Suitable for Framing

I've stopped working on the Quilt for an Hour for a while. A friend's daughter is sick and in the hospital so I decided she needed a quilt. It's based on Suitable for Framing. Here is a picture of what I've completed so far. The young lady I'm making it for is in her mid-teens and has a bedroom that features lime green, purple, pink and blue. The colors aren't exactly true here, but you get the idea. The white looking fabric in the upper right is actually a light teal. When it's daylight, I'll take a picture that hopefully has more accurate color.

Here's what the whole quilt will look like--though obviously in other colors.


By the way, on the Quilt for and Hour, I've decided to leave the peach squares in the middle and the blue on the outside. With the blue outside, I don't even see the weird square anymore. Thanks to all of you who shared your opinion

Quilt for an Hour

All the blocks are done. Now I have to live with them for a bit to see if I want to move any of them. I'm going to live with the one block for a while, but just glancing at the picture above has me thinking I'm going to be changing that dang block out. I like the colors--I have to try the diamonds reversed though--making the peachy ones the main ones in each block and see if I like that better--of if it's just different.

Couldn't wait--which one is better?

A bit more progress

I'm finally going to get this quilt for an hour done. They're not sewn together yet, and they're not placed where they'll go,but I like these blocks. All the fabrics are batiks, and there's that one bit on the second star down, second from the right that has a blue square that I'm really noticing. I don't know if I am going to replace it or not, but right now it's bugging me--does it bother you too?

Quilt for an Hour--more sewing.

I have been sewing a bit on the Quilt for an Hour from Judy Laquidara. It's not the current one, but from the Spring. I put it in a 12/12 drawer and all the pieces stayed together. That made starting again much easier. I think I only have 6 more blocks to sew together (well, and those that are above the sewing machine). By the way, if you're wondering, the wide blue tape on my sewing machine holds the bed of the sewing machine on. I have a machine with a bed that allows easy sewing of armholes, etc. so this extra one goes on. Unfortunately, in the past 2o years the little plastic bits have broken off, so I hold it together with tape. I suppose I could go t a Bernina store and see if they could fix it--what a thought.

I think I will be able to finish it sometime this week (well the top anyway)

Another start...and finish!

I bought some fabric when I went to Sisters--a 5 yard pack of coordinating fabric. I started yesterday and finished the quilt today. They are not my colors, but I think my SIL will like them (at least I hope she will).

It's simple, and the back and batting are a polyester blanket I bought. It's very soft and feels wonderful. I just quilted around the blocks--I figure that will do just fine, they're 8" blocks, so not too big. I pulled the back over to the front for the binding. I think she'll like it just fine.

I was fabric shopping one day with her when I was visiting California and she felt the Minkee and loved it. She is often cold, so I thought this might be fun to snuggle in while she is watching TV. I'm going to send it (or bring it, if we go) for Christmas.

I'm feeling very accomplished because I started, and finished it--YIPPEE!

I also did some work on a colorwash Irish chain top this weekend that I am making into a duvet cover. I have two more borders to put on, then I am going to "quilt" it with no batting so that the top isn't too strained when it used with the down comforter. I had a picture of it somewhere, I remember taking pictures, but I can't find it now, so here are some quick pictures. It is 94 x 94 and kind of hard to get a good picture of--I don't have a design wall at the moment, so I hung it from the hutch will bulldog clips. You can only see one of the borders, but you get the idea.

These colors are actually closer to true. The sun is just about down and I can't get a good picture indoors very well. I'm going to try to get the other two borders on, and then see about what I might use for the backing. I might just buy a sheet--that should hold up well--maybe I'll get two sheets, one for the "backing" and the other for the back of the duvet.

Finished!

Wow, I haven't said that in a long time. I've finally finished the binding on this quilt--I'm wondering now if I should wait another month to give it to Pat--then it will be an even 18 months late! No, I don't think so, she should get it as soon as I can get it to her. It feels good to be sewing again--yeah!

Sewing Again!

This is my cutting table, with fabric on it that has been cut! This is a sewing machine that has been threaded and is ready to sew!

Today we put the molding on the outside of the sewing room window, and put foam between the window and the wall to fill the empty space to stop the wind. It was about 45 degrees outside, and quite cozy in my room. It is one more step closer to REALLY done.

I cut the binding for the quilt that was quilted in June--I hope to get it done and to the recipient next week. I was making the binding and started to iron it in half and roll it onto a bit of a paper towel tube. I cut the tube about 2", and then when I was ready to sew I thought of the hook I had bought previously for my rulers. I have my rulers in a holder on the wall, so this hook was just sitting around. I realized I had cut the tube just about the right width to fit on this tube, so I put the hook under my sewing machine to hold it up, then put the tube with the binding on the hook. It works great, so I thought I would share.

Here are a couple of pictures.


Oh, and one more leaf picture--I couldn't resist. The aspens this year are just amazing--I think this might be another quilt inspiration.

Still Making Progress

I'm almost there. Here are some current pics so you can see what I am up to. This is the current state of affairs, so not beautiful--just real.

Here is a more recent shot of the closet. You can see I unearthed some more fabric, I think that's all now. I've looked through all the bins and I think that's it. (Oh, wait, I packed up lots of fabric before I went to Germany in 2003--I wonder what's in those boxes. We still haven't brought them out of storage--hmmm, that must mean more to come.)

This is where I am going to put 2 floating shelves for books and other stuff. The ironing board will have to have a home, but I don't know where yet--there's no room in the closet.

Here is the cutting table with bins below. Those mostly contain project fabrics, notions, strips, and some other miscellaneous bits and pieces. The striped wall behind the cutting table will have my design wall on it. I think I'm going to string a cable from wooden wall to wooden wall and then put rings with clips to hold the design wall and quilts when I want to take pictures. I can step out the door to get far enough away to take pics of bigger quilts.

Here is the wall with my computer and the pictures I just frames. Those are the old windows from this room. As you can see, there is still a need for straightening, but almost there, almost time to sew again.

Molding is done--Yippee!

The new banner is from a picture I took a couple of weeks ago--they're asters, also know as Michaelmas daisies (learned that in church last week, we're the church of St. Michael, and we just had our feast day--asters bloom in late September, early October--hence Michaelmas daisies). I like them!

Well, here is proof, that if you just keep at it long enough, things do get done. We put in the crown molding, with just a bit of psychic pain, and then in the evening, the floor molding. The window molding and corner molding are next, but I think they are going to wait a while.


This is a picture I took yesterday outside the back door. The colors this year are lasting a long time. I thought this might be an inspiration for a quilt--don't know how yet--maybe just the wash of colors. I love yellow, but almost never quilt with it, maybe I'll have to see about doing something with fall colors in Colorado.


I've also framed a couple of the photos my honey bought me for my birthday in June--I feel so HGTV--I used the widow frame from the previous window in the room, and then made it a floating frame by using glass that was previously in the storm windows on the outside of the window. I even had to cut the glass, and did! There is one more photo, but it is printed in portrait style, so I'll put it in it's own frame. The two will go on the wall you can see above, I just have to figure out how to up them up safely--they're pretty heavy. I love the photos, they are by a New Zealand artist called Martin Hill. His photos really move me. So, now I have beauty outside, and inside.