FINISHED!

My Lucinda Brodie quilt is done!  Binding is sewn as well!  Now I have to make the label.  Just in time for our guild quilt show -- we set up tomorrow, and it runs all month at the South Hill Library.  Come see our quilts if you're in the neighborhood.

PROGRESS!

I have finished my IQ buddy's block!  This simplified or mock cathedral window block is super easy to make, and what a pretty thing it is!  I supposed one could use white triangles over squares of colored fabrics, but I think I like the reverse much better.  An interesting thing about this method:  although I should have ended up with a 12 1/2" block, it was more like 12 1/4".  I guess that the quilting/sewing on the turned back folded side of the triangles drew up the fabric a little.  So, just in case it was needed, I added a 1" strip of white around the whole thing.  Another member of the IQ support group is assembling the blocks, and I didn't want her to be short changed with my smallish block.

Anyway, I told you that I had Lucinda up on the frame.  Here she is, ready to go. I decided to fill in the white spaces in the upper border with echoes of the designs.  I didn't like that as much as I hoped I would, but I'm stuck with it now, because I have neither the time nor the inclination to rip it all out.

Here are a few of the blocks.  I don't know if the quilting is visible or not.  But, you can magnify these pictures significantly by clicking on them, though, and that should help you to see the quilting.  I'm using a thin thread that I haven't used before.  After this, I'm going to stick to cotton thread.  It quilts up better.  But I figure it's ok to experiment on my own quilts.

I'm not sure you can see the feathered circle in the center of this block.  The IQ can make these from scratch.  So I insert a circle, tweak it to fit the actual dimensions of the circle of cloth I am working with (even if it's a little cattywompus!), designate the circle as a "path", and add the feathers in whatever number and size looks good.  With the IQ, you can try out all sorts of combinations first before settling on the one you like best.  Easy Peasy.

In this one, the circle of feathers is more visible.  The flying geese blocks were quilted with continuous curves.   If you're in southern Virginia during the month of March, come to the guild show at the South Hill, VA library and take a look at all the pretty quilts!

This is the last row of the quilt before the bottom border.  I have done one star on it but had to stop for dinner .  Tomorrow I'll finish it and Sunday I'll bind it -- I hope.  The show starts Tuesday.

A very good day, full of progress.

PROCRASTINATION

Lucinda is on the quilt frame, but I'm upstairs sewing away at my block for the quilt for IQ friend with breast cancer.  I'm using the colors found in a swatch of fabric called Peony Tales by South Sea Imports. 

First I cut 2 1/2" blocks of a background fabric.  Mine is white.  Then I cut 2 1/2" squares of each of my overlay fabrics, fold them in half to make triangles, and press (as above).

I place one triangle of the colored fabric over the background fabric square and pin.

Then I do the same thing with the next colored triangle.  Now I have two colors overlaying the background fabric square.

The triangles need to be stabilized in their positions, so next I sew around the BACKGROUND square about 1/8" in from the edge.

Now I can start arranging the squares into blocks of four.

I decide how I want the blocks of four to interact with the other blocks of four.

When I am satisfied with my arrangement, I sew individual blocks of four together.  Then I sew those blocks to the other blocks.  I chose to use a square of the inspiration fabric in the middle.

Now the fun part: I turn back the folded edge of each triangle and stitch along the edge, creating a curved space through which I can see my background fabric.  A lovely pattern arises, looking very much like a scrappy orange peel block. 

Now that I've gotten this block well underway, I will descend to my lurkim and give Lucinda my undivided attention for the next four hours.

DOUBLE TIME

The Lake Gaston Piecemakers Quilt Guild is a very busy and prolific guild.  The members are always doing something interesting. Sometimes we teach each other a specific skill (mine is paper piecing).  Other times we start a project and pass it off to the next person, as happened with the Round Robin, above.  This delightfully serene quilt was finished by Myrt, who brought it to me to quilt.  It will go to the outpatient chemo unit at the local hospital.  The backing is the softest flannel!  Someone will surely welcome the warmth and comfort of this quilt as he or she sits in that recliner receiving his/her meds.

While my IQ was chugging away during each row of the pantograph on the Round Robin quilt, I was able to finish appliqueing the bottom panel for my Lucinda Brodie border.  Today I will assemble the rest of the quilt and put it on my quilting frame.

I don't think I will have any time to do another project while quilting Lucinda since it's all going to be custom, but in case I do, here are the fabrics for the next small endeavor.  These will go into a block, which will be joined by other blocks from other IQ support group members, and will become a very special quilt for one of our team, who is dealing with breast cancer surgery, chemo, and radiation. 

MULTITASKING

By now you know, if you have been following this blog, that I am working on a major opus called Lucinda Brodie. This quilt requires an inordinate amount of time to do because it has applique in it. I don't particularly like applique, so I elected to do it with the sewing machine, using a tiny blanket stitch. I don't like doing it that way, either, but at least it's faster.

This is a time consuming effort, and I hate to waste time on just one thing.  For instance, I, like most of you out there, can be washing clothes, cleaning the house, cooking chili on the stove, and listening to music all at the same time.  At the end of the day, I would feel like I've accomplished something.

I had these charity quilts to do for some of our guild members, and I didn't want to sit in my studio and work JUST on Lucinda Brodie, so I cranked up the iPod in its player, loaded Vanessa's Disappearing Nine Patch onto the quilt frame downstairs in my lurkim and selected a cute pantograph to go with the Halloween themed fabrics Vanessa had chosen.

While the IntelliQuilter was stitching out a row, I was appliqueing.  And at the end of 7 rows, here was the result.

In this view you can see the bats and witches hats in the design.

And in this one,you can see the bats again and pumpkins.  Cute, huh?

While I was downstairs in my lurkim, I had a pot of spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove.  I love the aroma of homemade spaghetti sauce.  There's something energizing about it to me.  The day would have been perfect if I could have figured out how to fold clothes at the same time as sewing and quilting and cooking and listening to music, but I had to settle for just doing four things at once. 

I don't think I'll show you my applique just yet.  It took another quilt on the frame with another pantograph for me to finish it.  I'll show you that one tomorrow.

Continuing Saga...

Join the party at Quilt Block's blog!  Send them a photo of your most recent project that uses .... FABRIC!  Did you guess it?  Anyway, here's mine.  I've done one applique border for my Lucinda Brodie.  Woo hoo!

This store really likes contests, so check in with them from time to time.

By the way, if you're thinking of appliqueing a border, DON'T do it the way I did.  I added the border and THEN appliqued.  WRONG!  The second one is already measured, and the designs are fused to it in preparation for interminable blanket stitch appliqueing tomorrow.  Then I'll sew the border on AFTER all the applique is done.  Live and learn.

I'm also hosting a class on the Disappearing Nine Patch quilt for my guild tomorrow.  We're all getting together to sew our Outreach quilts.  By the end of the month, we should have 30 quilts to hand in to Madeline's House.  I don't know if that will be enough or too many -- they wouldn't tell me how many residents they had, but after some round about talking, I'm guessing this is a good estimate.

Off to the lurkim to cut batting for the charity quilts.  Have a great day!  And don't forget to check out the Quilt Story blog!

TA DA!!!

My car is in my garage for the very first time!  Oh frabjous day!  Calloo! Callay!