Pigs Are Flying!

This is the FBP Block for last week... called "Farmer's Daughter". It is a 10" block, but it had been so long since I had done and FBP block that I swapped colorways, using the 9-inch "Baby" colors instead of the Jazzy "Kids Prints" that were supposed to be for the 10-inch blocks.

I'm taking a short break from Johnny's quilt; the twins graduate from Roseburg HS this June, so I've got TWO special quilts to do this year! The blocks are made, so today will be setting them... and tomorrow I can put the borders on. That means Monday the quilt will go to Kerstin in California for topstitching! I really like this one, it is definitely a Man's quilt... Batik brown and blue, with a sand colored BG and just a hint of bright green to make the colors pop. I'll post a picture of one block, just in case he looks here... HS Senior boy? I don't think so!!!

Long Time No Post...

Here is the R/W/B "Album" block from week 26 of Friday Block Party. Just a few more of this colorway and I'll have another UFO wrapped up! Really like the red bandanna fabric I used for the inner square... only had a smidgin of that, so this was the perfect spot.

I did manage to finish the Lap Quilt I was making from Christmas fabrics, and sent it off to Kerstin for quilting - again, without taking a photo... will I never learn???

When Erin came to Oregon for her Summer visit, three of her teacher friends at ASK (school) were pregnant, and she wanted to make baby quilts for them... like the one she had made for Wendy's baby. Cool idea, yeah?
Oh, and since one of the new Moms already had a darling two year old, could we make a quilt for Claire as well? (Note how the focus has changed from she wanted to make quilts to "we" need a quilt for Claire, too???) Not a problem. The really good thing about baby quilts is that they are really SMALL, and fast, and I can quilt them on my machine at home.

This "Dancy" red quilt is Claire's. The red polka-dots aren't... dots, I mean. They are a swirly batik.

The tiny rail fence with the moons and stars is for Claire's new baby brother.

Comin' Right Along...

Another FBP block makes it into the Christmas Quilt! This one is "Lover's Knot" and it is probably the quickest block I've ever made (well, certainly in the top 5, anyway!). I think I can actually get all the blocks made and the sashing at least cut before Kerstin gets here. We will be working on getting my borders to fit (and lie flat) so they won't be giving her fits when she quilts my tops!

Been thinking, though, that I may just go with a giant "Star" setting... put the blocks on point and make the star from the setting triangles. Since this will be a lap quilt, nine blocks would be fine. I'll have to look at my stash to see what setting fabrics I have that would work.

Christmas Catching Up...

Lots of garden catching up going on here at the farm... but it is still too cold and wet to put in my corn! I've been outside weeding and preparing beds for when the plants can go in (if at all this summer! The weekend was beautiful and I thought we had gone right into summer - now it is again low fifties and raining. Sigh)

Since it felt like Winter anyway, I thought I'd do another catch-up block for the Christmas Quilt. This one is "Eight Hands 'Round" from week ten. Didn't much care for the block, too choppy, but I liked the little star in the center... and the Santa with his 'shades' struck me as funny.

Two More for FBP.

Too bad I didn't make a list, because I got lots of things done (or partly done) today.

Put kiln wash on my shelves, attacked the weeds in the spot where I'm going to plan the corn and squashes, helped Henry put the cowling back on the Ford tractor, printed some glazes so I can make tests to see if I like them, and made TWO blocks for Friday Block Party!

I'm not very happy with the photos I'm taking of the blocks... crooked and the odd lighting changes the colors! YYEEcch! That is something to work on: take good pictures, after all, it isn't "Rocket Surgery"!

I like the way the individual R/W/B blocks are coming out. This one is "Puss in the Corner from week 17, wuilte a while ago. I'll have to put them all together and take a shot of them... hopefully they will place nicely.




At first I didn't like "Broken Wheel". Maybe I just didn't like the name. Since it was a 12" block, I decided to just do it anyway, and be one block closer to finishing a quilt. It might make an interesting quilt on it's own, but it wasn't very interesting to make. That makes seven blocks for the R/W/B quilt, I'm a little more than half-way... 13 on point is my goal, but I haven't got a clue for the setting or borders.

Back to the Future.

I took R0ssie's "Process Pledge", so I'm allowing myself even more freedom to blog about what what I'm thinking while I'm doing my quilts. Since I rarely sketch anything, I probably won't be letting you see any design options before I've made my decision, though.

Friday Block Party choice for last week was a nice starry one, so I decided to do it in my Christmas fabric... and get closer to a finish with that one. Kerstin will HATE it when I'm done and I send it to her.... it is just too "Christmas" for words. Maybe the sashing will help tone it down a bit, but probably not since I've got light colored stars in the intersections of either green or red print 2" wide sashes (no color decision there, yet). I haven't decided on the borders.

I could have sworn I was almost finished with the blocks for this quilt, but I have only eight of the twelve blocks finished! I think the "Quilt Gremlins" are removing blocks from the box in the night!!! If that is happening, why don't they take the ones I don't like?

I'm getting very close to "being so done with this one"... why does that happen with all the quilts I make? Before I finish I begin not to like a quilt very much, and keep going just to finish it. By the time I've finished any quilt, no matter how much I liked it when I started, and how much I like the fabrics - the colors, the block pattern - I don't like it at all when I'm done. I think it is the worst quilt I've ever made. What is up with THAT???

I like this block a bunch, and with the BG "L" shapes, the big block of background fabric would become the primary focus if it was used for a big quilt. Hmmm... this block might be a possibility for Kaylin's graduation quilt, since I have two to make for next June and I need to get started on them ASAP!

Flashy, Splashy, and Just "So Alex" !!!

Here is Alex's quilt (in it's natural habitat - Alex's room) after I presented it to her. Kerstin quilted roses in each of the diamonds: black ones in the dark blue diamonds, and verigated ones in each of the colored blocks. I bound it last Friday and took it to Alex's party on Saturday...

Johnny spirited the quilt out of the car and stashed it up in his room (across the hall) without her knowing it was even in the house. Later, while Alex was out greeting guests, we crept up and spread the quilt out on her bed. She never missed us!

Her friends were in on the deal, so Todd (one of the Dads) asked if he could see her newly painted room. Several others wanted to see, too, so up they went. I expected a "patented AlexScream", but heard nothing. They said she stopped short and was SPEECHLESS. Very unusual for our Alex. "OMG!", she said... "it is BEAUTIFUL!" No scream, but the appreciation in her voice was thanks enough.

And now for something totally different.