Geez...first I don't blog forever and now you can't shut me up! Two posts in one weekend! Gotta blog when the spirit moves me! I'm going to try to cut back my hours at work to no more than 9...not 9.5, not 10 and DEFINITELY not 12. I get so exhausted that by the time the weekend rolls around...I don't get much housework done...all I want to do is play. So, I did this weekend :)
Here's a quilt I've been working on. I call it Rose Garden. I love the fabrics. They came out around Valentine's Day and I bought a yard of a few designs. Then I thought of making this quilt, so I ordered a whole big bunch more. Good thing, because I can't find it anymore.
I'm using setting squares for the sashing, something I haven't done in a long time. I always sucked at measuring and getting the squares right. But, this time it's going quite well. The blocks are about 14" square with 3" sashing, so few blocks will go a long way. Funny thing is I made a BUNCH of blocks, so I have a whole lot leftover.
I'm not done with this yet. I'm adding at least one more row horizontally. Then I think I'll put a 2" border of the sashing fabric and then either the red rose fabric or the striped fabric for a 4" border.
Stay tuned!
Although I haven't been blogging on this blog, I have been working on quilts and fabric in general. While looking through my extensive stash of fabric, I found some that made me wonder what I was thinking when I bought it. Like this piece:
It is probably the ugliest piece of fabric I've owned..EVER...and I've been quilting since 1987.
When I first found it, I thought it was inside out....but, nope, it is right side out the way you see it. The stuff I would never put in a quilt is going into a pile to be made into cotton crocheted rugs like this one I made:
I had yards and yards of drapery weight fabric my mom had gotten in a community yard sale years ago. The fabric was leftovers from the funeral parlor across the street from my mom's house when they made new drapes....kinda funny :)
This rug is almost 4ft across and it is gracing my foyer. We have beige carpeting in this house and it never stays clean...so I'm covering it up. Here are some others I made:
I think I am obsessed...there are a few more rugs in my future as I clean out my stash....
I'm planning myself a retirement quilt. I know, I'm starting early, but it takes me time to make a quilt. For my first spring in New Hampshire after I retire I want to snuggle under a new quilt made by me!
I love log cabin quilts. So, I decided to make myself a log cabin quilt in purple and rose and yellow polka dots. I've made two blocks so far. And you'll note that I have a black cat-shaped spot on my two blocks. And this spot is apparently washing his feet....on MY quilt blocks.
Let's remember that Merlie never lived in a cold climate. I doubt he ever really knew what a quilt was until a few weeks ago. Ever since he became acquainted with his Aunt Denise's quilt, which she made for Bob, he's been a quilt junkie. In fact, he's become a FABRIC junkie!
I submit this picture as evidence:
Note the colorful fabric Merlie is ensconced upon. That is a quilt top that I spread over one of our pub chairs in order to decide if I wanted to make the quilt bigger or leave it as a wall quilt.
Merlie has never sat on our pub chairs. Never showed any interest in them. BUT, add a quilt top and he's right there! Also, he's been joining me in my quilting area lying in quilt scraps. HOWEVER, once I tried sprinkling fabric scraps on him. He got scared and ran. I have no idea what he thought I was really doing to him. He doesn't seem scared of lying on the scraps, but scraps raining down freaks him out. Strange cat....
As the East Coast of the U.S. finishes up its ringing in of 2012, we in Hawaii are still waiting for the magic hour. Some fireworks are still legal here, but not the real loud stuff. Still, some folks think the rules do not apply to them and there are occasional loud booms. This is our first New Year with Merlin and he's afraid of the loud noises. He is curled up next to me on the couch so I'll protect him from the "booms". Guess I'll be up for a while defending the homestead against loud noises and keeping Merlie safe. :)
For once I got my act together to post my pictures early today. This picture is the serendipitous quilt that just "happened" yesterday. Found the fabric, realized how much I missed my sunflower fabric and decided to whip up something simple to add beads to. I have a perfect place to put it in the bedroom. I just love sunflowers. They are such happy flowers!
And this is the polka dot quilt. Really bright and pinky-magenta. I'm going to bead it, too, but haven't decided how yet.
Today I need to work on my Red Victorian Lady bead tapestry. Haven't worked on her in a while. She's a big project and isn't going to weave herself!
I've gotten the quilting bug again. I have rarely quilted while living in Hawaii....too hot and we don't use quilts at all. But, I spent two weeks in New Hampshire which included a couple of days of snow. I just felt like quilting and sewing in general. Thought that feeling would go away once I returned to the tropics, but it hasn't.
I've cleaned up my sewing area which is just a part of one of the bedrooms. It's enough space with shelving and a table for cutting, etc. I don't think I'll be making any bed quilts, just lap quilts and some wall quilts.
When I lived in Germany, I made several quilts. One was for Bob because he didn't have one and we really needed them in the winter. His was coffee-themed :)
And I got into making wall quilts embellished with beads and appliques. These are a couple of the wall quilts I made:
Today, I've been working on a new quilt based on one of my favorite quilting books. I'm almost finished with the piecing, but haven't decided on embellishment yet. Oh yes, it must be embellished! I'll post a picture tomorrow of the pre-embellished stage. And I finished a top for a wall quilt which just kind of happened while I was going through my stash today. I'll post a picture of it's pre-embellished stage, too.
I'm back to quilting!
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