The ROOT of all evil!!!

Oh boy - another crazy day!!!

I am not sure if I LIKE having quilting friends or are they the ROOT of evil to me???

It started "badly" when Sandra came to work on a quilt on the long arm. When she showed me the quilt - I LOVED IT and so much want to make one like it.

Sandra's scrappy quilt!!!!!

Detail of one block

Another block detail

I have done stuff like this before - it is a style that I first saw with Gwen Marston - Liberated Quilt Making.

Liberated Quilting II by Gwen Marston

Here is my box of "liberated quilt" materials. The one I made was in solids!

OH DEAR - that just lead to something REALLY BAD. I thought I would get a picture of the liberated quilt picture. I know it is in the buckets of  "quilts to be quilted", but which one???

In case you think you have a lot of tops to quilt - these tubs are filled to the brim with quilts that need to be quilted. JUST MINE - I found the liberated quilt in the fourth tub, but while I was in there, I labeled the tubs. Guess how many are in the tubs on the right hand side?????   

I counted 49 quilts to be quilted. Each has the binding and backing already to go!!!   There are table runners, wall hangings, lap quilts and a couple of queen sized quilts. The stuff on top of the stack on the right needs to have the borders/bindings etc complete, but I think the group of four tubs and what's on top on the left is already to be quilted. Then there are two more tubs (you can just see them peeking on the left of the photo) and a laundry basket - those need borders/bindings and backings and they too will be ready. I might resurrect that project in 2014. Every week, I set the goal to finish the borders, binding and backing of ONE item.

Good thing I am MOTIVATED to quilt some of my own stuff these days!!!!!!!!!!! That is a LOT of quilts. If I said there were 150 quilts to be quilted in that area, I don't think I would be off by much!!!!    Never mind what has not progressed to that stage yet!!!   That is STAGGERING!!!!!!!!!!!   And Helen Anne - I only came across ONE PATTERN - the rest are nameless. Better correct that!!!!


Well here is what I went searching for -

Liberated quilt

There is a new book with a similar technique that is all the rage these days - called 15 Minutes of Play by Victoria Findlay Wolfe

15 Minutes of Play (sorry Amazon - I scooped your picture - I do have the book, but didn't want to take the card out of the computer to take the picture!)

Now if you remember my scrap boxes - they would be perfect for this kind of thing. But WAIT A MINUTE - what about that big bag of scraps that I haven't had a chance to finish sorting yet!!!!   OH GOD - hold me back!!!!!!!!!!!!    I grabbed the bag, and the 15 Minutes of Play book and threw it on the pile of stuff I am taking to the retreat. More on that in a bit - maybe tomorrow - I am running out of time this morning.


Last night was our guild meeting for Mississauga. First we had an AMAZING display of the Block of the Month. Mary and I are meanies in that we are not giving out the pattern unless we know the members are actively working on their quilt. So they have to bring it in for show n tell.

Linda is my tester and here is her FINISHED TOP - Sorry Mary - Linda FORCED me to give her the entire pattern!!!!!

Sorry - this is so small, but just a sampling of the different colour ways. They are ALL going to be stunning quilts. The colours people have chosen make me want to make a second one or maybe a third or a fourth - oh STOP IT STOP IT STOP IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then we had members show n tell. And Heather showed this quilt that I LOVE. I didn't get a picture of her quilt, but here is the link to the pattern on Moda Bake Shop. I have to say that Heather's look way better than the original. And I know EXACTLY what to make mine out of.

Stacked Squares

And then our speaker was talking about quilts that she has made using Japanese techniques - Sashiko, scraps using Japanese fabrics AND quilts she has made with fabric that she dyed Indigo Blue. WELL - I just so happen to have a bag of fabric that I dyed Indigo Blue when I was at school.

My Indigo Blue

When I was at Sheridan College in the Textile Program (which I would love to do again!!! - I didn't finish the first time - GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!! but it was my own fault.

Anyway - they would set up a vat of Indigo Blue from time to time and we could dye our little hearts out. I find the dye is VERY unstable and you can get blue on EVERYTHING very quickly. I must check with the speaker how she stabilized it. You can wash it and that does stabilize it, but you lose the DEEP DEEP blue colour.


Here's an update on those baby quilts................

The top of the second pieced one is done (well it was done days ago)

This is what I had left over after I put on that scrappy border

Second one quilted

Binding DONE on the first one

Binding on and hand stitching started on the second one

Binding for the panel cut, quilt is trimmed, but that is as far as I got

and CRUDE - look at the leftovers I have!!!!!!!!!!!    Almost enough to make a small quilt. 

 So the other day we had embroidery club at my house. There were eight of us and that meant I had to do some tidying.

Room for eight for hand stitching. 

But LOOK at the other side of the room!!!!!!!!!!!!    Actually it isn't that bad. A very organized chaos. M said I should just lay a big quilt over it and no one would see the bits and pieces!!!!

Shoved all the paperwork on one table

But look - the ironing board is clear!

And the cutting table holds the baby quilts!

Of course, that was a couple of days ago - the room looks completely different yet again!!!!   Well not that different, but already some stuff is DONE and gone.

Customer quilt

Quilting detail

Customer quilt

Quilting detail

And I got the binding on a quilt to take to the guild last night.

Binding on community project quilt

Hmmm - seems like I didn't do much yesterday. Well - I did and I will tell you about it tomorrow. I also had a few library books from the guild that I had to finish reading!!!   Oh yes - we all leave it until the last possible moment. I try - I really try to keep ahead of the game. There is just so much exciting stuff that I want to do it ALL!!!!!!


And if I had less stuff to shuffle from table to table - that might help????   Anyway - this HUGE basket keeps rearing its head. I finally had a peek in it and what did I find?????

|Big basket of ???????   ( I knew what the fabric is designated for)

BUT - I found a bag of PRE-CUT pieces - ready to make HOPSCOTCH patterns. Oh goody!!!!   I threw that on the RETREAT sewing pile. 

 BUT I also found this in that basket.

More FQs and the scraps for the borders. Hmmmm - do I need to cut this???   How many quilts are in that bag of pre-cut stuff?????

 So I went to the dentist the other day about my tooth. Here are a couple of facts to keep in mind when you read this story - I have VERY low blood pressure and I RARELY take medication. After THREE tries, the technician finally gets an X-ray of my tooth. The dentist comes in and throws the X-rays on the big screen in front of me. Hmmmmm - we seem to have the start of a problem here. Yes - that tooth has an abscess and needs a ROOT CANAL. I could have cried.

I HATE HATE HATE needles - I HATE HATE HATE root canals (although it has been years since I had one). He asked me what I am taking for the pain. Hmmmmm - Oh - that would be Advil. How many milligrams???  I have NO IDEA - I don't look at that stuff. I said the gel-caps so he said 500 milligrams. (when I cane home and checked the bottle - it said 400!!!!)    But he gave me a prescription for antibiotics - DO NOT ask me which one - I NEVER check that stuff or if I do - I don't retain it. And he gave me some stronger pain killers.

Now those pain killers are to be taken with food!  And there is a good reason for that. They can cause upset stomach, dizziness and drowsiness. I had been doing fine until this morning. I thought - hey - I am feeling up to going to spin class. I could feel my tooth this morning so I took the pain killer with my pre-spin class snack. Oh boy - that was NOT enough food. Soon I was feeling pretty crappy and thought I had better NOT go to spin class. For fear that I would either pass out, fall asleep, or throw up or all three!!!!

So I have learned NOT to take those little white pills UNLESS I have a full stomach.  I am finally starting to feel better.

Speaking of blood pressure - I stop at Shopper's from time to time  and take my blood pressure. It is always low - this week - 95 over 62 - pulse 57. According to my chart that is VERY borderline, but it is in the ATHLETE category so I feel I am OK. I so want to put 10 of those readings on one of the cards and hand it to the pharmacist so they can calculate my 10 year risk of heart attack!!!!   The one time I did show the pharmacist my reading - he didn't believe it!!!!

Anyway - I have LOADS more to tell you, but I have to get to work. And I think I will be working slowly until this med situation settles down. And for some reason - my tooth is VERY SENSITIVE. I can't even put ANY pressure on it. Oh crude and I don't go for the first treatment until the 19th. Oh happy day!!!!


Well - high ho high ho - off to work I go.


Have a great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!



Ciao!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1