Design Wall Monday

Wow...Sunday was Quilt Immersion Day at my house...it was a little rainy outside...it was wonderful! 

I'm thinking Monday will be short on quilting time as I play catch up. Forrest and Jenny are very upset...no walk on Sunday so today's walk will have to be extra long. (Don't tell them but they are getting baths after their walk.)

I pulled my May UFO off the quilting frame and now it is ready for binding...see that pretty mottled green batik? I love that piece of fabric! That's one of those fabrics I have trouble cutting because I don't want to run out of it but it's perfect for the binding.

Next up...June's UFO which just happens to be the companion quilt to May's UFO so I guess I'll keep that stack of fabric out.

I finally started piecing the second side of a border with delectable mountains. I put on a movie last night and cut out all the strips.  It's was great mindless work to end the day with because I spent several hours on Saturday and Sunday on the time sucking machine...the computer. I have been working on another quilt in EQ7. What a wonderful program...but I don't know if I'll every get my current design to a point where I think it's right! For a month I've been "tweeking" it and it keeps getting better. This one has lots of paper piecing but I'm very excited...when I my finished with my design I will share.

Thursday...Get Quilting Already!

Please Santa...send me more hours in a day!

I was still playing with my plexi-glass to work out block quilting designs yesterday...enough already!

Then I thought I was ready to quilt but it was so difficult to mark lines on an already loaded quilt top...so I took it off and spent a couple of hours last night marking it...am I slow or what?

I want to share my tool conversion...this little tool on the left is traditionally used to mark buttons on a garment...gets them evenly spaced. When I sewed clothing all the time I would say this was one of my most prized tools! It's been so lonely for years...but I have re-purposed it! Enter the newest quilting gadget that helps you mark your quilting rows without math or measuring.

I'm gonna go load the top on Marta right now...maybe I will actually make a pass on it today...keeping my fingers crossed. (I really wish meals could be abolished for a few days...they just get in the way.)

Rainy Day...Quilting Day

I'm so bummed I didn't finish my May UFO...it is still patiently waiting on Marta for attention. 

And...I woke to rain! I'm so happy. My plants are getting watered! I paid the bills. Gotta do some cleaning and cooking...and then it's time to quilt. Oh yeah...I gotta walk the dogs at some point. Rainy days mean a shorter walk usually. And I'm even a little excited to walk in the rain because I bought a pair of waterproof pants...no more soaked jeans like last summer!

I have been using my plexi-glass to work out quilting designs. Samplers can be challenging to quilt. I could take the easy way and do a simple...same...motif in every block but I need to practice my quilting too so I must take the harder path. As a compromise I'm doing a very simple border treatment.

Now what really cracks me up is the UFO for June is May's companion quilt...

Another Moda U quilt made with Holly Taylor batiks called Summer Nights. What can I say...I got a great deal...and I really like these fabrics...they were some of the first batiks I bought...so I had to build my batik stash...you know how important it is to have a good stash! I still have enough in another colorway to make another quilt! I could buy their batiks by the bolt...but I do have some restraint...or rather...lack of funds at times for more fabric. I am willing to eat less to have more money for fabric.

Okay...so I gotta go...as you can see I have a lot to take care of today.

Tuesday in the Studio

I've been working away on my delectable mountain border blocks...

only 60 more to go but looks like I need a little break...my mountains are a little wonkie on the left. Hope that's the only one that got out of sync.

I took a break and worked on some BOMs since it is the end of May. 

This is from Shannon at Pieceful Kwilter...I'd tell you to join in the fun but the blocks are only available for that month...so you've missed the first five. She does a nice job with her directions. Maybe she'll do another one next year!

Had to felt a piece of wool before tackling the applique on Henreitta Whiskers...I am having so much fun with this BOM since wool applique is new to me. All five months of Anne Sutton's BOM are available for free...just hit her button at the top of my blog to go there.

There just aren't enough hours in the day!

Design Wall Monday

I'm so thankful to live in the United States of America. Thank You to the men and women who have defended our country. Thank You to their families. Many times their personal sacrifice is great though they are just "ordinary" people. Something extra happens and they become extraordinary.

Memorial Day is quite often one of the best weather weekends we have so I've been spending most of it outside. But with the sun setting later and later I find myself working late into the night so I have made a little progress.

I have the center section of  "Talkeetna River Trip" done...

Sewing away on the border blocks.

I made templates from EQ7 to cut out the borders...I really enjoy EQ7!

Check out my newest favorite toy...the Cutting Gizmo. If you are a chain piecer this is a must. I wish I had thought of this 10 years ago! It's a single razor blade in a smart little holder that allows you to cut the thread between your chain-pieced units. It comes with extra razor blades that just push through the side to change out quickly. Ingenious. I think it was about $14...of course I got a discount on that price as I waited for a sale day at my local quilt shop.

Gotta hurry and get outside.

Going Green

Glorious weather...sometimes May is the best weather of the year so I can't be wasting it! Very little time for quilting...it's time to bond with plants. Just a few darlings left to get potted...

The parade of blooming perennials is just starting.

Trollius...yummy butter color.

Bergenia...typically a shade lover but I've had her in full sun for ten years...she loves it there...front and center in my perennial garden.

Rose of China...shrub that is one of the few spectacular early bloomers in our area...it's just starting to burst. I really had to baby this plant for a couple years but now she is so happy.

And my absolute favorite...a rock garden plant...Spring Cinquefoil or  Potentilla Verna. I subdivide this plant regularly...it grows in a lovely mounding habit...great for edging a border. We are starting to build a home and I plan to dig up several of these and take them to our new home...I'll have our acre lot full in no time. It's one of the few plants moose leave alone.

Time to rake leaves in the back yard...my hostas are poking their little heads out too...

Gardening Moments

Time to get my hands dirty...

Not much quilting but lots of gardening...

So much to get done during our short summers. It feels a little overwhelming right now.