Just a note…

Things have been a little wet here this week;  that’s good for the drought but not quite good enough.  But we’ll take anything we get.  It is good sewing/quilting weather though.

I have been keeping busy quilting a student’s Dear Jane© top.  It is slow going, considering it has been at least a  couple years since I had a quilt in the frame.  I have also been trimming up hourglass blocks from a swap we did between 9 of us with my Twisted Sister retreat group last fall.  I have a lot more to trim but it will be pretty when it is finished.  Not so bad if you trim a few a day.  Just take a look in the 19th Century Patchwork Divas book, History Repeated, published by Kansas City Star Books and you can see a quilt that I am working towards.  I am planning on mine having an applique' block in the center from a pattern by Lori Smith.

I am also eagerly awaiting Betsy Chutchian’s new book,   Lizzie's Legacy, also published by Kansas City Star Books.  I know it will be as good as Gone to Texas and History Repeated.  I have had my local quilt shop order it for me.

Also this week, I taught a hand quilting class at Celeste at Quilt Mercantile.  I had 6 students and I heard nothing but good things about my class.  It had been so long since I had taught it that I had my doubts.  Maybe I will have another one in a few months.

I have also been planning a log cabin quilt as I iron and put away my new fabric purchases, of which there have been quite few.  I will get back to that another time.  I am trying to decide just what how many fabrics I want to include-planned scrappy or totally scrappy.

Hopefully this evening I can get my last 2 Prince’s Feather blocks back basted.  I already have the leaves stitched down on the remaining 2 blocks.

Until next I write I am…Sew having fun,

Sarah

Hello 2013!

It seems like forever since I wrote, close to a year.  But after that last post my year went downhill from there.  Last year was not good for me.  I lost my dad, 3 pets and my husband was in the hospital with meningitis/encephalitis.  This year has got to be better.  Right?  It can’t be much worse is the way I look at it.  It has to be better.

I have not been busy sewing other some applique’ now and then.  I got a new Bassett mix and he is still very much a puppy and into anything made of fiber-cotton, cellulose, thread.  Plus some things that are not edible.  If he’s not chewing, he’s in my lap.  His name is Clooso, like Inspector Clouseau.  He is not the smartest dog we have had, but he definitely has personality.

I have had one retreat already this year and I had a great time as usual.  I actually finished 2 of my applique’ blocks for my 4 block quilt that I started close to 10 years ago.   Now to finish the other 2 with a dog in my lap.  But any progress is a good thing for me.                                                                               

This block I adapted from a pattern booklet I adapted from one of Mrs. Scioto Danner’s catalogs.  It said it was for a 24” block but I did not think it filled the block enough so I redid it to where I thought it filled the block better.  The original 9 block had sashing between the blocks so I think that is why it said it was for a 24” block.  The original of this quilt is (or was) in the Denver Art Museum. 

I have also drafted the block from the plate I talked about in my last post…Inspiration!  I drew it for a 20” block and am thinking about a 9-block quilt with red and green on a cheddar background.  Only time will tell if I get around to it.

I think that’s enough for this post.  I will do my best to blog more in 2013; I do enjoy it.

Sew having fun!

Sarah