Designer Stalking

I'll get to my designer stalking in a minute, but before I admit to past transgressions, I think I'll show you the little baskets I've already talked about.
Each Thursday, Temecula Quilt Company puts up a new basket for the Blessings Sew-Along. This week we were presented with this wee endeavor:




It plays along nicely with the past week's block, don't you think?



Yesterday, I decided it was time to organize the sewing room closet, and actually make a plan for all that wool I've accumulated. I caught the Crazy Wool bug when it got started last year (or was it two?) thanks to this book. I love working with wool and have a good sized stash of it. HA! Good sized?? That is an understatement from what I discovered yesterday. But it all has a home now- and it just took some elbow grease, some moving of storage drawers and reorganization of the scrap baskets (yes! baskets)and my current stalled large scale projects. As you can see from the way my posts have been going, little is doable for me right now. Not so sure about those larger civil war era blocks that gave me fits even on a good day. Why is it I don't blink an eye at a 5" or 4" or even a 3" block but throw me a 10" or 12" and I get flustered?? I definitely need some quilting therapy to figure that one out.

As I was doing that move it around, organize/dump/find a new home for it and the all important: "Yes, that looks good there" (come on, admit it, we all do that- don't we?? Yes, say "yes"!), I came across a baggie with the remnants to this project:



I just need to make 2 more little star blocks and then the top is finished. This is a Lori Smith pattern (I tried linking you,but google wouldn't connect to her pattern company, sorry!) by the name of Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too, and is one of her Four Plus One Equals Fun series. You chose four prints plus one background (in fat quarters).From these you make not only the top, but the pieced back AND the binding. How is that for some fat quarter fun. It's not like we don't have a ton of those (is it?? right???). I am hoping to piece the stars later today and the have another little project ready for quilting. Not so sure I'll hand quilt this one.

And now it is confession time!
For years I have been an avid admirer of Bonnie Blue Quilts. I adore reproduction quilts and work almost exclusively in repros, so the Bonnie Blue patterns are high on my list of must haves. I have a good many of their patterns and was overcome with joy when Paula Barnes started designing fabrics. The year I went to Paducha was made even more amazing because the gals from Bonnie Blue were there, with tons of samples- so many I thought my eyes would pop out of my head for sure! I went to their booth every day while the show was running. Some days I went back numerous times just to stand and stare. I bought a kit and lovingly brought it home, where it is still hermetically sealed in its holder. The following year, I returned to Paducha with one thing and one thing only on my mind (besides hitting up Hancock's of Paducha!) and that was to find Bonnie Blue. It was easy enough...and I went to the booth every day. Some times multiple times a day. I stood there and stared. I fondled fabric. I bought a kit. Do you see a behavioral pattern emerging?? The following year The gals came to my neck of the woods, to the Vermont Quilt Festival. I sought out the booth on opening night (OK, so I ran like hell!), I stood and I stared. I fondled fabric. I bought a kit......you know the drill by now. I returned to the booth multiple times through out the show. I stood...I stared....you know where this is going (but I only buy one large kit a year!). So as time has gone on, I've gotten 3 kits, yards of fabric and pounds worth of paper patterns. Then came Paula Barnes' Cotton Club! Oh. MY. Goodness.
Are there words for the happiness I felt hearing about this block of the month. Could I really give myself permission to collect one more project from Bonnie Blue and Paula? I wrestled with myself- that is until the day I was at my LQS and the shop pack had just arrived. Evil, evil women...they gave me a discreet sneak peek,and I immediately asked to be shown the dotted line just waiting for my signature! So without much more chatter (and no more stalking) I give you my first six Cotton Club blocks:



THE END!
Happy Stitching and thanks for bearing with me- I got long winded today.
Perhaps tomorrow we'll take a little tour of the sewing room (and the wool closet!). I'd love to show it off before it looks like there was a fabric explosion once again!!

Karen