all blocks done

I finished the remaining blocks and now I have the first 3 rows pieced. There are 7 rows total, so I’m almost halfway done with the rows. Then to sew the rows together and add the borders. After 9 years, maybe I’ll finish it soon!! LOL!!!

My friend Sharon and I have been asked to do a program in June on mystery quilts, so that’s why I’m trying to finish this top. I have 2 mysteries that needed borders (did those last week), and one more that I need to finish the center and then piece together. Hopefully, I can have these to show that night.

That’s it for now.

Theresa

Mystery quilts

My favorite books to read are mystery books. So I guess that’s part of why I love mystery quilts. I started out doing mystery quilts on the internet. I found different sites that offered them and I would follow along each week, doing the steps as they were posted. I had fun! I was always anxious to get the next clue. One of my favorites was a tessalations pattern. I could not, I repeat “could not” figure out what the quilt was going to look like, even after I had all the blocks made. Anyway, it ended up being cats. Of course I’ve never seen green and purple cats, but oh well!! Someday I would like to make it in black and whites. Wouldn’t that look good?

This one is Linda Ballards Fractured Crystals. I still have 10 blocks to sew together. I had a hard time trying to figure out the pieces. I finally did. Whew! I only have a few small pieces of the dark fabric, so I was getting nervous that maybe I didn’t have everything cut out, but I finally figured out that I do  have all the pieces.

Anyway, that’s what I’m working on for now. I haven’t written on my blog in ages, but I hope to stay more up to date on it.

Oh, and here is this years mystery lock in quilt. We call it Starry Illusions. Sharon and I got lots of compliments on this one,  everyone seemed to like it.

Have a great day!

Theresa

Just a little tip

I’ve started working on the Lock in quilt for this year. I think this years quilt is awesome!! I hope it looks as good made up as it does printed out on paper! Anyway, I’m working on making hour glass blocks and I thought I’d share a tip. I don’t like making a single line and then sewing 1/4″ on each side, so I use the ruler thing to mark both lines and then sew on the lines. I’m using black as my background fabric so trying to mark both dark and light fabrics was a bit difficult, the light mark didn’t show up on the light fabric and the pencil didn’t show up on the dark fabric, so I used both! Now I can sew and see the lines with no problem. Most of you have probably figured this out, but I didn’t until today!

The good and the bad of 2009

Well, here it is the New Year of 2010. I’ve been thinking back over the past year and things that happened in the last 12 months. Some of it has been great and then there is of course the bad memories of 2009. It’s been 11 months today that my Floyd lost his life to an asthma attack. I still think about him daily. I’m still working on the quilt top that I’m naming after him too. (the snails trail one) I am at least to the point of just needing to sew the borders on. I have them pieced, but they are just sitting there waiting to be sewn onto the quilt. Maybe this year! LOL!!

I was looking at my UFO list and guess how many UFO’s I finished last year? If you guessed 0 you’d be right!!!!!!! I did not finish one thing of my own last year……….. I started a few new things, but what’s new? I can always start a new project, it’s finishing them that I never seem to accomplish………….

On the bright side of the year, I won my first ever ribbon at MQS. Yeah!! It was 3rd place and I was totally shocked!!! I never thought I would ever win at MQS with all the great quilters that enter at that show!!!! Doris then entered the quilt at the AQS show in Des Moines, Iowa and it got a blue ribbon there. Of course that was because of Doris’ beautiful and perfect applique work!! On the down side of that show, coming home on the interstate, we hit a deer! But on the bright side, we were all OK and the car was drivable. It didn’t look to good, but it got us home!!!

We entered the quilt into the Innovations show, but didn’t win any ribbons there. Next it’s going to the Road to California show. We are having fun with this quilt. In fact 2 weeks from today, Doris and I are going to fly out to California to attend the show. I’ve never been to California, so I’m excited about going. I’ve always wanted to go to the Road show, but never have, so we figured since our quilt was there, now is the time to go! Plus it’s warmer there than it is here!!!!!!!

We got hit with a blizzard on Christmas eve. The ground is still covered with snow. YUCK!! I hate snow and cold weather. We are only supposed to have highs in the teens all week!!!!!!! Come on summer!!!!!!!! Hurry up and get here!!!

I’m not making any new years resolutions, because I never seem to keep them! LOL!! But I do hope to get caught up on customer quilts and hopefully finish at least a couple of my UFO’s. ROFL!!!!!!! Well, I can dream I guess!!!!

I also hope to write more often on here. Not that anybody reads this, but….if you do………thanks.

That’s it for now. Have a great day, and I hope you have a great 2010!!

Theresa (in COLD snowy Kansas)

Guild meeting

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve written on here. My nephew Danny won the modified championship at Lakeside! Way to go Dan!!!! Discovery channel was finished with their filming and had left town but they came back to film the last night, so that in case Dan won, they’d have it for the show.

We had demo night at guild last week, there were 4 stations set up, hand embroidery.

Fabric painting.

Paper piecing.

And Paper piecing a log cabin. Of course, that picture doesn’t want to show up here. hmmm.  Oh well, Doris was showing us how she did her blocks and she is making a gorgeous red and white pineapple log cabin. She had the quilt hanging beside the table and it’s beautiful!!

I’ve been making a small amount of progress on the snails trail border. I decided to go with the delectable mountain blocks. If they don’t look good after I make them, then I’ll just use one of the simple borders and use the blocks I’m making into something else.

Ok, that’s it for now.

Theresa

Snail’s Trail borders?

Well, I played around with a few different border ideas for the snails trail quilt. I have 6 different ones here. Which one should I go with?

#1

border 1

#2

border4

#3

This border would not be pink, I’m just showing the design. I’m not sure what color I would go with, if I choose this one.

border 2

#4

Same with this one, I don’t think I would use turquoise. But you can see the design.

border5

#5

border3

#6

border 6

Well? What do you think? Do any of these add pizazz?

Theresa

A great weekend

After the shipping of the quilt and dealing with an ungrateful lady  this past week, (no matter what I did, she wasn’t happy) anyway, I was needing a good weekend and that’s what I got!! Saturday, I had lunch with my friend Pam and we went up to our guilds quilt show and to the LQS. I had a surprise for Pam and I was dyeing to give it to her. I hate waiting for things. LOL!!! Anyway, there is a new book out (I think it’s new anyway) that is based on the designs of the floors in Venice, which is where Pam and I were at this time last year. When I saw the book, I had to get one for myself and one for Pam. I was hoping she didn’t have it yet, and luckily for me she hadn’t seen it. It has actual pictures of the floors, and the lady wrote patterns so that you can make quilts from the floor designs.  We are so excited about the book, now we have to start collecting fabrics, so we can make some of the quilts. One of the designs was our favorite one that we had seen on the floor, but couldn’t figure out the pattern. Now we can make it!!! (Not that I need another project, but….you know how that is, right? LOL!!)

Picture 001

If you’ve ever been to Venice or probably any part of Italy, check out this book. You’ll love it, if you liked the mosaic floors.

Ok, so that was Saturday. Sunday my DH and I went down to the little town where he grew up for their yearly picnic. His sister came up from Oklahoma, so we got to visit with her. I was glad because I only know a few people. Anyway, it’s about 2 hours south of here, so I had time to do some handwork in the car. I worked on my state flowers and birds block.  The part you can see, is what I accomplished on the road yesterday.

Picture 004

Those little french knots take forever. LOL! Anyway, I’m getting close to finishing block 1 of 50. LOL!!!!!!!

My 10 minutes a day of sewing is working out too. When we got home last night, I went down and did my sewing for the day. I now have the 2 halves of the quilt completed, and all I have left is to sew the 2 sections together.  Then I have to decide what to do with the border. I want some pizazz in the border. Anyway, I’m just happy that after my sewing today, the top will be together. Yeah!!!!!!!!!

Picture 002

I guess that’s it for today, I better get down and get to work, or the day will get away from me and I won’t get as much done as I hope to.

Have a great day!!

Theresa

Oh, I almost forgot, my great weekend started Friday night, when my nephew won at the races!! Of course, I didn’t carry my camera along that night. It figures!!! Danny is still the points leader with one more week of racing left. I hope he can hold on and be the track champion!!!

Explanation on shipping

I went by the place that shipped my quilt last week and asked why the original box was cut down and placed inside another box. The guy told me that because of the amount that I insured it for, they are required to double box it, with packaging in between the boxes. That explains the peanuts! Anyway, I told the guy what I went through and he felt so bad! I told him about my name needing to be on the outside of the box and why. He said he saw my name and figured it would be ok since it was on the box on the inside. He was really sorry for the confusion he caused.

I’m just glad that everything turned out fine!

Theresa

Talk about heart stopping………..

Those of you that have shipped a quilt somewhere, do you worry about it while it’s in route? You know, that worry that something might happen to it before it arrives at it’s destination? Or that it doesn’t arrive at it’s destination? Well, let me share my heart stopping experience with you……………………….

My friend Doris and I entered her quilt into the Innovations quilt show. It was time to send the quilt, so I went over to Doris’ house and we folded the quilt, placed it inside white plastic bags with the paperwork showing, so that when they open the box they will see which quilt it is. The box itself was a little bigger than the quilt, so we stuffed old plastic bags in the bottom of the box to fill up the empty space. It was ready to ship. Sp off to the store I go to send the quilt.

I get t0 the store to ship the quilt. I have to tell them how much I’m insuring the box for and it’s a rather large amount. Way large actually! I showed them the appraisel on it, and they made a copy for their records. While the guy is filling out his paperwork, I took a sharpie and wrote my name on the side of the box, (as requested by Innovations) Remember what I just said, I took a sharpie and wrote my name on the side of the box. Ok, I got all the paperwork done, paid the man, and went home.

Later that day, I received an e-mail with the tracking numbers and I started tracking the box. Everything was looking good!!!

Meanwhile, here’s how the e-mails went with the nice lady from Innovations.

Me:I’m letting you know that I have shipped my quilt, Flora Elena by Fed ex, so it’s on it’s way. I’ll look forward to hearing from you when it arrives.

a few days later

Her:Where do you live?

Me: I live in Kansas. According to Fed ex, the quilt has arrived. Is this correct?

( I checked the tracking # and saw that it had arrived before sending that e-mail.)

Her: I don’t open the boxes so that is why we ask that your name is put on the out side of the box. (at this point, I wasn’t nervous yet, I thought maybe she just didn’t see my name)
If your quilt was shipped from Lansing, KS then that is your quilt.
Please let me know.
Me: That should be it. My name should be on the side of the box.

Her: Just so you know your name was not on the box any place.

What?????????? I had all kinds of thoughts running through my mind!! I started thinking that Oh my gosh, somebody stole the quilt and sent a box in it’s place, and the quilt is nowhere to be found!!!! Because, I know I wrote my name on the box. That’s NOT my box! But Fed ex said my box was delivered!Oh my……what am I going to tell Doris?????????????

What I have to go by is
Shipping Manager
***********
***N. Main St’ Lansing, KS
It makes a lot of add work for me so next year please make sure your name is written on the box with a marker.
Thanks for sharing your quilt with everyone at Innovations. I can’t wait to see it.

Me: But I did use a sharpie and write it on the side of the box. I did that while I was waiting on the guy to fill out the papers. Now I’m worried……

After I sent the last e-mail, I was convinced that, that wasn’t my box! I couldn’t wait for her to respond to my last e-mail. I found a phone number and called to talk to the lady. Like she said, my name was not on the box……..at this point and time, I am shaking, my stomach is tied up in knots, I then ask her to please open the box………..she did…………….she says “Oh, can you hold on I need to lay down the phone, there’s lots of styrafoam peanuts in the box.” I was silent………..no words came out of my mouth……….but I’m thinking…….OH NO!!!!! WE DIDN”T PUT ANY PEANUTS IN THE BOX!!!!!!!!! It’s going to be nothing but a box full of peanuts!!!!!!!!!!! NO QUILT!!!!!!!

She soon picks up the phone and says, “well, there’s a box inside a box” surrounded by peanuts. Oh, there’s your name on this box. They’ve cut the box down, because your name is folded.” I’m thinking WHAT??????????

She goes on to open the next box and confirms that the quilt is in there……..WHEW!!!!! WHAT A RELIEF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Of course, at this time, I’m still shaking and my nerves were shot! It took a while to calm down and now I want to know, why did the store reopen the box and cut the box down? I’m going to go there next week and find out why! They have no idea what they did to my nerves!!!

Next time we send the quilt somewhere, Doris is coming along too!!! I can’t take the pressure!!!!!!

Theresa

Broken star quilt

I finished quilting this last week for my friend Terri. I love the colors she used! She wanted me to quilt feathers on it and use a variegated thread, so I used a King Tut variegated on the star and border and a matching purple thread to quilt the feathers.

Picture 005

I think free handed feathers are my favorite thing to quilt! I can use them to fill any size space I need to.

Picture 009

That’s it for now. I hadn’t written anything lately, so I thought I’d quickly share a couple pictures. Now back to work!

Theresa