ONE DOWN AND NUMBER TWO TO GO

After a horrific two weeks of battling a new computer things are looking much better.  I am convinced that my Apple devices talk to each other. No sooner than I got the computer all up and running the iPhone decided to stop working.  Off to the Verizon store to discover the battery was dead and of course a replacement for it is no longer available.  So a new phone was purchased.  Pricey little things, but Verizon knows its stuff and all info was transferred and it works great.

I finished the first Gone Fishing quilt top this past week.  Now working on the second with a gold colored lattice.  I have a dead line for these to be quilted and bound by April 14th.  They are both huge, like 74 by 95.  Both grandsons are tall, the 16 year old is already 6'4" and the 14 year old is headed that way.  They share a bedroom so I wanted them to match but also at least be a bit different thus one with blue and the other with a gold lattice and borders. 

My goal of 12 charity quilts is almost complete for the year.  This is number 10  And I actually seem to be seeing the scrap stash looking a bit reduced. 

And number 11 done as well.  For some reason it is hard to make boy quilts.  The charity group gets very few.  I may try later in the year to somehow manage pumping out a couple more guy quilts.  Right now I have almost met my goal and I am off to working on some of my own projects.  I know that next month the group will meet to make pillowcases for a local children's hospital, so I have that event on the 18th of March.  So time to start cutting out a couple pillow cases.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

 

  

 

 

 

I SURVIVED A NEW COMPUTER AND MADE IT BACK TO QUILTING IN ONE PIECE

 This past week has been a nightmare of computer issues.  We purchased a new computer.  An iMac, 24 inch screen just wonderful.  Well, not so fast.  Major issues with the file transfers.  Hours and hours on the phone with Apple that only made things worse.  I finally at my daughter's insistence called Eli her husband.  Took him just 15 minutes to get everything straightened out.  Needless to say I got little time in the sewing room.

I was digging around in the closet looking to update my entry hall wall hangings and happened upon this one.  I quilted this myself and the appliqué was done with invisible thread.  It reminded me that I can do a decent job quilting smaller items and should attempt my own quilting rather than sending things out to a long arm quilter.  I have often said I cannot do free motion quilting, but my Bernina serpentine stitch did a really nice job on this piece. 

I was particularly happy with the little fussy cut birds on the boarder.

I showed this piece off to my the students I was working with at my last table runner class I was teaching at our local quilt store. Several of the ladies have been asking about appliqué classes.  Now they want a class on appliqué so I may have gotten myself into another program to teach. 

I got my Christmas quilt back from the long arm quilter and it is all bound and a hanging sleave on the back.  She did lovely quilting on it, but it is so busy one can't really see it.  My husband really likes this quilt.  Originally it was to go to my charity group, but he insisted we keep it and hang it in the dining room during the holidays.  I admit it is pretty and colorful.  

I have not completely forgotten my charity group.  In between fighting with the new computer and Apple Care I have managed to work at completing some of the blocks for 2 more quilt tops.  The large blocks are 14 inch and the smaller ones 10.  The good news is that the scrap bins have actually started to decrease in volume.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT   

  

  

  

GONE FISHING

I am attempting to update my blog this week from my laptop.  Our old Mac has been traded in for a new model.  Both are with the the Geek Squad transferring information. While this little baby seems to work well, it is a bit of a chore to work on.  

I started a new project this past week.  After gifting a fire engine quilt to our oldest grandson Elijah, I feel like the other two boys should get ones for their birthdays too.  Noah and Ben are both avid fishermen, so I figured to make both fishing themed quilts.  They share a bedroom so they will be the same pattern, but I am making one with the blue lattice  and the other with gold shown below.  The size will be 74" by 94".  They are both tall, Noah who will be 17 is already 6'4" and growing and Ben is fast headed in the same direction at 14.

I finished my Picnic Under the Stars quilt top.  I am just waiting for a 108" back to arrive from Connecting Threads then it is off to the quilter.  

Other than that I continue my quest to somehow trim down my scrap bins with some work on Happy Trails blocks.

Five blocks done and just 4 to go.

And I cut out one in this 14"block size and another in a 10" block size.  I think I am actually making some progress emptying those scrap bins.

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT

  
   

PICNIC UNDER THE STARS & CHARITY QUILT TOP TURN IN

 This past week I have been supper busy trying to get some major quilt tops finished and turned into my February Warm Wrapping meetup.  Plus I finally got something done on my own major project.

I got the center finished of my Picnic Under the Stars quilt.  Now on to a small border and a larger border.  It is larger than the pattern measurements as my star blocks unfinished are 11 inches.  Right now it is approximately 63 by 83 and adding a 2 inch border and a 4 or 5 inch border will increase it even more.  I love it, and can't wait to get it done and off to a quilter.  

Tilda fabric scraps, and it didn't even make a dent in that scrap bin.

I appliquéd on the curved pieces on this quilt top.  

This quilt top I was very surprised to see that it actually is rather pretty.  These three quilt tops were turned in this month at my Warm Wrappings charity quilt meetup.  My goal this year is to make 12, basically one each month.  I only have to do a quilt top and prepare binding to go with them.  Others carry on with quilting, and binding.  I am doing fairly well at this point as I turned in 2 in January.  So hopefully can keep up the pace and finish off early.  Maybe even put a dent in the scrap bins along the way.  

DESIGN WALL MONDAY

MID WEEK MAKERS

CONFESSIONS OF A FABRIC ADDICT