Yesterday my nose started running and my head felt swolen. I never had allergies before. I've gotten sick but not ever been allergic to anything. Got hme from work and hubby got me some Sudafed. That seemed to help but the drippy nose is really annoying.
This was a rather long week for me scince I worked 2 extra days for several ladies at work. Aaachoo. sniff, sniff. sorry that is just how I feel.
I have 2 swaps due at the end of the month. One a paducha 9-patch and the other is for the Smalltalk yahoo group. This swap is a signature pieced elongated 9-patch. I have to make 68. I have most of the pieces all cut out. The other swap I have half of the pieces cut out I'll post the blocks as I complete them. I have tomorrow off and hopefully will get most of them done.
I also have a Makenna Ryan block to make before shop hop. O.K. I'll stop whinning. I'm just glad to vent...
Ooh one more thing I discovered the dots quilt along. OOOh so tempting. I was thinking brights on a pink solid background like the icing on a cupcake. You can check out the place here. http://jovitaspatchwork.blogspot.com/. there she is posting her progress and info on how to download her patterns.
That's all for today,
Tanya
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
2 Hour Challenge Whew....
The Quiltville Chat Yahoo group challenged several of us to work for 2 hour in our sewing rooms. Either sorting, putting away or creating a pile to give away. For me this was a need. I hadn't gotten in my sewing room for about 3 months. Instead I had been inhabiting other areas of the house, including but not limited to the dining room and family room. I have grabbed fabric from the stash wall and left pile after pile more than once. My ironing space was unable to be seen. Everywhere was covered with fabric. I have a makeshift table for a little extra room in laying out blocks or to audition fabrics and it was a foot deep. My chair had fabric on it. and the floor was starting to accumulate fabrics too. I had taken me sewing machine out of the room and started sewing at the dining room table. So my sewing machine space was nowhere to be seen either.
Around 1:00 I asked DH to set the timer for 1 and a half hours and I started. I piled all of the fabrics into a large standing hamper. After about 30 minites several surfaces were cleared off. When the hamper was full and the sorting surface was clear I started to sort colors and al the small pieces went into the scrap bin.
I am currently working on several civil war quilts so I set a pile aside for those. The blues uncoverd 2 UFO's with lots of fabric with them. I packed those away in open plastic bins and stacked the blues back on the stash wall. I then noticed my 30's box was overflowing and toppling out so I refolded some pieces and was able to make it look very nice.
After the blues were put away I started on the reds. By this time the bottom of the hamper was in sight. Then the timer went off.
I took a short break and then went back and finished putting away the Civil war fabrics and keeping a separate place for the smaller pieces. One thing I noticed is I tend to make several identical storage baggies for like scraps. So mabye this is something I should work on. I need to Realize what type of projects I have and keeping track of them a little better . I also have large storage bins of scraps in CW, 30's, Warm and cool colors.
My room is not yet in workable order but I was able to feel some sense of accomplishment.
Later this evening I updated my Swapping Chart. This is the chart I use to keep track of which swap is due when. Most people are involved in one or two and so this is unnessary. I on the otherhand am invilved in over 8 or 9 different swaps that are due at different times and with different people. Some local and some online. I have been very pleased with the online swaps. I have recieved very good quality fabrics and blocks. Swaps for me is a way to use my fabric and get something new without buying new fabric. In a small way it helps to depleat my stash.
Around 1:00 I asked DH to set the timer for 1 and a half hours and I started. I piled all of the fabrics into a large standing hamper. After about 30 minites several surfaces were cleared off. When the hamper was full and the sorting surface was clear I started to sort colors and al the small pieces went into the scrap bin.
I am currently working on several civil war quilts so I set a pile aside for those. The blues uncoverd 2 UFO's with lots of fabric with them. I packed those away in open plastic bins and stacked the blues back on the stash wall. I then noticed my 30's box was overflowing and toppling out so I refolded some pieces and was able to make it look very nice.
After the blues were put away I started on the reds. By this time the bottom of the hamper was in sight. Then the timer went off.
I took a short break and then went back and finished putting away the Civil war fabrics and keeping a separate place for the smaller pieces. One thing I noticed is I tend to make several identical storage baggies for like scraps. So mabye this is something I should work on. I need to Realize what type of projects I have and keeping track of them a little better . I also have large storage bins of scraps in CW, 30's, Warm and cool colors.
My room is not yet in workable order but I was able to feel some sense of accomplishment.
Later this evening I updated my Swapping Chart. This is the chart I use to keep track of which swap is due when. Most people are involved in one or two and so this is unnessary. I on the otherhand am invilved in over 8 or 9 different swaps that are due at different times and with different people. Some local and some online. I have been very pleased with the online swaps. I have recieved very good quality fabrics and blocks. Swaps for me is a way to use my fabric and get something new without buying new fabric. In a small way it helps to depleat my stash.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Chocolate and Cherries Block Swap
What a suprise I had today when I opened the mailbox. Here are the blocks I recieved from my Swap of Chocolate and Cherries with the Historical Bock Swap Yahoo group . The challenge was to make a historical block using Civil War reproduction fabrics in browns and pinks. We had 4 months to complete the challenge but I choose to shorten that to 2 weeks.
The backgrounds of the blocks must have pink or brown on them..The lone star baskets I posted earlier were the ones I traded for these. I also made a set of 5 Lily of the valley blocks (in the upper left corner) .
The block in the lower left corner was hand pieced. The one above that was appliqued the old fashioned way with a running stitch next to the edge. Several ladies labeled their blocks with the block names and even the fabric lines they used. I think they are lovely..
Friday, February 25, 2011
The Dinner Table
Tonight my daughter invited me to attend the Dinner Table Opening at the U of H Clear Lake. She had 2 friends who are graduate students and who helped get the exhibit to the University. I didn't know what to expect in a Feminist Art Exhibit. Well I have to say it was very interesting and was pleased that my daughter invited me to attend.
The exhibit hosted the original concept drawings of the plates and several test plates. Each plate was a concept of the power of the woman it represented.
The University was the first place the original art exhibit was hosted at over 30 years ago. They stated that several local Art museums would not host that type of artwork. It was very interesting that this little University opened doors to this type of Art.
Check out it's permenant exhibit here:
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Finished..Catch Me If You Can Block
I just completed Block 1 on the Civil War blogg by Barbarbra Brackman. You can find the pattern here http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/ She is offering a block a week this year for 52 weeks. I'm a little behind but that's OK. They are easy to follow and if you have a laptop you do not need to print out the pattern just bring your computer to your cutting table. I cannot wait to start the next one.
Mailing and Drafting
Lataly it seems as though I am doing alot of mail quilting. I'm waiting for some pink and brown hourglass blocks to arrive. Today I mailed 60 blocks for the pink and yellow 9-patches for a swap due on the 28th. Next month the swaps I have are a Paducha 9-patch, scrappy niblets, and a swap for Kathy Tracy's Small talk group. 
I'm in a 30's yahoo group we are having a year long block challenge. We are going to be making a different block each month. .I drafted a 6" 1930's butterfly pattern from an old photo for the group. Click on the photo and you should be able to save and print it.
Enjoy,
Tanya
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Dabbling into Baltimore
Over the past year I took a Baltimore class from Georganne Wrinkle. She is an excellent teacher. I enjoyed the class very much including the bits of history. I started several blocks. 2 baskets and a House block. The house block was the most fun with all of the special things that make you think of home.
Sue just Pubished her new Friends of Baltimore and I have purchased block sets 1 and 2 and the background. I am also rummaging through my stash for fabrics suitable for that quilt. I don't think I want to start it really soon though.
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