Mid May Catchall Post!

Well I haven’t blogged in almost a month so this post will catch up on various things that are going on.

First April goals:

Jane’s Quilt – it is still on the frame but progress is steady now and if I can stay home this weekend, I will probably get it finished.  I put some pebbles in arcs using a glide thread and it just looked too dominating and thready so I spent about 9 hours ripping it out.  The glide is pretty but it has a sheen and I didn't want it to be so dominant

Pineapple -I have a shoebox full of 1 ½ inch strips for the pineapple and 31 blocks made.  This is an ongoing guilty pleasure that I am working on between other things

President’s blocks – I am close to having the top together minus borders.  I ordered more sashing fabric right after Retreat, but I must have selected the wrong fabric because it is different than what I ordered before.  It works well though.  Note I hadn't pressed the bottom row of sashing when I snapped the picture

Color Study top – no work on it

Two New Starts

In April I attended a workshop with a certified Judy Niemeyer instructor to start the Desert Sky pattern.  So one block is made, the fabric is cut and labeled and I have set it aside until I get caught up……

Early May, a friend and I spent a day working on the project from Gloria Loughman’s Craftsy Linear Landscape Class.  It was a very good class and I don’t think it will take a lot of work to finish it but I have set it aside until I get caught up……

While I am happy with both projects I started them as I spent time with friends and to learn new techniques so they are lower priority right now.

What else?

I got hit with an awful, evil computer virus and lost my hard drive.  I was without a computer for a little over a week.  This one was the fbi one where they try to extort money for you to send via moneypak.  Funny the top of the page shows cyber spelled correctly and the bottom it is spelled ciber. 

My niece, Stephanie has been in flight attendant training in Houston.  I went down to Houston the last two weekends to help her out with things and we have had nice visits but I plan to stay home this weekend.

Guild Retreat

I attended retreat with ladies from my guild April 11^th through 14^th.  It was fun and productive.  I also got to know ladies from my guild better.  I had a great roommate.

I wanted to get the double friendship star blocks together in a top but I had miscalculated how many sashing pieces I needed.  I worked as far as I could, and then switched to making pineapple blocks. 

On Saturday I pieced this Debbie Maddy pattern Recess.  I knew that many of the ladies made donation quilts during the retreat and I had originally planned to make a different one, but as I was prepping for retreat I looked at the other pattern and it needed a jelly roll or 42 strips.  I didn’t feel like cutting more fabric so I grabbed this pattern and a turnover I bought to use with it a couple years ago. 

 

Quilting

It’s nice to have something on the frame.  I have started Jane’s Cat’s Meow quilt.  Those wrinkles are because I hadn’t smoothed the fabric before I snapped the picture.

Secret Pals

Special Projects at Bear Creek Guild is doing Secret Pals all year long.  I think it is a great idea, because it is a way to get to know someone else in the guild, and fun to get presents!!

While I was in Lancaster, I shopped for gifts for my secret pal who I kept mistakenly calling my secret admirer, but I can’t show what I got in case she should read this blog and find out the source of her little gifts.  But look what I received at our last guild meeting:

 

I am enjoying reading the quilt stories and certainly recommend this book.  Thank you Secret Pal, this was an excellent gift for me.

The fabric is fat eights and I love the colors.  See how well it goes with the border and sashing fabrics I picked out for putting my president blocks together?  I blogged about receiving the blocks from guild members   http://peggybsquilting.blogspot.com/2012/12/presidents-blocks.html                     

 I am planning on putting them together at our retreat next weekend.

Monthly To Do List Linky Party

I came across this blog post http://littlebitsandpieces-linda.blogspot.com/  from Linda and backed from there to Thearica’s monthly goals linky sign up  http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com/2013/04/april-monthly-to-do-list-linky-party.html so I thought I would link up and post my goals for April.

1. Put President blocks together with sashing
2. Quilt Jane’s quilt
3. Pre cut fabrics for Judy Niemeyer workshop
4. Cut scraps for Pineapple Quilt
5. Make Pineapple blocks
6. Finish Color Study Donation top

At my last bee meeting one of my friends who had lost her husband spoke of “faux living” in the period of time after his death, until her sisters pulled her more into life.  I know I have been “faux living”.  I am making progress and don’t mean that this is a woe is me post.

 I escape frequently in mindless pursuits.  I have watched all the episodes of Burn Notice, Homeland, I have read all the Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers series by John Sandford, and now I am working my way through CSI series.  Usually if I watch tv or am talking on the phone I am also playing games on the computer.  I think this is me trying to max out my brain on empty pursuits.  Oh the books are good but I have devoured these things in a rush to avoid empty space and time for contemplation.  I think I have not done as much sewing since that is a time that allows contemplation. 

What is my latest crazy, empty waste of time?  I have been playing Monopoly on the computer.  It isn’t even that hard to beat the computer on the hardest level.  Just trade properties until you have a monopoly and refuse to give the computer a monopoly if possible – then just wear him (computer) down.

These goals and more may be accomplished since I will be going to a 3.5 day retreat in April, and I am turning my tv so I can sew while I watch NCIS.

I will close with my favorite quote  " How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives." Anne Dillard

More Lancaster Photos

There were two quilt shows in Lancaster, the AQS one and the Lancaster Spring Quilt Show.  The second quilt show had a display of old signature quilts and it also had the Quilt As Desired Exhibit- “This exhibit features twenty-four (24) vintage quilts that have been longarm-machine quilted by various quilters including Sue Patten, Jamie Wallen, Karen McTavish, DeLoa Jones and Pat Barry. This exhibit will debut at the Spring Show in Lancaster, PA, and is scheduled to travel the country for two years”   I saw Sue Patten's but not all the other big name quilters so either I missed some or this was a partial exhibit.  Unfortunately pictures were limited to personal use only, no posting allowed.

Below is a quilt from the AQS show that I liked.  I am normally not a appliqué type of gal but lighter, brighter and whimsical are calling to me lately.

 

Lancaster Quilt Show

My friend, Dana had a quilt in the AQS Lancaster Quilt show this year.  We flew to Pittsburgh to rendezvous with a bee member, Judy who had moved back to PA last year.  We had so much fun and hope to meet up in Paducah next year and get more members of our bee together there.

Quilt Shows are always so inspiring.  Dana’s quilt is from when we did the Ostrich Round Robin for Special Projects at Bear Creek Guild a couple years ago.