Another Workspace Wednesday

This week's photo highlights the beginnings of this month's project for my Jo Morton Little Women's Club meeting. When I pulled fabrics for it (during the end stages of our family scourge) I thought I would ultimately like my choices and how the project would turn out.
Right now, I'm not so sure! If I step away for a day- it doesn't look so bad, but when I'm working on it I really doubt if this is what I had intended. These little blocks are giving me fits. Everything measures out just fine, but when I put them together into the 3" final block- I will lose points adding the sashing.
I think I need to just put this one away for a few days and give it and myself a rest.
If I'm going to struggle to get it "perfect" I am going to have to work with some happier colors!

On another note, I've finished the first six blocks for the Patriots in Petticoats BOM.
Stay tuned...photos will be posted either tomorrow night or Friday.

My Workspace

Once again, it is not technically Wednesday, thus the omission of that word from today's post title! You know the old adage: A day late/A dollar short? I'm one up as I'm not a dollar short for a change, and I think any one reading this blog can forgive my being a day late. Life happens, you know!
So without much more fanfare here are two of the current projects on my work table (and the ironing board- which accounts for the weird angle of the quilted piece).

These little (5" finished) blocks are a group challenge from Kathy Tracy's yahoo group. She had collected floral FQs and decided to do some "Romantic Stars". They will be quite lovely. I don't often do lovely, and had a charm pack of Miss Jump's Scrapbag I had forgotten about. I pulled some of my favorite pieces and set to work making Miss Jump's Stars:



I'm not 100% sure how I'm going to set them yet, but I do know the piece of fabric they are lying on will NOT be used *smile*! Stay tuned.

Next up is a little quilt- frankly just a cute square in a square. I had a small piece of a bucolic farm toile and wanted to do something with it other than just sit and pet it. Since I've spent the summer playing at city farming. and being somewhat unsuccessful- darn squirrels. I thought I'd just throw it into the center piece of a little quilt. I love playing in my sizable stash. It's about time I did so. Collecting fabric for years is great- but if it never sees the light of day,it becomes a waste. I get that now!! Won't stop me from collecting, but I've promised myself I will use it not just love it from afar. This little goodie needs only to have the binding finished; I think it needs some defined quilting in the outer border as well. I'm not sure what just yet. It can live in it's present form for awhile, don't you think??



And there you have it! Workspace "Wednesday" on a Thursday no less! But I'm sharing...yes indeed, at least I am sharing.

Karen

Friday Facts for July 30,2010

Fact #1- having your Internet go down is annoying.

Fact #2- having it finally up and running again makes for a happy girl, who will feel no obligation to try to catch up on a lost week.

Fact #3- I can still show you what I was working on this week (even without a regular Wednesday Workspace post!).


I have been an admirer of Kathleen Tracy for awhile now. I have both of her earlier books: American Doll Quilts and Prairie Children and Their Quilts, and totally fell in love with her last book: Remembering Adelia. I had pulled her earlier books a few weeks ago and added them to the revisit pile in the sewing room. Tuesday afternoon was a slow time at the shop, so I pulled several fat quarters of a blue and yellow collection that has been sitting at the front of the shop for a few weeks. It isn't my usual pick of fabric, but I wanted something just slightly out of the box for me- but still close enough to my beloved repros. It was after all- "just a doll quilt". I whipped up the half square triangles while customer-less and completed the entire top last evening. Working small has it's advantages. Here it is with some of the quilting stitches done:



I will finish the rest later today after some afternoon obligations. I really do like what this little ditty will look like once finished. I need to scout out the attic and find that American Girl doll bed I painted up years ago when DD the youngest wanted one for her prairie doll. I made the bedding for it and a small quilt made from 1" squares of fabric swatches sent to me by an online warehouse I dealt with back in the days of doing the local craft show circuit.

As for other things Tracy, Kathleen has started a monthly club! I signed up online earlier this month for the American School Girl Club and have been eagerly awaiting my first two patterns. Kathleen was recently in the hospital, but is now home and recovering from her ordeal, and had enough energy to send out the patterns for June/July. I am so looking forward to this adventure. Look at how lovely the pattern packets are:



each (pattern) is extremely well written, well photographed, and the packets contain lovely facts about a time-gone-by. Do go take a look at her website (see above link) for yourself. I bet you'll be glad you did!

My Wednesday Workspace for July 21, 2010

Under the watchful eyes of my faithful companions, this past week saw just a bit of sewing. Most of what went on was a lot of organizing of all the projects I've chosen to work on at the same time! Thanks to Target and their home organization aisle, I was able to get myself more of the canvas boxes that hold my fabrics, patterns and completed blocks perfectly. I came up with one extra so that got the makings for the mini-scrapbook Youngest Daughter and I are planning as a birthday gift for her BFF back in Kentucky. Now to invest in the cubbie unit that will hold the canvas boxes. I have the perfect place to put it- just have to swap out the small plastic tables under the side window of my sewing room...it will be a much better use of space. I'll be able to get to the makings of my Civil War BOM, my Buck-A-Block project, the Blocks and fabrics for my Teach Yourself Blocks from the Past in progress, and then there is my Jo Morton Little Women Club binder and what ever little quilt we are currently working on.




My workspace cutting table is now free (somewhat) to be able to cut the fabrics I've been pulling for the next 4 blocks I have planned...





I managed to sew away on small, very small, ridiculously small pieces Saturday evening and early Sunday morning...



By the end of Sunday afternoon I had this block done:




As well as this one...




And after one failed attempt that landed straight in the garbage, I managed to complete this block...



I am still not 100% happy with it. It isn't "perfect". Now I say that while shaking my head, because I have a personal tolerance level that would accept this block and be done with the self-nagging. BUT! I've gotten it in my head that this quilt may be my entry for the Vermont Quilt Festival 2011 (yes, I've made that my goal for next year) and blocks like this don't say "Show Quilt" to me. Especially not at a venue like VQF. I may make it again, or I may take my knocks and use it as a learning experience. I may scrap the idea of showing this quilt all together. We'll see...

As we leave my space for another week, take a look at the completed blocks on the design wall...not bad, but still a long way to go!