QUILTING AT RETREAT

I love fall retreat.  This year the weather was great!!  It was very cold and crisp.  Just the kind of weather to keep you inside sewing with some wonderful friends.  

Most retreats I take way too many projects to work on and then I get very little finished.  This time I took a few projects and hoped to finish all of them.

Even though I took this project to retreat to quilt, that did not happen.  I had so much trouble with my thread.  My machine did not like the thread I chose so I brought it home and finished it.

This is a collaborative piece made with my buddies of SLKS.  We started with a block of our choosing.

I saw this pattern online and loved it.  So I took out my paper and pencil and began to draw what I saw.

We passed our blocks around our group each month and each time a new element was added until it was completed.

Finally I have it quilted and bound.

This is the second project I took to Retreat. I started with these scraps that I found in the trash bin:

There were enough of them to make some improv blocks that turned into this pillow.  I will surprise my friend by giving these to her and remind her that they are "trash to treasure".

My friend sent me a picture of the pillow on her bed with the matching quilt!

Other projects that I worked on included this Convergence by another friend of mine.  She wasn't happy with the block so I worked on it a little and then quilted it for her.  She can now bind it.

I did some other blocks, but I cannot show them yet.  Will blog them later.

                             -sandi

COLLABORATION

Collaboration is a very big word for something that was so much fun.  My SLKS group (acronym for the initials of the members) did a Round Robin, sort of, for several months.  I absolutely love mine and am still thinking about how I want to quilt it.  We only have a couple of months to get it finished because we want to show it at our guild meeting in December!

It started here.  I made this block and said that it could be used anyway the others chose, but I preferred asymmetrical layouts.

After two rounds this emerged...

Here is the final round added...

And then we all showed our pieces together...

Outside...

and inside...

What a wonderfully talented group of ladies to hang out with.  This was a challenge for me!!

Our fearless leader, Linda, has already proposed our new group challenge project for 2015.  Wow!  more creative stretching is in store for me!!

-sandi

GETTING BACK ON TRACK

Hard to believe it has been about a month since I last posted to my blog.  What a month it has been!

Made one last trip to AQS Quiltweek Charlotte to promote the upcoming AQS show in Chattanooga.

Hung out with some neat quilters and shot a video for the Convention and Visitors Bureau Annual Meeting.

Travelled around the area highway yard sales with hubster while he was "picking" for his upcoming sales.

LilBit helping Papa with the Longest Yard Sale!!  What a great weekend that was!

Enjoyed a visit with my grandson, Nick, before school started!!  Hard to believe that he is in Middle School now.

Saw my first grandson, Preston, head off to Auburn University for his freshman year!

More promotion for Quiltweek!


FINALLY, it is here!!!





 Chattanooga was host to its first ever AQS Quiltweek September 10-13!! What an exciting time for all the quilters in our area.  There were so many wonderful quilts on display in the show area.  One of the special exhibits was the BAQS exhibit curated by our very own Maddie Kertay from Spool. I was privileged to have a quilt hanging in that exhibit.

I did get a little sewing done this month.

Added my "round" to Karen's Round Robin piece this month.  Loved working with the crazy log cabin blocks.  It will be interesting to see the final round and completion of this project!

Working on a quilt for a customer.

This month has been exciting and busy.  I am looking forward to getting back into my usual routine and finishing the quilting on several projects.  The travelling is over and the AQS show was a success so now I can go back to quilting.


                                    -sandi

WHAT HAPPENED IN JUNE

June has been a very busy month for my family and me.  We have had a high school graduation

The Birmingham Boys Choir Spring Concert

Fifth Grade Awards Day

And several days of visiting with our grandchildren.  Whew!! How wonderful and busy.

I have not accomplished very much in the way of quilting this month, but I will show what I have worked on and/or completed.

I completed the Auburn quilt for my grandson to take to college with him.  The pattern came from "Skip the Borders" written by Julie Herman.

My contribution to Sharon's block from our SLKS quilting buddies Round Robin.

This is a small (9" x 11") sketch piece for Modern Quilt Guild.  It is called "Roy G. Biv #1).  A larger piece will develop from this practice sketch piece.  All Kona Cottons.

The back of "Roy G. Biv #1". 

Another block finished in my Starry,
Starry Night BOM from scrappy Batiks.

Chattanooga Modern Quilt
Guild Sew-In Project for this
quarter was this cute little carry-
all pouch bag.




I always keep some practice pieces sandwiched together so I can check my quilting stitches, etc. before I use them on the "real" project.  When I finish, I make them into placemats.  This is a nice Maple Leaf orphan block worked into a mat.

 

This is Linda showing what she did for her row on my SLKS Round Robin this month.

It did not seem to me that I accomplished very much when I thought about the month, but when I look at this post, I feel better about what I have achieved.

Thanks for stopping by!!

                                -sandi

 

 

APRIL WRAP UP

Whew!!!!  April has been a busy month. I continually set up goals for myself and I continually miss reaching lots of them.

So here is what I have accomplished.

I finally finished all of the components for the Bonnie Hunter Easy Street Mystery Quilt.  This is one of the corner blocks and one of each of the two blocks that make up the quilt design.  Not too sure how long it will take me to get all of these blocks made and assembled....

Second block completed of Starry, Starry Night.  These blocks are about 18 inches square.

Made a few clamshells using my friend's die cutter.  Might turn into a pillow.

These are tiny (3/4 inch) leftover HSTs from the Bonnie Hunter Easy Street Mystery Quilt.  Thinking something modern will come out of these.

Of course, April would never be complete without the Frogpond Quilters Retreat at Grand Oak Retreat Center in Scottsboro, AL.  What a super bunch of gals to hang out with for four days!!!

Cute little make it/take it project that Jackie brought for us.  Still need to quilt it.

I did manage to get one project completed at the retreat - well, the top that is.  No, Carol is not being punished by standing in the corner.  She says it is some kind of exercise???

 

 

Having lots of fun in my paper piecing group making these seasonal mug rugs.

 

Still quilting this strip pieced quilt on my DSM.  Almost there...

Have another block of my QAYG on the design wall.  Not too happy with that large blob of yellow dots in the center there.

 

Of course, I have a carry along project making more hexies....

In my SLKS bee group we are starting a round robin with the four of us.  I have the first Round of Sharon's quilt and here is a little sketch of what I might could do, but then again, maybe not.  Her block is the colored star that she wants used for the center.

I did completely finish one small project.  This is a quilted mat for Lady Dog.  She belongs to a friend of my hubby.  We wanted to say thank you to her master for some kindnesses he has shown us.
The HSTs are made from the Pampered Pooch Charm Pack from Moda.  I still have enough to make another mat, maybe for LilBit.

This piece is about 32 inches square and I love the low contrast of the blocks to the light blue background.

Looks to me like I have a lot of things in progress. . .   Maybe next month we will see some completions ???


                                      -sandi