Becky's quilt obsession

Such a wonderful start to my day. Roses arrived from my DH – he always sends a day ahead as you receive the best roses then. I then opened my inbox, and there were more emails than I’ve ever received at once asking for a copy of a PDF file I made of paper-pieced houses. If you are here looking for them, they are now in the Yahoo group Stashbuster files. I completed the components for the second “round” of the JN Lone Star, and I now like it. The dark second background brings out the center first star. I have another ongoing project I could use your opinion on. I bought these old kaleidoscope blocks on eBay a long time ago. I took some of them apart and remade them a bit – only recutting the center part, leaving the second round and the corners alone. They started out, and are ending up several different sizes, from 8 to 9+ inches. In the picture the pink one lower right is one of the originals and you can see that it is very wavy. The others I have remade. I thought about setting th...

Oh, my, I've done it now. Over on the Stashbuster Yahoo Group I posted a personal challenge to finish 50 quilts from my stash without buying any fabric except WOW for backgrounds. I'm even NOT buying backings, but using up all I have, then piecing the rest! Now others want to join in!! It all started with a discussion with DH about how I thought I could make 500 quilts from the fabric in the house. I thought that was too high a number for a goal, so brought it down to 50. I have a database in Excel that I use to track UFO's, and I listed 34 that needed finishing, so I think I can do both - finish UFO's and work on WHIMMs (works hidden in my mind). The finished quilts can be any size, from doll (or miniature) size, on up to HUGE. When I have more time, I'll figure out how to set up a Mr Linky so others can report finishes as well, or some other way for others to report their numbers. There's no time limit, I just can't buy anymore fabric until 50 quilts ar...

What was I thinking last week? Where was my mind? I thought I could finish a Judy Martin pattern quicker than I could make J udy L's Freeze Frame? ?? The photo on the left is of the now UFO pieces for Celebration. I finished all the strip sets, and 200 of the 300 4 patches, but finally said Whoa! Too much!! I started Freeze frame on Saturday, worked a little bit on Sunday, I just need to make about 30 more border blocks, and then put all the borders on. I'm making a few extra blocks so I can put in wider center borders and outer borders to make the quilt a little bigger. I did make it down the street to the quilting machine yesterday. I quilted this quick Stashbuster quilt made for DGD#2. Her mother (DD) said she needed a soft, easy to wash "blanket" for her big bed. This one is from fabric left over from DD's wedding quilt, and all the "ladybug" fabric used in DGDs room. I backed it with very soft Minkee, and used a very thin batting inside....

Ugly fabric quilt progress The Sunshine Ugly Fabric Stashbuster Challenge quilt has now grown too big for the design wall. The first plain 6" border is on, and two sides of the 6" block borders are on. Someone asked what my Ugly fabric was - It is the "fireworks" found in the center of many of the blocks. I picked it for the challenge as I don't work well with grayed (toned) fabrics, and I wanted to gain some skills with that. The Challenge also involved using a bit of orange and/or yellow in each block, also colors I don't use much. I have learned that most quilts need a touch of yellow to put the "sun" in them, but I don't pick it as a main color, which I have done in this quilt. I'm sure hoping the couple I'm giving it to for Christmas like these colors. They've wanted a large quilt from me for a long time (they have a large lap quilt, denim quilt, and lap Christmas quilts), but not one for their bed. The other two borders...

After my Dr appointment today, I decided to work on more of the Stashbuster Ugly blocks for June and July. The top right is the remake of the Illinois block, with the "wrong" one below it. Corn and Beans, middle top, was a bear until I noticed on the last few seams that I had failed to replace the single stitch throat plate after doing the mending that needed zigzag stitches. What a difference it makes! I also gave my machine a new needle since I was seeing green dots on stitches, and my thread was grey and ecru. Amazing - good stitches. I finished the bottom center a few days ago, so the only one left was Bradford's Beauty - the left ones. The top one I followed the coloring in the files on Stashbuster, but I also looked it up in the Marti Michell template books, so I had to make the bottom one with her coloring. The fabrics are mostly the same in both blocks, just changed location of lights and darks. I love what that does. I want to make at least one more wi...

I hope none of you get the ugly respiratory bug I had. It took 3 weeks and 3 rounds of antibiotics, as well as all the junk for the concurrent asthma to finally kill it. It came at the end of 6 weeks off arthritis meds, so it's been about 2 months since I've felt well enough to sit and sew. I can't imagine what it would have been like 50 years ago, with out all our great medicines. No wonder people didn't live as long. Who would want to if they could hardly walk, and then only with pain? Stashbusters is having a BOM made out of almost ugly fabric. Last night, and today, I finished the first two 12" blocks. I also made two 6" blocks from all the HSTs I cut to audition for the center of the star. My almost ugly fabric is the starburst fabric that is definitely toned. We are supposed to add a little yellow and orange to the blocks. I decided that I could use this opportunity to try working outside my usual palette. I'm sure missing the brights, however. The...

It seems that many people on the Stashbusters list are sorting and cleaning their quilt studios, or at least their stash repositories. I, too, managed to stack a lot of stuff on every horizontal surface, so have been working a few minutes a day in making the room usable. While we were building this house (we bought it when it was in progress), I really worried about where all my stash would go. There are very few closets, so I had to make use of what was here. The only closet in the hobby room is 24" deep. I had the builder leave off the trim on the backside of the opening so we could fit 24" wire shelves in the closet. One of the vendors at work (Operating Room) helped me obtain heavy duty shelves that just fit the closet. It was quite a sight watching my husband - then fiancée - and his friend build the shelves inside the closet as there was no room to assemble them anyplace else. The hardest thing at the time was telling them how much room to leave between shelves. I did u...

Last Tuesday I drove to Des Moines to attend the AQS -American Quilters Society - show there. I just came home last night. One of the instructors was Joen Wolfrom, and I have always wanted to take a color class from her. My wish was granted. I actually took 2 classes with her, one was on landscapes, and the second was a log cabin class, but much of the class was spent on color theory. I've tried multiple times to put luminosity and luster (light and reflected light) in my quilts, without much success. I think I understand it a bit better now. AQS was very clear that personal pictures of the quilts in the exhibits should NOT be posted on the web. I think it is okay to post these pictures of our class in progress on landscapes. This was the first project. We were learning how to put distance, as well as luminosity, in a landscape. Mine is the middle one in the top row, with the crooked peninsula. I can't seem to glue straight. It was so interesting to see them up on the wall, and...