Sunday, September 30, 2012

Busy, busy weekend.....

Started off the weekend on Friday  helping my mom change out the bedding from summer to winter.  She asked me to take home her quilts and wash them.  She made two of these double wedding rings (DWR) in 1996. 


Here's my mom at 89 with one of the quilts.  


I think these were her first and only large sized quilts that she ever made and she hand quilted them, too. 

Saturday morning we went to the Oakland County Country Fair and ...oh....I hardly took any pictures because I was just in awe of all the great things that were for sale.  But one thing that might interest you is who was the star of the show.

Cari from "Cash and Cari" an HGTV show.  I believe the new show starts up again on January 3, 2013. 

This is the only picture I took at the show. 


I believe Cari has a shop in Plymouth, MI that is called RePurpose.  Sorry to say, I haven't seen the show, but  plan on looking for it this time around.  She sure had a very popular booth!

I did pick up a couple things while there though.

This great wire basket.


This fun little bottle brush Halloween tree. 


Then to finish off the weekend of activities was Cameron's 6th birthday.  
This was the party my daughter made all the Super Hero capes for.  

Here they are from the front. 


...and the back....


The boys were super excited about getting their capes and masks.  

Oh!  

To top of my great weekend, I finished the Sunwashed quilt top.


I think I am most excited about that.  It feels like a very long time since I finished a quilt top in such a short time.  I will piece the backing and then put it aside on the pile of "things to be quilted" for now and then on to the next project.  

It's been a great weekend. Hope yours was, too.  

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Moving along....

I am trying to keep up my mini retreat momentum, but being back at home with all that is going on here makes it a little difficult, but I did finally get Sunwashed up and off the floor after pinning the rows together. 


I got to use the Q-pins that I had just purchased at the Grand Rapids Quilt show. 

There were a lot of pieces to pin together and pick up off the floor, so having these pins handy to mark the rows is such a help.  (you can see a couple of the pins in use if you look closely)

As of this evening, I have sewed  just beyond the halfway point.


At least halfway through the center of the quilt.  There are two borders after the center is done.  

So, I am thinking this will be done soon.  I am getting excited!  

Stay tuned.

Friday, September 21, 2012

My retreat projects....

I had a goal for this retreat to finish a baby quilt top that I had started in June at another retreat.

So, I did finish the  houndstooth, baby blue and white quilt top.


close up...


I love the look of this quilt, but there are lots and lots of bias edges and I am not too happy with the way it was turning out.  I did eventually start starching the heck out of this, but it just  isn't as "squared" as I would like it, so I am going to try and re-starch and see what I can do....especially since I have fabric to make a baby pink and white AND a charcoal and white.  I don't want to get discouraged.

My second project was to work on a Fig Tree quilt called Sunwashed.  I am making this one in the Vintage Modern fabric.  I had all the pieces cut out before retreat.

I made one block....


and found it to look disturbingly like a TV test pattern...LOL, so I threw some more pieces up on the design wall to give you a better look.


I am liking this look a little better...

So, I have ALL the blocks made, but need to lay out all the blocks with the sashings on the floor here at home so that I can get the colors spread out evenly.  

I have now done that......



 and will look over my pictures of the lay out, maybe make some switcharoos and then start pinning rows.  Once I do that, I can start stitching. 

All in all, it was a very successful quilt retreat.  It was certainly one that I really needed.  

I hope you get lots of sewing  or crafting or whatever you want to do accomplished in the next few days.  I am hoping to get my Sunwashed quilt top all together by the end of this weekend.  I know I have the quilting bug now and hope I can keep up the momentum.  

Happy quilting!  



Thursday, September 20, 2012

Back from my mini Fall retreat.....


This adorable stack'o'pumpkins was just beyond our wrap around porch that we got to enjoy upon arriving to our retreat destination, The Harbor Star in East Tawas, MI.  It was a definite statement that Fall has arrived.

The three of us, Nancy, Sharon and myself sewed up a storm from Monday through Thursday (well, actually, we were all packed up and ready to leave Thursday morning), but we did get plenty accomplished. 

Nancy worked on a charity quilt....



She worked on her teensy log cabins....


worked on a quilt that she wants to have ready for her bed for next Spring.....


I love her sense of color....

She even pulled out a kit that she had....


and worked on some of the blocks for the beachy quilt....


Sharon worked on designing these very contemporary blocks......



and then tried to figure out how she wanted to lay them out......


She loves being "free".....

Then she was working on this great quilt for a little girl's birthday..... Again, she is designing as she goes.....


The base of the quilted was finished like this.....


There are a lot of design possibilities for the border.


I just love the little butterfly background.

As for me.....

Stay tuned.....











Sunday, September 16, 2012

Busy week, but heading for some R & R

Between work, some family health issues and babysitting, I have just barely had time to get a project cut out for my mini retreat.

Week started out picking up the newly engaged couple (my son and his girlfriend) at the airport.   


We are so excited!

Then we have had the grands for the last three days, so to keep them busy we took them to the zoo. 


I now know why you have your kids when you are young.

Here they are at the polar bear exhibit. 


and of course, little boys love snakes.


So....after all this, I am packing up my sewing and  my clothes at 10 o'clock at night, the night before I am leaving for my four day mini retreat with my quilty chicks. 

I know once I get on the road, all will be good. 

So....there will be plenty to show when I get back.  I am definitely in need of some R & R. 

See you when I get back. 

Happy quilting.  I know I will be.  







Saturday, September 8, 2012

Super Hero kind of day.....

My daughter came over today to use my serger.


She got this idea from Pinterest to make super hero capes for little boys.

Cameron is going to be five and he is having a party, so instead of buying a bunch of candy for a goody bag, she is making each of the boys a cape and buying a mask.

She's a messier sewer than I am.


All her satin scraps ended up on the floor.

This is some of the 13 serged capes.  



Here are the emblems that will be ironed to the cape.  Each letter is the initial of each of the boys attending the party. 



C is for Cameron.

I am sure mom is going to be considered Super Mom!!!!


Well, after she left, I got to cleaning up the mess and thought now was as good a time as any to start cutting out a project for my upcoming retreat with the gals. 


I pulled out all my Vintage Modern and organized it in 1/4 yard, 1/3, 1/2, yard, 2 yard and 3 yard piles.  I bought this in June and I was having a hard time remembering what I bought for what section of the quilt. Got that organized and then cut out all my strips.  



Next step is to do all the sub cuts, but hey, this is progress.

Oh...and so you know, I did get the binding on my Beyond the Cherry Trees.


I am working on getting the sleeve on, but those curved corners kind of screwed me up, so I have to make some adjustments on the sleeve even though I have the top of it stitched down already.  We'll see how easy that is to re-do.  I sure don't want to have to rip it off and start over.    

Well, it feels good to get into the sewing room.  

Happy quilting!

Michigan quilters, take note

  Come see us at our first Quilter's to Quilter's sale.   Don't know what that is?  Well, it will be 28 quilters/vendors selling...