October UFO Parade

Eeeep! Can you believe it's already November? That means only two more UFO projects to challenge!

The number for November is:

Here is my own challenge for November, "Dresden Blooms." The pattern is from Cozy Quilts. It's anothe rof my "1930s Reproductions" projects. And it was quilt #44 for 2013!

I received the first entry for the October parade early in the month from Carol. She lives in Idaho in the summer, and Arizona in the winter. I met Carol years ago when I went to Granny's Attic Quilting in the Pines Retreat. Here's what Carol says about her quilt:

This picture is of a 2008 Thimbleberries project.  I am finally getting caught up with all the years of club projects.  Now I have to get them quilted.  There are 10 tops ready to sandwich and quilt. 

Love this one, Carol! Maybe the 2014 UFO challenge should be "quilting and binding!" I really missed being with you all at quilt camp!

Look at this adorable entry from Sandi. She calls it "Kindergarten."

And reports:

The stripe really makes this little quilt sing.  I was so happy it was the smaller one of the three UFOs that remained for 2013. Little School Girl designed by Lori Smith is a pattern I picked up at Quilters Coop in Temecula during the annual outdoor quilt show that is held each October.  The year the pattern came home with me was 2011.  Pattern is in Lori's Q is for Quilt series.  www.frommyheartoyourhands.com.

Sandi blogged this quilt at KwiltnKats here. Be sure to go to her post, because she reviews all her 13 in 2013 finishes so far!

Deb's October finish is a design that is dear to my heart --  Jacob's Ladder, this one from Thimbleberries.

Deb writes:

My year of FINISH has been a good one (this is UFO Finish #47 for 2013) and I'm hoping to end the year with less than 25 UFOs in my Collection so I'll be doing lots of quilting through the end of December!

You're ahead of me, Deb! I've only pieced 46 tops so far this year!

Debra finished her Sunbonnet Sue! Everybody cheer! I know a lot of us have a Sunbonnet in our "UFO stash," so this is a BIG finish. I have to show all three photos, because this quilt is just too big to fit in one photo!

Look at Debra's great embroidery!

Plus, here is Debra's "13th Finish." Debra tells us:

I have also sent over a picture of a quilt I started in September 2013 with Sandi Delman (www.kwiltnkats.com). It is a Buggy Barn original and is called "If the Hat Fits". Of course I had to make one of my witches wearing her beautiful "ruby slippers".

Since I live on "Oz Court," Debra, I really should add this quilt to my "bucket list!"

Here is a quilt from a 13 in 2013 "newbie" (at least I think newbie),  Donna. See, I told you it's OK to join in at any point!

Read what Donna writes about this quilt:

Recently finished (October 4, 2013) queen-sized quilt "Labyrinth" from Keepsake Quilting for my son and soon to be daughter-in-law.  First time working with batiks, and I really liked them! Machine pieced, hand quilted.

I love how she just drops in that "hand quilted." This is a queen-sized quilt, people! Very impressive, Donna!

Only six entries this month, but wow! what a group of finishes!  I have a copy of Quiltmaker magazine's new book, "Devoted to Scraps" to send to

That would be Deb S. Congratulations, Deb! Please send me your postal address and I'll send the book to you.

I count 127 finishes so far this year! And that doesn't include my own (I don't count me for the giveaways!). Wow! What do you think we should do next year? I'm thinking maybe a "BOM Finish" (what, you don't have 12 BOMs underway?). Or maybe a "quilt and bind" finish. Or perhaps just a "12 Finishes" finish.

A late entry!

I missed this email from Martha. She reports it uses a new "zig zag" tool. As soon as I find out who makes, it, I'll feature it on a Tuesday tool!

Hope to see your quilt here on December 1!

From the desk of your

One Block Wonder WIP Wednesday

The wonder is, why did I wait so long to make this quilt? 

One Block Wonder is the most fun I've had quilting in a long, long time! "Newbie Jen" at Quilter in the Closet has been sponsoring a One Block Wonder QAL. Last fall at Cindy's retreat in Cascade, Idaho my tablemate was making this quilt using this fabric:

I fell in love with her quilt, and because I had to race down to the airport in Boise to pick up My Little Sailor, I stopped off at Quilt Expressions in Garden City and bought all they had left of the fabric.

And the book:

When Jen announced the QAL, I dug out the fabric and the book and started cutting:

I made a few kaleidoscopes and put them up on the design wall to admire. This is going to be fun!

Finally, this week I finished making the rest of the blocks and spent an afternoon arranging them on the design wall in my new upstairs sewing room (with the really, really BIG design wall!):

Arranging the hexies is addictive!

Wait a minute, isn't that a little off center?

Better!

Of course, this quilt must be sewn together in ROWS, and you know I hate to sew row after row together. But this is one that cannot be taken down from the design wall, so it will be finished before I can start anything else!

Linking up to Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the River:

and WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Friday is the October UFO Parade. Send me a message with a photo of your October finish by midnight tomorrow night to be included in the parade!

From the desk of your

TGIF and a New Sewing Room

What is it with Americans that we dedicate the largest room, with the best view, to sleeping? The master bedroom in my house is larger than the kitchen, larger than the living room, larger than the family room -- and it has a killer view of Pikes Peak!

So we've made the master bedroom into the "winter sewing room." Look at the view! And the light is the best in the house, with the huge Palladian windows.

Now I have a huge design wall, 14' high! I need to buy more flannel to cover more of the wall for design space. It's big enough to lay out an entire King-sized quilt!

I did get quilt #45 for 2013 pieced. It's Clover by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co., the October Schnibbles quilt.

I  know the corner triangles are oversized. I decided not to trim them off until after I quilt it, because the one I trimmed is now off-center. And I've decided this will be the baby quilt for the new IBM baby, rather than the Dresden from last week. I just love the colors in Lily Ashbury's "Gypsy Girl!"

Linking up to "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop" at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

As well as Richard and Tanya's "Link a Finish Friday."

Today is Strip Club at High Country. I'm hoping to get this quilt completely pieced today, think I can do it?

From the desk of your

A Wednesday Schnibbles

Today's WIP is my reward for making all those Farmer's Wife blocks last week. Looking at the pattern photo, it looks to be a snap, doesn't it.

(click on the photo to go to Miss Rosie's Quilt Co.)

I hate making quilts that go together in rows.  Especially diagonal rows (see this example from Quiltmaker's Scrap Squad. Love the quilt, hate the technique.)

You know how they tell you to read through all the directions before beginning a quilt? If I'd done that, I probably would have put this pattern away and made one of the other Schnibbles quilts I didn't get made this summer. I had it all cut out and the sashing four-squares put together before I realized it had to be sewn together in rows.

However, I plowed on and now it's on the design wall.

Bad photo, I know. When it's sewn together, I'll move it to a wall with better lighting.  The fabric is "Gypsy Girl" by Lily Ashbury for Moda. She's one of my favorite designers, I've made several quilts from her fabrics.

This is "Cheaper by the Dozen" in Summerhouse, quilt #5 in 2012.

And this is "Strips and Ladders," #43 in 2011.

I love Lily Ashbury's fabrics!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

I am determined to have a second October finish by Friday. Come back and see if I made it!

From the desk of your

First October Finish

I'm really falling behind this month -- the first finish of the month, and it's already October 18! Here is "Dresden Blooms," my UFO for October:

I'm slowly finishing all my projects from "the 1930s reproduction collection." This is a Strip Club project from years ago. Pattern by Susan Ziegler for Cozy Quilts.

The pattern has two borders of print fabrics around the center Dresden Plate block. Because I want this for a baby quilt, I left them out to make the quilt smaller.

That caused me a little trouble with the pink half-circles on the half-Dresdens on the outside blocks. It looks to me like the pattern tester had the same problem, or is that just wishful thinking?

Linking up to "Can I Get a Whoop Whoop" at Confessions of a Fabric Addict:

and Link a Finish Friday at Richard and Tanya Quilts:

This is Quilt #44 for 2013 -- eight to go to make 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks! Guess I need to put down the knitting needles and get back to the sewing machine.

From the desk of your

WIP Wednesday: One Block Wonder

Why, oh why did I wait so long to begin this quilt? I thought it would be difficult! It's not, and wow, how fun it is turning out!

Jen at Quilter in the Closet is sponsoring a "One Block Wonder QAL."  I'm always a sucker for QALs (I think it's the accountability. I like keeping up so I can post my progress to the Flickr group!)

(image from Amazon.com)

One of the quilters at Cindy's quilt retreat last October was making this quilt from this fabric.

It's "Satsuki" from Robert Kaufman. Made in Japan! When I raced down to Boise to pick up My Little Sailor (home on emergency leave from his port call in Manila) I stopped off at Quilt Expressions and bought all they had left.

Fast forward to September, nearly one year later. When Jen announced the One Block wonder QAL, I dug out this fabric and my book. I was surprised how quickly the pieces went together. Thanks, Bonnie Hunter for the tip to store lots of pieces on a cookie sheet!

Here a just a few of my blocks on the design wall. I need to make 30 more before I really start designing the quilt. But who could resist seeing what it will look like?

I discovered Ruth's Stitchery here in the Springs has fabrics from this line, so I can choose a contrast color for the setting half-hexagons and borders. Orange? Blue? Cathy will have to help me decide!  Here is a link to my Flickr photostream, in case you want to see some more photos of this WIP.

I'll link up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced as soon as the link opens!

Quilt finish #45 for 2013 will be posted on Friday -- come back and see!

From the desk of your

Design Wall Monday: BOM Catch-up

After three days of sewing nothing but "Farmer's Wife" blocks, I am caught up on all but one of my Blocks of the Month projects!

First up, finally a second colorway for the "Toes in the Sand" BOM from the Quilt Asylum. Yep, that's Tula Pink's Saltwater.

Two different colorways of the same blocks from two different years of Patchwork Party (left two are from 2010, right two are from 2012).  The more I use Marti Michell's clever templates, the more I love them!

This quilt will be the first one I put together for the 2014 UFO Challenge -- because I want to take Ryokan to Japan as a housewarming gift for My Little Sailor!

My Amish With a Twist BOM from Ruth's Stitchery is almost to the point where I can decide on a background color. I decided the black was just too predictable. Ruth's has the entire line of Northcott Premium ColorWorks Solids, so there will be a perfect color just waiting for me, I know!

This isn't one block, it's part of the "piano key" border. I appreciate that the pattern has you make a few of these each month, rather than a whole passle when the blocks are finished. They're boring!

This is my shining accomplishment of the week! That's 18 (count them. I've counted them about 100 times, I can't believe I made that many 6.5"  blocks at once!) Farmer's Wife blocks!

If you're the least bit interested in making a Farmer's Wife quilt (and I love the ones in blogland made with modern fabrics, or just two colors. But never again!), I highly recommend you sign up for Marti Michell's "Farmers Wife" conversion charts. She sends one free set of instructions per week, and the next round of 10 sets begins Friday, October 18. Using her templates, the blocks go together like a hot knife through buttah. 

Here it is, my "BOM Control Central" board. That 3D Sampler quilt from Cindy's Quilt Shop is still kicking my butt. The blocks finish at 6" and the 3D technique requires insane amounts of concentration!

And here is the "October Quilts" list. Since I took this photo, I've crossed off ONE item on the list -- the jewelry roll test sew.

A teaser photo of that project: It turned out great, but we'll have to wait until Laura publishes the pattern to see the finished product! (And BTW, Amy, she says "thanks" for the photoshop tip!)

Since this post is already enormously photo-heavy, I'll leave you with a screen shot of my new desktop wallpaper. That's the USS George Washington, CVN 73 (that means aircraft carrier) departing Busan, South Korea.

Fair winds and following seas, Sailors!

From the desk of your