Pears, Bananas, and UFOs

I can't seem to get motivated to finish my current UFOs, but our guild has a challenge going, maybe that will help.  I have even been procrastinating about making up the list of projects.  It's probably too long for comfort.  Instead, I seem to start new stuff.  But at least I finished something.

I tore apart my old, well used and stained mixer cover this weekend and made a sparkly new one.  I had this fabric in my stash, bought to make curtains for my kitchen, thinking it was a great combo for my counter tops.  It makes a better mixer cover, I am so glad I didn't make those curtains up.  It's even reversable, with the batik of the pocket as the inside.  Gee,  I have banana fabric, too.  Maybe I will make that up and it will be my summer cover.  But then, I would have to change it back to pears when Pete and Nicole visit, as he is allergic to bananas (lol).  Hmmm, maybe I will make reversible curtains, pears backed with bananas, to suit my mood and my houseguests.

I have a bed sized quilt to finish up to send as a gift, and I need to do it soon for my MIL who needs cheering up.  I am going to try the basting method that Aunti Nicole sent me a link to the UTube video, with two boards to keep the top and back straight.  I will let you know how I like that method.

Happy quilting!

Family Fun

Ok, Ok...I know the ski/snowboard picture doesn't relate to quilting, but it does relate to my other favorite hobby, spending time with family.  GDaughter Megan attended Snowboard camp over the Christmas holiday.  She is the one standing closest to me.  Her twin, Marisa, and brother Mason are also hamming it up.  GrandDaddy was taking the picture.  We all had fun going to the slopes several times, and we all progressed on our skill levels.   I promise to post a quilt related picture of me soon, but I just got tired of looking at Willie and Me in my jammies.  I hope Nicole will help me get a few worthy pictures next month that I can change up for my posts.

Today I have Quilters by the Lake meeting (every Monday from 1-5).  I love this friendship group, and I get so much done concentrating on a project and not worrying about phone and other household stuff.  I am working on a blue quilt for my MIL and have made significant progress since purchasing fabric at Christmas time.  I will be sewing rows together today, maybe adding the borders.  I will post a progress picture when I get a chance.  I may use Nicole's double piped binding method, as I want to bring some hot pink back into the frame.  You can find the tutorial for that at Aunti Nicole's Corner blog, there's a link on my home page.

The New Year is in the Bag!

The Shasta Lily Quilt Guild met yesterday, and I led a workshop to make an easy/peasy Fat Quarter Bag.  We were all so glad to see each other, it's amazing we got anything done for the chatter in the room.  I think fun was had by all, and most of us came away if not finished, with at least the confidence to complete the project.  There were some dynamite combinations.  It also looks great with the lining turned out to make the handle casings.  Delores was working on her third bag, and hers was a Monet Beauty, with piecing AND pockets.  Excellent work, all of you!

The Shasta Guild now has a website too, it's great!  No more searching thru my messy desk for the last newsletter to tell me where to go or what I need when I get there!  Thanks, Wendy!  My friends can go to http://www.shastalily.org/ to check it out.  The Guild is off and running in 2011, we have such great plans!

For all my followers (all 8 of you) I promise to post to my blog more often this year, now that I can remember how to log in.

Quilt Show Frenzy

My Mt. Shasta Guild, the Shasta Lily Quilt Guild, is hosting a quilt show this busy Labor Day Weekend.  We are busy buttoning up the last minute details, and will set up the show this afternoon (after the High School lets out) in the Mt. Shasta HS Gym.  Expect to be up until midnight, but it should all go pretty smoothly, we have had a good team working on it.

Here is a picture of one of the quilts I have entered in the show.  I finished it last month, and I don't ordinarily do asymmetrical OR modern design, but this kind of took on a life of it's own.  The poppies are 3 dimensional, and I like the finished look.  Forgive the edges of the picture, haven't figured out how to crop the picture yet....another lesson, another time.

Oh No, another UFO!

This lovely block is just one of 25 I won at the June 2010 First Saturday gathering at Tater Patch Quilts.  It's another UFO for my closet, but the good news is I don't have to make any more to set a quilt, just maybe get borders, back and binding.  Just as I thought I was getting caught up with my list.  I have put it away for "later", as I am in the middle of machine quilting something for the Labor Day Quilt Show in Mt. Shasta.  But, I did play with my camera and settings.  The simple block makes a great secondary pattern when set with every other one rotated 180....See?

  

The bag is sitting in my UFO drawer (thank you Nicole for helping me organize my quilt room).  It will probably finish up sometime this year.  I think I know a home for it already.  All I need is time.

First Saturday - June 2010

Yesterday was First Saturday at Tater Patch Quilts, Merrill Oregon.  It's a monthly party to find out what's new in the shop and the quilt world.  We drive from Weed and Mt. Shasta (~70 miles), but it's well worth it.  We laugh, admire and sometimes buy new fabrics and tools, and spend a day with 80 or so of our closest friends (even if you don't know all their names).

The Show and Tell portion of the meeting is always so inspirational, it buoys my spirit and energizes me.  I think that's my favorite part of any gathering of quilters.  I had been in kind of a funk as far as inspiration for a couple of weeks.  I want to make two small auction quilts for my two guilds upcoming events, but I couldn't quite get with it.  Yesterday at First Saturday, I found the missing inspiration for the Shasta Lily Guild silent auction piece for the Labor Day quilt show, and the Flying Geese Quilt Guild  bi-annual auction event that is happening soon.   I got all the fabric I need and will cut them out today, sew them together tomorrow at Quilters by the Lake, and get ready to prepare the applique part.  I will tell more about this project later in the month when I have something to show you.

Anyway, sometimes it takes outside stimulus to get you back on track and I am charged up again.  What is your "trigger" to inspire you on new projects?  I really want to know.

Birthday Blocks - Woo Hoo!

Seven Birthday blocks arrived in the mail this week!  They are pictured here.  My EZQuilter friends in Southern California are doing a birthday block exchange for each birthday girl in her month.  The blocks are maker's choice, finishing to 8" and we will all finish our own quilts.  Since there are 18 of us, there may be more than one due in a month.  May is for Peggi and Jane.  I finished the rest of mine today (June-Feb), they will be in the mail to Nicole to hand out as the months come.   I can't wait for the rest of mine to arrive to put together the quilt for 2010.

Thank you to Lori, Sandra, Mardell, Jamie, Helen, Mickey and Nicole.  They are wonderful!  The two Churn Dash blocks are ones that I made and decided not to pass along, I have rescaled the block and the next ones the EZQuilters will be seeing are a little different.  For Lori, Donna, Melinda and Peggi, and the blocks I have already given, I can make you new ones if you like.  Just send yours back to me and I will re-do them. I will use the ones you send back in my quilt, or re-do each block at the better scale.  Today, I officially have one more UFO off my list for the year.  Double Woo Hoo!