Under Construction

I FINALLY had a chance to sit down and do some fun sewing.  My growing collection of selvages has been on my mind.  I have made lots and lots of little selvage projects from pot holders and snap bags to table topper and small lap quilt, but this time I think I'll go for it and make a bigger quilt (many thanks to Karen Griska, whose book Quilts From the Selvage Edge has been a big inspiration).


I cut 9" foundation blocks from some icky faded fabric that was on it's way to the garbage.  For something different, I decided to start each block with a strip of the same fabric and then piece selvages on each side of it, out to the corners.  Two reasons:  1) to add unifying element and 2) a little less bulk in the corner intersections.  Here's what I started with.

I tried to use mostly selvages with writing.  Here are three completely pieced blocks and one that is in progress.

 And here are the first four finished blocks after they were trimmed.

I'm using absolutely anything, as long as it is wide enough and long enough.  

Home Again, Home Again

Quilt shows are FUN, but unpacking afterwards isn't.  We finally got the store put back together today.  Re-hanging samples gave us the opportunity to move a few things around and freshen the store up.  In the first picture, you can see that the "Four-Patch Kaleidoscope" is finished.  Yay!

                                 

I've been itching to start something new and different.  Remember that ugly blue fabric from a couple of weeks ago?  It's been washed and cut up into squares, in preparation for a new strip pieced project.  Watch out!  It may involve selvages!!

Greenville Quilt show

Here is where I spent my day today ...

A lot of friends, old and new stopped by to visit me at the Greenville (NC) quilt show.  We will be open again tomorrow from 10 am until 4 pm.


Someone donated a Victorian crazy quilt to the quilt guild and it was on display.  Apparently, it existed as a top only for many, many years.  The border and backing are much more recent additions.  The embroidery was intense and fascinating.  Here are close-ups of several of the blocks.  Inspiring!

      

   

  It's dated 1892!

  

What a Surprise

Last week I was knitting a purse in preparation for felting.  Here is what it looked like when the knitting was finished and the handles sewn on:

The yarn I used was green.  I was aware of multiple colored fibers in the yarn, but I was not prepared for this:

Where did all of this pinky-red come from?!  Not what I had planned at all.


In other news, I have cut the ugly fabric into 9" foundation squares.  They will become part of a selvage quilt that I have planned for one of my next activities.  I haven't worked on it yet, because I'm in the final stages of quilting the four-patch kaleidoscope quilt.


Also, I'm packing to go to a quilt show ...

This is the tip of the iceberg, but you get the idea.  I have most of the items for sale packed, but have to round up the samples next.  Tomorrow I'll set up our booth at the Greater Greenville Quilt Festival.  Once the quilt show is past, watch out!  I've got multiple ideas brewing. 

Greater Greenville Quilt Festival

April 20 & 21, 2012

First Christian Church, 2810 E. 14th Street, Greenville, NC 27858

www.greenvillencquiltersguild.com

Wait and See

Guess I have been MIA this week.  Quilting continues on the little four-patch kaleidoscope quilt .... I'm on the borders now, so it won't be too much longer before I have that to show off.

I have been having a wonderful time lately, cleaning our attic.  It doesn't sound like fun, but I am clearing things out and taking load after load to Goodwill.  Most of this stuff should have been dealt with at the time, instead of packing it away.  I opened one box and the only thing in it was WIRE HANGERS!!!

Anyway, this stained, sad fabric was in my hands, literally inches from the garbage bag:

I've been wanting to start a new selvage project so decided to wash it and cut it into squares for my foundations.  We wouldn't want to waste any "good" fabric, would we?  It is going in the washing machine this morning.

I was given some wool yarn and a new book so of course I started right off on a project.  The knitting is done. I just need to sew the handles on and then I'll pop it into the washer to felt.  I am kind of afraid that I didn't make it deep enough.  We'll see.

Borders ON!

The new Windmills quilt top was completed yesterday.  The original, orange version was bright, but I believe that this one is brighter!  Definitely a happy quilt.

Tonight the borders went on the Cobweb quilt top.

One will probably be machine quilted and the other hand quilted.  But both will be put away for a little while because I have some other projects that need attention.  So many ideas and so little time!  

A Little Self-Promotion

We finally got around to adding pictures of my original patterns to the store website (www.cottonfieldsnc.com)  Some of the patterns are by-products of teaching beginning quilting classes.  I already had the supplies and measurements all figured out, plus a sample made, so why not put them all together?

  

Other patterns were specially designed for our annual "Romancing Eastern North Carolina Shop Hop" which takes place each February.

   

This pattern began it's life as a Mystery Quilt Class:

Here's our best-selling pattern:

I could go on and on .... if you are curious about the rest, visit our website!

In other news, we visited the Washington (NC) waterfront area yesterday.  Love is in the air!  We watched a number of goose couples (geese couples???) carrying on, showing off and making some most unusual (mating?) honking noises.  As we were leaving, we spotted these two, just standing there, each on one leg.  They stood so long and so still that, as some children walked by, one said, "look at the statues".

Day Off? Off Day

Yesterday wasn't supposed to be my day off, but it felt like it.  I had SO  MUCH time on my hands that I made some little kits to go with my "Crooked on Purpose" patterns.

While making the kits, because of the variety of fabrics it calls for, I also cleaned up a very messy, piled-up cupboard of miscellaneous fabric (wish I had a "before" picture!)
THEN ...
I worked on the Windmills quilt top.

THEN ...
I read the book Stalking the Angel by Robert Crais.  I love his Elvis Cole character and thought that I had read all of his books to date (in order), but somehow this one had escaped me until now.  Another P.I. with a smart mouth.  Good stories.


On Friday, I sewed the sleeve to the back of the Phone Book Quilt, so it will be ready for it's appearance at the Greenville, NC quilt show on April 20 and 21.  Cassie misunderstood and thought it was there for her napping pleasure!