Tuesday, June 14, 2011

What name should I give this quilt?

This is a photo of the finished salad quilt top.  It will go to a friend in the area for long-arming soon.  Now that I've gotten to know a few long-armers, I have to spread the wealth around.   LOL   Anyway.....the photo was taken with a flash instead of natural light, so the coloring isn't perfect but it's pretty close. You can click twice on it to see it close-up.   I wanted the salad fabrics (lettuce...broccoli...carrots...red onions.....peppers...cucumber slices....tomatoes) to look like they were floating and I'm really happy with how this looks.  I cut the squares and the sashing out with my GO! cutter in a very short period of time (love that cutter!!!)   Since I was putting the blocks on point, I had to cut the setting triangles and corner triangles the regular, "old-fashioned" way with my rotary cutter, though.    I could use some suggestions for a name for this quilt.  So far, I seem to be stuck on "Balsamic Vinaigrette", but I'm not totally sold on that and am open to suggestions.  Who has some ideas?

Saturday, June 4, 2011

The salad quilt is looking tasty!!!

I succeeded in getting 4 more fabrics I love for the salad quilt I mentioned in my previous post (and showed the first 3 fabrics for it there).  Here is a photo of the fabrics I got at the show yesterday to add to it.  I'm very happy with them!
 The show was very nice.  I really didn't buy much....just these salad fabrics and a few other things which I didn't take pictures of yet.  I'll do that soon and post them in a couple of days.  (Blogger isn't being friendly about posting multiple photos in one post lately for me.)   The other photo you see here (if it worked for me today) is of me at the show...snapped by my friend (and quilting partner), Kathy.  While at the show, I saw Pat Sloan first thing in the morning and got a hug from her.  Of course, we forgot to take a picture with Pat.  Oh, well.....I have a picture of me with her another time when I saw her.
I do have to comment on something...the traffic in that area around Washington, D.C., where we were yesterday is HORRENDOUS.  I don't know how folks drive that to work and back every day for years....UGH!!!   I was thankful we were on a bus and I didn't have to do the driving....that's for sure!

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Quilt Show trip tomorrow!

Tomorrow I'll be on a bus trip to the Quilter's Unlimited show in Chantilly, VA.  It's a smaller show than most I've attended, but I've heard good things about it and have wanted to go for a few years now.  It should be a fun day.  I have a plan of what I want this time (many times at other shows I've gone and just wandered and bought things on the spur of the moment).  This time, I am looking for a yard of coffee-themed fabric for a good quilting friend, a belated b'day gift for another good quilting friend, and also some other fabrics to go along with those pictured here.  They will be for a salad-themed quilt for Christmas for my salad-loving daughter.  I think this will be another fun quilt for me...just like the snack-themed one I made for my granddaughter (shown in previous posts).

Saturday, May 21, 2011

Backing for SNACK ATTACK.....

I've decided the quilt top I showed in the previous post needs to be called "Snack Attack".  I had hoped to do chocolate chip cookies for the backing but was unable to get the fabric as quickly as I needed it.  SO...I shopped around locally.   I bought 3 more fabrics.......cupcakes, donuts, and ice cream cones.....then added them to small pieces of the snack fabrics I used on the front of the quilt.  It made for a WILD backing, but I think my granddaughter (who will be 7 when she gets the quilt) will love both sides of it.   This photo shows just one section of the back.  I have it all pressed and folded neatly and didn't want to unfold it for a full photo of it, but I think you'll get the idea of how wild it is by looking at this. (You should be able to see it enlarged if you click on it once or twice.) What a fun quilt this was to make! I think 2 of my quilting pals....Gyleen and Gene (both of whom love pieced, unique backings) will approve of the back I did on this one.  :)

Thursday, May 19, 2011

A start on Christmas gifts.....

My granddaughter, Jessi, is going through some rough stuff right now (family situation), so I thought I'd make her a fun "snuggle" quilt for Christmas, which is shown above.  For the front, I used fabric that looks like popcorn, pretzels, and goldfish crackers.  I have yet to buy the backing fabric but am thinking it might be chocolate chip cookie fabric I've seen or maybe some candy fabric.  It will be a fun backing, though.  I think she'll enjoy this quilt.  Once I get the backing, I am going to send it off to be quilted.  I am thinking I'll send it to Mary at Quilt Hollow as I've seen she does beautiful work and I've been wanting to have her do one for me.  Don't mind the camera angle used for the quilt top photo...hard to get it to look right with the quilt on the floor when the picture is being taken.  If you click, I THINK it will enlarge so you can see the fabrics up closer. 

Monday, May 16, 2011

Checking in......

Houseguests left today.....had a nice time while they were here and got my mind off the stressful family situation, so that was good.

Today in the mail I got a really nice surprise...sent by a blogging friend who knows how stressed I've been and why and made me something really nice so I'd know she was thinking about me.  I'll put two photos below.  I love it!!! And you can see there is a pencil next to the item she made me so you can get an idea of its size.......it will get a LOT of use, that's for sure.  THANKS, Rhonda....for the gift and the touching note you included with it.   Rhonda is a really talented gal.  If you haven't seen her blog yet, check it out by clicking HERE.

Isn't this a TERRIFIC tote?  (Sorry my camera skills weren't so good, but I hope you get the idea that it is super-sized and well-made!)





Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Guests on the way.....

We have houseguests arriving on Friday.....folks whose house we've visited in the Atlanta area but they've not been here before.  You know how that goes (and how hard we work when out-of-town folks are coming for the first time).  I did finish the throw for the guest bedroom and that is pictured below (although you can't see the whole thing...bad photo, sorry)......and also the pillow I made to go along with it.  The photos posted in reverse order as I still can't get the hang of photos with the newer version of Blogger, but.....such is life!

In addition to getting ready for this, there has been a pretty much overwhelming situation in the family that has demanded a lot of attention and will also take up a lot of time until, probably, the end of June.  So.....I won't be able to keep up on reading a lot of blogs or posting here.  Don't give up on me, though, and think I've lost interest, because I haven't.

Oh, yes...mixed in with that is working on projects for classes that my quilting partner and I will be teaching as well as working along with a magazine that is interested in us designing a few things for them.

Busy is the word...some "happy" busy and some "stressful and somewhat sad" busy, but......things will all work out well in the end.   For now, here are the two photos I mentioned above.