Guild Challenge - Quilters, Even and Odd

Every year our guild issues a challenge (usually a theme) to the members and the quilts are due at our annual picnic in June.  This year the challenge was "A Song in my Heart".  The challenge was to choose a song and represent it in a quilt.  In addition, members had to decide "Are you an Even or an Odd?".  We have a diverse group with both traditional and non-traditional quilters and some who dabble in a bit of both.  If you decided you were EVEN, then your quilt would be a traditional four sided quilt. If you decided you were an ODD, your submission could be anything other than your traditional four sided quilt or constructed with alternative type of materials.

The winner of the EVENS was Lynn Brown, a gal who is a fabulous quilter and married to a minister.  She chose a hymn and then proceeded to do a bible block quilt.  Her work is always fabulous.  She used Jinny Beyer fabric.  She is also a big fan of Kaffe Fassett. You should see what she does with that!!

The winner of our ODDS was Lesa Gemmell,our president of the ODDS!! Lesa never fails to surprise and take a challenge to the extreme.  Her song was "It's Raining Men" by the Weathergirls.  She deconstructed an umbrella and then put it back together. She is holding it by the handle. The back was flat with a hanger so you could put it on the wall like a canopy.  It also had a little music box so when you pressed the button the song played!

And in my little neck of the woods, Ava and I quilted our first quilt with a panto.  It took me 15 minutes before I could figure out where the laser light wire got plugged in but after that we were off to the races.  I had bought the DVD on pantos which was really helpful and gave me the basics for aligning everything. This is a Jelly Roll Race quilt which I made with the first Jelly Roll I ever bought.  This is an oldie! I got it at Houston Market round about when Jelly rolls were just becoming popular.  The panto is called Oak Leaves which goes along with the theme of the fabric. I am pretty pleased with it and as always learned a few things along the way to make the next one easier. Just need to trim and add the binding.

I am off to the Jersey Shore for the 4th of July so will be back in a couple of weeks. Hope your summer is off to a good start! 

Pics from Jacksonville

FYI!!! This is not a quilty post. I don't post family pics too often so thanks for your indulgence! 

Well, I am  back from my trip to Jacksonville.  It was great to get away to some nice warm weather, to visit with my sister, to get reacquainted with my great niece, Bella, and to  meet my great nephew, Cayden.

Bella knows me as Auntie Ann and I have sent her a couple of quilts. She was excited for my arrival as we had a "Girl's Day" planned.  She absolutely loves Jacksonville Zoo so after some lunch and some Toys R Us birthday shopping we headed to the zoo. FYI (Bella picked out a Mermaid Barbie which when you pull on her mermaid tail it comes off and turns into a surfboard which she can ride. Her hair turns pink when it gets wet and she had a tattoo on her belly!  Oh, Barbie, how far you have fallen!!!)

We had loads of fun riding the Merry-go-round and visiting with the bird the monkeys and the giraffes.
This pink elephant was a "must have" from the gift shop and she carted that thing around all day.  I love this pic of Bella and her nana!

Here she is at the end of the day! 

And here we are after her "power nap". She got her second wind pretty quiickly. I was pretty tuckered out after our big day!

Saturday was the Big Birthday Party. Bella turned 4 and this year was a cowgirl theme which included horses and a petting zoo.  Here's her little brother, Cayden, who just turned 8 weeks old. His mom had him dressed as a little buckaroo as well.

Bella has already been taking horseback riding lessons with my sister who is a horse lover. She looked right at home on this big horse.



Here is a picture of my sissy, Kathy!  We headed to Epcot after the birthday party for some BIG GIRL R&R. This was taken in "Japan" where we had awesome sushi for lunch.

Our time together went by tooo quickly.  I hope to get down there again really soon.

Back to quiltiness in my next post.  My next Ava adventure is going to be quilting with a panto and the laser. We'll see how that goes! LOL!

Cayden's first quilt

I am on a roll with Ava! She and I worked all day Memorial Day on Cayden's quilt. He was born April Fool's Day and I got to meet him this weekend in Jacksonville, FL. He's such a serious little old man! LOL! So very different from his sister who came out of the womb smiling.

 With each quilt I load, I am trying to use a new technique or skill. On Cayden's quilt, I used the ruler base for the first time and stitched in the ditch on all of the blocks and around the outer little border (which was harder than I thought it would be but I'm pretty happy with the result) and I worked on some free motion stuff in the blocks.  My brain was exhausted by the time I got to the border ( and I was running out of time) so I just did a swirly doodly meander ( that's the name of it, really!). Not as happy with that but it is done and it's for a baby.  I was brave and used red thread in the bobbin as well as the top because I didn't want the light thread to show through to the front if my tension was a little off and the backing I used was pieced from what I had, which was very light so of course, you can see EVERY mistake. I guess that stuff about a "busy" back is true.  BOY, there is a lot to think about with this long arm stuff!! ah, like what is the needle up/down button and what is the start/stop button and touching the right one at the right time!  a few of the goofs on this one is because I mixed them up.

Seww, here is a picture. It looks wavy but that's because it is draped over the poles of Ava.   

I also made these little bibs for Cayden.


And since I was attending Bella's 4th birthday party (It was a cowgirl party with ponies!!), I made her a Happy Birthday pillowcase and one with horses on it.  I will be sending her a pillowcase every month for a year.  She loves to get mail.

Will be back next week with pictures of the cutest kids in Jacksonville next week!  Have a quilty weekend!

My first Avante finish

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day! My son lives on the West Coast so I don't get to see him very often. I got a lovely card from him and a telephone call which was wonderful.  He later called to tell us to watch for a package addressed to him but said it was really for us.  I got a note from the postman that it required a siggy so I trooped down there last Friday and picked it up. What a surprise to open it and find this inside.

For those of you who know me, you know that I was born and raised a Red Sox fan and will go to my grave as one.  It's in the blood!  Number 15 is Dustin Pedroia, my favorite player.  I remember the first time I saw him play and knew that he was going to be great.  He only stands about 5'7" tall but he has the heart of a giant and eats and sleeps baseball.  I was soo excited to get my shirt.  My son had also included one for his dad. So now we both have shirts to wear when we watch the games. Of course, the first game I wore my shirt they won, which hasn't happened much this season, so now I will have to wear it for every game so I don't jinx them!


In quilting news, I finished my first quilt with my new BFF, Ava. Since it was my first adventure with her, I stuck with what I knew - a nice allover meander.  I also stuck with a thread color which was close to the fabric color just in case I had "issues".  This actually made it harder since it was hard to see where I had been and where I should be going!!! LOL!  Once I got the tension worked out, it went soo fast. I am in love! 

This quilt will be going to the Summit, which is a rest home in our area. They have a fabulous community room and have been so gracious about offering it to our guild for our meetings. In exchange, we make quilts for their residents. 

This quilt top has a special story. I bought it wayyy back in the mid 90's at an estate sale. As it turned out, the home had been owned by a quilter and there was lots of fabric, books, and many tops.  At the time I didn't know who the quilter was but later I found out it was a woman who had run our local quilt shop, Calico, Etc. which was where I took my first quilting class.  Cynthia was a fabulous piecer and quilter. She died of cancer many years ago but I know she would be pleased to know that her quilt top finally became a quilt and will be a comfort to someone in need.

Hey, what happened?  I was just talking about April and my retreat and how fun and productive it was going to be and all of a sudden, it's the middle of May!

Well, anyway, lots of happenings around here. But first QUILTS!!!!
This is Flower Power. It stills needs some borders but the top is done. I love how this came out. And by the way, the only way I could get DH to hold the quilts was to let him be in the pictures too.   He's a ham and just turned 60!  Looks pretty good, I think, though the hair needs to meet up with a comb.

This is a chinese coins qult.  Actually, this is number 2 made from the leftovers of #1 and if you can believe it, there is a #3!  They will be donation quilts.

That empty space behind the grinning quilt holder is now filled with my HQ Avante 18.  Ava arrived just shy of 2 weeks ago and she is now my new BFF.  She and I have already finished one quilt and it is true love.  I see many, many happy hours being spent together. 

And while I'm here, I want to wish a Happy Mom's Day to all of my quilting friends. I hope you have a lovely day tomorrow. I got a lovely Mother's Day call from my son last Sunday! I thanked him kindly and then told him it was a good practice run since he was a week early and to give me a call again this Sunday! LOL!  Better a week early, then a week late!

Til we meet again, Quilt til you Wilt!

I am now almost three weeks back from a lovely vacation and back to work! Laundry has been done and life is back to "normal".  I did have time to go to MQX East Quilt show in Providence.  This show is always inspiring with the focus on the quilting.  Here are a couple of my favorites from the show.

 This was best of show and you can see why.  It is called "America Let it Shine" made by Sherry Reynolds of Laramie, WY.  Here is  the description she wrote. It is just fabulous!This one is called "From a Dark Place" made by Lisa Teichmann of Amherst, NH.

 ICU- Do u c me? made by Brigit Scheuller of Germany. Here is a close up.

and finally Turtle Bay by Claudia Pfeil of Germany. There were several international entries to this show. Of course, there was shopping! I bought some needed thread and a couple of pantos and played around on the set up longarms at the show.  A wonderful time with friends.


As for my March goals - they were basically ignored but I am coming back with a vengeance in April as I have just returned from a FOUR day quilt retreat.  I completed 6 baby bibs for a new nephew and niece. I completed all of my Sampler blocks and SAL blocks so I am up to date with them and I completed three tops. Pics will follow later this week. Really happy with that progress!!
In other news, the lovely lady ibelow is coming to live at my house in the very near future. Although I love my Sunshine 16, I am ready to move onto more detailed quilting that is not possible with my Sunny.  I will be looking to find a good home for my Sunny and the Grace frame she lives on.  If you know of anyone who might be interested, let me know. I'll be posting pics of Sunny and her frame next week. Can't wait for my new quilting partner to arrive!!! May 1st is her arrival date.  Maybe I'll call her MAY!

Buenas Dias from Puerto Rico

Hola! Arrived in San Juan on Sunday morning and spent 2 days in the "New York" of PR. We rented a car and headed out to the western part of the island yesterday and will spend 3 days in Rincon. This is a much quieter laid back place. Lots of bars with rum punch and mojitos. Had dinner high in the treetops last nite. An excellent tapas menu and great wine selection.


This was our view from a little bar on the beach last night. We are going to snorkel today and of course more laying around on the beach.


This second pic was our view from the balcony in San Juan.
We are staying at a little inn here in Rincon. There are no chain hotels here. It is a little more rustic but everyone is very accommodating. The roosters woke us this morning.
I hope to get some pics of them tomorrow morning. Adios!

Quick Update - Sunny is back on track

As I mentioned in my last post, Sunny was under the weather and would not stitch at all. Sewww, I called the Quilt Doc and we had a little conversation.

QUILT DOC: "Are you sure she is threaded correctly?" 
Annie: Yep!
QUILT DOC: "Is the bobbin turning clockwise?"
 Annie: Yep!
QUILT DOC: "Is the needle in correctly?" 
Annie: I have the long groove facing to the back. " 
QUILT DOC: " You have the needle in backwards." 
Annie: Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. 

Sunny, I'm sorry I called you a finicky b*%$h.  She is running good as new now that I have turned the needled around! 

HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY!!!!

I don't make a big deal about this day since I'm Irish 24/7, 365 days a year but for the rest of the world who aren't as Lucky as I am,  (LOL), my wish is that you find that pot of gold, or better yet, Fabric at the end of the rainbow! 

Unhappy Villages and other mishaps

As I eluded to in my last post, I had hoped to finish Happy Villages, my Karen Eckmier project from 20??. I had finished the piecing at my last quilt retreat in October and had come up with the brilliant idea to use Misty Fuse to hold on the tulle which covers the raw edge pieces. This would, in essence, free me from sewing around aaaalllllllll of the little pieces which my fellow quilters had done back when Misty Fuse was non-existent. I used my Goddess Sheet to cover everything and ironed the Misty Fuse on.  I lifted the Goddess Sheet and admired my handiwork, BRILLIANT!!

Then, slowly I turned to reach for something, nudging the very light weight ironing board with my fat you know what, and the iron fell onto the uncovered tulle piece, melting the tulle in the village sky. 
Yep, I plundered my own village.  Here's the damage. It actually looks good here. Where is the viallge fire dept when you need them?! I pondered some ways to try and salvage it but at this point, I just think it's Karma.  This was not to be a finished project. So, I ditched it.

As for my other mishaps, welllll, my midarm, Sunny, is acting up. Having a real problem with the bobbin. She doesn't want to stitch, (finicky little b*#ch). I will need to wait til my next day off to contact the "doctor" and see if she can help me over the phone or Sunny could be taking a trip to the doctor's office.

And, I am rethinking my Barbara Brackman Civil War blocks. I am about 1/2 done with the blocks and I am losing my love for this project. This is a BIG quilt so I may just say "uncle" to Barbara and call it a day and make a lap with the blocks I have. If and when this happens, all of my Civil War repro fabric will be offered to some lucky blogger as I am closing the book on CW quilts.

Not much sewing yet this month and we are almost 1/2 way through. YIKES!!! I did start cutting the pieces for my great nephew, Cayden's baby quilt.  He is due to arrive in May. Here is what the blocks will look like.

I am loving how this is going to look. The alphabet centers are fussy cut from fabric I have had FOREVER. The blue is an oldie too. I just needed to buy the red.  This block is from Crooked Log Cabins by Pat Sloan.  I thought I might even get this quilt done before the baby is born, but since it took me 5 minutes just to lay these two blocks out on my design wall, I'm thinking Cayden may be in High School before I get this one done!. LOL! Hopefully, it will get easier after I get a few under my belt. 

The NCAA tourney starts this weekend so lots of basketball will be watched. I will be setting up a sewing station in front of the boob tube with hopes of getting some piecing done.  We are getting a new 55" flat screen LED TV !!   This is my hubby's baby. He has been scrimping and saving for a while now and finally found THE perfect TV.  He's like a 5 year old at Christmas right now, counting the days til the geek squad arrives to install it. 

Well, I am off to make some lunch for hubby and myself. He is home today to "supervise" the Geek Squad. Thought I would make some tuna fish, but don't know if I will find any in the cupboard.  Here's what I saw when I went to grab the tuna cans.  Do you see Mr. B back there? Thankfully he hasn't figured out how to use the can opener.

The February Accounting and Blogger Recognition

Well, I may have bitten off more than I could quilt this month but I did finish quite a bit on my "get it dun" list. I am finding 15 minutes here and there to do a bit of this and that which is adding up to some quilting progress. Here's a quick accounting::

- 5 civil war blocks dun;
- mastectomy pillows sewn, stuffed and delivered;
- January  and February sampler blocks finished as well as all the sashing and cornerstones for the entire quillt. The directions were given when we signed up. I figured that the odds were higher this would get finished if I did all that prep stuff up front.  These are some BIG blocks which measure 20 inches. There will be 12 all together.

And being the dandylion (i.e. one who is easily blown off course) that I am, I started another project with the Pieceful Kwilter and her 2012 stitch a long. I could not resist these blocks. Check out Shannon's blog and join in.

Seww, some of my February goals were not met. The log cabin quillt is still on the frame and the Happy Villages quilt, well, there's an unhappy story that goes along with that which I will share later.

I've gone ahead and put my March goals up. Some have been moved forward from February and some are new.  I'm finding a little accountability is producing results.

Now for Blogger Recognition... A lovely blogger ( and lurker LOL) named Karen recognized me as part of the Liebster Awards. This award is recognition of a blogger who has less than 200 followers. I was tickled pink  to be chosen especially given my spotty blogging of late.  Now it is my honor to recognize 5 bloggers who are think are awesome and meet the under 200 criteria.  

I have been reading quiltiing blogs for many years and these 5 gals have withstood the test of time.  There are lots of blogs out there about quilting but the thing that I look for when choosing a blog is not just about the nuts and bolts of the quilting but the stories behind the quilter. The beauty of the quilts are enhanced by the bits and pieces the quilter shares of her life. I want to share in her little victories (both personal and quilty) as well as commiserate and comfort her when life throws a curveball.

Plain and Simple  Libby is the best. I knew we were kindred spirits when I saw her Indian Hatchet quilt that had several blocks "trying to escape" by heading in the wrong direction ( which I would do) and she left them that way ( which I would also do!).  She and I have met in person, and visited together several times when she was living on the East Coast. Her quilts are fabulous! She is one of my dearest quilting pals and we continue our friendship despite the east coast- west coast distance.  Can't wait to meet with her again in her native California in December.

Debra's Design Studio What can I say about Debra? She is a dynamo! She is always pushing her self and the envelope in her quilting designs.  She also has a heart as HUGE as the state of Texas where she lives. She does more quilting for charity than anyone I know.  Debra and I have traded fabric on several occasions which neither of our hubbies can understand. Men!

Covered Porches  Melanie is a working gal like me but she still finds time to make beautiful quilts. Her winters in Michigan are worse than the ones I experience here in Connecticut which always makes me feel better! LOL! She also finds time for gardening which she shares.

Scrap and Thread Tales  I love this Yankee Quilter and it's not just because she loves the Red Sox, Dunkin Donuts coffee and cats! Bonnie knows sooo much about antique quilts and fabric. She is in the process of recreating an antique quilt now and is sharing her process. It is fascinating.  She also loves the modern fabric which she mixes with the old for a fantastic result.

Out of the Basement Kay is an extremely talented quilter. Her quilts have been chosen for the Road to California show!  She also loves the Hoffman challenge. It's so interesting to watch her take that (usually ugly) chosen fabric and incorporate it into a beautiful quilt. She is a world traveler and a reader who has recommended several great books which I have read and enjoyed.

Well, that's my FAB FIVE!!!!  Be sure to visit them as well as Karen. You know you need to add some blogs to your list!