the names of my followers/Google readers into my Peter Rabbit lunchbox.

Who is it?

“CSL,” Camille says. I started laughing. My friend Tracy asks, “What?”
“That’s my sister,” I said. “What are the chances?”

I threw in all the names for the next drawing, followers/readers and those who left a comment.

Camille stirred them around several times, then wiggled her hand in deep and pulled out a slip.

“Devon?” she says. “Who is Devon?”

So, Cynthia and Devon, congratulations! I can see I need to have more of these now I’ve found a way to draw names with Camille’s help. Thank you Camille! UPDATE: I’ve also selected two more winners, surprise!, because you know I just hate to turn anyone away. So check your email to see if you have a message from me. The prizes? Another stack of black and white from my own stash, plus a chunk of the Keep Calm and Quilt On, in colors! Once I get the photos done, I’ll post those.

Now a look around at Quilt Night. Caitlin is coming down the home stretch on her Christmas Stockings. That zig-zag quilt you see in the front? That’s Deneese’s project.

Here she is with lovely Simone, who finally gave me a real smile so she could get her photo up on the blog (I don’t like to post photos of people with weird expressions, caught in mid-blink, and I seemed to get a lot of those last time. Simone just moves too fast!). Deneese is actually celebrating tonight because she made her through her first Potty Training Experience. That is significant. Congratulations on your kid’s dry pants, a big moment for the child, but a HUGE moment for the Mom.

This is Bridget’s quilt.

Now she’s back!

Her mom’s quilt is all laid out. Lisa is another one that moves fast, so I didn’t get a picture of her. Well, I tried, but the light was lower and so they were all blurry. Next time.

Tauni also joined us last night, a bit late, so I pulled this photo off of Facebook so you could see what she finished last month: a quilt for her sister-in-law who is battling cancer. It’s raw-edge appliqué, both in the words and the hearts and flowers.

And that’s Quilt Night for October!

Creating · Good Heart Quilters

September 2012 Quilt Night

September 23, 2012September 23, 2012 Elizabeth E.1 Comment

The Good Heart Quilters got together the second week of September to teach & learn, catch up and eat, and to hang out.

Lisa showed us the completed Arabic Lattice quilt, everything finished up since our summer get-together.

This is one her daughter Leilani completed–with a horse theme. Leilani has a horse that occupies a lot of her free time, so she made a quilt to go along with that love of hers.

Caitlin came tonight, showing off her Christmas stockings. Perfection in a nutshell. She’s one of our newbies.

Deneese is another quilter new to our group. Both of these women have small toddlers and babies at home so they can’t always break away, but we’re glad to have them when they come.

Simone’s first night, too. She likes to ham it up for the camera. I don’t think I ever got one picture of her with her lovely smile.

Bridget shows off her first quilt. I believe she participated in the Red and White Sample Swap, but then she made the double-nine-patch blocks to go in between her sampler blocks.

It was held at Carol’s house (in the yellow blouse). She’s a newbie, too! Here she is with Karen, and of course, our snack/munchie bar.

Laurel worked on this set of blocks. Every photo I have of her, her eyes are closed, but she obviously has them open in order to pick such beautiful fabrics.

Karen’s bargello heart. She is on the quilting now, doing it by hand.

Lisa (Bridget’s Mom) and Caitlyn look through quilt books. Actually, I think Lisa is working on her half-square triangles, sorting them into colors.

Laying out Simone’s apple core quilt on the guest bedroom bed. She sent me a snapshot this week, showing that she’d sewn the first row together!

Kelly is another one of our newest quilters. Although an accomplished sewist, she’d never quilted before. So she learned to cut with the rulers, stitch a quarter-inch seam, and got working on cranking out a set of blocks. It’s the end of the night and we’re all tired and walking into walls, but we had a great time.

Because my photos that night were kind of bogus, I asked Lisa to bring her latest quilt top over so I could take a picture of it. Here’s the close-up.

And here it is in all its glory. This had genesis in the early days of our group, when four of us began to make “I Spy” quilts: Lisa, Laurel, Leisa and me. Laurel’s had squares, instead of hexagons. I don’t know if Leisa finished hers, but I gave all my pieces to Lisa. She gave me a few back so I could cut them up for my Polaroid blocks, but then she borrowed my templates, cut some more and got it done. Woo-hoo!