Church projects progressing...

Okay, so we have progress!... I brought a number of patterns (simple ones, since he wants it soon) and a bunch of strips of fabrics (to match color wise) to church on Sunday, and after the service, I layed them out on the tiles by the altar and found great colors to go with ... teal, aqua, royal blue, red, pecan, gold....etc. I'm using the pattern 'trading patches'

and hope to make 3 panels (or 4 if I'm lucky), attached to a plain top.

I have one panel done (although I need to add something to the top 3" of space) and I'll figure a way to attach it to the plain top. Maybe HST (mini's) along the top separating it from the bottom blocks by a gold lame flange/piping. I'll play with it this week. In the meantime....

I'm also getting my R/W/B heartstring blocks ready to send to Mary J.... I may put them into a top. or not. The PbPQ's did a great job making blocks to send. I'll have them work on Brights/B&W heartstrings for the rest of the summer.

New House!

Just talked to my daughter up in MA, and she and her beau are buying their first house! (Scroll down on this link)

They are not even engaged, but I think it's serious enough... Cute little 2-bedroom ranch, corner lot. I'll post some pictures when I get up there and take some.

church projects....

I have a date for the Summer Block Party (see last post)-- July 26th. I also have been approached by the Priest-in-charge at our church to make a 'summer altar cloth'. I'm not sure what he's got in mind, and I have a meeting with him today, so I'll find out.

I think I'd like to do Cathedral Windows, but I don't think I have enough time to get one done for this year. I think the cloth will be 4'x4', then he wants something down to the floor, so the legs don't show. I may have to make it really simple (medallion style) with large borders. I'll post my plan as I figure it out.

Hopefully, I'll have my computer cooperating for photos, too.

Summer Block Party!

I have a great idea for the Peace by Piece Quilters.... a Summer Block Party!

All those quilters out there have a WAAYYYY different mindset, so you all know where I'm going, don't you? It will be a heartstring or some other block (maybe both) 'block' that we'll be working on....

I'll have different 'houses' (tables) everyone can visit in the 'neighborhood' (our church hall). You can only 'visit' (work at) each house for a designated time limit (15 minutes), then you must 'visit' another neighbor and work at their house!!

I'll have a "Home of the Founding Fathers" (foundation blocks get cut here), a "Strip Club" (where you just cut strips- with your clothes on), the "Cafe" (I'll have everyone bring a snack and a bag lunch- I'll provide drinks & dessert-- actually, there is a woman who donates money to our group who'd like to make something for them to eat--I'll call her) and we'll hit there a couple of times all together, also maybe the "Iron workers" (where we iron--should I have them wear safety goggles and an apron?--LOL), and various houses where the machines are set up... "Designer's House" (only open when we have enough to put together as a top), "Massage Parlour" (for preparing backings)", "Sewer Dept", etc. I'll have to come up with a name for the 'handwork station' (my 80-yr old mom said that can be the "Bordello"-LOL-, but I think the church event needs a name like "The Garden Center" (where the cactus can prick your fingers) or "Retirement Home" or "Arthritis Center" (some peaceful name) .... I even can have a few people work at the "Delivery Service" or "Florist Delivery" (delivering strips to the Sewer Dept, blocks to the Iron Workers, etc-- and I'll have them in lovely baskets)

I'm sure I'll come up with some better names/ideas as I network this idea. I have a sweet dinner bell I can ring every 20 mins and I'll have an information sheet at each House so you know what to do there, but this way some of the new people to our group will learn something along the way. Hey, if you all have some ideas, let me know. I'm hoping to do this near the end of July/early Aug.

I'll have everyone sign up as to where they will start (or maybe I'll have papers in a basket and they can 'pick out' a paper that says where they start), then I'll let them know the itinerary... spending 15-20 mins at a time at each house, then move to the next one (since everyone will be starting at a different 'house'). I can have the "Designer's House" be closed until there is enough for someone to visit.

We won't be working on any quilts, per se, as we normally do, just doing blocks... finishing up to the top stage and picking out a backing. This is such a 'fun' idea.... I may end up with WAY more people than I plan, but I'll have to 'plan' for that too! See why I'll have everyone bring their own 'picnic' ?

If this goes really well for the Quilters, maybe I'll have them be the 'hosts' for the next one and invite the parishioners, so they can see what we do and how easy it is to participate! We have a crazy weather man on the local CBS station (Scot Haney) who is sooo crazy, he might like to publicize this!! LOLOL What a hoot THAT would be....

Peace by Piece Quilters First QOV quilt!

We finally finished our first QOV quilt!!

It's a Disappearing 9-Patch made from group blocks. Hopefully, we will get the second one (same pattern, but we'll combine the blocks to make a different effect) done and sent by Sept or Oct.

This is the backing for this one. We are sending this one to Alycia Carmin in CO who is trying for a goal of 400 QOV quilts for the year. We're helping Alycia!!

Black-White & Brights sample

Just testing a new heartstring block style... It will make a great baby quilt with the black & whites. I used Moda's Botanical collection for the center strip and corners, with blacks on one side and whites on the other (3 strips of each) before I had to add the corners.

Great Backyard!

Just wanted to show you what the view from my backyard is in the early morning... What you don't see is the 10 birdhouses around the yard and a few have babies in them right now.

We're Back!!

Thanks to my lovely step-son Jason, we're back in business(computer wise)!!

The fact that I see a little blue bar moving and growing, across the bottom of my monitor, is a wonderful site(and the mouse isn't freezing!!- All I needed was to put a 'quilt' on it...LOL)

Finally, we have our quilt finished for our brain cancer victim!! Yippee!! Thanks to Janet G. for all your hard work... It's going to an 18-yr old with brain cancer, who likes racing cars (Nascar mode), fishing and golfing. Aren't these fabrics great??

This is the back of it, modeled by my lovely daughter in her scrubs...

Great fly fishing tackle box stuff! (My dad would have loved this quilt)

We also have finally put together a bunch of log cabin squares that I got in a swap with an old yahoo group I belonged to.

I think it was a great layout, but not sure what to do with the border/edges... This may go to wounded soldiers (QOVF-Quilts of Valor Foundation)

I have sent off 6 quilts to the LAQ who does our charity quilts, hopefully to have 3 returned back to us.

Mints on my Pillow/Nightshades, which was a collaberation of deep blues with stars on it-top and bottom row) and the middle rows with med blue and silver stars on it... different shades of blues (Nightshades) and the mint border and the 'starry centers' (Mints on my Pillow). Actually, I liked both names I just couldn't make up my mind! LOL

coming back...

Chocolate (sometimes nothing 'cute' happens when I name the quilts)...

donation...

Heart Stopper (who ended up with hearts in four places to hide the really off corners-HA!, and we purposefully didn't add the additional 2 hearts (Stopped short) towards the top-Janet's masterpiece).

donation...

Sage Stripes (a 1/2" stripe on the back, due to the fact that the fabric on the back had a faded area where the fold was, so we covered it with a sage stripe-- we didn't want to take up any more fabric in a seam allowance with a 'tuck')... don't remember....

Computer Issues-sans photos

Okay, so the 'upgrade' I agreed to could be causing the mouse to freeze up... I can still sew and post messages on this blog, but I can't post any of the pictures I've just uploaded to my computer until I salvage my system. (Thanks for the use of your computer, honey....)

I had a minor procedure (colonoscopy) today, but everything is fine. (Thanks, God.) It didn't keep me from putting loads of ties into a quilt (for Charlotte's Garden). I have yet to bind it, but that could happen by tomorrow. I hope to take some photos and upload them to hubby's computer, then I can add them to this posting.

I hope to be making some Heartstring blocks R/W/B patriotic ones (until July 4th), then I can't wait to make the B/W/Bright blocks. These are using Moda Botanical brights for the center strip (heartstrings), then blacks on one side and whites on the other (usually 3 strips), then use a different 'bright' for the two corners! the samples came out stunning!!!! Can't wait to post them!

Charity Quilts to be Donated

I was overwhelmed by the amount of ladies at our last mtg. Seventeen! I think I have to get my mtgs organized so I don't feel as though I'm pulled in 17 directions! Yikes! We did get the 4 quilts that we got back from Mary, finished. They are even labeled! Thanks Mary!!

This one I call "Chocolate-covered Blueberries". It's going to someone in our church to bring to her relative with brain cancer. You're in our prayers, Jim....

This one is called "Wild Limes". It was made by Pat B, but I got to add the borders. I love Lime and Royal blue combo....Kinda hope I get sick or injured so it can go to ME! (Ok, not really-- sick, I mean).

This one was done with Breast Cancer material and Dot wanted to just add the thin blue border. It's smaller than the rest, but we can use it for someone in a wheelchair.

This is another of my favorites.... It was made with orphan pink blocks from the group. I call it "Pink Blinks", because it makes me think of an eyelid (dark at the corners, highlighted in the middle-over the lid). -- Okay maybe it's just me. LOL. I like it anyway.

And where are all the women who work at our mtgs???

Well, this is only a smattering (is that a word?) of the women, and we keep having new people show up all the time! Whoo Hoo! As much as I want to keep it informal, I guess I have to make it 'organized' so I don't spend so much time 'helping' with decisions. Deligate, I have to remember that...

Thank goodness for ladies who like to do handwork. ripping and snorting away...).

Three ladies working on Nick's quilt (unfortunately this quilt had 'ripples'... back to square (no pun intended) one.

Margaret busy sewing, while Judy and Beth are adding the binding on the last quilt to be finished.Yeah!

I hope to put together a Newcomer Packet, with guildelines for some of our basic techniques and also for some of our charities (their guidelines). We have different levels of sew-ers and quilters and hopefully, for all the things I keep learning about this craft, I can pass on tips and techniques that will save us time and keep from making any 'major' mistakes. (Aren't quilters supposed to make a 'minor' mistake in their quilts?) It's always difficult to only meet once a month for 2 1/2 hrs, especially when someone starts some part of the quilt and then can't make it the next month, then someone else takes over where they left off. You hope they can figure out what the last person was doing...

I try and give a quick mini-lesson on part of the contruction process (bindings, adding borders, squaring up blocks and quilts, etc... ) and instructions on a new block/technique (see the post below this one for a tutorial). The ladies seem to like it, and we all seem to benefit. It helps not to do a MAJOR backwards leap, when we have some quilts that already have a need when they get started! As long as I've been quilting (dare I admit to 1978?), I still learn something new and love passing it on. (Especially, if it's efficient!--I HATE WASTING TIME AND ENERGY!!) Anyway, it's all way too fun, and way too rewarding. (Can someone help me off my soapbox??)

Sliced & Diced Tutorial

I had this idea to put together two squares, make them into two half-square triangles and then slice them, rearrange them, then sew them back together and see what I get. Of course, I realized that I had to add another 'strip' to make it a square again, but I figured if it came out ok, then I'd take pictures of what I did and post them.... Enjoy the tutorial.