So...How Many Quilts Did YOU Finish?

Whew!  I hosted an In-Service Training on Heartworm Protocol for several key people at CAAWS on Monday.  It included lunch. Doing the training was not really a big deal, the big deal was spending the weekend cleaning up, de-cluttering, putting away, vacuuming, dusting and mopping every thing in the house getting ready!

I also had to be at the Allergist with Frank at 8:30 AM that morning.  I had finally talked him into going to get a scratch panel so we can see about getting his congestion under control  He feels that is part of what is keeping him from sleeping.

And I had a Modern Quilt meeting that night.  Talk about traffic......I  left home at 5:15 PM; early enough to get to LSU in good time for the 6 PM meeting.  I was 10 minutes late!

The Modern Guild puts out a block each month and guilds are challenged to do something with them.  Our guild decided it would issue a challenge to use at least 6 of the blocks in a quilt.  Three people finished, one completely finished and two made it to the top stage.

Good thing we didn't vote, I would not be able to decide on one.  They were all amazing!

I showed the 100 Meter Swim and they LOVED the ladies swimming on the backing! I brought three vintage sheets to Kelly and she traded me a solid red fat quarter for them.



Today, I finished the quilting on the Patriotic Raffle quilt.  After I took the picture, I looked at it.  It was serendipity that the flag was in the window!  I ordered a replacement flag two weeks ago.  The previous flag had been partially submerged in flood water.




I finished the binding on two quilts.



First - Batik Reflections



And second - Cows!

Hmmmm........for some reason I am only making long skinny quilts at the moment.






And today is only Tuesday!

What a gorgeous sunset, huh?

 PattyA over at the Quilt Lady blog is making a Cow Quilt for a friend who lives on a farm and is having a new addition to their family.  She does some incredible improvisationally pieced quilts.  When she talked about making the cow quilt, I told her I had forgotten about the cow UFO I had and needed to dig it out and finish it. 

She replied with, "Cow quilt? 

 It is kinda funny.  I had just joined the River City Guild and didn't know a single person.  They were sort of clique-ish.  My second meeting was their annual charity auction.  People donated fabric and sewing things and they auctioned them off with people shouting bids and others bidding them up.  Prices were pretty cheap as far as I could see, but I really wasn't schooled on what things cost at that point yet.

Toward the end of the auction Suzi held up a "bag of random cow fabric".  Bits and pieces of leftover cow fabrics.  No one bid on it!  She started at $2, went to $1.50 and then to $1.  She said, I guess no one wants the cows!

 I impulsively shot up  my  hand and bid $1.  It was for charity after all, I figured.   No one else followed my lead. It was mine.

I will never forget, when Suzi ceremoniously awarded me my "bag of random cow fabric" someone from the back of the room said, "Will you look  at that.  She actually WANTED that ugly fabric."

 I made two really great quilts from it.  And I like them both!

I still run into a few bits and pieces of that "random cow fabric" in my scrap boxes.  I now know so much more; people and quilting stuff.  I  know how much stuff costs, I have won hundreds of dollars of stuff at the charity auctions since then.  I have a roomful of fabric and gadgets now. 


And I still love those bits of "random cow fabrics" and I smile when I see them!

Yes, I guess I need to get it out, slap it on the frame and  finish up that quilt.  One is already done, but the other sits, neglected, in the UFO box.

Thanks, Patty, for reminding me that I still have those beauties in there.  And I need to get to it!  I can't wait to see your great Cow finish!

Big Wins!

I often complain that I don't win anything.  And I guess that I have to take that back.  However, I will tell you that I put more money in the blank pots at the raffle table than the others did so that may have skewed the odds a bit.

We had a wonderful program on the different types of applique.  Connie had a lot f samples and fun stuff that she had appliqued.  It was a really nice overview of the ways to do the stitches, samples of the stitches and the stabilizers available.

Someone had donated a ton (maybe 15) of these very simple applique patterns.  And I had my eye on a couple.  So I brought out the big guns; my five dollar bill!

I usually donate $2 at each meeting to the raffle table.  Just to give the guild some money each month.  And I go to 4 guilds, so that can add up.  But when there is a special thing I want, I add dollars!

So out of the 15 patterns, I came home with 4 of them!!!!  Can you believe that?????  Me???

I can see the Safari pattern as a baby quilt for Carrie's baby should she ever have one.  And for some reason I thought of my cousin Karen when I saw those fabulous Cows!

And the Horses, well, they are horses after all!  And maybe my sister in law, if I decide do quilts for them again, the Farmyard.  She has a pot bellied pig and i always give her a pig of some sort.

I guess I can't complain for a while!  And I will be busy pulling backgrounds for a million quilt blocks.

glen:  off to the funeral

Out, Out Damn Lizards! Finally Finished

Vidalia LA (Not famous for the onions)

You will be pleased to know I am finished quilting the lizards on Dan's Quilt.  I made a concerted effort for the last three days to work on picking out the three rows of bad lizards.  I spent all day today re-quilting the three rows.

Emerald Mound - Natchez Indians

Then all of a sudden I noticed half of another row midway in the quilt that I had started to unpick and only got part of the way.  The reason I didn't notice it right off is because I started undoing it from the underneath.  Now why did I do that?

So I finished undoing about 1/2 of the row on one side and part of a lizard on the other side.  And I made quick work of re-quilting the row for the finish!

Mount Locust Hiking

Unfinishes Longwood Plantation
Looking up to the dome

I inspected the remaining rows.  When I was satisfied that it would be workable, I actually took the damn quilt off the frame!  Yes!

And it felt good!

Cemetary at Mt. Locust Inn dates from 1812

I was going to replace it with my mystery quilt but the back needs to be squared up and I don't have enough space.  I have to wait until I go to The Red Stick to lay it out on the tables unfettered.

Meanwhile I will choose something quick to put on there.  Like maybe the second dino quilt.  Or a cow.  Or maybe the chicken quilt.  Whatever it is, you can bet your sweet bippy that it will be a simple pattern that will be quick to work!  LOL.

glen:  and easier to take out if I have to!  For sure!