Saturday Sisters

Tomorrow is my sewing group day!!!!  Our group is called Sisters or Saturday Sisters and it is organized through a local quilt shop. I'm getting excited about spending the day with my quilting friends. I've been trying to decide which project to take. We talk and laugh all day long so it can't be a project that I really need to be able to concentrate (like the border for Orange Crush). I've pulled two project boxes. One is a project that uses lots of neutral fabrics. It's a pattern from McCall's Quilting magazine. My friend Brenda at The Quilting Cowgirl made one that I loved.  I need to cut the blocks and begin sewing. I'm thinking of using it for a Christmas gift if I can part with it. It looks easy to construct. The other project is Bloomin' Rose again from McCall's Quilting Magazine. I have blocks from a swap on Pat Sloan's Yahoo Group several Summers ago. My blocks have a green background instead of yellow like in the picture.  I'll put them both in my van. I'll decide tomorrow which one to work on.

Wednesday was a Quiltaton Day on Judy L.'s blog Patchwork Times. I moved around my dog Rusty's annual visit to the vet so that I could sew most of the day. I was able to complete a flannel rag quilt for a graduation gift. I used the school colors of her future college, burgundy and gold. It will be hard to part with this quilt. I love the colors. The flannel is sooo soft. The best thing is that this is another project I can check off my list. It's another F.I.U. or Finish it up. It is Done!

And this is fun?

Yesterday was one of those days. For a short period of time, I began to wonder why had I ever begun to quilt. Piecing quilt backs is what did it. Remind me to over-estimate when I need to purchase a quilt back and to Avoid directional fabric.

 The first problem child was the backing for the LSU quilt. I found a great tiger print online. Of course, I ordered it several years ago when I started piecing the top.  I ordered only the amount needed for the back. Yesterday, I decided to use some of the tiger print for my binding. It will make great binding for this top. Of course, now I don't have enough fabric for the back. I pulled some purple from my stash and some of the left-over LSU print. Well, the LSU print is directional. There's where my problem began. I kept sketching the dimensions, playing with my yardage. Finally, I put the quilt on the top of my bed, pieced some backing and just kept adding until I had a big enough back. In spite of all my turmoil, it does look rather nice. I like it! Of course, this took lots longer than I had planned. 

I moved on to the Christmas toile. Several years back, I purchased some flannel when a shop was going out of business.  Of course, this quilt is HUGE, I didn't have enough for the backing. On one of our shop hops, I purchased  some yardage to coordinate with the first piece for the backing. Since both fabrics were flannel and the top is cotton, I washed the flannel fabrics. DUH! They shrunk  lots. Now I don' t have enough fabric. I again sketched the dimensions, put fabric on the floor. Somehow or another it finally lots like it will work. What really worries me, is I had some fabric left-over :) YIKES!  I think I'll bring it with me when I bring the quilts to the long-arm quilter on Saturday.  

At this point, I decided to go to bed and read. LOL!

Stash Busting Report

Finally! I had two quilt tops that just needed borders. Borders are not my favorite thing to do.  Today, I unexpectedly had all day  to sew. I had planned to begin sewing  a rag quilt for a gift due  in late June. I decided to work on the quilts needing borders instead. My stash busting goal this year is to finish at least 12 UFO's.  I was feeling a bit behind on my goal since I had not finished a top in May. Christmas Toile is a big quilt. It needed to be pressed, then borders added. It is DONE!  

My husband requested an LSU (Louisiana State University) quilt. He is passionate about his LSU tigers. I started this top two or three years ago. It was the only LSU fabric that I could find. It's so "boxy".  I didn't like the way top looked. The border fabric that I planned to use looked all wrong. I packed it away. Finally, last fall I took it out again and shopped for border fabrics for the third time. These two fabrics make the quilt. The inner border is a textured black tone-on-tone. The outer border is purple with black squiggly lines. These fabrics look like they belong with this quilt. Thanks, Gretch and Karin for helping me find "the right" fabric. The backings fabric is tiger stripes. It's perfect for this quilt.  DONE!

I still have to piece the backing for both tops. It was on my list for today, but I'm out of time. Maybe, tomorrow....

That makes two UFO's out of plastic containers. Two projects to check off my list of tops to finish. That makes 7 tops finished this year! That's a record for me! Of course, there are still lots and lots of UFO's still needing some TLC.  :}}}

Freaky Friday

My favorite quilt shop, Sweet Home in Conyers, Georgia (about 20 miles from my home) had a Freaky Friday sale. Freaky Friday is the fifth Friday in the month which only occurs a couple of times a year. Melisa, the shop owner, put all the fabric in her fabulous sale room on sale for $3.00 a yard. Her sale room is the best around in selection and price. This sale was one not to be missed. My Friday was pretty booked so I was glad that she extended the sale to Saturday. I made plans with Kristie, who is a quilter and media specialist in my school district to meet at the shop. It was a surprise to discover my quilting buddy Gretchen of Stella Bella Quilts at the shop. She had previously turned me down on a trip to Sweet Home because of her efforts to save for vacation.(see her post entitled Busted!!!)  I should have known that neither of us can resist a sale at Sweet Home. 

I can't remember the last time that I purchased 12 yards at one time. Looking back, I rather wish that I had bought more at this price. Three dollars a yard of luscious Moda, Michael Miller, P & B etc.  just doesn't happen often. 

Most of my purchases were for actual projects I'm planning. I even purchased everything on the bolt of  two different fabrics. That's not my buying style, but it was rather fun. The green and white fabric with moons,  I'm thinking of using as a backing for my Orange Crush quilt. Two or three look like possibilities for my patriotic quilt. The top fabric with the teal circles on olive green just spoke to me. I'm clueless what I'll do with that one. Any ideas?