12 Blocks Complete!

I met my quota - 12 blocks done before Monday. There will be 59 blocks total with 11 or 12 each of five different fabrics for the trees. The blocks are a 12 inch finished block.

Now, my question to all you wonderful quilters out there: What about all those bias edges? If I am very careful when assembling the blocks for the top, and then do a nice border on the quilt top for stability, will I be OK? Is there anything I should do to be certain it doesn't get wonky? Should I reduce the pressure on the sewing machine foot while piecing the blocks (someone told me this helps with bias edges)? Suggestions please........

Brenda's Quilt Takes Shape

The strips. Well, most of the strips that will create the finished block.

I finally have had time to get back to sewing. I am working on a quilt for my middle sis, Brenda. Her paradise is in Golden Colorado, on the side of a mountain, with evergreen trees all around her. The absolute opposite of my paradise, which is all flat and surrounded by palm trees! The dichotomy is just too funny. So, all that being said, I promised her that in 2008 I would make her a quilt. I showed her some options I thought that she might like and she choose one that was all pine trees, set on point. It was the quilt that I liked the best, so I was happy with her choice. I had seen the quilt in a bedding catalog and tore out the page to show her. It seemed a very simple pattern and I was sure that I could find one to purchase when I had more time to shop. Well, that wasn't the case. I ended up making the pattern myself and in the photos above and below you will see a few of the steps I took to create the finished block. I need 59 blocks to get the size I am looking for.

Here I used painters tape to semi-permanently mark the proper placement of the 12 and a half inch template that I will use for trimming. The only thing that is a bit upsetting to me is the amount of waste. I just can't seem to come up with a pattern that doesn't have that much waste.

Wa-La. The first finished block! Only 58 twelve inch blocks to go...........

I Am Baaaaaack....

Yes, I know, I have been missing from Blogland for awhile. I promise that I will have more of a presence in the future. In the mean time, here are a few things I have been up to in the four weeks since last I posted. The chair that is pictured above I recovered for my darling granddaughter. I can't even begin to tell you how ugly it was prior to it's face lift. I used a nice cotton canvas and my embroidery machine to make the new seat cushion and back pad shown here.

Second, my daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter came for a visit. They stayed for two weeks and even though we all got the flu while they were here, it was glorious having them for so long. Above is a photo of Madelyn at Disney. We spent two days in Orlando and had such a good time - she loved it. The photo above was taken while we were all watching the parade.

This photo shows our new living room in use. Another of the reasons I have been absent from Blogland for so long. We are in the middle of finishing up the addition and boy, oh boy, has that taken some of my time. The photo above is my daughter, son-in-law, and Madelyn. The Easter Bunny brought the most amazing bubble "gun" to our house and Madelyn loved it. Notice the quilt in action under the slide. We brought the "slide down" into the house so Madelyn could play with it more. Grandparents will do anything for the wee ones, won't we?

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I created a blog for my family showing the remodeling and construction of our house as it progressed - you can take a peek if you would like. It is called http://www.freeberyfamily.blogspot.com/ .

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Enjoy your spring everyone!

Kayla Gets her Quilt

About a month ago I posed the question, "To Border or not to Border" regarding this quilt. I added up the responses from all you wonderful quilters out there, and overwhelmingly the election went to "not to border". Today I took the quilt over to Kayla's house and when I left there, I felt like I had gotten a gift myself. Really and truly. Everyday Kayla has more to deal with than I have ever faced in my life and she simply "deals". She never complains. Ever. Kayla is seven and her family just found out she has leukemia seven weeks ago. She is going through chemo and even has a broken leg. Still, she never complains or gets cranky. The strength she exhibits every day takes my breath away.

I pieced this quilt for her, and then sent it to the most wonderful long arm quilter in Colorado. Anne Frampton is her name. She is the cousin of my very dear friend, Greenmare. She immediately quilted the quilt and had it back in the mail 24 hours later. Can you imagine? A 24 hour turn over! Not to mention that her quilting is exquisite. She suggested a quilting pattern called "Angel Wings" and I can't imagine a more suitable pattern. Her children helped in the project by choosing the thread color (I couldn't have made a better choice myself) and her daughter Lizzie machine embroidered the label. This quilt truly was created with many loving hands.

Here is Kayla opening the quilted bag that Greenmare made for her and then filled with goodies. Kayla really had fun today. I loved showing her how to use the Pez dispenser. She loved the pillow case, crayons and coloring books. Kayla then showed me all the different Pretty Ponys in her new coloring book - I had no idea there were so many, nor could I have ever imagined how important their little roles in Pony land were... Mare and Anne you both helped make a little girl very happy today. Thank you both so very much.

To Border or Not to Border

...That is the question. Here is my latest scrappy quilt. I made this quilt for my business partner's daughter who is 7. She is a very ill little angel and I think she needs a quilt as soon as possible. She has just started her first round of chemo to treat leukemia and I wanted to make something very happy and bright for her. Well, this sure fits the bill, doesn't it? At any rate, what I was hoping for is some input from all you quiters out there - does this need a "calming" border, possibly a great psychedelic border, or no border at all? Why can't I decide on this one? I keep staring at it and just can't seem to come to a decision. The quilt is so far outside of my comfort zone, I think it froze me up! I am stuck, for sure. Help me out on this one. I need to get it done!

GPS Carrying Case

For Christmas my lovely husband bought me a wonderful GPS device. In many ways I believe he also bought it for himself in an effort to preserve his own sanity. See, I am admittedly terribly navigationally challenged and as a result have been known to frequently phone him and frantically demand he get me "un-lost". We have lived here in Clearwater for more than four years and I just can't seem to get a grip on the streets, etc. It became evident that if I hadn't gotten it after four years of living here, odds are I simply am not going to get it. The embarrassing thing is that I am a part owner of a real estate company and occasionally have to take clients out looking at properties. One particular afternoon still makes my face turn bright red when I think about it. I had met a client at an address and after looking at that one we were going to go looking at several other properties, with her following behind me in her car. I got so turned around while trying to get to the second one, that I just didn't know what to do. Then my phone rang, I picked it up and it was my client calling from the car behind me to tell me we had passed the same house three times. Would I like her to look at the map and see if she could help? Oh, my goodness, was I embarrassed! I pulled over, she looked at the map and offered to lead for the rest of the afternoon. It went very well.

I installed the GPS holder on my dash this past weekend, and decided it probably wasn't a good idea to leave the device mounted on my dash when I wasn't using the car. It is easy to pop in and out of the holder, so I can just bring it in the house with me when I come home. I didn't like it just laying about, and I also don't want the screen scratched so what would a good quilter do? Well, quilt a bag of course! So, I found this great paper piecing pattern with arrows on it and that seemed the natural choice. I whipped up a few blocks using my scraps (of course!) and sewed them together, quilted it and made a simple bag. I then cut up 2 very heavy pieces of plastic to divide the inside of the bag into three compartments. This allows me to slide the GPS between the two pieces of plastic, and thus offers more protective covering for the device. This way I can put the GPS in the middle and the cords on either side and everything is safe. As Martha would say, that's a very good thing.......

Boston Red Sox Quilt for My Son-In-Law

Happy New Year everyone! Here is the quilt I have been referring to as "The Secret Quilt". I was forced to call it that because my most wonderful son-in-law is a bit of a snoop. He is also very smart and given just a bit of a clue, he can run with it and before long, the puzzle is put together!

All that being said, I am thrilled with how this quilt turned out. Bonnie Hunter did the quilting, and I created the appliqued Bo Sox emblem in the center, and naturally I did all the piecing. The quilting is an all over star pantograph done entirely in white thread, so it stands out beautifully on the red and blue fabric. The backing is solid red, so there the stars really show up well. My son-in-law really loves the quilt, and I do believe that he was very surprised by the gift. It so warmed my heart to see the joy this quilt created.

The photo below has my Granddaughter looking a bit perplexed. I think she sensed that Gammie was packing up to leave New York to head back to Florida. She is the cutest thing ever, I do believe. Big sigh...I miss her. I bet she misses me right now, too.