Big quilt exercised my brain!!

Last week I worked on a quilt that really made me think outside my box for how to quilt it. It has BIG open spaces that screamed for quilting, as well as beautiful hand applique. The pillow tuck was the hardest part. I traced the applique motifs and made some plastic templates to use. I marked all the motifs on the area and quilted them in, removed the marks and did background fill. It took one whole day to do this!! This was day 2 since day one was spent stitching in the ditch and around all the applique with invisible thread. Day 3 I tackled the 15 inch wide borders. Deb Levy taught us to divide and conquer, so that is what happened. Two more days of quilting and filling the backgrounds and I was finished!! The quilt is to be a bedspread for a queen size bed, but I have a king bed so the picture isn't an accurate depiction of how it will eventually look. Anyway, my customer has her work cut out for her just applying the binding, don't you think?!

Where did August go?!

Wow! This month flew by and I am in a twist trying to get a bit caught up on the customer quilting. I had a little guilty indulgence and made the signature quilt from the blocks given to me by the guild three years ago!! The most current past president got hers done before I did. Very bad. Anyhoo, the multi colored cheerful quilt is done and in the guest room.It's in the first photo.
The other quilts are some of my customer's work. They truly are a talented group, don't you think?
Now, I am off on a sad journey to Chicago for the funeral of my dear friend June Ellis, with whom I traveled the world for ten years. She was a wonderful neighbor, a great story teller and hostess, and a treasured friend. I'll be back to work on Sunday, and missing her ever after.

WAZOO! August 2011 Retreat

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Challenging myself

Last month I went back to Wisconsin for my class reunion and saw my best friend from school, Marcia. She has always been a wonderful artist, and showed me a photo of a 'wooden quilt' she made for her garden. I was really impressed and wondered if it would make a nice 'real' quilt. Well...OF COURSE!! Here are the two quilts and I am here to report the 'real' quilt has been mailed to Marcia as a surprise. Yes, I am a nice person. Most quilters are. Enjoy!

Four to Nine

follow along with the photos and see if you figure it out!

Having fun

I have been back to work this week now that my sister is gone, but I allowed time for my quilts, too. I have a retreat coming up, so I had to come up with my new project. My friend Carole sent me a wonderful block that uses a technique to transform four patches into nine patches. Once I got started making them, I was hooked. My sister made one quilt using a more controlled palate and I made mine from a Bali layer cake. ( 10" squares). Here are the pictures of what I came up with for the project in two sizes.Go to the next entry to see how it's done.

Company!!

My sister and my niece are here from Texas for a visit! I hurried up and quilted a few charity quilts for my sister to bind (she loves that part...) and my niece is busy getting pruney in the pool. I have to work a bit, but I suspect we have some fun ahead. Stay tuned.

Ahhhh...High School memories

Just back from the reunion, and had a great time there. Got to visit with my best friend from school, my friend I still keep up with, as well as see how the handsome boys turned out.Everybody seemed to enjoy the evening and look forward to the next one in five years. Now, it's back to work.

Holiday weekend

I took a little time to get caught up on my own projects and it was fun! Here are a couple of photos of my quilts in progress. I need to quilt the big one, but the piecing is all done. The little wall quilt was fun to do and now I'm adding a bit of applique to it. Tomorrow it's back to customer work, but for today, I'm on a lark!

The fun never ends at WAZOO!

I'm counting down the days until I go to my (gulp!) 40th class reunion. It's work as usual, but I'm always wondering how it will play out. Forty years... I'm forty years fatter and sassier, but still fun to be with, if I do say so myself. Look out LaFollette class of 1971!
Until then, it's quilting and more quilting! This week so far I have worked on the biggest quilt I have ever done, and a couple of really nice custom jobs. It finally rained here and my husband and all his landscaping plants are very pleased. It's always easier to work when it's raining outside the window. The photos prove that!! Enjoy!