As I mentioned in my earlier post

I also worked on a top for a class I took online at Quilt University. This was a pressing class. There were two choices for the top- this smaller one, or one slightly larger with an hst border and one or two plain ones. I chose to do the smaller one, having just completed a Jo Morton with the hst border. Now I am debating adding a little more interest to the small one......LOL never satisfied!

Hour a day for February

I spent the weekend working on the hour a day quilt. I must say, if I were buying fabric to make this quilt, I don't think that I would ever have chosen the fabrics that I did. However, working from stash means I had to use things I had enough of. Its much darker than I would probably have chosen, but I am pleased with how it turned out.

The star points are made from different red FQs that I had, although within each star the fabric is the same. The black was originally purchased for a backing, so I had lots and now have only scraps left. The gray is actually a gray with black/metallic gold and brown marbling which was also intended to be a backing. I still have some of that left-it may wind up as part of a pieced backing for this quilt. The 'worst' part of this quilt was that the black and the red I used for sashing were some of the fraying-est fabrics that I can remember ever using! But it is done and ready to take its place in the pile of those tops waiting to be quilted.

I don't have anyplace high enough to hang larger quilts, so the bottom is trailing on the wet deck. I'm happy to have gotten a picture between the rain! I also worked on a top for my Quilt University class, it is almost finished.

Jo's Little Women Club....

The instructor for our Jo's Little Women Club at our LQS just posted our February projects on the store blog. Mine is the first one pictured. http://littlequilts.blogspot.com/index.html

Something a little different

I haven't posted on my hour a day progress because, while I have been ahead of the game, I don't think things will look like much until the whole thing is together. Does that make sense? Since we are working from stash, some will appear very dark and drab until everything comes together. Then I hope things will pop.

Meanwhile, while cruising the blog I teased Cathy in Ireland about her knitting. I am so intrigued by what you knitters are doing. I haven't made but one thing, many years ago (probably before Cathy was even born!) and would like to take a class to brush up and learn more. I told her it would be but one more thread art that I fall for. As many of us, I have sewn garments, I have done some cross stitch, needlepoint, and crewel. I have attempted knitting and crochet- but mother is an expert at crochet, so why not let her do it for me?? LOL

There is another thread art that is perhaps a little out of the norm, I thought I would share some of my projects with you as a taste of something different. This is Temari, which is Japanese (some say it was Chinese even further back in time) which means embroidered balls. In Asia, they used scrap materials (hmm, sounds like sisters across the seas)and sometimes husks to form an inner ball. They would push and wrap until they built to the size they desired and until it was round. Today, we use preformed balls and wrap in layers of yarns and then threads so there is something to stitch into. It is amazing how hard it is to wrap so that things stay round! These are my humble beginnings-

Catching up on obligations and preparations

This weekend I have spent time doing my latest buck-a-block and doing my February block for the PClassic BOM swap. The swap is ready to go out tomorrow and the buck-a-block is done for another month.

Thanks to a recommendation from Quilt Pixie, Saturday I began a class at Quilt University on pressing, so that project will need to be worked on this month,too. The practice pressing on different size pieces of fabrics came at an ideal time- I used the fabrics for JudyL's hr. a day quilt and was able to begin cutting in preparation for that, too. I'm looking forward to doing that one, Judy always does such a great job on planning and instructing.

Judy's Feb. challenge struck a cord, but I have to adjust it a bit to make it work for me a little better. However, going through the blogring has also given me a few lightbulb moments. Nancy posted about her 'On Flamingo Pond' quilt, which would be an ideal for a set of fabrics that I bought years ago and that have been sitting waiting for the right pattern. Also, Cynthia posted her disappearing 9 patch, which would be perfect for a fabric I fell in love with and bought 'just because'- and if I can work that out, it would be at least one top that would satisfy Judy's challenge to 'just cut into it and use it'.

Of course, that would make three tops, and since I hope to make quilts for family this year's Christmas, I still have to cut out and work on those, too. I hope I can find the time to do it all.

Wish me luck - I'm off!

Finished another flimsy

Today I finished the last of the borders on the homespun and flannel star quilt. I loved it in the beginning, then disliked it, now I'm not so sure. Some of the instructions were ambiguous and I "went left when I should have gone right", so the results aren't quite what I had hoped. I will say that now that it is all together, I like it better than I did in the middle of the process. DH loved it until one fabric went in as to him, it doesn't 'go' (it was a kit)so I have decided to make it again in fabrics that I think he will like, and with the advantage of the mistakes I made this time, I think I will like the next one better.

Meanwhile I have spent the rest of today working on blocks for a swap and my buck a block- pictures of those when I get them finished. I've also been auditioning fabrics for JudyL's hour a day quilt so I can cut that quilt tomorrow and Sunday. Boy, if any projects actually come in at work, I'm going to have to completely readjust. The last 2-3 weeks I've been living the life of a retiree-and I'm getting to like it!