First Class

Well, I taught my first beginner's quilting class last night!  It was A BLAST!

I had seven students (eight with my daughter).  One of them hadn't really sewn much before last night and several of them had never made a quilt.  I'm SO excited to infect them with Quilting Pox, lol.

I gave a lecture about the basics and it lasted 90 minutes!  Good grief!

But, then we sewed together some 1 1/2" strips and picked out which project they were going to do.  I cut out the blocks for them, so each of them chose 3 or 4 blocks (depending on which project they are doing).  Did I mention I had a LOT of fun?

So, next week, we will be putting the blocks together.

I'll try and get some pics on a little later...my posts have had a noticeable paucity of pictures as of late!

Right now, I have to take a love-sick eight year old to see her "boyfriend."  We keep in contact with another homeschool family that lives in the country on the other side of Bismarck and my Sophia and her Boen are "sweethearts."

Both mothers think it would be so weird if they actually did get married someday, but for right now, we think it's cute.

I LOVE having other homeschool families to spend time with.  It helps to share the load with others.

Hope you all have a quilty day!  I'll be visiting with "my daughter's future mother-in-law" as my hubby calls her, lol.

Quilter's Accountability Report - September 29

Well, here are my goals from last week.

1. Finish quilting the 1930s quilt - finished
2. Bind the 1930s quilt - didn't get done
3. Finish getting ready for class - mostly done...I have the last example to bind today and I have to cut some 1 1/2" strips
4. Maybe get a Twister quilt started - not done

I did pretty well.

This week, my goals are:

1. Get the 1930s quilt bound
2. Finish quilting the guild quilt
3. Finish a donation quilt with the blocks from class (depending on how many get done)
4. Make sure I'm ready for the second class

Today, I have to make a mad dash to a "nearby" town (26 miles) to drop off my bobbin and casing for my Janome.  It's in the shop in Bismarck (60 miles away) but I forgot that I had taken out the bobbin casing and the bobbin and they don't have another machine in house, so they can't really do anything with it until they get the casing.

Also, while the girls are doing school, I need to get the 3rd class example bound and then cut some strips.

You know that exercise where you sew three 1 1/2" strips together, press them and then measure and they should measure exactly 3 1/2"?  I'm going to do that with them to help them with their 1/4" seams.  Then, I'll gather them all up and sew them together and have a good start on a new donation quilt, lol.

I also thought it might be a good thing to help them with the concept of  light/medium/dark as well.  I could talk to them about value and then have them pick out a light, medium, and dark strip for each block they sew.

So, I have a question for you.

I don't have any idea about how much experience these ladies have had and I don't want to overwhelm them with choices.  The way this is going to work is that I have the blocks already cut out for them and they'll need to have three or four blocks for their quilt.  Should I let them choose, or just hand them out and let them trade if they don't get what they want?

I guess my question is, should I just tell them everything to do, or should I just give them choices along the way?  I already have  three different layouts that they can choose from.

Hope you have a quilty day.  Make sure you head over to Bari's blog to see what everyone else has planned for this week.  Set some goals of your own and play along with us!

Bismarck Day

If it's fall, it must be time for a schedule change.

All summer, we were footloose and fancy free.

Now, it's September, and that means that public school starts and so do lessons/Tae Kwon Do/Bismarck DAY!

Olivia and I take violin lessons and Olivia also takes piano lessons in Bismarck and our lessons are scheduled on Tuesdays, so we end up doing all the errands, etc on that day.

I took my best friend's Pfaff in for it's annual cleaning.  (WOW!  That's expensive!)  She's going to be in my class tomorrow night.  I AM SOOOOOO EXCITED!

We also picked up our four wheeler and ran various other errands.  Dana went with me which, of course, doesn't happen that often.  He's usually busy with farm work, but decided to take today off.

Anyway...I'll stop now.  I suppose I could ramble on for several more paragraphs, lol.

Hope you had a quilty day.

Design Wall Monday, September 27

On my design wall this week, I still have leaves.

I guess I'll have leaves for a while yet.

My first beginner's class is this Wednesday!  YIKES!!!  I think I'm ready, but I still have a few things to do before the big day.

I also finished quilting one of the 1930s quilts.

This week, I'll be working on getting the other quilts quilted, and of course, I'll be working on things for my class.

Make sure you visit Judy to see what everyone else is doing.

Stash Report - September 26

I had a couple of finishes this week, so that's awesome!  The big quilt was totally from my stash, and the table topper was fabric I had bought specifically for the purpose.

I also finished quilting one of the 1930s quilts last night, Woo Hoo!  I'll hold off on pictures until I get the binding on, though.

I also went to fabric stores several times this week, and resisted the temptation to buy fabric.  Yeah me!

There's only a few more days until my first beginner class.  I'm SO excited for that.

So, here are my numbers.

Fabric in: 0 yards
Fabric out: 11 yards
Total Fabric in: 16.17 yards
Total Fabric out: 41.25
Total Fabric used: 25.08

Go check out how everyone else did this week at Judy's.

Hope you have a quilty week!
PS:  Can you believe that it's going to be October already?????

We Have a Winner

The random number generator has picked the number "2" and that number belongs to Anna at Peaceful Piecer.  Congratulations!

Thanks everyone for playing!  It was a fun giveaway.  Have a great evening, everyone.

EQ 7 Upgrade

OK, Quilters. I bought the EQ 7 upgrade and didn't realize that I have EQ 5, not EQ 6, so it won't work for me.

So, I just listed it on eBay.  You have a chance to get it a little cheaper and I'll ship domestically for free!

Hurry!  Don't miss this chance to get EQ 7!  I'm planning on upgrading if I sell this copy.

On the home front...it's cloudy and rainy here today, so a great day to sew.  I almost have one of the 1930s quilts quilted.

I'm going out to supper with my SIL this evening, so that should be fun.  She's so fun to be with...full of life and fun to talk with.

I'm planning to baste and bind the second class sample today.

Maybe if I'm able to finish the 1930s quilt, I'll get the binding cut for it.  I haven't decided what I'm going to use for binding yet...probably a solid...maybe bubblegum pink since there's a lot of pink in the quilt.

Hope you have a quilty day.

PS:  Just a little over 24 hours to sign up for my current giveaway...a YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION to McCall's Quilting!  Don't miss this chance.

Quilting Finished

I finished the quilting on my second sample for my beginner's class.

Here are a few close ups of the quilting.  I thought it turned out nice.

What did you all do today?

PS:  Make sure you sign up for my latest giveaway!

Quilter's Accountability Report - September 22

GRRR!  I feel like I'm running around like a chicken with her head cut off (as pertains to my quilting).

I'm focused on finishing UFOs, then I'm focused on finishing things for my Beginner's Quilting class, then I'm focused on getting rid of all the fabric that I don't absolutely LOVE.  (Actually, if I were a chicken with my head cut off, I wouldn't be focusing on anything, but you get my meaning, I hope.)

ANYWAY...

My goal for this week is to get more focused!

I'm still going to be working on getting my UFOs finished.  I just finished Free's Quilt and I am working on quilting one of the 1930s quilts.  So, that leaves three more basted quilts to quilt.

I have three tops in the piecing stage, so I need to keep moving forward there.

My first class is a week from today!  (I'm SO excited!)

And, I REALLY want to get 13 tops pieced to send on to a couple of quilters who responded when I said I would be willing to send tops.

But....not all this week.

This week, I'm going to continue to sew my little heart out and try to focus and try to get as much done as possible.

My Goals:

1. Finish quilting the 1930s quilt
2. Bind the 1930s quilt
3. Finish getting ready for class
4. Maybe get a Twister quilt started

Wish me luck!  And check out what everyone else is up to at Bari's blog.  Set some goals of your own for this week, and join us!

PS:  Make sure you sign up for my latest giveaway!

Giveaway

Hey!  I decided to have a quick give-away.  I LOVE how quickly these spread over blogland.

I'm giving away a year's subscription to McCall's Quilting!

Tell all your quilty/blogging friends!  Leave a comment for one chance.  Blog about it for a second chance.  (Make sure to leave a separate comment when you blog about it.)

Have fun!  I'll draw the winner at 7pm CST on Friday, September 24th.

A Few Finishes

Well, despite the virus, sick kids, and irregular sleep schedule, I've managed to finish a few things.

This first finish is for my beginning quilting class.

vertical

Horizontal

This is the wall hanging (although I think it could be used for a table topper as well). I'm not sure whether I like it better vertical or horizontal.

Here's a close up of the quilting.

This is my first attempt at "micro-stippling."  I'm thinking that the leaves need "veins" quilted in, but my daughter wanted me to leave them plain.  What do you guys think?  I still may do that before the class.

I also finished the binding on Free's Quilt in the middle of the night when Mimi kicked me out of my own bed, lol.

And here's the back.

I think the brown binding was a good choice.

This is a BIG lap quilt for a TALL guy, so LOTS of stash busted.  Woo Hoo!

I'm off to Bismarck today to resume violin lessons, so hope that you all have a quilty day!

What's a Doctor To Do?

So, what does a doctor do when her baby gets a virus with a high fever?

The same thing everyone else does, lol...tepid baths, alternate ibuprofen and acetaminophen...lay up with her half the night while she fusses and tosses and turns and cries...get kicked out of my own bed at 1 am having spent half the weekend in bed with my own cold and now I can't get back to sleep.

Hope you are all having sweet dreams at this hour of the morning.

Stash Report -- September 19

I got a lot of sewing done this week, but not any finishes except for my Niblets exchange.  That was 2 yards of fabric used.

I also bought 8 2/3 yards of fabric specifically for my beginning quilters class.  I'm going to be teaching the Maple Leaf Block and I'm going to have each block cut for them in a little baggie and let them pick out three or four depending on whether they want a table runner or a wall hanging.

Here's the layout for a wall hanging along with a few of the other blocks I've already made up.  I thought if I stacked three blocks vertically and put on a smaller border it would look cool as a long skinny table runner.

And, I'm still not feeling well this morning, but I did get lots of rest yesterday, so that's a good thing, I think.

One last thing before we get to my totals.

I am so happy with the fact that I'm not buying fabric.  I do get regular fabric love from the Fat Quarter Shop (I belong to a couple of clubs), but other than that, I haven't bought any fabric that didn't have a specific purpose for a LONG time.  And it feels good.  Being online helps me to focus on what I'm doing when I 'm looking at that fabric online and just about to hit the "buy" button.  Thanks for keeping me accountable, girls!

On to my totals...

Fabric In: 8.67 yards
Fabric Out: 2 yards
Total Fabric In: 16.17 yards
Total Fabric Out: 30.25 yards
Total Fabric Used: 14.08 yards

Make sure and visit Judy and find out how everyone else is doing.

ICK

I woke up with a nasty virus this morning...actually, I guess it was coming on last night.

Plus, all the kids are in one stage or another of the same cold.

Since I have a FULL week next week, I think I'm going to spend the day in bed resting, sucking down fluids, and blowing my nose, sneezing, and coughing.

Hope you all have a quilty day!

Only Have Fabric I Love

One of my goals for 2010 (found in the sidebar) is to only have fabric that I LOVE.

So, I've come up with a plan.

Remember those Twister Quilts?

I'm going to make a bunch of quilt tops out of the fabric that I don't absolutely LOVE.  Then, I need to find a place to send off quilt tops to.

I sent quite a few to Mary, but she's going to be focusing a little more on her own quilting from now on.  I totally understand that.  I would think it would be hard to finish so many quilts for others that I was unable to work on my own quilting.

SO...

If any of you know of someone who is accepting unfinished quilts (accepting the tops only) please let me know in the comments or by email.

Thanks so much!

Only 12 days until I teach my first Beginning Quilt class!

Allowance

I don't really talk so much about homeschooling and how I raise my kids, but I've run across several quilting blogs that are written by homeschool moms lately, so it's been on my mind that my readers may enjoy seeing more about that area of my life.

And, of course, this will actually apply to any mom who gives their kids an allowance.

An allowance is a foreign concept to me, to be honest.  We didn't have allowance in our house growing up.  Dana didn't either.  Our parents just paid for stuff, I guess.  Consequently, at least for me, I didn't have a good understanding of money when I left home.

So, as we all do, I determined that this was a short coming I wouldn't pass that on to the next generation, lol.

But, I haven't been very successful as yet because I never had cash around the house when it was time to give the kids their allowance.  Plus, I'm REALLY disorganized, so if I did write down how much they have in their "allowance" account, I would lose it anyway.

I thought about making an Excel spreadsheet or something, but I never did it.

Then, I found out about something online.  I don't know how long it's been around, but we've been playing around with it for the last few days, and I think it's going to be a great fit for us.

It's called Family Mint.  It's designed to teach kids how to manage and save their money, etc.

I'm not a paid spokesman or anything, lol, just thought that maybe some of you might like to pop over and check it out.

On the quilty front, my two older girls are out with Daddy this morning driving the pickup for him while he picks up bales...I know, I know...they're only 10 and eight.  Kids learn to drive early on some farms.  I did, my hubby did, so, our kids are.

It's just me and the two little ones this morning, so I may get some quilting done since I won't have school questions every few minutes, lol. (PS That's one of the many great things about homeschooling, a day with Daddy is considered school.)

Hope you all have a quilty day!

We Interrupt This Month of UFO Busting For an Important Distraction...

I'll be teaching my first Beginner's Quilting class starting later this month, so I need to focus on that for the next few weeks.  I'm thinking that I won't be able to finish all the UFOs that I had purposed to finish, but I've sure made a nice dent!

I cannot make up my mind how large I want to make this table runner.  This is a 9" finished block.

It seems a little clunky to me, but I'm afraid if I go smaller (like 6" finished), it might be too fiddly for beginners.  I thought about splitting the difference.  Maybe I'll make up a block that size today and see how it seems.

Last week for QA Report(Quilters Accountability Report), I had some lofty goals.

I wanted to get Java Jive basted and one of the 1930s quilts quilted.

Well, I did get Java Jive pieced and the back pieced as well...didn't get it basted.  I didn't get any quilting done this week.  But I did get my Niblet blocks off (which was another goal).

This week, I'm going to focus on making sure I'm ready for class on the 29th.  If I get anything else done, it will be a bonus.

What are you all planning for today.  Check out Bari's blog and see how everyone else did on their goals for the week.

Niblets Are Off

My 9 patches for the nibletsExchange swap are ready to send off.

I'm not really into Amish quilts, but these did turn out cute, I thought.

Can't wait to see everyone else's!

And, I finished the Java Jive top.  I'm SO excited.  I'm hoping to get the backing pieced this evening and perhaps baste it tomorrow.

I'm doing pretty well on my goals for this week, so I'm happy about that.

Design Wall Monday, September 13

On my design wall, are several different blocks.

First of all, this is a pinwheel block that I did utilizing the new method for making HST.  She this post for more explanation.

Secondly, here are my Wonky Houses for Block Lotto.

I think these are the only ones I'm going to make.

Also, here are my little niblet blocks

...aren't they cute?  I'm hoping to get some more finished this week.

I'm wanting to finish my Java Jive quilt top and get it basted in the next few days.

What are you all planning to work on this week?  Make sure and check Judy's blog to see what's on everyone's design wall.

Stash Report -- September 12

I had some fabric in this week, but it all most of it has a specific purpose.

First of all, I'm going to be doing some 9 patch blocks for an exchange.  We're doing Amish-type blocks, so the neutral is black and I didn't have a solid black, so I purchased 1/2 yard for that...but, I used it up and I'm going to count it now since it's an exchange.  Plus, I used another 1/2 yard from my stash...YEAH!

I also purchased eight FQ of fabric for my  beginner's quilting class that's coming up.  They're YUMMY!  We're making a table topper or wall hanging with fall leaves.

I also received one of my guilty pleasures this week.  My FQ pack from Fat Quarter Shop.  That's three lovely yards of Kansas Troubles FQs!

But, on the plus side...

I did finish a quilt.  That's six yards out of my stash.  Plus, I did the Niblets Exchange blocks and four blocks (only three are pictured there) for Block Lotto (which was another 1/4 yard).

Here are the Niblets Exchange blocks that I finished and the others are cut out.  I'm hoping to get them finished today.

Fabric In: 5.5 yards
Fabric Out: 7.25 yards
Total Fabric In: 7.5 yards
Total Fabric Out: 28.25 yards
Total Fabric Used: 20.75 yards

Make sure you visit Judy to find out how everyone else is doing at stashbusting.

AND before you go, I need an opinion.

(Don't mind those white spots, it's frosting thanks to little fingers.  It's come out when I wash it before I give it to my friend to give to her hubby, lol.)

I was going to bind this with the same fabric as the brown border, but I either ran out, or it's hiding, lol.

So, light brown, or dark brown?  I'm thinking dark, but I kind of like the light too.  Neither of the pieces is actually in the quilt.

A Finish

Cool!  I finished the Rail/Split 9 Patch Quilt.  This was made using the Old Primrose Inn line.

I still have quite a bit of this line of fabric.  I haven't decided whether to make another quilt from it, or just let it melt into my stash.

WOO HOO!  A FINISH!

What to Do Today

My kiddos are going with Daddy to Braddock today, so I have the house to myself.  What to do, what to do????

1. Last border on Java Jive

2. Wonky Houses

3. Niblets Exchange
4. Binding on Rail Quilt

And the winner is.....(via the Random Number Generator) 4! I'll do the binding first.

I would REALLY like to get that done to offset the fabric purchases I made this week, he he he.

Hope you all have a quilty day.

Addendum:  I did finish the quilt and I also got a good start on the Niblets Exchange, so it was a fairly productive day.  :-)

Oh My Gosh!

I was visiting Michelle over at Life on Vine when I came across this YouTube video that blew my socks off!



I am SO excited and I cannot wait to try this.

I have been wanting to do several scrappy quilts with HST (half square triangles), but I just hadn't come up with a good way to do it.  I HATE having to draw the line and stitch on either side.

PLUS

I have TONS of charm packs and this would be such a cool way to use them up.

I can't wait to try this!

Addendum:  I couldn't sleep, so I tried it, and it works GREAT!  I think I'm going to use it in my beginners quilting class.  I think perhaps I'll do a tutorial on making the leaf block that we're going to be doing.

Aren't I Cute????

My little Mimi came up to me this evening...

Mariah:  "Mommy, yuck (she doesn't say her "l" so "look" comes out "yuck") at my outfit.  Isn't it cute?"

Me (laughing at her):  "Yes, Mimi, that's cute, but pretty much everything you do is cute."

Mariah:  "Nu hu.  Sometimes I do naughty things and that's not cute."

Me (laughing even harder)  "I love you, Mimi!"

Wonky Houses

OK.  This was harder than I thought, lol.

We're doing Wonky Houses over at Block Lotto.  You should come play with us!  Everyone should do Wonky Houses at lease once!  he he he

A Little Work Done After All

Thanks everyone for your concern!  I got several comments and emails from you and I want you to know that it meant so much to me!

I called my doctor and she put me back on Prednisone.  I spent the day resting, and by this evening, I was able to sew a little.  I REALLY wanted to get at least one border on to get the edges stabilized as they were very stretchy.

Here's what we have so far.

My favorite color is orange, so I decided to go with a narrow orange stripe around the main part of the quilt and then I will add a larger border.

Here's a close up of the blue border.

I think I'll just use a 3" border as this quilt is getting pretty big already.

I can't get over how fun this quilt is.  I can't wait to get it quilted and snuggle up with it this winter.

Coffee anyone????

Quilter's Accountability Report - September 8

Well, I did get two quilts quilted last week, so I did reach my goal, but I've hit a brick wall as my RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) is flaring.

I can't walk without pain, and I can't lift my right arm this morning.

I had tapered off the Prednisone a couple weeks ago and I'm not sure why I'm having a flare now, but there it is.

So, I'll make some provisional goals (with the assumption that I will go back on the Prednisone and be once again able to walk and move).

1. Finish piecing Java Jive
2. Baste Java Jive
3. Finish blocks for Block Lotto and Niblets exchange
4. Quilt one of the 1930s quilts

Once I go back on Prednisone, the pain and stiffness will go away quickly and I'll be back to baseline within a few hours, so I hope I can get in contact with my doctor first thing this morning.  I HATE limitations.

Please visit Bari and support everyone in achieving their goals for this week.

Progress

I've made quite a bit of progress on the Java Jive quilt.

I'm still loving it!

Sewing the rows together is proving to be a challenge, though.  There are so many seams coming together that it's a little difficult to get them to lay flat.

BUT, I've just been soaking the seams with my homemade Best Press and pressing the heck out of them.  I'm not really trying to get them to lie any certain way, just so it lies flat.

I know that when I quilt it, there will be lumps to quilt over, but I think it will still be okay.

I'm thinking I'll quilt it with an all over quilt design and use a really bright variegated thread like I used in Joey's Brown Bear Quilt.

On the home front, I had given the kids the day off from school yesterday...mostly because I wanted to sew, lol...but they were back at it today.

And, my Sophi found a frog.

She's not skittish when it comes to frogs and salamanders and other such slimy creepy crawly things.

Don't Kiss Him, Sophi!

Hope you all had a quilty day.

Guess What I Did Today

Did you all get some sewing done?

I had FUN!

I started this morning thinking that I was going to make the Java Jive quilt just the way the instructions said.

But then, I decided that I would like the blocks to be staggered.  I thought it would be more fun.

So, I started to pencil it out and then I thought of something that I had seen on Mary's pattern instruction site a long time ago...a quilt she had made with the blocks all tilty called Twisted 9 Patch.

I decided that these blocks would be much more fun if they were all twisted and tilty.

So, here's what I've done so far.

I just LOVE it!

Here's a close up of the blocks.  

Aren't they cute?

I have enough blocks to make more than one quilt, so I think I'm going to make one for me and one to give away.

What did you get done today?  Hope you had a quilty day.

Design Wall Monday, September 6

On my design wall this morning is a little bit of this and a little bit of that.

First of all, I would like to point out the fact that I actually have a design wall now, lol.  I'm really excited about that, he he he. Then, I'll tell you what's on it.

Starting on the left, I have three big chunks of my orphan block quilt in progress.

The two blue and yellow stars are the first two blocks of my Hazel's Diary Quilt.  Next to it, you can see a little block from my Hummingbird Quilt that I started when I took the class with Darlene Zimmerman.  And, do you see those little blocks with the coffee cups?  That's another UFO that I found last night.  They're from a quilt called Spill the Beans which I went gaga over at one time.  I bought TONS of fabric from the line and I was going to make...I don't know...a gazillion quilts with it?  Good grief.

SO, I've decided that since I have SO much extra fabric from that line, I'm going to design my own quilt from it.  I have an idea what I'm going to do and I hope to work on it today.

It should be a perfect sewing day.  It's Labor Day and it's supposed to be chilly and rainy.

Hope you all have a quilty day and don't forget to visit Judy to see what everyone else is planning to be up to this week.

A Nice Place For a Quilt

Today, we went to visit my hubby's grandmother and celebrate her 97th birthday.

I took her one of my wheelchair lap quilts and I hope that she enjoys it.

She was living at home until a couple of years ago and she's still pretty spunky.  We really enjoyed spending some time with her today.

Stash Report -- September 5

Well, while I have accomplished a lot this week, I wasn't able to finish any quilts, so no decrease in my stash to report yet, but, no increase either.

I got six quilts basted last week end finished quilting the Rail/Split 9 Patch on my Bernina.  I had almost finished quilting Free's quilt on my Janome, but I began having tension problems, so I finished it on my Bernina.  Two quilts quilted this week!  Woo Hoo!

I got the Martelli zip bind system and the stitch in the ditch foot so I'm hoping to try and put on the binding with that if I can figure them out, lol.  So, next week, I should have some good numbers.

My numbers this week are as follows:
Nothing in
Nothing out
Total amount busted: 20 yards since late August

More Progress & It's Finally Here!

I finished the last bit of quilting on Free's Quilt last night...

This is what I did with the border.  It's....well, it's finished.

Also, I worked on Piecing Hazel's Diary Quilt.  I finished the first two blocks, which is exciting!  This qualifies as my quilt that is outside my comfort zone (one of my goals for the year) as it is a star quilt.  I don't really care for stars that much because they're too complicated for me, lol, so I've decided that this qualifies.

And.....IT'S FINALLY HERE!!!!

I had ordered Cheryl Ann's Design Wall and it came yesterday.  I'm SO excited to finally have a design wall.

I ordered the biggest one (because I NEVER do ANYTHING halfway) and it's REALLY big, lol.  I was shocked when Olivia and I put it up, but it's just fine now that it has settled into its surroundings.

Also, I just wanted to put up a quick picture of my orphan block quilt.  It's coming along and I think it's going to be cute!

Hope you have a quilty day!  Are you all going to quilt a lot this weekend?