Fussy cut Lemoyne star

I just finished this little quilt top. It was much more involved than I imagined and I get a Southwest feeling from it that was completely unintended. Of course, it doesn't help that I changed a couple blocks along the way! I had planned on giving this to the quilt club to sell at the show this fall, but now I think I want to keep it. I feel linked to the silly thing now that I took so long with it. There are supposed to be four points on the "corners" to square it off, but I like the current shape. What do you think?

Still here

It's been another busy week and a half. I took a class last week and am taking another one this week. As a teacher, (like so many other professions), we have to complete continuing education classes or graduate classes to renew our licenses. After this week, I should be good for my next renewal!

I managed to finish my Round Robin obligation just in time - it is due tomorrow! I had such a difficult time deciding what to do. Due to people dropping out, I actually completed two borders on this block. The center flower basket is the original completed block and the black and green flying geese were the other participant's work. I did the rest; I liked completing the checked border.

I took my niece-in-law to her first ever shop hop. It was a small one at a central location, but she is now hooked! She especially loved the reproduction Civil War fabric.  She learned how to sew on her Grandmother's treadle machine so she couldn't get her new sewing machine to work properly. (That is, the one her hubby bought her for Christmas!) So, we spent time after the hop going over her machine set-up and use. The instructions were incomplete; no wonder she had trouble! Now, she is zipping along!

I have also been working on a fussy cut Lemoyne star - I'll get pictures up soon. Stay cool this summer! We are starting to warm up.

Shadow quilt finish

I hoped to finish this in May but it was not to be. I have been planning this shadow quilt for a long time. I still need to add some fusible interfacing to strengthen the white fabric. It is a little thinner and more fragile than I had realized. That will be a pain but I think it will be worth it. Now...I need to decide if I want another border or two. I think I do - I wanted this quilt top to be a bit larger. I am thinking of looking for a gray and white fabric; not too bright or busy - I don't want to take away from the shadow blocks. Any thoughts?

Prize package!

Here it is! Three fabrics lines: Annalee, Season's Best - Winter, and Poppy Modern! There are over 150 charm squares and 15 fat quarters. It is such an awesome prize that I cannot decide what all I will make.  I will have to think on it a while! Now, I need to drool over look at the fabric again. Thanks, Andover!

Woohoo!

 I am excited to tell everyone that I won this week's Andover stash contest! Here's the link

http://blog.andoverfabrics.com/

Andover has already shipped the prize package! I will give you all the details after it arrives.

Two more days with students and one workday. Busy week, with lots to do - some fun stuff, too. 

After school on Tuesday, three of us made a batch of soap. On Thursday, four of us are having

dinner at the Melting Pot. Have a great week everyone!

Shadow box quilt happiness

So...here is a look at my shadow/shadow box quilt in progress! It is actually turning out as I imagined and I am really pleased. I have three more rows to go, plus the sashings and border. I am planning a plain white border to match the sashing, but haven't decided on any additional border(s). I'm considering a thin gray strip to mimic the "shadow" on the blocks, but don't have a clue what I would use after that. (The charm material is Kim Schaefer's Tic Tac line for Andover fabrics.) Any suggestions???

Excuse the cat, Zorro, in the background. He is always so helpful! And the pool table was the easiest place to spread out the pieces. Not very elegant but it works!

Good grief!

     I can't believe I haven't written a blog post in so long! I have just been so busy at school, at home, and in general. I have managed to work on some projects -- mostly by neglecting housework. LOL. (Although my husband doesn't think it's funny. ) The school year is almost done so I hope to be back to blogging regularly in the near future.
     So what have I been up to? Well, work and state testing of students' progress, for starters. Plus, there have been meetings after school to help us prepare for the transition to the Common Core standards next year. I am also moving from teaching 7/8th grade math down to 5th grade math. I have to change rooms and move all my personal items, (the custodians will move file cabinets and my desk). I think I am in for a big adjustment! But, at least I have a job. We reorganized at the end of last year and it looks like they are still making adjustments.
     We have also been pushing son #1 to find a regular job.   He starts a new job tonight. He's a bit nervous and that's understandable, but this is a step toward achieving independence as an adult. It is definitely time!
     Son #2 came home from college about two weeks ago. He had a miserable semester and there was some fallout with his grades. These things happen, he just has to get straightened out and try harder next semester.
     As for quilting/sewing, I am still participating in two BOMs. (Okay, so one is a block of every two weeks.) I also managed to make a set of Bargello placemats. They are for my sister-in-law. The placemats are not a perfect Bargello, but I'm glad I tried the process. It doesn't seem nearly as intimidating now if I decide to make a full size quilt. And I learned a lot - next time I will pin even more, use loads more starch, and take more time. I was so excited, I rushed myself! That's never a good thing - my seam ripper became a good friend to me. Let me apologize for the photo: when I took the picture, I didn't realize how well the fabric colors matched my Berber carpet. Also, this was before I quilted them and I am just starting the binding.

     Besides the placemat binding, I am working on a new project. I have a full set of the Tic Tac line (by Kim Schaefer for Andover) in charms. I set them in color rows as best as possible and I am starting a shadow quilt. I'm excited because I love the look so far!

     I'm also excited about two fabric lines, one that I have seen and the other to be released soon. The one that I have seen is Edges by Laura Gunn for Michael Miller. I love all the geometric patterns and colors. The other is an upcoming line by Andover based  on the Downton Abbey series. I have a niece that loves the series. It should be pretty and I am ready to see it now! Anybody waiting for a specific fabric line?