Coraopolis

We are on the road again. This time to Coraopolis, PA just south of Pittsburgh. I brought The Queen and Her Court to work on as my main project and 1-1/2 inch squares as leaders & enders. I am working on Four Patch Revisited from Bonnie Hunter's Leaders & Enders book. It requires hundreds of 4-patches. I think if I had to sew them all at once, I'd pull my hair out. But sewing them in between other projects makes it less tedious. See the empty box? I bought another Janso light from Ikea. At only 2 miles from the hotel, how could I not go there. I also bought 4 Ribba shelves to hold my threads for the longarm.  


These are the four blocks I completed this week: 7,8,9 & 10.

They finish at 12 inches with tons of seams so, I resorted to pressing the seams open to reduce the lumps. 

 Til next time,
Mary

Shop Hop

This weekend was the Spring into Summer Shop Hop. Five shops (Quiltessentials, Calico Basket, Cottonweeds, Mariner's Compass, and Alewives) three friends, and a boat load of fun. So, to add the icing on the cake, Betsy from Quiltessentials called me on Monday to tell me that I had won a prize. Woo hoo! Tuesday morning, DH and I hopped in the car and off we went. This is what was in my prize bag. I couldn't believe it. Patterns, wool felt, fabric, thread, roving, and quilt stencils. Now, to share with my hopping buddies.
Til next time,
Mary

Two more Quilts

The weather finally cooperated and I was able to photograph two of the larger bed quilts that I finished this winter. The first is Cassiopeia. It is an original pattern gone awry. Made mainly from 3-1/2" squares and half square triangles. I had all the rows sewn together before I realized that I had flipped the third row down. I debated for a few days whether or not to un-sew it. The "W" formed by the two gold and three green stars reminded me of the constellation Cassiopeia. So, I finally decided to leave it as is and call it a design element. This quilt was made for DH's cousin Jennifer. 

The second quilt is Jamestown Landing from a workshop I took with Bonnie Hunter in May 2013. The pattern can be found in her book String Fling. I chose purples instead of blues as this quilt was made for Elizabeth, the daughter of our dear friends. I really like how string piecing the neutral blocks makes the quilt dance. Not to mention that it is a great way to use up those fabric scraps.

Til next time,

Mary

Springtime

Emma, John & Kent chose to hike on the trails in the woods. I opted for a 15 minute walk up the old road. It is closed to vehicles, so it made for a nice spring walk. Now, I am back working on the Hootie sample for the shop.
Til next time,
Mary

A Table Quilt

When I began quilting in 2006, one of the first books that I purchased was Quilts Without Corners by Cheryl Phillips. I was intrigued by the designs and foolishly thought it would be easier to make than a square cornered quilt, no corners to turn. Eight years later, I finally made a quilted tablecloth from that book.

 It began with a request from my electrician for a quilt to cover his antique dining room table. I spent several days trying to find just the right pattern. Then I came across this one: yes! Next was to choose the fabrics. When making quilts for me, anything goes: vintage thirties, civil war reproductions, novelty, geometric, etc. But when I have to make something for someone else, and there is a monetary value placed upon it, I fret. And fret. And fret. Fortunately, Sabina came over to help me select from my stash. She has a great eye, and I think the final result is awesome. 

The design disappears when you view it close, but really stands out when viewed from afar.

Til next time,

Mary

                                                              

Making Progress

I created a list of projects to complete(PTC) by the end of 2014. I began with 7 at the beginning of October. 2 have been completed and 1 is in the process of sewing on the binding. Included on the list are Jamestown Landing and Smith Mountain Morning from the classes I took with Bonnie Hunter when she was in Maine in May. Almost half of Jamestown Landing is on the design wall. All units are sewn. It is just a matter of sewing them into rows, and then sewing the rows together. I have continued labeling the upper left corners of the blocks as a guide to which unit is sewn to what. Good thing, as I mixed up some sections, but the labels set me straight. You can see them as the little circles on some of the blocks.

I received a picture of the quilt I was hand quilting as we traveled across country in September. It is the perfect size for the back of their couch. 


This is the best photo I have of the quilting. Small fans with five lines each, approximately 1/2 inch apart. I really liked the pattern of quilting. Next, I will try it on the longarm, a step up from my meandering.
Til next time,
Mary

Finished!

Orca Bay is quilted and bound. Tomorrow will be two years since beginning the mystery with Bonnie Hunter over at Quiltville.com. That means, I am free to participate in this years mystery Celtic Solstice beginning tomorrow.

Til next time,
Mary

Oklahoma Backroads

Oklahoma Backroads on the design wall. I began this quilt top in October 2011 on a trip with DH to Pennsylvania. Then worked on blocks during a trip to Georgia in March 2012. Then more blocks on the trip to Oregon in June 2012. Finally, all the blocks were completed Spring 2013 at home in Maine, but they sat in a box until our current trip back to Pennsylvania. 

I placed a sticker with column number/row letter in the upper left corner of each block(100 little stickers!) This kept the blocks in the correct order and orientation. I first used this method when making the Twisted Christmas Wreath and Stocking Sweet Stocking. I knew exactly which blocks went with each other and the direction they should be sewn.

I set up Charlotte on the ironing board with the extension table I made. Then I sewed and sewed and sewed. Finally, all the blocks are together. When I return home, I will add the inner and outer borders, and quilt it. I haven't decided whether to keep it or gift it. I have some time for that decision.

Til next time,

Mary 

Cassiopeia

I've finished the quilting on Jen's Cassiopeia quilt. I decided to do an all over meandering pattern. The binding  and label are attached, all that I need to do is sew the binding to the back. I really like this pattern with the colors and scrappy background.

Snow in Wyoming

Evanston, WY snowing!

Homeward Bound

We said our good-byes to Adam, Tessa, and her mom this morning. First north to Sacramento, then east on I-80 heading towards home. Elevation 5-6 thousand feet in the Sierra Nevadas.
















After a 5 minute walk this morning, Skipper settled down to sleep. He will be staying with us until Adam and Tessa are settled in her first assignment.

Fisherman's Wharf

We had a delicious lunch at Crabby Jim's on Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey to celebrate Tessa's 25the birthday.
















Lots of  sailboats!

Quilted and gifted

I finally finished the quilting at 9 pm Pacific time Friday night. Too tired to stitch the binding on, I set the alarm for 6:30 am. By 7 am,  the quilt was trimmed and  I was stitching. It was a 3 hour drive to the party in Vacaville, just enough time to hand sew the binding and attach the label.






June is holding the quilt as I snapped a photo of Adam, Tess, Bob, and her. Unfortunately, any photos of the entire quilt will have to wait til I return home, as I didn't take any with my phone.

Pacific Grove

While Adam was in class, DH and I went to Pacific Grove south of Monterey. I remembered that there was a quilt shop there, Back Porch Fabrics. Pull out the phone, search google maps, and 0.8 mile away. To drive or walk? Walking it was, after so much sitting in the car, it was good to stretch out legs. The quilt shop was bright, cheerful, and very friendly. I found something special to take home for Wes.











Our return walk was along the bay. Nice breezes and sunshine.

Laundry

Some moms are good at cooking for their children. Some moms are good at soothing booboos. Then, there are some moms who are good at doing laundry. Guess which one I am?

California Bound

We left Tucson at 3:30 am with the temperature at 86 degrees. By 10:30am we crossed into California.

Now, we're in the Mojave Desert, 93 degrees and sunny. Little dots of vegetation growing on the hills.
I have finished 3/4 of the quilting on the gift for DH's uncle. I hope the sores on my fingertips heal!
Til next time,
Mary

Traveling through West Texas

This is what surrounds us as we drive on US 20 through west Texas on our way to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. The temperature is 91 and dry. I am continuing to hand quilt the lap quilt, but sore fingertips make it a slow process.
Til next time,
Mary

Lousiana

We were on the road to Louisiana at 6 am. Car time has been good for hand quilting and crocheting. I have been working on a lap quilt for DH's uncle, who will be 90 this month. It is a modified version of Darlene Zimmerman's Hummingbird pattern. A little more than 1/4 of it is done so far.


I am crocheting doilies to give as gifts to family that we are visiting.






2:30 pm eastern time... Louisiana!

Atlanta Botanical Gardens

Sunday was a perfect warm, sunny day to visit the botanical gardens in Atlanta, GA. The special exhibit was mosaicculture: Fish, a dog, an ogre, earth goddess, and cobras.

Patio Time

The second half of the patio has been poured, and a small metal fire pit purchased. The right side of the steps will be completed next month, where I plan to have a small kitchen garden next spring. This is going to be such a nice place to relax on those crisp fall evenings.
Til next time,
Mary