Ordered the GO- sale this weekend

http://www.shoppersrule.com/ is having a sale on the GO and dies. I have been tracking the prices and this is the least I have seen. (More than I want to spend but a sale is a sale is a sale)

I ordered the GO (it comes with dies and a mat) and you had to get four additional dies to get the sales price. (the additional $25 saved paid for taxes and shipping was free!)

I purchased the Large Drunkards Path, Large Triangle (I want to do borders and pyramid quilts) The Large Tumbler, and the smaller Drunkards Path.

I hope to bust a lot of stash for donation quilts. I pulled a tub of fabrics to 'practice' cutting on as soon as the machine arrives. Some pieces are yardage, others fats or smaller.

I purposed to cut at least 11 Kits on my BABY Go in 2011. I will commit to doing at least 11 with my new GO too.

From the Practice fabrics I am guessing I can make a pretty good dent on the Kit Tally.

50 state flowers- Do I Want or Need Borders?

With out Borders this top is 80 x 92 (ish)

The setting strips are a white background with purple flowers and green leaves.

The setting sqs are a green Tone on Tone leaves and match the green in the strips.

The butterflies are raw-edge applique and still need their antennas added. The large wing is a darker purple print and the smaller wing is a light purple Tone on Tone

Question is: If I choose to do a border, what would look good?

I don't want to go to fancy b/c this is a pretty simple setting.

Normally I would do a small inner border, then another small and then a bit larger (if using 3 fabrics) What colors? What order? What sizes? I also have plenty of the light material used for setting strips. Materials available: Dark Purple print, Lt. Purple, Green, Light setting strips

Hard to believe this top started out looking so different! Here's the before photo- cw

50 state flowers WIP (I don't do UFO's)

Jill had asked the question:

What are the main reason(s) you put PIGS and UFOs to the side.

I interpreted it to be:
Why do you have UFO's?

Not that I would admit to having any but if I did it would be b/c I think faster then I sew.

Case in point- I pulled 11 projects to work on in 2011. All are in some stage of progress.

I can pick them up and put them down at any time. (I really don't have a problem, it's the other sewers that have UFO's)

I have never been bothered by an Unfinished project. In fact I love them. I love to take blocks from others and re-create them into something that says :'Cheryl has been here'.

I love taking pieces I have worked on and re-evaluate them at later dates to upgrade to what ever I am interested in that moment.

In my mind I really don't have UFO's b/c I can start back on anything that interests me any time I want too.

I never put a date on a TO DO item. I don't sew for profit so I am not constrained by time.

I do journal (through my blog) my progress or at least my thought process. On individual quilts I have been known to print out the 'story' behind the piece when it is gifted to the recipient.

Some quilts take years to get to their final destination, it doesn't make them UFO's, they are just Late Bloomers!

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

In reality I have as many UFO's as the next gal, I am just in denial and it is fun to annoy Jill b/c I know she has WAY more then me (I don't care what her number is, it is more then mine- if I had one)

50 state flowers is not sewing its self together but I am making progress. My distraction is I want to start playing with border ideas.

Probably another reason, things get piled up is I get too many ideas and have to wait till the brain settles on one to move forward with.

Now it is your turn, if you have UFO's- Why and..... When are you sending them to me?

50 States quilt- UFO- work in progress!

I decided to work on one of my 11 in 2011.

A flip of the coin pulled up the 50 flowers quilt. This was an auction purchase.

I did a bit of work with the seam ripper and promptly lost interest.

Think it had something to do with ironing 50 blocks!

My firsts thoughts were to iron, re-size and re-set.

After spending the time to take this apart, I had a close up and personal experience. My revelation is: I just don't like this blue fabric.

In fact if anyone wants it I will send it to you.

Because the original person used a lot of purples in the embroidery work, I wanted to find similar fabrics to work into the setting strips and borders.

I was not a fan of the On Point Setting.

I counted twice and all 50 state blocks are here! I don't know of any straight set for 50. I either needed to set 7 x 7 and use one as a label on the back. Or go with a 7 x 8 setting and add six blocks.

I was able to find enough of a couple of fabrics to do setting strips and sqs. I should get a few borders out of it too.

Question was, What do I do with the additional 6 blocks?

I am not in the mood to embroidery.

Answer is as usual- Raw Edge Applique some Butterflies. They seem to be my GO-TO block of choice.

The Win-Win is the butterflies can be made from the fabrics I am using for sashings.

Blocks are laid out in ABC order. All need re-sized. The Butterflies look a little dark, but I think will blend in after the sashings are on.

Here are the first 4 blocks I worked on. The rest will have to wait till later.

Every thing is cut and ready to go. About time for me to loose interest again- NOT!

So what are you doing on your snow day?- cw

Snow and Sew- that's how I roll!

Blizzard of 2011-

Lucky we didn't get as much ice as predicted. Schools are all closed, my office is too...

What is a gal to do?

I did as much as I could, I pulled out my 11 for 2011 and flipped a coin to see which one to work on.

drum roll.......... the winner is T-shirt Quilt for co-worker Brian!

Brian traded his camera to me for two t-shirt quilts. The first one has long been finished and delivered. Brian has bragged that all his soft ball friends want one too. (Too bad, I don't quilt for others!)

This one has sat around for way too long. I told him last fall I would try get around to it by the Holidays. Wrong! We just needed a good snow day to put me in the mood to sew.

This top is 88 x 88 and hopefully it won't take all year to get it quilted.

Now to find the right piece of flannel for the back. I think I can commit to having this done by Christmas!

(I am not going to commit to which year)- cw

Feb= Violet

Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, Some Poems Rhyme and Some Poems Don't!

For now the block is finished and ready to take it's place in MC quilt.

Applique is raw edge (I like the primitive look)
Can you see the Washington cut out?- pres. day
And the gopher- proves I don't freehand.
I also added a heart w/Be Mine.

Now on to the borders...... small tumblers brings this block up to 20"

Several of us are following the MC (Monochromatic Challenge) hosted by Judy Laquidara.

Link to other Violet projects March is Brown

You can see the links to January's Blocks and play along if you wish.

For February the randomly drawn color is VIOLET! yeah, I can do purples.

I am planning to make large blocks each month of the challenge. At the end of the year I should have enough to make a keepsake quilt top.

I have jotted down ideas to use for colors and months. I even have ideas for borders (I can't wait to get that far!!)

Last month was YELLOW and I made a yellow Flower. When I googled 'yellow' the first image I saw was a flower- simple enough.

For Violet I had a couple of ideas. Violet is the birth flower for February so it made sense to make more flowers. I planed to do raw edge applique and use black thread to make the petals more heart shape. (gotta get in a V-day reference- maybe I will hide a groundhog in the flowers just for giggles).

We are gearing up for a snow storm and I am hoping to use my time snowed- in wisely!

What are you planning for February?

Scotts quilt top and more...

One of our friends from church has been hinting that we need to make him a quilt. Actually he has threatened to just take one when we aren't looking.

Challenge is he is a tall guy (we tend to make smaller quilts) and he is color blind.

My first thought was to see what I had in my personal collection that I thought he might like. Both quilts I pulled to let him consider ended up being ones that I am just not ready to part with.
(see how I am!)

Instead I sewed up Pam's 4 patch blocks into a good size scrappy top. (mark one off my UFO list) I hope to get it quilted this week and the group can hand sew the binding at one of our next meetings.


This large Bow-Tie quilt was made with favorite fabrics many years ago. It was one of the first I quilted on my machine.
On closer look I identified several pieces of material that I no longer have in my stash.

One of which my mom gave me, so at least for now it is going back home with me.

The second quilt I thought I might be ready to part with is going back with me too.
76 x 88 (ish)
My quilting has improved a lot since I did this one and I am going to pin it in and do a different design in the borders.

After having it out on display several gals have asked to participate in a class to make their own. I will hang on to it until at least the end of class.