Archive for October, 2008
Help me name this quilt – please!
I’m writing up instructions for this quilt and I need a name for it. I’ve been calling it my red/beige scrap quilt but I need something a little more exciting – any suggestions?
And just because I couldn’t resist, this is a better shot of Chesty’s view from our front window.
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Wonky curves??
Surprisingly I’ve never quilted anything with continuous curves before – I knew these squares would be too challenging at 6 inches to get a smooth curve without using a ruler (and I DON’T like rulers) so I decided I’d just quilt them in a wonky style and not worry about trying to be consistent. I’ve decided that any quilting I do should just be called Wonky and then I won’t stress as much about the inconsistencies!
I wanted this donation quilt to be soft and cuddly so I didn’t want a lot of quilting – just enough. Want the instructions for piecing the top? Click the link – Boxed Squares.
And the back:
Look who’s enjoying his freedom – happy to be back up on his perch and enjoying the view of these beautiful changing trees.
Marianne’s HeartStrings top for QOV
Did you miss me yesterday? I spent a couple hours wrestling with my desk – clearing papers and paying bills then Keith and I took a walk. First, to the Basilica to light a candle and pray for a family member who is ill then to a favorite sports bar to watch part of the Redskin game.
I did manage to finish the binding and label this HeartStrings quilt pieced by Marianne that will go to Alycia’s QOV project – she’s well on her way to her goal of 400 Quilts of Valor in 2009. If you’d like to help her out – she’s accepting tops, finished quilts, and pillowcases (made in patriotic colors preferably) to present the quilts in.
Six Months
Six months since we’ve moved into the townhouse and as I was flipping though some old photos, I realized that the box in the bottom left corner of this photo is still sitting in the same spot. Still has things from my old desk that there’s not room for and usually has quilts piled on top waiting to be washed. Pathetic!
Is anyone participating in Judy’s Quiltathon this weekend? I’m piecing more letters and working on a binding. I’ve done 4 sections so far and Strings is the one I like best – besides there being too much space between the letters in Heart, I think the letters in Quilt are too thin and then overcompensating, the letters in Project are too fat. I really thought I was on a roll last night.
Messy work
I’d pulled out a ton of strings when I was participating in the HeartStrings Block Party a couple weeks ago and never put them back – I’m pulling out even more for my letters so I guess this room is going to look messy for a while.
I debated redoing Heart after finishing Strings but am just going to go with it. I’m becoming a little less rigid and my spacing is a little tighter too – not all letters have a spacer and the ones that do have a narrow 1/4 inch strip. I sewed some thicker seams on Heart to decrease some of the space there but I’m not going to redo it.
The letters go pretty quickly once you get started – I keep a drawing pad and sketch each letter out so I can see what order I need to piece the segments.
Obsession
I never did get back to sewing last night and after being up all night again – spent most of the day just puttering around and napping.
I saw the cutest background on Julia‘s site and clicked the link to look for one for my blog that would go with my new Autumn header photo. Then I decided to update the two family blogs I do also….so more time spent looking through all the different backgrounds.
And then, I saw the link with the tutorial on making your own background and I was off looking for for free papers to use. Of course I made about 10 versions before finally coming up with the two below which I used on my family blogs. I won’t consider it time wasted since I learned some new things.
Now, I’m going to head upstairs and make more letters.
Something just for me!
There’s not been a lot of progress on my October to do list since I’ve been home – a little binding, a little knitting but no real quilting or piecing so today I pulled out the blocks for my HeartStrings Anniversary quilt. This one is just for me and will be made from blocks sent to me from other HeartStrings members…I had intended to work on piecing this in February but with moving and traveling, my projects kept getting pushed down the list.
The original plan for this quilt included free form pieced letters (like Tonya‘s) but I was debating whether or not I wanted to take time to do them (and whether I was capable of making them look decent). They’re a little *rigid* looking but I think they may just work – I’ll continue on with them as I start assembling the blocks.
Happy Birthday Chris!
Hard to believe my oldest son Chris turns 25 today. If you take a look at the bottom (L) photo of us taken in May of this year….you’ll see that I must have had him when I was just a child!
You’ll all be glad to hear that Chesty’s appointment went great! His knee is fine and all restrictions were lifted. He’s been very confused today – wondering why I’m not carrying him up and down the stairs and lifting him up to sit beside me but after giving me a puzzled look, he’s jumping and stair climbing all by himself.
Weight-loss Wednesday
I’m a little confused about how much up or down I am for the week but my total weight loss is 9.6 lbs and I’m heading in the right direction although slowly, very slowly….
I did OK with exercise this week although I’ve been pretty homebound since we got back from Denmark. Need to drink more water too – with all the trips I seem to almost get back to the point I’m drinking enough, and then I leave home again.
At this point, I consider my goal reached – which was to have my pants fit better so I didn’t have to go out and buy new ones. I wouldn’t mind losing another 5 lbs so I’ll continue on for now – I could stand to lose 25 but I’m just not that dedicated to it right now.
How did you do?
