Parrot Biding Done

Sydney picked out a movie while we were out getting the ingredients for a special Father's Day cake this morning. I decided to be social while she watched it and sat to finish the binding on I Spy a Parrot. I think the binding stack has 3 quilts in it right now, so I'd better keep on top of it. When I was done stitching I threw it in the wash to take care of some dog hairs from Lizzie who has decided she loves to lay on my quilts. Then I rigged up a clothes line on the patio to let it dry. I've been trying to find a better spot to take finished quilt photos and this may just do the trick.
I also spent a few minutes this morning updating the look of my blog. For anyone using bloglines, they seem to have some new tools that are very easy to use and customize. Now I'm off to update the margin lists to move the parrot quilt to officially finished status! Then I guess I'd better go and bake a cake. I'm not sure why Father's Day needs a cake, but it is what the kids wanted to do, so off we go to the kitchen.

Happy It's Friday

Cross another quilt off the list! I Spy a parrot is quilted and trimmed.
10 more school days for seniors (and they let us know about it). Much like pushing jello up a hill, we keep plugging away until the end. It was a busy week full of scouts and meetings and lots of miscellaneous evening stuff that limited my time to quilt. I did manage to get a few minutes in here and there though, and was almost done with the last border when I got home from school this afternoon.

What I really ought to do is get some serious binding done. There are three quilts in the stack now. If I get it sewn on tonight, I can take it to Ice Skating tomorrow and do the handwork while watching the girls. Regular lessons are in the morning and then the Girl Scouts have a group skate in the afternoon. Separate sessions for the two age groups means I'll be spending at least 5 hours tomorrow watching skating. Something to do will be a definite requirement.


I'm not sure what is next up on the frame. I've got two "good" quilts ready to go, but I'm not sure if I'm confident enough in my skills to risk messing up something I really like. Instead I might finish the border on Starlight, a wonky star quilt with words that is meant for donation. I've ordered a packet of pantographs from Golden Threads and am anxious to try out the laser pointer.
Sydney was duly impressed with the new quilting machine and wanted to give it a try. Her attention span didn't last long, but she did put her own stitches into the quilt and was quite proud of herself. How cute is she missing 4 front teeth? She has an adorable little lisp right now that make me want to pick her up and give her lots of hugs.

Plugging Away

After pulling Whirly Giggles off, I got I Spy loaded on. The quilting motif is blades of grass which also looks a bit like a flame to me. I only got two rows done before dinnertime. One of these days I'm going to try a pantograph, but for now I'm having lots of fun with freehand designs. Somewhere I have a bag full of binding. I'm going to be needing some of that pretty soon.

I Spy a Border

I guess it is no secret that borders are not my favorite thing. I love the look of them, and truly appreciate how much they can add to a quilt. I just get so anxious at the end and I like to get things done. The I Spy quilt though is just a tad too small. I had pulled this parrot fabric out of the donation stack for the back, but I'm thinking the green might work well as a border option. I guess I'd better start the pressing, measuring and pinning. This quilt was kind of a random selection of blocks, but I'm starting to like it now that it is all coming together. I always seems to work out that way, doesn't it?

I spy a four patch

Decided to make do for the sashing strips on the I Spy quilt. I had a bundle of fat quarters in graduated shades of green. I had been saving it for something special. I've decided not to save for something special because a finished project is special enough for anyone. So it is all laid it out, stacked it up and pinned it --all ready for sewing together. Happy Sunday morning.

Not Quite a Quilt #1

I have a set of 6 inch "I Spy" blocks that were hanging out in the orphan block stack. There are 15 sets of 4 that have already been sewn together. I pulled a green for sashing and a yellow for the corner stones. Using the Sock Monkey Quilt as my yardstick for a twin size donation quilt, it looks like it could use one more row to bring it to the right size. I'm all out of lime green, so I guess I need some more of that too. I probably have 20 fabrics somewhere that could work in the I spy theme, but I'm not sure if I want to pull and cut right now. Maybe I'll save that part for tomorrow.

One of my coworkers has a wife that underwent a surgery for breast cancer yesterday. She is facing a grueling round of chemotherapy now. I've never met her, but I still thought it might be nice to make her a quilt. It would be a way to show support for my fellow teacher if nothing else. Also, making a quilt has become my first impulse for most situations. Baby, illness, service project -- sounds like you need a quilt for that. I pulled these four possible color combinations. I go back now to my familiar complaint about making quilts for other people: it is really hard to guess what someone else will like. Anyone else have a vote? Starting in the upper right hand corner and going around clockwise; option 1 is a blue floral stripe, option 2 is a pale pink sage and teal paisley that looks like owls to me, option 3 is a pink and yellow floral paisley with a coordinating stripe, option 4 is pink and purple coordinated line of florals, butterflies and stripes. I'm thinking of doing a simple star block with an alternating Irish Chain block similar to Twilight.