Heading into Summer

I finally feel like my quilting mojo is back. I am sitting at the machine most days.  It has been a struggle most of the pandemic to get enthused about sewing, but now I am looking forward to my time at the machine.

A UFO

I have a lot of UFO's.  When I was teaching at a shop, I would have a class sample, sometimes quilted, sometimes not. And then I would have an in progress sample that eventually turned into another UFO.  I also tend to use the leftovers of a project to make a smaller top. The UFO above is one of these. I took a class with a friend that was a race. You worked as a team and would end up with two quilts. Each using your own fabrics.  Anyway, this is the leftovers of that project. Yeah, the original class project is also a UFO.  I am not sure what year we took this class, maybe 5 or 6 years ago.

Finished!

I have 3 children, two girls and then a boy. The eldest girl got a High School graduation quilt that was from the Go Wild With Quilts book. The HS mascot is an eagle. So made the eagle wall hanging and it was hand quilted. She tells me now that she got the finished quilt when she graduated college. EH, I am not sure on that one, I remember entering it in shows and I believe it was finished before her younger sister graduated high school 3 years later. So daughter #2 got a HS graduation quilt as well. This time I bought a top from a friend that was the dolphin lap quilt in that same book (this is my swimmer girl). I hired out the quilting, but I did quilt around the dolphins.  There was some eagle fabric on the back. Son graduated HS the year after #2. He got squat.  It is like the baby book syndrome. First child it is filled completely. Second has hit or miss info in it. Third the book is still in the shrink wrap. 

Now mind you when I first started quilting in the early 90's son got the very first twin quilt, handquilted. They all have a lot of quilts now. And all their children as well.

Son has been giving me crap (well deserved) about not getting a HS grad quilt. It is all in good fun. This year he made the effort to finish his college degree. Over the years he had been going off and on to school, has two associate degrees but has always wanted to finish a full degree. A few years ago he was really making a push. He got to the last 3 classes and they were only offered in person and the University he was attending was too far to drive taking into account working fulltime, new house, new baby, etc. So it went back on hold. When the pandemic hit those classes became available online. He finished and graduated last week!  

When it became apparent that he would be finishing his degree I decided it was time for his High School graduation quilt to get done.  A couple of years ago I had bought some eagle fabric for a backing. I went through the UFO pile looking for something that would look good for a grad quilt. This guy fit the ticket. And it is only 21 years too late!  

Blooming cactus

And for my pretty photograph of the post, my cactus garden is starting to bloom.  I don't know the name of this one, but I love the bright color!

Linking to:

Judy

Beth

Michelle

Kathleen

Sarah

Nina-Marie
 

Windy Day

The wind has been heavy today and yesterday.  It should calm down later this evening. Even though I am inside, I still feel rattled about.

One other thing to note, the program that my blog uses to email those who have subscribed to receive the posts via email is ending this summer.  I don't remember what the widget was when I set it up and I am not that savvy to try and do something else. Just wanted to let you know so that if you would like to continue reading my silly little posts you might want to follow instead.

Wild Geese

My friend and sometimes co-teacher, Florence, asked me to play with some ideas for a class she was developing for the Utah Quilt Guild's Spring Remote Fest that is going on right now.  The photograph above was the original class and she wanted to add more options for the improv piecing.  The new class is "Scrappy Triangles"

Butterflies

I played with some of the options for using strips instead of squares in this piece. It was fun!

Braid

And then I was playing with shorter strips and put them up on the wall. I loved the look of this arrangement. Later I realized it was not feasible to sew the pieces together unless using major set in seams. Ditched that idea.

Another setting using the Wild Geese

I had another set of geese blocks that I played with and came up with this setting. It is a top, just waiting in the quilting queue.

Florence has a ton more ideas in this class.  The class is available to anyone, not just guild members. You pay one price and get access until May 31st to five different classes.  Guild members get a discount. It is a great deal.  Sorry that I didn't tell you about it sooner, but there are still 11 days left of access if you are interested. I am a guild member and friends with a couple of the teachers but have no vested interest or paid commission coming to me. I am sharing my quilts and wanted to let you know where you could take the class. Link to the event.

All the B's

I didn't finish my Sock Madness socks in time, so I am out of the competition. It was fun. And if I wanted, I could knit the next few rounds, just won't be able to count for the team. I am going to finish another project instead, I put it aside to knit socks.

Pansies

 I have a few pots with Pansies.  I love them!  My pretty photograph for this post.

Linking to:

Beth

Judy

Alicia

Nina-Marie

Sarah

Slacker or not?

Since I have not posted in a few months, I am slacking on that front.  But since I have gotten my sewing mojo back and have gotten a lot of things completed, I am not slacking on that front!

Log Cabin

This is a long time UFO. I made the top way back in about 2003 or 2004. It was a class sample for a Log Cabin of the Month class. two years ago I had told my daughter that I would finish it for her log cabin in Idaho.  Since her birthday was in March, I made the effort to finish it in time for that event.

Finished!

I wish I had a better photograph of the finished quilt.  I just quilted crossing wavy lines. I did a scrappy blue binding.  She loves it!
 

Yarn!

I have also been spinning a lot of yarn. This one I spun for a friends birthday. It is chain plied and the colors are actually brighter than the photograph.

Red Rock Arch

For my pretty photograph I am in front of this arch which is only 15 miles away from home. And a very short walk from the highway on the way to Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park.

Linking to:

Judy

Beth

Laura

Nina-Marie

Sarah