Party and what's next

The SpoolSpinner's Quilting Bee had their holiday party last evening.  There was a beautiful house to meet in, LOT of talk, and way too much food, and the exchange of gifts, and the drawing of new Secret Sister names for next year.

 Here is Adrienne showing the gift quilt she received, perfect for her love of lime green.

And here I am with my Secret Sister, Susan Shantz, showing off the "Magic Forest" quilt.  She says she loves the bright colors, and has a high rod around her living room where she can hang several quilts, which also have black backgrounds so far, and this will go well with them.

I learned from this experience in the last few days, that working with black fabric and black thread is now going to be a PAST experience. I love the contrast, but my eyes just really cannot handle it any more. When I was doing the free-motion quilting, I couldn't tell how to space my work, and I missed several sections altogether.  On sewing the binding down on the front by machine, my last step, I was a little dubious most of the time as to whether I was catching it down.  Way too much tension was created in my neck and shoulders!  So I apologized to Susan for any misses, and told her she was getting my last piece of "black work".

For next year we are going to handle the Secret Sister a little differently.  We each brought five FQs of our own fabric in a Spartan bag [local grocery chain] with our profile information.  Everyone grabbed one, not her own, and is to use these fabrics in next year's holiday gift, more added if we want.

So here are the five FQs I put in my bag -- my favorite combination of Red, Black and White.  I tried to use a combination of various sizes of print design.  I will be greatly interested in what turns up next December!  What do you think you would do with these?

-----------

Next project is not so much fun, but very necessary.  This bed in the sewing room needs to be totally cleared off.

What, you don't see the bed?

Look down in the right corner, there's the corner of the bed frame.  My dad made this frame down in his basement wood shop to surround a daybed and it had room under it for a pull-out additional narrow bed.

This bed needs to be transferred to our basement guest area, so one of the grandchildren will not have to sleep on the floor.  The transfer helper is coming on Monday afternoon, so I have to start figuring out where all this stuff is going and how it is going to be organized.  Plus I need to leave enough space in the room for the bed to be moved, it doesn't break down any more.

Hmm, I think it is only going to be accomplished if I use Fly Lady's method of "15 minutes at a time".

Sara

Gratitudes:

Found lovely red fabric for my black winter coat's new lining
Found a tailor who will do the job for me
Looks like a "free" weekend to slowly get Christmas prepared

Magical Forest DONE

At 45" x 53"  it was finished at 3:45 pm, and I need to leave for the Bee holiday party at about 5.  So a whole hour to get everything wrapped and food packed and camera in hand.

The back has nativity pictures surrounded by a different evergreen forest.

Hope my Secret Sister has a place to enjoy this.

-------------------


Now to answer Julie's question about the Advent wreath quilt.... How do you add more flames as the weeks progress?

The flame and the aura are fused together and left detached from the quilt.   I simply keep four of these in an envelope, and then PIN one more each Sunday above a candle. The aura has sparkles in it, so the pin heads mostly look like just another dot of white from any distance.  At the end of the season the quilt is retired with just the candles on it, and the flames are returned to the envelope.

This quilt hangs on the kitchen wall opposite the big window to the driveway.  I can see it reflected in the window while I'm at the sink, and also when I drive up to the house.

We also have a "real" Advent wreath on the dining room table.  We use only that candle light for dinner each night.  Getting a good deal brighter now that we have three candles lit!

Sara

Gratitudes:

Rain, not snow today
Spoolspinners party tonight
First experience with cortisone shots to the knees went well

Magical Forest pinned

I finally decided that what the forest needed was some stars in the night sky.  As I worked away, it began to seem that five was the right number, less than the columns of trees.

I began looking for the backing fabric.  I was lucky I didn't find it right away, because I found this one instead!  I had sent a snippet to BumbleBeans, and had quite a chunk left.  Perfect!  My Secret Sister can use the backside for the Christmas season and then turn it over to the front for the rest of the year.

Then into the kitchen to clean off the peninsula counter for layout and pinning.  It didn't really take very long, but now my back is aching.

I'll have a "sit down" until dinnertime and let my unconscious work out the quilting design for this middle.

[After that's done, I'll add the star border and maybe a bottom border and quilt them separately at that point.]

Sara

Gratitudes:

A retired husband who does some Christmas shopping
Watching the birds at the feeders
A comfortable recliner

Magical Forest center

Well, the center at least is all together for my Secret Sister.  I am struggling with what to do next.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Getting some more Xmas presents purchased
Leisure time for reading
Can afford to pay for cleaning help!

Magical Forest coming together

Couldn't face the idea of 350 HSTs, so I am putting together the blocks I received from Block Lotto earlier this year.  This will be a gift to my Secret Sister at our December Bee meeting.

I have about 34 blocks with the black as background.  And same reversed.  I have the black ones put together for a center, and now I need to decide whether there will be the opposite coloration on the outside, or simply end it somehow.  It's the "somehow" that takes a lot of time.

Concert tonight, need to take:
vestlike robe
cookies [chocolate covered pretzels]
tissues
cough drops
water bottle
stool [to stop my arthritic knees/back giving out]
cheat sheets, to study right up to curtain time

Wish me luck!  But actually we're pretty awesome.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Drugs for pain and congestion
Enthusiastic and talented singers
Confidence because my section leader is standing right behind me!

Secret Sister quilt REALLY finished

I am somewhat recovered from my sore throat and cough, and I finished the quilt for my Secret Sister. For the border I decided to continue quilting in circles as I had done in the blocks. It happened that the top of a shot glass was just the right size for this, but I outlined a slightly larger spice bottle for the corners.

And here is the whole quilt, which measures 32" square, out of the washer and dryer, and ready to pack up for the "reveal" this Thursday.

I notice that the blue is more wrinkled than the rest, and I assume that is because it is batik and did not shrink as much as the regular cotton fabrics.

Oh, Charlie reported from the Auction after the Chorus concert on Saturday that my Floating Four-Patch quilt sold for $225. Since I had calculated that the MATERIALS cost me $250, this is not as much as they should have gotten---but people are always looking for bargains, rather than being generous to the cause. Somebody, I don't know who yet, "got a good deal". And I am glad to have made my donation to the Chorus' finances!

Sara

Gratitudes:

Made it to exercise class this AM

No coughing last night

Charlie telling me last night about church

Finishing Secret Sister quilt

Besides coughing, having a sore throat, feeling very tired all day, and finally deciding that I could NOT sing with the Grand Rapids Womens Chorus tonight, I have been finishing my Secret Sister quilt. One small step at a time.

Because I wasn't thinking straight when I bought ADDITIONAL fabric for the binding (to match the narrow blue inner border), I didn't get enough. I am so used to cutting my binding 2.25" wide that that is the number I used in my calculations. Well, in this case, for the first time, I wanted to make a WIDE binding, in fact the width of that inner border, which was .75 ". The only way I could figure out to do it with 13" WOF, and needing four strips, was to make SINGLE layer folded binding, instead of my usual double layer.

Practically always I sew my binding completely by machine, first on the back, and then folded over to the front and stiched barely over the folded edge. Probably it was a good thing that I wasn't very swift today, for during one of my quiescent periods I remembered that it is often a good thing to make a TRIAL piece when doing something new. The exercise which followed showed me that I needed to make a few adjustments to my method, such as not folding the bind right down the middle, but a little to one side. An "off-center" fold gave me a little more fabric for the front of the quilt to cover the first stitching from the back, and to make that "front" line of stitching line up on the back just a little onto the backing instead of on the binding itself. [See following photo.]

Maybe I'm not being very clear because my head is not working real well.

Anyway, I got it done, including the label and hanging sleeve.

But I then remembered that I hadn't done any quilting in the wide border because I wasn't sure HOW wide it was going to be with this unusualy binding. So I'm NOT done. I'm not thinking well enough to figure out a quilting pattern for that yet. (And thank goodness I didn't sew down the bottom of the sleeve, but only caught it iin the binding so far. I"ll need to pin it out of the way while quilting!)

.

Sara

.

Gratitudes:

Got my cookies for the reception done earlier

Wooly socks for warm feet

Choosing Christmas Eve hymns with Charlie

Waste Triangles

I have been making some Flying Geese segments since the beginning of the year from a kit for a Stars quilt. The instruction were to use rectangles and put squares on each end, sewing a diagonal seam. Press outward along seam, then cut off the extra corners Nothing was said about the "waste triangles", or the part you cut off. I have been double sewinig the seam, cutting off the sewn corners, saving them, pressing and squaring them to 1 3/4". Then sewing them together as Leaders & Enders. Each foursome came out to 3" square.

Finally I have them together in a quilt top, about 36" x 36".

Don't tell. The main quilt is for my Secret Sister.

Sara

Gratitudes:

I was the only person walking in sunshiney McGraw Park along the Grand River.

Phillys won at home.

Banquet tonight, so no cooking required.

Valentines and Hearts

The UPS man stopped about 2 pm, and I thought it was going to be two new pairs of pants for Charlie.
But "No!" It was a Valentine's gift FOR ME from my Spoolspinners Secret Sister.

Here is a plate for my chocolates or brownies and a HUGE cup for my Hot Chocolate. Then there are four FQs of RED fabric, my favorite color, and a tin of sugar-free hot cinnamon candies! Yea! a candy for a Type II diabetic.

Thank you, thank you to my Secret Sister!




I have been looking at the Confetti blocks again, and there were 12 that looked pinky and pale compared to everything else. So I found some sashing strips that were of the same ilk, tho' a tad darker, and I sewed them into a 3 x 4 Baby quilt. It looked pretty unfinished and dull to me.
Then I remembered the packet of jewel toned, pre-cut hearts I got from Keepsake. Grabbing a few, I dropped them on the top as a sign of love, appliqued them down by machine, and now I am satisfied. This is really too large for the Neo-natal Unit, so this will probably go to Pine Ridge. [Still not really my style. Oh, why did my parents raise me to "use it up" rather than "throw it out"?]

I now have three little tops for babies that need backs and to be quilted. Is this a sign that I should do them myself and "practice" machine quilting? Or is it a sign that I should call a Long Arm machine quilter and pay her to do it for me?

I am doing a great job a AVOIDING the two jobs that need to be done by next Thursday!

Sara


Gratitudes:
Secret Sister
Smell of stew in the crockpot
Funny anniversary cards

UFOs of the moment

I have started working on a new Secret Sister quilting project. So I can't tell you about it. Or show photos.
So, to make a report for today here are a couple of the UFOs (Unfinished Objects) I found in my sewing room.

Here's a top from 1997, that's TEN years ago. It was a mystery from ???Judy? Hopkins, that my previous Bee said we would test out. Actually it's even quilted, but without borders. So I need to put on borders AND quilt them. One is on so far. I intend to give this to my oldest granddaughter. When? you ask. Don't know.


Next, I once belonged to The Cotton Club, which sent out packets of 5" samples every month. Eventually I quit because I had a big stack of those samples, and no idea what to do with them. This was one idea from about 2-3 years ago: Cut the really dark ones into 4 squares for cornerstones, cut some in half for sashing on two sides, and then put saome in the middle, just as they are. This got a little big to handle, so I started another piece thinking I would sew them together after a while. But they don't match. The sashings aren't on the same sides.

And this one is the result of a fabric exchange at our Bee Retreat last fall. Everyone brought fat eights of FALL fabric for each of the others. I bought extra of my tan and brown fabric so that I could set all the others in this interlocking mable leave design. Cut some and sewewd some. Have fabrics left.Currently uninspired about this one.

Last for now, this is another Retreat project with a different group in 2005. Everyone brought 9-patches, black and white and bright in the middle, which we cut up and signed. Then we each got one of each other's quarters. After a while I sewed them all together because I was tired of all the little blocks. But this is a very odd size. And it has the signatures of a group of ladies I will probably never see again. My current plan is to put incorporate this into the backing of my next donation quilt.

Exercize today was walking on my street in the sunshine [!] with my trekking poles. The dogs across the way don't think I belong here and set up a ruckus every time I get out on my own driveway. So it is a noisy business to go for a walk. But I put in 18 minutes, which translated into about 1500 steps.

I am thinking about the idea of a Word for the Year, instead of a New Year's Resolution. Certainly haven't "resoved" anything for many years. Do most of that kind of thinking for Lent. The Word that comes to me for now is TRUST. Which is fairly close to "Let Go". If I can be more trusting, then I will be able to let go of the muchness in some parts of my life.

Trust. [Better than "faith" which always sounds to me like the right set of beliefs.]

Sara

Steps: 2880

Gratitudes:

Sharing/listening to my Reunion group

Solomon's little smile when I praise his reading

Working on quilting project

Peter's Baby Quilt

A FIND in the basement! Here is the quilt Charlie's mother bought for our son, Peter. I think she purchased it at some church sale. Each block has an embroidered animal. For instance, a snail! That's a bit unusual.
It also has Prairie points all around in blue and white.
I haven't seen anything like this is while, but they were very popular when I was a baby, I think. Not that I had one!

Time for me to stop storing this, out of sight, out of mind, and time to hand it over to Peter. Or should I save it for his 40th birthday next summer? No, I think I will probably have forgotten about it again by then, and it will end up stayingat my house. Better give it to him tomorrow. Then he can decide who to pass it on to.

And here are the finished 9-patches for Step 3 of Bonnie Hunter's Carolina Crossroads mystery. Didn't think it would take this long, but finally got them "squared up" this afternoon.

So that makes 100 rail fence blocks, 100 9-patches with an accent corner, and 80 9-patches like this. Plus 16 dark plain squares, and 25 neutral plain squares. For a grand Total (so far) of 321 blocks made. That's enough to make a finished pieced top of about 36" x 80". We were told at the beginning this quilt will be 80" x 80". So not yet half done, but getting close!

Off this evening to our SpoolSpinner bee's holiday party. That will include a potluck of appetizers, salads, and desserts, a concert by a Madrigal Choir, the revelation of Secret Sisters for the past year, sign up for Secret Sisters for next year, and an exchange of White elephants. I'm taking a UFO as a White Elephant that I am sure I will never get finished--or I certainly don't want to spend time on-- four 12.5" blocks from kits (all the same) and 2.3 yards of fabric that could be borders or backing. Fun to see if anyone wants to exchange for it!

LATER: Here at last is my Secret Sister, Bonnie Golder, looking happy to receive the Red and White 16-patch. She very nicely claimed that she loves RED.

She and I happened to be roommates on the Bee quilting retreat back in September, so she thought I had given her lint-rollers because I saw all the threads on her clothes. Really, ALL quilters have this problem.

Sara

Steps today: 8863

Gratitudes:

Lovely tins and diabetic candy from my Secret Sister, Timmy

A fun time with other quilters

Home again to a quiet house

"Healthy Habits" report for last 9 days

I exercised seven days of nine.
I did not eat ONLY healthy foods, but I did better than previously. Putting in a lots of time on the Secret Sister quilt has kept my hands busy and my thoughts away from food (even away from the Food Network).
I planned my snacks to the extent that I had the appropriate foods in the house, and NO CHIPS! I gave myself permission to have one piece of Christmas toffee a day.
My weight stayed the same. This report is due on Mondays, so I'm late too.

Monday I purchased walking poles, they're like ski poles, but meant for hiking or walking. I have hopes that these will help me stand up straighter while walking and therefore not get the backaches that have discouraged me. Also, I need to not only SURVIVE our jungle and mountain hikes in Costa Rica after Christmas, but keep up with my 10 year old grandson for whom it is a special time with Grandpa and Grandma. So I chose poles that can be shortened to fit into my suitcase--naturally the high end of the price-range. I hope that expense will encourage me to USE them, even this week at home as I add twice a week walks from home to my exercise plan. [Ruler against wall to show scale.]

Today I walked completely around the outside wall of Meijers, and the pedometer said it was 1000 steps. By the time I had done my shopping, unloaded at home and eaten lunch I was up to 5000. So I am happy with that, especially since most days I do less than 5000. Of course the GOAL is 10,000. "Getting there, one step at a time" is my mantra these days. I've burned and crashed too many times before.

Food challenges of this week:
1.) Parishioners are giving DH, their priest, lovely Christmas food gifts, such as fudge, fruitcake and cookies. They sit on the kitchen counter all day. Tonight I am going to tell him to take them back to his office as my will power is lowering.
2.) Two potluck dinners at parties. I will try to stand on the other side of the room from the goodies and keep my glass full of something non-caloric.
3.) We need to empty the refirgerator before our trip. Plan: I must THROW away food, not consume it.

The Secret Sister quilt is in the wash machine. When its dry I'll get a photo of the whole top. Maybe that quilt needs a better name. . . . what would be fitting? "Red & White 16-Patch" is pretty descriptive of the center.

Sara

Steps today: 7723

Gratitudes:

Reunion group Christmas tonight,

Helped a lady in Meijer's with my punch recipe,

Talked to Sue on the phone for a minute.

White quilting

Exercise today: 40 min "walking" in the pool and 10 min swimming
Steps = 3197

Whew! By sitting down to it two different times, I got the white squares marked and quilted this afternoon. My test of this blue marker on a scrap of white fabric washed right out, so I trust these marks will all be gone after I spritz with water. This not an adventurous quilting pattern, however after much thought I felt more confident using a purchased template--and it was hearts, which was what I wanted.

HOORAY! This gift is done two whole days early! Now to discern which of the many White Elephants in my sewing room will be wrapped for the SpoolSpinner party gift exchange.

After dinner I worked some more on the 9-patches for Bonnie's Caroline Crossroads mystery quilt. I thought I had enough of the 3-patch strips to get the 80 blocks made, but I had miscalculated on the dark-light-dark ones by about 25 out of 160. Made those. Got 40 blocks all put together, pressed and squared-up. Bonnie sez she doesn't square-up, but I don't think my workmanship is a good as hers!

Suddenly agitated about clothing for the trip to Costa Rica, and shoes, and a JACKET!

Sara

Gratitudes:
Sensation of water on my body in the pool
Mouse (wood) in the creche stable
Laughing with Charlie

Red Thread

Exercise today: Strength & Stretch class,
steps 5582

Monday is "Change the Bed" day at our house. So here is the Christmas duvet cover on the bed. Nobody ever told me that you could make a quilt top and then turn it into a duvet cover, I just did it because we have a duvet for the winter. It is so snuggly and warm, without being too hot. The regular cover is about worn-out with creeping wear holes near our face, so perhaps another duvet cover would be a good use for a UFO?

Secret Sister quilt: Finished the quilting I had planned to do with Red Thread. So before I changed the machine over to white thread, I finished making the binding, the rod pocket, and the label. When I then applied the binding to the quilt, I caught down the rod pocket and the label. In this photo you can see the backing fabric which is a fairly heavy flannel. The fabric's pattern does a great job concealing my wobbly machine quilting, and I love the pattern.

So now I have my only hand sewing to do on any quilt: tack down the lower edge of the rod pocket, and the folded edge of the label triangle. Now I am fearing the quilting that needs to be done in the white spaces on the quilt--but I'll put that off until tomorrow.

Sara

Gratitudes:
Exercise class stretches
Birthday lunch for Jo
Gift eggrolls for dinner

Third Week of Advent

The Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent started "Rejoice. . .", hence the name "Gaudete" Sunday. Today our Collect has changed, but we still light the rose candle, not quite so penitent as purple.

Our book discussion group is reading Toward Holy Ground, Spiritual Directions for the Second Half of Life, by Margaret Guenther. Today's chapter is entitled, "A Good Death".
The end of the year, the length of these dark nights, and my increasing bodily aches -- all make this a appropriate topic. She says that preparation for death is a life-long project! Hmmm, I've put this off for a many years. Her recommendations include a daily examen of conscience, acknowlegement of our pain and loss, holding onto hope. Old words, but difficult to follow. I guess one really does need long practice so the process becomes "natural".

Yesterday I did all the Stitch-in-The-Ditch quilting on the Secret Sister quilt. Today I "screwed my courage to the sticking point" and started free motion quilting the red and white fabric. It has a very concealing pattern, which I really need. Now that I've finished that part with loops, I am looking at the outer, red fabric and trying to imagine that it too will hide the vagaries of my stitching, Probably NOT. However, I am using red thread at this point, so it will be a little hidden. Since I want this quilt to be useable for Valentine's season as well as Xmas, I am conjuring Hearts for this border. But now the corners that I liked are causing a planning problem----anything the right size for the border will be too small for the corner. Need to "put on my thinking cap". [Shades of Brownie Scout Troop #556 in 1950!]

Sara

Gratitudes:
No trouble driving to church (snow)
Choir practice for Christmas Eve sounded good
Lunch with Kathie

Hole in the Lake

Quiggle Lake has frozen in a strange shape this year. Usually our side of the lake is the last to freeze because the spring is near our shore and the lake is much deeper not too far off our dock. So far we have a skim of ice, who knows how thick, that goes wayout to the middle, and a round hole out there. The geese have been gathering in LARGE numbers, but seem to be gone this morning when I took this photo.

On the window ledge you can see Mary and Joseph under the care of the Angel marching on their way to Bethlehem. Only 9 days left in Advent and arrival at the creche stable.

We had a little supper party last night, which always throws me into a dither and almost complete exhaustion by the time the company arrives. Even when it is simply spaghetti and salad! I certainly am the complete Introvert, whose reaction to arriving at a party is to say, "How soon can we leave?" When the party is at your own house. . . . However, once I find the conversation interesting my mind gets into gear and I do enjoy the exchange of ideas.

Calmed down afterwards by working on Bonnie's latest clue for the Mystery quilt Carolina Crossroads, getting most of my strips of three patches sewn together while listening to jazz on the radio.

Since my kitchen counter is all cleaned off for the event lastnight, I will find it easy to get the Secret Sister quilt top layered and pinned with batting and backing for the real quilting work. Also will give me time to imagine the quilting design(s).

Sara

Gratitudes:

SHORT haircut for Costa Rica, clean house, quiet day

Secret Sister quilt Top done!

Secret Sister quilt TOP finished today.
For the moment it is 43" x 37", which is odd, but the border can be cut down later. I have enough of the red border fabric to cover the whole back and make the binding, I think.

Took more time than I was expecting. Each step was fairly simple, but with pressing, and cutting and FIGURING. . . . here it is 10 PM. Saturday I can start layering it and thinking about how to quilt.

I like the corner cut in like this. Pretty easy with an on-point block plan, but I don't remember seeing it used much. Gives it a more "old fashioned" look.

My exercise today was the Strength and Stretch class Charlie and I attend for a hour. Today was our Holiday luncheon, but we did the full hour of exercise first. I even was quite responsible in what I ordered at the restaurant--and had no dessert. My pedomoter only reports 1100 steps. That hardly seems enough. Guess I'll have to do a Step Check walking on the driveway and counting my steps myself to see if it matches.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Freedom to work all afternoon on this top

Followed my plan

Secret Sister progress

Despite weather forecasts of bad driving, I got myself out of the house at about 8:20 to go to the "Swimercise" class, and I even got all the contents together for a package to St. Louis and carried them with me. I was about 5 minutes late for the class, but I give myself high marks for getting out the door in time at all--other weeks I would have excused myself. Thank you "Quiltercize" friends for making me accountable. As FlyLady says, "You have to do this for yourself. You deserve it!" But it helps to know that others are working on the same project--even if that isn't Bonnie's mystery.

Having done my exercise, and organized my package at the Post Office, I reward myself by working on the next rounds for my Secret Sister quilt. I sewed the 2.5 inch four-patches together with the red and white fabric as bigger four-patches. They are now added to the middle section, and as I was cutting the setting triangles, I made a cutting mistake. Or a thinking mistake. I had bought JUST what I thought I would need, so now I will need more of this fabric--about six inches! Well, I got it recently because I didn't have any red with this much white in my Stash. I hope there are 6 inches left on the bolt!
Outside this there will be a narrow white sashing, and then a dark red wider border.
I will need to have it quilted and bound by a week Thursday. Since I hear Bonnie is going to tie up my time this weekend with another of her clues, I better work on this now.
Off I go to the local Joanne's!
--------------------

Found it! And enough of the "right" red for the outer border.

I also stopped at an outdoor-athletic store and bought a new pedometer, or STEP-ometer. This is the third or fourth I have bought, the first two fell off my waist and were lost. I think because the clip was not strong enough. So the last one was chosen specificly because it had a real spring in the clip, not just a piece of plastic. That one lasted a lot longer, but eventually also fell off--and BROKE into two pieces. That one only cost $12.

Today the only other one with a good, strong clip was $50. Here it is, tipped up so you can see the metal spring in the clip. Hmm, that's pretty pricey, but I decided I really wanted it for this Quilters-Exercize group ("Quiltercize"?). Need to be counting my steps so I know I need to move around more.

When Charlie got home this evening, he was delighted to find that his Christmas shopping for me was completed, and he was giving my present to me two weeks early! And he didn't even have to wrap it since I was eager to get it out of the box.

This machine claims it will even read my pulse, but it has taken me so long to calculate the length of my step in centimeters and get THAT entered, that I am not reading any more of the instruction manual tonight.

Sara


Gratitudes:
Slimfast to drink for lunch
Slush, not ice on driveway
Success in shopping for grands

Secret Sister

My quilting bee, SpoolSpinners, has a Secret Sister option, beginning each January. That means the "reveal" is at our December meeting. I am now trying to put the little four-patches I have been making as leaders and enders into a table topper for my Secret Sister. My thought is that Red and White are good for Christmas and also are good for Valentine's Day and even the Fourth of July. Therefore a "lasting" color combination.

I have put together these 16-patches and am planning on an on-point setting. Now I need to make some HSTs that white and red to set around what I have already. This will give the effect of an inner border.

This project has a due date before Christmas, whereas the Carolina Crossroads does not have a deadline. So I am working on this one (and doing a little cutting of fabrics for the mystery as well between times).

Sara

Gratitudes:
some sun between the clouds,
dinner out with my DH telling each other about our day
Red and White! Love it.

Bonnie Hunter's Mystery

I mentioned that Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville (quiltville.com ) has made her latest quilt into an as-she-goes mystery for her followers (of whom there are MANY). In two days she had over 600 quilters sign up to be in the group. She working on the second step while telling us about the first step!

"Carolina Crossroads" is the title.

Bonnie's first step was the creation of 100 Rail Fence blocks from 1.5" strips, two dark fabric rails and an accent color in the middle. These make 3.5" blocks. She wants us to make them from our stash of already purchased fabric. So that is the task we are all working on now.

I finished last night and here are the ten stacks of ten blocks I put together from dark plaids with a yellow/gold homespun check in the middle.

Now I can go back to working on the December present for my Bee Secret Sister. It's red and white so far. Need to decide about the inner and outer borders....will green make it too one seasonal? Maybe keep it red and white so it can be used all the way through February.

Sara