All most time for............

PADUCAH QUILT SHOW!!!! 

This is the ONE time during the year that I get really excited!  And guess what I got in the mail a couple weeks ago.... A summons for jury duty...and when....DURING QUILT WEEK!  I have company coming, signed up for a class, and now this.  So my question is...would you want a disgruntle quilter on your jury panel?  After one visit to the court house and a 2 phone calls - I've been excused.  WHEW - the the planning begin!

I finish Phyllis's "last minute" quilt the other day - no more quilting until after the show.

 

This one was returned in 2 days - ONLY because of 2 factors...1) I didn't have any other quilts from others that were ahead of hers and 2) I wanted to get it out before the show I would hate to think of it sitting there waiting on me.  Phyllis was beyond happy when I called to say it was done!

 

My girlfriend, Sherry aka S.Belle, is COMING!  She hasn't been here in years and I'm totally excited about her and her hubby's visit.  She has come for the show before and we had SO MUCH FUN.  But this time we are taking an applique class together.  Pretty cool huh?  Being friends for over 30 years - still loving each others company - still missing each other since we moved to KY.  Says a LOT ...  I'm so excited...she just txt me...12 more days!  HOLY CRAP...I have to go clean!  See ya!

 

Missed Encouragement Weekend

First weekend of the month...in our group on Facebook.  We Encourage Each other...AKA we NAG!  And I totally forgot it!  So we decided to postpone it until next weekend.  So I was a slug.  All I did was quilt Roxanne Star quilt and my Hunter star.  What a slug!  I will try to do better next weekend for EW!!

Here is Roxanne's:
It was a swap on Carol Doak's Yahoo group. 

Quilted it with a simple stippling with a swirly heart (Appropriate since it will be a gift for her niece's wedding gift.)

The Back is almost as pretty as the front.

A totally wacky backing

 

And Here is MINE!

It was from a class I took so many years ago I can't remember when!  I thought it would be bigger.  Maybe it shrunk with age...lol

 

I used a panto to save time.  Since it was small I did it this afternoon.  No pieced backing for me.  This one was from Hancock on the sale table.  It works for me!

 

For a brief moment I was all caught up.  On Saturday the mailman delivered one from Aggie.  Saturday night I show pictures to Roxanne (I'll deliver it when we go to the guild meeting in 2 weeks) She told me by then she will have another UFO ready for me.  And THEN last night Phyllis called and we made arrangements to meet tomorrow for her to give me one of hers.  Well it WAS nice to be caught up...even if it was only for an hour or two.  lol 

Piece Makers Raffle Wall Hanging

This one is a group effort.  One gal hand dyed all the fabrics, another pieced the wall hanging, I quilted it, now handing back to Fran who will do the rod pocket and binding.  It really is exciting to be in a new group and have them accept me so easily. 

 

This one is a log cabin block but cut on 60* angles.  It's so pretty that I think I need to make one for myself.  With the Paducah show coming up I could easily find some f4 in hand dyed. 

 

 

Placement of the panto was a little difficult for me.  I wasn't sure where to start it to get the pattern in the center of the flower.  SO I started in the center then went back up and did the top row.  I didn't stitch down the top until I was sure.  I think I like seeing the rose in the center of the yellow flower.

 

 Here is the back - I just love the flower motif.  When I do mine I will use this panto again.  Love it!

I also did a tshirt quilt...sorry no pictures I forgot...and delivered to her yesterday.  She is a newbie and wanted the back to be soft - so she bought a knit fabric...it was a lot like working with minky.  WOW did it ever stretch!  I wasn't sure which way to put the most stretch - cross wise or length wise.  I ended up putting it length wise and it stretched a good 8 to 10 inches.  Not sure how it will wash up...but I don't think I will ever quilt another one with a knit backing!

I'm now working on Roxanne's stars...I'm hoping to finish stuff before the Paducah show!

Black and BEAUTIFUL!

I finished Ruth Ann's this morning.  I think it turned out very well.  I know I am my own worst critic...  but there are things I'd do differently - BUT the back...OMG the back is drop dead gorgeous.  Now I'm thinking I need to do a one piece for myself.  Hmmmm so many ideas rolling around in my head.  Anyway - here are the pictures...

 

 

 

 

 

So I honestly think...this is my best work - - so far!

Atta Girl from Rita

Rita received her quilts back on Wednesday.  This is what she wrote me:

OMG Shirley they arrived today and were here when I got home from work. They are awesome!!!! I cannot believe how much better the jelly roll quilt turned out. I have to admit when I had finished it I was not too thrilled with it and really thought I would not do another one but WOW it looks awesome now with the quilting you did.
The Xmas wall hanging looks perfect and your quilting is hiding my terrible applique. Thank you so much I am thrilled!!!!!!!

  

 

 

And to let you know that I HAVE been working - here is a little sample of my latest project....should be finished in a day (IF I get off the computer and get to work)

 

A Good Day is..........

A day spent Quilting!

Yesterday I decided to:
1) Finish Rita's Christmas Wall hanging
2) Load and Finish Pat's Baby Quilt
3) Load and work on Rita's Blue & Yellow Jelly Roll....

AND
Here is Rita's wall hanging...I think it turned out pretty darn AWESOME!  I really love it.  Funny thing was I didn't know what to do to it.  Rita said do anything I wanted...something easy and simple.  I couldn't do that...I knew that this one is going to be a cherished Christmas tradition each year and I needed to make it special.  Rita appliqued each Christmas figure and I knew I couldn't just do a panto over them.  So I double Echoed each then did a swirly circle motion to fill it in. 

 

Sort of looks like wind blowing around the Christmas tree

 

You can see the density of the quilting.  Funny - when I started out I didn't want to do anything this dense.  But as I started I knew this was the right thing to do!

 

The border makes it SING!

I really REALLY love this one!

 

Ok I'm sure you are looking at this and saying "WHAT THE......????"

Well Pat will be doing the Applique OVER the quilting.  I've never done anything like this but I think it will work well.  I can't wait for Pat to finish this one so I can share it with you!

 

Today.....about 3 more passes of a panto on Rita's Jelly Roll...

come back later to see pictures of this beautiful one!

Radio Interview!

Well can you say OOOO MMMM GGG?  I was contacted by Kate L. of WKMS Radio.  This is the public broadcasting station for Murray State University.  She saw my interview for WK&T magazine and was wondering if I would accept an invitation to be interviewed on the radio.  OMG!!  So I agreed and yesterday spent a most enjoyable 9 minutes describing how the Internet helps quilters. 

If you would like to listen here is the link.

   

 

Myself and Kate

 

I have a top to work on as soon as an order from Superior Threads arrives.  I also ordered some light blue to do my blue/white stars with.  LOTS of wide open white blocks.  After I pieced it that way I hated it.  So it will be a change to learn how to fill in the wide open spaces!

 

Here is a top that I picked up last week from Phyllis.  This is Ruth Ann T's and I think it is amazing!

 

 

Ruth Ann suggested a bright variegated thread - and I SO agree.  We will be doing 2 different leaves in the black sashing, feathers in the colored pieced blocks and something simple in the printed fab. section.  I'm leaning toward some diagonal cross hatching.  I think it would be simple - but it wouldn't bring in another quilting pattern. 

 

Today the mailman dropped off a box from Rita.  Long ago I did some for her and Now she is back!  I'm so happy the quilting bug bit her again.  Looking forward to working with Rita again.

 

Quilt guild meeting tonight.  Here is MY March UFO challenge quilt.  This fabric was purchased during the Paducah Quilt show approximately 7 years ago.  I had friends from Canada, Australia, and Nebraska that year - my friend from Canada helped me cut the fabric for a stack and whack pinwheel.  And THERE it sat...just cut into wedges until last month.  I got fired up over this challenge and finished the top.  Still motivated, I quilted it finishing it yesterday.  Since we learned a new Faux piped binding method last month - I decided to give it a go.  And here is the result:

 

see the tiny "piped" binding?

 

and so I close for another time....next month I have an UNFINISHED Hunters Star...Will it be a top?  Will it be completed...stay tuned and find out...