Thursday, August 27, 2009

WEEKLY UPDATE

I have no pictures yet but this week I have finished the top for Hazel's sister and starting pieced the backing. I couldn't believe I ran out of batting. It's expensive so I like to wait for the monthly sale. Anyway, this weekend I hope to baste Bert's, finish up the brown/green tones for the possible raffle quilt, cut the rest of the pinks/blacks for the other possible raffle quilt and pick out a fabric I think Josh would like. Men's quilts are always so hard to decide. Maybe I'll do some plaids - but I know I won't - I hate plaid.

I'll post some pictures hopefully this weekend if I can get anythig to the "finished" stage.

CHANGE IN PLANS

Sorry to say the beautiful colors posted won't be the raffle quilt for church. It seems like one thing after another went wrong and then this week I cut them and didn't realize the bottom block was turned wrong. Needless to say there is simply no way to repair it. So I'll be taking 9 of those magic tile blocks and using them for a comfort quilt with a pretty border.

So what will the raffle quilt be? Who knows. I struggled so long with that decision and now can't decide again. I have 2 tops cut out that I really like so I think I'll make up both and let the pastor decide which she likes best. Who knows what we'll decide.

I'll post pictures as soon as I start putting them together.

Friday, August 14, 2009

RAFFLE QUILT


I finally made up my mind for the raffle quilt. I couldn't decide what pattern or Christmas v. non-Christmas fabrics so I'm doing both. I planned a bench draped with a Christmas quilt for the photo area. I've decided to do a magic tile in Christmas colors for that and a second magic tile in non-Christmas colors for the raffle. I thought we'll raffle them both and as the ladies buy their tickets they can decide which they want to try and win. This way I should get almost everyone interested in a ticket.
Here are the fabrics I chose for the non-Christmas magic tile. Once I get them all pressed I'll post pictures of the Christmas fabrics. Their even yummier than these. I do love the fabrics with the gold tones in them. I got all these at Quilters Quarters in Zephryhills, FL. they are just amazin at helping you find things.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

SUGGESTIONS PLEASE

I'm hoping the ladies that follow my blog have suggestions. I am chairing a ladies tea and dessert for our church benevolence fund. It will be Christmas time and in lieu of cash the ladies will bring gift cards for grocery stores. These cards are donated to the church fund. I'm making a quilt to raffle that night as well. I need by 12/1/09 so I have to make up my mind.

Any suggestions on patterns you've seen or used and really liked (no applique - mine is not good). I was thinking a magic tile but I don't know. Also in your opinion - Christmas fabrics or would more tickets likely sell if fabrics they could use all year long.

Suggestions, anyone, please. Email me: queenv@tampabay.rr.com

Sunday, August 9, 2009

BLUE WHITE TOP PIECED



Well after I got the yellow border on it was still too stark, too cold looking. So Saturday even though I'd just come from the quilt shop, I decided this needed a personal look so off to the shop I headed again with several ideas to choose from. We all decided the same thing, it lacked warmth. It was stark for lack of a better word.

So after playing around with several choices we choose a light blue, white and yellow paisley to warm it up. I loved it. So home again and today I added the last border. And I thought wow it really does add warmth. Then I pressed it and thought maybe I don't like this after all. The I laid it out on the floor and said - well you know I do like it. The I took the picture and thought heck I don't know, do I like it or not? I still haven't decided.

NEW QUILT BEGINNINGS


Well here's a first. I've made a quilt that I just can't decide, do I love it or hate it. All the colors worked, my favorite quilt shop like the outcome, but I don't know. One time I think wow I love it, it's so different. The next time I look I think, oh no I don't like that.

Here's how it started. I wanted to make a blue and white quilt. But you know me, after cutting the tumblers it needed some color. I wasn't popping and I love vivid colors. So to the computer, email the pic to the quilt shop, what does it need, it's too blah. Yellow was the answer and of course I thought "love it". So I added a yellow border but it was still too stark, too cold.


Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Mystery Quilt

Well the ladies in my weekly quilt group want to try a mystery quilt. I've done a couple and I find it exciting to choose colors not knowing where they'll go. So after looking thru hundreds of patterns I found one I thought they could make in 5 or 6 clues. I've never seen it except in this book so it shouldn't be easy to guess and it's very pretty. I can't wait to see how different they all turn out. It's a,azing to see what difference colors make.

Good thing is I need a quilt to donate for a raffle and this should be a great one. I set up a new blog for it if anyone else wants to play along - - - faithmystery.blogspot.com

Saturday, August 1, 2009

MONTHLY BLOCK SWAPS


Well I got home from the quilts of valor program and realized I was still in the sewing mood - after a short nap. So I remembered that I had quilt blocks due to two of my monthly swap partners. One mentioned she liked orange so I started to think - why not adapt the pattern we just used? It's normally a 15 in block but I changed it up a bit and made it into a 12.5" block. Calculations are not my speciality but I wanted to try something. Orange was a challenge for me but I am so thrilled my June partner suggested it. Since I was late getting her block I wanted to do somehting in her favorite color. Here's what I came up with. Oh yeah - and need you ask - I loved it and hope I have enough to make a top for myself. So how do you think it came out?


Community Outreach


I have this info on the faithquilters blog but I like to add my personal stuff here as well. Kinda like an online quilt journal. Today Vickie, Amy and I went to Bradenton and participated in a quilts of valor program. The local shop has a sewing day once a year to make quilts that are then donated to wounded vets. They had about 20-30 ladies sewing away on blocks.

Since we arrived as a group we were given all the animal prints to make. We weren't able to finish the last 2 blocks in the time we allowed for the project but we got a lot done (14 blocks). Here's a picture of the blocks hanging on the design wall once we finished. I'm not usually a fan of animal prints but I think the shop did great job choosing these. The pattern came out very nice.