The Magic of Fabric Placement

At first glance, these two quilts look like they are made from two different patterns... ...however, they're both the Disappearing Nine-Patch pattern, just with different placement of the fabrics. In the first one, the solids were left as squares and the print fabric was cut into rectangles and vice versa in the second one. In the first, your eye is drawn to the squares, while in the second one, your eye sees the pinwheel. Cool, huh?

These will be Christmas presents for two of my step-grandchildren...I'll show the other two in a later post...

Comfort and Caring

Several of my quilting friends and I recently made this throw for another friend who was in need of a hug or two. It's shown here before the pretty green binding was added.

We gave it to the friend last week and she was quite appreciative. Makes our hearts all warm inside....

More From the Files

Continuing with my showing of my B.B. (Before Blog) quilts...this one is from August 2006.

This was one of my favorite ones to make. It was a bug jar pattern using 35 different bug fabrics. This quilt was on display during my guild's 2006 exhibit and it was sold to a local resident for his grandson. I quilted it on my HQ16 in a meandering pattern using variegated thread.

Did I Really Make This Many Quilts?

Today is my annual visit to the local elementary school to give a quilting talk/show-and-tell to the second graders for their Colonial Days celebrations. These are the quilts that I've packed up in my van to show. What's scary is that I have almost as many still in my house that are not going with me and I'm sure I've also given away a pile just as big!

I've done this for the last 4-5 years and they keep inviting me back, so I guess they enjoy the show. Technically, of course, I should have all hand-quilted items with me for Colonial Days. When the teachers first asked me to do this, I warned them that I'm not a hand quilter, so 99 percent of what I show is done on machine...they didn't care.

I do show them a hand-quilted WIP (well it's really a permanent UFO) in a hoop that I started at least 8 or 9 years ago. (Don't look too closely at the stitches, please). I never really liked the fabric, hate the batting and have no more interest in finishing this. But it's perfect to use for Colonial Days since I can show the students what a quilt sandwich looks like and what (imperfect) hand quilting is. If I finished it, it wouldn't serve its purpose. Great excuse, huh?

Mission Accomplished

I recently wrote in my blog that I had signed up for a Pay It Forward challenge and that I had lost contact info for the person who had signed up for mine. Thanks to the suggestions from blog readers, Sara and I managed to connect again.Here is the PIF gift that I made for Sara...I put it in the mail early Thursday afternoon, and by late Friday afternoon I had an email from Sara telling me that it had already arrived. Can't complain about the post office with this delivery!

This is from a pattern called Charm Party Tote by Penny Sturges that was in the August 2007 issue of McCall's Quilting magazine. I've used this pattern at least five times in the past. Take a look here and here if you want to see the others. The fabric on this one is from a charm pack of Moda's Wildflower Serenade II.

Sara's birthday is today. Go over to her blog and wish her a happy birthday!

I couldn't have asked for better timing on the finish for this one...

Progress Is Being Made...

This is what my DJ quilt looks like now...

The picture below shows what it looked like the last time I blogged about my progress...late August sometime...

My plan is to sew the bottom half and the top half in sections and then I'll attach both halves to the center row...only 18 more center blocks to go...

Thanks to my support group, the Laurel Janes, as well as everyone in the blogosphere who encourages me, I'll just keep plugging away until it's done...

In A Blue Mood

My last three DJ blocks have all been blue...

This is "J-8, Anna's Anchor", an intermediate-level block that I chose to paper piece and again used the raw-edge machine buttonhole-stitch applique method for the pumpkin seeds... I now have enough blocks finished to put together another 3x3 block section of the quilt. Hopefully, I'll finish that up by the time I come home from today's mini-retreat at the lake house.