Swap Received!

Wednesday night, I got my swap from Cass at the CMQG meeting.

I got this adorable little doxie pin cushion that is now on my desk at the office to keep me company.



And she made this doxie pillow.



Oh darn! I should have gotten Max's face in the picture since he was being such a good boy to model the pillow!

On the back of the pillow is a Dachshund Christmas fabric!



This is just the best swap gift!! Thanks, Cass!

Swap Made - Sew Together Bag

Tonight was our Christmas party at the CMQG and we had a Christmas swap. I made a Sew Together bag for my partner Cass.





I started working on the bag on Sunday night and worked on it pretty steadily Monday and Tuesday nights as well. The pattern is a little fussy, but the bag turned out well so I was able to follow the directions. And yes, there are 4 zippers in this bag!











This is why I haven't posted yet this week. :) And Cass seemed to really like the bag, too!!

Stash Report Week 35, 2013

Another week and no changes. But for this week, that is phenomenal!

Yesterday, I drove down to Louisville to work the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild booth at the show. We also had some of our quilts in the show. Of course I left my camera at home so I could only use my phone.



I think this is the best picture that I have gotten of Fade to Red that shows the gradations in the colors the most accurately. The background is nice as well. :)

This lovely purple Featherweight was spotted at a vendor's booth.



And once I got home, I worked on the rest of the B blocks for Easy Street. I have the rest webbed and pressed and ready for the final piecing!



Fabric added this week: 0.00
Fabric added YTD: 116.33

Fabric used this week: 0.00
Fabric used YTD: 63.18

Net Fabric Used: -53.15

Stash Report Week 28, 2013

Post # 1996!!

Yesterday, I went on a Shop Hop with other gals from the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild. We started at Sewn Studios, went to Lavender Street and then to lunch in Waynesville and then to Fabric Shack. It was a great time!

I got these text prints from Lavender Street. They are gorgeous! I think the line is Mama Said Sew.



At Fabric Shack, I found a nice backing for the dog quilt that I am making for the dog sitter. The picture isn't the greatest. It is a white background with red and black flowers and leaves.



Our lunch was fantastic! We went to the Hammel House Inn. I had quiche which was awesome, but some of the gals got a po boy sandwich and it was huge!



Fabric added this week: 11.00
Fabric added YTD: 116.33

Fabric used this week: 0.00
Fabric used YTD: 53.68

Net Fabric Used: -62.65

Bags and anticipation

Last month, my fellow Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild members and I had the chance to order tote bags from thirty-one to raise money for the Guild and I ordered a couple.



I got a gray one and a purple one.

I had my name embroidered on the gray one in purple thread.



I love the lettering and this is going to be a great way to advertise! And an awesome way to tote around quilts that need to be returned!

The anticipation comes from this post being my 1995th post and my 6th year blogiversary is at the end of the month. I am sure that the 2000th post will be posted before the blogiversary, but I am already thinking about possible giveaways. Does that give you a little anticipation, too? I hope so! Stay tuned!

Cincinnati International Quilt Festival Starts Today!

Tonight is the Preview Night for the IQF show here in Cincinnati! I am meeting several friends at the convention center to walk through the show and the vendors tonight.

I'm very happy to share that my Spinnerei quilt will be on display in the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild's Modern take on the Dresden Plate block exhibit.





If you will be there tonight, look for me! And I think will be going Saturday as well to peruse the other quilts and pick up any little tidbits from the vendors that I might have missed. :)

Hope to see you there!

Design Wall Monday - 12/17

After my teasers yesterday, I got the binding and hanging sleeve and label on my quilt. I was still burying threads when I got to the shop to drop it for pictures tonight. But it is now finished!!!

I started this quilt on December 8 - NINE DAYS AGO! I remember being amazed that I got the 5th Scrap Squad done in 3 weeks. I am just a tad shocked that this one was finished in less than that!

So this....



Became this....



The Dresdens remind me of Life Savers and I was trying to figure out a name for the quilt, but Life Savers just didn't seem right. Someone suggested You Spin Me Round and I plugged Spinning into an English to German translator and it came back with Spinnerei... So the quilt is now names Spinnerei!

I got it all quilted on Saturday and finished it up today. I quilted a tighter stipple in the white spaces and a bit of customizing in the plate blades with a dark grey (see below). I used a double layer of Warm and White for the batting because I have heard that some quilters do this for their quilts that are going to be in shows. It definitely helped with this quilt because there was a bit of fullness in the borders and the extra batting accepted that extra fabric.

The quilt is nice and heavy and stiff and hangs quite well!

Here is closer pictures of the plates.





This quilt was such a stretch for me to do. Many of my CMQG members will attest that I don't do wonky. But I am so pleased with this quilt and how it turned out! I can't wait to show it off!

Stash Report Week 50, 2012

For the Quilting Gallery's birthday giveaway, go to this post. Today is the last chance to enter.

What a week this has been!

I belong to the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild and we have a chance to make modern Dresden Plate quilts for display at the April 2013 IQF show. Our quilts were supposed to be done Wednesday for our meeting so that the organizers could take the quilts and photograph them to send to the event people for selection.

Of course, I didn't get my quilt finished, but I wasn't the only one so the deadline was extended to tonight at 5PM.

I took my quilt off the frame last night at 1AM! I need to get the binding made, sewn on and hand stitched down.

I just have to say that I am thrilled with how this turned out! And I got to bust a lot of fabric! I'm going to wait to show the full front of the quilt quilted until I can get the binding on and the threads buried. There are a lot of threads!

Here is one of the pictures that I took before I took the top off the design wall. It was a total fluke of a shot, but I like the effect.



I quilted it with double batting and I didn't have a bad time with it at all! It made the quilt very heavy and I love it! Here is the back of a section of the quilt.



A section of the front...



And my bag of scraps from making the blocks. I am going to have to come up with something to do with all of these...



Still a couple of weeks to keep busting some fabric this year! I can't wait to keep going!

Fabric added this week: 6.75
Fabric added YTD: 130.77

Fabric used this week: 13.51
Fabric used YTD: 172.81

Net Fabric Used: 42.04

Miscellany and Book Reviews

Wednesday night was the meeting of the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild that we were supposed to have our Dresden Plate quilt finished. Thank goodness I was not the only one who was struggling to meet the deadline and it was extended to Sunday at 5PM, but that is it. So I have to get cracking on finishing my quilt!

I decided on Tuesday that I should take off on Wednesday to get my blocks finished and my top assembled. Tuesday night, I stayed up late sewing and then Wednesday I sewed all day! I got the quilt top all assembled except for the outermost border just in time to leave for the meeting and show off my progress.

When I got home from the meeting, I was so pumped about seeing everyone else's quilts that I was determined to get the outer border on my quilt and make my backing so that I could get it loaded on the frame. I turned on my computer and that was the end of my Wednesday night. I did get the border strips cut and one side sewn on.

Last night - Thursday night - I had plans to finish the border and practice quilting a little, but then I started reading and decided just before 9 that I was petered out and I went to bed and read and fell asleep.

I didn't even post book reviews. See below.

Right now, it is almost 8 and I am trying to avoid news reports and the tv. I feel awful for the families that were affected by today's tragedy in Connecticut, but if I tune into anything... Well, let's just say that if there is one thing that I learned this week, it is that I am easily distracted by the TV.

As soon as I get this posted, I am going to work on the borders and the backing and then the tension on my quilt machine. I hope I can make time for all of it. And as soon as I get the borders on the quilt, I can take a picture and share it. :)

Hell Gate is the 12th book in the Alexandra Cooper series by Linda Fairstein. Alex is the sex crimes ADA in NYC and partners with homicide detective Mike Chapman and sex crimes detective Mercer Wallace to solve heinous crimes in the city. There is a shipwreck of a shore in the city and dozens of people are injured with several bodies already being washed ashore. One body has a tattoo that indicates she is property in a prostitution ring.

Mercer show up late to the shipwreck due to a seemingly unrelated domestic incident involving a congressman and his mistress. Then, the mistress disappears and winds up at the bottom of a well.

There was a lot of political talk in this book that didn't seem to make a lot of sense until the end of the story. I ended up tuning a lot of stuff out since it didn't seem to be going anywhere. In the end, things fell together, but there were a lot of characters in the novel and it was difficult for me to keep things straight which isn't normal for this series. I also think that Mike's normally friendly digs at Alex are starting to get mean spirited and I wonder if it has something to do with his lack of a love life in the last couple of books. I hope that Fairstein gets him straightened out soon!

The Giving Quilt is the latest in the Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini. For me, my only gripe about these novels has been that the books are not in any sort of order for a series and that the main characters in the first few books are not really the common characters anymore. Now that I have started thinking of the series in terms of the estate being the one constant, it is a little easier to not worry that the last book jumped ahead in time by 20 years and killed off many of the original characters. (Sorry for the spoiler for anyone who hasn't read that one yet!)

In this book, the estate is around 20 years younger than the last book in the series and there is a quilt camp for Quiltsgiving. The story follows several of the attendees for the week as they open themselves up to friendship and giving while attending a free week at quilt camp.

I think that the idea of this book is that everyone has personal issues and struggles that they are facing, but there is always room to give. There were some hot topics included in the personal struggles - the economy and local politics and city budgeting - but when you are in a book, everything comes up roses. I do enjoy reading the books in this series as it is a nice break from the normal murders and mysteries that I enjoy, but this one wasn't one of my favorites about the estate.

Now, I am off to sew!

Design Wall Monday - 12/10

For the Quilting Gallery's birthday giveaway, go to this post.

I am working on my modern Dresden Plate blocks for the quilt for the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild. The quilt is due Wednesday, but at this point, I am just hoping that I can finish making all of my blocks and get the top assembled for the meeting. Things are going well now that I have the process down pat, but there was a fair amount of ripping and re-stitching when making the first 3 blocks.



My plan is to have a rainbow of blocks. Here is my pressing and cutting station with my notes and templates hanging on the wall.



I hope that I can get through the rest of the blocks without getting bored again or going out of my mind with boredom. lol

While I worked on my blocks, I kept the dogs busy with bones. :)

I hope it gets easier...

This weekend is the last chance that I will have to work on my Modern Dresden Plate quilt that has to be ready to show on Wednesday.

Ready to show as in completed.

As in quilted. And bound. With a hanging sleeve.

I have my fabric purchased. I have my quilt designed in my head with the quilting thoroughly thought out.

I thought that I had a good idea about how to make the blocks, but I decided that I wanted to test it out just to be sure.

I am so glad that I tested my idea about the blocks because I was wrong. WRONG!

I finally decided to print out a template to get the angles a little closer to what they should be. And I managed to salvage what I had already cut, sewn, pressed and cut again.

A mess of scraps resulted.



And a quarter of a block with a sliver missing.



And here are the templates that I decided I couldn't do without.



I need to make another quarter of a block in the morning to see how it works out. Then, I can start cutting, sewing, pressing, etc.

Oh and I have just a little farther to go on the quilt that is on the frame. That will be finished tomorrow to give me the room to load the Dresden Plate. IF (BIG IF!) the blocks are finished and then assembled into a quilt top.

Only time will tell.....

At least I have a little support at home with me!

WIP Wednesday - 11/28

Oh man! I have so much to do and I am seriously running low on time!

I took last week off from quilting since my parents were in town all week for Thanksgiving and it was probably a mistake. I have 2 quilts that have deadline within the next week and I should have gotten at least one on the frame to work on while I was home. Instead, I worked on cutting and piecing the 6th Scrap Squad. I got all of my sub units made so that I can start assembling the blocks and I am putting it aside for the time being.





I love strip piecing!!

I realized on Monday that I have 2 weeks from today to START and FINISH the dresden plate quilt for the Modern Guild. I am not sure it is going to happen unless I devote ALL of my time to working on it. Now that I have picked my fabrics, I am so worried about cutting into it and wasting any of it. I need to get some scrap fabric and test out my block assembly to see how wide my strips should be so that I can start cutting. Once I have the blocks made, I am pretty sure that the rest will be a cake walk, but I am practically freezing up when it comes to making the blocks.



I started working on a picture wall hanging for a co-worker and I have to have it done tonight. It's not going to happen. I have an eye appointment after work and I am pretty sure that they are going to dilate my eyes and I will not be able to do anything for the rest of the night. Last night, I got the quilt assembled and layered with the batting and the backing. I should have done the quilting last night, but it was late and I was tired and Lula was trying my patience.



Last week...
One Midget block
Make goodies for the Blog Hop Giveaway
Start on 6th Scrap Squad
Start CMQG challenge quilt

Next week...
Quilt 2 quilts
Finish picture wall hanging
Make goodies for the Blog Hop Giveaway
Start CMQG challenge quilt

I linked up at Freshly Pieced.

I must have been sick...

If you are looking for the Modern Designs for Classic Quilts book giveaway, that is in this post.

Three weeks ago, I was in Shipshewana for a quilt retreat. When I got there, I was just getting over a cold and by Saturday, my cough had come back with a vengeance. My roommate Laurel and I went to Yoder's and Lolly's about an hour before they closed on Saturday. I looked around both shops determined to buy SOMETHING to treat myself. I searched high and low... well, maybe just at my eye level.

I couldn't find one thing to buy for myself. Not one thing. I posted on facebook that I must be sick because I walked out empty handed and everyone online agreed with me. It wasn't until Tuesday or Wednesday after I got back that I realized that they were right. (For any newbies to my blog, I was congested and coughing until the end of last week!)

Last night, I went to a relatively new shop in the Cincinnati area - Sewn Studio. I have been there before, but I was looking for Bella Solids and was told that they have a great selection. Boy, do they have a great selection!!

I'm almost sorry to have to admit this, but I finally fell off the stash busting wagon!

I have a specific project that I needed these solids for - a Dresden Plate challenge for the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild. It has to be at least 48" square and completely finished by December 12. I am really cutting it close to get something done!

I got to Sewn Studio last night and got to work picking out the fabrics that I need. I am sort of winging this - very much a modern thing, but a little trying for a semi-OCD accountant! I think I over bought fabric, but I am sure that I can salvage the extras for another project!

Here are my main colors. (Oh and see the darling little creatures in the background? They ended up getting into a skirmish** within minutes of my taking this picture. sigh...)



Here is a non-flash picture with the white that will be the background for my challenge quilt.



I do still need to get 2 more colors. The dark burgundy is filling in for the real color that I want to get. And I need another light yellow.

Since I had time to wander the shop while all this luscious fabric was getting cut, I decided on a couple of smaller purchases as well.



Sew Stitchy and Mod Century charm packs. I think that I am going to make a disappearing nine patch with at least one of these packs. So I got a little extra white and a lot of extra black Bella. I mean, I was there and figured that I might as well, right? ;)

So, it looks like I really was sick in Shipshewana!

** The skirmish was ended quickly and without incident. Maisy was pretty shaken up, but Lula was put into her place. Maisy is now resting comfortably on her throne pillow.

Modern Designs for Classic Quilts Blog Tour

Today is my day for the Modern Designs for Classic Quilts blog tour!

This is my very first blog tour! I'm so excited to be participating! You are probably wondering why I got picked to participate and I am going to share that with you now!

The authors of this wonderful piece of modern quilting with traditional inspiration are Kelly Biscopink and Andie Johnson and I was lucky enough to meet both of these gals at the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild.

Now here is the very exciting part for me... Back in March 2011, more than a year and a half ago, Andie approached me to see if I would quilt something for her. Of course, I said that I could do that and then she told me that it was a secret and I couldn't show anything on my blog. And then, she had another quilt and Kelly brought me a third quilt. And I couldn't show anything on my blog!

It was agony to keep a secret for that long! But now, I can show my pictures!

The first quilt that I quilted for the book is In the Clouds.



I really love the simplicity of this quilt, but the colors and the pop of the flying geese is fantastic in person!

Here is a closer view of the quilting. It is just straight lines that flow back and forth. It reminds me of clouds.



And I will take a few minutes to say that I was thoroughly impressed with the layout of the book for each quilt.. The book shows the quilt in a staged picture along with the specific details for the quilt. The next couple of pages give the instructions with great diagrams and a detailed shot of the quilting on the quilt. And finally, there is a full page shot of the quilt. Seriously, the photographs in the book are STUNNING!

The next quilt that I did was also for Andie and it was the Meshugana crazy quilt. This quilt used a wide variety of fabrics to make crazy blocks in creams and khakis. (See what I mean about the book pics and the layout?)



Here are a couple of pictures that I took when I was done with the quilting.





This quilt was so luscious that I bet it will be great to snuggle under this winter!

And now for the piece de resistance! Did you happen to see the cover of the book? That gorgeous log cabin? Guess who quilted it!!!

That's right -  ME!!

This one may have been the toughest to do. I basted the quilt on my frame with large stitches and then straight line quilted it on my domestic machine. And then I picked out all the basting because I didn't want to use a water soluble thread because I knew this quilt wasn't going to be washed before going into the book. But it turned out fantastic!

Here are a few shots that show the quilting a little better.









I really think that I need to make one of these quilts for myself! I just love how all the straight line quilting turned out!

F+W Media, the publisher, and Kelly and Andie generously gave me a copy of the book to giveaway. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post and tell me if you are more of a traditional quilter or a modern quilter. No reply commenters must leave their email in the comment to be eligible for the giveaway.

**edited 11/12 - I have had 4 no reply comments in a row. I will be deleting all no reply comments unless your email is included in the body of the comment so that I have a way to get in touch in the event that you win.**

I will draw a name with the Random Number Generator on November 26 so you have plenty of time to enter! Good luck!

And here is the schedule for the blog tour!

Monday, 11/5    Andie & Kelly, AndieJohnsonSews & Stitchy Quilt Stuff
Tuesday, 11/6    Lindsay of CraftBuds
Wednesday, 11/7    Jill of Darling Jill Quilts - That's me!!
Thursday, 11/8    Faith of Fresh Lemons
Friday, 11/9    Tracy of Generation Q
Saturday, 11/10    Angela of Quilting is my Therapy
Sunday, 11/11   Shannon of Stitch Craft Create
Monday, 11/12   Laurie of Scarlet Fig
Tuesday, 11/13   Kaysie of KZJo’s Studio
Wednesday, 11/14   Jessica of A Little Gray
Thursday, 11/15   Mary of The Tulip Patch
Friday, 11/16    Deborah of Whipstitch
Saturday, 11/17   Lindsay of  The Cottage Mama 
Sunday, 11/18    Jenny of Sew Kind of Wonderful
Monday, 11/19   Carla of LollyQuiltz
Tuesday, 11/20   Thomas of Thomas Knauer Sews
Wednesday, 11/21   Brenda of Pink Castle Fabrics
Thursday, 11/22   Lindsay + Liz Rea of CraftBuds + Inspire Me Grey
Friday, 11/23   Sarah of The Last Piece
Saturday, 11/24    Andie, Kelly, and Cara of AndieJohnsonSews, Stitchy Quilt Stuff , and Cara Quilts