More Album Blocks...

Georgia Block

Over the weekend, I received two emails sharing updates on the progress of the American Treasures Album Quilt blocks our guild is working on for the quilt show raffle quilt.

Kathy and Nora are nearly finished with the Georgia block, with just a bit more stitching to do. If you enlarge the image, you'll see a few pieces where the straight pins are holding a few elements in place. It won't be long now. Lookin' good, right?

New York Block

I also got a photo from Pat who is doing the stitching for the New York block. You can see that her leaves and snare drum are embroidered already. Another finish for our quilt! I love this block. Can you guess why?

The more I see of the finished blocks, the more I know that this is going to be one incredible piece of art when it's finished.

As soon as I finish my Christmas sewing (soon!), I'm going to do another block, too. I'll show you which one I pick as soon as my other tasks are accomplished.

For now, it's time for this ol' gal to f.o.c.u.s. You know how much I can do when I put my blinders on. Off to the races!!

Inspired...

After our guild meeting on Tuesday evening, I came home inspired to make some serious progress on the block I've been working on for our guild quilt. (Thanks to Barb completing her block for providing the motivation.)

This is how my block looked when I resumed work yesterday. I'd say I've been doing pretty well, considering I've worked on this block all by my "ownsome". (That's really is a word here at Brynwood!)

I had already prepped the robin's nest, badger and a significant number of leaves and flowers...but I had more to do.

So, after attending training all morning to be an inspector for our local precinct in the upcoming election, I headed directly to the studio when we got back home.

The first thing I did was pull the large green stem out of the block (the one that runs up the right side from the robin to the large lily on the top photograph). I decided it was too thick, so I made a thinner one that I much prefer to the other.

I designed this block in the style of Pearl's other blocks (because she hasn't designed the Wisconsin block, which we needed.) I'm styling it as I go, so I give myself some leeway to adjust or modify my layout or elements as I preview placements. I forgot how much fun it is for me to design something from the ground up.

Handsome had rehearsal last evening, so I stayed in the studio until nearly ten pm. You'll notice a few stems without lily blossoms - and I still need the flesh it out with more leaves - but I'm planning to have it completed by the end of today and then I'll start stitching on Saturday.

Now you know what I'll be doing on Saturday and Sunday. I'm looking forward to a relaxing and productive weekend! How 'bout you? What do you have planned?

Working For The Weekend...

P3 Designs - Florida Album Block

 I was so busy yesterday that I never picked up a camera.

This weekend is the workshop that I'm holding to start our guild quilt 

for the 2014 quilt show. Two of my friends from the guild came over to

our home to learn about the techniques ahead of the workshop, and then

they tucked right in to help me with some of my last minute preparations.

Pat K. and Joan B. were a godsend! We got so much accomplished!

They came over at 12:30 pm and left around 4 pm.

They're both guild board members (like I am), and we had an evening board 

meeting last night, so I only said goodbye for a couple of hours. 

I couldn't wait to thank them in front of the rest of the board.

P3 Designs - Iowa Album Block

 Pearl (of P3 Designs) completed two more blocks that we need for our 

quilt, so as soon as the girls left, I went to her online site and ordered them.

I love these two!

Check out the alligator on the Florida block, and the great use

of a specialty fabric in the Iowa block for the corn! So clever.

(You can see all of her album blocks by clicking here.)

Work officially begins on the construction of this quilt on Saturday.

I promise to share lots of photos of the workshop.

Today, I'm going to work on Farmer's Wife blocks again.

As Scarlet O'Hara says, "Tomorrow's another day."

I'll be working on the applique' blocks then.

I hope your day is filled with you doing things that make you happy.

See you again tomorrow!

August Guild Meeting...

Last night was our monthly meeting of the Disconnected Piecers Quilt Guild. We always have a Show & Tell near the end of our regular meetings.

There were some really wonderful quilts - and many more photographs than I can share here. We decided this member should teach her technique for making these hydrangeas to the rest of us. We all loved this one!

This was a "finally completed" UFO called a Spider quilt. 

You should have heard the "whooping" from our members
when she held it up to show us. Impressive, I think!

This quilt was one of my favorites from this month's meeting. Susan does beautiful piecing, and she's a respected long-arm quilter, too. She's going to do the custom quilting on my completed Scrappy Plates quilt. She took it with her last night, so I'll show you the whole quilt when it's returned and bound.

She's also a prolific quilter. I think she had five or six quilts to share for Show & Tell, and each one was more beautiful than the last.

Shirley was collecting Hospice quilts for American vets. 

She had an impressive pile of them by the time the meeting was over.
Almost everyone who shared their accomplishments for the past month had a
patriot-themed Hospice quilt to show before giving it to Shirley. These will
be shared specifically with the veterans in our local nursing homes. I like that.

That's my quilt in her hands, which I had just donated to the cause.

As an aside here: These Hospice quilts are made from 6" blocks (finished size)

and are six blocks across by six blocks down for a finished size of approximately

36" square. We then assemble them by alternating a colored block with a light 

block (white or cream). We do this so that friends and family who come to visit,
can write little love notes - or just their signatures - on the light blocks.

These can be bound quilts or "sew and turn" so they don't require binding.

If anyone is interested in contributing a quilt, just let me know

and I'll make sure you have my address so that I can take them

to the guild and give you complete credit for your generosity.
PLUS, I'll send a little thank you surprise for sharing your talent with a veteran.

This is a great way to use up your left-overs and the vets really love them.

Jettie made these great Amy Butler totes. The ladies agreed they'd be great to carry at a quilt show - or going to market - or carrying one's knitting. (Reminds me of the quote my mother-in-law used to say..."Keep to your own knitting." Which means "mind your own business" and has nothing whatsoever to do this post.) Sorry, I digress...

Jettie had a few more projects to share, but there are only so many I can share in the interest of space.

 Then Karen came up with her gorgeous creations. She's a relative
novice to quilting, and she has already received a Best In Show
ribbon for the stunning quilt she made and submitted for our last show.

She did this orange floral piece, and then moooo-ved on 

to share a whole line of appliqued', theme cows of many fabrics.
I'll show some of those to you later this week so you can see them, too.

(She's even given them names! Uh, oh....)

 Another fabulous quilt. I really like this design!
She said this one from her UFO pile, too.
(If anyone knows this pattern please tell me. I'd like to make one like it.)

My presentation and dvd were the last part of the evening.
After all was said and done, our group was really enthused to get started.
Our workshop will be on September 8th and I'll take more pictures
then so I can show you the process and how the blocks come together.

My friend, Kathy, said we really should memorialize it with a photo.

"Ok, then. Chop, chop! I can't be standing here all day!"

We voted and chose a name for the quiltwe're going to make, too.
It's going to be called the "2014 American Treasures Album Quilt".
We're all really happy with the name.

The dvd was a big hit and we'll all jump into the creation

of the blocks in a guild workshop on September 8th.

I'll be bending some thought to supplies and process until then.

For now, I'm going to take what I believe is a well-deserved rest.
I'll worry about the details in a couple of days.
I'm going to play today.

***This post is number 1200!***

I'll be having a friends/followers giveaway this week to celebrate!

Dee's Big Bite...

 I don't think I told you yet, but this spring I was elected as 

recording secretary for the Disconnected Piecers Quilt Guild.

It's a two year commitment and I'm honored to serve.

In March, I volunteered to be the chairman for the creation of

the quilt that will eventually be raffled at our 2014 Quilt Show.

(I can do this. Breathe. I can do this.)

 It's a huge commitment and this quilt needs to be completed by

April 2013 so that it can be photographed and shown prior to the raffle.

My goal is to have each guild member (who wants to) have a hand 

in its creation so that we can say it was truly created by everyone in the guild.

Additionally, we've chosen an ambitious design, 

in that its going to be a Baltimore Album Quilt.

(In case you're not familiar with the term, a Baltimore

Album quilt is created using hand applique' for each block.)

Pearl Pereira of P3 Designs is designing an American Album Quilt

and has given us permission to use her designs for our quilt.

 I'm happy to say that the fabrics have been chosen, cut and sorted,

and most of the kits have been assembled.

We'll debut the kits at a September workshop that I'll lead.

We'll watch the designer's dvd so that all of our applique'ers 

are executing the same technique for every block.

There are days when I fear that I've bitten off more than I can chew,

but I'm enthusiastic and committed to the project and I believe

that our members will share that enthusiasm to create a

fabulous finished product - and beat the deadline, too!

I promise to share progress on this ambitious project.

I look at myself as the facilitator, but I'm looking forward to

having a hand in the the actual work, too.

We'll decide on a name for the quilt at our next guild meeting this month.

I can't wait to tell you what we decide!

There's a saying that "You can eat an elephant - one bite at a time."

Wish me luck!