Design Wall Monday 4-12-2010

Prior to going to the weekend retreat I had cut out a Take 5 lap quilt from the bright fabrics that I purchased at the quilt shop at a big sale a few weeks ago. I spent a lot of my free sewing time putting these blocks together.

I spent awhile yesterday playing with the blocks, spinning some of them etc. but went back to the setting on the pattern as my favorite one.

At the retreat a friend of mine was giving a scrap quilting class. She saves every scrap and makes quilts she calls "use it all" quilts because they use up all these little pieces. Having quilted some of them for her I call them “quilts of a thousand seams.”

I wanted to show you a couple pictures from her class. The sailboat quilt is what the students were working on. They were learning to use up small scraps of all sorts of sizes and then make the free form sail boat which was very appropriate since our retreat was right on the water. I wish I had taken her class, I am definitely going to have to try and do one of these sail boats.

The other picture is her display around the room of all sorts of examples of easy scrap quilting. Didn’t she do a great job setting up her class area?






Kathie

Sunday Stash Report 4-11-10

Well my stats make it look like I did nothing all week. I did sew a lot this weekend but since the fabric had been cut and made into kits a couple of weeks ago I had already reported them. The good thing is that I managed to stay out of fabric stores this week (was mainly because I was to busy) so didn't add any fabric to my stash. My stats are the same as last week.

Fabric Used this week: 0 yards
Fabric Used YTD: 82.5 yards
Fabric Added: 0 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 59.25 yards
Net Used in 2010 23.25 yards

I spent the weekend at a Fiber Arts Retreat and had a fantastic time. Probably 3/4 of the activites and classes were quilt related but there was also knitting, beading, needle punch and a demo on weaving.

What a great time. A weekend right on the water, great food (from a culinary school), friendship, classes and lots of sewing.

They had two featured quilters (local sisters) that had a large display of their award winning quilts for everyone to see. I only took pictures of a couple of the quilts but these were my favorites.



Kathie

Some Days

Don't you wish on certain days that you had just pulled the covers over your head and went back to sleep and just stayed in bed? I think today should have been one of those days.

The day started off ok but racing around trying to get weekend chores done since I will be gone friday and saturday. I had a scheduled cleaning at the dentist where she proceeded to tell me that I need a crown ($$$$$).

Mid day my daughter sent me a text from school asking if I would come and get her as she wasn't feeling well. I am hoping it is all sinus related with our high pollen rate and a weather front moving it this evening.

When we got home I checked the mail and there was a safety recall on my car! Now doesn't it sound like a good day to have just stayed in bed?

At least there is one good thing today, I will be spending the afternoon packing up all my sewing stuff (oh yea and a few clothes) for my retreat weekend.

I have my box (cake carrier) of thread, pins, etc., 3 projects and my iron all set to go.


Kathie

Wonderful Wednesday

I guess it really is wonderful wednesday. Here in Southern Maryland we have had several days of bright and sunny weather. It was a little to hot (94 degrees) yesterday for early April but hey after all the snow we had this year I will take it!!

Today I am off to my daytime guild meeting. I really enjoy these ladies and always come home inspired. Also as part of the meeting we have a luncheon provided by five different ladies each month and it is always fun to try new dishes.

Here is a picture of the fabrics I purchased while in Boston over the weekend. It probably seems strange to most that I would be purchasing Christmas fabrics in April but since I have done fall craft shows for the last 8 years or so I buy and sew Christmas projects all year long.




Kathie

Tuesday On the Frame

This is a picture of the current customer quilt on the frame. 9 patch blocks of different butterfly fabric with sashing strips. Very spring looking. I am quilting it with freehand triple tear drops.

Once this quilt is done I need to gather up everything I need for a quilt guild meeting tomorrow and tackle some more housework.

Even when you are gone for just a few days it seems like everything is in a rush when you get home trying to catch up on things.

I also need to decide how many projects to take to my upcoming retreat this weekend. Part of the time will involve classes so I don't actually know how much free sewing I will be doing. I want to take kits with me as I don't want to worry about trying to cut yardage, just sewing.

I have a lap quilt kit made up and a kit containing fabric to make six blocks that will become 2 table runners. I am trying to decide if I need to take another project or two.

Kathie

Old Churches

Saturday before our niece's wedding we had some time to kill. In addition to going to a quilt shop and having lunch we walked around the town center for one of the small towns in the area.

I love all the work that was put into some of these old churches. My dad was a carpenter most of his life so I can really admire all the time and talent that went into these buildings. I am not sure now which town it was I took the pictures in but I think it was Westminster, Mass.

Kathie

Design Wall Monday - 4/5/2010

Well my design wall this monday is very boring. I cut out a fabric kit last week to make a "Take 5" quilt out of some recently purchased fabrics. I just tacked them on the wall to see what it is going to look like. I have never made the take 5 pattern before and look forward to sewing it up at a retreat this coming weekend.

I have not added to my blog in a few days (or done any sewing) because we were out of town at a family wedding outside of Boston this weekend. Thank goodness we missed all their rain and it was a beautiful weekend.

Since I was not home sunday for my stash report I will go ahead and post the stats here. I did add fabric this week. How can you go on a trip and NOT hit new quilt shops. I couldn't, with a google search and a GPS in the rental car we managed to find two quilt shops. One had the best selection of 1930's fabric I had seen. Other than that the seemed to have mostly fabric I can ony discribe as looking like what my mom had aprons made out of in the 1950's. Nice but not my taste.

The second shop was VERY small but the owner must have the same taste in fabric as I have because I had a very hard time getting my purchases down to a reasonable (both for cost and room in the suitcase) level. I picked up mostly pretty reds and greens I had not seen before which will make great additions to my Christmas craft show projects.

So the numbers this week are:

Fabric Used this week: 6.5 yards
Fabric Used YTD: 82.5 yards
Fabric Added: 9.5 yards
Fabric Added YTD: 59.25 yards
Net Used in 2010 23.25 yards


Kathie