Blogging Hiatus but I'm back...

Here's what I've been up to the last little while.  I guess I was just too busy sewing to actually blog about it.  Here are some photos:

I blogged here  about attending the Shattered Angles workshop with Susan Purney Mark a few weeks ago.  At that time I was struggling over fabric choices and a friend of mine suggested adding some orange to my blue to kick it up a notch.  I agreed that that would be really make the blocks pop.

 

Oh yeah, that works!  Although I was falling asleep one night and had a short vision of the all-blue blocks so I may actually try that on a future quilt.  Does that ever happen to you?  If I've been going full-out on a quilting project or projects, when it comes time to quit for the day and as my head hits the pillow, I find that I get these pictures in my mind's eye of different quilt blocks, colours, ideas.  It's like my creativity is awakened by the activities of the day.  I wish I could capture those sudden bursts of creativity but I never seem to be able to remember them when I wake up.

My friend Terry attended the class with me and she finished her blocks and created 2 baby quilts for our LOJ Quilters group.  Here are her 2 quilts:

2 different border treatments and she added sashing between some of the blocks too.  Nice job!

And I finished the "Monkey in my house" quilt for my grand-nephew Quinn.  It started as the "jelly roll races 1800 quilt".  When I saw the jungle-like qualities of the background, I wanted to add the monkey.  It just seemed right.  I was very happy with the result and so was Quinn and his family.  It warms my heart and makes me smile.

Here's a closeup of the monkey.  I used a fusible applique method for the monkey and outlined him (and his parts) with a satin stitch.  I then stippled inside the monkey to give him some texture.  I used a variegated thread .  

 

Next up is a wedding quilt I'm working on for my niece Anna.  I blogged here about the Manhattan Condo block that I bought at EQ Boutique and imported into my EQ7. So I started sewing the blocks together and I actually think I may stand a chance at finishing it in time for the wedding.  That would be amazing.

Here is the stack of pieces for the second (left) half of the blocks.  It will be a Queen sized quilt when it's done and the blocks are around 16".

The blocks laid out ready to be constructed.  This quilt I'm naming "Midnight in Manhattan".  I hope they like it!  They chose both the pattern and the colourway.

And last, but not least, another baby quilt finish.  This one is for our LOJ Quilting group at church.  We had a bunch of new quilters join us last month so it was a group project.  I took the blocks and sewed the quilt top and added the borders and quilted it.

 It will be for a baby girl but I'm not yet sure which one or if she's even arrived yet.  Here is the quilt top finished but not quilted.

And here it is on my B-Line frame ready to quilt!

 

Here it is fresh off the frame, all quilted and ready for binding.

After I bound it I realized that I want to outline the hearts more.  I'll just do this on my domestic machine.  The stippling is smaller around the hearts and right now they really pop but I think it will even be better when I finish the outlines.

And tomorrow....I'm off to the sewing show.  http://creativestitchesshow.com/doc/Victoria_brochure.pdf

I am taking 2 long-arm courses plus a class on paper-pieced blocks using jelly rolls taught by Yvonne Menear.  That should be interesting and useful for that 2 1/2" scrap bin too!

If I come home with some completed blocks, I will try and post more pictures after tomorrow.

And yes, I do have a few projects on the go.  I'm totally guilty of starting at least 2 new projects without finishing off any UFOs.  I've got a goal of 12 UFOs to be completed for 2012 so I'm thinking I should really resist any new projects, but that wouldn't be any fun at all, would it!??

I'm thinking this will be the next UFO finish.  It is the one closest to being done so I should attack a project with the most immediate gratification.

Until next time,

Mavis