I'm Stuck

I don't know which to use for the sashing. I don't like the lavender, so that's one down. I really like the purple, but I don't know if it's TOO purple. The green is sort of blah. So, I need to wait a bit and see what speaks to me in a while.

More Choices

I didn't find a light green that would work, but I found a lavender.I think I'm going to use the green for the smaller border with the lavender in the center. I like it better (I think) than the darker purple.

I've been very distracted studying German...trying to keep the mind active...so haven't been doing much quilting. If I could find a good audio only way to learn, I might be willing to quilt while I listen. I have some that I've found online, but they are BORING.

Design Wall

I'm thinking about the green and purple for between the rows of stack n whack blocks, but it seems to "heavy" to me, so I may have to use them for the borders. I may use white, or find a complementary yellow for between. I don't have any more of the yellow, bought this MANY years ago, so it might have to be something new. I don't like the original fabric between either--but it might be useful for an accent somewhere.

Here is an idea of what the finished top is supposed to look like.  Check out Judy's blog to see what others are doing on their design walls.

Good Grief!

I had no idea it had been so long since I posted. I don't usually work during the summer, but this summer I am, so I am all messed up. The school year ended at the end of May, I worked an extra week, then started on the bathroom (it's done but for the molding around the window and the door.) Then we went to visit a friend in Utah for a week, then more work on the bathroom. Then I worked a week, then more work on the bathroom...are you seeing a pattern here? The bathroom was supposed to take about 1 week--hah!

Then 5th of July we had some people up for the day (we have a symphony with the 1812 overture, cannon and fireworks) so we had to finish the bathroom and clean the house (everything that had been in the bathroom was all over the house) and then last week work, this week work, then off 2 weeks (yippee!) then back to work for the new school year.Whew!

Not much sewing going on, but I got the bug to clean out the fabric closet, and you know where that leads. If you take all the bits and pieces (supposedly fat quarters) and move them out  of the closet, they have ot have somewhere to go. If you move some stuff out of bins so you can put the fabric in there (by color--I've never done that before) you have to find a place for that stuff. Once you have a place for that stuff, you've moved some other stuff around and....it just keeps on.

I have to share the fruits of my labor. Husbands just don't appreciate as much, at least mine doesn't. I didn't remember to take pictures before I started, but you can imagine. Above is the closet. I decided to try to organize by color--then I have some specific use fabrics. I make Joe bright shirts, so buy fabric when we go to Hawaii or when I see stuff I think he'll especially like. I didn't know I had so much. I also love stack n whack quilts, and didn't know I had so much of that either. No more purchases till there's room in the cubby. The hand dyes are for a baby blocks quilt for Joe; some I've bought, some I dyed.

Here is a picture of the "fat quarters". Really they're less than yard pieces. Can you tell I like blues and greens? It's kind of fun to see it all this way.

Then, just so you don't think EVERYTHING is done, check out the cutting table. I still have a way to go.

Remodel...Still

The sad state of the bathroom: before. In this picture you really can't see the real state of the room. There are towels and cabinets and other stuff in the way. In the second picture you can see what the wall looked like behind the sink. We pulled out a really ugly home built cabinet when we moved back into the house, but didn't get around to making things look better because we were going to remodel the whole bathroom...no really...soon. When that didn't happen after a looooooong time, I decide we needed to make it look better, even if just for the short term. So, new stick on tile, new wainscoting to cover up the really ugly wall, new light, new medicine chest and soon to be installed a 3 drawer chest to keep bathroom junk in. We're finishing it to match the little vanity. We don't have a very wide bathroom, so decided to make the cabinets only 18" deep. That makes the room feel much larger. Not quite done yet, but not much to do.

I have been working...

...just not on quilting recently. We finally decided to fix up the bathroom. It has been a mess since the renters moved out. We pulled up the floor, the toilet and the vanity. We patched, painted, and soon I'll put the peel and stick floor in. I have to get some adhesive remover first though, to get the sticky off the floor (that will be today's fun). Then up goes the beadboard wainscoting, and then the toilet and sink back in.

I did my demonstration last night at the quilt guild about making kaleidoscope blocks. It seemed to be well received. I'll put the info on the blog probably next week. I had fun, and some of the members asked if I would be willing to teach a class. I think that would be fun too.

In the process of getting ready I bought Bethany Reynold's Stack n Wackipedia. I've had a pile of hexagon blocks that I was going to make into a duvet cover from many years ago--at least 5. It got too complicated so I just put it away However, she has a simpler quilt to make with a free pattern "Zippy Strippy". I pulled out the blocks and I'm going to use them to make the easier quilt. I'll be able to make 2 twin size tops with these blocks. I might send them on to QOV.  The fabric between the blocks in the picture is the original fabric. I'm going to put some of it in there, but I don't know where yet. It will be interesting to see where this leads.

Stack n Whack Jungle

Here are some of the blocks for the new Stack n Whack quilt I'm making. I've had this fabric about 11 years (according to the selvedge it is a Hoffman from 1999). The fabric has a couple of spots that are large green leaves, so I'll end up with a number of leaf blocks. I am going to choose a color or colors for the corner blocks that will blend. I might use the bits of fabric I have left to fill them in so it sort of blends together. This one is fun, and very simple to do. This will be a sample for the presentation I am giving in a couple of weeks. I think I'll have the top done, but it certainly won't be quilted.