Dear Baby Jane: I-4

Block number/name: I-4 “Stability”

Date completed: December 30, 2008

Number of pieces: 25

Notes on block: Being random is starting to take a lot of effort. The fabric I initially cut for this block ended up being the exact same shade/tone of green as J-4. Fortunately, I realized this before I started sewing. But I still had to re-cut. And though this fabric was not my first choice, I do like the bright and happy results.

Keith has been playing a video game lately that I’ve really been enjoying. It is a strategy game called Valkyria Chronicles. Though it is taking place in a fictional universe, its storyline seems to echo events of World War II Europe, including the German invasion of Czechoslovakia, the Holocaust, and more. The story is really well-written, includes great characters, and offers many positive messages regarding peace, tolerance, teamwork, and more. The animation is beautiful. It really is like watching a movie. I’m loving it (though it is quite distracting while stitching). I can't really say much about the game aspect since I've only been watching and not playing, but Keith seems to be enjoying it.

More gifty goodness!

Yesterday I got to hang out with my best friend (henceforth, she shall be called Duck). Woo hoo! I only get to see Duck once or twice a year as she is currently living in California. So it's a big deal to be able to spend time with her in person. We had lunch with some of her other Seattle-area friends, and then dinner with our college roommate (it was such fun to see her, too!). And, of course, we also did some exchanging of gifts.

My gift to her was a little collection of comfy stuff. It included a pair of pajama pants using McCall's 5010.


This is the same pattern I used earlier this year to make a pair for myself. I made a couple of changes this time around though. I made a size Large, left the length as is, and then used about 15" of elastic in the waistband instead of the 23" called for. The fit at the waist-area (the pants sit just below the natural waist) is much better now—not nearly so loosey-goosey. Hopefully, she'll be happy with the fit too.

I also bought a t-shirt and then used my machine embroidery attachment and some leftover fabric to customize it:


I'm really happy with the final result. I was not so happy with the 2.5 hours it took me to do get there. But, as I've not used my embroidery attachment for nearly a year, I kind of had a learning curve to get back into the swing of things. It also took me three practice runs before I was happy with my adjustments to the size and colors.


The embroidery is from Designs by JuJu. This design is included in the set, More Fun Patches Applique.

Another component of the gift was a mix CD.


I didn't have any jewel cases, so I created a protective sleeve using some more leftover pajama pants fabric.

Finally, I included a pair of purchased slipper socks (because keeping toes warm is always important in the quest for comfort). Overall, she seemed really happy with the gift. Yay!

Then I opened my gift from her...


...a fabulous knitted blanket! She said she used 5 strands of yarn and size 50(!) needles. It is super thick and snuggly and I love it (as do my cats!). Thank you, Duck!!

Festive feasting

Today we had our family holiday feast. The roads were such that my parents weren't able to make it, but my in-laws were able to brave the slushy ick (their car did get stuck, but we were able to dig them out). A good time was had by all! The menu:

Herbed Rib Roast with au Jus
Gratin Dauphinois
Quick Glazed Carrots
Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnut-Lemon Butter
Buttermilk Biscuits
Rosemary Dinner Rolls
New England Cranberry Duff
Vanilla Ice Cream

I failed to take any pictures of the spread (by the time it's all ready, all I'm thinking about is eating!), but I did manage to snap a picture of the dessert:


The cranberry duff was very simple to make, and very tasty—a wonderful blend of sweet and tart (and excellent with ice cream). However, the star of the meal was the prime rib. It was gigantic and, despite its tasty goodness, we barely made a dent in it. But that's okay. I was able to send a couple of ribs home with my in-laws, and we will be having some seriously awesome leftovers over the next few days. The gratin potatoes were also delicious. Truly decadent, but every bite just melted in our mouths. Yum!

We also exchanged gifts, so now I can show off one of my handmade presents:


This is a passport cover I made for my sister-in-law. She just graduated from the University of Washington and is taking off in January to travel the world and work on organic farms for a year (through the organization, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms). Giving her "stuff" wasn't really an option this year. But something portable, practical, and cute? Ideal! I made it using the simple, wonderful passport sleeve tutorial by bunnybum. The outside is onasburg cotton, and it's lined with a Michael Miller black and white pindot. I added the applique on the outside to liven it up. A U.S. passport fits perfectly inside. She really seemed thrilled with it.

Christmas... slightly delayed

Christmas Day was a very laid-back affair for us this year. It was just Keith, the Boy, and I. The snow prevented anyone else from joining us. Not only that, but (procrastinators that we are) it also prevented us from completing holiday shopping for each other. Fortunately, we thought ahead for the Boy:


He really seems to love his new Thomas the Tank Engine train set. We gave him the basic figure-8 set. His favorite thing to do is sit in the center and push Thomas up, over, and back down the bridge. It's a lot of fun to watch him at work.

Since we couldn't gather the families together on the actual day, we're going to be getting together tomorrow for belated holiday feasting, gift-giving, and fun. This means I haven't actually given any of my handmade gifts as of yet and so I can't really share pictures (I don't think any of them read this blog, but I'm just not sure).

Also, I did manage to get my much-coveted Santa picture:


And he's even smiling! Yay!

Happy holidays!

Dear Baby Jane: L-8

This was one of the three blocks I completed back in 2004 when I first began my Dear Jane quilt (the others were D-13 and E-10). This is what I wrote about it back then...

Block number/name: L-8 "Box Kite"

Date completed: September 29, 2004

Number of pieces: 15

Notes on block: Tonight has been very productive! Not only did I finish my very first block, I finished my second! I prepped it before dinner, and pieced it together as we watched the new Star Wars Return of the Jedi DVD (and right now, Keith is none too pleased with some of the changes—most notably, Anakin's ghost and the Sarlac). Once again, it's not perfect, but it's pretty close. Just a smidge smaller than D-13. Hopefully, I'll start getting the hang of it soon. But, dude, 15 pieces... that's pretty decent, I think. I wonder what block I should try next...?

Dear Baby Jane: K-4

Block number/name: K-4 “Thea’s Turn”

Date completed: December 21, 2008

Number of pieces: 21

Notes on block: I went a little crazy on this one. Not only did I fussy cut all of the green pieces, but I also took the time to do a bit of re-drafting and added the white bars onto the outside edges of the inner green triangles, just as Jane Stickle did in her block. I really liked how that looked so I felt the need to replicate it. This may be one of my favorite blocks thus far.

Snow continues to fall outside. At this point, we’ve got probably about 10”-12” of accumulation. My poor little car is buried! On the bright side, the Boy did get a little time outside in the snow the other day (but not too long, since we don’t really have any winter snow clothes).

Dear Baby Jane: K-13

Block number/name: K-13 “Brandon’s Star”

Date completed: December 20, 2008

Number of pieces: 25

Notes on block: My seams were a little narrow on this one, so it’s a little bigger than 5”. Other than that, all worked out pretty well on this one. I started it last night, and then finished this afternoon as the boy and his papa played together. Lots of smiles and fun.

Snow is in the air around here lately. I can definitely appreciate the beauty of it and love to look at it, but really, I’m kind of a snow-hater. It’s cold, wet, and horrible to drive in, thus trapping me in my house. Bah-humbug! We did get out today to the mall in hopes of getting a Santa picture with the boy. After 40 minutes in our car getting there, we stood in the massive line for about 3 minutes before deciding waiting for hours with a hungry, sleepy toddler was just not worth it. We didn’t even do any shopping. We left the insanity. Our hope is that the weather and roads will be clear enough on Monday or Tuesday so that we can make a trip first thing in the morning, and maybe beat some of the Santa picture crowds. I must have a Santa picture!!! (Note to self: next year, do it around Thanksgiving instead of the week of Christmas.)

Some brighter news: I’m now caught up on my Dear Jane blocks! Yay! In celebration, here is a progress update:

Dear Baby Jane: L-7

Block number/name: L-7 “Town Square”

Date completed: December 19, 2008

Number of pieces: 17

Notes on block: I feel like such a cheater! I couldn’t help myself though. I had to skip ahead and do this block, despite the fact that it has not been posted on the Dear Baby Jane blog. I had this little square of fabric, about 4 inches square, that I just loved. But I was also very scared that I would accidentally lose it (if you saw my quilting room, you would understand why I was worried). For a long time, I kept it safe in the pages of my Dear Jane book. But then it fell out. Thankfully, I found the little piece, but decided then and there that I needed to use it now. Having such a small amount of fabric really limited my block choices. This one worked out perfectly, virtually using about every scrap of this piece of fabric.

Now I really need to get focused and catch up with the Dear Baby Jane blog. Only one block behind now!

Dear Baby Jane: TR-5

Block number/name: TR-5 “Michigan Dunes”

Date completed: December 17, 2008

Number of pieces: 21

Notes on block: What is it about the triangles? Lately, I’ve been having motivation problems whenever I’m working on them. I start and then just kind of let it lie for awhile. With the square blocks, I’m always compelled to finish them as soon as I start stitching. In any case, it is finished now. I’m really hoping I can get caught back up this weekend.

There has been some distressing news from Anina about the Dear Baby Jane blog. Apparently, Brenda Papadakis has contacted her, requesting a discussion about the blog name. As a result, Anina is feeling as if maybe she should delete the blog altogether. Eeep! This would be so sad, as Anina has truly been my inspiration in making this journey. She has put so much time and effort and care in building this amazing quilting resource. Her guidance has been invaluable not only to me, but to numerous other quilters.

At first, I was incensed to read about the email. I could just feel Anina’s frustration and hurt. Then I started talking about the issue with my husband, and reading through the comments left on that post. Trademark/copyright are tricky issues. My husband (who is in the software industry, and who has strong feelings on the subject himself) put it in an “imagine if…” situation for me, and I feel like I can better understand where Ms. Papadakis is coming from. Hopefully, with some discussion and maybe a name change to the blog, all will be well again.

Ooo! I just checked the Dear Baby Jane blog, and it looks like there is positive news. I’m crossing my fingers.

Gettin' my craft on!

I can't believe it's already been a week since my last post. Time really seems to fly by this time of year! I spent most of the last week though recovering from the same cold I was struggling with the previous week. Thankfully, I'm finally feeling more-or-less myself again. Yay! I think after getting through the holiday family party last Saturday (which was a lot of fun!), my body decided to kind of decompress and relapsed back into illness for a bit.

Anyway, last night was my Bunko group's annual holiday gathering. We played a couple of rounds and then did a gift exchange. This year, I went a more handcrafted route and made a basket (à la Pink Penguin):


The basket came together so quickly and I'm thrilled with how it turned out.

Of course, then I had to fill it up with some stuff, including this cute little bird ornament from Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson:


I put a penny in this picture to give some scale. I didn't realize when I decided to make it exactly how tiny this little birdie is. So cute! And it took me about an hour to make. It was really a quick and simple project (which is good since I truly did make it at the last minute!). I'm definitely going to be trying some of the other projects from this book.

Also in the basket was a mix CD (I even made the label), a pretty glass votive candle holder (with a simple, unscented candle), and a beautiful bar of handmade soap I found at local market.



And then all assembled:


The recipient seemed to be very happy when she opened it. Yay!

Dear Baby Jane: G-3

Block number/name: G-3 “Four Leaf Clover”

Date completed: December 11, 2008

Number of pieces: 3

Notes on block: Reverse appliqué works so well for me. I love it. Inspired by a version I saw in the flickr pool, I used a striped green for this block (though it’s pretty subtle).

The preschool holiday party was last night. And even though my son wasn’t able to attend, I ended up having a pretty good time hanging out in the cookie room all evening. It was so fascinating seeing how each child went about decorating the cookies. Not to mention that the preschoolers were just so darned cute, there was nothing one could do but smile.

Dear Baby Jane: F-6 & A-8

Block number/name: F-6 “Deanie’s Daisies”

Date completed: December 9, 2008

Number of pieces: 34

Notes on block: I’m a little behind still. But I’m working on it. I’ve had a nasty cold the last few days, and have pretty much spent my evenings laying on the couch doing nothing. But I’m happy I’m finally feeling well enough to do a little stitching in the evening now. But I stayed up way too late in order to finish this block. I suffered for it the next day. I’m going to blame my funky appliqué melons on sickness. Really though, I probably ought to have tried the freezer paper on bottom method for this one. I guess I thought that they were so small, and I have so little experience with that method, that they would probably end up looking better if I did needleturn. What I found, however, is that it was difficult to accurately place the pieces, and so now I have a funky center. Live and learn.

Since from a galloping horse it would probably look alright, I’m keeping it. (Though I admit, I did re-do one of the melons. It was just bad.)

---

Block number/name: A-8 “Florence Nightengale”

Date completed: December 10, 2008

Number of pieces: 11

Notes on block: Easy peasy. And I didn’t stay up too late doing it. I was in bed by 11:30. Yay! Now if only my poor sick boy could manage to keep from rolling out of bed 3 times a night… I’m very tired today.

(Don't pay any attention to that funky one... it was the last of the dough, and I couldn't very well let such tastiness go to waste!)

Tonight is the preschool holiday party. I’m in charge of the cookie room, wherein hordes of preschoolers gather to decorate sugar cookies. So I’ve been baking. Rather, I should say that my husband has done much of the baking (as I didn’t want to disease the cookies while still recovering from my cold). Fortunately, I made the dough last week (pre-sickness), so he was able focus on rolling, cutting, and baking. I’m a little sad though, because I don’t think the boy will get to go since he’s still sick. But, being the cookie maven and all, at least I can decorate and bring a cookie home for him.

Guild Night

Last Thursday was guild night. It was a special holiday meeting with a potluck dinner and some rousing games of Quilto! For the occasion, I finally managed to make myself a nametag:


At the last meeting, the guild president threatened to institute a fine for members who don't wear nametags to the meeting. She was joking (I think), but it helped motivate me to make one for myself, albeit a simple one whipped together during naptime the day of the meeting. But I'm actually pretty pleased with it. And I have to say, it actually felt really good to wear it and have people talk to me using my name.

On the Quilto front (think "Bingo", but quilt-oriented), I didn't win the grand prize of tons of fat quarters (every member "bought" their game cards by paying a fat quarter, and all of those went on to become the ultimate prize). But I did manage to be a winner in one of the early rounds and got to pick a prize:


How cute are they? These are little fat eighths from Benartex fabrics. I'm thinking I might use them to make a holiday gift basket, ala Pink Penguin (and the lovely one I received on Thanksgiving!).

Oh—and if you haven't already heard, Freda's Hive has a whole week of blog-o-versary fun and giveaways planned. Nanette and her daughters make wonderful things and it is always a joy to see what they're up to. You should definitely pay their blog a visit!

Dear Baby Jane: RS-1

Block number/name: RS-1 “Tennessee Valley”

Date completed: December 6, 2008

Number of pieces: 26

Notes on block: For whatever reason, this block took me a long time to finish. I started it the Monday before Thanksgiving, and just didn’t get around to completing it until last night. Most of my seams match up pretty well, so I’m rather pleased with it.

Today was pretty eventful. We went out this morning and purchased a Christmas tree and got it standing up in our family room. We plan to decorate it tomorrow evening. This is quite a feat given that we generally don’t put up a tree until the weekend before Christmas (last year the decorations didn’t even get put up until Christmas Eve!). Notable event number two: during naptime, The Boy managed to jump himself out of his crib. Fortunately, the only injury was a cut lip. But it was still super scary. Now he’s sleeping in a toddler bed. He made it pretty clear that he’s against the change, evidenced by a huge fuss at bedtime. But I checked later on and he had crawled into his bed and fallen asleep. He’s getting to be such a big boy!

Crafting away...

I know I haven't been posting much in the way of crafty progress lately, but its not for lack of doing. I have been stitching away at stuff, including Dear Jane, Prairie Pinwheels (which I've given up hope on completing before Christmas, but I'm working on it nonetheless—15 of 48 blocks done so far!), and some holiday gifty things. Also, I've nearly completed another block for my Grandma's Country Album II:


This one is called "Tethered Twigs." The trickiest part was the little bow. Those pieces were narrow! I completed most of it using needleturn applique with freezer paper on top. The only bits left to do are the embroidered stems for all the little buds. But my big discovery in this block: Roxanne's Basting Glue. That stuff is awesome!!! I used it to set the stems in place, and I am just so excited about how well it worked. I'm thinking that my next block, I might try the freezer paper on bottom method where you prep all the pieces and turn under the seams before stitching down, thus giving me the chance to really try the basting glue out. But there are a lot of pieces in the next block (ergo, a lot of prep work), so I'm not sure if I'll have the patience for that or not. We'll see.

Meanwhile, I'm stitching up gifts for our toddler friends in my son's PEPS group. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share soon!

Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving to you! I know I'm a little late, but it's been pretty hectic around here.

We had a fabulous and wonderful Thanksgiving holiday at our house. There were 9 of us this year, which worked out really nicely because we could all fit at the same table. My parents, my brother, and some friends joined us. There was much food. The menu included:

Deep fried turkey
Mashed potatoes
Giblet gravy
Traditional bread stuffing
Smoky bacon and biscuit dressing
Honey roasted root vegetables
Green bean casserole
Baked cranberries with rum
Buttermilk biscuits
Deviled eggs
Bourbon pecan tart
Pumpkin pie
Lemon shortbread
Homemade whipped cream
Mmmm.... it seemed like the favorite this year was the bacon and biscuit stuffing. Truly decadent. I wish I had some pictures to share, but I was kind of distracted what with all the cooking and feasting.

There is so much to be thankful for this year. I try to count my blessings every day, but it really is just extra special to have a day to really focus on all of the wonderful things in my life. Between that, and the fun feasting that always is a part of the day in my family, Thanksgiving is definitely my favorite holiday.

And I'm also very thankful for my friend, E, who brought a super special gift:


With tasty treats!

How cool is it to have crafty friends??? The basket is just perfect.

So simple, yet...

This block exchange block really should have taken 10 minutes. I mean, not only was all the fabric provided, but it was already cut into strips. The only problem: the strips I happened to pick up weren't quite the 3" width they were supposed to be. They were actually 2 7/8". I figured it wasn't a big deal, I'd account for it as I sewed my seams. The problem: I didn't do that. And then my block was more than 3/4" too small. Gah! And many stitches were unsewn. Ugh. But then the second time around, I carefully measured each strip before and after it was sewn. And after an hour and a half, I ended up with the correctly sized 13" block.

I should have taken a nap today.

Dear Baby Jane: L-4

Block number/name: L-4 “St. George’s Cross”

Date completed: November 24, 2008

Number of pieces: 21

Notes on block: I’ve been waiting for a block to use this pretty fabric in (from the “Posh” collection by Chez Moi for Moda). I just love it! I’m also very happy with how the block came together… my ¼” bars are actually ¼” inch wide. I’m feeling pretty proud at the moment. I actually started this block last night, but was just completely unmotivated and decided to read a book instead. I ended up doing the bulk of the work this evening while watching television with Keith. With frozen hands. Our house is so cold! No amount of snuggling under a blanket (which, while stitching, is kind of challenging) seems to help my chilled appendages.

Dear Baby Jane: D-7

Block number/name: D-7 “Meeting Place”

Date completed: November 17, 2008

Number of pieces: 13

Notes on block: Inspired by Anina’s version of this block with its yellow scrolls, I decided to use this scrolly holly print. And it’s festive and happy too! This block is pretty simple, but it was a challenge for me. Just as I was about to sew the last sections together, I realized I had pieced one of my white fabrics wrong-side out. Doh! So I had to tear out that piece and restitch. I didn’t really want to take everything apart to do it though, so I ended up having to do an inset seam. At least I had my prior stitching lines to guide me. And then I cut one of the outer white bars 1/8” too narrow. Oops. You can see that the top bar in the picture is not as wide as it should be. And, of course, I realized it after everything was sewn together. I’ve decided that it should be fine. I mean, there’s still a good 1/8” seam allowance left. :)

Glad Tidings

A few years ago (2004 maybe?), while on the Bluebonnet Patchwork Trail Shop Hop in Central Texas, I saw a sample. It was on display at a wonderful San Antonio quilt shop called Las Colchas. It was an Advent quilt from the Nancy Halvorsen book Glad Tidings Advent. I instantly fell in love with the quilt. I have no idea why. I’m not particularly religious. I’ve never been into the primitive/folksy look. But there was something about the design that just sang to me. I actually waited a little while before buying the book, just in case it was a momentary thing. But I couldn’t get that quilt out of my mind. So I did buy the book, as well as a special button set.

As I was straightening up my quilty room in September, I found the book and decided that this year would be the year. I worked on it for a bit, took a break, worked a little more, another break, and finally completed it this last week.


I love it.
I pretty much followed the given instructions. My only big regret is that I went ahead and did the suggested “Quick Quilting” finish of placing the top and back right sides together, sewing around, turning, and stitching closed, and then quilting. As a result, I’ve got some rippling going on. I think I would have been better off to do a traditional finish, quilting first and then doing a binding. Other than that, I think it came together pretty well.


Another change I made was in the hanging tabs. Instead of sewing both ends in, I only attached one and then finished the other. I then went and made buttonholes on the finished ends so that they can button around onto the back of the quilt. The hanger I wanted to display it on is closed—so there is no way to slide hanging loops or a sleeve onto it. Now I can button around the hanging bar. The hanger was a Christmas gift from our friends Ruth and Patrick. How perfect is it with this quilt? Thanks again, Ruth and Patrick!


The little ornaments were very simple to make. Just fabric fused onto wool felt with some embroidered and button embellishments. I used perle cotton for the hanging loops (I couldn’t find any black crochet thread, as was suggested in the book). The book instructs you to hot glue the hanging loops to the ornament. I did this, but am not thrilled with the result. It’s a little messy looking. It’s on the back so it’s not like anyone is going to see it. But if I were to do it again, I think I would maybe cut the felt a little differently, leaving enough room for an eyelet at the top to thread the loop through.


The book has some other cute projects using the same elements that appear in the Advent quilt, including some mini quilts and a little pillow. But really, I kind of see it as a one-trick-pony kind of project book. It is also focused on speed with regards to the techniques—the fastest ways to get to a completed project. It’s definitely not about best practices. I think the end products evidence this. But with some creativity and forethought as supplements, this is a fun little book with very cute patterns.


Despite its faults, I love this quilt. I look forward to making it a part of our family holiday traditions, and using it to help us better experience the spirit of the season and remember the story of Christmas.

Dear Baby Jane: BR-8

Block number/name: BR-8 “Thunderhead”

Date completed: November 14, 2008

Number of pieces: 30

Notes on block: It was very surprising to me that this triangle turned out as well as it did! Everything went together pretty smoothly—even the funky inset seams on those inner V-shapes. It’s another one of those weird renderings. The original block has a square-in-a-square going on in the center, thus avoiding any inset seams, but then Brenda Papadakis’s version does not. But I went with it anyway, I think in part because it has fewer seams this way. And I’m felling lazy.

Dear Baby Jane: I-3

Block number/name: I-3 “Family Album”

Date completed: November 14, 2008

Number of pieces: 21

Notes on block: I picked up this fabric a couple of years ago for use in a baby quilt with a vegetable garden theme. When I initially saw it, my impression was of cabbages. I knew it wasn’t a cabbage print, but I figured cut up into little pieces, the effect would be there. It wasn’t until I got home and opened the fabric up that I saw that “Yellowstone” appeared throughout the design. So, this one didn’t get used in the veggie quilt. But it seemed just right for a happy lakeside window view.

This block was a little intimidating because of the 1/4” bars throughout. I worked really carefully to keep my seams straight and to size. I suppose it would make my life a little easier to mark all my seam lines on long narrow pieces like this. But it just feels like cheating somehow (I don’t know how I get these ideas into my head… probably the same way that I decided I needed to be handpiecing all of these blocks). So I use my eyes and check every so often with the ruler.

Dear Baby Jane: C-4... again

Block number/name: C-4 “Tic Tac Toe” (version 2.0)

Date completed: November 11, 2008

Number of pieces: 37

Notes on block: So. I've completed a do-over. And you know what? I like the first version better. Sure, the seams are straighter and more consistent on this one. And this one is actually 5” square. And it uses just 2 colors, as in the original quilt. But I really love the effect of the 3 colors in my previous version. And I kind of like that it is all catawampus. I also “previewed” each of the blocks in the quilt, and I rather prefer the look of the first one.

So there you have it. Only my second do-over in the quilt so far, and I’m not even going to use it. Of course, I can still change my mind…

Dear Baby Jane: C-4

Block number/name: C-4 “Tic Tac Toe”

Date completed: November 8, 2008

Number of pieces: 37

Notes on block: I think I need to rename this one, “Tic Tac Toe... Doh!” That’s what I get for not paying attention. All I could focus on were the colors I chose (I thought this one might look pretty nifty with 3 colors). By the time I got to the outer white pieces, I wasn’t even paying attention. I guess I figured that they wouldn’t fit if they were wrong. Little did I realize that all those outer angles were equal. As a result, my center is 90° off-kilter.

On the one hand, this block took a long time to put together and it does look kind of cool. On the other hand, it is very different from the original and it’s a smidgen small. This might require a do-over. This is kind of funny to me, because the only other block I’ve done a do-over for thus far is its neighbor, C-3. But I think I'll wait and see how I feel about it in a couple of days.

Quilt Festival: Shopping

It would be very difficult to come out of the International Quilt Festival without buying at least something. For me, I don't think it is even in the realm of possibility. The shopping options are just beyond belief... hundreds of different booths offer everything a quilter could desire. Check out Anina's photos... they'll kind of give you an idea of the scale involved.

In any case, of course I came back with some quilty booty:


The photo may not show it, but I exercised a lot of self restraint. Really!

I bought many patterns, mostly for baby/child quilts. They were way too cute to pass up and all were from designers/companies that were new to me. From Lee Brown I bought the cute applique kitty pattern (no Web site, but they're a British pattern company that offers many amazing and wonderful designs). Mary's Patterns had a very cute dinosaur quilt pattern I just had to have. Thimble Art offers really nifty dimensional quilt patterns that you really need to see in person to appreciate (I bought their dinosaur and jungle animal patterns). From Little Country Quilts I picked up a baby bib pattern with lots of cute applique options as well as a book, Quilts, Bibs, Blankies...Oh My!) with lots of wonderful nursery projects.

Really, only a little bit of fabric made it into the mix... unless you count my BIG splurge: a kit for the Playtime Quilt from American Jane Patterns. I saw this quilt online a few months ago, and have been pining for it ever since. When I saw it all packaged up and good to go in a spiffy kit, there was no hesitation: I immediately whipped out the charge card. My plan is to work on it over the course of a year like a block-of-the-month. I'm going to start in January (assuming I can wait that long!). And then there is the other kit I bought. But we won't talk about that one, because it is a secret surprise for someone special (shhhh!).

Also in the mix is a set of Micron Pigma Pens (which I have not been able to find anywhere locally) and a little fabric kit to make a Cynthia England pattern that I bought a few years ago (I am hoping the fabric kit will help motivate me to actually make it). Not pictured are the two thimbles and the wool batting I purchased. There you have it. Full disclosure!

Guild night!

A new month, another guild meeting! Tonight I'll be bringing along my latest block exchange contribution, a couple of blocks to enter into this month's block lotto, and a quilt for show and tell.

For this month's block lotto, we were given an 8"x10" piece of a cute snowman print flannel. I don't feel like I was especially creative this time around, but I think my blocks are pretty:


I made the one above using amandajean's instructions from Week 5 of her Star Quilt Along.


This block is a traditional one called "Corn & Beans." I found it in the book Quilts from The Quiltmaker's Gift by Joanne Larsen Line and Nancy Loving Tubesing. What I love about the book is that it takes traditional blocks and puts them together with very modern aesthetic—bright colors, exciting prints, batiks, and more. For every quilt in the book, multiple size options are offered, along with detailed, illustrated instructions (including suggested backing layouts—very handy). The more I look at this book, the more I want to make every quilt in it! And, if you haven't seen the picture book, The Quiltmaker's Gift, you should check it out too. The illustrations are just gorgeous.

I think I must somehow have some good quilting karma built up, because after winning in June's block lotto, I won again in September:


How lovely are these? Mmmm... they all just scream out "Fall!" to me. I'm thinking that I might make them into placemats and/or a tablerunner. I think they would be just perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. I love how even though they are all different, they have the unifying theme that really ties them together.

Last, but not least, here is the latest block for the block exchange:


This month I got to pick my own fabrics to use. The only only request was that we choose muted colors. I gave myself fits with the house fabric I chose... I just felt this need to make sure all the stripes matched. I'm a glutton for punishment sometimes. Also, as it was suggested that we could do some embellishment, it seemed only appropriate to decorate the house with a little Halloween spirit. It was October after all. I fussy cut and then appliqued the pumpkins and attempted a little stitchery in the form of the spider. Hopefully she'll like it!