Thinking...I don't think so...

Before you read any further repeat after me, "what was she thinking?" Good. We got that out of the way.

The last couple of weeks I haven't been too productive on the sewing front. A late season respiratory virus sent my MS into overdrive which left me tired, not too accurate with the hand stitching, and not steady enough to handle a rotary cutter. What I did do was spend a lot of time on the internet looking at quilts and reading quilt books. Oh no...you know where this is going don't you...more projects!

A few nights ago when I crawled into my studio (and I do mean crawl) I started sewing together some strips. I knew I had been influenced by a series of Log cabin quilt photos I had studied that day...it wasn't until the next morning when I was back on-line that I realized how much I had been influenced. (a new meaning for "under the influence....")

I sent off a message to the owner of the quilt I had seen asking permission to finish the one I had started. Roderick Kiacofe (who has an e-book coming out this month!) kindly said it was ok and to send a photo of it when it was done. So when I get some more of the solids cut I'll have this back up on the design wall...in the meantime....

Bill Volkening of Wonkyworld posted a "woven" quilt. I said that it wasn't that difficult a design to piece....oh no...you know where this is going....

John Kubinec challenged me to a "quilt-off!" A proverbial fat-quarter face-slap...I'm in! Fortunately I have a bin full of 1-1/2 inch strips left over from the "Pensive" String Quilt. I begged my Dh for help cutting the black center squares...he consented to supervise only after I said "it's a challenge..." (he is sooo competitive...someday I'll post of photo of all those silly "ship on a sticks" he loves to win while on cruises....) Of course then my DH asked what the rules are...as in how do you know if you win? I don't know...I guess you win when you have a finished quilt and get bragging rights? He just shook his head and blames the confusion on my new MS meds....which obviously are working since I figured this pattern out pretty quickly!

I shouldn't poke fun at my Dh. He did stop at a local fabric shop to pick up some thread and batting for me last week. He also brought home a new gadget...

You can never have too many seam rippers right? And a magnifying glass and a light on a seam ripper...that is good! So why is it part of this post you wonder? "It even rotates," my Dh bragged. Wow, I've never had a seam ripper that rotates. It seams (pun intended) there is a reason for that. I use a pretty small stitch. When I have to take them out it takes a bit of a tug to break the thread. Now you see it...instead of breaking the thread my rotating seam ripper well, rotates. (I did wonder for a moment if this had something to do with April Fool's day...)

After "playing" with it for a while I was able to grip it better and it rotated less. I do like the light and the magnifying glass so I think after a bit of duct tape and/or super glue my non-rotating seam ripper is all going to work just fine....

Double delight getting closer....

Ohhhh so close to being done! I just have to square up my double delight and put on the borders...this quilt is fun. Once the blocks are done the rest goes together pretty quickly. I used enough fabrics that there was no problem with it becoming too match-y. I love the purples in this quilt!

And hold on....

Another quilt top finished! This ended up being small enough that I could get the borders on. I went with two greens on the border and used up some scraps in the corner pinwheels. Now I just need a name for this one.

I actually had something to show when I went to my local guild this morning. One of our members did a presentation on Crazy quilting. She does nice work. I particularly like the one she is working on right now...all creams and blacks. She coffee dyed the lace for this one. she also put on each of those little pearls by hand...hence the name crazy quilt!

So this is a quilt top in January and one in February! Keep up this pace and I could be going for a personal finish-it record this year.

Scotties Rule!!!

A none-quilt moment...tonight at Westminster Dog Show Roundtown Mercedes of MaryScot will be representing the terrier group. That is right...a scottie dog could get best in show again at the mother of all dog shows! I even prepared some special treats for my MacBeth so we could enjoy the show together! Of course last night he was much more interested in the cat on the back deck than on the dogs running across the TV screen...
I have made some progress on my jellyroll quilt. Don't the colors look much better when the photo is taked outside?! To make this I started with a free pattern on the internet. Let me just say that I didn't have to do my suduko or my crossword that day since I exercised my brain cells enough trying to figure out those directions. In the end I tossed the papers and just wung-it (is that a word?) I am going to put a border on it when the arms are up to the heavy lifting. In the end it took just over 40 2-1/2 by WOF and 5 4-1/2 by WOF strips to make this top. I will most likely dig into my 2-1/2 bin for some greens to make a pieced border and binding.


There are a couple off quilters playing with nosegays so I thought I would post this photo of one from the 1940's. I helped a local museum put together an exhibit of local quilts a few years ago...I love how there is one nosegay up in the right hand corner that is upside down! And several of the setting triangles are pieced...how tough would that make it to square up the quilt! but I love the look and the scrappiness of it all....

I may work on my Double Delight quilt for a bit today...I need something to get me away from the televison. I've been watching too much news and my blood pressure is rising! I just want to get all of congress in a room together and scream "this is our country - what the heck do you think you are doing?!" Then I want to pull all the news reporters and anchors into a room and scream "this is our country - what the heck do you think you are doing?!" There, I feel better already....

Playing with Jellyrolls

It has been a quiet weekend. Still feeling a bit weak so I am playing with strips when I really should be putting borders on some almost finished quilts...don't quite have the arm strength right now. The pinwheels in the photo above look black but they are really dark green...I wish I had gone with the orange but I am so not going back now! I'll pick the green up again in the borders...
I did make it to my quilting group this week. It was nice to see the old gang again. This little purse/thread case was made by one of the members. I love it! She felted the wool herself, lined it with Fasset cotton, and then embellished it. She does great work. I do not need to start collecting wools now but then again....

I know I have said it before but it is amazing the things you find when you move. I've been going through some of the little bags and wondering what was I thinking? The photo above is of a project at least 14 years old...I know I am never going to work on it again so I need to let it go!

The news has been crazy this week. I hope all our bloggers in Australia are doing OK with the fires and the bloggers in the UK are staying safe in the snow.

Mid week catch-up

You wouldn't know it by my posts but I have been getting a lot of sewing done! (maybe that is why I haven't been on the computer?)

Anyway, I have put the borders on my blue and white quilt. Are you a borders quilter? I have tried to make quilts without borders but in the end regress and slap one on...just feels more finished to me. Anyway, this is one I did not plan on putting a border on but did mainly because it needed to be about 8 inches longer.
I also pieced a backing for it...I know a little bit of red creapt in! It is on the back so it doesn't really count. I like putting good feeling fabrics on the back of my quilt. I am always check the sale bins at the LQS...I am less concerned with the color then the "hand" of the fabric. I backed a quilt for my Mom with Liberty fabric...that was back when I was working and a bit crazy....

My Double Delight is soooo close to being finished! Only two more strips to put together...if I could just keep Goldie and Brownie away from it for a day it would be done. As it is I have to keep rearranging the blocks every time I leave the room! Incentive to get my design wall up in my sewing room and to stop using the bed...or should that read "their" bed!

Also on the sewing machine...some twist blocks from Bonnie's Superbowl Challenge. Totally by accident I started putting together some 2-1/2 inch strips as leaders and enders. This quilt goes together really fast. Which is good since my favorite nurse from the clinic is leaving in two weeks so she can stay home and take care of her sick Mom and I wanted to finish a quilt for her...she is always talking about taking up quilting.

On the nurse/clinic front...things are a bit scarey. I dont' want to go into it too much but lets just say they have pulled me off of all my meds (yes, even those great pain ones that let me sleep or the ones the let me keep going on bad MS days.) Going infor more tests this afternoon. A big yuck....maybe I will stop at Borders on the way home and get myself a treat...

almost a top!

I haven't been able to do too much sewing the past week. The cold I had the end of January came back with a vengeance...I've been popping antibiotics and sucking down cough medicine with codeine in hopes of someday breathing through my nose and sleeping through the night again someday...

I did however get my bargello strips together for my Vale of Evesham Quilt. (Picture this - sew one strip then sleep for 20 minutes on the couch...press the strip then sleep for 10 minutes on the couch...do I lead an exciting life or what!!!) As you can see in the top photo, Goldie has laid claim to this quilt...it does match her nicely. Cats always seem to know what they look good on!
The top is pretty large already but I think I may add a border. (This quilt reminds me of the chains we made at camp by folding gum wrappers!) I have a black-ish batik but I am concerned that may make it too dark. The quilt is already so busy that I don't think I could piece a border. I am determined not to buy fabric for this so I may have to get creative. Not exactly how I feel right now....

Some of my time on the couch has been spent flipping through magazines, ripping, filing and tossing. Knowing I am moving again in the autumn gives me a lot of incentive to be ruthless. There are a few magazine that have made several moves though and remain untouched. These include: every Christmas issue of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion; the past 6 years of Country Living's Halloween Issue; the Bon Appetite Ireland and Italy edition; several months of Country Living (some of which are -5 years old) that I go back to over and over again(one has a kitchen that I dream about!); and then a binder full of the McCall's Vintage quilt magazine. After the last move I just accepted that I would have some magazines "forever" and bought a couple of the magazine holder/binders so they can sit in the bookcase (save from DH's cleaning efforts!)

I promised a group of Americans that I would take them to an auction and just my luck it is today. Here's hoping the auctioneer doesn't take my sneezing for bids!

Playing with strips

I pulled out some of my half-finished bright strippy blocks last night. I thought it could be a quick finish...of course I had to complicate it!

I had a panel with these funny bight cats on it. Originally I was planning on just quilting it up for a quick baby quilt...of course I had to complicate it...

Through the magic of hoarding, procrastination, and piles of fabric strips I took took quick and easy projects and made one fiddly quilt. It is a talent!

I hope to finish it up tonight so I can go back to my scrap quilt. It is a bit hectic...brights on one table and reproduction fabric on another.

A couple of bloggers have asked how to identify civil war fabrics. When I started out collecting quilts I was given the best piece of advice - visit museums and read as many antique quilt books as you can find. Now there is another resource that I would add to that list - http://www.quiltindex.org It lets you view quilts from several major collections and state surveys via the internet. You can narrow your search to whatever date range or type of quilt you are interested in studying. (just make sure you have a big cup of coffee when you start...there is a lot to look at!)