My projects

The ordination stole is now longer than the cat stand...which has turned into a Baby K jungle gym. We dragged it to the center of the living room, up against the sofa to minimize the chances that she will fall off onto the tile floor. That fabric challenge I talked about? Well, I still won't meet the show deadline, but I continued piecing. I used Ricky Tims' "Caveman Quilting" techniques to do the freehand curves. I have fabric for a border, which will be wavy also. The BIG project this week was finishing a customer quilt. It had lots of green fabric, gorgeous batiks. I did some pseudo-McTavishing in the black background, which made my eyes water - hard to see black thread on black fabric and I was doing small motifs!
Here is the main block design...very simple but striking with her wonderful colors. I was crazy enough to start a new sock project...another pair of Jaywalkers in STR January One. Socks That Rock yarn is luscious!!! This is my "March Madness" project...which means it's madness to think I'll finish in 3 weeks, LOL.

Quilting Details

I apologize for the fuzzy picture...I was in a hurry in the crowds. This is an example of Sharon Schamber's quilting - microscopic perfection! She uses so many different shapes: clamshells, miniature feathers, pebbles, straight lines, etc. You can also see her innovative scalloped binding. Some more wonderful feathers. The quilt is a basic two-color pattern, but looking at the details on the back is breath-taking. (Pieced by Linda Adkins, quilted by Judy Taylor if I remember correctly)
Detail of Gina Perkes' Best of Show quilt. She does the same microscopic background fill as Sharon Schamber.
Gina Perkes also won the Wearable category. Beautiful work!
I loved the feathers on this Burgoyne Surrounded quilt...but I didn't get the name of the quilter.

More from AQG 2008

This quilt was called "Berry Limeade" - perfect for a St. Patrick's Day post!
The colorful pieced background caught my eye on this quilt...my apologies to the quilter for not writing down his/her name! This cute small quilt featured lots of buttons - from Wal-Mart the quilter specified. Large buttons were featured in the center, and many smaller buttons, color coordinated, filled the border.Look again, this next quilt is a log cabin, with the light half done in all white. Gives you some ideas for alternative layouts, huh?
Speaking of alternative layouts...I like the difference between vertical and horizontal rows, a twist on the traditional row quilt.
Ta Ta for now, I need to put the corned beef and cabbage on to boil for a traditional Irish supper!

Quilt Show

The Arizona Quilters Guild annual show was this weekend, and there were some spectacular quilts! I am going to spread out the pictures...this is the overview, and I will share detail photos in a few days.


Best in Show went to Gina Perkes from Payson, AZ:The giraffes caught my eye in traditional form: And in artistic representation:
Debbie Graves pieced and quilted the next beauty. She is the past president of my local chapter. Her original design reminds me of the knitted miter squares I am working on! I am always drawn to color gradient quilts, and this gorgeous quilt was honored with "Best Use of Color:"
More to come...

Spring has Sprung!

Hubby was on Spring Break this week and worked in the backyard. Our large shade tree died in the frost last year, and Santa brought us a gift certificate to re-landscape. Here is a close up of the new nectarine tree:

Here is the new view from the patio:
In the middle is a glassy-leaf privet, which we hope will give us nice shade and privacy when it matures. On the left is a pomegranate, and the right is the nectarine. The grass was just cut down...we do not overseed in the winter, but it will be lush in a month or so!

Hubby installed pull-down shades on the patio, which makes it very pleasant in the mornings and evenings...until July and August when we desert-dwellers hibernate in the air conditioning! Baby K loves to pick up rocks outside. Here she is with her collection...Moving on to my quilting projects - This is step one of the IMQA Fabric Challenge. I have had the design clearly in my head since last fall, and I purchased the fabric in December. Unfortunately, this project will not make it to the show since the deadline for entries is March 26th. I had a moment of optimism when I thought that I could just mail the paperwork and finish the quilting in April, but they want pictures with the entry. I plan to finish the quilt, and now that's one less thing on my March to-do list! Baby K is quite an explorer and climber now. Last week she enjoyed taking her bears for a ride in an empty box. Again, the cheap entertainment wins!

Progress

I'm a few hours early for WIP Wednesday. This is the status of my knitting projects:

I'm past the fiddly cuff and into the groove of the baubles on the second Winterberry sock from the Limited Edition TOFUtsies club. It's hard to rationalize personal knitting time when I have monster deadlines looming, but I manage to overcome those obstacles ;-)

And the ordination stole is now Longer Than Baby K's favorite push toy...maybe 20 inches done or so? I'm probably overestimating, but I will be sitting down to work on it in a minute, so it's a moot point.

Baby K has some cute games that she plays with the rocks in the backyard...I'll get some pictures of that tomorrow. Happy Stitching!

Lazy Saturday

Mommy is home with Baby K today while Daddy works at a Habitat for Humanity homesite. I have sewing and knitting to do...many inches to go on the ordination stole and I could at least cut out pieces for the challenge quilt while the baby plays...but I'd rather goof around on the computer.

Baby K loves those expensive, educational toys -ha ha ha. Walk down the grocery aisle and pick out anything plastic and she'll love it!
She enjoys hats too! Right now, we are basking in the balmy spring weather...thank goodness for wireless connections and laptops that allow me to surf on the patio. Baby K is collecting rocks. My big plan for the day is to walk up to the neighborhood park where the swings are, then stop for a sub sandwich for lunch.

Longer than...

I did the math, and I need to knit 1 inch per day on the ordination stole so that it's finished in time for the service. I've been bringing it to work and I can get the 6 rows (which equal one inch) done in about 10 minutes. Right now, the stole is longer than my computer! (yes, that would be more interesting with photos, but I'm blogging from work. Check out Ms. Imbrium - I totally got the idea from her!!)

Since I listed my other deadline projects in the last post, they have been on my mind and I am starting to freak out a little bit. Yikes! I really need to spend time at the sewing machine during the week after Baby K goes to bed...

Back to Normal

It's amazing what you can get done in just one hour without interruptions! Baby K went to bed, and I squared up all these t-shirt blocks and got the top finished. It's one of my March-deadline projects, ready for the longarm. Another deadline project is knitting. My friends Julie is at seminary and she will be ordained as a deacon in June. I am making the stole for her to wear during the service...it needs to be about 100 inches long. Good thing I have a few months to work on it!
Thanks for all the get-well wishes. Baby K bounced back on Thursday after the fever broke and we had one bad night of teething (2ndd molars, ugh). We're putting shoes on for a trip to Grandma's house.
My next March deadline is the IMQA fabric challenge. I've had the design mentally prepared for months, and even purchased the fabric last fall...now that the deadline is right around the corner, I may actually get it done!

On the homefront

I had grand plans of quilting all day while B. was a work and K. was at daycare. Then, K and I got sick, so she has to stay home. It's a day and night regimen of Tylenol and Motrin trying to keep her fever under control. She is in good spirits today. There was one period yesterday when her fever went up above 102.5 and she got pretty lethargic. We try to sponge her off continually, and she enjoyed playing with the washcloth!

Yes, she's going through a "stripper"phase where she takes off all her clothes. Yet another reason I'm thankful to live in Phoenix with the balmy winters!

Tonya came up with the idea of a housewarming party for Bonnie, who just moved. Here's my first attempt at a wonky free-pieced house. It was a fun, quick block, but I didn't pull out my whole scrap bin to work with, which limited my options. On the next one, I'll make the roof wider and make the door and window out of different colors.Another suggestion from Tonya was to send Bonnie any orphan blocks we have from the patterns that she offers. (If you haven't visited Quiltville, go now! Bonnie has terrific suggestions for organizing your scraps and she has put together an extensive library of free patterns using those scraps. The gallery is full of inspiration!) I'm sending one of my boxy star blocks.

Perfect!

Happy Valentine's Day! Hubby came through like a champ...flowers on the counter when I got home and chocolate, my favorite flavor:Although a girl at school gave me a new flavor of Hershey's Kiss. Have you tried the CHEESECAKE ones??? Yummy filling!

Last weekend I was able to get some quilting done. I'm hoping to teach Karla Alexander's Aurora Aura quilt next month. I put wavy lines in the "ocean" part and flame/vines in the Aurora Borealis sections. I am very pleased with the result.

Cutie Pie

I've done very little quilting or knitting recently...even though my "must-do" list gets longer rather than shorter! I had hoped to get a class sample quilted today, but I napped for two-and-a-half hours with the baby instead. Sometimes you just have to listen to your body...

Baby K didn't like the Gerber version, but she chowed down on Mott's applesauce. I am trying to expand her diet from the greens...beans, peas, brocoli, etc. She keeps our hands full as well as her own. I looked up one evening this week and she had stripped down to her diaper. Shoes and socks don't last long, especially when she's strapped in the car.
Here she is with a new sweater that Grandma Mary made. Perfect timing for our two weeks of "winter" - actually it hasn't been above 70 degrees since the beginning of December, which is a definite cold snap here in Phoenix.
Enjoy the most American of holidays - Super Bowl Sunday. I live about 15 miles north of the stadium and my mom's shop is about 5 miles west. It's fun to see your hometown on TV! We're staying home to avoid the crowds.

Sunday blues

It's been raining ALL DAY. We need it here in the drought-stricken desert, but it has sapped all my energy. B. and Baby K are napping, and I've been wasting time on the computer...mostly browsing around Ravelry, that black hole for knitters. A bunch of quilters are trying to find a computer geek to create a similar website for fabric - then I'll never get anything done!

All my projects are at a standstill. I need photo fabric to finish my aunt's quilt. I need a different size knitting needle to work on the ordination stole. Since those are deadline items, I feel guilty working on my own projects.

It's almost the last minute, so I'll start grading test papers soon so I can hand them back in first period tomorrow! At least with the writer's strike there are no television programs to distract me.

Quilt In

I know the suspense is killing you...which project did she work on?!?

I took three - the graduation quilt, storm at sea and stack-n-whack fabric. I got all the blocks done and sashed together for the graduation quilt, next step is borders. No photo yet, I'm deciding if it needs two borders or just one. Leaning towards two, which is my default style!

The storm-at-sea is from a class I took two years ago with John Flynn. Did I choose the easy option of buying a laser-cut kit?!? NO! I decided to cut my own in traditional blues. And I cut, and I cut and I cut. Came home, and the project sat in the UFO bin. Last night I took it out, and read through John's rather sparse directions. The directions show very clearly how to piece the blocks together, but there are no cutting instructions! As in, "use template A to cut the diamonds." I have lots of squares and triangles, but I am missing the diamonds. So that project was set aside until I can research what to do next.

I perused my "Stack-n-Whackier" book, but I didn't see anything that caught my fancy. It's funny how Bethany Reynolds' designs have been adapted by others. She has a quilt that is basically the One Block Wonder (hexagons) and another that looks like the Doubledipity stars. I've already done the Treasure Box style, so I wanted something new. I ended up with a different pattern called "4-patch Stacked Posies" which is an easy kaleidoscope made out of squares. I love this butterfly print by Alexander Henry (the background is a rich plum). The repeat is only 12" which doesn't make for much variety in bigger blocks, but my pattern uses squares from 2.75 - 3.5 inches so it's working pretty well.

And here are a few blocks that I finished. The best part is putting them together in their different variations!

Lists

There is a movement on Ravelry called "Mission Possible" - knitting resolutions for the New Year. I contemplated joining, but then realized that if I only finished 4 pair of socks in 2007, I probably wouldn't be able to dramatically increase that total in 2008! However, the projects I had in mind for that mission work out nicely for a Thursday 13 list:

Upcoming Knits:
1. Jaywalker socks in JanuaryOne colorway from Blue Moon Fiber Arts
2. Red, white and blue socks, pattern to be determined
3. Rockin' Sock Club kits from August, October and December 2007
4. Ordination Stole for Julie (due June 2008)
5. Baby blanket (potentially for Julie's pregnant daughter who is due in July)
6. A black cardigan, pattern TBD
7. TOFUtsies sock club kits...I think I have 2 stashed away!
8. Socktoberfest socks that were such a mess in 2007
9. Mitered Square blanket - 18 squares done, 126 to go!
10. finish striped vest...there is a little border part to do on the four main pieces, then the sewing together part
11. vest from Noro Silk Garden yarn...multicolored and self striping
12. Another log cabin out of leftover baby yarn
13. Socks from gift yarn

Of course, this list in no way resembles the order that my knitting will actually be accomplished! You'll just have to live with the suspense and check the blog frequently ;-)

And then there are the Upcoming Quilts...I'm going to a midnight Quilt In tomorrow, so I've been thinking of which UFOs to work on.
1. Graduation quilt...I need to put borders on the 20 blocks and then I'm ready to sash and assemble the top.
2. T-shirt quilt...my aunt has been having issues sending me the pictures to do the last 2 blocks. we may have to resort to the old-fashioned US Postal Service! Can you imagine?!?
3. I have leftover one-block-wonder pieces, so I could do a second quilt similar to the one I finished in December.
4. I bought a charm pack and a pattern for a new purse.
5. At Quilt Camp in the Pines 2006, I started a Storm at Sea quilt with John Flynn. I have a recipient in mind when I finally get back to that project.
6. More NY Rising Sun blocks since I am teaching that class in a few weeks.
7. A Marti Michell block-of-the-month from several years ago. I think I finished 9 or 10 of the 12 blocks.
8. Jackie Robinson's "3 P's in a Pod" mystery quilt. All my blocks are assembled, I just need a design wall and some uninterrupted time to put it together.
9. The second quilt I ever started, way back in 2004...an Underground Railroad sampler. I think I have 9 of 12 blocks done on that one too.
10. I bought fabric for stack-n-whack or one-block-wonders so I could start a whole new project!

Ok, you get the idea. I could probably think of a few more to make a list of 13, but obviously I have plenty of things to do at Quilt In. I'm leaning towards #1, 2 and 6 in case you wondered.

First Quilt of 2008

Two years ago, my mom and I took a class with Sharon Schamber, and I have been recruited to teach it at Cotton Fields next month. So, we thought it would be a good idea to finish the sample! (darker background is mine, lighter is Mom's)

Here is the backside...it doesn't really show the quilting any better since it was a batik-y mottled fabric and my camera didn't like it much.

Now to review Sharon's handouts and remember how to put it together! It's the Piec-lique method that is kind of like paper piecing with freezer paper templates and glue.

It's cold and windy here in Phoenix today - one of those rare occasions when it's warmer back east than it is here! I don't mind the variety...I have a couple sweaters that I like to put on at least once a year.

Feeling Better

Looks like it was croup...or a bad chest cold. Daddy is still in bed this morning since Baby K was so nice to share all her germs. She is up and around, almost back to her normal self.I was able to do some knitting and finish a sock! It's a local yarn called TOFUsties from Southwest Trading Company. It's the first time I've used their yarn. I had fun making the bobbles, but I find I get impatient for the next step, so these are kind of short in the leg! And the foot could have used a few more rows, but socks stretch, right?!? Last fall, I had a nice routine worked out with the television, but since the writer's strike, it's out the window. I may have to resort to regular stops at Blockbuster to get me through the spring while hubby works the evening shift. I have to say that the latest Grey's Anatomy episode was NOT fun to watch after a recent visit to the ER with Baby K! I know I could turn off the TV, but it's nice to have something on in the background while K. plays. I can knit in front of the TV...quilting is not an option while she's awake unless someone else is around to keep an eye on her!