OK, I've finally decided to get back to blogging.

first up is Rachel's quilt. I made what felt like hundreds of Hole in the Barn Door blocks from 3" to 16" in size. Rachel picked the fabrics - pink and turquoise. I picked up fabrics on one of the quilt shop hops and had her pick out what she wanted. The blocks finally went together into a long twin size quilt - longer than the 93" batting [I put extra blocks on the back]. Rachel loved it.



This next quilt is Laura's quilt [also a twin size - but not quite as long as Rachel's]. While Rachel was going thru the fabrics to see what she wanted, Laura said that she liked them all - so I used all but one [which I didn't like]. I found this pattern in one of the magazines [but it's already back in the pile, so I don't know which magazine it was]. Laura also loved her quilt. Of course, the girls liking the quilts made the work worthwhile.

One of the things I plan on doing this year is making a batch of lap quilts for our Assisted Living unit. The director said there are about 25 folks there at any time - so I am aiming for 25 - 30 quilts so there can be some choices.

I figured that if I finished 3 a month [of course, along with one I'm making for my 30 something grandson and another one for our Cinco de Mayo [Gail made the top for that one], I really do plan to finish the group of lap quilts for November.

So far I have finished 3 [that means quilted, bound and washed] - Magic Tile [mostly cat fabrics] , a Nine Patch and X block [green 9-patches with yellow blocks with green X], and a Wickedly Easy Quilt in pinks/lavender/green [you can Google that one]. I figure these are my January set. Photos later.

For February - I pinned another Nine Patch and X block [yellow 9-patches with green blocks with yellow X], I have a 9-patch and snowball [light green and off white - still quilting that one], and have another Wickedly Easy quilt ready to pin [as soon as I find the batting that I cut for it].

In November I was elected vice President of our Resident's Association at Westminster Gardens. That means PROGRAMS!!! The budget is small, and finding programs is something totally new for me. So, in addition to making way to many quilts this year [I have to empty my storage unit somehow], I'll be busy with phone calls and several meetings a month. And this is retirement?

4th of July

We had a rousing 4th of July celebration at the Gardens yesterday. As the dogs and I were walking in the park at the northern end of the grounds I began to hear marching music. I thought one of the residents had their stereo on really high, but realized later that the music was coming from the southern edge of the grounds.

It was a full and planned celebration - flag raising, national anthem, pledge [which I led], God Bless America, 4th of July address by Harriet Johnson [the president of our resident's association and missionary for more than 40 years to Japan], America the Beautiful and a benediction. The couple [Dick and Barbara Hettish] who put on the ceremony also offered us a continental breakfast afterwords. [photo of the table with juice, coffee and sweet rolls]

Since I moved in the middle of July last year I didn't know what to expect for this ceremony. It was worth getting up early for [7 a.m.] and I will go again next year.

Now for quilting:

Here are photos of my mystery quilt [Orange Crush]. I found the outer border at theTreasure Hunt quilt shop in Carpenteria, CA. I put a tiny inner border of dark purple between the border and the quilt [I had to stop the quilt somehow]. I will bind in the dark purple also.

I finally bought some clotheline rope to tie the dogs to so they can play out in my "back yard" [well, it is a common area - but it is outside my back door]. I can put them out there late in the evening and let them roll in the grass for a while as I sit just inside the door and play on the computer. The first day I did this I went out with them so they knew it was ok [but they both just sat and looked at me like I was nuts]. The 2nd time, though, they had it figured out and went running out to play. I think this will work.

Central Coast Quilt Shop Tour

I went on the Central Coast Quilt Shop Tour [one of the California shop hops] last weekend. I managed to go to 4 stores before I made it to Morro Bay and my son and dil's home for the weekend [actually to Motel 6, since they have a very tiny apartment]. The 3 of us went to the rest of the shops. For those of you who are interested, the web site is http://www.centralcoastquiltshops.com

My dil had asked if I would make a quilt for her 30+ year-old son who had been badly injured in a motorcycle accident. So we went shopping for [what else?] motorcycle fabric - with skulls, a bright swirly and lovely ladies sprawled on the motorcycles [maybe that one will be a pillowcase for him]. I'll find more down here to add to the collection and make him a quilt between a twin and a double. I think it will be fun.

The fabric above is the fabric I purchase for MY project. The dark colors are a variety of dark blues and with the tans and golds I think it will be every bit as stunning as the quilt in the magazine. It will have lots of 1-1/2" squares [strip pieced, of course], but I will put the fabric and pattern away until I have time to do this one [maybe I will start cutting some of the pieces as my cutting table clears so I don't have to do them all at once when I'm ready to make the quilt].

And, last but certainly not least] here is my mother's day present from my son and dil in Temecula. The chair couldn't have been more right for this table. It is comfortable and sitting down to have breakfast and read the paper is so much easier now that I don't have to balance the dog on my lap. Well, back to sewing.

Our quilt group in the retirement community is making quilts for 4th of July - and will hope to have them hung really soon. We have several tops ready for quilting, so I will get busy with them as soon as they are layered.

This is this year's Thangles Block of the Month a group of us are doing at our local quilt shop. We did not want to use the same ugly fabrics [well, we really didn't like the early American fabrics they chose for last year and this year] so they are cutting special for us. I think this quilt is going to be fantastic.

Here is the Orange Crush quilt - when I laid it out on the bed for the photo I was instantly dizzy!! I don't like triangles at all, but I used the Fons and Porter triangle ruler and my blocks lay flat on the bed and floor. I'm going to put a 1/4" border of black [or maybe my very dark purple] between the quilt and the border. I'm going to look for a Halloween stripe [since this is purple, orange and lime green] for the final border and am going to do diagonal corners with it.

That is Little Bit standing on the quilt [he misses very few chances to get into the photo - or just to stand on the quilts]

I'm on my way to Morro Bay [250 miles north of Duarte] this weekend for the Central Coast Quilt Run [that is in California]. I have a son in Morro Bay so I will go to the shops between home and Santa Maria and he and my daughter in law will take me to the rest of them.

I found a quilt in the August 2007 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting that I am going to purchase fabrics for. It is Blue Moon of Kentucky and is med/dark blue and tans. If I go on the run with a plan, I don't come home with scads of yards that I don't have a plan for. I will, of course, find some cat fabric that is just to irresistable [sp?] to leave in the store. With gas prices, I expect this years trip is going to be expensive - but I received and deposited my "tax incentive?" so that will pay for gas/food/lodging.

Quilt

I won this bar at our Cinco de Mayo auction yesterday [actually the third of May]. It fits perfectly into my kitchen as my "dining table". I even put a placemat and table setting on it to see how it looks [I did eat on it last night, but not quite so formally]. I think the stools either need to be cushioned or I may just look for a couple chairs to replace them with.

I donated a quilt for auction [check the March 13th post. It is the lavender and wild print quilt]. It brought $175. Not a spectacular amount, but the woman who purchase it was very excited. We talked for a few minutes afterwords and I think it has gone to a really good home.

One of the nursery wall hangings went for a much better sum, so I will make a twin and a crib sized quilt for the next auction. After all, there are lot of grandparents here who will buy for their grandkids.

The monies raised at the auction will go 3 places: our Living Tapestry [which is a fund to support folks who have outlived their retirement monies], chairs [or tables] for our dining room, and money to the City of Duarte for a Teen Liaison project. We don't have a final count yet, but I'm looking forward to finding out what was actually raised.

I finished the first step of the Orange Crush mystery [142 4 squares] and am working with the Fons and Porter triangle ruler for the half 4-patch blocks. I haven't even started step 3, but will need to pull out more light fabrics from my storage unit to start those. I am NOT a triangle person, so it will be a miracle if these blocks end up size-wise well enough to be put together.

Orange Crush fabrics & finishes

Here is the fabric I've chosen for the Orange Crush mystery quilt to start on Tuesday, April 1st. All my friends are

going to Asilomar [a week-long quilting retreat in Northern California] so I have to amuse myself this week.

I found a really rich purple [to the left of the pinks] and more oranges, pinks and lime greens than I thought I had.

I don't know what to cut into 2" strips as the lights, but since I won't be starting the mystery until after lunch I'll check a couple of the posts and see what might look best. I'm also going to try out the Fons and Porter triangle ruler and see how that works [because you know she's going to have triangles in this quilt].

This quilt was made from several packets of Hawaiian flower fabrics that was given away at guild for charity quilts. I added the window panes to the 4-patches and made a 2-1/2 sashing between the blocks. I quilted around the flowers [took way to long to do], but it really looks great.

This quilt top was given to me, along with a pieced backing, by one of the women I quilt with in a Tuesday night class. After piecing it she was so sick of it she didn't want to see it again. I showed it to her after I quilted it, and she didn't think it was so bad after all.

This quilt was pieced by 4 of the quilters who meet here at Westminster Gardens. I was saved for the quilting. It is hanging in our dining room now, and will be replaced with a 4th of July quilt at some point.

Finished quilts

I started and finished this quilt January/February. It is hanging in the dining room at Westminster Gardens [WG] near the coffee area. I think they plan to have it hanging for some time.

It has all different coffee cups with what looks like Starbucks coffee names under them. It was a fun and easy kit to work on.












This is one [below] of my UFO's from the mid '90's [last century!!!!]. I found it in the storage unit and quilted and bound it in February. The scary thing was that it had been pinned - but there was no rusting of the pins [thank heaven]. I'm going to donate it to our fund raiser at WG for our Cinco de Mayo festivities. I even tried some miniature feathers in the border [I had taken a class, but hadn't been brave enough to try them].



















I haven't posted for awhile - at first I didn't have much, but then got whatever virus is going around and could barely walk the dogs for a couple weeks. I'm finally sewing again on my granddaughters quilt [blocks are still being cut and I'm looking for the pattern again - in a
magazine somewhere in my collection].





I'm also enjoying the spring here in Southern California - it's fantastic to hear the birds [and leaf blowers : ( ] and see the iris's[?] in bloom.






Now back to my row robin - this is my row [there are 5 blocks - 3 patience corner and 2 snowball and 9-patch]. We have 8 in our group [with one in Pittsburgh] so will have fairly large quilt tops when we get them back.








I have my friend Sandy's rows right now, but can't post anything on the blog until the end of the year. My friends read this and we can't see our rows until the unveiling in December. Most of the folks are easy about their blocks, but we have one who wants paper piecing with each row matching the row above or below [not my idea of fun]. We meet about every 6 or so weeks to exchange rows and do a show and tell of other things.




Open your windows and listen to the birds while you quilt [for those of you in sunny climes] or turn on the t.v. and listen to fun movies for those of you who are in colder areas.




I wish you happy sewing with no ripping.