Design Wall Monday 6-20-11

Today I'm linking to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday. What's on my design wall is the bandana quilt. I did pick up some fun fabrics from Cotton Fields fabric shop that I'd like to somehow use for the borders and backing for the bandana quilt. I'm thinking of using the oranges fabric as 4" square cornerstones, then use the limes fabric as the vertical borders and the lemons fabric as the horizontal borders. Then I'll piece together the backing out of these three fruit fabrics. It's a summer time quilt so I'm hoping these will work. I'll audition them and if I'm not happy with it then I may skip adding borders to this quilt and just use the fruit fabrics as the backing/binding.


I've also picked up my knitting again and am knitting the drop-stitch scarf Judy posted on her blog - I've finished the blue scarf and have started a 2nd scarf. The yarns I chose are from The Loopy Ewe and are Malabrigo in the colors Plena, Saphire Magenta, and Whales Road.


Finally, I've pulled out a block of the month kit I ordered last year from Keepsake Quilting, "Lake Forest". I've started tracing the pattern onto fusible web for the first and most extensive block, but that's as far as I've gotten.

It feels good to have picked up the knitting again. In addition to these projects I also am ready to get busy quilting 715 Ann Street and Sister Chicks III which I posted about during the last 2-3 weeks.

Guess I have enough to keep me busy.

Design Wall Monday 6-13-11

I'm linking today to Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.

This quilt is called "Shall We Dance" and is a kit from Keepsake Quilting. I purchased this kit about 4-5 years ago, started it, became frustrated with it, put it down and it became a UFO. Last week I pulled it out and tried to figure out where I left off on it and was determined to finish it. Here it is, such as it is. It's not square so the borders are ruffly. The machine quilter I use, Lilly Lucier out of Vanceboro, NC, is sometimes a miracle worker so I'll take it to her and see if she can do anything with it. Regardless, it will just be a lap quilt for me.

I'm not sure why it turned out so un-square. All of the turtle blocks should have turned out 12" unfinished, but one side, the same side on every single block, was 11.5". I couldn't trim up the squares too much or the legs would have not have lined up like they were supposed to.

Oh well, it's another one I can tick off my "to do" list even if I'm not especially pleased with it.

Design Wall Monday 6-6-11

I have several pieces in progress right now.

Sister Chicks III is ready to be quilted (designer Debi Hubbs).Wow, it took a long time to satin stitch around each applique piece, but I'm pleased with it. I'll quilt it using a simple diagonal cross-hatch design. I haven't selected the binding fabric yet. The final finishing touch will be the jiggly eyes for the hens and the cow, and birthstone jewelry for each hen - amethyst, aquamrine, and topaz.

A.C. Moore had bandanas on sale for $1/each so I bought 12 to make another bandana quilt - I love these colors - so bright and happy; in fact, I'm naming this quilt "Happiness". Am looking for a good fabric for a border, maybe a white with multi-color polka dots. My other bandana quilt is red/white/blue and it is a great knock-about quilt - I don't worry if it gets put on the floor or if the critters waller all over it.

And though I have not been actively participating in the U.F.O. Challenge at Patchwork Times, the challenge has inspired me to pull out some U.F.O.'s and work on them, this turtle quilt being one of those. This quilt is a kit from Keepsake Quilting called "Shall We Dance" by designer Karen Brow. I started it 3-4 years ago or so and became very frustrated with it so put it down. However, when I pulled it back out a couple days ago and tried to pick up the thread of where I left off at, it wasn't in as bad shape as I remembered. So I'm off and running again with it and this time I'll finish it. I have the 6 blocks finished, the applique turtle ready to go; need to cut out the setting triangles then I can sew the whole thing together. I had forgotten that I'd already cut and piece together the borders and binding.

Take a few minutes to stop by Patchwork Times for Design Wall Monday.