More Books!

I can't help it. I am just a book addict. I can only blame my eyesight since I can't read paperbacks anymore, I buy quilt books. Here are my latest two purchased from Amazon.com. The first is a book on scrap quilts entiteld Weekend Scrap Quilting by Jeanne Stauffer and Sandra L. Hatch. Every author approaches scrap quilts in a different way. This one is perhaps more useful to me than others because she assumes that you have varying amounts of different fabrics. If you run out of a fabric, doesn't matter. Search your stash for something similar. There are several quilts that apply well to large patterned novelty fabrics as well. Can hardly wait to start one!

This next book is for anybody who quilts using their home machine. It features a variety of ways to put your quilt together without having to deal with all that batting. A plus for large full sized on up to king sized quilts! If you can't afford to pay someone with a longarm machine, this is the one to get. Included are about a dozen patterns, which are very helpful to determine which ways to incorporate your own patterns. They are cool patterns anyway, especially that cover one! This book is Divide and Conquer by Nancy Smith & Lynda Mulligan. Amazon is nearly sold out of this book, so if it interests you, don't wait to order!

My Maple Leaf quilt is wonderful. So far, I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this new batting (Joann's Soft'nCrafty HiLoft). I'm currently working on putting the Paddlewheel quilt together. I've finished the blocks and am preparing sections for pinbasting. As mentioned before, this quilt will be quilted section by section and then assembled. My Mom & Dad's quilt is just about killing me with the weight (large queen size) and I don't want to further torment myself. My goal is to get all the remaining pin-basted quilts finished yet this year (5, I think) and to do that, I have got to stop starting new quilts!!

On the crocheting side, my Mom's rose afghan is about half done now. I had lots of appointments last week and actually need to get more yarn. In between all of this, I'm trying to make room in my closet for kittens. I was outvoted and the stray that turned out to be pregnant is staying. (grumble, grumble) I knew as soon as they gave her a name, they would keep her. Cleo-Claudine wants my closet. She's about a year-old, small, calico kitty, who doesn't exactly like me (she growls, but doesn't claw or bite). We expect the kittens within a couple of weeks. She's pretty fat now, so I expect any day soon.

Cleo-Claudine in early September

Shopping Day!

I went on a shopping day today. All the way to the other end of town to shop at the cross stitch shop (only one in the area that I know of!). I love Stitchville USA in Minnetonka. Lots of completed models. Plenty to look at. I primarily bought frames so that I have something to put those quick-t0-stitch items into.

Following my trip there, I wandered over to a couple of quilt shops. Discovered there is a shop hop going on so joined. Got my free bag of goodies, bought some fabric and moved on to the next. My local quilt shop is also participating, so that was fun.

I did stick with buying what I needed. Well, all but one item. Four yards of a luscious purple fabric. It's going to be a border (right).

Lucky Stars
Lucky Stars by Atkinson Designs is a very popular pattern locally. I plan to make one using up leftover Halloween fabrics once I finish the primary project. This will be enlarged to twin size. I have a small suitcase full of Halloween fabric. I want to get these quilts made so I can stop the collection!! At several of the shop hop shops, I bought various background fabrics to see what will work best for the quilt as a whole. This works out fine since the very last Halloween project planned out is just a bunch of different blocks finished off with flying geese (also in Halloween fabrics).

http://www.atkinsondesigns.com/patterns/patternDetail.asp?productID=129

Maple Leaf Quilt is Done!

All this month, I've been working on needlecrafts and I finally have a finished product to show you! I finished the Maple Leaf Quilt yesterday. Tying took longer than planned, but it's ready to go on my bed now. This quilt was the result of a swap on QATW. This is also a stashbuster quilt. All but the sashing/inner border and the cream background came from stash. This includes the fabric used in my swap blocks!

The final size was 89 x 102 inches and I used Joann's Soft and Crafty Hi loft batting to get more of a comforter feel. I used Cascade 220 yarn in light cream and mulberry brown to tie the quilt. The backing, also purchased from Joann's, is a prewashed pink paisley flannel fabric. The sashings are 2 inches finished with a 4 inch inner border and 6 inch outer border.

This photo is more of a closeup, but also features the backing.


If you are doing a similar on-point quilt, 3 yards will give you just enough for the sashing/inner border if you cut it all lengthwise. Here's a link to the pattern we swappers used to make our blocks.
http://www.quiltaholics.com/bom/maplf.htm

Last Day of Fair

I didn't get much done over the weekend, but the Maple Leaf Quilt is about 2/3rds tied now. On this, the last day of the MN State Fair, I thought I'd share just a few more photos (since I don't have any of stuff I'm working on). I don't have much of the other crafts as the backflash from the windows gave me trouble.

Sandra Wucher, Stashbuster's Listmom is multitalented. Not only did she get a ribbon on her Pinneapple Log Cabin (see photo below), but she also received 2nd prize in the Fleischmann's prize for her fish bread entry.

This was an interesting sweater design. It looks like she added a double purl row to separate the yoke from the body of the sweater.
My vote for prettiest chicken.

Cowboys

Photobucket has added new features. So far, they aren't working well. I did no quilting yesterday, but did get to view lots of cowboys (and saw a couple get squashed by cows...ok..bulls..whatever).

While at the Fair, I found Sandra Wucher's (Yahoo's Stashbuster Listmom) Pineapple Log Cabin quilt. Isn't it great! I plan to use a similar pattern (foundation pieced) to make one eventually. I love her fabrics!

Here is my current project, the Maple Leaf quilt, while being tied. It is wider than my long, resin table, so I tie a section, then move it over. Have to be careful not to get little puckers when I do this, but so far, it's working well. I have to get this plus the Sister's Choice quilt done before it gets cold. I'm slow, but if I get in an hour a day, I progress.