Tagalong Done!

I made the Schnibbles of the month pattern

"Tagalong" at the quilt retreat last weekend. 

 I quilted it after work on Monday.

 And bound and labeled it last night!

We should find out soon what the May

Schnibbles pattern will be!  :-)

They are so fun to make!

Annual Spring Quilt Retreat

This past weekend my quilt guild had our Spring retreat. Here's the big room where all 18 of us were busy cutting, designing & sewing.

This was my spot at retreat!

We had a great time and many great projects were completed.  Here's just a few that were finished!  Check them out!  

Aren't these quilts just awesome? 

I finished the Schnibbles Tagalong top, the blue Strip Twist top and the Pickety Sticks top at the retreat.  I was going to quilt the Tagalong today after work, but my right shoulder has been hurting today.  I went to see the ortho doctor a  week ago and he injected it with steroids... but it's not working yet... sigh.  I was hoping to get these three tops quilted in the next few days for my April CGQC goals, but it's not looking good.

However, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for my Mother's blood clot.  She was put on blood thinners and was then released to go home on Saturday night.  WHEW!

Sewwwwwwww, what did you DO this weekend?

Caliente...Hot, Hot, Hot!

I finished my poppy quilt that I saw in the
winter issue of Fabric Trends magazine
and fell in love with! 

I even bought the kit offered in the mag, too.

It is so bright and the colors so hot! 

Makes me think of summer,

so I named it "Caliente".

Blogger rotated this photo for some weird
 reason?! I quilted shading lines flowers for
added dimension. It is raw edge applique
 over a pieced background.

And the backing is a fun wild print, too!

Hard to see the little label, huh?

I've been spending the nights lately cutting out projects to take to my quilt retreat this weekend.  We leave tomorrow morning and will be back Sunday afternoon.  I can't wait!  I love the chatty sewing fun we have!!  The bunk beds leave a bit to be desired,
but that's why I bring some Tyleno PM!  :-)  I promise to take good photos and will post them here on Sunday night!!

I just got a call around dinner time from my sister that my mother (in her late 80's - that's her in the photo above holding ME!)  has developed a blood clot in her leg and is being treated in a hospital in Orlando.  They found it quickly and feel they have a good treatment plan in effect.  Please send out a little prayer for her to dissolve that clot and get home soon!  Thank you!  :-)

I Quilt Therefore I Am

Last Thursday evening, Bonnie Hunter -
 the Queen of Quiltville,

came to our guild and gave us a wonderful trunk show. 

She opened the lecture with her thoughts on those annoying questions she has been asked over the years about why she makes so many quilts.  Her words ran soooooooo true to me.  It's like she wrote from MY thoughts.  I wrote her an email the next day and asked to post her thoughts here and she generously gave me permission.

How Many Quilts?

After having been asked how many quilts I've made, who I'm making this one for, or that one for or why, and how many quilts do I think I need....

I came to the following conclusion:

I am a creator, an artist, just as much as a painter is...

 

Does anyone ask a painter who he is painting for or why he is painting yet

another landscape? How many pictures/portraits he has painted?

How many canvases or paintings he needs?

 

NO!

 

Does a painter stop wanting to paint because he has reached some number

 that symbolizes the end of his need to paint?

"Okay, that's number 100, I'm done now..."

 

I create because I am driven to create. My medium just happens to be fabric and thread, instead of oil or acrylics on canvas… but I create for the same reason… to express myself, to share myself, to experiment...

Even if the quilt doesn't have a purpose,
 a recipient, a reason.

Quilting is my voice.

I Quilt, Therefore I Am!

*Ü* Bonnie Hunter May 9, 2004

Botany Blues Bag

I finished all the blocks for the blue strip twist quilt Friday night and yesterday I got the two borders, backing and binding all cut out and bagged and ready to take to the CQU quilt retreat next weekend.  I had some cute scraps leftover from cutting those strips so, I pieced them all together, quilted it, and along with a cute pair of navy handles and a big vintage navy button I had in my stash, I made myself a new purse!!

I HEART these fabrics!!  But for some

weird reason the colors just don't

photograph true to life!  ACK!!

I had 2 strip twist blocks extra, so I

used one for a pocket on the back.

And I used the other one for a pocket

on the inside along with some other

scraps for a smaller cell phone pocket.

So, I'm off to bind my Caliente Poppies quilt! 

 I'll post about it soon!  :-)

Did you have a creative weekend?

Block Buster!

Last night's Friday Night Sew-In

was a real block buster for me!  

I got all the strip twist blocks made! 

Yesssssssss!

I laid them all on the design wall and now have them stacked up in row piles, so will take it with me to quilt retreat to assemble.  It's a perfect project for retreat now that I've already laid them out and just have to do mindless sewing.  Then just add the borders!

The Yogster got some good nappin' time in

 while I sewed last night! 

How does he sleep with his head on the

 hard table like that???

Now, I've got to get some other projects cut out and "bagged and tagged" as Sew Cindy likes to say in readiness for quilt retreat next weekend!!  

What did you do last night???  

Friday Night Sew- In TONIGHT!!

Tonight crazy insane quilters all over the place

 will be sewing up a storm in their own

sewing rooms at the Friday Night Sew-In!!

I'll be working on my blue strip twist quilt blocks. 

I've got a few blocks done so far...

So, I hope to get all the rest of the blocks done tonight!

New Moon DVD will be on in the sewing room as I sew!

But I won't be alone in there! 

My Yogi will be with me, too!

Thank goodness it is Friday!!  :-)

Awesome Guild Speaker

Bonnie Hunter, the famed scrap quilter of Quiltville ,

was our quilt guild speaker tonight. OMG!!!!!!! 

Her quilts are A M A Z I N G!!! 

She has a new book out, too, and she was signing them left and right as they flew off the table!  Most of the quilts we saw are in the book.  Check these out!!

Unbelievable talent at combining some

really ugly fabrics into stunning quilts!

Her motto is that if the fabric is still

ugly, you just haven't cut it

small enough!!  :-)