Goodbye, New Friend

I have just listed this quilted topper on eBay. How could I? After being initially gripped with the burning desire to make one, I did. After I sewed the binding down by hand this AM (while listening to my youngest children read me their stories for the day aloud and stopping to grade the math lessons completed for the day) I realized I didn't really have a suitable place for it. It's a little too wide to put on my kitchen table. Mutiny would ensue if I tried to put in on the kitchen island. That's a place for WORK, not beauty, I'm told.

In my non-interior-decorator's mind, I think this would be lovely on a round table (which we don't have) with a flower arrangement or candle on the center square (which, for potential bidders is a 6" square, LOL).

Back down to the sewing/school room for me, where I have more hand work awaiting as well as some school work to grade. The excitement just never ends around here.

~Joan

Keepin' It Real

If you read my post from last night, you know I was gripped with a burning desire to make this quilt top after supper, and stay up until it was finished. Well, I did so, but it was a challenge. Not a challenge to design it myself, but a challenge to find enough space on my cutting table to make the silly thing. It has been so long since I've sewn regularly that my cutting table was a shambles. Here is the before...

Scary--isn't it? I think so. Just keepin' it real.

On the right (in front) among other things is a stack of quilt magazines, my red scrap bin, a bolt of brown (what was that used for?). There are scraps of trimmings from I-can't-remember-what on the 18" x 24" green mat in the center. To the left is another motley crew of I-have-no-idea-where-those-came-froms. Enough to make a grown woman cry. Oh--that would be me.

But I was determined to machine quilt my little Octagonal Fall top today. In order to do that, I'd need to lie it down flat somewhere and cut backing and batting. I needed to clean up that table. But being a quilter, I could not just throw away all the scraps. They could most likely be used in a future project. So I painstakingly sorted them by color into my "scrap boxes", aka plastic shoe boxes by colors (reds, blues, greens, and all the others--4 boxes total).

Like a breath of fresh air...

That's what I am talking about. The quilt top has been quilted and the binding is sewn to the front. We have liftoff!

~Joan

Steps of My Fall Octagon Quilt Top

See the previous post for the picture of the completed top. Blogger limits one post to 5 pictures. Good night!

~Joan

Whew--Three Posts Today!

Voila! Behold my finished quilt top. I took over an hour off after supper before starting to work on this little gem. It measures 23-1/2" from flat side to flat side. I had all of the half square triangles already pieced in my spare parts drawer, so I just had to choose them and cut them down. I don't remember which quilt they are from. I think it might be this one. I was tempted to quilt it tonight, but the night is young and I am not. It's after 10:30 PM, and the little grey cells need time to recharge.

The next post is showing the progress of the quilt top tonight. Enjoy the process without words.

~Joan

Fall Decorations, Take 16

I enjoyed looking at my b-friend, Marcie's, blog today. She has a picture of a quilt that I am going to try to piece tonight. It's the one in the upper right...the 4 Maple Leaf blocks in a Churn Dash setting. Tune in tomorrow to see if I make any progress. It's nearly 6 PM, and the night is young, even if I'm not.

The above quilt is my favorite quilt. Some of you are thinking, "Didn't she say that about another quilt, like maybe yesterday or the day before?" Pretty scary how I can hear you thinking from here, eh??

If you are a quilter, you know that quilts are sort of like children...you just can't have a favorite. Each is the result of a certain time of life, a new technique, a new love. And loving another one doesn't mean you divide your love for your other quilts...it just multiplies!! Each one is different and unique.

The above quilt was a pattern whose name I forget right this minute. The outer border is a plaid fabric that I quilted between the different colors. I hand-blanket-stitched the vines, leaves, pumpkin sections, crow, etc. The yellow button "seeds" add another dimension. I hand quilted around each shape and in each border. All in all, this is my favorite quilt. I mean it. Yes...absolutely and no doubt about it. Until I show you another one, at least.

~Joan