Patches Is Going to Lancaster!

Woot, woot!!!  Just got a letter today saying "Patches" has been juried into the AQS Lancaster Show!  I am excited!

I've been away a few days:  our wireless router has been down and I'm too lazy to go sit on the floor in the exercise room to plug in.  But hubby hooked up a new one today, and I can now connect from my recliner.  I know - the epitome of laziness!

I sewed this morning, but not on a quilt.  I made a curtain which will hang in our laundry room to cover some unsightly (but necessary) ductwork and wires.  The is a strange size:  only 15 inches long, but approximately 20 feet long.  Pictures soon.

First Finish of 2010!

Yay!  I finished a UFO!  I can't believe I've had this top sitting around for more that two years and it took so little time and effort to finish it.   The colors don't show up as bright here as they really are.  It's the perfect lap size and looks wonderful in our den.

Quilting Like Crazy

Here's what's under my HQ 16 at the moment.  I made this top about two years ago, so it's about time I finished it.  Our main den quilts (the ones we snuggle under every night while watching TV with dogs in our laps) are absolutely threadbare, with holes.  Holes big enough for a dachshund to stick his entire head through.  Not a good thing.  So this quilt will be a nice lap sized replacement.

I don't know if you can tell from the picture, but I'm quilting large loopy flowers to fit in each diamond.  The pattern:  my own.  I do love this top and can't wait to finish it.  The plan is to finish the quilting today and maybe even do the machine part of the binding later tonight.

My REALLY big project for the last week has been painting.  It seemed like a small project at the time, but it's grown exponentially.  We stripped wallpaper from the stairwell going down to our finished basement.  Once that was done we had to paint this area (above a chair rail).  Then the paint below looked dingy, so it had to be painted, too (after sanding and priming some spots.  After that was done the ceiling looked dingy, so...   you get the picture.  It's not a big area, but it is along stairs and rather closed in.  I just have a tiny bit of touching up to do and this project will be (thankfully!) done.

The Masses Have Spoken!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  I heard you all very loudly!  I got so many comments on my last post - whether or not to leave the quilt alone or to use it as a background.  EVERY SINGLE ONE said to leave it as is!  WOW!  And yes, I'm listening.  I'm going to take your advice and stop.  But now I have to decide how to quilt it... that will take some thought, for sure.

I think next week will be a quilting week for me.  I've amassed a pile of quilt tops that are begging to be finished.  It's about time to crank up my HQ Sixteen again.  I've really missed her.

The fabric pack above is one I ordered in December.  I love the colors!  Part of this pack will go into a very special quilt for a very special couple.

My Colorful Background

This is the project I've been working on for the last week.  This is really out of the box for me.  I like things even and symmetrical.  Heck, even our house is symmetrical, both inside and out! So this was a stretch for me.  And I must say, it's really fun to stretch and do something different for a change.

I took hubby up to my studio yesterday to show it to him.  He says it's one of his favorites and he thinks I should not add anything else.  In other words, he doesn't want it to be background.  As far as he's concerned, it's a finished quilt top.  What to do????

I need help here!  What do you think?  Is it finished?  Or can I add some select motifs?  A few tall flowers maybe? 

Now I need to put the Cherrywood box back in order.  You can't see here, but it's overflowing onto the floor.  Quite a mess I make when I strive to create!

Tunisian Crochet

Today is the first time I've ever heard of Tunisian Crochet.  Apparently, you use a double-ended crochet hook that is a bit longer than the traditional hooks.  It sounds like it is a combination of crochet and knitting.  Read more about it here.  Of course, now I'm intrigued....but maybe I should finish the hexie project first?

I never picked up a paint brush or roller today.  I had good intentions, but I ended up spending the entire day in my studio.  I couldn't tear myself away.  I'm very excited about it!  Pictures to come!

Playing...

I missed Mickey Monday yesterday for two reasons.  The first (and a very good one!) being that I've not worked on the quilt since the previous Monday.  The second reason is that I spent yesterday stripping wallpaper and painting.  More painting is waiting for me today.

I started a new quilty project last week.  I have a box of Cherrywood scraps.  I do love Cherrywood fabric.  Did you know that they sell scrap bags?  I ordered a couple of them years ago.  I began by strip piecing wonky pieces.  This piece grew quickly as the week went on.  It's almost big enough for my intended purpose.  This is planned to be a background for something fun.  If my idea works....

Today I must go to the paint store to get another gallon.  Plus I need some painter's tape - I hear there is a new product called Frog Tape that works better than that blue tape.  Plus I need some caulk.  But I will try to block out some quilting time, too!