Class and quilting

Wow, the Quilted Illusions class was a lot harder than I expected. I struggled the entire day and only finished one block. Considering I have fabric enough for fifteen or so more blocks, I had better keep sewing. Here are a few pics of what went down.

Karen Combs showed us how to cut and piece the diamond 9-patch, and how it looks as the 'roof' of our block.

Then, she dazzled us with examples of what we can do with the blocks.

This may be the easiest one, since it has only two blocks!

Everyone got busy sewing, despite having our brains taxed to the max!

Here is Karen showing us how turning or flipping the blocks changes the illusion.

Is the center block missing, or on top of the other ones? It is so boggling to see how our brains can't work it out.

Adding another block expands the illusions.

Here is my first attempt with only the top sewn. I did a heck of a lot of un-sewing, trying to get the corners to match!

Back at home, I grabbed a glass of wine and sat on the porch enjoying the wind and the wildlife for an hour. The class had drained me.

I thought I'd show you the tank we have to conceal from the street. The roses and clematis hide it well.

The Stella d'Oro has burst into bloom, too. It's the plant with the yellow flowers.

Penny had a good time fetching her ball once the rain let up.

This is some kind of ground cover Mr W planted in the rock garden. These flowers are tiny! Maybe 1/4 inch wide. Very petite and delicate.

I slept well, and awoke ready to get quilting. I have three small quilts from a friend that are going to kids and a cancer patient. I got two done.

I like this little quilt. It is cheerful, covered with polka dots.

Panto: Bubbles

The back is this red dot fabric.

This lap quilt is for a cancer patient. Simple and pretty.

I forget the name of the panto, but it has hooked swirls and small daisy-like flowers.

The back is a lovely Text and floral toile.

Tomorrow will be spent quilting and cutting out my project for the retreat. It will have over 100 fabrics in it, so taking cut pieces will save room in the car!

 

Give-away quilt finished!

 Just a quick note to show you the finished quilt for my June talk. Today will be a busy one, with Karen Combs coming to speak at the guild meeting and I have preparations to do for the class tomorrow. There rain finally stopped and everything is lush and green, plus it got cooler! I'll be back after the class with some progress notes. Have a wonderful day!

All done. This is with the binding attached, but not hand sewn yet. I did that last night while watching TV.

The panto is a swirl and feather design. I can't recall the name of it.

I had this backing (also used for the binding) in my stash, left over from another project!

That's a score for sure. It also has a label...don't forget to label your quilts!

Another Funday-Sunday!

Boy, has it been busy! On Wednesday I quickly hand sewed three hanging sleeves on quilts going to hang in an exhibit at the Blue Ridge Arts Association. The other two already had sleeves, but I really hope to sell a couple of the other ones. My quilt bathroom is stacked to the ceiling as it is!

Something has to go...

Thursday I worked in the studio, starting a new layer cake quilt to give away at my talk in June at the Assisted Living place. I've been there before to give a talk and trunk show. It was a lot of fun for me, and a good time for the residents. I've made enough quilts since then for a whole new show, so it should be a good time again. In the evening, I went to my evening guild and subbed for my friend Gail, who has been sick for a week. Her voice was like Betty Boop from all the coughing, and she was still suffering from ear and sinus infections. Gail had her entire program outlined for me, so I read through her notes and showed her wonderful Seminole pieced quilts. 

I read the description of each quilt and what strip configurations were used.

This quilt was made by Gail and her daughter.

Another of Gail's beautiful quilts

This one is mine. Not as wonderful as Gail's, but colorful.

Gail made this for a friend who declared it "Too pink!"

Geez, I'd take it...

Friday, I drove the quilts to Blue Ridge, grabbed a sandwich at Wendy's and met my friend at the movies. We caught the matinee of Downton Abbey, A NewEra. The clothing was stunningly beautiful, as expected and the story was nice, but predictable. Almost all happy endings for the whole family.

Saturday, I met with Leslie to get her quilts for the Blue Ridge show and finalize plans for the guild retreat at the end of the month. I typed up the information and sent it to the members. Then I worked on my layer cake quilt for an hour or so before Gail popped over to pick up her quilts and drop off three for the show. I spent the evening sewing sleeves to two of their bigger quilts.

Funday-Sunday was here at last!! Up and around early to get the quilts packed up and off to Blue Ridge. On Friday, they didn't have enough for a good show and asked if I could scare up some more. Thanks to Leslie and Gail (and me!) I was able to deliver eight more quilts.

I finished the top of the layer cake quilt, and I'm pleased with how it looks. The fabric was a freebie from the husband of a customer of mine who passed away. I finished 8 of her quilts after her death to give to her siblings. Her husband gifted me her stash.

The fabric line is a French General collection from Moda.

I used the Stars over Lake Minoqua pattern because I can practically make it in my sleep!

The fabrics look dull here. They are dusty purples and deep reds in real life.

While I sewed the quilt top, I quilted this wedding gift quilt for the same customer who made the last baby quilt. She used the same pattern, and I really like it. I'm definitely adding it to my charity quilt repertoire!

The bride likes bright things, so this is the quilt she's getting

Panto: Flower feathers

The backing is a deep blue

I used variegated thread, too! Groovy...

Let's end the weekend with an update on the gardener's work. Mr Wazoo keeps it so beautiful here, it's like living in a park. Penny and I enjoy the morning on the porch listening to the birds and enjoying the warm breeze. Another week in the rear view and another busy one coming up.

Late afternoon sun is nice for pictures. The penstemon have bloomed and are harmonizing nicely with the roses in front

Delicate daisies bob in the breeze

I don't know what this stuff is, but every Summer it puts on a show

The Stella d'Oro Lillies are ready to pop!

The last two peonies bloomed. It's always sad to cut them back.

The other peony.

The roses and clematis are doing their job by hiding the propane tank from the street view. The clematis is packed with buds. It will be a mass of purple blooms in a couple of days.

Here are the penstemon from the back of the garden.

It is 11:30 pm and we're having a deluge outside. Time to get the umbrella, walk Penny and go to bed. It sure was a great weekend!