Busy Saturday!

Saturday was the companion class for the Deb Tucker ruler BOM. This month we got the Tucker Trimmer and our class was Solitaire.

My partner in crime, Tina, had all of her blocks made before class and came to assemble her quilt. I got 2 blocks made and she got the center of her quilt assembled. The top was done by the end of the night!

I, on the other hand, went with these people .... me, my niece, my niece's friend, and my sister....

To see this Broadway in Cincinnati show...

This was one of my favorite movies to watch when I babysat and I was excited to see the live production. It was very interesting to see how it was adapted. And we all had a great time going to dinner before the show and then a modern art display on our way back to the car!

I have 3 more shows to see in this season and I am very excited about all of them!

BOM and quilt class

The last time I posted was the day of my first BOM. This Saturday, is a quilt class using the ruler from the BOM class 10 days ago. It's about time that I share some pics!

Tina, my partner in crime who is taking the BOM and classes with me, had her block made by 8 PM the day of the class. Over achiever! lol

This is the fabric kit that the shop was offering and Tina and I got the same color variation - speckled white background and bright fabrics.

After seeing another friend's finished block the next day (seriously, they make me feel like a slacker!!), I decided that I needed a black for my background.

I chose an old fabric from my stash - Water Drops by P&B Textiles.

And here is my finished block. It was so easy with the Deb Tucker ruler, the Tucker Trimmer!

This Saturday, we taking the Solitaire class to get  more familiar with the Tucker Trimmer. The pattern is a Card Trick design with 4 colors and a background. I am trying to use fabrics from stash and had the pink and purple. I matched it with the light mustard and green from the shop. I figured that I would see what background would work between gray and black.

I think the black is the clear winner! Time to get the fabric cut for class!

Monthly Accomplishments - April 2011

What a month! Lots of fun was had at the beginning on the month and lots of sewing was done after that! :)

1. Cut out and assembled the flamingo quilt and made the binding and backing
2. Cut out and assembled the Maxine quilt and made the binding and backing
3. Made Midget blocks - 9, 10, 11, and 12
4. Got the borders on Split Second Decision and made the backing
5. Took Gayle Bong's Save the Scraps workshop at the IQF with my bestie, Regina!
6. Hosted Regina, Susan, Marj and Carolyn for the weekend of IQF and had a group over for dinner during the weekend that included Jean, Kelly and Barb. We also got to see Jennifer lots during the weekend, too!
7. Drew up an idea for the Modern Quilt Guild Challenge and got my fabrics
8. Finished the Star Struck blocks and got them laid out on the design wall
9. Made 8 pillowcases
10. Almost finished new leaders for the quilt frame
11. Cut out the Paris in the Fall BOM for the UFO Challenge

 And I read!

1. Death Qualified by Kate Wilhelm
2. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
3. Charm City by Laura Lippman
4. While My Pretty One Knits by Anne Canadeo
5. Butchers Hill by Laura Lippman - haven't written the review yet

Now, I need to get started on things for my May list! :)

International Quilt Festival 2011 - quilt class

As you probably all know by now, last weekend was the IQF in Cincinnati and I had house guests! Regina showed up on Wednesday night .... Well, "showed up" is not the correct phrase. She was supposed to arrive via plane at 10 PM to the Dayton Airport for me to pick her up. On my way home from work, I get a text that her flights were re-routed and she would be arriving in at 11PM. About the time that I was getting prepared to leave my house, I get another text from her stating that she had yet to board and that maybe I should check the flight info online to see when she would finally arrive.... 11:52 PM! I think that she was scared to tell me how late it would be... UGH!!!

Anyway, I snagged her from the airport almost as soon as she de-planed and we were off! We got back to my house around 1 and were settled in for sleep around 2 AM with alarms set for 6 AM so that we could pack lunches and get to our class with plenty of time.

Getting to class wasn't too much of a problem except for the sun delay that kept us on the highway for way too long AND the misdirection from Convention Center workers and IQF workers. We did score a prime parking spot for the class that day and I think that made up for the misdirections. :)

When we finally got to the class, Regina was kind enough to set up our sewing areas while I checked people in and performed my Teacher's Pet duties. After just a few minutes, we were ready to begin.

Our class was Savor the Scraps by Gayle Bong. I received Gayle's Save the Scraps book last year and enjoyed looking at the patterns in it, but I haven't made one of her quilts. But since I recognized her name and Regina and I both liked the picture that was in the class catalog, we decided to take her class.

I have to say that I was very pleased that we picked Gayle's class. She is an awesome teacher and the block pieces and processes that we learned are fantastic!






We used these sewing machines for our classes and while I wanted one at the beginning of the class, the beeps and bells were annoying me by lunch! It was a good little machine other than the beeps and bells!

And here's Regina who sewed right next to me.



And my first couple of thirtysomething blocks.




And a few pictures of quilts that Gayle brought to show us in class. Regina and I both really like the sampler. Click on any of the pictures to see it enlarged.




We got a 2 hour break for lunch, but I was starting to fade fast. When we got back to the room, we still had some time before class was starting so I decided to put my head down and rest a little. I ended up falling asleep for about 20 or 30 minutes, but woke right up when Gayle called me name to get started. When I woke up, I noticed a book that I was going to buy from Gayle's table at my sewing area and she had already autographed it for me. Regina was very sneaky and bought the book while I was asleep!!



We also got the pattern and the square ruler with the special 30* markings with the class. Very neat ruler!

And here are all the pieces that I got done in the class. I was having issues with the ruler slipping and decided to wait to trim the rest of the blocks until I could put some non-slip grip on the back of the ruler. We learned how to make several different types of blocks in class and I think that I can safely say that Regina and I both came out of class full of ideas on how to use these blocks!



Once we started making up the last of the blocks, Gayle picked my sewing area and my blocks to use in her final demonstration. I got to sew for her and everyone seemed to whip out their cameras at this point. :) Regina got a few good ones and you can see her post on the class HERE.

Thanks for taking the class with me, Reg!! And thanks for the book! I love it! And I think that I just figured out the perfect fabric to use for one of the quilts... :-D

Sock Update

I was able to make great progress on my sock last week by knitting during lunches and Friday and Saturday nights. I was concerned that the opening wasn't going to be big enough, but once I had a couple of inches done, I was able to use a sock that I currently wear as a comparison and the size is just about the same. I used the sock to get an idea of how long to make the leg, too.

The second sock class was supposed to be last night, but I got a call on Sunday that due to illness the class would be postponed. So I am ready for the next class next week where we will learn to turn the heel. :)



I'm loving this yarn and the striping!!

Socks yarn!!

Tonight, on my way home from work, I stopped at Lambikins for their open house and to sign up for the knitted socks class that starts in January. I'm very excited about it!! I picked out a nice pink sock yarn to try.



And between now and then, I will probably read through the book and practice new stitches if they are in there. I'm very excited!! Depending on how this class goes, 2010 could be the year of the socks!! lol

Cupcake Pin Cushion

Tuesday night, I had the last class at the shop for the Cupcake Placemats and Table Runner. Since everyone was able to finish a cupcake in the first class, we had a mini party with drinks, chocolate cupcakes and a couple of patterns. I brought a free pattern that I found online for a pin cushion. Since we just used empty toilet paper rolls, they are very small. But we know how to make them now and when we all have larger tubes, we will be able to make larger and more useful cupcakes!



Still it is very cute!

Weekend progress

When we last left off, I had finished the OBW top and was working on piecing the backing. On Sunday, I finished the backing and did a little housework.



I'll be able to take the quilt in to be quilted at the shop tomorrow when I go in to teach a class.

I also had a few kits of blocks to make for the Friendship swap with one of my Guilds. I made 4 blocks on Sunday and the 5th this morning.



After putting laundry away and straightening up the house a little, I made a wall hanging top out of the crumb blocks from the Bonnie Hunter classes.



I also cut the backing and made the binding, too. I plan on getting it quilted this week.

I had wanted to cut out a few more blocks, but that just didn't happen. I had to work this evening on some reports for work and I had some difficulty with the laptop. It all got done though and it's a good thing since it is back to work tomorrow. :(

August Accomplishments

This month, I had a couple of big things going on. The biggest being the weekend in Indianapolis and taking Bonnie Hunter classes. When I got back, I was in a lull, but I think that having Becca in for the weekend gave me just the kick into gear that I needed! Now, if I can just keep that momentum going for the National Sewing Month!!

Quilty Accomplishments

1. Prepped the backing and the binding for my 2008 BOM quilt
2. Made 2 popsicle blocks for Sew to Win at Guild
3. Got some lovely mail from Wales and now I have a ton of projects to make!
4. Made a good dent on organizing my scraps
5. Gave away 18.5 yards of fabric!
6. Threw my Jitterbug YBR blocks on the wall at the shop so that I can start assembling the quilt.
7. Made a table runner sample for the shop
8. Went to Indianapolis to take 2 classes from Bonnie Hunter and to spend a weekend with quilty pals! Here, here, and here.
9. Had Becca over for the weekend! Had a blast with her and ate at IHOP! Woo!!
10. Finished 3 wallets for Pay it Forward gifts
11. Made a Runaround Bag
12. Made and attached 2 borders onto my Wizard of Oz OBW

These last three have been done, I just haven't had a chance to blog about them with pictures yet.

Books read

1. Kalahari Typing School for Men by Alexander McCall Smith
2. These High Green Hills by Jan Karon
3. The Full Cupboard of Life by Alexander McCall Smith
4. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies by Alexander McCall Smith

I am still really enjoying the Mitford series books by Jan Karon and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. I have already requested the next books in both of the series from my library. I want to know what happens in them, but I am trying to make them last a while so that I can savor the story lines! They are just that good!!!

Saturday and Bonnie’s Crumb Class

Saturday, Becca and I just stopped for a quick breakfast before heading to class. We were the first ones there and were able to relax and wait while everyone else showed up. We had time to clean our areas and Becca sewed on her stars a little more. Once Bonnie showed up, she discussed the crumbs and smallest scraps that she will use in a quilt. She also threw some of her quilts on the floor so that we could look at them for inspiration and ideas.



Once we were all settled in and ready to start, Bonnie called us over to give a demonstration on how she makes her Crumb blocks. She said that instead of sewing with a long tail of fabric, she will just snip and rip the end of the tail off. Here is Linda’s reaction to that.



And I took a couple of pictures of Bonnie’s samples.



We were turned loose with our machines and scraps and told to sew for an hour before our next demo. Here is Becca, Linda and me with our first Crumb blocks.



Next, we learned how to make Maverick or Wonky Stars.



Sharon decided to use her Crumb blocks with some fabric that she brought to make a larger block in an interesting setting. She has plans to make a whole quilt with the blocks. It was very cute!!! And a great idea for a way to think out of the box!



At this point, it was time for lunch and then we had show and tell. Becca showed off her Animal Parade quilt with her pieced backing and I think that Bonnie was impressed with it! And Bonnie showed us her Dear Jane in the Storm at Sea setting Gorgeous!!!



Next, we learned how to make scrappy hearts. Linda had a bit of trouble with this one. We ended up saying that she needed heart surgery and adult supervision!



There … this looks better!



And Cathy showed off her blocks on her portable design wall.



Then, we learned letters. I like the letters!! And here are all of my blocks from the entire day.



After class, we headed back to Quilts Plus because there was just SOMETHING else that we needed! Once we shopped, Jennifer, Linda, Cathy and I headed to Baskin Robbins for a dinner of ice cream and Becca headed on to Cincinnati.

What a great weekend with good friends and learning! If only every weekend could be this good! :)

Friday's Bonnie class

Friday, Becca and I got up and headed to Denny's for breakfast before our first class. It was very nice to have a little one-on-one time with Becca to chat and catch up with each other. We got to class early and got great seats and set up our sewing areas. We had a perfect view of Bonnie and her quilts!



Before we knew what was happening, we were sewing away on our pieces!



And just a short while later...



I had a block! And so did Becca!



It seemed like lunch came up very quickly! Becca and I decided to head out to get something light because of our big breakfast. I jokingly asked if she felt like Baskin Robbins. She quickly agreed! So ice cream it was! And it was good!!




We got a bit of grief from the other ladies when we got back. Something about not bringing everyone a cup.... I don't know... Didn't quite get that! :)

Then we had some show and tell.





The houses were done by Sharon. I sat next to Sharon at dinner an the meeting on Thursday night and she found me at the workshop and sat on the other side of Becca from me. We had a good time getting to know her!

And Linda and Cathy finally showed off the blocks that they made.




After class, Cathy, Linda, Becca and I headed to Quilts Plus so that they could see the shop. I think that they all liked the store! Becca and I then headed to Joann's to get some of the colored Art Bin totes that were on sale. We love them! Then, we headed to Jennifer's house for dinner and chatting.



What a blast! But another late night for Becca and me! We almost fell asleep in the chairs at Carol's when we got back!