More Block Rockin' blocks

I have finished another couple of the Block Rockin' blocks....only 3 more to go and these are all finished. i want to set them differently in a top but not sure how.....gonna think on that.

Here is Morrison. I know there is a Van Morrison....i think there is another one, too...but can't think of it now.

And this one is called Penny Lane....i believe that is a Beatles tune, right?  

Three more blocks to go.....then the job of putting them all together into something cohesive.  any thoughts on the setting? i want something different.

Grandma's Country Album I

This is another Robert Callaham quilt that was published in McCall's Quilting magazine years ago. it is Album I because there is a II .... and that is the one i am going to be working on next. 

This is about 72" square and has his signature 2" square blocks for sashings. i think i cut about 600 2" squares. 

And he loves those star blocks...with the set in seams.

The blocks were all fused and then i appliqued them down.

He sure likes those little circles, too.  lots of grapes and circles in the tree.

This one was done in all cotton fabrics.

More of those little circles and hundreds of little leaves in here, too.

A lot of nice spots for quilting, too.

This block didn't want to lay flat so it will have to be quilted down ... a lot. you would think that with all the set in seams i have done lately that i would be able to do them well....but it is not to be. sigh!!

I put the date on the album book so i'll have a record of when i did this.

The border went pretty quickly....even with these 3D prairie points.

The red border is not as dark a red as i would like...but it is the only red i had left that was enough for the border. some of this red was used in the body of the quilt, too, so i think it will be ok.

There is one more Robert Callaham quilt that i have left to do. it is the Album II.  i am going to do that one in wool felt. and i think i will use feedsacks for the background fabric. it has been fun to finish his quilts, but i will be ready to move on to another designer when i am finished with the next one. hahaha  i need a rest from set in seams and little tiny leaves and circles.

The to-be-quilted cabinet is now full so this will be the second quilt top in another cabinet. 

I did go over today and quilt for a couple hours on the quilt that is now on my frame. so, hopefully that one will be done within the week and i can start whipping out some of these quilts. it is getting pitiful to have 100 tops to be quilted. 

Farm Country

Yesterday i finished the last of 20 cute embroidered blocks from a CD by Anita Goodesign called Farm.Country Quilt. the blocks stitch out at 8".  there are 2 lines of stitching around the blocks to guide you in trimming them down to fit perfectly in your quilt.

Here is the whole top.

And some close-ups. 

At first i found it a bit strange that some of the blocks had pics of animals blown up to block size. but half of them were like that and it looks ok in the quilt.

It's amazing how the picture develops. the embroidery machine is just stitching scribbles.....and it comes out a lovely picture. their digitizers are great. 

Every picture depicts a farm somewhere that you recognize. 

I used a dark maroon colored thread and used a whole spool.

I think this is the first large animal block that i did and was a bit creeped out by the large rabbit. hahahaha

One more top squished into the to-be-quilted cabinet. there MIGHT be room for one more small quilt. i have already started putting more in another cabinet. i really, really need to get to quilting.

Wanna come over and quilt for me? hahahaha

Pieceful Paisley .... a JoAnn's kit

A couple of months ago...when i was at the Duck....and got stuck in the snow storm....i stayed at my sister's for a couple days before i could get back home. i needed something to do so i went to JoAnn's to find a project. i had wanted to try hand piecing blocks for a quilt. so, i found this kit....leftovers from the previous year. but all the blocks and the setting kit were there, so i got it.

I hand pieced 3 blocks, the Windmill, the Log Cabin, and the Churn Dash. Then i decided....ok, i can do this if i want to....and it will look good...but if i don't want to take it with me when i die...then i better finish it by machine. so, here it is.

It is 82 x 100"..a nice size.  it is not the colors that i would have chosen, but it grew on me as i worked on it and now i like it.

Some blocks were applique and some just pieced.

This is the windmill....the first one i hand pieced.

And i hand pieced this log cabin.

This one is called Windowpane

I would not have finished the borders as they did.....but since it was a kit and all parts were already cut out...i didn't have much choice. i like the colored blocks border....they are 5" blocks. and i like the wide sashings....they are 5" also.  then they put that narrow 3 1/2" final floral border on there. that is the part i don't like. at least it should have been much wider.....or a different fabric all together...maybe one of those dark browns...or the orange.

But...like i say....done is good. and now i can say i have pieced a JoAnn's kit. woopee!! and i got it for 40% off ..... all good.

Mystery quilt from Judy Laquidara

This is a mystery quilt that ran over several months designed by Judy Laquidara from  www.patchworktimes.com   and several of her friends. i believe it was called Our Town.

I had printed out the patterns as they came along but never started it. finally i decided i wanted to make it. but out of what fabrics. 

Wellllll,  a friend of mine had paid me for a quilt job a while back with boxes of fabric....which was cool.  but there was a whole box of Christmas fabrics. i really don't 'do' Christmas fabrics. so, i decided Judy's quilt would use these up. hahahahahaha    Warning ..... some of it is a hot mess...but i was determined to use this box of Christmas.

Here we go.....the top...well, seems i have lost the pic of the whole top. i don't know what was my problem with the camera and computer today. but this is the middle....with part of the borders. see that tiny red and white sashing....with the tiny 9 patches in the corners....that might have been the hardest part of this whole quilt. Each little square of that 9 patch started out at 1". hey, from far away...it doesn't look too bad. hahahaha

The borders had different buildings.  this was the manor house.  i tried to put things in the windows and doors.

This was the neighborhood house....with tree.

This is the industrial district....warehouses and business buildings. 

Some blocks were applique...like this bird in the fancy heart. i fused them and then stitched around with my machine so it wouldn't come un-done before i got a chance to quilt it. that white background fabric was so thin you could see through it. 

This block is the 4 bells. slight curve but nothing drastic.

I loved this cat in the window looking at the moon. the little star hanging from the moon has a heart in the middle of it. 

And then there is this wreath....remember i said parts were a 'hot mess'?  well, i think this qualifies. hahaha  there wasn't much plain fabric so even though there are different colors, it all sort of jumbles together. but remember....i was using up this Christmas fabric. 

Once i got the top done....it was 88x100....i still had Christmas fabrics left. sigh!!  so, decided to piece a backing. there were a couple of panels...i guess these were to be pillows. and there was a panel that was to be a huge stocking to hang on your front door. i mean huge....about 50" long. that red poinsettia fabric under the panels was kind of weird. sort of scratchy .... not soft. this is a fourth of it.....i didn't feel like opening it all up and hanging it up. i just made rows across as large as i could with the fabrics that i had. then pieced parts together where i had to just to use this stuff up.

More pillow panels. that blue fabric with the bows.....yuck!  it made lousy buildings. hahahaha

And yet more panels. this going to be one crazy Christmas quilt. maybe some kid can play I Spy with it....where is the door with the snowman?  hahahaha

So, i can say i made the quilt....but it might be better if Judy and her friends don't see it....sorry, Judy.....your pattern was great.....my Christmas fabrics just brought it down. but all that Christmas is now out of my studio. the little bits left got thrown in the trash. 

Who knows how this will be quilted....or when......but done is done....I get points for that.

Playing catch up

Let's catch up on things...shall we?  the last few days i finished another Block Rockin' block....

#6  Marley

And a block from Robert Callaham's quilt...Grandma's Country Album I.  this one is 

Tree of Life

I had another block for this quilt but i lost it somewhere between the camera and the computer. i will try to remember to take that pic again next time. 

I have lots of blocks fused and ready to stitch for the My Town in the Australian Homespun magazine.  and several more blocks for the Callaham quilt. it takes a few evenings to finish one of these. i guess i'm slow.

I'll try to sew faster. hahahah

Block Rockin' and Grandma's Country Album

Grandma and Rock just doesn't go together. hahaha

But i finished Block Rockin' #5 .... Caldonia

And a small block for the Grandma's Country Album quilt from Robert Callaham. this one is called Aunt Nonie's Grapes.

I am about half done with the blocks for this quilt. while getting a few more blocks ready to sew this morning, i discovered that a magazine that i got doesn't have the pattern pull out section in it. so i am going to have to go and search for that magazine again. it seems folks are not checking before selling their goods. another magazine i got recently had not only the pattern pullout section missing but about 20 pages in the middle of the magazine. i guess i need to ask if the pattern section is there before buying. sigh!!   people say their magazine is in very good condition i am just assume it is all there. i'm being too trusting. 

Off to search for what i need.

February Scrappy Challenge

I made 10 more blocks for February's Scrappy Challenge from JudyL at  www.patchworktimes.com

This months' block was Key Lime pie. so, i had to use lime green in the middle and some dark green for the star points. the middles are all the same but the 4 patch corners are all different.....but all came from the scrap boxes.

Too bad i didn't have any fabrics with limes on them. hahaha

Do you see the potato chip fabric in the top left corner of this block above?

They were done pretty quickly...2 days work.

Perhaps next month i will go back to the RWB theme...if possible. it is not too late for you to join in....go visit judy's blog for instructions.