Where has the summer gone?!

It's been a crazy summer with a long stretch of no sewing but I'm easing back into it and have a little quilting ADHD...so much I want to do, so little time!

The first weekend in August I went to Pumphrey's rug hooking workshop.  It's San Antonio's one workshop and I've gone 2 years now.  It's fun to see all the hooking techniques and all the different rugs ladies are making.  This year my instructor was Kris Miller from Michigan.  Here's what I was working on...I got a lot done even tho it doesn't look like it.

I finished the top from a shop book club...it's a Lori Smith pattern.  I decided to make it lap size instead of big like the pattern so I was having trouble deciding on a border.  

 

I decided to do this:

This is the original pattern.

Even tho I'm concentrating on UFOs I decided to start on this pattern...I've wanted to make it for awhile.  The borders will be different and each block finishes 4 1/2".   I've started on the appliqué blocks

I just finished  Bonnie Hunter's Jamestown Landing.  The picture is in cyber space somewhere 

Uncle Sam

Whew, got it done with a day or two to spare.  Aaron gave me the pattern on linen for Christmas and I figured I could get it done for the fourth...I just thought it would've been done sooner.  But done is done and I like him.  Happy 4th of July everyone!!

The pattern is from Star Rug Company, Maria Barton, called Uncle Sam.

UFO no more

This is a book club project from Seventh Heaven that I put together.  Book club is like the $5 quilt...you buy the book, get the first block free and if you bring the block back to the next meeting finished you get the next block free.  You have to buy the finishing kit and in this case the material for the big center block.  The pattern is Family and Friends by Lori Smith.  It went together perfectly...her instructions were great!  I'm going to donate the top to my quilt guild for the quilt auction next year.  The auction raises money to bring in speakers for our meetings. YAY!  Another  unfinished project done!

Retreat project finished

Got all the borders sewn on my blue ridge beauty.  This pic doesn't show it but you get the idea.  The quilt top is big...112 x 99....so I couldn't get a full picture

I'm still here

Been a crazy month but I have been doing some sewing.  Plus my sister, Martha, came for a week and we did lots of shopping (successful) and searching a plethora of Goodwill and Salvation Army stores for vintage sewing machines (no luck).

At the moment I am sewing bindings on the three quilts I sent to be quilted...1 1/2 done, 1 1/2 to go.

One of the bees I belong to is doing a quarterly block exchange.  Each of us has been assigned a primary color to use and we are working with toasty backgrounds.  My color is red...here's our first group of exchange blocks.

This is the pattern we are making

Our quilts will be twice as big when completed.  I decided to make all my blocks up so they are ready for the exchange dates.  Here are my four groups of blocks

I've also been working on finishing my retreat project, Blue Ridge Beauty.  It's another Bonnie Hunter scrappy pattern.  I'm determined to use my stash but not putting a dent in it yet...lol.  I've got the center completed and am auditioning borders from stash fabric.  I think I've found two that will work.  I'll try to post pictures tomorrow.

Quilt retreat part two

So, yes we were really at a tennis ranch in Texas.  It's springtime which means flowering cactus

One set of tennis courts...there are acres of them

The pool and whirlpool

The building where we hang out

There was a silly Michael Jackson dance by the sisters

Blocks turned in for a theme quilt " horsey goes quilting"... The blocks will be made into a quilt for next years auction

And a myriad of projects

The party's over....until next year!

Quiit retreat weekend

It's our annual quilt guild retreat weekend at John Newcomb's tennis ranch in New Braunfels, TX
Always a fun weekend playing with the girls.  Here's some pics of projects in the works:

Two more charity quilts

I was digging around unfinished projects and came across a set of blocks from another shop block exchange.  I divided the blocks into darker ones and lighter ones and came up with these

Off to a good cause...good bye little quilts.

Santa rug complete

It's done!

Next project is Uncle Sam.  Aaron gave me the linen pattern for Christmas.  It should be quick so hoping I finish by the 4th of July!

Here is the wool I've pulled from my stash for the project.  I think it will work

Pie in the sky complete!

Here it is...yay, another old project complete!

One of my friends made a block so we'd know it was hers...can you guess which one?

I'm piecing the backing today then this one, Tumalo trail and Celtic solstice are being sent to the quilter.  This week just taking care of a few odds and ends in the sewing kingdom.  Major focus is getting ready for Easter...Jessica and her family are coming for the weekend...grandson time!

Next up, Pie in the Sky

Next project up for completion is Pie in the Sky, a Kim Diehl pattern.  We did this as an exchange block within our Jo's Club group that met at 7th Heaven.  We used all Jo Morton fabric and it's been on hold because I needed to cut 600 or so 2 1/2" squares for the sashing.  This is at least 3-4 years old.  Several of the gals entered their finished quilts in the 2012 New Braunfels show.  So time for me to get mine done.

We did bump the size up so it would be bed size ...this is Kim's finished quilt.

So hi ho, off to work I go!

Finished!

Finished my Tumalo Trail today.  I pieced the backing - a couple old pieces of mission valley fabric - and have the binding made.  I have one more project I want to finish and then I'll mail 3 of them to the machine quilter.  More on that project in a few days!

Tumalo trail

Next project to be completed is Tumalo Trail.

I've been working on this over a year, intentionally, as a leader and ender project.  Any little scrap that was big enough for a 1 1/2" square I cut a square and threw it in my box

Whenever it got full I sewed a bunch of 9 patches...I needed 320 of them.  When I got enough of the little 9 patches I made some half square triangles and put the big 9 patch blocks together.  I made more blocks than the original pattern because I wanted the quilt to work on a queen size bed.  Today I started assembling the top with the sashing strips.  Here's the progress so far:

I may skip the piano key border and go with a solid.   I really like the way it looks and to think I almost threw away all those pieces of fabric!

On a side note, we had a surprise overnight visit with Luke...he was in the area for business.  Always fun to have some one on two time with one of our children :-)