11-11-09 Bull's Eye

I was up at 6 with a horrid headache, so I decided to sew a few half blocks. They take next to no thought, and I had my iPod playing the end of the book of Judges and then Ruth. Naturally I wanted to see what the addition of those blocks would look like, so I added them to my design wall to get the full effect.

Diane, I put half of the half blocks in your stack!

~Joan

Another Scrappy Quilt Underway

Here is my latest scrap quilt. While I'm piecing something else (in this case the Mosaic Baby) I always have another scrap quilt in the works (at least partially cut) so that I can use the new units as leader/enders as I piece.

This is from the same book as Another Mosaic and is called Spring Break. I am going to call it The Grass is Always Greener or maybe Greener Grass.

I'll take a pic of the original quilt some time. Where I have green outer triangles, the original has light pink. I don't have pink in my public rooms, so green works for me. Special thanks to my sister for parting with 2 pieces of her lightest green Thimbleberries for me.

Off for a delicious supper...
~Joan

Finished White Star Quilt Top ~ All Thimbleberries

Today was the first day of "triples" at Harris Teeter. My shopping sidekick, Susanna, got up at the crack, I say the crack of dawn, to accompany me. It was 18 degrees when we passed the bank thermometer. Knowing that made us colder. But we got some hot deals, so we felt better.

During the rest of the day, I was able to finish up this quilt top while riding herd on my students. I have heard this pattern called a lot of names, but the most popular is White Stars. In my previous posts, I called it Stardust Quilt (in case you want to look back). It is all scraps of Thimbleberries fabrics, with the same cream for all the stars. It measures about 70" x 76". I would love to hand quilt it, but the progress on those is so painstakingly s-l-o-w. It will be folded and stored for the immediate future. At least the piecing is finished.

I will do more hand sewing and quilting while waiting to grade or assist with school. I'm just home so little (or so it seems...or would that be sew it seams).

Susanna is getting her tonsils (and possibly adenoids) out in a few weeks, so there are pre- and post-op visits for that as well as everyday life.

My DH and I are going out for supper tonight. Emily put on a pot of beef veggie stew earlier today that smells (and tastes--oops) terrific. Great comfort food for this cold weather we are having.

Hope you are getting a few stitches in today.

~Joan

Valentine Table Runner

For those of you who are new readers, I must explain that our kitchen table is not status quo. We have 10 in our family, so all runners must be economy size! I realized as I was putting away our Christmas decorations that we did not have a Valentine's holiday table runner.

I like quilted table runners...at least I get to see them several times a day! With that in mind, I pulled out a pattern I bought last year. Since I am handicapped because I only use Thimbleberries fabrics (at least 99% T'b), I was limited in my fabric selection (I have about 100 bolts here). The runner is 58" long finished, so I am only showing half so you can see the details. I changed the pattern from the original, so there was a little unsewing involved.

This is unquilted in the picture. It was machine quilted by me after the photo shoot with variegated cream thread cross hatched in the center and stipple quilted everywhere else with invisible thread. My 2nd daughter offered to hand-sew down the binding...I had to accept.

There is a panel of one fabric (the cream background of the heart blocks) in the center. I think it measures about 16" x 58"). Perfect for our table!

~Joan

Last Year's Christmas Quilt

I still don't have a picture of this that I am happy with. I've tried some inside, some outside, etc. Here is the best I can do. This is called Cozy Christmas. It is a large throw. All red, green and cream scraps. Each tree is made of one fabric, but all the trees are different. It was finished last year, but I realized I don't have a picture of it on my Web Shots album.

~Joan

Stardust In My Eyes...and on My Design Wall

This is my latest scrap buster. I had made quite a few of the pieced units heretofore, and was eager to put a few rows together. This is how much I assembled last night...

The colored squares are 4" finished. The cream squares in the star centers are 2" finished. This is using up bits and pieces of some-nearly-and-some-now-gone-from-my-stash fabrics. Such a simple pattern, but so beautiful. I've made and sold some tops made from this pattern. I don't know if this one will end up living here or not.

Here is my accomplishment as of a few minutes ago. I think I'll make it twice this big, so I'm halfway there. It measures 34-1/2" by 71" now. If I double this, it will be 69" x 71". Hmmm...That's nearly square, and that won't work. Have to give that some more thought later.

Here is a close up of the top so far. I am using my favorite Thimbleberries cream for all the stars. It has a toile-like appearance. It keeps the quilt from being too scrappy.

Anything goes in this scrappy quilt! The pattern is called Stardust. I have many more pieces already cut for it and have determined about how many more I need. It's time to start couting to see how many more need to be cut. I never tire of scrap quilts.

Good night,

~Joan

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

Texas Truffle Eye Candy

This is a Texas Truffle lone star that Emily pieced for a customer. There is applique in the corner squares, but the customer is going to do that herself (yay!!). It doesn't sag in person...must be the way they're holding it.

This is 78" square. The pieced inner border really sets it off, doesn't it?

~Joan