Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This being the last day of the month I thought I'd better get the guild Pizza box done.  This month I have Jean K's and she picked out a cute little kit.  I love the colors of the fabrics.  Her blocks are small (6.5") and it didn't take long at all to put together.

Which brings me to matching angled seams.  (I was talking about those right)?  LOL  ....Well I am now.
I've always had such a hard time getting them to match up as well as I wanted if I pressed my seams to the dark fab.  They just always weren't quite right.  So ....  I've been pressing some of my seams open and by golly it is much easier to see how the seam lays.
See those corner matches!   Pretty darn perfect if you ask me!!  hahaha
Now I have to work on not cutting off those points.  Sheesh!! 

I've been quietly working on Don's blocks off and on.  Yesterday morning I was able to get more fabric cut and several blocks sewn while he went out of town to his eye Doc appt.  I had at least an hour and a half for uninterrupted sewing.  It's coming along nicely.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

I've decided to take another online class at MQR.  This class is called "Portraits in Cloth" taught by Jean Shute.  I love her teaching style.  The first class I took with her was "Color and Design" where we learned about color, how to apply it and used crayons and paint.  I loved that class and learned so much from her so I decided I'd better get in on this one too. 
..... So OK..... I haven't actually used any of the techniques I learned in the other class .... but it is all in my head just waiting.  Someday!

Our first lesson for this class was to pick a picture of someone we want to make a fabric portrait of, and Jean showed us how to use Photoshop Elements to tweek the photo to a black and white.  This is the one I've chosen...... of course!! Who else?!!!
This week we will learn how to make the pattern.  I still need to choose the fabrics that I want to use and I'm waiting on the Prisma colored pencil order to come in. 
I sure hope I can get this to be at least recognizable when I'm finished.  heehee

Yesterday we spent the better part of the day watching Beth play in a volleyball tournament.  They played very well the first four games and took first in their pool play....but then got beat out in the next round.  Beth jammed her thumb bad during the last game and I could tell she was hurting a lot.  She never gave up playing but it did alter her hits.  Still.... she had a very good day of play and we enjoyed watching her. 

So today I plan to spend the day "sneaking around" again.  And I still have the label to put on Scotts quilt then I'll wash & dry it and post the final picture.

Have a GREAT Sunday   

Friday, September 25, 2009

Ok.  I give up!  I don't think I'm very sneaky.  
I'm trying .... but I just can't get the hang of it.  
I don't think it'll be long before I'm found out and a comment will be made.  
Or maybe not!  He isn't usually very observant so I'm counting on that.  Even tho he's caught me in the act twice now in the last two days.  
LOL  I'm talking about Don and his blk/wht quilt.  Yesterday I started cutting some of the fabrics so I would have them ready to just grab on short notice to sew (undercover) when he leaves the house.  He had gone on an errand and I figured I had plenty of time to get lots of cutting done.  
....... dang!!  I didn't hear him come back in the house and all of a sudden he was standing in my sewing room door talking to me.  I jumped and kinda laid across my cutting board as if my back was hurting (I was really trying to hide the black fabric)..... but who was I kidding?  I may be fat .... but I'm not that big yet!  hahaha 
He didn't say anything about the fabric and I just went about my business as if nothing was wrong. 
And today he caught me again.....except this time I just went on like I always do and was cutting different fabric for another quilt that I'd already told him about. 
Well I'll keep trying.  I did manage to get two blocks made-cut-sewn back together today while he's outside mowing.  They turned out pretty well if I do say so.  I love this pattern.  It's so simple yet looks like so much work.

This second quilt will be a Queen size.  That's going to be the largest quilt I've ever made so it may take me awhile.
But hey!  I found two extra hours today doing what Crispy did.  She was telling about paring down her blog/computer reading time because she wasn't getting anything done.
Uhhhhh yeah!! Me too!!
So I'm going to give that a try too.  I spend way to much time on this thing.
In fact ......... see me leaving....... back to sewing.......

Oh wait..... If you haven't upgraded your Blogger post editor..... do it!!  It's much better. 
 

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Brrrrr. Ok so it's not snowing! And I know it's not winter yet.
But still! It feels like it and I'm cold!!
It's that time of year when it's too cold to not have the furnace running and yet too warm to have the furnace running.
So here I sit in my sweats and long sleeve shirt.
And I think I should go put on some socks.
It's going to be a looooonnnggg winter!!!

I received my order of thread today.
Oh how pretty. I ordered two sets (Ricky Tims Flower Garden & High Dessert). The other day I was putting together a machine applique' called Southern Gentleman and decided I just needed some shiny pretty threads to do some machine applique'.
Sew Thankful had these sets on sale so I just couldn't pass them up. You know....more is better and all that. heehee As if I didn't have enough thread already. But you know.... it's a quilting thing!!

Here's a sneak peak at the first block (before dressing it up).
I bought this copper fabric one day when I was at the LQS just because. I had no idea what I would use it for.... but I loved it .....soooooo.
And then along came this BOM and Ta-Da......perfect!!


Today I start cutting the fabric for Don's quilt. I'm going to be making the Disappearing 9-patch and the fabrics will be black & white prints with a blue for the center square.
This will be a bit tricky since I'm going to try to make it without him knowing. Even though he knows he'll be getting a quilt someday .... I hope I can keep it hidden so he'll be surprised.

I'm going to go get socks......Have a great day ..... and stay warm.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

So....... I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth. Really!
Just haven't felt like blogging lately. So I didn't!

It's Fall!! Yep!! Time to add a quilt to the bed at night. There's a nip in the air and the leaves have started to turn here just in the last two days. Almost makes me want to buy a pumpkin and get some hay bales. ................ But I'll get over that thought real soon. hahaha

I have been plodding along as usual (in my own sweet time) and I'm now finished with the quilting on Scott's quilt. I love that backing material.
The binding is on and I'm half finished sewing it down.
Almost done!!
I will now say (emphatically!!)..... this will be the last t-shirt quilt that I will ever make!!
I did enjoy the puzzle of setting the blocks together and designing the quilt.... but the quilting!!!! OMGosh!!!
I wonder if maybe there was something wrong with the fusible that I used. On some of the blocks it just didn't stick well and when I was quilting it ..... the shirts kept shifting and wanting to bunch up (like knit tends to do). It took me twice as long as it should have to quilt it because I kept having to hold the shirt while I tried to follow the panto. Not easy!! And nearly impossible to do. In fact there are several places that I'm not happy with. Of course I'm way to picky and "done is good".

Next quilt up...... DH's. His is the last on my list of *Must-Do for family*. I like to have the quilts be a surprise so I can give them as Christmas gifts.... but I'm pretty sure I can't get away with this one for Don. But it might be kinda fun to see how far along I get on it before he realizes I'm making his.