SPOOLISH PLEASURES

Just a little quickie on my spool quilt, or klosjes, as they call them in the Netherlands. Apparently this spool addiction has spread far and wide. See Valentina's blog for some beautiful pictures and also how to pronounce klosjes.
I decided to forgo a pieced border and instead I added a plain border of what I call army green. It is a Jo Morton fabric and looks as old as the hills, which is why I love it. It gives the quilt a very old look I think. That little brown plaid spool that Karen made just kind of pops out! Karen made me a dozen little spools, and she has set-in seams in hers, so they all show this little square in the center. I mixed them in with mine and Joan's, which were made in a much simpler manner. I didn't want to give them back to her, they were too cute!

Speaking of Karen, I have threatened to send her racing goggles to wear as she races through her sewing projects. I have this image of her in my head with a racing helmet strapped to her chin and a maniacal look on her face as she grips her machine and puts her foot to the pedal. Check out her blog and see her Inca Gold quilt that she has already completed and quilted! What a woman!

INCA GOLD

Here is the unveiling of Inca Gold. I have been showing teasers for a while, and here is the whole enchilada, so to speak. My quilter on this was Rosemary Skinner, a local Virginia Beach gal who did a fabulous job quilting this for me! The photos should open up when you click on them to give you a better view of her quilting. I LOVE what she did!  

  

 

I love designing and creating quilts, but darn it all, those long arm quilters really bring the whole thing to life, don't they? My hats off to all you quilting artists out there and special thanks to Rose on her beautiful work!

This quilt will be going to What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff, the LQS here, to be on display for the Shop Hop that starts next week. Also next week is The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival in Hampton, just across the bridge from here. If you are passing thru town be sure and stop at the shop and tell them that I sent you! They will treat you right over there, I promise! It is a GREAT shop! Plus, they carry a complete line of Patchalot Patterns! Whooo hoo!

MY OWN ADVENTURE LAND

I know my posts seem to get further and further apart, and that is because, as you well know, it is difficult to get anything done in the sewing room or elsewhere when you are glued to the computer. I did that for quite a while, and began to feel frustrated that I was showing little progress in other areas. So I am trying to limit myself. But the truth is, I do enjoy writing and I do enjoy visiting blogs, so I am trying to do it in a sensible manner. I am not commenting as often either. But I am still around and want to let you all know that. And there are soooo many quilt blogs out there now that if you come to mine less often it will give you a chance to visit elsewhere. Capice?

Last week I mentioned that I delivered Inca Gold to my quilter. Always such a relief to know it is done and on its way! Now at a loss for what to do next, because as you well know, there are so many things to do next, I started digging thru some storage looking for something small to finish for my grandson who has new bedroom furniture and needs a little quilty something for his nightstand to protect it from all the things that teenage boys toss on their nightstands. I pulled this little quilt top out of a box and decided to quilt it up at long last. I made it several years ago for a class demo. Now it is quilted and washed and crinkly and adorable. It measures 17.5 inches square, so it was just a little big for Kyle's nightstand. Instead I mailed it to his other grandmother in PA who is so wonderful and sends us chestnuts every fall for our turkey stuffing. I hope she likes it.

Back to the sewing room and more digging. I found all these split 9-patch blocks that I made several years ago. The pattern was in a magazine and it was supposed to be queen size. Well at this point I decided to just start sewing blocks together to see how big it would get. It is now 60" x 60" and I really like it. So I am re-designing to make it larger. Always an adventure when you find an old project to finish up. Hopefully next time you stop by I will have this top completed and I will have more pictures. 

The best thing about these projects is that there was no pressure to finish them for any particular reason. I sat and sewed up my stash of 2-1/2" squares into 9-patch blocks just for the satisfaction and pleasure of it. Ahhh. My kind of adventure. Enter the sewing room and see what happens!

Kyle's quiltlet is still waiting to happen. Another adventure awaits!

IT'S TRUE, WE GOT SNOW!

 

Let me introduce INCA GOLD! You have seen pieces of this as I have been constructing it, and now it is completed and off to the quilter this week. This picture shows just a portion of it hanging on the deck. It is actually 69" x 89". This is my first full sized quilt this year, and my quilter actually has another one that I finished piecing last year but have not yet revealed. Hopefully I can show you both before too long!

And look! Snow right here in Virginia Beach, VA! We have lived here for ten years and never had more than a dusting of snow. This is our side yard, and below the snow laden branches on the live oak tree in the front yard. I think we got at least five inches at our house.

 

And in case you were expecting me to run down to the beach for a photo, forget it! I have not left the house! In fact, if you look real close you can see the screen on the windows from shooting the camera out the windows! I am a native of the northern clime and I know snow, and I don't need to shake hands with it. Been there, done that!

JUST FLYING BY

The weekend is once again slapping us in the face. "Wake up", it says, "your life is flying by"! At least that is how I feel. At least I can say I got some things done this past week. For those that are interested in my newest little pattern, Feathered Friends, it is available on my website and you can click on the little picture of it on my side bar to take you there. Thank you for giving me such positive feedback on this little cutie!

 

I am frantically working on another larger quilt that I want to have ready for the LQS, What's Your Stitch 'N Stuff, by Mid-Atlantic Quilt Fest in February. It is going to be awesome! The little blocks I showed in my last post have grown into bigger blocks, as shown above.

 

And I have border strips completed and ready to be added very soon. I love designing quilts and creating them, then writing the directions isn't even that bad any more, but the whole thing is such a long process! I keep wondering how the "big girls" do it all so seamlessly?

Have a great weekend everyone!