C'mon to my house

This weekend I made a few house blocks for Bumble Beans (see sidebar). It was fun digging through the scrap bin looking for pieces large enough for the different parts, that sort of went together colorwise and that had an animal on them. The animal wasn't a requirement, but I thought that made the blocks more fun.

I learned something in the process: I have more cow-themed fabrics in the scrap bin than other animals. (Not all the cows made it into the houses.) I'm not entirely sure what this says about me, but I didn't know it until yesterday.

Now I need to get them in the mail.

A foggy day in London town

sure beats all this snow in Chicago. Yesterday it was 65 F and sunny. Today it's snowing with 1 to 3 inches predicted. And besides the better weather (53 F in London compared to 35 in Chicago), London is where you can see the Victoria and Albert Museum's exhibit "Quilts: 1700 - 2010" which opened today.

Bishops Court quilt, Unknown, 1690-1700,

Museum no. T.201-1984, copyright Victoria & Albert Museum

Wish I could go. Instead, I have to live vicariously through the Internet. I borrowed the picture above from the V&A website, and you can see more photos on these blogs: A Quilter's Journal and The Cotton Patch, which I found through Barbara Brackman's blog. I've been following the exhibit's progress via the blog of its curator, Sue Prichard.


Besides the fabulous antique quilts and the potentially-controversial modern quilts on display, the museum shop is offering 18 reproduction fabrics through a collaboration with Liberty Art Fabrics.

Speaking of Liberty, I'd planned a trip to Target today to see what their Liberty products were like, but I'm wondering if there'll be anything left in the store as I'm noticing lots of "out of stock" notes on the website. Do I brave the stormy weather to look at empty shelves or do I settle into the sewing room to celebrate National Quilting Day, which is today!

The National Quilting Association is offering a free project pattern to help you celebrate. I certainly have enough tops to quilt and UFOs to work on to keep me busy. Or I could start something new. No shortage of ways to celebrate!

A bright block for a dull weekend

This is about all I have to show for the weekend: Block 6 of the Sue Ross BOM. I really like it. Toying with the idea of making a whole quilt with this block. It wouldn't take many as the block finishes at 14 inches.

I made a back for my version of Girlfriends Galore, but opted not to take a picture of an 82 1/2" x 98" rectangle of solid green fabric. A beautiful green to be sure, but hardly worth a thousand words.

I'm not wearing any (long) underwear

Woo hoo! It's 41 degrees (5 Celsius) right now. If only it were sunny. But that was yesterday, and I hadn't finished this top so I couldn't snap a picture then. Please forgive the not right colors. Those orange stars are really red, and the yellow is much brighter.

I had planned to have this top done a couple months ago, but had to wait until the quilt shop got in a new shipment of the solid blue as I didn't have nearly enough. Just couldn't get inspired to do another setting for these stars after I'd drafted this one. I think it was worth the wait.

Last weekend I made backs for a couple quilts. Not exactly post-worthy sewing.

Where the sun doesn't shine: Chicago

Gratuitous fabric photo because no one likes a quilting blog

without photos and that squirrel fabric is just too cute.

Today I went to the first meeting of the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild. I'm getting excited about this group. I miss belonging to a guild. I was very active in my Orlando guild. When we first moved to the Chicago area I joined the local guild, but there were too many things going on (new job, new employees, selling a house, buying a house, husband diagnosed with cancer) that I made only one meeting. Even now, I haven't been able to swing the weeknight meetings. Heck, I've cancelled my last two hair appointments because of work interference on a weeknight. (Roots aren't as bad as I thought they'd be.) Looks like this group will be meeting on weekends. Yeah!

Everyone had lots of great ideas for things we can do. A few people brought show and tell. That's something I really miss: Looking at other people's quilts and seeing what fabric, quilting and patterns they used.

When I came home from the meeting, I found that a Girl Scout had visited while I was out. What more could I want than seeing, touching and talking quilts and then having a box of Thin Mints waiting for me? Sunshine. Yes, more snow forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

Haven't sewed much lately. (Been shoveling.) I did finally finish my Sue Ross block of the month for month 1 (month 6 should arrive any day now). I've started prepping block 5, which is applique, which means, like block 1, which was hand piecing, it will take me some time to get it done. I'm not big on hand sewing, except for binding. I like sewing binding. How weird is that? Can I trade anyone binding for applique?

Where's your sense of adventure?

Just got back from a few days of babysitting my sister's children. Apparently my husband has no idea where the grocery store is. So first thing I did after the taxi dropped me off at the house was head out for a sandwich before food shopping. Then it was time to empty the suitcase in the washer!

I brought books, quilting magazines and Block 1 and 5 of the Sue Ross BOM with me. I'm not sure how long I thought the girls would be in school during the day, but it was not long enough for all that I brought. Nor was the Chicago-Boston flight! I was able to read Jean Wells' Intuitive Color & Design on the plane. I don't normally read quilt books, but I read this one cover to cover, and I'd like to work my way through the assignments in the book.

There was no sewing or reading when the girls were around, but we had lots of fun: Made Valentines for both their classes, went to the Currier Museum (great little museum), painted ceramics at the mall (glossy finish with sparkles, of course), and went to two dance classes and two soccer games (indoor).

My friend Beth (from college) visited one night, and right after we ordered pizza, the whole neighborhood lost power. The girls seemed a little freaked out by this, asking if we could drive somewhere where they have electricity.

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Beth asked them.

"Pretend your Laura Ingalls," I said.

"Who?"

I'll be mailing them a copy of Little House on the Prairie soon.

The delivery guy found the house in complete darkness, and we ate by Yankee Candle-light (melon and harvest scented). Thankfully the lights came on about an hour later.

Arf! Arf!

Liking the new ironing board cover.

This is what I have to show for the weekend. It took me all day Saturday to sew the final borders on my olive green Material Obsession quilt because I was so distracted thinking about this Scotty dog, which I saw here. And then again somewhere else. So finally, I just gave up and pulled fabric.

Yeah, picking fabrics is messy.

I think I was a little influenced by this to pick red, which is my favorite color, and then the link to Jane Brocket's post. Red probably accounts for the largest color in my stash. And yet, I don't make that many red quilts or quilts with red in them. Can count them on one hand. Hmmmm. Wonder why.

Easy pattern by Denyse Schmidt. Took awhile to sew though, and that's how I spent my Sunday. I had done the box corner thing only once before. I don't think I'd attempt making Scotty with smaller squares.