Sunday, August 7, 2011

In the Box

Goal reached.  My three quilts are off to Bev Palm who is an amazing longarm quilter... now they don't have to go to Newtok and back.

I finished the sashing on the Four Patch Posie finishing marathon at The Quilt Tree.  Everbody was excited because their new class schedule is going up and sign up day is Wednesday.  I guess some classes fill quickly so everyone was plotting their schedules to arrive early.  I saw some of the quilt samples for the classes and they were truly stunning.  Too bad two plane flights and uncooperative weather plus the expense make this something that will not be happening for me.  It was fun to see the samples and be around the excitement though.

Here are the three tops off to be quilted...
 Houses for Dale and Anne....
Red Light Green Light  - based on Blue Nickel Studios's quilt by Scott Hansen.
Last but not least the Four Patch Posie I finished today.

 Do you see the dog chasing the ball?
 I won't be posting for a few days due to inservices and getting moved back to my village... unpacking my classroom, lesson plans... etc.  Saturday I'll drop a line.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Busy Busy Busy

For some reason I have that guy from Frosty the Snowman who is always talking about being busy busy busy in my head.  Probably because vacation is rapidly closing in on being over.  Oh well, I am accomplishing things...  here is a view of my current digs.  It is so nice when people let you take over their house.


The Four Patch Posie quilt is almost done.  Tomorrow I'll finish the sashing and the top.  Now it is nine pieces plus the sashing on the edges that needs finished.  I don't think I'll put any borders on it... everything I tested didn't look right.  I'll think a little more on it tomorrow... but that looks like the way I'm leaning.
 I was at the Quilt Tree today for finishing class.  I actually started the house quilt in a finishing class... so it was nice to finish the top up in one.  It is ready to be sent off to my longarm quilting friend.  I am happy with the rick rack in the borders and the scrappy mix of fabric came out well.  Looking forward to seeing how the quilting is done, Bev will have fun with this one, I certainly did.

I like how the lights are on in some houses, but some people are either sleeping or not home.   Someone in the quilting class noted there is a monkey in the house above... I totally see it now.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Four Patch Posie Plus Number Six Does Not Equal Ten

Busy day sewing Four Patch Posie sashing with cornerstones... more of the same from the earlier post, but I'm ready to assemble the quilt on Saturday.  I also completed the pillows and a Farmer's Wife Quilt-A-Long block (#6).  I have to admit the first block was so bad I redid it twice.  I was trying a trick to sew the triangles fast, but started with strips that were too small to begin with.  How annoying.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Dental Downer

I was at the dentist today and my mouth is feeling in the dumps.  So I didn't sew today, I plugged the iron in and that is all I did.  I did have banana ice cream at Cold Stone— that stuff is heavenly.  Sigh.

What I did accomplish was cutting some hexes out of freezer paper for a quilt in the future.  Here is a photo of a tote bag I made before I was blogging...  more when I am feeling better.
 I am looking forward to using it even when it is muddy out.  I learned how to make it at one of The Quilt Tree's classes.  Who knew that picnic tablecloth material would be printed with such fun patterns?  The class was "Christmas in July" and we did all sorts of projects.  The only problem was I wasn't interested in making another standard pillowcase out of fabric I would rather cut into little pieces and make into a quilt... so during that project I walked around and spent a caboodle of money on fabrics for my stash.  Be happy and go brush and floss your teeth.

Pillows and Packing

Right now I'm an Anchorage quilter... Alaskan, but not tundra.  Next week I head back home.  Beautiful Newtok, Alaska.  I'll post the pictures next week when I get there, first I have to pack and do most of my shopping for the next school year.  Granted, thanks to the internet and having relatives in Anchorage this isn't as much of an issue as it used to be, but it is still a deal.  Thus I haven't quilted much today.  I did get some of the quilt from yesterday together, but I'm not going to prattle on about the same quilt for days and days.  You'll just have to wait for some real progress.

My relatives have a couch with some ugly pillows they wanted covered in the decorator fabric they had their chairs covered in... That was tonight's project.  The maroon fabric is the back of the old pillow that matched their couch, and the new fabric is this fabulous (undoubtedly pricey) designer fabric that feels like it would wear well even outside (and in Alaska to boot).
 Finished first then some of the process.  The covers just fold around the pillow.  Easy peasy.



I had fun cutting the ugly pillows up, and this new fabric cut and sewed like butter.  I did contemplate centering the pattern, but not until I was pretty far along (oops).  Maybe subconsciously I was remembering I get the leftovers... now my mind is dancing around some different uses for it.  Homemade backpacks?  Is there enough for my couch in Newtok?  My mind is plotting as we speak... or rather as I type.

BTW: I am sticking with my goal to write daily... it was 11:41... that clock must be downstates somewhere.  :)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Four Patch Posies and Judy Chicago

I have been zipping away at a Four Patch Posie quilt that I started in a class at Anchorage's The Quilt Tree.  I'll miss the second class since I am off to the village life on Monday... but that is another matter.  The quilt is basically a stack and whack that you only cut into squares (with four repeats of the fabric).

If you do choose to do one of these quilts use two little mirrors taped together on one side to preview the fabric.  One of the people in the class was very disappointed in her fabric once it was cut up... then what do you do with it?  The fabric I started with was Phillip Jacob's Miami Houseplants.  Below are some of the blocks without any other fabric involved.

 When I cut them, I liked them and as I sewed I was flash-backing to college and art history courses.  Don't they remind you of Judy Chicago's Dinner Party?  Well, though I consider myself a feminist, this wasn't the look I was going for.  Finally I picked the sashing fabric and got happy.  The sashing fabric has a lot of white that livens the quilt up and the blue emphasizes the blue blocks (which I like best)... then I found this grey with white boxes from the Sherbert Pips collection and my day was made.  It will work great for corner blocks.  I'll post my progress when I sew them together tomorrow.
I was way excited to see I have my first comment for this blog!  How exciting to see someone is out there... and I'm not just a crazy lady writing to myself.   Thank you!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Rick Rack Headache

Today I made some progress on the house quilt for my relatives.  Since I am making it up as I go everything is perfect.  No pattern to prove otherwise.  I needed a thin dark border and chose to do rick-rack (since it is on the eaves of the houses).  Only problem I forgot and sewed the borders on without it.  It really needed it in my opinion.. and that is the only opinion that matters when quilting.  So I spent the afternoon ripping seams and adding the rick-rack.  Now all I have left are the blocks for the top of the quilt (thinking snowballs) and it will be ready to send off to be quilted by my longarm friend.




In progress, resting on the railing...

After I got tired of that I did one of the Farmer's Wife blocks.. #5.  Love the dogs (yeah, everybody seems to being using Sherbert Pips but they are fresh, cute and original... there is a reason they are everywhere lately).  Off to the Smurf movie.  I never thought I would be saying that, but here I go.
--- Now that I'm back I just have to say Neil Patrick Harris cannot save every movie he's in... though I adore Dr. Horrible.

Sunday, July 31, 2011

Hello, Farmer's Wife Quilt-A-Long

The summer is almost over, only one quilt class left before I am off to in-services in Bethel and back to work.  I had a great summer visiting family and getting some quilting done.  I have also been reading quilt blogs which were so enjoyable I finally decided to join in.

Speaking of joining in... here are my first blocks from the Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt by Laurie Aaron Hird.



There are 111 blocks in the sampler... so two a week and I could be done in a year (on Sundays I'll let you know if I am keeping up... right now I am two ahead of schedule since I bought the book on Tuesday).  I love the book and the stories are a treat... only issue is the directions are very hand-piecing based and I am of the rotary-cutters-rule generation.  I wish some measurements were in the book instead of having to waste the paper to get a regular ol' ruler measurement (I guess I could do math).  I actually freezer paper traced the first block and my points were sloppy and the edges far from perfect (maybe not too far)... so I redid it with measurements and it was easier and more accurate.  Oh well, I rarely follow directions so I get annoyed when I do.  Human nature I guess.  Isn't it funny how teachers (broad generality here... but I have witnessed this for years) are so impatient with instructions?  I try to remember that when I give my own instructions.

So, back back to the "joining in" line.  I have been reading lots of blogs and kept running across people doing this sampler as part of The Farmer's Wife Quilt-A-Long Pool.  I joined; you can too.

Next entry I'll tell you about about Four-Patch Posies and Judy Chicago.  Hmmmmm