Do I need an Intervention???

We celebrated Family Day at our house with a family dinner with extended family--My daughter was home from university and her grandparents, cousins, aunt and uncle were all here for the afternoon and dinner. As usual, I showed everyone my most recent quilting projects. Most oohed and ahhed appropriately, and some groaned!  After supper, my sister-in-law spied my roll of batting.

 I purchase batting by the 40 yard roll--I can get it for a better price this way and I don't often run out of batting. Just before Christmas, I had to buy my second roll so that I could have her Christmas gift (a spinning 4 patch quilt) quilted. I sold 5 yards of batting to my friend and I have used some of it for 3 quilts which have recently been sent out for quilting.  All of this is to explain that my sister-in-law did not even see the whole roll of batting!  She grabbed the roll of batting and carried it upstairs where everyone else was sitting and chatting over a cup of tea or coffee. "Don't you think Gail needs an intervention?" she asked. 

So, I ask you...Do I need an intervention?

Karen Griska at the Selvage Blog thinks I need an extra roll of batting so that I don't run out of batting in case there is a blizzard!

I spent a couple of evenings sewing this week. I trimmed the 96 units I made for my "Stars for My Friends" mystery quilt. Sorry, I can't show any pictures!  I also made 7 more baskets and now have 39 made.

I have 25 more baskets cut out and ready to sew.



More Baskets...and a new project!

I made 7 more baskets yesterday in between doing some jobs around the house.

As you can see, I have lots of the white parts cut out for the next baskets. The pile of fabric in the upper left corner of the photo will be used for the baskets. I still don't have a plan set in stone for these baskets, but I do plan on making more!

I opened up another Bali Pops jelly roll yesterday and started sewing some of them together and cutting them up again. I need another project like I need a hole in my head...

Stay tuned for progress on this new quilt top.

Have a good week!

Basket Cases

Christine and I got together to sew some basket blocks tonight. Christine is using 30's prints for her baskets and I am using some brights. I made 20 baskets at the Beaver Island Quilt Retreat in September 2011 and none since then. Tonight, I made 5 more baskets. They measure 4 1/2" square. (Tonight, I made 1 pale yellow, 2 pink and 2 blue baskets.)

Christine made some baskets to add to her collection.

Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville recently made a quilt from these same blocks--her quilt had 180 basket blocks in it!  I wonder if I will make that many? 

I anticipate having some time to sew this weekend so I will try to make some more baskets.

Yesterday was Quilt Til You Wilt...

I arrived at 8am and had my sewing machine up and running by 8:10am. I brought 6 projects with me and finished 3. There were 17 members of the London Friendship Quilters' Guild there sewing and talking and sharing their projects. The food, as usual, was fresh, plentiful and delicious!  Best of all, we did not have to clean up afterwards!  Supper was a Greek Buffet:

First, I finished off the next step in my flannel "Stars for My Friends" mystery quilt. I had to make 96 units which finished at 3 1/2 inches. This took longer than I expected since I already had done the cutting before I arrived! 

Sorry I can't post a picture of the finished units--you will just have to take my word for it that they are done.

By lunch time, I was putting them away and moving on to the next project. I have been putting off adding the final border to my Roll Roll Cotton Boll but decided that yesterday was the day I was going to finish it!  I seem to have an aversion to adding borders to a quilt top--I think it has a lot to do with how awkward it is to work with such a large chunk of fabric.

Ta Da!  Here is my Roll Roll Cotton Boll flimsy, all done!

The borders really finish it off nicely. I have to go and purchase some material for the back and then it will be off to the long armer's house for quilting!

My 3rd project for the day was my hexagon quilt. I spent an evening with Jacqui this past week and we figured out a final layout for the hexagons. I purchased the navy blue border fabric on Thursday after work and washed and dried it on Friday night so it would be ready for Saturday. This quilt top is now done too!

I love the pink streak across this quilt! 

I left for home around 9pm, 13 hours after my arrival. It was a very productive day! I can't wait for the next Quilt Til You Wilt day in November!

What will I work on next???  You will have to check back and see.

*Asterisk* Charity Quilt

A few months ago, I challenged the members of the Elgin Piecemakers to make 4 asterisk blocks each for a charity quilt. The pattern/instructions for these blocks can be found on the Selvage Blog. There was a big pile of blocks made which I divided into two piles.  This quilt top was made with the bright pile...

I put the blocks together and added the borders last night.

Now, on to the next project... We received the next clue for the "Stars for My Friends" mystery quilt at our guild meeting on Thursday. I am going to go and dig into the flannel pile and get cutting!

Charity Quilt Blocks and a Birthday Surprise!

My husband and I went out in the snow this morning to do some errands and then came home for lunch. He belongs to a model train club and they are meeting this afternoon and evening so that means I have the house to myself...to do some sewing!

I decided to finish off the rest of the charity quilt blocks for the sampler quilts that the Elgin Piecemakers Guild makes for adult chemo patients at our local hospital. The colours are decided ahead of time and each month, we each make a block for that month's quilt. Here are the blocks I made for March, April and May:

March's colours are "sherbert and white".

Brown, rust and cream for April:

For May's block, I made "Anita's Arrowhead" with lime green and dark blue:

Here are the postcards I made earlier this week for the Fabric Postcard exchange at the London Friendship Quilters' Guild. I put one in the mailbox at the meeting and one is winging its way to a secret recipient.

My birthday was on Wednesday. I had a very busy day at work that day. Half way through the afternoon, a delivery truck arrived with these:

They were sent to me by my daughter who is away at university!  She is in the middle of midterms and a pile of assignments right now. These flowers really brightened my day! 

We have not had much snow this winter but today we woke up to this scene in our backyard...

It is a great day to stay inside and sew!

I have already knocked a couple of projects off my to do list today--those sampler blocks shown above and I pieced the back of the quilt I showed you in my last post and it is now at the quilter's, in line to be quilted. I have one more goal for today... check back later and see if I get it done.

I am all caught up!

I finished the 3rd clue for the "Stars for My Friends" mystery quilt a few minutes ago. I am really liking how this quilt is coming along and can hardly wait for the next clue which I will be picking up at the London Friendship Quilters' Guild meeting later this week. As you know, I cannot show my quilt to you, but I have been taking pictures of it as I complete each step so I can post them at the big reveal!  Here is another sneak peek...

This is going to be a very cozy flannel quilt. I have often put a flannel back on a quilt but this is the first time I have made a pieced flannel top. This quilt will definately have a flannel back too!

I also made a block for the next Elgin Piecemakers charity quilt for adult chemo patients at the local hospital. This month's colours are pink, green and white.  Here is my block:

Next month's colours are "sherbert colours"...I will have to dig deep into my stash to find something for this block!

I have another UFO pulled out to finish off this week. I made this quilt top over a year ago and never had it quilted. I just have to sew one seam on the backing, cut the batting and take it to the long arm quilter's house.  I am not sure why I have procrastinated for so long...


I just checked back and it was actually over 2 years since I pieced this top....



Here it is with the borders. This week, it is off to the quilter's to get this project off my UFO list!