What I've been up to

I've been working on the floor in the living room. We had to put a layer of 1/4" plywood on top of the sub-floor to bring it up to level. The little bit you see at the bottom right is the laminate we're putting down. The kitchen/living room floors are almost done. It only took a year.

The Greek keys top is together, but I haven't finished the border. I had to move all of my sewing stuff and didn't have access for a couple of days--doing the floor. I'll try to get the outer border on today.

And here is what I'm doing this morning. Trying to make a dent in the shirt fabric. I have three cut out, and am sewing them simultaneously. (you can see the part of the laminate that is down. Looks so much better than plywood!

Red White and Blue Irish Chain QOV...quilted

I finished quilting another QOV. This one still needs the binding--I think I'll be able to finish it today. I started with simple straight quilting using my walking foot through the red and blue squares, then added the stars and "flags" in the solid parts. I like the way it turned out--not as boring as I thought it would be.

Yippee, another QOV done!

Another one DONE! This one was sent out to be quilted. I have a friend that does quilting and asked in passing about a skull a crossbones pattern. She looked a while and found one, so I had to do it!Here is the pattern--it is just perfect for this one. A special request for a special soldier--I'm glad he'll be getting it soon--maybe by next week.

The backing and the label. I found the backing fabric on the flat fold table at Ben Franklins--and the label is obviously hand made. I read an article (I think it may have been on QOV website) about the psychological advantages of hand written stuff, how it makes us feel more connected. They were talking about letters, or journals I think, but I carried it over to the labels. "Thank you for your service, bless you for your sacrifice." was from a woman in a military wives organization in Germany. We lived there for two years, and they knew I sewed, so asked me to make a banner with those words on it for the Landstuhl Medical Center near Kaiserslautern. It seems perfect for these quilts.

What I am (or should be) working on

I decided to do a little straightening up in my sewing area. Because we are still working on the house, I don't have a sewing room, I just use a corner of the living room. Anyway--I had loads of stuff strewn about, and decided to clean up. Well that means taking things out of the hutch (where I have most of my stash) so I could put things back where they sort of came from. In doing that, I decided to make a list of all the quilt tops I have, all the patterns plus fabric I have, all of the quilts that are waiting to be finished, and all of those I haven't even started yet.

So, here goes:
tops waiting to be quilted

1. jewel box
2. autumn table runner
3. small convergence quilt from the class I took
4. Amy's oriental tiles
5. QOV--red white and blue
6. 3 giant 9-patch baby quilts
7. checkerboard convergence quilt made in Germany
8. Kaleidoscope wall hanging
   
9. North winds batik
10. Round robin blacks and brights
11. 2 disappearing 9-patch baby quilts
12. Pat's retirement quilt (done 7/1/08 just 14 months late)
    
13. Rachel's graduation quilt (spin cycle) done 7/1/08 had these two quilted
    

Quilt tops I've started, that are not yet finished

1. Julie's southwestern wall hanging
   
2. tessellated fish
3. ocean colorwash Irish chain
4. Jessica's 4 patch, took the borders off, now I have to put them back on
5. Greek keys
6. Batik slash-a-stash (I truly don't remember starting this

Quilts I have patterns and fabrics for--not started

1. another skull quilt (for my nephew
2. dragonflies
3. stormy sea (I just bought the kits for 2 and 3 at the Denver quilt show)
4. French braid quilt from the colorwash trip around the work kit fabric I bought long ago
5. baby kaleidoscope quilt (fabric bought long, long ago)
6. pastel rainbow stack n whack
7. jungle print stack n whack
8. just purchased Spin Cycle
9. Moon Glow (another kit I bought long, long ago)

Confession Time

I make the hubby shirts. Shirts with wild fabrics, but alas, I buy more fabric than I make shirts. I am cleaning up my sewing stuff a bit, and decided to do a little organizing--I have found (without too much searching) fabric for 14 shirts for the hubby. I have posted the evidence here in hopes that it will move me to make some of the shirts. I suppose I could try doing the roman thing with them on him but I don't think this would go over to well. So here they are, staring me in the face. I'll let you know when they get done (she said with hope and conviction!)

Spin Cycle Top-finished and Quilt for and Hour

Thanks to Marilyn's suggestion I figured out what to do with the border. She reminded me of the pink-peach batik I had. I tried it as the border, and it was a bit too light, but then I though of adding the fabric I used for the blocks. Because of the way the blocks are cut, I only had 22" widths of the fabric, and didn't think I would like so many seams in the border, so I added 1" strips of the pink, I think it finishes off the quilt, without adding too much heaviness, thanks Marilyn.

I am still working on the Quilt for an Hour. I have all the pieces for the blocks put together, now I just have to assemble the blocks. Once that is done, it should be a quick job to put the top together.

Yesterday was my birthday, and one of the local quilt shops gives you half of your age as a discount during your birthday week--how could I pass up a 27% discount? I decided I like the spin cycle pattern so much, that I bought more fabric to make another one; but it will be quite a different look. The cream is the background, the purple the strips in the middle of the sashing, and the pink, the cornerstones and border. At the moment I really like it.

Quilt for an Hour-I haven't given up

Here is where I am on the quilt for an hour-I have decided that today I try to catch up--we'll see how far I get. I'm going to try to be done by this Friday when Judy removes the links--hope I do it!

Spin Cycle Top--what to do with the border

The top is together--I just have to figure out what to do with the borders. I don't think I want more of the green--maybe some of the original fabric, but it's pretty green too. I'll have to take some time to cogitate.

I've been working around the house, we grouted most of the floor in the kitchen. Some folks said that's the easy part: LIARS! My back an knees and shoulders are still sore some. I think because you have to do it all at once. I am going to seal what we have grouted, there is still a bit more to do, but I don't know if I'm going to finish it. The mister is off on a driving trip to DC. Seeing things like the largest ball of twine, or the largest museum of the smallest replicas of the largest items in the US (hows that for a title). He found a site called Roadside America that gives you many of the funky things that can be seen. He's having a good time, but I don't think I'm doing the floor alone.