September Bee block

I finished my block for the Block Swap Adventure Bee.  Samantha said she was up for any block in soft pinks, blues and ivory.  There was a little bit of pressure on as I was her first swap partner and in a sense would be setting the tone for the following blocks.  I looked at my more traditional fabrics as I notcied when I stalked her block she was more tradional with her fabrics.  Then I thought wait...she had not dislikes...and part of this swap is about expressing ourselves. 

 So I picked a Kaffe Fasset, Moda Sugar Pop, a couple others from my stash with an ivory.  Then I pulled out my iphone so I could use this great app

Quick and Easy Quilt block tool is $3.99 and one of the most used apps on my phone!  it has over 100 blocks listed in its index

But what I really like is it shows you how to make the blocks in different sizes, giving quick cutting directions for the segments of the blocks.  I love this for when Im designing I can look up picecs that fit my design and see the measurements to quick cut them.

I highly reccomend this tool.  I choose to do the Dutchman's puzzle for Samantha. 

I love flying geese and there isnt any waste with this cutting method.

I hope she likes it!

keep dreaming...Colleen

This is what I thinking for my DS Quilts mini quilt swap.  Red dots inner border, ash outer, green square and blue flower and scrappy back.

New guild and some projects

So last night I went to my 3rd guild meeting in as many days.  Third!!!!  I must be crazy!!  Well I went to the local guild Monday night Forsyth Piecers and Quilters-I take the show and tell photos. 

Sunday  was the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild in Chapel Hill.  I drive over an hour and forty minutes to get there.  But it is in the store run by someone who helped me start quilting so many years ago.  And it is in the town I used to love living in.  Then last night the new Triad Modern Quilt Guild had its first ever meeting.  How could I not go when it is literally just down the road from me in the Sewingly Yours!?  I took some photos of the brief show and tell.

This women is making a quilt to raffle of to benefit homeless cats and dogs.  Her applique cats and dogs were amazing.

This quilter worked on these two tops instead of her dissertation this summer.

Another quilter made this quilt along quilt.

Paige made this awesome pinwheel quilt with DS Quilts fabrics.

BTW Im now the swap organizer.  We'll see how that goes.  I may have to give some where.

I have also been working on some swaps.  I'm in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap group on Flickr and we are doing a Halloween swap.  Here is a collage of the fabric I dug out of my stash.  I did not realize how much I really had.  Most is old #2,3,4,and a few of 5.  #1 and 6 I found on the shop hop last weekend.

Still deciding which to use and what pattern.

Lastly I have been playing with Jay McCarrols Habitat fabric.  Triangle MQG was sent some and are allowed to add a solid so I chose this gray with a hint of brown.  I am calling it '123' right now.  I have sewn strips together and have 8 sets.  I have a few ideas on what to do next.  Still letting it simmer.

keep dreaming...Colleen

These are the 9 wonky star blocks I have received so far for my month in
Let's Bee Together.   Aren't they awesome!

Blocks for my month

This is my month for Lets Bee Together.  I sent out packets of DS Quilts fabric to the other 11 people in group A.  When I returned from Canada I had already received 2 blocks

This one is from Linda as Stray Stitches

And this one is from Staci The Confused Quilter

Dont they look nice together?

Keep dreaming...Colleen

TMQG Pillow Swap

I am excited to be going to my second meeting of the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild today in Chapel Hill.  The first meeting I attended, I blogged about here, was a tour of SpoonFlower. 

Today's regular meeting will be at Thimble Pleasures quilt shop.  I love how they usually have swaps and challenges associated with each months meetings!  Today is a pillow swap and scrap swap.

I signed up for the pillow swap through the guild website discussion group.  John (aka Quilt Dad ) sent us secret partners.  Mine was Patricia of Piece Peace who said she like bright colors and modern prints in anything I wanted to make.  A last week's Bee I created the top. And here on my studio comfy chair is the finished product.

I quilted the top with cotton batting and a muslin backing.  Then I sewed wool felt flowers on.  I created these with my sizzix that I blogged about here and here.

The backing I used to swraps of Valorie Wells and Ami Butler flannels.

I really love the challenge of swaps. I cant wait to see what my partner created for me!

Keep dreaming...Colleen



Summer tote bag for my secret pal made from this tutorial.
I used regular cottons and added interfacing and lining .



Bee Creative sewing day

I am in a Saturday Bee that meets the first Saturday of the month.  It is called Bee Creative.  We are a new Bee that has only been meeting since November, and have not really found a permanent place.  I think Saturday we found home in the childrens room at a local library.  Large enough to form a square of tables to seat up to 14-16 people, high ceilings, and floor to ceiling windows on one wall.  The icing was the sign on the door that actually said Be Creative!

Kelly is sewing her Beautiful batik quilt top from a jellyroll.  She found us this great space!

I started working on my Relay for Life quilt.  I am so far behind on this quilt.  I expected to have it finished at least a month ago so I could raffle it.  But spending most of May with that ear infection and then getting backed up with my swaps...of course some how I forgot one of the blocks for the 4th row.  Oh well if there is one thing I learned that the world still turns if your plans are not always successful.  Good thing the last day of teacher school for me is next Wednesday.

Ava (short a) was making a really neat tote bag with some Moda Sandy Gervais fabric.

The rest of the ladies would not let me photo them.  Spoil sports :o(

But you can see the beautiful projects they were working on.  A very diverse bunch we are.

When I realized I could not go any farther with my Cancer quilt I switched gears.  The other guild I belong to Triangle Modern Quilt Guild meets next Sunday.  I am involved in a 12x14 pillow swap so I pulled out my good scraps and sorted them, picking ones I wanted to use.  I also had some Kona ash gray.  I used a 3" template and cut squares from my scraps and then 1.2-2" strips from the Ash.  I then sewed the squares one strip and cut them apart.  Playing with a layout I came up with this.

We also decided on a quilt pattern for our Bee to make for the quilt show in the 2012.  More on that latter.  This was my no plan, play as I go design.  Ibordered it in gray strips and Im adding some quilting with my favorite pearl cottons.  I have some Valorie wells flannel for the back.

Keep dreaming...Colleen



A robins nest in the firethorn had this baby left.
  Jazzy Girl had this poor baby in her mouth and dad put her back on this branch.
 Her mom came back to feed her and she seemed ok



Playing Catch up

So I need to play a little catchup.  I have had a lot to blog about the last three weeks but have not seemed to have the time or energy to do so.  So I will just throw it all out there in the order I can find and upload the many pics I have taken.

First I need some advice on the relay quilt.  This has taken longer then I planned because you can never really plan for life.  I had 150 5" squares sent to me from Australia for the quilt.  They blue and green purple.  I want to use them for the border.  I laid them out along side the star blocks and think they go well.  What do you think?

I could even make it double as I have plenty of squares.  I will use some on the back too.  I need to make two more star blocks-one in memory of my grandmother and one in memory of my grandfather.  I have already made one in memory my dad's mom and in memory of the mom of a student at my school who I knew.

*****

I also received the most amazing quilt from The Bella Modiste for the DQS10!

She included some fun fat quarters, that I am even now contemplating using. 

It is amazing how well it fits me.  Everytime I look at it I imagine myself kayaking through the reeds on my favorite lake in Canada.

She even put in the blue dragonflies that are everywhere there.

*****

My dad made the comment a month or so ago when I had stopped by, where is his mug rug?

I made this one for mom because she only had a Christmas one,

 and I had made my sister this one for her birthday to replace her Christmas one. 

So...

I had to make this one. 
Monkey wrench pattern with tool fabric and blue plaid shirt like material.  If you look closely the wood print has nail heads quilted on it and looks like a deck-my dad loves to build things and just built another deck.  And...

this is the back!  Red sports cars...he always wanted a red Corvette!

Ignore the wonkiness-the stretch of the blue plaid and the freakiness of my Kenmore was messing with me.  It seemed to fit Dad anyway!  And do you know mom said today he wants to know why his is smaller that mom's?  I should point out I made him the biggest Christmas stocking and isn't that more important?
*****
My wonky Kenmore reminds me, I got lucky last week and ...

bought a Babylock Sofia!  Yeah!  Isnt she pretty?  Well 1/2 yeah as it is in layaway, but...wait to you hear the deal I got!  Its a couple of months old and the person who bought it decided she needed to upgrade and relaly did not use it.  It does a little embroidery, which is all I want to do.  Most importantly for me is it will machine quilt!  The price was about half the regular price with all warrenties intact and free unlimited classes and help from my LQS!  Yeah! 

*****

I received this lovely block in March for the Block Swap Adventure from my second partner Brenda. 

I love it!  She really made the perfect block to go with the other three!

I have decided to be optimistic and designate these blocks for the quilt I want for my future camper.  The colors, and the animals in each block make it perfect for that purpose.  BTW I accidentally sent a thank you to my April partner!  LOL!  She did!  That's what happen when you double up one month and are in too many swaps!

*****

So that catches us up a little.  I still need to blog about Bee Creative, Stone Mountain treasures, and more...

****
Oh in case you missed my last post,
I made the top 100 in the Accuquilt Barn Quilt Designcontest! 

 Please go here and vote for my design.  I am listed as Colleen Y.

Keep dreaming...Colleen

Today through driving rain and wind Mom, dad, & I
checked out a local RV open house-free food-yum!

Happy Fausnaught day!

  

In Pennsylvania Dutch tradition my mother always bakes fausnaughts (doughnuts) for Fat Tuesday.  Yum!  Plain, chocolate, and even holes! Yum!  The fam went to a favorite restaurant downtown called H&H - Hutch & Harris. 

Mom and Dad-got beaded!

They have yummy food!  Original recipes, nice not overly large portions!

Happy Fausnaught day!

Keep dreaming...Colleen



Carmen shared this tumbling blocks quilt at the Bee Saturday.