September's gone!

Almost finished!

I was able to get a lot of sewing done this week!  It was great!  I have my quilt as you go project finished, just need to tack down the binding. My hand work pile has some other things that need to be finished ASAP, so this will have to wait a few days.

Ready to sew the sections together

I had this design in my head for a while.  I spent some time yesterday figuring out the cutting and the strip sets that I needed and then got the quilt cut and mostly sewn.  I hope to have it into a top this afternoon.

Close up of the lime green

This is really an eggplant purple

I am loving my home made bread!

Come back tomorrow morning, I was invited to join a blog hop with some wonderful quilters and our theme is My Family Quilts.  I am the first blogger on the list.

This is my Design Wall Monday post.  Check out what everyone else is up to at Judy's blog.

Freezing Friday

First snow of the season!

Last night was cold and rainy.  And snowy up the mountain.  Note the snow line.  We covered our raised vegetable beds, the blue tarp, hoping to get one more harvest from the tomatoes.  Since my flowers in the pots on the patio didn't freeze, I think we escaped the hard freeze.

Last week I posted the results from the Wales group's lime green fabric challenge. I had someone ask how I made my piece.  I took in progress photographs so will share the process here.

Bottom shadow

I sewed the dark blue strip to the leaf print.  I still have a bit of my favorite navy blue Moda Marble fabric.  I love the texture in the print.  It gives more oomph to a design than a flat solid.  Right now working with solids is "in".  My opinion, so feel free to have your own ideas about this, but I don't like to use plain solids unless it is black or white for backgrounds unless I am doing all solids.

Free form cuts

I wanted to have nesting curves, so I free form cut my pieces out.  I should have cut the curves tighter, they smoothed out  more than I wanted for the final version.

Side shadows

I added side shadows to each piece. I used a bias strip thinking that it would work better with the curves.  Eh, didn't really work that way.

Adding in the background

I layered the curved pieces on top of the background and then cut the background with the same curve. Then sewed the two piece, cut the next side and so on.  On issue was that I need to make sure that the lines of the bottom shadows matched.  After I had all 4 pieces sewn into the background, I trimmed the top and bottom and sewed on the border.

Top completed

The finished top.  One thing that I did do, which is unusual for me, I made sure that the background print was facing the same direction in all of the piecing.  The print is directional, but it is very subtle.  Normally I would just whack away at it, but this time I was trying to be more grown up about it.  I wonder if it would look any different if I had used the background in any direction?

Finished piece!

I quilted it using my trusty walking foot.  I am happy with the way it turned out!  I would have like the curves in the pieces to be more curvy, but it was a good learning experience.

Close up of the quilting

This is my Off the Wall post for the week.  Check out what everyone else is up to at Nina-Marie's blog.

And since I have a finished piece I am linking to TGIFF and Link a Finish Friday!


Also, check back on October 1st!  I am participating in a blog hop and it should be a lot of fun!

Monday, Monday

Pulled from the scrapbag

Quilt as you go

Another project

Rain in the sunset

I had the weekend to myself and got very enthused about 2 new ideas for quilts!  I pulled leftover batting and some strips from my 2-1/2" strip bag and started sewing away. At first I was going to make 4 blocks and then that evolved to 12. So I am still sewing away at that.  I had also drawn up a design in EQ and bought some solids for that design.  I do need to tweak the design a bit since I went with more colors.  But yesterday we had a horrible thunderstorm come through town.  It was so bad that I decided to turn off the computers and the sewing machines.  I spent a lovely time knitting.    I did get back in the sewing room later on and almost have the 12 blocks finished with the piecing.  I hope to get them quilted today.  

This is my Design Wall Monday post.  Check out Judy's blog and see what everyone else is up to!

I am still listing more vintage and destash patterns and books in my Etsy store everyday!  Check back and find some great deals on wonderful patterns and books.  Thanks for looking!

What a Week!

I had quite the wild week.  Tuesday I was heading to Salt Lake for a luncheon with my crafty friends and halfway there had a flat tire.  I was lucky to be able to pull over to the side of the freeway.  Luckily a good Samaritan stopped and helped me change the tire. Well, really he put on the spare and I looked on.  The tire was ruined so I stopped and spent some quality time with Les Schwab.  They did stand by their warranty and replaced the tire.  But it took longer than usual since they had to get a tire from another location.  I got to the luncheon late and a bit frazzled.  It was nice to visit with my friends, but I did not take any photographs

The new Wales Town Hall

On Wednesday was the quilt guild meeting in Wales.  We were able to be back in the Town Hall.  The old building was in very sad condition and had to be condemned.  So they set fire to it as a training mission for the local volunteer fire departments from all the nearby towns.  The new building was recently completed. They did a nice job making it "feel" similar to the old building. It is very nice inside.  We had the reveal of our Lime Green fabric Challenge!

Sherre

Brenda

Carol's (I think??)

Tammy and Mary

Leslie's (??)

Jolene's

The New Gal (I was introduced and can't remember her name)

Twila's

Val's

Charlotte's

Connie's

Another Mystery Woman

Mine!

It was a fabulous turnout!  I love the various things that everyone made.  I forgot to take a photograph of Marcia's, it was an unfinished twister Jack-o-Lantern with the lime green as the leaves.  We also had a record turnout for the meeting, 22!


Charlotte also brought a quilt top she has been working on. She took this class from me at the Super Spring Retreat in March.  I just love the scappyness of it!  Love the colors!

Charlotte's Log Cabin quilt

The new challenge, due at the January meeting, is making a quilt based on a children's book or story. Brenda had a bowl full of slips of paper.  We each took a turn drawing out a slip and we were assigned that title to work from.  After everyone had a chance to draw a title, if you really hated what you got, you could draw another one, but then had to do that one.  And a few traded (someone gave Charlotte "Charlotte's Web") I really lucked out, I got "Treasure Island". I can already picture what I would like to do with the idea. Watch for me frantically working on it in December!

This is my Off the Wall post for the week!


Since I actually have a finished quilt, I am also linking to TGIFF!

Design Wall Monday

One Block Wonder

Earlier this year I had put up my one block wonder blocks onto the design wall.  I wasn't sure what it needed, but it did need something.  I was letting the project cure on the wall.  Then summer hit.  I had turned on the ceiling fan on hurricane force and the blocks started flying off the wall.   I turned down the fan to turbo force instead.  I didn't get all of the flying blocks back on the wall.  But I like how the one green block got stuck in the middle of the flowers.  Hmmm, I might have to play with this again and go in a completely different direction.

All caught up!

I am all caught up on my Wales group Block of the month project.  Wednesday is the meeting, so I will get the next installment then.  It is also the day to bring in our lime green challenge quilts.  I can't wait to see them all.  I will post photographs on Friday.

This is my Design Wall Monday post.  Check out Judy's blog to see what everyone else is up to.

And just a reminder, Craftsy's huge sale is on until the 21st, check out the wonderful deals on classes and supplies!

Off the Wall Friday, oops, it is now Sunday!

One block set finished

The next set cut

Fabrics for the 3rd?

I did get some sewing done on my Wales group blocks that I talked about on Monday.  I made one set, cut the second set and pulled fabrics for the 3rd set.  I am going to have to do something else for the background, the piece of fabric is not large enough to work.

For a bag

I was cleaning up some stuff and found these two fabrics hiding in my knitting bag.  Oops.  I had forgotten that I had them set aside to make Karen a boxy pouch in exchange for a skein of her hand spun yarn. So that needs worked on as well.

Overflowing

Another distraction is that my tomato garden is going wild!  Four buckets full picked yesterday!  One is mostly cherry and pear tomatoes with romas on top. Most of the rest are romas.  I guess we will be having a lot of tomato based dinners in the next week.

Mini Skeins!

I have an Etsy shop. I have been selling mini skeins of sock yarn.  Knitters like them for hexapuffs.  I had the bag stashed away and couldn't find it for a while.  Luckily I didn't have any orders.  I found the bag! I had another plastic tub of store stuff hiding in plain sight in the sewing studio.  I am going to sort these mini skeins into assortments. I have also been trying to downsize some of my extensive book and pattern collections.  I have been listing a lot of wonderful cross stitch and crochet items.  I also have some knitting and quilting books and patterns listed.  More are going up every day, so check back to my book/pattern section for some great deals on wonderful titles!

Will this turn into an Art piece?

This summer I decided I was going to try and enter some challenges. Previously I had blogged about my first attempt at a Quilting Daily challenge. I didn't make the finalist list.  But I am OK with that.  My victory was in actually DOING the challenge!  So there is another challenge up on the Quilting Daily site.  I have been thinking about what I wanted to do for quite a while.  Deadline is in 5 days.  Can I make it work? Note my elaborate drawing above. 

As everyone has probably seen by now, Craftsy is having a huge sale on classes and supplies.  I like Craftsy. Yes I am an affiliate. But this is my own opinion.  I like that they are free to join.  There is a lot of free stuff on their site.  They are wonderful to their pattern designers.  (yes I have a pattern store, some free, some for sale)  I love the way their classes are set up. You don't have to take the class at a certain time.  The classes are always available.  You can go back and review any lessons at any time. There are some free classes that you can sign up for to try out and see if you like the format.  I recently bought a class for Pictorial Quilting Techniques.  I saw a project on Threadbias by a beginning quilter and she said she had made her wonderful piece after taking this class.  I haven't watched the class yet, I haven't had the time. But I plan on watching the first lesson this afternoon. I will keep you all posted on my progress with the class.  

This is my Off the Wall Friday post for the week.  Check out Nina-Marie's blog to see what everyone else is up to!

Monday Morning

Block of the Month

The purple is brighter than the photograph

Maybe another blue set of blocks?

The back of the challenge quilt

I got my challenge quilt finished!  And ahead of time!  I can't show it yet, but I am showing a bit of the backing.  For small art pieces I don't think it matters what you put on the back.  So I am trying to use up this pink and green print that I had way too much leftover from another project.

I am going to work on my block of the month blocks today.  I got a bit behind because I had missed several meetings during the wild summer I had.  I am trying to use a variety of bright colors.  For each pattern we have to make several blocks.  The sizes also vary, so I think that this will be a fun project to put together.

Check out what everyone else has on their Design Wall this Monday at Judy's blog.

Is it really September?

Fabric that is not the challenge fabric

My little quilt group in Wales is having a challenge.  We each were given a fat quarter of this lovely, bright lime green print.  I am not being sarcastic, I really did love it!  Anyway, this afternoon I finally cut into it and got my top made.  I had a plan as soon as I got home and matched it up with the leaf print pictured above.Of course, being the space cadet that I am, I did not get a photograph of the challenge fabric.  I took a ton of photographs of the process, and not one of the challenge fabric by itself. I do not want to publicly post those photographs until after the meeting.  So look for it in a future post.

And I did get my pants mended.  It doesn't look all that great, but since I tend to wear long shirts to cover up my curves, it should be ok.  For now.  It just means I have to go jean shopping.  I am not quite up for that ordeal right now.

Tonight's sunset

I just love the wonderful sunsets we have at our house!  We live on the east bench and so have wonderful views of the west mountains.  Every day is a wonderful light show!

Geraniums 

My Dad has two pots with Geraniums at the cabin.  He is not taking them south with him this year, so I will get them. Hopefully they will be able to survive the winter in the basement.

Weeds on the beach

Some inspiration while walking on the beach!

I love to find art in the wild!

I did not draw this in the sand.  I love finding sand art left behind by others.  Luckily it had not yet washed away.

We saw a moose!

Sweetie and I drove up the little Hodges Canyon road and were delighted to see this moose having breakfast!  Yes, I did use a telephoto setting to capture him, but we were only about 20 feet away in our car, so we were safe.  Moose do not back down.

The lake just sparkles!

I am standing at the high water mark when I made this photograph. We are on the west side of the lake and it is very shallow for a long ways.  So in a low water year (like this one) it is quite a hike to the lake. You can see from the plants that it has been a couple of low water years.

It always throws me off when there is a holiday weekend.  I don't feel like I got a lot done.  I hope to have more to show next week.  

Off the Wall at Nina-Maries blog.