Colorblock Quilt!

I am really excited to have been able to finish a second quilt for my Rotary club's silent auction tonight. This is a brand new hot-off-the-press pattern by Holly over at Bijou Lovely. The pattern is called Colorblock Quilt. This pattern is fat quarter friendly and goes together really quick. I think a beginner could easily take this project on with confidence and a more experienced quilter will appreciate having a quick project in the wings. It would be a great pattern for showcasing large-scale prints, too. Can you picture it in Christmas fabrics, draped over an arm chair? I wish my photo was a bit better, as the colours are really pretty in person.

No, the corners are not rounded off; that is just me being in a hurry to get a photo taken this morning so I could get down to help set up at the auction. I didn't realize what a sloppy job I did laying it out until I got home and looked at the pictures. 

I tried an "art" shot as well:

I like how this picture turned out!

My sewing room is a mess. I didn't stop between quilts to organize my scraps or put anything away, and it shows. And, what did I do last night, after I finished the binding on this baby quilt? It sure wasn't cleaning up my sewing room....I pulled some fabrics for another quilt! A bit larger one, this time. I've had my Winter Sherbet quilt out on the couch in the living room since early this year, but with the sun coming out now and more and more blue sky, I'm wanting something a bit brighter, to go with the weather. I have a partially-raided bundle of Central Park fat quarters and I'm using one of those prints as inspiration. I'm not sure this will be next on my to-do list, but it sure was fun playing with those fabrics.  This coming week, I am teaching a course with an officer who I've been working with the last several years - he is an excellent instructor and it's a real honour to get to work with him. I need to finish getting organized so we can get going first thing Monday morning; after that, I think I can go play in the sewing room!

Happy weekend!

e.

Strippy baby quilt - finished!

I am really excited to have finished a project! This is my strippy baby quilt, inspired by Ashley at Film in the Fridge and quilted using Holly's wavy line technique from Bijou Lovely.

It was so fun to make this quilt, and so simple. I hung it over the railing on our back deck because we had a mini-blizzard last night, and while the snow has melted, the grass is still pretty sloppy and wet. I didn't want to lay my brand new quilt in that mess! I took a second photo of the quilt hung over the rail in "landscape" orientation (and I love that we all know what that means!) to show all the strips together.

The quilt is in the wash right now - we have several pets living in this house and my quilts tend to pick up animal hair along the way to being complete. Lucy, our elder beagle, decided to curl up real close as I finished stitching the binding down today. I really like pulling a freshly washed new quilt out of the dryer - the crinkly look is so neat!

The new week is just about here. I recently moved over to another department at work and was just assigned an office a couple days ago. It needs some decor. Something exciting I found out is that our Program Assistant is a quilter! I told her I am as well and she whipped out her iPhone to show me her latest finish. This was with about 15 minutes left in a strategic planning session we had on Friday. Our poor boss rolled her eyes and knew she'd lost both of us then and there....it's going to be so nice to have a quilter across the hall at work! Do you think she'd complain if I set a sewing machine up on my desk at the office?

e.

Progress....and a new (to me) website

We went out of town for Easter and then had a busy start to the week but I am very excited to have had some time in the sewing room today. The project at hand is a baby quilt I am donating for an upcoming silent auction. I am making my first strip quilt and I have to say, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process thus far. The top went together so quickly - just right for when there isn't a lot of time to sew.

It's windy all the stinkin' time tonight here so I had to snap my picture quickly. I'd get the top laying nice and flat against the back fence and then a breath of wind would come by and pick up a corner! I managed to get a photo that 

shows the entire top.

The backing fabric for the baby quilt is in the dryer now; I'm going to check if I have a big enough piece of batting and hopefully, get it quilted tomorrow. 

I tripped into a new website yesterday. It's called Threadbias and it's your own online sewing design studio. I registered and plan to use the site as a bit of a journal, to keep track of the things I make. I haven't explored it very much yet but if you want to check it out, go here. I know I don't really need another internet haunt to spend time at, but 
this one does look pretty cool.

The Stanley Cup playoffs start tonight. My husband is a huge hockey fan which means there will be hockey on every single night for the next several weeks. I follow, but not nearly as closely as he does. We're going to cross our fingers that Vancouver was only using last year as a practice run for the cup - Go, Canucks, Go!!

e.

Ahem...

Having another busy week here, just like everyone else is, I'm sure. I came home from campus today to a rather interesting scene in the kitchen. My daughter and her fiancee are headed out of town this weekend to visit his parents for Easter. Newly engaged, she wants to bring treats to her soon-to-be inlaws, so she decided to make batch of cinnamon rolls. These ones, to be exact (thank you Pioneer Woman). I walked in to find a lake of butter running off a dough-covered countertop while she squealed with delight at her sister, who was providing moral support from her dorm room up north. Thank goodness for iPhones and headsets! (I guess?). Peals of laughter greeted me as I walked in and surveyed the scene. She promises she'll read the recipe all the way through before beginning next time.

Then THIS caught my attention:

That's my big quilting ruler. In the sink. Covered with butter, sugar, flour - things of that nature.

"I was going to wash it, it's plastic, it will come clean easy with soap and hot water!"

I feel about my ruler the same way I feel about my good fabric shears, or my double-Henckel's kitchen knives....the ruler is meant for fabric, not cinnamon roll dough. Sure enough, it does come nice and clean and it is back where it belongs. Who knew it could be re-purposed as a kitchen implement to ensure correct rolled dough size?! Okay, I really didn't react a whole lot, but I was a bit surprised, just the same.

The cinnamon rolls taste awesome. The mess is gone. All is well!

And I really need to spend some time in my sewing room!

e.