I fired up several sewing machines and then I just seemed to have one issue after another. Loosening the tension and changing the needle helped one machine and wouldn't you know it - the other one needed a new needle as well. But not before I spent some time ripping!
How do you love that crazy weather out there? Even the girls are happy to be in the house! While they both have big thick fur coats, it's their feet that get cold. I've seen Miss Lexi standing out there lifting her paws. We're not going for a walk this morning. I have a limit on what temperature I'll walk in. -19!
Despite the machine issues, I did get stuff done, but alas - it's all homework for upcoming classes and I wouldn't feel right to share it with you before sharing it with them.
Now, how cool is this? Susan sent me a link to a shop offering classes in England. Guess what is one of their classes??? The Everyday Basket that I wrote when I was at Northcott. The pattern is still available on their website! Here's the link to the pattern on Northcott's website if you want to make it. It's super cute and I love it. I have several of them around my studio to put stuff in.
I know that I have no one to blame for this but myself, but I'm going to gripe just a wee bit. I was instrumental in putting together the Charity quilts for two local Modern Quilt Guilds. I obtained the fabrics, made the kits, came up with a basic design concept or several and then one was chosen which was a design of mine that had been modified, made the application - anyway - you get the picture. The blocks were made by the guild members and the tops were sewn by someone else. No big deal for that part. Everyone wants to be part of the design process, everyone wants to make blocks, but when it comes to the quilting (especially) and the finishing - well no one wants to do that! Now I'm not complaining in the least about that. What I ticked off at is that in one of the guilds, I got resistance that I was in the charge of the quilt - that it was my vision! Anyway - long story short - YES - I could have been more proactive and doled out the jobs so I really shouldn't complain, but that one bad comment ticks me off.
What I totally dislike is the lack of respect for the amount of time that I WILLINGLY put in to make and finish those quilts. Do people think that I have loads of spare time? I GET IT!!! I didn't ask for help but I don't mind doing the work - I just wonder if people appreciate the fact of how much time all that finishing takes?
So while these two charity quilts are done and gone, that's it for me. I will have NOTHING to do with future charity quilts for the Modern guilds. Someone has stepped up to take over the job in both guilds - YEAH!!!! I will not make blocks, I will not quilt them, I will not bind them nor will I put on a sleeve. I've done my time!!!!!
OK - enough of that griping - here are the quilts. I did spend most of yesterday afternoon working on finishing them up and got them packaged and to the UPS office before 5:30. They are scheduled to arrive on Feb 5 - THREE days before they are due!!!! Can you believe it? I can't!
Here's the first one. It's for the Grand River Modern Quilt Guild. It's a knock off of one of my designs that appeared in a magazine last year. I'll show you how I changed it tomorrow. I absolutely love the quilting on this one. Very textural and yet it doesn't detract from the very graphic design of the quilt. I called it Flower Garden - although I should have called it Modern Flower Garden or what is the names of those english gardens???? I can still change the name - maybe! Only five of the seven colors in the palette were used.
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| Quiltcon Charity quilt for Grand River Modern Quilt Guild |
I wanted to put a purple binding on the quilt, but NO - I used the purple for the other quilt. Ooops. Well, I had some of the blue left over. I knew it was going to be tight and was prepared with Plan B, but guess what? I had enough with just a wee bit left over. The blue was meant to be!!!!
A HUGE SHOUT OUT to Northcott for donating the fabrics for the quilt. We love you - Northcott!!! This quilt is made entirely with the ColorWorks solids.
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| Barely enough binding - but it worked!!!!! |
The second quilt used the same base of colors but all seven of the colors in this year's palette were used in the quilt (Green and white were the two additional colors). The members made the blocks using a maximum of two colors in each block. The members arranged the blocks at the January meeting. I called it Scattered. But now that I'm looking at it in the picture, there's an X forming in the picture with the white! Oh well - doesn't matter. This one just needed a label sewn to it as I had finished the binding and the sleeve a while back. It's mostly made with Northcott fabrics (Colorworks solids) but we added in some similar color/value fabrics that had a design printed on them. The backing is Toscana by Northcott. Again - thanks to Northcott for supporting our guilds and their charitable endeavors.
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| Quilt con Charity quilt for the West End Modern Quilt Guild |
I was hoping to ship them together in one box, but that didn't happen. I had two identical boxes and one went in each. It was cheap to ship them as one shipment (with two boxes) so the cost wasn't too bad. Bottom line - they are gone. I just need to write up the story that goes on the label that will be attached to the front of the quilt. A job for later today.
That's two more finishes for this year. And neither of them belong to me. I'll recap the January finishes tomorrow - just in case something else gets completed today!
I finished off these blocks that were hanging on the design wall. The blocks are called triple nine-patch. Anyone want to use them as seed blocks to make their own quilt??? The end result is gorgeous.
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| Triple four patch blocks - up for grabs |
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| Another version of the triple four patch quilt |
It was a two spool day yesterday. I emptied two more spools of thread. The thread drawer barely has a dent in it so I'm not running out to buy more thread - just yet!
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| Two more empty spools of thread |
In keeping with not letting quilts that need binding pile up - I got the binding on this charity quilt finished yesterday. Yes - another finish that didn't belong to me.
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| Binding on the charity quilt - DONE |
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| A bag of supplies - for what??? Who knows. |
I also dug out the serger this morning and finished off a pet mat. I'm not counting these in my finishes, but again - something done and it wasn't for me!!!!
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| A pet mat - DONE |
When Ronda and I took our class last week, we found a few things to buy. I was looking for spring-like fabric for my Hello Sunshine quilt. I spotted this fabric. How cool - there are 8 FQ printed as a panel.
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| 8 FQ printed as one panel |
The girls at the shop (Creative Sisters) had a very clever way to fold that fabric so that ALL eight fabrics would show in their packaging. I was so excited this morning that I opened it up without taking a picture. Ronda is on the train (hopefully) after waiting in the bitter cold and so I'll get a picture of her bundle for tomorrow.
On that note, I booked THREE things to do outside the house today. BRRRR!!!!! I'll just dress warm and I'll be fine!
Have a super day!!!!
Ciao!!!!
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