Long Beach International Quilt Show 2010

Long Beach International Quilt Show 2010

If you'd like to look at the pictures individually, here is the link to the webshots page where they can be found:

http://community.webshots.com/album/578260680rNjVMI

Hope that link works!

After two days at the show, I can't wait to start stitching again! I got several patterns and gadgets!

And the countdown has already begun for next year!!

:)

Drive Carefully, Mr. Patrick!

I hate goodbyes!

But it's that time. Patrick has left to go and live in Birmingham (or somewhere thereabouts depending on where he finds work).

He came by to say goodbye this morning - Karen was able to grab a last hug before she dashed off to work.

Michael and I wish him ALL THE BEST! Because he is the best! (He's the best son I never had!)

I know he will have a better life there, seriously! Lower costs of living, better job opportunities (he already has four possibilities lined up!) and his family is there. His real family! We've enjoyed being his California family for a long time, and we'll still always be here (or somewhere!) for him, but this is good, for Patrick! And that's what's important. :)

But I'm still sad. I'm going to go pout now.

(I hope the grill makes it!! There's a python in that car somewhere, too!)

WE LOVE YOU MR. PATRICK!!

The First of The Five

Twin One got loaded on the frame......

Quilted!

Taken off and quilted a bit more......... in the centers of the flower wreaths.

Bound and boxed! I need to hurry and get it to FedEx. Karen has decided that there's been a huge mistake and it's supposed to be for HER bed. Just say'n..... Those are some pretty blocks!!

Jane (my plain Jane Janome 1600 that I use for quilting and binding) suffered a Work Related Injury when she and my tether on one side got tangled and my spool pin snapped. I have yet to locate any sort of solution online. I'm thinking about calling a Janome dealer, but if there is no inexpensive solution? I plan to first attempt to glue it. If that is a Fail, then I will sand down the nub that is left, and see if I can put a thin wooden square there (superglue?) with a new spool pin sticking up from it. Even a silly long nail would do. Just something to act like a spool pin. There are supposed to be two, so that you can rewind and replace bobbins without having to go through the tortures of the doomed the tedious process of rethreading every three passes across the quilt (the bobbins run out fast!)....

She's still running fine, so we'll just keep on quilting while we figure out what to do about the spool pin!

More "Done is Good" and Wonkiness

Let's consider making Wonky the new Black. 'kay?

Alrighty, wrapping up my Weekend of Mini Blocks.....First some Sylvia's Bridal Sampler blocks!


















A8 - I really liked this one. I approached it with fear and trepidation, paper pieced it and it worked pretty well for me. Yay!

















Blocks 1-8... this is really going to be a pretty quilt! I'm loving the bright colors against the black, even if it does mean I have to be really careful. If they were prints, little mistakes might get lost a bit - I feel like the solids are not very forgiving, but they're pretty!

And where would we be without a chicken towel? I stitched this out while sewing a block.





















Chicken with a Grasshopper!

Then, I moved on to A9. It looked fairly easy. Aha! I let my guard down, relaxed, and sewed it backwards.




















Mad face!

Here is A9, fixed but wonky in one portion. Too bad. :)

And again, a chicken towel:

















Chicken with a baby chick!

The end of Row 1 was in sight, so I jumped onto block A10. Yvette had warned me that this one was tricky AND (bless her!) provided me with a cheat sheet. Once I realized the cheat sheet involved half square triangles, I was home free. I printed off a sheet of paper to sew those puppies and trimmed them to "perfect" and then constructed the block. Easy Peasy!

















A10!! Row 1 is done. We're going to wait until August to do Row 2. I have five twin quilt tops to quilt for the Women's Crisis Centers so that will be the real goal for the rest of July. :)

And last but not least, tonight I tackled the three mini blocks that go with the Saturday Sampler from the Orange Quilt Bee. Again, wonkiness is everywhere, but I kinda like that navy/red one. (If I had about 25 yards of that fabric, (discontinued, from Kansas Troubles) I'd upholster my entire house with it. Even the toilet covers.

















That's all folks!

A5, A6 and A7.... and another chicken!

Got another chicken tea towel done last night.... Chicken in the feed sack!



















I stitched that out while I tackled block A5 for Sylvia's Bridal Sampler.

A5 wasn't too bad!


Then I started A-6. Block A-6 had me questioning my ability to do this quilt.... But then I scrapped the Y-seams and used triangles that formed the necessary parts, and tonight, I finished it! Not perfect, but again, Done is Good!




















Then I moved on and made A7 tonight, too. A6 took me two nights. A7 took me one hour! Sheesh!





































I am making no predictions about A8! It looks a bit tricky to me!


Happy Fourth of July!!

What have I done?

I was determined to get A4 out of the way tonight.

And I did.

Only it took almost until tomorrow! Sheesh! I'm minus a few gray hairs, and thinking I might want to go ahead and make a reservation at the Funny Farm for the not too distant future! Some of these blocks are going to kick my butt around the sewing room! I'm not very good at blanket stitching teentsy pieces, but, it's done. Done is Good.

The next block looks easier!

And Chicken with a Flower is looking good on a tea towel! Christmas present stitching has begun!

Let the Weekend Begin!