Not a lot of progress

The last few weeks have been filled with many things, including a horrible cold virus that really zapped me.  Lots of other things going on.  I am almost quilting a large quilt, but just didn't get a chance to finish!  My daughter and grandkids are here visiting and that takes priority.  I am eeking out a few minutes with the kids playing here in the sewing room.

My biggest finish was getting the borders on my Baltimore Spring quilt.  I still haven't gotten to the stitching stage, I hope to soon.  I do have some other quilting commitments coming up, so we shall see!

When I took the quilts to school for 100 day in my previous post, our volunteer music teacher was there.  This is a small wallhanging from hand dyed fabrics and the leaves are raw edge.  It's not my favorite and she asked if I would donate it to a benefit auction for a neighbor's 4 year old great granddaughter.  I was happy to.  The little girl was born with a rare medical condition and they are seeing treatment in Boston.  I included a closeup of the quilting.  This is about 24 X 30. 

Instagram is having a quiltfest for the month of March, but again, way too many commitments to participate fully.  I  was able to post a pic on miniature quilts day though!  I wish I had laid a ruler for comparison!  It was about 24 X 27 or so, I can't remember now!  I made these a few years ago.  I used to make a lot of mini quilts!  The top two are traditionally pieces and the bottom 2 are paper pieces and they are small!

 I got out my Farmer's Wife blocks to see how many I had. I laid a piece of black fabric on the floor and I think that is what I will use on my scrappy batik quilt when I get all the rest of the blocks made some year!  Actually I have been challenged to finish it this year.  I started this many years ago.

 More recently I started the 1930's Farmers Wife.  Still not sure why as I have way too many sampler quilts and they aren't my favorite!  They are brighter and I will be using white.  I have a lot more to make!

Hopefully I will be able to get back on track with quilting and blogging.  I will post pics of my grandkids in another post!

Check out Design Wall Monday!

100 days of school and a prize!

Our school district has been on a 4 day school week for several years.  We go to school about 150 days a year and today we hit our 100th day this school year.  We have 24 students in grades K-6.  Everyone participates in the 100 day event and they bring 100 of something to show.  For several years I brought 100 cookies.  Last year I brought 100 squares of fabric.

This year I brought 100 quilts!  I used to make a lot of miniatures and wallhangings and for the essence of weight I took mostly that size, but threw in a few larger ones.  They filled 4 large garbage bags I could barely lift!  I had lots of helpers spreading them out in the gym (with clean hands and in stocking feet!).  The students were all very impressed and got to pick their favorite ones and explain why and then fold them up for me.  It was a good lesson in art and design.  The first pic is of the stacks in my hallway and the other pics were by the head teacher, trying to minimize faces of students showing!

 I forgot to show the name tag I made for the retreat I went to last weekend.

The background is made up of bits of thread saved from the floor.  A friend also saves all her thread ends and gives them to me.  I went through a postcard making phase with them.  I free motioned my name (going over it a few times) and then covered the whole thing with tulle and did some stitching, punched a hole and added a flower and sewed on the ribbon.  I received the top prize of 8 fat quarters and the three judges really liked my recycling!  Below are the FQ's I received from Quilt Treasures, the retreat sponsor.

Retreat Weekend

I went to a retreat that started last Wednesday for four nights.  It was a new to me retreat and the retreat was held at a hotel.  I had a lot of fun, there were 23 of us, including the quilt shop owner that sponsored the retreat.  She was very generous with gift bags and set up a small shop for us.  Her husband and kids provided dinners for us.

I was able to sew up 84 4 patch blocks for a couple of kids quilts and still need to cut them apart for a disappearing 4 patch, but my main project was my Baltimore Spring project I showed a block of in my last post.  It was intense, but I got all the blocks cut and fused. Some of those pieces are SOOOO small!  I was able to tape the pieces to a wall to watch the project grow.  I have been debating what to do next. I think I will go ahead and assemble the blocks, add the borders (yes a fusible applique one) and then thread paint with a thin layer of batting and then add another think batting layer and a backing and quilt the open areas.  That is my plan at least!  This is not the final layout, it looks too heavy on top, so I will do some rearranging.

Baltimore Spring BOM all fused

Before the retreat the quilt shop owner had a mystery quilt pattern and and quilters had a chance to participate.  She picked fabrics and had them in a bag based on their color preferences.  I did not participate but enjoyed seeing the wide variety of finished quilts from the same pattern!

The previous weekend I got the this quilt top out and added the prairie point border and the final border.  I had pieced it quite some time ago at a retreat.  It was a kit I bought many years ago from Starr Fabrics.  It is a small throw size.  I also have a kit for a queen size version!  It is fun to sew up and I like the mottled effect.

I also pin basted this quilt top to ready it for quilting.  I had gotten word that my friend Kathy had passed away unexpectedly and she and I were co-moderators on a yahoo group for twenty years called Washington State Internet Quilters.  The list owner Melissa is a dear friend and the three of us "ran" the list.  As Facebook and other social media took over the group had dwindled in recent years, but many friendships were formed from this group.  They had many sew ins, retreats, swaps, round robins, etc.  These blocks were from one of the swaps, and in memory of Kathy I got out this quilt top and readied it for quilting.  I have another one as well and still more blocks to be made into quilts!

I think I am going to be busy for awhile!

Linking up with Design Wall Monday, Main Crush Monday and Monday Making.