Becky's quilt obsession

What's NOT on my design wall - the Big Star Buffalo Ranch quilt. It is finished, label and everything. It is folded up to become my carry-on luggage for our trip on Thursday. Chris has a loft, with a railing, so hopefully I can get a picture there. The label includes the admonition to use with two persons so you can fight your way out from underneath it and not smother! A king flannel quilt, even with light batting, is one heavy dude! So what do we do with the leftovers? Start another quilt. I had wanted to use the panel seen in the left picture on Chris's quilt, but it wouldn't work with any setting I could come up with for a king - square - quilt. This will be a long lap quilt, and I am trying to use up all the left-over fabric scraps on it. Some of the checkerboard background is pieced - one 2" square has three pieces in it. I had to introduce the striped background for some of the last round (the block on the right), but I had purchased it to use as bi...

I know this doesn't look like a design wall, but it is what I've been doing today. DSIL is growing a garden for the first time this year. Tomatoes have been late because we haven't had very many hot, sunny days for August. We went over to see DGD and take her a birthday present because she was too sick to have a party (she's 3). Their table was covered with tomatoes that were ripening - ripe. I offered to "do something with them", so we loaded then in two flat boxes to bring them home. DGD started crying and fussing - she didn't like it that we were taking all her tomatoes! I've emailed this photo to them so she can see what happens at grandma's house. If she wasn't sick, I would have brought her home to "help". I was surprised I could remember how to can, and that I had enough jars and lids. I've given most of that stuff away over the years. The kids and I used to do it every year as a family project - beans, tomatoes, a...

Some days you just want a bit of a challenge. Last evening DH was out playing with trains, and I decided to cut out the "Secret project" pieces. A small amount of it can be seen in the right photo, however it covers the entire wall. One piece of fabric is a red batik, and I decided I couldn't cut it until I washed it with Retayne, so put it in the washer. I stopped working on that, and decided to make a 12" Ice Crystals Block. It's like making a rolling star, and then adding 4 half LeMoyne stars around the edges. The small diamonds 1 3/4" certainly furnished the challenge. The block pictured on the left with the other Blazing stars is actually from left-overs of my DD's wedding quilt. I followed a picture in one of Joen Wolfrom's books which used red, black, grey, and white (after receiving permission from the maker who was flattered that my DD picked her quilt). It had a log cabin center, a pieced red inner border of the medallion, then gr...

It doesn't take much to amuse us this morning. DH and I are sitting at our computers in the library, and the 2 older DGC are playing in here as well. We have a small metal file cabinet between us, and there is a small box of magnetic letters sitting on top of it. DGD started to grab the letters, and DH said "The letters are asleep" and said she couldn't have them. The 4 year old looked at him and said"Letters don't sleep". We all had a good laugh, and now she is putting the letters in alphabetical order on the file cabinet, with the assurance she will put them back in the box when finished. Back to quilting! The random number generator has declared http://thequilter.blogspot.com/ Paula the winner of the three hankies pictured in http://beckyquiltobsession.blogspot.com/2009/08/give-away-hankies-hanky-quilts.html this session. However, If you would like one of the other hankies - sorry, no crocheted ones - please send me your email and I will sen...

What's on my design wall? Nothing! That's because I finished the top of the big star last night, and now it's waiting on the cutting table to go down the street to quilt it. The only problem is I have to spend a couple of hours finishing the quilt that's on the long arm before I can do this one. I have lots to do today and tomorrow, so it looks like Wednesday will be the day to start. I have to meet with the Senator's constituent person tonight to voice my opinion of the health care bill. I think we will need to go a bit early to actually get in to the library where it is being held. I hope we are listened to, but I doubt it. It seems that political minds are already made up. I hope they have to run for re-election soon! Happy quilting! Becky Email me

There's not much change on the design walls. DH's son was visiting most of the week, so we did other things. I did finish the blocks on the left which make up the second border. I need to cut the two borders and put it all together. That's not the fun part for me, but if I want to finish by Labor Day, I need to get busy quick. Today I went with my DIL's aunt (MM) for her first class with her new Brother machine. It was most helpful, and we taught my DGS (10) to help her with it. He took off the throat plate to clean the machine, and then put it back on, changed a bobbin, and learned how to change the presser feet. MM has CP , so a more nimble set of hands is helpful with some of the small stuff. After the class, I took MM to where my quilting machine is located - no stairs - and she watched me load the top she made, and start quilting it. It is a Turning Twenty, a good start for a first big quilt. I have another simple quilt cut out for her so she has some...

My mother loved hankies. She always carried at least one, and sometimes more in her purse. When I was in grade school, she used to crochet around them. The pink one and the two yellow ones are her crochet. I finally was able last week to unpack these and start cleaning them up. My mother had 76 hankies when she died. This stack represents about 2/3 rds of them. The rest need to be handled individually so they won't run on the others. I love how well the age spots come out with a combination of oxi -clean and Biz. These had 2 overnight soaks. I plan to use these in a quilt, combined with the ones that were DH's mother's. Give -away!!! I didn't soak the three in the top picture. The label says made in Switzerland I believe. Obviously they were a boxed set. If you would like this set of hankies, please leave a comment and I will draw for them next week. I've never had a give-away on my blog, so I think it high time. These may be as old as 1965. My gran...