Amazing Block!

Today I received an amazing surprise in the mail!

My February Block from Jackie at twosistersinstitches is awesome! The fabrics, the colors, the birdies! Look how well it goes with Lana's from January!

  I see a brown, green, red, polka dot, and animal theme in these two blocks. Thanks so much Jackie!! I cant wait to see what comes from my next partner.

Keep dreaming...Colleen



My sis asked me to make a mug rug for her friend who likes rainbow colors.
 So I raided my scrap boxes.  Pray for her she has surgery Friday.



2011 UFO todo list

 I know I am a little late in posting this but it has been a busy month.  So I will start with my oldest UFOs and I will probably forget something.  I need to explain all of the 90's swaps I did were through Quiltnet online quilting guild based out of Cornell at the time.  It split into two groups it got so large.  One for just quilting info and discussion and the other for exchanges.  I do have some finished projects from that time including my favorite Quiltnet  World Quilt.  The border was made up of autographed 6" charm squares, pieced or appliqued blocks from as faraway as Australia and Norway.  The computer blocks were r also the guild pin.  The center is a 3D stuffed earth with beads marking locations of guild member who sent me blocks. The blue stars represented online guilds. 

1.  Twelve 12.5" 199something Hoffman fabric challenge blocks.  We had to use the purple butterfly fabric to make an Ohio Star. 

I also have these fabrics we had to send with the blocks.  Do you think I should sash these or sew them together without?

2.  Twelve 12.5" Amish blocks-I love these and think I will definitely sash them with a plain black border.

3. thirteen 12.5 Autumn Star blocks-I think I definitely need to set these with sashing or maybe on point.  What do you think?

I still have some great green w/some gold hand dyed look leaf print I had bought for a backing.

4.eight 12.5 black and white cat blocks-  I think probably sashed in a 2x4 grid. 

5. six 8" colorful cat blocks- I'm not sure what to do with these.  What do ya'll think?  Small wall quilt? Maybe the back of the BW cat blocks.

6.  sixty- six 6.5" Amish 9patches-These are from about four different swaps.  Did I tell you I learned to quilt/was addicted to making 9patches?  I am going to make a quilt sorting the colors together somehow and using black sashing and backing. 

7.  six 12.5 Hoffaman challenge fabric blocks-I think these might make an interesting table runner.  I don't think I will use my ugly block (lower rt)  it can always go on the back.  Opinions?

 I also have extra cuts of this fabric.

8.  Black and White Cat wall hanging-I love this wall hanging I made myself.  I think I moved before I could finish it.

9.  Then I have these crazy wonky blocks made from the bits and pieces of left overs.  Not sure where these will go if anywhere.

10.  Ok don't laugh to hard at these next blocks.  They are the first ones I EVER made.(circa 1991)  These were made pre ANY quilting knowledge, tools, or clue.  I followed I think a PBS Georgia Bonesteel show to make the small log cabin type blocks that when four were pieced together make different blocks.  They are very badly hand cut and sewn with our knowledge of seams on the sewing machine. LOL

Here is a closeup of one the better sewn blocks.  LOL.  Got to love those Piece Good prints-these were probably some of the first fabrics I ever bought.  I mostly used scraps from Grandma's House.

They might be interesting squared up and just sew together.

11.  Eighty or ninety (I forgot what I counted) Muslin 9 patches-  I would put these together just like I have them on the wall.  The stack are the ones I couldn't fit on the wall.  I love the way these fit together and they are all different.  They are mostly all signed and represent about 8 or 9 swaps.

12.  I have about 50 Christmas nine patches too but I forgot to photograph them.

13.  Border exchange-This is one of two I did that needs to be basted, quilted and bound.  I love the center block I made very wonky and free form using some hand dyed fabrics I made.

There were four borders put on this quilt by others in a round robin exchange.

I sent a label with it that every one signed and id which border they made.

14.  Border exchange #2-notice this one is in a lap hoop and has even been partially hand quilted.  It has ben a decoration as is for about 11 years.  LOL

15.  Sailboat Watercolor quilt-Does anyone do watercolor quilts anymore?  I haven't seen any on the blogs.  I have red fabric for the border and a great sailboat print for the backing.

16.  Twenty four Novelty print 9 patches-I forgot to take a picture of them

17. No muslin 9 Patch quilt-This quilt top and backing just need to be basted, quilted and bound. It represents another 4 or 5 swaps.  Told you I was addicted! It has my favorite pink repro fabric.  I love this and am hoping to get it long arm quilted soon so it can be my new bed quilt.

Well there you have it my 90's UFOs.  Anyone out there in blogland participate in any of these Quiltnet/Qxchg swaps?  Some will make lovely quilts I have been wanting forever!

 

Keep dreaming…Colleen

Jenn from ND was my angel in the candlemat swap when my assigned person dissappeared. 

 Thanks Jenn it is beautiful!  Just my colors and style!

I need your opinion

I am working on a swap block for someone in one of my Bees.  I have created a pattern based on the requirements of the person I am swapping with. This is my sample block, but don't look at the misaligned corners.  I realized I had the wrong measurement for one of the pieces in the block.  I corrected it in the pattern.  Please tell me your opinion.  Are the colors balanced enough?  Do you like it?   

I call it 'Flor _____' - Shhh, Im trying to keep it a secret.

Keep dreaming…Colleen



My geranium growing warm and cozy in side, with the
Christmas snow hanging heavy in the trees outside.



Block Swap Adventure

So I am participating in the Block Swap Adventrure.  And I just posted about the first block that I made for Lana of Texas.  It has a little HK flavor!  Check it out here!

Keep dreaming…Colleen

Star trek ..to boldly go...

where I haven't been in a while...Let's do the timewarp again....


OK, So as I am sorting through all of my treasures packed away in the trunk.


Treasure trunk

I am finding these great quilt block sets ready to sew up into quilts. They were all made through Quiltnet/Q-xchg exchanges back when I was learning to quilt. I think back then I didn't know what to do with assembling and quilting larger quilts. I was scared of doing it wrong. I had mostly done small wall hangings. Now I am like , whatever, I want finished quilts!

I have 12- 24 of each of the following: 12 inch sunflower fabric star blocks, 12" Amish blocks, 12 " Hoffman challenge blocks(only 6 of these), 12 " black and white cat blocks, 12" Hoffman purple butterfly fabric star blocks.



I also have multiple sets of 9patches: 59 Christmas fabric, 24 Amish, novelty print, and a ton of other fabrics. Enough for at least 4 quilts. Oh also the one top I put together with 9patches, I just have to piece the back and I am already bartering for the machine quilting.



I also have 8 inch colorful pieced cat blocks. 2 border exchange round robin wall hangings-one partially hand quilted and in the lap hoop for the last ten years(makes a great decoration, LOL). I probably missed something but as you can see my goal for 2011-and I am setting it early - is to finish UFOs. These are all quilts I really want! Other then some vintage and a few family quilts I only have a couple wall hangings and 1 throw quilt I have kept that I made.


Romulan warbird, live long and prosper, Spot Data's cat, tribbles



But what I wanted to talk to you about today is the Star Trek blocks. I have a set of 20 blocks, many appliqued, all really cool, combining themes from original and next generation series. My dad has been waiting for this quilt for at least 16 years-yikes! I just saw the date-they were sewn in 1994!.



Starship Enterpise, original

 OK so I remember back in the day (1994-5) I had the Blockbuster Quilts book and I was going to do some awesome cool innovative setting. (Somewhere I have endless drawings).



Next Gen uniform, Picard sihloette, Entity(ST movie)

  I don't think that is me. I think I just want to sash them in black or black based celestial fabric. With a celestial border. I do have all of those celestial fabrics form the 90s. Heck most of my stash is from the 90s.




Speak Klingon?



transporter, feneration symbols, entity



Borg ship



shuttle craft



Romulan warbird



transporter

Have you figured out what each block represents yet? They are all really cool!  Gosh sewing together should be simple but how will I quilt it?

Keep dreaming...Colleen aka 'butterflygirl'

Grandma's House Treasures

My Jacobus, PA grandma died a number of years ago. She had lived with Alzheimer's for a decade in a special wing at a nursing home.  When she went to the nursing home the family cleaned out her home of more then 45 years.  She never threw anything away.  We found toys from her six children, clippings of weddings and funerals, letters, and in the basement old ketchup bottles from when people made their own ketchup.  I was just getting into sewing and quilting and so looked for fabric, sewing items, and other miscellaneous trinkets.  Some of the things I acquired included all of the buttons I recently sorted into old assorted Kerr, Mason, and Ball canning jars.

In a previous post I mentioned fabric sample cards -

 well my grandpa also brought home button sample cards.  I found about 16 full with some doubles and some that had many of the buttons already cut off.   I left the full cards as they are and removed the buttons from the  cut up cards(they were all double anyway).

I was good at finding odds and ends in small tins and nooks and crannies of various drawers.  Treasures like old jewelry, game pieces, a Kennedy button, cracker jack toys, and  these stylish belt buckles

I loved finding special handmade items like these Sun Bonnet Sue needle cases and miscellaneous crocheted items .

Also a vintage fabric apron that is back in style today. 

 I recently found a great pattern for one at Stash Manicure.

In my hunting I found some items of historical significance including this armband and pin from World War II.  My grandfather was an air raid warden before he went into the army.

 

And from a later era are these head bands and peace belt-guess what decade?

I especially love these very small belts from my mother's nurse uniform when she was a student at Polytechnic.  She had such a tiny waist!

These are just some of the treasures I found when we cleaned out my grandma's home.  What was the most meaningful to a then young beginning quilter were 13 quilt blocks made by my grandma.  They were simply appliqued cat and dog blocks, outlined and detailed with embroidery.  She made quilts for the second generation of grandkids using these blocks.  What I love is the fabrics she used-from those sample cards for the cats and dogs and old pieced sheets for the background.  She was a true scrap quilter.

Keep dreaming,

:o) Colleen