Bits 'N Pieces

This has been a very good week.  I completed my 10th finish of the year and checked off another UFO, leaving only five on the list.  "Bits 'N Pieces" is done!

Quilting this one was not a good experience.  (I was going to say that it was a huge challenge, or maybe a real hassle, or maybe even a pain in the neck, but I'm trying not to be too negative.)  First, I spent an hour trying to get the tension right.  I was trying to use a light grey thread on top and black thread on the bottom, but it was not working at all.  I knew it would be better to use the same thread on the top and bottom for the tension to work out.  My friend Faye at Mimi's Passions told me to think about using chartreuse or orange thread.  Now, why didn't I think of that?  I'm always suggesting that to other people, but I didn't think of it for myself.

You know what?  I really liked the orange!

Then, I had a lot of trouble stitching through all those layers.  In some spots with all the slashing apart and sewing back together, there were so many thicknesses it was really difficult to get smooth curves or keep the needle going without it getting hung up.   To top it all off, I managed to do this - 

Take my advice.  Don't do that.

I felt better once I decided on a binding color (with the help of Hubby) and I knew I was almost done.

Hand stitching the binding down is my favorite part of making a quilt!

Now that it's finished I really love this quilt.  There are so many fun fabrics in it, from plaids and selvedge edges .....

..... to thirties prints .....

..... to juvenile prints.

Even watermelon!

So, tonight I'm sitting back and enjoying my accomplishments (when I'm not doing a happy dance!)

I haven't kept a quilt for us in a long time, so I'm looking forward to snuggling up in this one, drinking coffee, and reading a book.  

I may just do that every morning!

If you want to see how the blocks were made look at this blog entry then read this one.

I'm linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Can I bet a Whoop Whoop?
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And Speaking of Homespuns.....

If you have been following my blog for very long at all, you know I am really into modern patterns, art quilts, bright fabrics, and making things a little interesting and sort of "different."  So is it a surprise that I am not a big fan of homespuns? 

When my friend, Faye, told me she needed some homespun scraps I quickly offered her all that I had in my stash, packed them up and mailed them to her!

You should go over to her blog, Mimi's Passions and check out the cute calendar she is working on!


I guess I should explain why I had homespuns in my stash at all.  In 2002 I made a Christmas wall-hanging for my son and his family.

The pattern was in a McCall's Quilting magazine.  It turned out really cute and very Christmassy!

For some reason after that I was inspired to make an appliqued fall table runner, also using homespuns.

It turned out well, but I never used it, and it stayed in a drawer for years until I finally gave it away.  


Thus ends the history of my experience with homespuns.  I felt guilty having them in my stash and never using them.  All these years I thought I would use them in a charity quilt or something.  I can't tell you how glad I am that Faye has taken them off my hands!

Ready for Retreat

It's that time again -- time for Retreat!  I am really excited about seeing some of my internet quilting friends this week at a retreat here in St. Louis.  Thirty of my closest friends are meeting at The Mercy Center in Frontenac for five days of sewing, quilting, laughing and catching up with each other.   I have known many of these ladies for more than 10 years.  We met online and communicate mostly online, but get together every June for our retreat.  A small group of us manages to get together more than once a year by having "meet-ups" in Paducah, KY for shopping and lunch, and for the AQS Quilt Show in April. 


I have my projects prepped and ready to pack:  five 22" quilts basted and ready to quilt for the Neo-Natal ICU at St. Johns Mercy Medical Center.... 

....two baby quilts cut out and ready to put together....

....and pieces cut out for a scrappy Pineapple Blossom quilt.

If I get all that completed and run out of things to do, the retreat center is less than a mile from one of my favorite quilt shops - The Quilted Fox. 

Faye is usually my roommate, but her daughter forgot to check on the dates of our retreat before setting the date for her wedding (can you imagine!?!?)  It won't be the same without her, but I'll do my best to have a good time.