Did You Wonder Where I Was?

It has been a day over two months since my last post.

Did you wonder where I was?

I have spearheaded ( okay chaired ) my church's major find raiser.

I have had cataract surgery ( okay, only on one eye so far )

I have learned to live a little bit more with my Rheumatoid Arthritis.

AND 

I have continued to sew and make quilts!

So on to the quilts.

Prior to the church festival, I went on a sewing spree. I knew that my sewing time would be severely restricted for the two weeks prior and the one week following th festival.

Here is some of what I accomplished during that time.

Additional Blocks for the 120 needed of "Box Kites" a Bonnie Hunter pattern from her book "Addicted to Scraps" and begun in a workshop with her last summer in Bedford, Pennsylvania at Mary's Quilt Shop. I have completed probably close to the number needed on this project, so look for the completed top in the near future.

"Carolina Chain" blocks , an ongoing leader/ender project, also from Bonnie Hunter's book "Addicted to Scraps". Lots more needed of this one so I will continue to make these blocks.

"Diamond Tiles", a block pattern published in Bonnie Hunter's column in Quiltmaker ( can you tell I am a fan of her scrappy world?!).

"Double Pinwheel" blocks from an Eleanor Burns, Quilt In A Day, publication and pattern of the same name. Most of these blocks are now complete so you can look for this quilt top to surface in the near future.

The alternate block for a quilt top pattern I found on the Internet. I will give more specifics on this next time.

These blocks are from a Missouri Star pattern and are complete now. Just waiting to sew this top together.

The "Pineapple Block" from an Eleanor Burns and Quilt in a Day block of the month Sampler Quilt that is available on her website. These are very large blocks compared to what I usually do!

I finished all of the pieces for my "So Big" quilt which is a Kelli Fannin pattern.

I sewed together the blocks for this top, which is from Amy Ellis's book, "Think Big, Quilts, Pillows and Tablerunners from 18 inch blocks". 25 blocks gives you a Queen sized quilt!  This has been quilted and now awaits its binding.

In the days leading up to surgery, the binding was sewn on this quilt.

This binding, and thus this quilt, was also completed. It is a scrappy trip type of quilt using a roll of solids from my stash.  It was started in July 2017 and sewn through the weeks until September of last year.  Finally it is completed.

I sewed all of the half square triangles needed for "Dessert Time".

I completed the binding for this quilt just before eye surgery.

After surgery, sunglasses were needed.

I also found out that my color acuity was impacted more than I thought by the cataract!

This matched much better before than it does now! Lol!

Last week I was able to sew this top together. It is now quilted and waiting to be bound and hung in the shop or the classroom. It is a new line of fabrics that Sharon has. 

Oh yes, I snuck in this cutie, right after the festival.  It uses a pack of 5 inch squares and some yardage and makes a nice small quilt.

Recently I sewed the rows together on this "Trailways" quilt. It is a pattern from Candlelite quilts that calls for 8 half yard pieces to make the top.  It is a bit bigger since had more than a half yard of many of these fabrics. I just kept on going!  Soon it will be at the long armer, once I figure out what to put on the back.

Looking ahead to August,

A quilt retreat for yours truly,

A bus trip to the "World of Quilts" quilt show in New Hampshire 

And

A trip to Pennsylvania for classes with Bonnie Hunter, so I can start more quilts to add to my UFO stash!

Looking forward to all of it!

Louise, on the island, penning a blog, for the first time in two months and a day

Wednesday Wishes....

I wish the sun would come out...

I wish the pollen would disappear....

I wish the temperature was a teensy bit warmer...

I wish I was a size ten ...

😊

But since I control none of that, (well maybe my weight just a bit!) I will keep in stitching!

Recent accomplishments includ the following:

Recently back from the long arm quilter is "Cinnamon Swirl". It is a Quilt in a Day pattern that uses 1.5 inch strips and is now waiting for its binding.

Getting ready to be sewn together is this top from MANY years ago.  It as supposed to have one more row and that row includes two appliquéd blocks.  We all know how I love Applique so it has been sitting and waiting. I think I am strong enough now to ignore those last two blocks, figure out something to go above or below the fence line and get this baby done!

I won't tell you how old, but the millennium had not yet arrived!

May I?...

May has arrived!

And with it, today, has come some warmer temperatures.

I am sitting on the deck as I write this, enjoying the warmth, in my short sleeves, checking out the view.

No leaves on the trees yet, but lots of buds.

The maples are just beginning to leaf out.

Today, if there is pollen about, is not a sneezing, itchy eye day for me. Hooray!

Now on to the quilts....

This binding must ge done by Saturday afternoon. It is almost complete - I will make it!

The second quilt for the UFO challenge is already completed.

"Cyclone" in thirties fabrics,

"Cyclone " in a red grunge, and Thimbleberries green and background. How's that for a combo?!

"Cyclone" is a free pattern from Quilt in a Day. I am using it as the sample in my new class for this month.  You will learn how to make flying geese the "Quilt in a Day" way as well as dabble in some partial piecing and assembly line sewing. Should be a fun time!

Resurrecting some oldies...

"One Block Says It All" is the book where this pattern came from. I don't have the book in front of me currently. It is buried in the deep stash somewhere. But the name of it stuck for some reason or other.

I am debating the border now.

Some of the Friday ladies suggest that I should just finish it as is. However I do have a number of half square triangle that were to be part of the border. Not enough to finish it, but enough to give me pause and originally push this in to the UFO pile. It needs to be completed!  We will see how it asks to be done.

Another not so oldie, yellow is the backing and I think I have the border set.  Just need to apply the border strips and get it to the quilter.

Some tops from April...

This still needs something else, probably a bit more purple on both sides.  The pattern calls for it to be like this, but it is not looking finished for my tastes.

The first "Diamond Tile" block, a block from Bonnie Hunter's Addicted to Scraps column in Quiltmaker Magazne.

An April 11 sunset

My flowers from April 25.

Time goes on so quickly.

It is now May 2018. 

May I....

Louise, on the island, catching up, and enjoying the first 80 degree day of 2018

April Showers etc...

Well, I skipped over March somehow in the blogging world.

Much has happened so this might be a long post.

First of all we had THREE ginormous snowstorms in March and we LOST POWER each time! Some power loses were short ones but one was for four days or was it three? I only know that the fridge was trashed and I got NO SEWING DONE!!!

Lots of capitals indicate how frustrating that was!

I forgot to take the usual amounts of pictures during open sews and other classes. 

I did not get too many quilts finished.

But it is now April and time to turn over a new leaf!

Except the snow keeps coming!

But it was gone by late Monday afternoon.

Oh, well,...

Now on to the quilts...

Roxanne's newest completed top is a Missouri Star pattern which incorporates friendship stars as part of the border.. She used a line of fabric from Benartex which features dragonflies. 

Marilyn's top is made from a kit she bought from Keepsake Quilting.  "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" is slated for a friend's soon to arrive grandchild.

Candy's recently completed "Quick Trips" quilt is an Eleanor Burns, Quilt In A Day quilt that she made in my recently held series of classes for newer quilters.

Grazina's beautiful basket quilt is a kit and a block of the month class from Craftsy.  It was from a few years ago so it may no longer be available. The quilt combines piecing with Applique and features Ginny Beyer fabrics and techniques.

Joanne's lap sized "Quick Trips " quilt without the final border. She worked on it during our one day class, and the following day during open sew. I believe it is now completed with the final borders.

My lap sized "Quick Trips" quilt features a striped outer border and mitered corners.

Another fat quarter quilt made to add to my "Fun with Fat Quarters" series.  M'Liss Rae Hawley's book, Fat Quarter Quilts serves as the pattern inspiration for this quilt series I have been making over the years.

The last block for a king sized "Celtic Solstice" quilt which was a Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt from 2013-14, I believe.  This quilt is webbed and just needs to have the rows sewn together.

Linda's version of "Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt" a day long class I recently taught at Piecing with Poppers Quilting Center. The quilt uses one jelly roll to make this approximately 45" x 56" quilt of nine patches, flying geese, friendship stars, square in a square blocks surrounded by a piano keys border. 

Brenda's "Jelly Roll Sampler Quilt" from the same class Linda attended at Piecing with Poppers Quilting Center.

"Alliatare" was finished this month. It was the 2016-17 Bonnie Hunter Mystery quilt and is now waiting in the to be quilted que.

One more example of a "Quick Trips" quilt that was made as a class sample.

"30's Cyclone" is a free pattern from Quilt In A Day.  This will be an all day class coming in May. 

A collage of quilty projects that I worked on during a quilting retreat I attended in the beginning of March.

The sun has just come out after a rainy day. Maybe the spring flowers will get a chance to shine now!

Until next time...

Louise, on the island, looking for signs of spring ...

 

January Recap

January 2018 has been busy with THREE Quilter's Retreats. Lots of friends, projects and good times.

A snowstorm or two...

The super red blood blue moon (although the picture above is not of that event)

And again lots of quilts!

On to February!

Louise, on the island, catching up!