Quilt, Read, Eat, Sleep.... What Else Is There? discussion

Hi all! There has not been much activity on here lately. I hope everyone is too busy reading or quilting to post anything. My New Year's Resolution is to try to be more frugal with my quilting habit. I have joined a free Block of the Month sampler from Country Threads (go to their Chicken Scratch Blog and look at the 1/1/13 entry) and will participate in a Quilt Along from Temecula Quilt Co. (this one is supposed to start posting directions on their blog on 1/25/13). If you just sign up to follow their blogs the directions will get emailed directly to you. My goal is to make blocks for both of these entirely from my stash. Remember they are free...

I like your resolution of being more frugal with your quilting. Thanks for the heads up on Country Threads free block of the month. My New Year's Resolution is to be more productive. I recently retired and hope to get more quilts completed. The Country Threads website had a quilt on the home page from Sunday Morning Quilts.I found that was a great book for scrap quilts - another way to be frugal - using up more of your stash.

I've been on the frugal kick ever since I retired 2 1/2 years ago. I had quilt tops finished, almost finished and just started and I've worked on getting them completely done. The new things I've made I've done completely from my stash. It's a good feeling to see my UFO pile decrease.

Temecula Quilt Co. posted the directions for their first blocks in their Quilt Aong today! Directions can be found on their blog...I know what I will be working on this weekend!

I just signed up for their blog. I can't believe I lived in San Diego for two years and didn't visit the shop.

Two more quilts done and ready to put on the binding. I have made it my resolution to finish all those 1/2 done projects. I have a civil War churn dash that I started 5 years ago and it is huge. Will fit a king bed. What was I thinking. And the churn dashes are all 4 inch squares.

Have been doing lots of redwork since I can do it and watch television with hubby.

Gave alot of scraps and older material to the Linus Project.

Elizabeth wrote: "Two more quilts done and ready to put on the binding. I have made it my resolution to finish all those 1/2 done projects. I have a civil War churn dash that I started 5 years ago and it is huge. Wi..."

Your big quilt sounds daunting but what a treasure to have when you're finished.

Made a table runner this afternoon from a Cotton Way pattern entitled "Abundantly Blessed". It's a simple fun way to create a stained glass affect and a great way to use Charm Squares. Also enjoyed the ease of doing the machine quilting, backing and batting all in one step. Will probably make more of this style.

Cheryl, it looks like I couldn't stay away from your quilt group after all. Thank you for suggesting it.

I just signed up for the CEO Club at Quilting Adventures, one of our local shops. Members are committed to completing one UFO per month for the next 6 months. Each month that we complete one UFO and bring it into the shop for show and tell, we're entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate. At the end of the 6 months, everyone who's completed all 6 UFOs are entered for a drawing for a $50 GC. Since I'm working on and determined to finish up a number of quilt projects, I figured this was a good way to keep me motivated and on-track. ("CEO" = completely executed object.) If I win a gift card, that will be an unexpected benefit for my efforts.

Catherine wrote: "I just signed up for their blog. I can't believe I lived in San Diego for two years and didn't visit the shop."
They opened after I moved away in 2005, but the were in the Quilt Sampler magazine a couple of years ago and I have bought things on-line from them. I really miss the Country Loft in La Mesa!

Kimberly wrote: "Cheryl, it looks like I couldn't stay away from your quilt group after all. Thank you for suggesting it.

I just signed up for the CEO Club at Quilting Adventures, one of our local shops. Members..."

What a great program! Good luck with those UFOs...

Thanks, Tanya. I've never tried anything like this before, so it's a new experience. It would be such a boost if I could finish some of these projects.

Kimberly wrote: "Cheryl, it looks like I couldn't stay away from your quilt group after all. Thank you for suggesting it.

I just signed up for the CEO Club at Quilting Adventures, one of our local shops. Members..."

Welcome to the group. I hope we get some good discussions and sharing of ideas going on.

Kimberly wrote: "Cheryl, it looks like I couldn't stay away from your quilt group after all. Thank you for suggesting it.

I just signed up for the CEO Club at Quilting Adventures, one of our local shops. Members..."

This is a really interesting idea. I might pass it along to the local quilt shop owner. She just found out her shop is being included in the next issue of Better Homes and Gardens Quilt Sampler magazine so everyone is very excited. Can't wait to see that issue. The name of her shop is "The Noble Quilter".

Cheryl, thank you for the welcome. On the first Saturday in August, all CEO members who make it through are invited to a party at the shop for show and tell, refreshments, door prizes, and the grand prize drawing of the $50 GC. I am so looking forward to seeing what everyone else has made. Others' completed projects are so inspiring. Quilting Adventures is brilliant for hosting this event, because I need some fabric to complete one of my projects and I'm waiting until I take in my first completed quilt top at the end of February to pick up the items I need.

I love the name of her shop, Cheryl. I'll have to locate a copy of the magazine.

When I decided to participate in the CEO challenge and assembled a list of my UFOs, I had 20 on my list. How embarrassing is that? It was hard deciding which 6 to enter into the challenge. I want to work on more of them, so maybe this chellenge will get me rolling and I won't stop at six.

When my 93-year-old neighbor died, I received her handsewn, queen-sized postage stamp quilt top. I'm looking for a reproduction fabric for backing, and intend to hand quilt it. Just one of my many want-to-finish projects. My greatest challenge at the moment is to live long enough to complete everything I want to do.

Kimberly wrote: "I love the name of her shop, Cheryl. I'll have to locate a copy of the magazine."

I'm not sure when it comes out, I think it's sometime in the spring.

I've been working on UFOs too but not participating in a group. Today I worked on a wall hanging I'm making with signature blocks from friends I sewed with at a retreat in 2002. My excuse for taking 11 years to finish this project is that I just found it when I totally cleaned and rearranged my sewing room.

This is a special project for me as one of the blocks is from a friend who has since passed away. She was the oldest member of our group and always the life of the party and the last one to bed at night. She's greatly missed and I've enjoyed thinking about her and remembering some of her escapades while working on this project.

Michelle, you do have your hands full! How do you get any creative extra done at all? I love, love, love the variety of old fabrics my neighbor used in her quilt top. So very different from the fabrics we have today.

One of my husband's friends hired me to make two matching quilts for twin-sized beds a couple years ago. He is a Civil War buff and had had me make a queen-sized quilt out of calico rectangles. I agreed because he wanted the quilt tied rather than quilted. His wife chose brown as the dominate color of the "twin twins" and left the pattern choice up to me. So I made two tied, log cabin quilts. They turned out so nice, I started a third one for me. The piecing is "this close" to being finished, so my log cabin quilt has become one of my CEO challenge quilts.

Elizabeth wrote: "Two more quilts done and ready to put on the binding. I have made it my resolution to finish all those 1/2 done projects. I have a civil War churn dash that I started 5 years ago and it is huge. Wi..."

I have to show my ignorance. What is the Linus Project?

Yesterday I backed and batted two projects. One is a simple table cloth I made last summer. The other is a twin sized delectable mountain pattern quilt top I made several years ago, started machine quilting that one yesterday.

I have a quilting retreat coming up in a couple of weeks and will probably save both of these projects to put the binding on at the retreat. I'm also planning on making some table runners to have on hand for gifts at the retreat.

Both Country Threads Chicken Scratch blog and Temecula Quilt Co. blog posted new block instructions today!

Kimberly wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Two more quilts done and ready to put on the binding. I have made it my resolution to finish all those 1/2 done projects. I have a civil War churn dash that I started 5 years ago ..."

Project Linus can be found at this link: http://projectlinus.org/
Here's a quote from their site: "At Project Linus, a non-profit organization, we provide homemade blankets to children in need. Our blankets are lovingly made by adults and children from all walks of life and many different sources."

Tanya wrote: "Both Country Threads Chicken Scratch blog and Temecula Quilt Co. blog posted new block instructions today!"

Thanks Tanya.

Thanks for the link to the Linus Project. I have a fair sized stash of kids fabric left over from when my grandkids were little and have been wanting to make good use of it. This project might be just the ticket!

Thanks so much for educating me, Glenna. What a great project.

I found another block of the month on-line sampler for free. Go to joinedatthehip.com and click on their blog. Blocks 1-4 are posted and I whipped them out this afternoon all from my stash!

When I first started quilting quite a few years ago Country Threads were probably my favorite pattern books. A friend and I were able to take a road trip to visit their shop. It was great and they really do use an old refurbished chicken coop as part of their display area. They also had a classroom upstairs in their big old barn. I also saw my first long arm quilting machine in their shop and they did have to move a cat to be able to cut fabric on their cutting table.

Cheryl S. wrote: "When I first started quilting quite a few years ago Country Threads were probably my favorite pattern books. A friend and I were able to take a road trip to visit their shop. It was great and the..."

That sounds fantastic! I have lots of their patterns, but since there isn't a BOM program around me, I decided to do a couple on-line I am up to 3 samplers and probably should call it good!

The directions for the next row are available on the Temecula Quilt Co. Blog!

New row was posted today on the Temecula Quilt Co. Blog. And pictures of the final project...

I made the deadline on my first quilt challenge! Now, on to quilt #2, which is a brown log cabin. Here are some of the show and tell quilts completed by other participants in the CEO club. (Eventually, my quilt will be posted on their blog as Kimberly Y.) http://www.quiltingadventures.com/qab...

Loved looking at the show and tell quilts. I often check out crazy mom quilts blog as she has "finish it up Friday" and there are numerous pictures of what folks finished up that week. http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/

Good luck finishing up quilt #2.

Kimberly wrote: "I made the deadline on my first quilt challenge! Now, on to quilt #2, which is a brown log cabin. Here are some of the show and tell quilts completed by other participants in the CEO club. (Event..."

How fun to look at all the quilts. I'm always amazed how we all love the same craft but our quilts are so different. I especially loved the little girls with their quilts. So cute.

Catherine, thank you for introducing me to the crazy mom quilts blog. I spent an enjoyable hour looking through pictures of quilts and didn't get anywhere near seeing them all.

Cheryl, I'm astonished by the creativity of quilters. Every show (virtual and physical) presents a new idea of fabric manipulation, layout or embellishment that I've never seen before, and I've been quilting for decades. Talk about a hobby that never gets dull, quilting is certainly it.

Kimberly wrote: "Catherine, thank you for introducing me to the crazy mom quilts blog. I spent an enjoyable hour looking through pictures of quilts and didn't get anywhere near seeing them all.

Cheryl, I'm astoni..."

Couldn't agree more. Never ending variety of design, color combinations and new lines of fabric. So fun!

New block instructions are on countrythreads.com. They have a new tab on their web page on the top, right that says FREE Quilt Patern. I made the three blocks for March today and have challenged myself to make all blocks from my stash...

Tanya wrote: "New block instructions are on countrythreads.com. They have a new tab on their web page on the top, right that says FREE Quilt Patern. I made the three blocks for March today and have challenged ..."

Sounds ambitious! You go girl!

Not really a formal event, but my friend, Suz, and I are going to three quilt shops we've never been to before on Thursday. We both have cabin fever and can't wait to get out and about. We're lucky that where we live there are many towns with quilt shops within easy driving distance from our home.

Sounds like a fabulous outing, Cheryl. I don't dare do something like that. I'd spend too much money.

Actually I wasn't too naughty on our outing. We went to three new shops and one old fave.

The first shop we visited was quite small but had tons of samples, a good fabric selection and a wonderful owner who was celebrating her birthday by giving 25% off on fabric to celebrate. I got fabric to make a hotdish (you might call it a casserole) carrier from pattern "Hot Stuff" by Atkinson Designs.

At the next shop, which was also small and located on a farm out in the country, the owner started talking the second we walked in the door and didn't stop until we walked out. The shop was okay but it was impossible to concentrate or select anything due to the verbal barrage. Quite the experience.

The third shop was the big winner. It's located in a small town in a renovated creamery building and includes a terrific cafe. We needed some refreshment after our previous stop. I had a toasted wrap with a chicken salad that included cashews, dried cranberries, wild rice and garlic mayo. Very Minnesotan and delicious. My friend got fabric for a quilt for one of her granddaughters.

Then it was on to our old standby where I got fabric to finish two projects I have going, and a pattern to make a basket by covering clothes line cord with fabric and then zigzag stitching into shape on the machine.

I'm so glad I have all these projects to work on as we are still buried in snow, it's snowing right now and more is coming on Monday. It's been a long winter here but it's been good for finishing up a lot of projects.

Country Threads posted directions for their new blocks of the month today. They are a 12 inch and a 6 inch churn dash. Mine are already done!

Today I signed up my friend, Suz, and myself for a bus trip through the local quilt shop to the Minnesota Quilters' Conference and Convention in Duluth, Mn. the 2nd week-end of June. I've only been to two state conventions over the years and I am very excited to go again. For those not familiar, Duluth it is on Lake Superior and is a wonderful spot to spend time for any reason not just for quilting purposes. It's such a great place to get energized about quilting by seeing all the new products, techniques and fabrics. Traveling with a bus full of other quilt crazy ladies doesn't hurt either. The scarey part are the vendors and all the gorgeous things they have to sell. I think I better start saving right now!

My first recently finished quilt top can be seen on Quilting Adventures' blog. Look for the quilt by Kimberly Y. They posted a close-up too. I'm participating in their CEO Club, which challenges us to complete six quilts in six months. I've completed two so far. Thankfully, my April challenge is a table runner. I struggled to complete last month's quilt on time. I've never tried free motion quilting on a machine, so that's my personal challenge for the table runner. The table runner will also be my first reversible quilt. http://www.quiltingadventures.com/qab...

Great job on the quilt Kimberly. It looks difficult. I love the flowers. Congrats on getting the quilt finished.
I'm trying to complete a project a month and so far am on track but hope I can keep it up.

Thank you, Catherine. I really enjoyed making the quilt.

When I signed up for the quilt-a-month challenge, I didn't realize it would be such a challenging accomplishment. I don't know whether I'll be able to complete all six projects in the time frame we're given, but I'm giving it a darned good try. I've got more than six quilt projects that I want to finish this year, but I'm glad that the "extras" come without completion deadlines.

Catherine, how many projects are you hoping to complete? What kinds of projects are they?

That's awesome, Kimberly! it's taken me since January 2012 to finish the 2 quilts I'd decided to make. I'm just doing cushions for now - so much quicker to finish. Getting my breath back. Then I'm tackling another quilt of course.

I retired last August and have felt far less productive. So I set a goal this year of 12 quilts. So far one is completely done and delivered to a grandchild. One is at the quilters and I have another ready to go. One of my grandchildren just drew me a picture of what he wants his quilt to look like(something to do with minecraft) so that's my next project. Wish me luck. I already feel more productive.

Catherine, you are productive! I love that your grandchild drew a picture of the quilt he wants. Years ago, I was involved with a quilting group, and one of the women brought her two children with her to the meetings. To keep them occupied, she brought crayons and paper. One meeting, her daughter surprised me by giving me a picture of a dinosaur. I so loved the picture, I duplicated it in applique, made the block into a pillow, and gave the pillow to the little girl. She was thrilled with it, and I had a great time making it. I'd love to work with more child art in quiltmaking.