Organize it weekend...

It was a hot and muggy weekend here in Georgia so it was a good weekend to stay inside the quilt studio and organize!  I matched up some more finished tops with some backs.

This is the fabric I used to back my dancing 9-patch!  There is even enough left over to make a storage bag for the quilt!   When I find a fabric I like that is on sale I (a really good sale...this was only 3.50 a yard after sale and coupons!)  I usually buy 6-8 yards and add it to the backing basket.

This camping fabric came out of the same basket and will back a quilt going to the Ronald McDonald house.

Not sure where this one with the pink batik backed quilt will end up!

I also got some blocks put together for a Quilt of Valor.  Last September guild members brought patriotic blocks to the meeting.  I've had them on the wall, in a box, and pinned together since January and just didn't run them through the machine...finally they are a quilt top!

Maybe today I'll dig through the basket and find a backing for this one....

stress stitching (or not)

If you've read my blog for any amount of time you know my Scottie dog, Macbeth.  Well, he hasn't been feeling well lately and today is at the vet's for an entire day of tests.

So of course I am stressed and having problems focusing.  I have several appraisals to do final edits on...not a good day for that.  I have a stack of applique blocks to work on...not a good day for that.  I have fabric piled on my table to cut for a new quilt...not a good day for that.  The list goes on.

I've gone out and taken photos of the garden...this is the first year my Hydrangea has bloomed.

And it looks like a bird thought about using my birdhouse but found it too small...

And I played with layouts for a Quilt of Valor using blocks donated by members of my quilt guild.

Until the doctor calls with news on Mac I guess I'll just continue to "putter..."

Home for Troops

Today SFC Sean Giddons received the key to his now accessible home thanks to lots of local volunteers and Homes for Troops.  It was a very touching ceremony.  His former NCOIC came out from Oklahoma and there were lots of vets in attendance.

Members of my quit guild had volunteered during build days and made a Quilt of Valor for him.  We wanted it to be both patriotic and to represent the new home that will provide more independence for him and his family.

(The pattern for this quilt is a variation on one from Bonnie Hunter's website - Quiltville.com.  I added a house block as a medallion and a checkered border.  Lots of members worked on the piecing.  It was quilted by Maggie Hunt and bound by Ille Waters.)

One month update...

It is the first week of February and I can say I did get some finishes done last month.

My Pensive Quilt came back from Judy Lockhart, longarm quilter, and it looks great. Tonight I am cutting some red binding and should have a complete finish photo soon!

I also finished two tops. My Phynazy Swamp (Orca Bay/mystery) quilt and my Pink Lemonade. I had hoped to go to Mary Jo's and find a backing fabric for them but legs and eys are a bit fragile today so instead I'm sorting scraps. Maybe I'll go online instead. In any case, I consider a top a finish...at least a resting point.

Also, I finished this little schoolhouse quilt for my friend Shannon who was selected as county teacher of the year! Go Shannon! We all met last Sunday and four of us gave Shannon a little wallhanging to show how proud we are of her.

I met my goals on the Sprigs and stars project...I completed three applique blocks are ten stars. Also have a plan for a different border...thinking I may be crazy...but so is the original border! I am trying to be a bit "looser" in my fabric choices and so far am pretty happy with it!

Finally on the "starts." I have been pretty good about saying no to projects. I'm not doing the guild block of the month, I'm not doing another blog mystery, and I said no to a major restoration project (a 1930 Dresden plate partially eaten by a dog....) I do however have a couple of starts....

Locally they are building a house for an injured vet (see my last post.) A few of us decided we should make a quilt for the key ceremony. I had used Bonnie Hunters Strip and Twist pattern for a some quilts of Valor so I dug out the box with the 2-1/2 inch red, white and blues. There were already several blocks there left over from other quilts. I also had a left over house block from a quilt I made my Dad so with a bit of sashing I made a center block. Leftover 2-1/2 squares make up the pieced border. I leaving it out in the guest bedroom until the other members of the group can see it and make a decision if we want to finish it for him.

I also started a little quilt for a doll-bed (14x10 inches) given to me by a friend. I need to have this finished by Superbowl Sunday (that is this Sunday for all you international readers.) This week I made a mattress so a finish is definitely do-able!

I also started a project reproducing a small antique quilt. Just started so more on that later....

Homes for Troops

Yesterday I spent some time with the folks from Homes for Troops. They are building a specially adapted house for an injured U.S. Army veteran. Since it was a major construction day there wasn't too much I could do to help but I plan on going back for the landscaping day...then at least I'd qualify as semi-skilled labor!

There were several of my quilt friends there so of course we decided we needed to make the family a quilt for their new home...finally something I can do!

Homes for Troops is a great organization. www.homesfortroops.org They have build over 100 adapted homes at no cost to the injured vet. Having an accessible home makes caring for the injured veteran easier for the family and returns dignity to the injured vet by allowing him or her to do more activities for themselves.

It was also wonderful to see all the volunteers out there for the construction days. Everyone from professional builders (the guys doing the tough work on the roof) to members of a local sorority that maned the sign-in and information booths to the vets that provided the BBQ lunch. Lots of soldiers from the local fort were on hand. It was interesting to hear their reflections on the project. Several of them commented they had traveled the same stretch of highway in Iraq where SFC Giddens had been injured by an IED.

Homes for Troops builds all across the country. (I think they have upcoming projects in Massachusetts and Utah.)

A finish and a treat...

I promised a finish a few posts ago and here it is! I put the last few stitches on the binding last night. This quilt would never have happened without a lot of help from friends. First the pattern is from Bonnie Hunter's book, Adventures with Leaders and Enders. I was encouraged to finish the top because my friends Angie and Pat were also making this quilt and wanted to put them all together in the next Quilt show (pressure and deadlines help!) My friend Maggie Hunt quilted it for me and Paula attached the binding on her machine for me (my arms are a bit weak at the moment - heck, I am weak at the moment...)

To celebrate I treated myself to some Lemon Blueberry Bread. My sister put me on to a new recipe site (new to me at least) www.joyofbaking.com I've made a couple of their recipes and all have been really good. (I did substitute 1/4 cup of lemon yogurt for half of the milk in my bread though...)

I will pass on my Aunt Ellie's tip for keeping the blueberries high in the bread (works for muffins too.) Wash the blueberries then place them single layer on a dishtowel for 15-20 minutes. Place a papertowel in a bowl and put the berries into the bowl gently shake them so any moisture goes onto the towel. Remove the paper-towel. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of flour over the berries. Even though the berries I used for this bread were huge they were evenly spread throughout.
Back to the quilting front...I found a stack of rwb blocks that were destined for a QOV. Laid them out and remembered why they weren't finished. It was done as a group and there is a fairly large variance in block size! Brownie helped me sort them. I think if I make a dozen more blocks we can get a top finished at our next bee...need to go rummage in the 2-1/2 inch strips and see if I have any red, neutrals or blues left!