A Gifted Quilt

In August 2012 I had the bright idea to "gift" a LQS Mystery quilt to my friend of 45+ years, Tina.  I paid for the quilt up front and the shop would send Tina a block each month ... at the same time I'm also doing the mystery quilt.  Doncha know how much I love mysteries?  This was Tina's Christmas and birthday gift all rolled into one.

So the following year, 2013, after the mystery is all done I told Tina to send her quilt top to me and I would quilt it for her - as that year's Christmas and birthday quilt...

Fast forward to April 2015 ... I have had that blessed quilt on and off my machine a dozen times - thank goodness I have zippers.  Every time I would get a good start on it, a customer quilt emergency would come along.  So off it would come until another day.  This past April I knew that I would be seeing Tina in May, so like a mad woman I finished up that quilt!  And gave it to her last week and I think she likes it.  I have never been so glad to get one huge project done.  So now the question is:  What do I "gift" Tina for this Christmas and her birthday?  LOL!  And don't you know ... I still have my own mystery quilt in the Waiting for Sylvia to Quilt Someday pile!!

Here's a couple of pics to enjoy.

Spots before my eyes

I recently started a quilt (for myself, no less!) that called for a black and white polka dot fabric.  I have some of that ... yes, indeedy  ... well, I used up my favorite B&W polka dot so I had to replenish that supply.  The problem is, I really really really like that particular polka dot.  Found some on the internet (thank goodness for those informational selvages!) and ordered a bunch.  I was relating this whole scenario to husband and I then decided to show him WHY I had to order that beautiful B&W Polka Dot.  I dragged him to my Black fabric mesh drawer, and pulled out 7 - COUNT THEM - 7!!!! - different B&W Polka Dot fabrics ... and explained to him that 6 of those beauties just wouldn't work for this particular quilt ... he just smiled, patted my head, muttered something about compulsive behavior, and walked away ...

So here's the pile of 7 polka dot fabrics.  The one on the far left is the one I love the most.   Don't ask ... it is compulsive behavior, but then again, you knew that, right?

Notice how nice and neat these fabrics are?  I'm so proud ... I finally organized all my fabrics 2 Christmas's ago.  I took each piece of yardage, measured it, made a little tag, wrapped the yardage around a Comic Book Board (8.5" x 11"), and pinned tag onto the fabric - see that orange thingy on the left.  That's the tag.  Anyway, I can pull a piece of fabric and tell if I have enough for whatever project I'm working on.  I tag leftover batting pieces in the same way (don't wrap them around board, just tag) and this has saved me huge amounts of time trying to figure out if a piece of batting will work on my small projects.  Can you hear me patting myself on the back?


And here's the quilt I used that fabulous fabric for borders ...   friend Tina has been telling me about this "Easy Peasy" quilt pattern called "5 One-Yard Cuts" pattern for at least 4 years.  Whenever she is in town we go fabric store visiting and I'm always finding myself buying 5 1-yard cuts of fabrics (like I couldn't just go to my stash and find it!) and swearing to her that I will do one of these quilts.  So now I have about 4 different "kits" lined up.  I pulled this one out last week and started on it after finishing a customer quilt.  And honestly, it's as easy as my old standby Yellow Brick Road.  Done and done, except for the quilting - which may take a while to get to.  At least the top is now done.

A Mondo Mondo bag!

Sometimes Sunday afternoons are designated 'my sewing time' ... with the long-arm quilting thing going on all the time, I miss just sitting and piecing.  This past Sunday afternoon I decided I needed a 'piecing' fix ... so I sat down and started (and finished!!!) this Mondo bag by Quilt Smart.  Isn't it mondo-magnificent?  And thanks to friend Tina (Hi Tina!) for telling me about the Mondo bag ... do you have yours done yet, Tina?  LOL!  Tina and I share projects all the time and usually I'm the one left behind as she whips up her new project find ... this time I won!!!!  Wheeee ..... 


I attend a small quilting group on Tuesday's and we have decided to attempt the Quilt Smart Lone Star and I wanted to be sure that I understood the basic techniques that Quilt Smart uses with their interfacing so I pulled out the Mondo bag and voila!!!  So super easy!  I actually ... wait for it ... pulled fabric ... here it comes ... FROM MY STASH!  Woo woo!  Don't tell me you haven't gone to your stash with all good intentions and stood there thinking, "Now, that fabric could work, but I think I'm saving that piece for another project ..."  and found yourself at your LQS buying MORE fabric.  Well, this time I just yanked fabric from a particular stack and look what happened.  

Now since this takes 2 1/2" squares, you could actually use charms and get a 2 1/2" square for each of the 4 sides from one charm.  I just don't plan that well in advance.  I fly by the seat of my pants a lot ...  but I will pay attention on the next one!


It may be hard to tell just how Mondo this bag is ... the bottom is about 14" square and I have it stuffed with bunches and bunches of fat quarters plus a big ol' roll of the "bomb" fat quarters - I think that's about 25 fat quarters.  And an envelope of pattern stuff.  So it's a biggie!

Road to California

Oh, this is just too much!  My friend Tina who lives in the San Diego area and my friend Pam who is from New York are BOTH going to Road to California quilt show in Ontario, CA!  And hopefully they will meet up and the circle will be complete!  And I'm the missing link!!  Isn't that just too cool?  It's almost as good as ME being there ... yeah, I wish!  

Pam is in San Diego visiting her family and I called her a couple of days ago and asked her if she was going to take the opportunity to go to Road to CA, and told her about Tina's home quilt store Country Loft, which is in La Mesa.  She has taken time out to visit Country Loft and while there she talked with Tina's friend and co-worker, Colleen ... Hi, Colleen!  One of these days I'll be visiting Country Loft myself.  Sigh ...   And I think Pam is planning a trip to Road to CA.  Have a great time, Pam!  Take lots of pictures!

I'm busy working customer quilts so the blog has been silent for a while.  Plus I got into watching the pregnant bear Jewel who was SUPPOSE to have her cub(s) on Sunday ... well, we're still watching and waiting!  It can be fasinating but also boring ... almost like watching grass grow.  But any day now, we'll hear the squeals of baby bear cubs!  

Here's the site: 

http://www.bear.org/livecams/jewel-den-cam.php 

And I also added to the Places I Like to Visit on the right ... over there ... yeah, there it is!