Lots to Do

In less than 10 days I'll be in Houston, TX for Quilt Market and Festival.  It is the highlight of my year and something I look forward to so much.  But there is a LOT to do before I get on that plane.

Today I've been having fun with my Bernina Q20 sit-down longarm machine, free-motion quilting on a small quilt I am taking for our Education Office display:

Just organic wavy lines about 1/4" apart.  In two hours I got half of it done and will finish the other half tomorrow.  This morning I made the binding and the sleeve so I'm on track to get this done on time.  The pattern is from the book Making Quilts by Kathy Doughty, Her pattern is entitlted "Soul Searching". My quilt is titled "Color in Black and White, 2" as it is the baby verison of a full-size quilt I made last year:

"Color in Black and White": Queen Size version at guild quilt show in 2015

While cutting fabrics for the queen-size version, which used 2.5” strips, I also cut 1.5” strips for this baby version. I delved into my “deep stash” to find all the colors I needed.  The baby size is 48" x 44".  I had the queen-size one long-arm quilted but wanted to do the baby by myself.

The other day I posted a photo of Stella's Splendid Sampler quilt hanging on my design wall.  I usually crop everything else out of the photo but didn't this time and there was a lot of interest in my "Lifetime Quilt" in progress.  Today I finished another large block so here are 4 of those on the wall:

I wrote a step-by-step blog on this one a few months ago:  Lifetime Leader/Ender project.  Shown here are four 20" blocks--there are a total of 2048 triangles, 1.25" finished.  I expect to make at least 16 of those 20" blocks, hence the name, My Lifetime Quilt.  I can't die until it's done so I'm sewing slowly!   These blocks are being made as I am working on other projects and start out as 5" blocks of 1.25" finished half square triangles:

This isn't hard.  I just make four, then join four together for a 10" square, then make four 10" squares and join them together for a 20" block.  That's as big as I'm making them right now.  When I have 16 20" blocks, I'll join those together then decide if I need four more.  Right now I can easily take the 20" blocks off the design wall should I need to.

This past weekend our grand-girl Stella made a quick visit here with her folks, my son and his wife.  We loved having her visit.  She makes funny faces on command.  And she got to see her big-girl bed quilt, "Stella's Splendid Sampler", on the design wall.  It's a great "I Spy" quilt--she found the bunny and the cupcake and the house and the dress and...  She'll be back at Christmas when she'll be almost 19 months old.  She even called me "BB" this trip--I was thrilled!!

Also, this week I have to create Supply Lists and send those and class samples and photos of the samples to my local quilt shop, Patches & Stitches, where I teach.  The Winter 2017 schedule will be coming out soon so this all has to be done before I leave town.  One more sample needs a binding--the binding and sleeve are made, now to get them on the quilt.  It's always something...

Let's Quilt!

Barbara