UFO #3

Well I am slowly but surely making progress. Remember back to my list of 8 things I found? I can now successfully cross of the Log Cabin 4 patch top. I put the rows together this weekend, and last night finally got the rows together.

One of my boys did the layout as I even had them pinned and ready to sew. So now it will go into my que. I will get this one quilted and bound and ready to be delivered with the rest of my quilts from the 5th grade. Our goal is to have all of our quilts ready by April 1st for May delivery.

We only have one more day till Christmas break!!!

Have a great one!!
Alycia

Another Week

I think I am so busy and always doing things, but I think in reality I am running around in circles, and doing things dicatated by other circumstances...

I finally got my truck back last wednesday. It was so wonderful to have it fixed. When we have snow the truck is really helpful in getting up our road to our house. I had borrowed my Dads truck. It is very nice, but I always worry about having someone elses vehicle.

Friday I sewed with my 5th graders again. We got all the blocks made - each kid got to se a block. So we now have 8 quilts worth. Then they got in there groups and layeds out the quilt tops. Do you think I took my camera? No - I forgot !! How dare I. Anyways we pinned them all and will start sewing again in January. They all have parties this friday - so I gave them the day off (ha ha)

Friday nite, my kids and I went shopping and to the library - and as we came out of the last stop .... my pick up wouldn't start!!! I was so not happy. So I called DH and said come get us and quick - its cold. ( and of course my cell phone battery was almost dead, the charger was sitting at home on the piano bench!!) So he came, and they diagnosed it with a dead fuel pump!

Saturday was Basketball games, Truck towing and a little bit of shopping. Sunday the boys had friends come over and Sled down the hills. They had a great time.

So where did monday and tuesday disappear to? Apparently I need to write stuff down!!!

Oh Hey - I remember monday nite my oldest son had a band concert. They were amazing - and I got to pick up my truck again.

And I have finished my last customer quilt! Just in time!! This little quilt is a study in warm colors. A customer is taking a color class and every month has something new to study. I liked this one!

Have a great day! We are off to the dentist, Grocery store and basketball practice!!

Stashbusting Report

This was a good stashbusting week, althought I didn't sew all the stash I busted!

I quilted two tops for Quilts of Valor, and provided the Backing from my stash - so 7 yards out. I pulled fabrics from my Stash for the Mystery Quilt called Carolina Crossroads - I think I pulled about 6 yards, don's know if it will all be used - but I will try!! And then I sewed with my 5th graders - I had a huge box of Red White and Blue Strips. I had each kid grab two and sew them as there practice pieces. A pretty good dent was made in that box.

I even went into a quilt shop. I went in to pick up a ruler and I cam out with the ruler and the ruler only. This was impressive!! Of course I only had ten minutes, so I think that helped!

Have a great Day!!
Alycia

Finishing UFO's

Today is a snowy blowy day. One of my sons needed to go to a Basketball Tournament in the morning, to watch , not play. So he and DH left early for that. Then I had till 10am till I needed to take middle son to his basketball game. So.... I sewed! I have all my strips sewn for Step 2 of the mystery. Will need to cut them and put them into 9 patches. All of the fabrics from this mystery are from my stash - so I am glad.

We went out at 10am and there was 6 inches of snow and ICE on my windows!!! A lot of defrosting was needed!! We got to the basketball game and my sons team won! yay us. As we were coming home my truck started to billow steam. I blew something in the radiator! I am so bummed. I know so much about vehicles that I left it parked and will have DH look at it!

Now that I can not drive ( okay I could take hubbys car , but lets pretend I can't) I settled down at the sewing machine and FINISHED the binding on UFO number 7 from my moving day list!! I can't take pics becuase this is a complete surprise quilt - but it is DONE! It will be mailed monday.

Oh~~~ and with my 5th grade kiddos - we sewed all day Friday in rotations of 4 kids at a time. We have all the blocks sewn for 7 of our quilts. I was quite proud of the progress. I had two other moms helping - they were so awesome! So we are making great progress!

I leave you with another picture from the Johnstown Quilt Show -I think the string and bright quilts really caught my eye!

Mystery Quilt

I have decided to do a mystery quilt that is on Bonnies site - http://www.quiltville.com/ It is called Carolina Crossroads. I think I am nuts, as I never can keep up. But maybe just this once I can. I have already finished Clue 1, have Clue 2 printed, and in my head will start on that tonite AFTER I bind #7 on my UFO list. It needs to be shipped by Monday - so I am still on time right??

These are my fabric choices so far. The Cream is in the dryer. I guess I need to press that too.

I also have 4 more quilts to prep for the 5th grade to sew tomorrow. I don't know how far we will get, but if I have all of them ironed and ready for sewing I should be prepared.

Yesterday and today I quilted Quilts of Valor, so i will have to get a picture of them. They were made by Barbs groups in California. And I am proud to add that the backings came from my stash - so far 7 yards have been removed!

String Blocks ( scrap busting) Part 2

Since we rearranged my front room and unearthed my projects I decided that I MUST finish them!! My goal is before January ( please note I did not state what year!!)

This weekend I sat down and finished the last 2 string blocks, and trimmed them up. Last night I sewed them into a top and ( big drum roll here please) I added 2 borders. My oldest son decided I needed a small yellow border. We headed downstairs to the stash.... and were shocked to find only 1 yellow. It was not what we wanted. So I was digging thru a scrap box, and Viola we found a bright yellow. And there was more than enough to create a small border. So I have finished with Number 1 on my 8 item list!!! It does need to be quilted , but that doesn't count. I will put it in my queue and get to it.

Oh and it measured at 50 x 60 , so perfect lap size quilt.

Moving, rearranging and a lot of work!

So this weekend we learned that we are getting a new TV.... the one in the corner was pretty cool I thought - but my dad is upgrading and so now is my Husband Well - in the first picture this is our current TV. The new one will not fit across the diagonal - so this corner is becoming my new sewing area.

My Current sewing area is next to the Fireplace. Keeps me warm, but makes me nervous with all the fabrics that I (sometimes) keep up there. So this could be a good move. Now I have been trying so hard to keep my upstairs sewing area really organized and only have 2-3 projects at a time. I also have a downstairs for keeping stuff - next to my LongArm Machine. The Pic to the right was my current sewing area - I thought it looked pretty good, until I took the picture. So I took everything out of here and put it on the dining room table. At this time I was still thinking that I had done pretty good - not too much "stuff", not too many projects. Of course, everything is piled so what do I really know???

After a lot of moving, vacumning and whining - my desk had to be moved too and it was heavy ( did you hear the whine with that), my new sewing area was born.

I thought it looked pretty nice, and as I started taking things off the dining room table to organize them in my newly expanded sewing area I found stuff!!! I thought - WOW I will have so much more room, hope I don't pack it to full, and come to find out I HAD ALREADY packed it full!! I found 8 ( read that 8 - not 4) Quilts in Progress. Now I knew they were all in progress - I just didn't realize that I had left all of them Upstairs. Good thing my husband is a forgiving man, and really excited about his new big screen TV!!! Distraction worked in my favor this time!!

So the 8 things I found:

1. The string quilt that was on the cutting table/ironing board ( I knew this was here I have been working on it)

2. Cowboy Quilt - I have the border fabric washed a pressed....then stalled.

3. 4 Patch Log Cabin - 12 blocks ready for setting!! ( what happened, when did I stop??)

4. Lessons from Mama quilt - again Knew this was here - my goal is 1 block per month - I have two blocks left to do - then start the borders.

5. All the fabric cut and ready for a Big Quilt ( the BQ) - how & when did that happen???

6. Carrie Nation Quilt of Valor - Well I remember thinking I could really use this block for a leader ender project - but again - who cut the fabrics??? They came from my scrap bin.. I recognize them!!

7. Binding on a Gift Quilt - to be bound by Christmas ( knew this was here)

8. Reproduction Quilt - I knew this was here too - I have just been trying to finish the other things before I start - all the fabrics are ready, the pattern is here, I AM planning it - and well, again I stalled.

I guess I have a clear list now - I must make a clear plan right ......

Off to plan!

Have a great day

Alycia

Little Bits Quilt of Valor part 2

Just real quick - I have pics for a different post - but this just came to me.... My little boy was interviewed in Golden for the Rocky Mtn Quilt Museum and the article is here!! You can find it by going to http://www.tinyurl.com/3xcwnv Have a great afternoon! If all goes well I'll post again tonite! Alycia

String Blocks ( scrap busting)

I had all these 1 and 1 1/2 inch strings left over from another scrap project. I kept thinkging I should just toss them - they won't make much. Then one afternoon the kids and I sat down to watch a movie. I thought well I'll just sew them into strips and make a rail fence type quilt out of them. So I sewed them all into 4 string strips. It then dawned on me that if I cut each strip up to make it like a rail fence quilt I might give up before I got anywhere.

Theeeeeen I remembered that I love to do string quilts so I bet I could just use the strips as "big" Strings and make some of those blocks. The first few blocks went together awful quick as the strips were anywhere from 3 to 4 inches.

But then I had lots of little pieces left, and I wanted 24 blocks total . Because if I am going to go to all this effort - I really want a useable size quilt right? So I spread everything I had over my cutting table and started sewing up some really little crumbs into strips that I could use. My hubby thought I was nuts ( he may be right).

So I kept sewing and sewing and pressing - and Voila - I have come up with 24 string/crumb blocks our of really bright fabrics. I do need to trim the blocks now, the can sew them together into a top.

My curious man just had to know what they would look like - so he layed them out for me.

But you just can't stop with 6 - you need more to really "see" what they will look like. I think this quilt will be very bright. The center of every block is a royal or navy blue, so it may need a blue border to draw it all together.

Now I am done with that scrap pile - anyone want the extras? I bet there's enough for another block or two, but to tell you the truth, I think I am tired of these fabrics now. And since I am on a mission to stash/scrap bust as much as I can - I volunteer to pass them to someone who would love some pretty bright colors. You can leave me a comment and they are yours!

Stashbusting, UFO's and Snow

The kids have today off from school and when we woke up this morning there was about 5 inches of snow!! Yay!! So as they warmed up I headed downstairs to quilt for an hour or so. So technically I have my "work" done for the day ;-)

After breakfast we headed out to the hill to go sledding - it was a blast and of course I did not take my camera - but after an hour we were cold. So as they watched "surfs up" I finished block number 10 on a quilt that has 12 different blocks. I started this quilt in January and you would think I would be done - but alas it became a UFO. It is sitting in a nice little box with all sorts of scraps just patiently waiting.... So now there is another blocks finished.

Then I got a book at the quilt shop - an Atkinson designs one. I just love her stuff. So I grabbed 12 FQ's from my fabric cubbies and cut them up. I got all the blocks done and had to go in search of some border fabrics. Found them and they are now in the dryer. So if I stay motivated I might actually get the borders on and have this top finished before 2008 :-)

I leave you with a picture of a quilt that was displayed at a quilt show last month. It was in Johnstown and was a fun day. I really liked this one because it was a string quilt and was really random, yet really drew your eye to it!