Actual progress is being made!

Yeah, I know, nothing is appliqued yet, but look, the start squares are ready to go. The house that I sewed together rather than applique came out nicely I think.

And I actually climbed up and got my fusible web so that I could get ready to applique. Boy, that cat and moon are large! I usually do the window method of fusible web and getting that twisted cat border down and fused was not a lot of fun.

And then, do you see it? I realized that I didn't reverse the piece so my kitty faces the opposite way of the pattern. Now I need to decide if I should make more of it the other way or just ignore it. You know, no matter what you decide there is always another decision waiting to be made, now isn't there? Progress on this one, too. This one is all pinned ready to be appliqued. I didn't want to start blanket stitching until I had finished the star blocks. I sewed these houses together, too. On the first set the measurements came out perfectly. So of course, for some reason I added to the measurements when I cut the second set out and guess what? Yes, they were too big. Duh! Fun unsewing!

Here is a closer look at one set.

And the other.

This pattern uses buttons for the windows and flowers which is what originally drew me to it. But it calls for 24 red ones and 57 black ones! 57 matching buttons! JoAnn's is having half price buttons Decoration Day weekend so I guess if I want matching ones I need to go there then. I haven't decided, though, if I want them to match or if I should just dig in my massive button collection. See, there is another one of those pesky decisions!

Like I am not in the middle of enough

We went to the mall the other night, admittedly a rare event, and I picked up all flavours of Pottery Barn catalogs at PB. I used to get them but since I never bought anything they stopped coming. Anyway, in one of them was this star quilt with all the fabric parts of the stars made out of crazy quilt type stuff. WOW! And what a great use for scraps. Check out the link:

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/shelburne-crazy-patchwork-quilt-sham/?pkey=cpatterned-quilts-shams

Isn't it pretty? Like I need another to add to the to do list, don't I? Better get going on the things I am already in the middle of!

Yes, it is a mess

and I know it. Since I have not been able to decide what to work on I have been sort of working on several things at one time and the result is a real mess. Does it make you feel at home or make you want to run screaming from the room? I started working on Midnight Silhouette -- see the pattern there? I have had the pattern for a while and had been collecting blacks. I cut the black pieces out a year or so ago and since I needed black for something else I decided to make this so I would know how much black is left for whatever it was I needed it for. I then decided that I didn't want to applique all the house pieces so I actually did MATH and cut and sewed the basic house pieces into one big piece that I will applique using fusible web around the edges and blanket stitch. At least I will once I climb up and get my fusible web down. That seems to be a stumbling block right now so I started in on the star blocks. See them there piled on the table next to my machine?

Of course I am making it take a long time because I am making the little extra squares when you cut the diagonal off. Do you do this? I am making myself sew them as sometimes I just cut them and through them in the bucket called little half square triangles to be. They are likely to be "to be" forever as the thought of diving into that bucket and sewing them together is not at all attractive. Much better to do it as you go along, don't you think?

I am also in the middle of working on this. It is from a "Quiltmania" magazine. I fell in love when I saw it and had gathered all the fabrics but that was as far as I got. Again I didn't want to applique every house so I did more MATH and cut the house larger so I could sew them together in a strip and then applique the funky pieces that are not seam-able and the roofs and doors and stuff. I think it will work out okay.

I had finished the center checkerboard a week or so ago. I like it a lot although now that I have seen it and thought of the perfect place to hang it it is a little too wide for the spot. I will need to cut one row off. But now I need to decide if I take a row off both directions so it is still a square or just on one direction so it is a rectangle. Decisions, decisions! I certainly am making it harder on myself -- no wonder I have not gotten much done! I really like the brown, black and grey in this quilt.

Mr THQ and I did a little thrifting yesterday. He found these books which were all priced for $1.00! Usually the quilting and craft book hunting at this thrift store is good but they are usually $2-$3 each. These were really a bargain! Each of them has a cute quilt or two in them. I like the can of worms title, don't you? She was making 2 1/2" strips before 2 1/2" strips were cool.

June is coming up quickly and there are 3 quilt shows in the area in June. Maybe quilt show immersion will inspire me to get going on my own things. I sure hope so. Talk to you soon.

Oh my goodness

I am just amazed at how much time has passed since my last post. I simply must do better! Part of the problem is that I just have not produced much. I have been working on several things, doing some cutting, but am in one of those kind of funks when you just don't seem to know what to work on so don't get much done. But I realized tonight that I still had a few pics left from the Twin Falls show, now over a month ago, so let's have a look and finish off that show.

Always love a log cabin. That's what I have been working on, right -- the big one. And it reminds me, have you seen the new magazine "Primitive Quilts and Projects?". I looked for it locally but finally had to break down and subscribe. There is a super log cabin in the first issue. Paper pieced because the logs appear to finish at 3/4". I refuse to paper piece but using bigger strips and trimming every round works too for narrow logs. But I digress. Here is a great sampler. I am just a sucker for red and greens.

Here are a couple of little applique blocks. These were up high and a tall person saw me trying to take the pics and offered to take them for me so you get a head on view, not the from the bottom up you would have had to settle for if I had taken them. Butterflies are not my favourite but I love the flowers and look at that button caterpillar! Cute, cute cute.

Love the happy watering can.

And I love flags. This is a different flag treatment. I don't think I have seen one like this before. Look, two colour coordinated pictures -- wonder how I managed that?

Nice colours I think.

I have now done 1 stitchery. And I have piping pinned to it to make a little pillow. But it's still waiting like that. I need to do more so I could have something like this little snowman.

This is the quilt he came from.

Now this quilt was really different. I have a big jar of labels I have been collecting for years. One of these days I will do something with them. I am glad I have been saving them since they are rapidly disappearing from clothing. I like the fact that there is no scratchy label at the back of my neck but I do miss how cute or pretty some labels were.

You are probably wondering why I am talking labels when this is a selvage quilt. But look, it has Neiman Marcus ribbon -- almost a label. Certainly label like, right? And of course you know I am now cutting selvage strips, too. I have a bucket full for some future something.

I like the colours in this one. And stars are always great. And this is double stars. I think this is a Miss Rosie pattern. I like Carrie Nelson patterns -- great for scrap quilts.

A bigger piece of it.

And bigger still. I must have really liked this one! I like the border, too. Lots of half square triangles in this one! So what method do you use? I have used Thangles but usually I cut them 7/8" bigger, draw the line and sew on both sides of it. Kind of lots of steps but they come out okay I think.

Blue, blue, blue. But stars.

Now this one is more than stars. This is just focused on one part of the quilt.

See, it's a row by row. With chubby little snowmen! And a farm. I love this. Anyone know the pattern?

And speaking of farms.... well, barns at least.

And one more, raggedy stars.

Another sampler.

And that's all of the quilt show pictures. Now I will have to get something done so I have something to share! I will be back son-- promise!