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!

A fun swap!

First I wanted to share this cute little mug rug I whipped up with my embroidery machine and some scraps.  Julie the owner of Timble Pleasures celebrated her birthday Sunday and I wanted to give her a little treat.  She was one who helped me a lot when I first started quilting years ago.

Then I had to share this beautiful mini quilt from kaitcetera! 

She is in the Triangle modern Quilt Guild and was my secret partner.  As you can see I took it to work where it hangs on the door of my office right in my line of vision.  Its so funny because her mini house quilt was the inspiration for the mini quilt I made for my partner.

keep dreaming...Colleen

A mystery and a winner!

Good news! As I closed out the giveaway I saw we had 110 comments!  That means I have put together extra bundles of 90's fabrics!

So first I want to tell you about my treasure hunting.  I blogged here about my trip to Hillsville, VA flea market and the treasures I found.  Especially this quilt.

I took most of the ties out to remove the top. 

I exposed how part of the back is dyed feed sack, with the writing turned to the inside.  I found a cool article on the founding of Royster which had its roots in Tarboro, NC.   It was fascinating how many different weights and weaves the fabrics were in this quilt.

You can see the blocks exposed of the inner quilt.  This is a very old quilt!

It is also very deteriorated.  But look string blocks!  I dont know if the old quilt was so deteriorated when it was sandwiched or if washing effected it.

As you can tell in this pic there was a lot of lint in the folds of the binding.  I think this quilt was washed a lot.

The surprising things were all of the 'other' things I found sandwiched inside.   Let me tell you and show you some of them and then think about why.  BTW I think the older quilt is probably from 1860's.  I went by looking at the woven fabrics on the back that are fairly strong and the mostly disintegrated piecing on the front.

The outer quilt is probably 30's or 40's.  But what in the world is inside?  Can anyone tell from this?  What is it?

Yes it is someones undergarment.  Around the edge of the quilt these were folded to fill in the shortage of length I guess of the older quilt.  

Here is the slip. What do you think 30's 40's?  I think it is like a kind of organza?  It is handmade with lace straps and edging.  Im not good with non cotton fabrics. There were other pices of what seemed to be cut up womens bloomers? and mens cotton what??  do you call old fashioned mens underclothes.  There were also random pieces of various fabrics from thick wollens to cotton to a dotted swiss printed voile.  When I finish taking it apart I will photo all pieces of the quilt better.

* * * * * * *

So now for the winners! I created a virtual 10 sided die with the digits 0-9 and rolled it three times.  First I got a 0 then a 6 then 8 so 68!

Congrats to Mimi who wins the first bundle left over form my two stretched stars quilt!

Mimi said...
I am a new follower and look forward to your future blog posts!! Thanks for this sweet giveaway! I'd love to make a stretched star quilt!

Now for the bonus bundles!

And the winners are with six more rolls of the virtual dice!

#20 Natasha and #15 Irina!

Congrats to all winners!  Please send me your snail mails and I will send out you bundles asap so you can get started on your scrap quilts!

keep dreaming...Colleen



I have cut my Jay Carrol Habitat challenge fabric and the solid gray
 into1", 2", 3" strips.  More to come...



Sew day and a giveaway

If you are looking for my giveaway go here.

I have spent early Saturday morning sewing up some goodness with a finish and a beginning.  So let me ask you have you ever had an idea grab you?  Something you have never done and never really thought you could do?  Machine quilting has been that idea for me in many ways.  Especially the dense patterns such as I see Leah Day do on her blog.  So how did I get brave enough to do this?

I tried to think of all the ways I could quilt these little houses on my mini quilt swap piece and the stone like pattern just insisted I try it. 

 Boy was it tiring.  Even on such a small quilt.  And I had to dig out my elegant gardening gloves that look like evening gloves but have gripper stuff on them.  I also went through 2+ bobbins because it is such a dense pattern. 

I straight line quilted the borders which seem to set off the center nicely!  And then added a happy dot border.

BTW here is the pattern I drew up on the computer to paper piece the little houses.  I also free pieced a couple.

I used this wonderful busy Kafe Fassett for the back which went well with the the other fabrics and hid the quilting.

I think it turned out great and cant wait to give it to my secret partner at the TMQG next Sunday!

Keep dreaming...Colleen



I am up to 5 blocks!  Veggie Hunter blogged about hers! I cant wait to see the other 5!



Swaps and a giveaway

Check out my last post on the elongated star scrap quilt and a giveaway.

And now to show you some swaps I have been working on.  First is a mini quilt I have been working on for the Triangle Modern Quilt Guild.  We have a secret partner who we stalk and then create a small doll size quilt for.

My partner had no real preferences.  Just bright colors.  The backing is a bright, colorful, and light Kafe Fasset print. The little houses were inspired by kaitcetera little houses quilt.  I am trying to decide whether to machine quilt or to hand quilt with pearl cottons.  What do you think? 

I received this wonderful mug rug in the Scrappy Mug Rug haiku swap on flickr from snailexpress.  We had to make a mug rug and write a haiku.  I love she used my favorite Tula Pink fabrics.  My Pringce Chaming is hanging in my studio.  She also made a cute little coin purse.  Awesome!

Here are three of the blocks I have received from my month August for Bee Together.  I cut up my DS Quilts Fairground and Picnic(US prints).

I asked everyone to make a wonky star.  I included three large squares of the DS Quilts and of some Kona Snow.  I told them to use some of all of the fabrics but the white did not have to be the background.  I also included a mosaic of some wonky stars. 

I cant wait to receive the rest!

keep dreaming...Colleen



Have you seen this goodness?  Sugar creek. 

DS Quilts second collection for Joanns. 

So far only 12 prints have shown up.



One Week One Thing

I took up Amy's One Thing One Week challenge.  I was supposed to finish my three Bee blocks.  I also had a few other projects I took with me on my sewcation in the mountains.  I will tell more about that in another post.  I am sad to say I did not finish my blocks due to technical difficuties.  My featherweight developed a problem on Sunday when I was trying to finish them.  I dont even have any pictures of them.  I did however finish another challenge I posed for myself for my sewcation this past week. 

I made my quilt top for the Kaufman Dusty Solid charm pack quilt my guild -TMQG -is sponsering for the next meeting.

We were to use a cham pack and one yard of bonus fabric.  I missed out on the free ones so had to find one on the net.  My plan was simple and yet complex.  I literally sewed the charm squares together as they came out of the pack to make to HST sets from each pair.  

Then the hard fun part came.  I played with the layout.  I had one in mind but wanted to see other options.

 

I really likes this one and may still make it but with a little more planned color matching.  I call it "two rights and a left".

 

This was what I finally decided on.  It was actually what I had in mind in the first place.  I had several fabric choices for background.  Again I played but interestingly enough the original one I chose was the one I used.

 

I guess I need to trust my original instincts.  One change to the design in my head was the sashing between the double rows. 

I think I am going to hand quilt it with pearl cottons though not sure what color.  I may use black. 

So I completed a challenge it just wasnt the orginal one I thought I was.

Keep dreaming...Colleen

Overview of Gaitlinburg where I spent part of my sewcation.