In My Quilting & Sewing Studio: not much accomplished today or yesterday

In My Quilting & Sewing Studio: not much accomplished today or yesterday

not much accomplished today or yesterday

I am sitting here in the throes of a very bad cold, feeling miserable and sleepy.  It's only after perusing thru my emails from my favorite blogs that my mood improves.... Yesterday I did get a little more done on my Goddess Quilt, including watching several videos on FMQ on YouTube.  today I have spent sleeping, eating, taking meds and watching tv, then repeating the above.  Hopefully I will be feeling better tomorrow since I do have an appointment in the afternoon that I can't miss.  Oh well back to bed for a bit.... Maybe to quilt a little later in the eve. 

Feb Finish - Meadow Lark Row Quilt

Feb Finish - Mid Month Progress -  Meadow Lark Row Quilt

While at Retreat this past Mon - Wed I worked on my Februarys Lovely finish - My Meadowlark Row Quilt. It was exciting to be there and to be able to devote so much time to this quilt.  The Pattern by Designer Meg Tybra of Nutmeg Quilts will be exquisite when finished.  I was able to get all the rows put together and now to square them up and add the border.  wow! I am so excited to be getting this quilt finished.

 I will enjoy putting it on my bed for Spring! 

 

 

MEDOWLARK ROW QUILT  ON THE DESIGN WALL

On the Design wall Ready to Square up! and piece together then add the borders...

  I will do Surface Quilting and Trapunto to finish this little birdie off.

  The Butterfly also will be surface quilted and Trapunto. 

Quilt Retreat! "Girls Nights Out" 2013

It has been an exciting month for me so far.  I was able to attend my LQS’s 1st Tuesday meeting on the 5th and was delighted to hear about the extension of the quilting retreat “Ladies Night Out” – sponsored by “Sew Little Time” Quilt Shop in dwntn Hudson WI.  I was able to get in on the 1st part of the week – Mon – Wed and sleep over.  What a great time I had sewing from morning till 2:30 am that 1st eve.  I met some new friends, Carol A & Judi D who have been coming to the retreats since it 1st started.  And Carol K who like me was a 1st timer.  The conversation was great, centering on life, love of quilting and all other things related to both.  I even learned 1st hand the difference between English Paper Piecing and Paper piecing.  Wow! who knew?  Now I understood what Amanda Jean was saying about her ongoing project a quilted top that was paper pieced that she had been working on since April 2011 – you read about it here.

Although I did not get any embroidery done on my Mug Rugs – I did learn a lot and enjoyed looking at what everyone else was working on: Below are some of pictures of the fun stuff.

Rosie was working on this geometric quilt of Boxes.  above she has placed her pieced boxes on the design wall so she can organize them into a pleasing arrangement.  On the left she has her 1st row pieced together.  I can't wait to see this quilt when it is done. 
Carol K's pretty quilt top in gorgeous jewel tones is up on the design wall next.  she pieced it together after choosing which arrangement of colors she felt worked best.  This will be a very pretty quilt when done.


Judi D finished quilt wall hanging

 Carol A finished her Wool Applique Block with a pieced flying Geese.  I love the colors.

 Carol K's almost completed Purse in the loveliest of Batiks.

 Our display tree for our finished projects.  Note the cute Kitty made by Carol A. 

 Everyone is having a great time working on their projects.  A lot of creative energy was in this room.

My Meadow Lark Row Quilt on the Design Board  Carol K's Quilt top Finished

Quilting Retreat Time!

Today I will be attending "Ladies Night Out" Quilting Retreat with my friends from my LQS "Sew Little Time" to quilt (downtown Hudson WI) this will be my 1st time there and I have been looking forward to this all month.  I will be there Mon - Wed and it starts at noon today so I better be off to pack my "Stuff", I already have chosen my UFO's to work on.  - Looking at having fun and making new friends.  I will report back later in the week at our activities and have some pictures to share. . 

Meadowlark Row Quilt - my Feburary Finish

I would like to make my February Finish - my quilt topper. Meadowlark Row Quilt. by Nutmeg Quilts. This beautiful Quilt was Designed by Meg Tybra using the Meadow Lark Panel & fabrics from Benartex with creams, beiges, rich plums and lavenders & Blacks.  Very Elegant.

 

 I started this quilt early February of last year taking classes with my friend Diane at my LQS "Riverside Quilting LLC" in River Falls WI.  I joined the class late and Meg was so sweet to let me get in on the fun.  I enjoyed our sessions and did manage to get a lot of the blocks done while taking classes.  I should have kept going but life kicked in and my constant shoulder pain took the forefront, (I had been experiencing discomfort thru Nov/Dec 2011, after going to PT for 8 weeks with no relief it was determined that I needed surgery...MAJOR SX - so the rest of the winter/summer was taken up with Dr's Visits with the goal of getting this done....Finally in late Aug I had surgery replacing my shoulder - extensive Rehab - I was back to my sewing machine in late Sept, I remember trying to piece using 1 hand .LOL).  Enough Said -

 I am Ready for anything this year!   

 Wow Meg is an amazing Designer

 I want to do Trapunto on this middle Panel

An amazing Block, I love the color and fabrics

that go with this quilt.

Row one blocks are pieced and ready

 

 

This is an amazing Block

 

A Year of Lovely Finishes - Jan 2013

The Piano Runner 9 1/2" x 60"

Oh I am so happy to report that I finished my Piano Runner.  I did enjoy making this from conception to finished project it was so fun and really my first time making something with out any pattern.  I choose the blocks 1st that I wanted to include in the runner, started with paper piecing the 3 Pineapple Blocks and 6 log cabins.  I carefully chose the colors, wanting mostly creams and browns with and accent fabric for the Pineapple blocks to give it a pop of color.  The finished runner is 9 1/2" x 60".  I really do love it and know it will look nice on the piano in the community Ctr. where I live.

Thanks  Melissa at Bittersweet Designs and Shanna of Fiber of all Sorts for hosting "A Year of Lovely Finishes 2013".  I am looking forward to choosing my February Finish.

 

The Creative Process of making the Piano Runner
Telling the Story:  Last Year I was asked to make a runner for the piano in the community center where  lived.  I wanted the runner to blend in with the surroundings and for most seasonal changes so I wanted neutrals with a pop of color.  I chose to combine Log Cabin blocks with Pineapple blocks and to paper piece the blocks to keep them uniform.  My Runner would be 10" x 60".  The above picture shows the process.

Frosty's Cabins? or Leaves and vines????

Frosty's Cabins Quilt Top
I have added the borders and my corner stars and have sandwiched and pinned my topper getting
it ready for quilting.  I love the border fabric I choose but I don't think it will lend itself to
appliques of Snowmen and Trees - I just might add a vine and leaves with flowers instead. 
 

more pictures of Frosty's Cabins

Here are some pictures of  my Frosty's Cabins wall hanging

my corner squares  I like the way these turned out

a log cabin block

my 6 log cabins with the 1st border on now to choose the fabric for my 6 1/2" borders

Frosty's Cabins continues

the top fabric is the one I made the corner stars from

The top blue is the background and the dark blue on the bottom is my small border

the beginning of my log cabin

I have finished the six log cabin blocks I need for my center in the greens and blues I chose and have sewn them together & added a dark blue border with my tone on tone fabric.  I like the way they look.  yesterday I finished my 4 corner stars in green and blue.  Very pretty.  I now have to figure out the color I want for my border.  At this point I am not sure if I will add the appliques of trees and snowmen.  Mmmmm  decisions, decisions.  I will let this sit for the rest of the day to ponder this.  Anyway I have a playdate with my kids - The grownup ones.  we will be scrapbooking together this afternoon.  I am looking forward to this.  I want to put together all the Christmas photos and cards I received....