Moda Giveaway

Elizabeth at the  "Oh, Fransson!" blog" blog is sponsoring a giveaway of 5 lovely Moda Mingle packets.  Make sure to visit and make a comment before Wednesday to be entered in the drawing.  The fabrics are yummy.

Design wall Monday January 25, 2010

We just arrived home from dropping my daughter off at college in rainy, windy New England.  I started the quilt I am working on last March.  As I was putting the borders on, I noticed a few blocks (smack in the middle) that had the fabrics sewn in the wrong order.  My husband said no one would notice since it was such a scrappy quilt, but once I saw the mistake I couldn't take my eyes off of it.  I took it apart and am fixing the stray blocks.  Hopefully, I will finish putting the borders on this week.  Unfortunately, I couldn't get it up on the design wall so it is laying on the bed in the sewing room.

On Friday, we went to the Museum of Natural History in NYC.  While my family was concentrating on the artifacts in the Hall of the Peoples of the Pacific, I was taking pictures of the tiles on the floor.  There are quilt patterns everywhere.

Don't forget to visit Judy L's blog to see what's on other design walls.

Stashbuster Report Week 4

My daughter's winter break is over and we've dropped her off back at school (a  women's college in New England with an alumna currently in the presidential cabinet).  I'm posting my stash report from a motel near the college campus before we take her to dinner.  When she started college (she's a Junior now) her school had a well deserved reputation for excellent food and plenty of it.  Last year, in an effort to save money, the college decided to contract out all of the dining halls instead of having their own dining staff.  The food has gone steadily down hill ever since.  It kills me when I think of how expensive this place is.

Although I cut out all of the leafy green fabric I bought last week into borders and binding, I won't count them until they are sewn on.

Used this Week: 0 yards

Used year to Date: 3.75 yards

Added this Week: 0 yards

Added Year to Date: 12.25 yards

Net Used for 2010: -8.50

Don't forget to visit Judy L's blog and find out how much stash busting everyone else has been doing this week,

Design Wall Monday

I still do not have access to my sewing room so I used the floor in my family room to hold the object of Design Wall Monday.  This is one of the Disappearing 9 Patch donation quilts I worked on during Judy L's Quiltathon this weekend.  It is also the reason I purchased turquoise and yellow tone on tone fabrics last week.  I think I will be adding red borders to increase the size.  Right now the quilt is 33 x 41. 

Don't forget to check Judy L's blog to take a look at other design walls.

Stash Report Week 3 January 17, 2010

My guilt over adding to my stash this week is diminished by the fact that I finished piecing 2 tops and anticipate finishing 2 more by Tuesday.  YEAH!!!  My son's friend is staying for the weekend and the guest room and my sewing room are one and the same.  I won't be able to use my cutting table to prepare the binding for the 4 quilts and the borders for 2 of them until Monday night.

This week I purchased 2 yards of unbleached muslin to make string blocks.  One yard of yellow tone on tone to finish a WIP and 2 yards of dark green leaf print for bindings and borders.

The first quilt made from Disappearing 9 patch blocks from Brenda Lou at Scottie Dog Quilts measures 40 x 60.

The second top is "Quilter's Bounty" from Moose Track Patterns.  The finished size of the pattern is 48 x 48.  I added an extra row to make it 48 x 60.

Used this Week: 3.75 yards

Used year to Date: 3.75 yards

Added this Week: 5 yards

Added Year to Date: 12.25 yards

Net Used for 2010: -8.50

Don't forget to visit Judy L's blog and find out how much stash busting everyone else has been doing this week,

Too Good To Cut Challenge Week 2

I have spent a lot of time at my machine piecing blocks and tops this week.  Most of the sewing was to finish WIPs and UFOs.  I did manage to piece 16 more blocks for my Too Good to Cut Jambalaya Quilt.  I have been arranging them on the faded carpet in my sewing room and I thought I was pleased with the mix.  This morning I taped them to the white closet doors in the hall to take a picture and they looked quite different.  The colors seem unbalanced.  I will be making more blocks, and either adding to the top to make it larger, or using any blocks that seem discordant on the back.

This shot is my original "carpet" arrangement.

This is the second arrangment I tried this morning.  The fabric has a muddied tone in the photos.  The colors are more vibrant in person.
Visit Rose Willow's blog so you can check out the rest of the entrants in the challenge

Design Wall Monday

Brenda Lou of Scottie Dog quilts in Eureka, CA  http://www.scottiedogquilts.com/ is a member of the Sunshine Quilters, as am I.  It's an online quilt guild dedicated to creating charity quilts for children.  The two main charities that the quilts are given to are WAS (Wrap them in a smile) which distributes quilts to children who are undergoing facial reconstruction surgery for cleft palate, hair lips, etc. and  WTIL (Wrap Them in Love) whixh distributes quilts to children in orphanages all over the world.

Brenda Lou  kindly offered numerous "Disappearing 9 patch" blocks to anyone in the group who was willing to put them together.  Not having enough of my own fabric or projects to work on, I gladly responded in the affirmative.  The blocks are as bright and sunny as I imagine California to be.  Brenda Lou also packed some yardage in the box as well as a paper pieced medallion quilt for me to complete.  I'm more than a little intimidated by the paper-pieced quilt.  I could never make anything that complicated.  Thanks for trusting me Brenda Lou.  I'll do my best.

Be sure to take a look at what everyone else has on their design walls.

Stash Report Week 2

Even though it is the second week of Judy L's Stash Busting Report, it is my first week to report.  I'm sad to say that my first report is of a buying spree rather than use of fabric.
My favorite not so LQS is Quilter's Corner in New Milford, CT.  During December, they gave out sealed red envelopes with discount cards inside that could only be opened during the month of January at the cash register in the store.  I held out as long as I could and finally had to find out what my special discount was. 

TWENTY FIVE PERCENT!  I think I should be congratulated for coming home with as few items in my bag as I did.  All of the purchases are to finish WIPs.

2 yards dark green Robert Kaufman "Fusion" to be used as borders for 2 charity quilts.

2 1/2 yards of a beautiful batik (end of the bolt)  and  2 yards of a swirly flower batik, both of these are vying to be the borders on the Jambalaya quilt I am making for Rosewillow's "Too Good to Cut" challenge.

3 fat quarters (2 pink dot, 1 black Fusion) to finish swap blocks.

Added this week 7.25 yards

Added year to date 7.25 yards

Used this week 0

Used year to date 0

Seeing the 0s on the page is discouraging, but hopefully the new additions will be used within a month.

Please check Judy L's blog to see what everyone else is doing.

First Post - Rosewillow's "Too Good to Cut Challenge"

Thanks to Dianne at Rosewillow's Unfinished Business, I am now a blogger.  In keeping with my aims for 2010 I chose a Hoffmann "Kimono" fabric that has been in my stash since ?1997.  Unfortunately, my beloved fabric does not have enough contrast for the pattern I chose.  Undeterred, I turned to some beautiful batiks that I have petted since 2000.  To challenge myself further, I chose Jambalaya a paper pieced pattern that I bought in 2001. 
http://quiltwoman.com/jambalaya-quilt-table-runner-pattern.aspx

The tiny pieces frightened me, so I enlarged them 180%.

I am very pleased with the first block.



Thank you Dianne.  The first cut only hurt a little.