Picnic butterflies

My picnic quilt top is finally assembled.


I was looking for a red and white checked fabric with black ants crawling around for the sashing, but alas, I looked to no avail. However, I found these lovely butterflies,

and I would consider butterflies invited guests at my picnic whereas the ants would have been uninvited.

So I guess it all works out, Huh?

After looking at photos of my "picnic" quilt several times right here, I wasn't really happy with the layout. Luckily last week both of my artist daughters were here and they helped me rearrange the blocks for my picnic quilt (that sadly I have not worked on since then). I think it's a lot better.


I intended for my husband to take a photo of me last week with both of the girls, but sadly neglected to do it. (Ask me about our trip to the Grand Canyon sometime--you guessed it, no photos!)
However I did get a photo yesterday with Anna Maria when we were in Nashville. Well, at least you get to see my new haircut!

IF ALL ELSE FAILS . . .

...check the trash can.

The "picnic" quilt that I've been working on was going along just fine. I really wanted a second block to have a wonderful teacup print fabric that a dear friend had sent be, but there just wasn't enough to cut all the pieces. Luckily, I hadn't emptied my sewing room trash can.
So I checked the trash can


and, voila, there was just enough for be to be able to piece a few scraps in to one rectangle


to complete the second block.


And here are all the blocks spaced out as they will be in the completed picnic quilt.


I think maybe I will quilt it using modified version of another friend's idea and make "place setting" shapes around the quilt. Not sure what I'll do in the middle. Stay tuned and I'll let you know.

IS IT PICNIC TIME YET ?

Oh, gee, it's Memorial Day weekend. Does that mean it's picnic time?

Ever since I received a couple "food themed" pieces of fabric from internet friends for my birthday in February, I have had in mind that I should make a "picnic quilt". Too bad that my Tennessee Star quilt isn't completed yet; when a gal had something in mind she's just got to get on with it right? So the fabrics are all purchased (unless I decide I need a couple more) and cut


and a few are even pieced. I've placed the ones I have done here so that you can see the blocks and how they will be arranged. (Of course they will be spaced further apart once I get the other blocks finished.)


The TN Star is patiently waiting for me to finish the quilting.


I'm even trying something a little different this time--some embroidery in the "non pattern" squares. Until I'm better at it, though, I'm sticking with tone on tone color, so it may be difficult to see that I am trying to mimic the surrounding print in the embroidery. (If you click on the photo, you can get an enlargement and will be able to see the embroidery.)




In the meantime, I'm also working on the sweater for a June birthday for a special young lady who will be entering her teens. The back is finished and is all blocked and ready to be sewn to the fronts and sleeves as soon as they are completed.


So with all these fun projects to complete, I guess I need to leave the keyboard and get busy!

FIBER FONDLING

Wow, I got in some serious fiber fondling while I was at Anna Maria's babysitting for her while she was at quilt market in Portland. Her children are old enough now that I am able to do more than just child care. Her mother-in-law had already finished whatever huge pile of laundry may have there by the time I arrived. So what's a quilter to do with some time on her hands?

I used her big farm table to change my current quilt project from this


to this (using one of her fabulous new "Garden Party" prints for the border).


I played around with free motion and basted the quilt that way. It worked well, but it was most likely a mistake as it will be a real pain to take those stitches out. I am not going to try to free motion the quilt though (except maybe the border). Actually I think I'll go for hand quilting; I've got an idea in mind for how I want to do it. I'll have to play around with it a bit, but DRATS, I still have a sweater I need to finish knitting.

But the real fiber fondling came on Monday when I decided to transform her fabric scraps from this pile


to these stacks:


Oh, and before I left for home yesterday, we checked out a couple quilt shops in Franklin TN. (She had met the owners at market.) And, of course, I couldn't come away empty handed, so I now have the fabrics I need to start my next quilt--a picnic quilt with all kinds of "food themed" fabrics.

By the way, I can tell you that her market was quite successful, but I'm not going to spill the beans; you'll just have to wait for her to tell you.

The Plan

Well, I have my next quilt pretty much laid out on my planning board (otherwise knows as a sheet on the floor). Before doing that, I played around with individual half square triangles to get the flow of the colors just the way I thought I wanted it.


But after getting my completed blocks on the sheet, I changed my plan once again. You can see that some of the blocks are finished and there are others yet to go.



So far, all the completed blocks have the same fabric in the center and diagonal corner of the 9 patch blocks. The remaining blocks will have varying central colors which will alternate with the current ones. If that doesn't make sense, stay tuned and I'll update you as I progress. (You probably already know that I don't get to my quilting too often, so that may be a while!)

By the way, sorry about the extra little objects in my photos; I forgot to crop them when I first downloaded them and now can't figure out how to go back and do that. (Will I ever be techno savvy?) So you'll just have to live with seeing my very favorite at home shoes--my trusty Berks!

IT'S ABOUT TIME

Well, I guess my week off is over and long gone. Time for me to get back with the program, I guess!

I haven't been back to quilting since our Easter, but here's a glimpse in to what I should be returning to next week. The fabrics are from an exchange I was part of; each participant sent a dark and light fabric. I am keeping the sets together and putting the initials of the contributor in the center of each block.


I have done a bit more knitting, though. I've finished the baby blanket for a shower for next week.


It's time for me to get back to the sweater.


I've just been too lazy to have to read the pattern again, but I must to get back to it next time I sit down with the needles!