'insert clever line here' . . .

I've run out of different ways to say "Design Wall" so never mind. Instead, perhaps this morning I'll just say . . .

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!!

Now. On to the design wall (or table or ironing board or whatever).

Saturday I headed over to join our stitcher's group for a Stitch-In Saturday. My goal was to put together my two blocks of the month, which are due Friday. So here are the latest additions to my orange and purple quilt . . .

Block one.


And block two.

And here's how I've decided to set these two . . .

This one definitely looked best in the orange.


And this one is going in the purple.

I need to start thinking of a name for this quilt. It's orange and purple and has batiks mixed in and the purple leafy fabric is Moda's "October," which makes me very happy since I'm definitely an October kind of girl.

Here's my little stitch-in station . . .

Let me introduce you to Kari, our wonderful coordinator!

She was working on getting a quilt pin basted -- it's one she's entering into our fall quilt show!

There was lots of gabbing and sewing and eating. Lots of eating. ;)

Charmaine finished up the block she was working on for a different BOM.

Isn't that pretty?? I love the colors in there with the black and white!

And my friend Kathy is shipping this one off as a gift.

Lucky recipient!

And if you've hung out with me this long, be sure to head on over to Judy Laquidara's Patchwork Times to see what else is going on in design wall land!

Cheers!

:)

Read more »

design within reach . . .

Saturday evening I returned home from a long day out and about, and decided I needed to put away the red and pink and white quilted heart that had been adorning my table since February, and work on a more "summery" design.

In less than three hours, this is what I'd come up with!

Even with a cute little back -- I could probably reverse it if I ever felt so inclined! I'm so infatuated with orange right now. It's my color of choice. Why is that?!?

Ta dah! I love what I can accomplish if I put my mind to it. And what's even nicer is that this is an original Design by Denise. LOL! :)

My BOM's are what's on the design table cloth right now. First, here are the two blocks I completed just in the nick of time on Saturday, for a turn in win! (I'm determined to NOT use my Ooops! card this go 'round!)

So now there are ten blocks completed, six to go. I have two sashed and quilted and I need to audition the rest. Well, first I have to decide whether I'm going to do the four corners in the purple, or do the whole thing in the orange (like I'd originally planned). I just think the four corners in the purple would create eye interest.

I do believe that if I go with the purple corner, this block that I finished this weekend will be a purple candidate:

While the other block I finished this weekend will definitely go orange!

Head over to Judy Laquidara's Patchwork Times to see what other creative genius is flowing in the quilting world!

Last week I watched Sawyer on Thursday, so Kim could run some errands.

He's gotten so big -- he hardly looks like a baby anymore!

He was all about holding that spoon while he ate, too. He held it in his right hand, and ate with his left hand. I wonder if he'll be a lefty or a righty?!?

He loves, loves, *loves* his books! My favorite thing is to sit in the rocker in his room and have him bring me a book and climb into my lap!

Without a doubt -- Neesey heaven.

:)

Read more »

manic panic . . .

. . . Well, not really. A little, maybe. Maybe I just liked the way those two words sound together. Like a perfect fit!

Speaking of perfect fits, I do have a bit of a dilemma. I *finally* pulled out this months BOM (the one that has to be turned in TOMORROW), and got busy. My hope, at 1:00 this afternoon, was that I could pull it out and have it finished by 3:00, so I could shower and dress for the evening, and catch the store before it closed at 5:00.

No such luck.

Anyway, each month there are two different blocks to piece. One was easy-peasy; I put it together and voila.

The second one has challenged me, because I could make a slight change to how it's put together (we're allowed to do that in this BOM) and change the look a little.

These are the pieces I have, and this is the order they are supposed to be sewn together.

What I'm playing with now is both order & sashing fabric. I really should have started on this earlier, so I'd have time to do this on a design wall Monday or something, when there's the possibility of more people seeing and lending their thoughts! Ah well, my husband said something about procrastination just yesterday . . .

A man who procrastinates in his choosing will inevitably have his choice made for him by circumstance. -- Hunter S. Thompson

I procrastinated in choosing a suitable day to work on my BOM!

I think I know which one I like best. Or at least I've got my top two. I'm just gonna throw this out there and see what I get back!

1

2

3

4

After I pick up tomorrow's kit, there will only be four more blocks (two more months) to go! I've gotten two blocks sashed and quilted.

My goal is to have all the blocks (including the ones I pick up tomorrow) pieces, sashed and ready for quilting before the end of June!

Tonight I'm off to Big Spring Park to watch The NeverEnding Story, with some folks from our church, Ignite City Church. Should be a fun evening!!

Ciao!

:)

Read more »

what's in a design . . .

I started this "Block of the Quarter" about 15 months ago. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous applique quilt called Spring Flowers. I'm pretty sure I've blogged about it before, but because the kit only comes once every three-four months, I sometimes forget about it.

The kit is offered by Melissa over at Honeybee Fabrics. The pattern itself comes from New Zealand Quilter, and Melissa picks the fabrics to put each block together with. She's done a marvelous job doing that, too! If you've never checked out this magazine, it's worth a look-see.

This quarter the featured block is, "Polyanthus"

Lots and lots of little pieces and stitching! Very sweet. Did I mention that I'm not actually working on this now? I'm saving these kits for later on down the line, when I'm retired and have time to do more serious quilting, but not the money to devote to it!

Be sure to check out Judy Laquidara's Patchwork Times to take in lots of quilt eye candy today!

Lots of changes this week; for one, I switched my off day to Tuesday, to accommodate Kim's new schedule at work. So tomorrow will be my Sawyer day. Yay for me!

I'm officially in my countdown-to-Paducah mode. I can hardly wait! I'm not so interested in shopping, though I am bringing a little spending cash. Mostly I can't wait to wander through the miles of beautiful quilts, and take a trip over to the museum! Yes, only twelve days to go!

On a non-quilting note, did anyone besides me get a kick out of that wedding video that went virul? You know, the one where all of a sudden, the entire wedding party breaks out into dancing? T-Mobile has spoofed it ... and the upcoming royal wedding ... and it's a link really worth checking out - right HERE. It made me laugh!

Have a great week - Happy Monday! :)

Read more »