Hanging out in California

***!! This post was written while I was in California this past week. The connection was not strong enough for me to upload all of the pictures. So it is being shared with you now that I am home. My week there was awesome!!***

At Quilt in a Day!

With Eleanor Burns... 

And Sue Bouchard...

My heroes! These ladies are the ones who started me on my quilting journey many years ago!

I have spent the last four days at Quilt in a Day Teacher Training in San Marcos, California learning all the tricks of the trade.

We worked on half square triangles,

Flying Geese,

"Kiley's Kite"

Scallop Borders,

Made Maple Leaves and Turkeys

 Worked on the Triangle in a square,

And made the Mexican Star block using the Wdge a Ruler.

I met some great people who come from varied walks of life, states and countries! Okay, one other country - Canada. But you get my point.

We are all interested in learning and then teaching and sharing our knowledge.

Thank You Eleanor and Staff for a wonderful learning experience!

Louise, who is NOT on the island, but rather in California learning at Quilt In A Day with Eleanor Burns.

Heading Towards October

We have a few more days left in September 2017. We have been in a very warm spell with temperatures running well into the eighties.

This picture is from this afternoon about 4:30 pm. Don't look too closely at the date and time on the bottom! I forgot to reset that info after the last power failure from a couple of months ago.  For some reason or other the battery did not kick in - probably due to a dead battery I would guess!

But we have been taking advantage of these warm days with a boat ride every afternoon.

This picture was taken just after we returned from today's ride. It will probably be the last one, since the weather is supposed to change tomorrow and the boat comes out on Friday and I have class tomorrow afternoon. 

I guess summer is really coming to an end...

Even if I try to ignore the leaves changing and beginning to fall.

September has been busy with some project finishes making me proud.

My knitted scarf was a summer project that I only worked during outdoor music concerts and on boat rides. Well, the concerts have been over for several weeks and today's boat ride was the last one of the season, so the scarf screamed "Finish me today", and so I did!

One last picture of Lisa's huge 110 x 110 "Pineapple Blossom" begun in the Bonnie Hunter class last year in September and now completely finished a year later.  She brought it to Open Sew Monday night so we could enjoy it one last time.

"Falling Charms" became a completed top last weekend. I finally finished the last border during retreat last Saturday. Now to piece the backing and get it to the long armer.

Marie finished her Tablerunner last Friday during Open Sew. It was a compilation of left over fabrics from some of her previous projects.

This Kaffe Fasset fabrics top was finally completely sewn last Wednesday at retreat. It has been a webbed top for many months.

The completed "Sister's Choice in Green" is shown here.  The 49 blocks each have a different green in the triangles. It was pieced as a leader and ender project and mostly sewn in 2016. I tried to find a suitable border fabric for quite awhile but nothing ever clicked. I finally gave up and called it done.  I like how it came out, don't you?

Still not completed, but on the design wall is this blue/purple hour glass and pieced sashing beauty from the early 2000's.  It is scheduled to be completed after I return from California. Maybe it will be my UFO project for the next session.

Shown here as a completed top, "Weed Whacker" is now quilted.  It waits for its binding to be applied also after I return from my trip.  This top was begun maybe two years ago, so it is not really a long term UFO.  However it is nice to have it almost ready to be checked off as completed!

September is coming to a close and with it maybe the horrible weather in terms of hurricanes will also end. Harvey, Irma, Jose and Maria, fires in the west and heat in the east. It has been one for the books.

But on a lighter, happier note...

Tomorrow is my aunt's 90th birthday. Happy Birthday Auntie! Sto Lat!

Louise, on the island, reflecting

Ahhh, September

We went through a few cool days this past week. I wore jeans for a few days. 

But summer seems to have returned now that the kids are back in school.

82 degrees Fahrenheit on September 5.  A few more days of summer seem to be left for us to enjoy!

And on to all things quilty....

A binding being completed...

"Sister's Choice" on the front.

Full view picture to come when the binding is finished.

The center of "Weed Whacker", a Bonnie Hunter pattern, was completed on Sunday.

This jelly roll sampler is now finished and hanging on the wall in the classroom.

The aquarium continues to grow.  Working on the yellow color way now.

"100 Blocks in 100 Days - City Sampler" is a top, only needing the outside borders.

Another thimble block is done.

I think I am going for twenty for the top.

I currently have seven with this one.

Windy afternoon on the deck

Enjoying the breeze and the warm temperatures.

Louise, on the deck, on the island, relishing the day.

  

Now All In ONE Post

May I present 100 Blocks for Modern Quilters, done in 100 days.

In no particular order....

There are probably some repeats in this last picture, and maybe some of the others, since 9 x 12 is 108 and there were only 100 blocks, although I remember making at least two duplicates in different color ways...

How's that for a run on sentence!

On the design wall, prior to webbing.

It was a blast doing these.

Louise, on the island, reminiscing about the last 100 Days

"Preppy the Whale"

UPDATE!!!

This post was originally written right after the completion of the "100 Blocks in 100 Days 2017" Instagram challenge. I think I was so caught up in the intensity of that challenge that I felt the need to get going on another one.

I have rethought that enthusiasm!

"Preppy the Whale" will get done, just not right now as an on going challenge.

That is reserved for the Tula Pink Butterfly Sew a Long and the Gypsy Wife Sew Along.

Each of those are in progress and each of those will get their own blog posts in the future.

Now on to the post originally scheduled to be seen by everyone on August 18, almost two weeks ago. 

Enjoy!

Another new project has come to the front of the planning page tonight.

"Preppy the Whale" by Elizabeth Hartman is being set up as a personal challenge and sew along.

Will you join me?

I have recently been sewing creatures from Elizabeth Hartman's "Awesome Ocean" pattern.

(The latest photo of my progress...)

The animals are fun to do.

Now that I have finished one whale 

and recently unearthed the Preppy the Whale pattern, I think I have another, new sew along begging to be started.

Digging around in the stash, I found this 75 piece grouping of ten inch squares of Denyse Schmidt solids from Free Spirit that I had purchased awhile ago.

Then in the same area, I found this zip-loc baggie filled with yardage of a blue that will be perfect for the background.  This fabric has always reminded me of seaweed for some reason or other.  Must be my imagination though.

(It is actually much bluer than this picture shows it to be.  Bad lighting tonight.)

And voila!

A new project is born..

Let's see how we do!

Louise, on the island, in the rain, planning again!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

Having just (about since today is day 95) finished the 100 Blocks in 100 Days challenge, successfully, I feel ready to think about another on-going project.

Another challenge.

For awhile, I have been looking at "The 4" x 5" Quilt-Block Anthology, 182 Blocks for Reproduction Fabrics" by Carol Hopkins and Linda M. Koenig. This is a new publication from Martingale that only came out this spring.

And then it hit me this afternoon, during deck time, of course, that the school year around here is 180 days. Add in a few teacher prep days and you've got yourself a ready made time frame.

So now the question becomes...

Old time reproduction...

"Seasonal Little Gatherings" from Primitive Gatherings and Moda

A bundle from a few years back that never found its own project...

Or "Union Blues" by Barbara Brackman for Moda

Or new release, sort of old reproduction looking, fabrics from Laundry Basket Quilts, called "Silver Linings in Color"

Or kick it up a notch, to modern, Alison Glass and friends type of fabrics.

Or maybe Denyse Schmidt...

What's your vote? 

I've got a few days still to decide.

Louise, on the deck, on the island, trying to decide