RETREAT!

Last night I went to the Piecmakers Quilt Guild meeting last night.  The link is to the minutes of last months meeting, which was the first time I went.  This month they had Brenda Weed from The Farmer's Dotter give the program.  I didn't get any pictures but when they come up on the Guild blog I'll let you know.  Brenda has wonderful vintage quilts and also has a Retreat Center in her home.  A group of us went and had a great time.  She is also a wonderful cook!

Speaking of Retreats, I have to finish packing.  I'm leaving tomorrow after work for the Quilt's From The Bluffs Retreat.  I have had my projects packed and planned, now to pack my clothes and sewing machine/supplies.   I plan on taking lots of pictures, so will share when I get home.  Have a great weekend!  

Still Cutting.

I haven't been just cutting one project all this time.  I cut out 4 more hexie flowers, 5 dog pillow cases, and my quilt kit. I'll show you my fabrics for the quilt I'm cutting.  It's a very different choice for me and does not match anything in my house, but I love it! 

The sashing on the other side of the blue was to be the same yellow, but I didn't have enough.  I like the orange though, it adds one more color which picks up the orange in the focal fabric nicely.

Am I Weird?

 OK, I need to ask, am I weird?  I bought this fabric some time ago and am now using it for the quilt kit I'm cutting out.  It has little white spots on it like there was lint on it and the dye didn't take in those spots.  I didn't notice that at all until I started cutting it.   I'm sure you couldn't see it when I bought the fabric and it happened after I washed it.  You may have to click on the picture to make it big enough to see the spots.  I put a little black box around it.

So I'm using my sharpie that's almost the same color as one of the shades of blue and coloring them over so you can't see the little speck.  I feel much better.  Plus it's permanent.

I work at a Preschool and we use bleach to clean tables and mats.  I've used this trick to cover up spots I've gotten on my good pants from the bleach.  Then those pants are worn only to work.  I'm I getting old or just weird?

Flower Number Four

I finished Flower Number Four on Wednesday night.  Last night I cut 30 1.5 inch strips for the quilt kit I'm making.  The weather has been much cooler and the quilt on the bed is perfect!  I love sleeping in this kind of cool weather.  Have a great day!

OOPS!

Oops!  I missed blogging last night.  I got 4 petals done on another flower, hope to finish it tonight.

I went to Hancock Fabrics after work to pick up a new fabric for the sashing for the quilt I'm cutting out.  Forgot to take the pattern so I would know how much to buy.  I bought 3.5 yards, I only needed 2.25 yards.  And I really didn't need that much, as I had already cut out some borders and the little 2 by 1.5 pieces.  So I'll have a little extra to add to the stash.  Just what I didn't need.  Oh well.  It's a good reddish orange, about the color of bittersweet.

Flower Number Three

This flower went together very nicely.  I remembered to pin the fabric to the template so the basting didn't slide and get off center.  

I've been still working at cutting out the last "kit" for the Retreat, but I think I hit a snag there too.  I don't have  enough of one of my fabrics.  One of the pieces is only 42 inches wide, not 44, so it has thrown off all the cutting.  I'm really thinking I won't have enough.  :-(  I'm going to head to the fabric store tomorrow and pick out another color to finish the sashing.  All the 1.5 inch strips and cuts will go in the 1.5 inch box of strips.

Flower Number Two

I had a little trouble with this one.  The fabric kept slipping while I was trying to baste it.  After I'm all done, I set it next to the first one and realized, I forgot to pin the fabric to the template.  No wonder I had problems.  And it's only been 3 days since I did the first one.   I know, I'll get this down yet.

One Flower Is Done!

As promised, a picture of the first flower I have done.  Ta Da!

They are fun to do!  I know every blog I have read where the blogger has done hexies, has talked about how addictive they can be, and now I understand!

My sister-in-law is coming for a visit this weekend, so I may get a little sewing done.  I know I won't get any blogging done.   Have a good weekend.

(This wouldn't post for me this morning, hope it works this time.)

Hexagons

My 15 minutes (and more) last night was spent checking out how to sew hexagons together.  I finally went with Bonnie Hunter's method as shown at her blog.  She has a great page on her blog with all kinds of tips and tutorials.  I then got 3 hexies sewn together.  I hope to have one flower done tonight so I can take a picture to show you.  It's going to be a great travel project.  I'm using a 2 inch hexagon, so the flowers end up 6 inches, but it's still going to take a lot of flowers to make a king-size quilt.

Cutting

I started cutting out a quilt yesterday.  It is this quilt from Little Miss Shabby.  I saw her finished quilt and I fell in love with it.  I printed out the pattern and rooted through the stash and found fabric to make it.  I think I did this last May or June.  Anyway, I'm cutting it out. That one extra project I "need" to take to the Quilt Retreat.

I also decided to use this pattern for a quilt for my granddaughter.  Her name is Sophie and there is a line of fabric called "Sophie" by Chez Moi.  I have been trying really hard to make things from my stash this year, but this fabric was calling my name!  Yesterday I ordered a layer cake of "Sophie" from The Fat Quarter Shop .

Since I did one quilt from my stash, don't you think it's fair that I could order some fabric?  Especially since it has the same name as my granddaughter?  I know, it doesn't take much to rationalize a fabric purchase, does it?

A Finish

I finished another Super Easy Table Runner.  I had this cut out and it was sitting on my cutting table, so I decided to at least sew the top together.  But I just kept going!  And now I have A Finish!  It was so beautiful yesterday that I sat on the deck and did the hand sewing of the binding.

Are you seeing a theme?  I'm cleaning off my cutting table. But I'm not throwing things in a bin or a bag, but working on them.  OK, the jelly roll racer strips did go into bags, but that's because I want to take them with me to the Quilt Retreat. Still have some fabric I ironed waiting for hexagons to be drawn on it.  Then I have to get the guest bedroom cleaned up.  I've been throwing storing the finished tops in there along with some fabric I think will work for the backing.  I guess I better get the backings ready to go.

Duuuh!

I was looking at all the 2.5 inch strips of Christmas fabric on my cutting table, trying to figure out how I would store them.  Should I put them all back in the bin they came out of?  Should I look for another bin/tub to put them in?  Then it hit me!  Duuuh!  Pack them into kits to be sewn together!

So I now have a total of 5 jelly roll racer kits to take with me to the Quilt Retreat.  I think I should have enough to keep me busy!  I could even check out some of the other kits I have.  I do have a wool kit I started to cut last Fall plus I've been cutting hexies. 

I did finish cutting all of my paper templates out yesterday.  There were some great old movies on TMC that I have never seen.  Plus it was a rainy day, a perfect way to spend the afternoon. (I did some cleaning in the morning.)

I even have more dryer sheets ready to be made into string blocks.  Should I take those too?  You know, just in case I run out of things to do.....

Little Bits

I cut some more of my hexagons out this week.  I stacked them together with a yellow center and 6 petals.  I'm going to store them in the little tin behind behind the stack.  This tin was one that my son and daughter-in-law gave me with cookies.  They had been to England and since I collect tins, it was the perfect gift!

 I also cut these Christmas fabrics into 2.5 inch strips for a jelly roll racer quilt.  I have about 62 strips.  The red strips at the top have some flaws in the fabric by the salvage edge, so when I sew the strips together, I'll lose some of the length as I'll cut that part off.

And all of the strips fit nicely in the lettuce container.  Ready to take it to Quilt Retreat in September.  I now have 3 projects ready to sew.  So how many would be too many projects?  I'm thinking I need more, as I don't want to run out of things to do.