This and That

I am on a winning streak!

This time it is this awesome pattern from Linda of 

Quilts in the Barn.

Click on her blog name to see the quilt up close. 

Both her design and the quilting are exquisite.

Her pattern reproduces one of the quilts from the 

Infinite Variety Show.

Perhaps this will inspire me to finish my red and white quilt.

The weather cooled down dramatically and I mustered enough energy to sew the binding on Pinwheels for Caroline.  I love scrappy bindings, so I chose to do this one in black scraps...perhaps not my best idea. However, I am using up my stash, which was my original goal with this quilt.  The one good decision I made was to go with a wool batt.

I love the texture and it hasn't been washed yet!

Ignore the dark stripe running across the quilt...poor photo.

Block 4 of PFH is done.

The BOM instructor gave us a new stitch for the stem.

She plans to show us a few more variations, 

so I will try all of them and then choose my favorite.

BTW, the #42 teal I ordered was the wrong color.

  It is so hard to tell from the pics on the computer the true color of the thread.  

So, my clorox lightened thread will just have to suffice...it is the thread on the darkest petals.

Company is coming!

Next week my DD and I will be hosting Thanksgiving dinner, as well as out of town guests.

Lots of work to get the house and all the meals prepared.

So, I will wish everyone a 

Happy Thanksgiving

now.   

Thank You, Darlene!

Last month, I won a contest over at Quilting Daze, 

Darlene was cutting several projects at the same time 

and challenged us to guess which pile of fabrics went with which pattern.  

It was a fun puzzle to solve.

My prize was 4 charm packs of 

Thank you, Darlene, for your generosity and for such a fun game!

I owe Darlene yet another thank you for motivating me to get my machine humming.

She has been sewing up a storm in honor of September being 

National Sewing Month.

I am an early riser.  

During the wee hours of the morning, I get the most accomplished.

It doesn't hurt that I am fueled by my morning cup

(okay, CUPS) of coffee.

As a result,

my Pinwheels for Caroline,

designed by Lori Smith,

is pieced!

What I like best about this quilt is that I gave myself some slack.

I tried my hardest, but could not figure out how to make my ocean waves blocks come out just perfect.  Some points float

 (well, it is an ocean block, right?) 

and some (okay, a lot) 

of those diagonal seam intersections are just a little less than aligned.

But you know what,

I love it with all its imperfections.

And it busted some (although not enough!)

of my stash.

While I was cutting the border,

I also took the time to turn these

into these.

Feels good to have at least 2 buckets neatly organized and a good start on the third.
Next up...
quilting Primitive Pumpkins.

It must be working!

My 15 minute challenge, that is!

Pinwheels for Caroline, by Lori Smith, is coming along nicely.

I am intrigued by the ocean waves blocks in the second border.

I need to add the last dark border and then another UFO can be deleted from my list. 

 I did succumb to temptation though.

Primitive Pumpkins is on my design wall.  

It is a good thing my mojo returned!

The girls at TOWQS are back from market and will have lots of new temptation waiting the next time I visit.  One of them is this new pattern from Primitive Gatherings.

They are saving a kit for me.

It might take priority over my fall quilt since 4th of July is just around the corner.  

Looks like it will be fast and easy to do.

My goal is to finish my Pinwheel quilt by the end of the month 

and then move on to finishing my Xmas BOM during June. 

Method to my Madness

I always ponder why I have so many projects going all at once. 

I think I have come up with an explanation,

or maybe I'm just rationalizing the situation.

When I work on more than one project at a time, I can use what Bonnie Hunter refers to as the 'leaders and enders' technique. 

The first thing I do is cut a dozen fabric squares that I will pair together to make multiple half-square triangles out of.  Then I cut the fabrics for an 1880 Sampler block.  Now it is time to sew.  As I piece each section of the sampler block, I chain feed in the fabrics for my HST's. That way I conserve thread and keep my machine from 'eating' my tiny fabric pieces.
The result...

3 new blocks for my sampler. 

My goal this week is to make one more and then assemble the next row.  I have enjoyed following the progress of several others who are piecing the sampler through the flicker site (the link can be found on my side bar.)  A brown and pink color scheme seems to have become popular and quite stunning, I may add.  Many are using the Julie Hendrickson Miniatures collection.  One of my favorites!

The second benefit from this 'leaders and enders' technique is that Pinwheels for Caroline is growing.

I think I have finally figured out how to make the ocean waves blocks with a modicum of precision.  I have already told myself that this quilt is utilitarian and therefore, I am overlooking a thread off here and there.  Nothing too obvious!! That would be sacrilege for me.

But, as we all know, once it is quilted and washed, no one will see my transgressions.

We are back in Colorado and after I plucked all the weeds that had claimed my vegetable and flower gardens in the last 3 weeks, we headed to the Continental Divide.  At last, the snow has receded and one of my favorite hikes above the Wolf Creek Ski Resort is now accessible.

And that means...

wildflower pictures.

I have added all the new ones to my Wildflowers of Colorado page, but I just had to share my favorite picture of the day.

You might ask what I do with my photography...

OK, my attempts at photography.

My husband makes rustic wood frames, we stain them and then a local framer finishes them up.  These are pictures I took last year enlarged to 8" x 10".

They make great wall decor for the cabin. 

 

A few hours of 'leaders and enders,' and believe it or not, I make progress on all of the first 5 projects on my priority list.  Of course, you could argue that if I put that much time into just one project, I might finish it.  But what fun is that?

Have you tried this technique?