April Review

I can't believe that it's the last day of April. Where did this month go? I feel like I've spent a lot of time 'waiting' this month. 

This was on my laptop screen for over 3 hours! To say it politely, the Windows 10 update was a disaster, cost me several days of irritation, and over $150 to get it removed and Windows 7 back up and running. Kudos to the Easy Tech people at Staples. Many of my days involved trying to get it uploaded, then trying to figure out how to navigate it, and finally making the decision that it was going to be rolled back to what I had, if that was even possible. I still have all of my software programs to install, but my documents and pictures are fully accessible. Yeah. Enough on this subject. 

The review:

1) Sent out the goody envelopes to those who left comments on my 3/22 post. Only one has an address issue, but that should get taken care of shortly. I still haven't made the final decision if these will be two quilts, or front and back of the same one. 

2) I made it to all 5 planned meetings, and added another one.  It was a Weavers Study Group, at a friend's house. I came home with a plan and within a week I finished this small piece. 

3) I wanted to get some headway done on Spring cleaning. We certainly did, but as the weather has been warming up fast this year, my energy and stamina is at a low. Thankfully the humidity levels have been very tolerable. George power washed all of the porch furniture. He then painted two rockers, and the legs and wooden portions of my antique table. 

While I was shopping for webbing for the sofa repair, and found this pillow. 

I also ordered this fabric for making new cushion covers for the wicker sofa. 

Colors are perfect. 

4) I got the OBW quilt quilted and trimmed. I will take my time appliquéing over the slash in the top. Then the binding and a decision as to where it will be hung. 

Added this: 

I quilted up a sweet kid quilt for my friend, Betty. 

I've made some progress on my other projects but nothing significant enough for a picture. That's the way it goes sometimes. One of these months I'll have so many finishes that I'll get comments about my  sleep habits! 

But it'll just be harvest time. Right now, it's plowing, planting, and weeding time. 

May God bless each of you with sufficient energy to accomplish all of what He has for you to do. Luann

Creative Weaving Playday

I attended a Weavers Study Group meeting this past Wednesday. I came home with a book,  a little loom and the warp thread. I knew I had plenty of other supplies. I worked thru the first few lessons in the book, and then decided to try 'going for it'. I've got this little nugget hanging up on my wall. 

It should have a label with what I did and why. I'd better get this done before I forget what I did!

I'm still pondering what to do with those tied warp threads at the bottom. Beads? 

I am pleased with my playday project. 

So, if you were going to give yourself a playday to try something new, what would you do?

April Intentions & Winners

This was what we woke up to on April 3. It was our last day in the UP of Michigan. Not unusual, just unwelcomed, as our all-weather tires are meant for all the weather in South Carolina! By the time breakfast was finished and we headed south, the roads had been salted and the sun came out. 

Now this is more to my liking. April 7, at the beach in SC. Great fun watching, but I'm not into flying with the Pelicans like that!

April Intentions: 

1) Send out goody packages to the 8 commenters on my 3/22 giveaway post. 

2) Attend all 5 group meetings on my calendar. As of today, 1 down and 4 to go. 

3) Start the Spring cleanup of house AND yard areas. This presently underway, but will take awhile. 

Make progress on the following: 

4) My OBW. Needs the cut addressed and then the quilting, binding, etc. 

5) Desert Sky Quilts, yes this will be two. The back is just too interesting to be against a wall. 

6) My pojagi piece. Need to decide the size it will become, and whether it will be curtain art, quilt, ? 

7) Batik Star needs to be quilted and finished. 

8) Mystery Quilt has several 'clues' that need to be done to be up to date. 

9) Hosta Trio. Appliqués need to be stitched down, thread painting, then quilting, etc. 

10) Dragonfly book pages may become wallies. 

11) Tequamenon Falls wallhanging. I need to decide if it will get borders, or finish it as is with a facing. 

12) Batik triangle improv challenge pieces are in a container. These need some sort of direction!

13) Flower garden from my hand dyed fabrics. Couching stems with the longarm is a possibility. 

14) Collaged piece needs to have some color added to all that black!

15) Fused fabric improv art quilt. This may need to just cogatate until it learns to speak to me. 

My thought for today: Continued progress leads to completed projects. 

Let's create today, Luann

March Review

A short review. 

Took a class where I honed my precision sewing. 

Chose an alternate layout from the pattern. 

And the back started taking on a life of its own,,,

Worked on an art quilt from fused fabric scraps, needs lots of work. 

Started the placement of pieces I would like to put together with a pojagi look. 

And the finished tumbler quilt. 

Here's a picture of 6 composition books that I fused fabric to the covers. These were for my grandkids.  I made two more that didn't get into this picture. If you do this, rough up the cover, as they all started to loosen up as we hit cold weather! The moms will use some glue to keep them in place. 

I'm on vacation for a few more days. I haven't done any stitching while on vacation this time. Brought it along, but overcast skies make it difficult to see in the vehicle. 

April intentions? I'll get that together after I'm home and the laundry is finished, lol. 

Hope you're creating today. I'm creating the best thing ever: MEMORIES

A Giveaway and Nomination #3

Today's the third day for participating in the blog challenge that Terry nominated me for. Drop over to www.terryknott.blogspot.com to see what she's been up to. 

The rules:

1) Thank the person that nominated you. 

Terry, you know how much I've enjoyed this, Thanks!

2) Post a quote each day, for three days. 

You can't use up creativity.  The more you use, the more you have.   Maya Angelou

3) Nominate a new blogger each of the three days. 

My nomination today is Lynda. You can invest some time reading about her various activities on her blog. www.Lynda@BloomBakeCreate.com

So this finishes my part of a fun little blog challenge. It's been fun gathering the quotes. It was very difficult deciding on which three bloggers I would nominate. There are so many talented folks out there that I enjoy following. 

Now, on to my own challenge! I have a quilt back that I was preparing for my Desert Sky quilt. I wrote about it yesterday. In case you missed yesterday, here is how far the quilt top has gotten. I think it needs a border. Yes, definitely!

Next is a picture of how the back started coming together. I wanted to use some of the same fabrics as the front,for a focus row. I had two units left over from the front and chose to include them also. 

My thought was to put another strip of the aqua on the top and bottom. Then flank both sides with some coordinating larger pieces. Then add a final oversized border that would get trimmed down after the quilting was done. Well, that was the original plan. I realized I still had several of strips left in my basket. I wanted to utilize the fabric that I had already cut into. So, I made two more strips and attached them to each side. And that's when it happened!

Here came the 'challenge'. I'm beginning to look at this as a quilt top, not a backing!  I've made reversible quilts before. They are usually for kids. This one has a lot of piecing hours into it. I have already got an idea of where I want to display it. It just seems like a waste to put this backing together and have it look at a wall for the rest of its life!   

And I can always come up with a couple of backings, or at least I can try.  I'm sure you're chuckling a little about that comment, considering what just happened. 

So today, I'm really hoping to get some feedback from all of you. Please give me your thoughts on whether I continue to make this a backing, or do I 'grow' it into a quilt?  If you are an anonymous commenter, please sign your name at the end of the post. 

I haven't had a giveaway in quite some time, so I think this will be a great time to do one! Everyone that leaves a comment, on this post, will have their name put in the drawing. I will notify the winner(s) in April. PS. Do you remember the drawing last summer? The one where EVERYONE, got a gift package.  That could happen again,,, just saying, you never know!

Let's Create Today, Luann 

Paper Piecing Workshop and Nomination #2

Today is the second post for the blog challenge that Terry nominated me for. You can catch all of her interesting project news over at www.terryknott.blogspot.com

The rules:

1) Thank the person that nominated you. Thanks Terry!

2) Post a quote each day.  "Fall in love with the process, and the results will come." Eric Thomas, smokewithmirrors.tumblr

3) Nominate a different blogger each day to participate. 

I'm nominating Diane, an online friend. She can be found at www.yarngoddess.wordpress.com

We both participated in a surface design group for a few years. I've been very interested in so many of her adventures, especially when she has done eco dyeing. Do check her site out, it is so interesting. 

Back to my quote. Falling in love with the process isn't always so easy. Recently I took a paper piecing class with Carol Ann Jaynes, a Judy Niemeyer Certified Instructor. I struggled a bit in the first steps, but her patience and thoroughness got me through two intense days. We all worked on the Desert Sky pattern, each with our own fabric choices. Here's a picture of the pattern and my stack of fabrics. 

Here are units on my design wall in the first layout that I tried. 

I liked it, but,, something just didn't click for me. Ahhhh, it's those gold and royal blue units! They are just hogging the camera's eye. So out they came, and I started to play with the remaining units. This is the final layout I came up with. I want a border on it, just haven't made my final decisions yet. 

I'm pondering on the name for this quilt, but that needs to wait until the binding is done. 

My next post will be my third quote and nomination day. It will also tell you about this quilt's backing and how it is taking on a life of its own! 

Until then, let's create today! -Luann

Tumbler Quilt Progress and Nomination #1

I've been nominated by Terry Knott to take part in a blog challenge. You can find her, and all of her On Going  Projects at  www.terryknott.blogspot.com

The rules:

1) Thank the person who nominated you.  Terry, thanks for the opportunity. 

2) Post a quote each day for 3 days. 

3) Nominate a blogger each day. 

Day #1: 

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong. -Joseph Chilton Pearce

I nominate Rachel over at www.stitchedincolor.com  

She has been an inspiration to me. I've taken 2 of her online classes that were awesome. She gives so much information to help you through any difficult step. She is very talented, her quilt designs are so interesting. Please stop over and check things out. 

During March I have intended to make progress on my projects. 

First up is my tumbler quilt, started in February. I love a gentle meandering stitch design.

And the backing was pieced. A few larger pieces and two rows of tumbler pieces. 

I need to attach the binding on this queen sized quilt.  Next time, my tumbler quilt is going to be scrappier and not have a  symmetrical  layout! As you can see below, I couldn't get the entire quilt up on my design wall, so I had to play the game of mirror images! Not something I want repeat any time soon. But then again, now would be the best time, because I can still remember how I did it. 

Above, left, are quilt pieces that I have cut from the remaining smaller pieces and scraps. I used my new Accuquilt Go, and some basic dies. They're on a shelf waiting for their turn under the needle! 

May God bless the work of your hands-Luann