Pincushions

Here are my pincushions; thank you for the idea, Evelyn:
the fun ones...

and the utilitarian ones:

Catch Up and Beginnings of a Quilt Show Description

While you four-season folks are stacking pumpkins on your porches amidst your delicious cooler weather, we in the south are still seeing some things bloom, this being a gourd blossom that suddenly burst forth by my front door yesterday. Sigh, if I bought a pumpkin now and set it outside, it would be a pulpy mass after a few warm days. I love autumn so much I've even gotten pumpkins and set bags of ice inside it to try to have it last in past years.



Here are my "comfy" FQ and "not-so-comfy" FQ from class. Not sure why I ended up with a Christmas comfy; I had about six different comfys in my hand and basically that's what was in hand when the music stopped :-). The not-so-comfy is a Kaffé Fassett. It looks more enticing rolled up. Hey, that's an idea. Maybe pleat it for some kind of small wall hanging.

Went to a quilt show this morning at the Marietta Museum of History, which is located on the second floor of a luscious old brick building right between the tracks and the old Square. When I stepped out from the elevator on Floor 2 (on to the greatest old honey-colored wide pine floorboards, gorgeous enough to make you cry from anguished nostalgia for old things), there were two other quilters, one being a current class member of Quiltmaking Study and the other being a past member of the Moda University class, so I browsed the museum with them. This kitty-on-silk is a detail from one of the crazy quilts on display and I'll show more of the quilts in future posts.

I stopped at Red Hen Fabrics on the way out of Marietta. Ended, dear reader, by not purchasing a single thing, but it nearly killed me not to. They had a little charm pack of the wonderful Mistletoe Manor Christmas fabric and I wanted to set it with the red polka dot from the same so badly that I have no idea how I got out of there without buying the two darling things. There was also some sale fabric.....but I have so many things started.

Have lost 9.2 pounds on Weight Watchers. I actually can't believe it.

"Quiltmaking Study" class at LQS

A hurried post, am writing this before work. Just wanted to show you a few photos from last night's first class of Quiltmaking Study at the LQS (Little Quilts). We're going to meet three more times, once a month, to discuss various subjects. Last night, we talked about organizing your quilting studio. Had show and tell, including any problems or questions anybody had about fabric they had but hadn't made up into anything yet, or quilts they had begun. Mary Ellen von Holt, owner of Little Quilts, led the class and showed us these quilts they are making for a customer. The customer's brother had about 40 Tommy Bahamas silk shirts in his estate and obviously had a huge affection for them. His family came into the quilt shop to ask about having them made into quilts. The family members unconstructed the shirts and attached the pieces to iron-on interfacing and then Little Quilts took over and is in the process of making several quilts for the family. Mary Ellen is explaining in the first photo how they assembled the variously-sized pieces. Fabulous patterns, eh? They are planning to back the quilts with batik.


This is a beautiful quilt top made from Moda fabrics, from the previous class in this series of classes, Moda University. There was much more to see, but my camera lost power.

We closed by visiting the shop and picking out a FQ that is the type of thing we usually buy and a FQ that is out of our comfort zone, that we are to contemplate as the classes progress and possibly get an idea or two of what to do with that "comfortless" FQ :-).

#1 Met Gail at LQS #2 Antique Maple Leaf Quilt to Show

Gail from the StashQuilts Ring and I met at Little Quilts in Marietta GA on Saturday and had a good time. Forgot to bring a camera for pics. I could look around Little Quilts for two hours each time I go, there is so much to see. We also got lunch at Marietta Diner, which I had never been to before. It is just like a New York diner with huge layer cakes 8" high in the glass cases and other pastries and a big big menu with lots of Greek items and others. It was bustling, the food looked great, our waiter was spectacular right out of Central Casting for Greek NYC Waiter, I would have adored to get an gyro plate, but Gail and I were both good and got the vegetable plate with rice, which was very tasty (sigh). Thank you for suggesting that we meet, Gail, it was fun!!

StashQuilts is doing a Maple Leaf quilt for October Hour a Day. Back when I was up in the midwest, scouring the antique malls in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio, looking for everything under the sun including quilts, I was always on the lookout for a Maple Leaf quilt. It just seemed that most either weren't very well made or used overly busy (or duddy) fabrics such that the leaf pattern didn't show up. Anyway, I found this inexpensive Maple Leaf (or variation of Maple Leaf?) one day in Hodgenville, Kentucky...you know, Lincoln's birthplace...and got it. It has the cutest green gingham backing.





Sitting atop the Maple Leaf for safekeeping was this little frog on a lilypad created by my son back in Montessori days. Awwwww maybe I should have let him use the Olfa NOT!

Little House #5

Latest 6" patriotic block. Still behind, but have five done at least.

So interesting to hear of your WW experiences. There are lots of quilt bloggers who have lost large #s on WW, a hearty congratulations to you all and may I join you in the near future!

Last night, I was snoozing on the sofa and woke to see my son reaching for my 12" square revolving Olfa cutting mat to kill a roach on the floor. The philistine. My son, not the roach. I hollered "not the Olfa!" and he began to look over my quilting supply table for something else to squish insects with (slow on the uptake) and I hollered "back -- away from the quilting supplies...go get my shoe". You'd think he would know by now that all quilting items are sacred :-).

WW Newbie

Thought I would get one of my little patriotic houses started before work. Pulled out this little tub of patriotic fabrics and just had this feeling of love for quilting and quilt fabrics LOL. Don't we all just love to quilt!

I want to thank everybody for their posts re my job woes. It was so great to hear from you. There's nothing like a network of quilters for fun and networking. There is a little possibility of improvement in my job, it would have disadvantages and advantages but it would get me out of the particular trouble spot for 1/2 the day anyway. How's that for a fast possible improvement? If it happens, it's due to work friends trying to help. Thank goodness for friends, both in blogland and workland.

Have been on Weight Watchers for the first time after not trying to diet for, gosh, at least 25 years. Counted the points, felt sad all week that it appears I could never again go through a drive-thru or indeed go to any restaurant or have my beloved standby, a peanut butter sandwich, but stuck to it and lost five pounds!

BOM and Alternates

The LQS BOM for this month:

and two of the three alternates, in 6" size:

I buy maybe one of the FQs for the alternates and use rest from stash. It'd be fun to use all of their choices but I just have so much fabric. I'm having trouble keeping up with the little 6" patriotic houses but am hoping to catch up on a few of them this month.

This blog and quilting is so good for my sanity. My job is the worst and quilting/blogging is such a bright spot among the horror of a miserable job.

Lincoln's Platform Finished

It's done. Brought it for Show and Tell this morning at BOM LQS. If I ever get a quilt completely done like this one is, I'm as thrilled about that simple fact as I am about the quilt itself! I love the black toile border. It is Jefferson County by Michael Miller, not sure how old it is, not real old, but it was in my stash. I had to piece all of the sections and one end has three stacked pieces. Well, patchworking is the name of this game, eh? :-)

It's hard to see, but I graduated all of the prairie point colors in a (reproduction style that is) rainbow sequence.

Tim

Just wanted to share a photo of my son, who turned 17 yesterday.

I can't wait to finish and show you my Lincoln's Platform. Borders on, am machine quilting it now, which is going well (it doesn't always :-) ), and am cutting out the prairie points. I think this is my favorite quilt I've ever made. If only I could stay up all night and never sleep.

Quilt Top Lincoln's Platform

Last three blocks of the Lincoln's Platform and swooooop into the quilt top:

I think I'm going to put prairie points on the edge. Haven't done that for a long long time and I adore them. Except I forget how you finish the backing in that case.