UFO #8 finished

Binding in process this morning. Note: a bit of the black and white batik backing is showing down near the floor.

Catherine Martin's excellent idea for the quilting pattern.

The whole thing, 66" X 96", hanging on the kitchen wall before I took a walk through the meadow. The SUNSHINE outdoors was its own thrill, but it was also fun to see this through the kitchen window as I returned to the house.

This was my idea for the Black and White Challenge , which was to include one other color. And the simple, simple plan for a zig-zag [two-rail fence] came from Amandajean at http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com .

This was finished well before dinner, so I looked through my cabinet of UFOs for some pineapple appliques already sewn together that Dianne gave me "to do something with". I found it. But I also found these blocks which leapt into my hands. They are now put together into a baby quilt, and I have started quilting.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Sunshine after much dark gray sky

Christmas stocking candy--a big pile like Halloween!

Another C.J. Box mystery

Retreat Accomplishments

My first task was to finish this Baby Steps quilt by ironing it, with a pieced flannel backing, to a fusible bat.

I decided on a freeform zig-zag quilting design, with a largish meander in the border. I had the strips all cut in advance for the binding, so that was relatively quickly finished using the machine-sew-both-sides method.

I spent most of Saturday working on the borders for my "Your Way" mystery, that our Bee is enjoying.

Lots of the other women were also working on this mystery quilt: laying out their blocks or sewing on borders (or one and then the other).
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LuAnn had her blocks out on the floor.

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Sandy D. used Chistmas fabrics.

And Linda was even at the point of quilting hers.








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The quilt tops are amazingly different! Everyone really got into the "Your Way" designation.
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And Saturday was national "Talk Like a Pirate Day"--so our attempts caused laughter as the day went on.

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Sara
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Gratitudes:
DQS7 quilt on my loveseat
Women's Chorus rehearsal last night
Book Group discussion of "The Madonnas of Leningrad"

Labor Weekend #2

Blocks for the zig-zag baby quilt are sewn together and inner border is added. I need to find a batik for a wider border and the binding--and a flannel back. Say, maybe this could be called "Baby Steps".

I walked around the flower garden in the late afternoon light, and can share with you the white PeeGee hydrangea turning to pink as the temperatures fall at night.

Here is a view of just a little of the Goldenrod in our meadow.

Once again we had dinner on the deck.

This time the corn on the cob was paired with lasagna and raw veggies.
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Sara

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Gratitudes:

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Present ready to go to baby shower tomorrow
Pre-made lasagna made dinner easy

Enjoyed a lot of tennis on TV today

Last IBOL boxes, new project

Today I finished filling the Flat Rate boxes I had from the P.O. for Iraqi Bundles of Love. I forgot to take any photos, but here is the evidence that I used my stash.
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THREE totally empty plastic storage boxes! Now what am I going to do with them?


Well, I could pack up some of the piles of fabric and unfinished projects that are all over the bed in the sewing room....


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As I was looking through the boxes of fabric to determine what I was ready to send away for good, I found a couple of small "jelly rolls", only 10 strips each in pastel batiks. So I have started a baby quilt with them and some white-on-white prints.
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It's going to ba another Zig-zag quilt, but this time I'm going to let the zig-zags go diagonally. More interesting I think, and definitely easier to put together--no setting triangles necessary!
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Sara
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Gratitudes:
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Lynne is only bruised from a serious car accident, and NO ONE hurt but her
Article about IBOL in the Honolulu Advertizer (look here) http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009909040369

Zig-zag and Queen of the Prairie

The Zig-zag top is mostly together, at least all the diagonal strips are now sewn together. There is one black zig-zag. You can now see that I also made one triple zig-zag with black around a red fabric. This is NOT in the middle.

I'm going to study some various small strips for an inner border.

We have only one more day before leaving on vacation, so I doubt that I will get this totally "bordered" before we go.

And out in the garden the Queen of the Prairie is in full bloom, though it seems more appropriate to say "in full FLUFF". This is a perenniel plant which totally dies back to the ground in the fall, and before that the foliage turns brown and looks really ratty. I hope to get some started in the meadow where it will look great from a distance as well as close up.

Sara

Gratitudes:

gentle rain this AM

breakfast with friends

no grocery shopping necessary today

Zig-Zag start

I have started a Zig-Zag quilt top following the "no triangles" method described by amandajean.


Red and white and black are the chosen colors.

First I sewed together two 3" strips, one colored, one background.

Then cut into 5.5" segments.










Two of these blocks are then sewn together are shown to the left.

The really tricky part

[I did this incorrectly several times]

is putting the double blocks together

so that it makes a zig-zag.

The secret is that this is put together on the DIAGONAL.

I'm having a good time so far, expecially because I have quite a stash of red and black fabrics. I even made a slight change in the pattern, which I will show you later.

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However, my only place to lay it all out and check my work is on my own bed. Therefore I had to get going to clear the bed for sleep tonight.

I got "columns" all together so I was eventually able to pick up the columns in order and lay them neatly in the sewing room for tomorrow. After that: BORDERS!

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Sara

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Gratitudes:

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Another warm, sunny and breezy day

Planning our family vacation

Ice cream in a cup, sitting by the river