MISTLIN ART GALLERY INVITATION

A couple of weeks ago I got a call from one of our guild members that was working on the guild's art show.  She asked me to submit my Calendar Challenge piece.  I was surprised, and frankly honored to be asked.  I do not consider myself an artist.  

So, off to see the show.  I captured myself taking a photo of the gallery entry.  

And here is my submission.  Titled Violets in Abstract, for February of the Calendar Challenge.

Another guild member's submission for October.  So pretty!

This piece was done in a guild class that I did not take.  I should have, it is such a fun idea. 

This one a favorite of mine too.  There were so many lovely pieces submitted.  A great way to feature local artistic talent.  

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HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

While in Las Vegas my oldest daughter and I spent some time  working on a quilt idea for a very dear friend of hers expecting a baby boy later this year.  We finally decided on an idea, purchased fabric and had it sent to my home.  It arrived on Sunday, so I got a start on a lay out this week.

I am popping in some dot fabrics as small fillers with the Hungry Caterpillar fabric line.  

A few more orange and red dots that help as well.  

I've sent her photos of it and wait for her OK.  Then a start on sewing it together and adding more fabrics in the Caterpillar line, as I get it to the 48 by 60 inch size we are looking for.  

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LONGABERGER BASKETS FIND

My husband and I spent the past week in Las Vegas with our oldest daughter and her husband.  No, we are not gamblers!  We do enjoy the multiple museums and antique shopping that city offers though.
On a trip through one of the antique shops I spied two Longaberger Baskets at a price that I could not pass up.  The company went out of business a year or more ago.  I love the baskets and have several that I purchased over many years.  However, nether had a fabric liner.  One can not have a naked basket hanging around.  

I grabbed up this small market basket for $22.50.

And this Christmas Collection from 1996 for $40.00

I have a larger market basket and this liner no longer fits it.  I washed it and it shrunk.  So, I decided to alter it to fit this smaller basket.  It ended up working out well.

I was not so lucky with the Christmas basket.  I had to make a liner.  This one turned out fairly well, although I am not completely happy with the four corners of the basket not filling in so well.  It will do for a while.

I do like how the cording went in for the top of the liner. 

I have figured out that my seams in the corners of the liner should have angled out a bit to fill in the corners better.  Lesson learned for the next try.  Maybe the old liner will fit into another basket and can go to the basket raffle at my guild's quilt show in January.  I will give it another try a bit later and see if I can master this a bit better for my own basket.

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LAS VEGAS FABRIC SHOPPING

There are lots of things to do in Las Vegas, but fabric shopping is one of my favorite things to do.

This shop has every thing you want and more.

I finally decided to buy cork.  I plan to try it on some zippy bags and who knows what other projects I can dream up.

My son-in-law saw this pattern and really admired it.  I am thinking it might be my next project.

French General, it is always so pretty.  This was on the sale racks.  Under $7.00 a yard.  I think I really got a bargain.

I bought this also on sale for a basic.  The print is a pale green.

And a stripe, I always try to buy a stripe when I see one I like.

And also a little site seeing for the guys.

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BIRDS, BIRDS, AND MORE BIRDS

I have had to take a bit of time this past week to make some of the side pieces to my bird blocks.  It had been some time since I had made this type of block.  It took a bit of figuring out at first.  I think the fun part is picking out so many different fabrics to go into it. 

Now this guy is so much easier and is done and ready to sew on to one of my finished bird blocks.  I got lazy on the blue fabric and used all the same print.

Now able to begin another bird.  This one is going to be really easy.

At least until I got to all those leaves.  But there is no hand appliqué of vines on this one.  So it will finish up pretty fast with my machine blanket stitch.  

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LAZY LEAVES

On Wednesday I took a Lazy Leaves workshop making a pattern taught by Joy-Lily.  Such a fun day and I learned lots.

We started out cutting strips from 1 inch up to 2.25 inches.  I was surprised at the other students and the many different fabrics they brought and how they all worked in this project.  

With my fabric choices I made a strip set that was 9 inches by 18 inches.  I then cut my strip into two 9 by 9 inch squares.  I took the two squares and laid them front sides together and cut them diagonally.  I ended up with four triangles and when you put them together you get two of these, which will become two leaves.

Here is my first leaf done.  The leaves were curved sewn into the background and each side attached with the stem down the middle. The size of the larger ones ends up being 12.5 inches square.

Once I got home I decided to try the smaller pattern that ends up being 6.5 inches.  I plan to finish off four smaller ones and the two larger ones and put them together into a table runner.  Perfect for a fall decorating scheme. 

And only one more large leaf to go to finish the top of my runner.  

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MORE BIRD CONSTRUCTION

Setting aside a project for a bit of time really helps to get one back into the groove of making some positive progress.  

This block number 7 went really fast.  However, my pattern setting is some what different.  I just was not able to get all the leaves and vines set down, as the pattern showed in the book.  I finally decided to just use my own creative license on it.  It was very perplexing as this usually doesn't happen to me.  

A side piece to block 7 was a curved strip.  I decided to try using freezer paper to cut out my pieces.  This worked so well.

The first two blocks of the eight pieces went together perfectly.  

And it finished off easily as well.  I thought it sort of an odd pattern, but decided not to question the book.  

Now it is on to block 8 cutting leaves, leaves, and more leaves.  I am using a very light fusible, and I cut out, donut, the centers so the pieces are soft.

So it is on to laying out this block along with bias stems.  

And here is block 8 all ready to begin the process of blanket stitching down the leaves, birds, and nest.  Evenings spent hand appliqué on the stems.  I guess it is on to setting up blocks number 9.

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DRESDEN PROGRESS PROBLEMS

This plan was started with an idea in mind.  But some how best made plans don't seem to always work out.

I even finished this one Dresden.  Here it is all sewn down and ready to start on a new one.  But, for some reason it just did not make me feel like it was working with what I had in mind.

It measures 16.5 inches so I think will will just end up making a pillow out of it.  
So it was time to see if I could make a better start.

This was more like what I had in mind.  So I tried another one.

Yes, this is more like it!  This one  is even better.  

Now I was getting somewhere.  And I continued on.  

I have four done, just have to appliqué the blades and centers down.  A couple new backs are cut for some additional ones with the blades all cut and ready to put together.  I have tons of fabrics, but have had to order two more lines to go with them.  The particular idea I have in mind seems to require a lot of fabric choices.  I have several more fabrics selected to put together, but I need 20 blocks so I am going to have to add more fabric choices to the mix.        

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TEA TIME PLACEMATS

I managed to finish up my granddaughters Tea Time Placemats.  I think they are so cute.   

I just did some easy serpentine quilting on them.  Fast and quick.

This back ended up being the perfect fabric choice.  Don't you just love it when you save just one last small left over piece of fabric that you have used over and over from prior projects, but just can't bare to get rid of it?  Then all of a sudden it is perfect for a small project like this one.  

I have yards and yards of this binding fabric.  I use it often and for these placemats once again it was such a great choice.  

Now I can just tuck these away until next month for her birthday.  For once I am not burning the mid-night oil trying to finish off a gift.

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