Library Mystery Quilt

Well I am making progress on my mystery quilt hosted by our local library. We are up to Clue #6 and I am caught up. I think the next clue comes out the end of this week. I was a little behind so spent the last few hours catching up. I have been accomplishing quite a bit today with my day off. Next I need to work on my "Nesting Robin" that my local guild is doing this year. It was going to be a round robin but instead of passing along your block for someone to work on it, we keep it ourselves and do the next required step. I have also worked on some more of the split 9 patch and animal blocks. Will post more of those pictures when the quilts are completely finished.

One finished, 8 To Go

I put together one of the quilts from the blocks from the kids at school. I used some challenge blocks from my split 9 patch challenge I hosted with the Sunshine Quilt Guild (at http://www.sunshinequiltguild.blogspot.com) I really like the results. I have probably 15 more quilts to make with these challenge blocks so I am getting two projects done at the same time! This feels really good considering how little time I have these days. I think I am spending too much time on the computer and not enough at my sewing machine. I need to get these quilts finished by mid May to have them back to school for the kids to see. These quilts will be going to Wrap them In Love which donates quilts to orphanages around the world. You can read about that program at our Guild blog also.

Bonnie (http://www.quiltville.com) is starting a new mystery quilt and I am also going to start that project. I think I am an overachiever! But all these projects are soooo much fun. Well I better get busy and use my day off to its full advantage!

Need Motivation!

My Son's block is the whale, or is that a dolphin?
Here is my son coloring in his block.

I have been lacking in quilting motivation the last few days or so. Today I went to my son's school and had the kids color in muslin quilt squares that I will then sew into quilts to be donated to http://www.wraptheminlove.org/ to go to orphanages overseas. This is my fifth year working on this project. I think so far I will have to make 9 quilts as I do a quilt for each classroom.

I have started knitting a baby sweater and I enjoy doing that when I watch TV or want to relax and do nothing. No babies in my house, but the church I work for puts together layettes so I am planning on donating there. I just like to have my hands busy, I guess.

I started working on some UFO projects today. I have miscellaneous blocks in ziploc baggies that are waiting to be made into quilts. I really need to get these done and out the door. I made the mistake of counting how many I actually had laying around. My guild is having a challenge of how many UFO's you can get completed and when I found out you can also include any charity quilts I decided to play along. I finished up one top and got the backing ready to go and now am working on another set of 4 patch blocks. I have four days off over the Easter weekend so plan on getting some serious sewing done then, hopefully.

Grand Prix winners!

My son won 1st place in his Awana Grand Prix race today! He also won 3rd place

in Design! He did all the painting himself and the design was all his idea. My car placed 4th in the open class race. No trophy but my car ran a very good race and all four cars in the final race were very close! We had a very good day today.

Janet

Awana Grand Prix car's

Well here is my finished car for the Awana Grand Prix race on Sunday. The painted car is my son's (3rd grader) and the kind of quilted car is mine. I used some fabric scraps that I rec'd from someone (sorry can't remember who sent it to me) Purple just happens to be one of my favorite colors and of course I love to quilt! My son spent alot of time painting his car and is very pleased with how it looks. Our race is this Sunday so I will let you know if either of us wins!

Fabric Panel

I went to a quilt guild meeting yesterday. A guild that I am considering joining. They have meetings on Saturday mornings and now that I don't work Saturday's anymore this may work. I do belong to a guild but this guild has alot of members and it seems to have some younger members. Anyway I did some shopping while I was out. I saw this panel and decided I had to buy it. I have no idea what I am going to do with it but I am thinking I may just make it into a lap quilt for myself somehow. I like the colors and of course what it says just sings to my chocolate heart!

I retaught myself how to knit yesterday also. I have tried knitting in the past but could not coordinate my hands to work with the long knitting needles and always ended up getting my stitches too tight on my needles. I watched a video on how to knit online and I am starting with a prayer shawl. We will see how far I get before I have to rip it out. I have started and stopped only about two times and luckily I was only a few rows into it when I hap to start over.

Janet

New Job and progress...

Well I started my new job last Friday as a Church secretary PT. It is going great and any hesitation I had about the job is gone. I am doing alot of computer work producing bulletins, monthly newsletters and power point presentations among alot of other miscellaneous clerical duties. My official title is "Communications Secretary". This picture is what I have been working on for the last week or so. I may have mentioned that I rec'd 644 blocks of the disappearing 9 patch block. I have 8 tops completed with one of those being completely finished. These will all be donated to Wrap Them in Love organization which donates to orphanages overseas. You could check them out here http://www.wraptheminlove.org if you want to see a fabulous quilt gallery and see what they do.

I have started collecting clothes for a missionary who serves in the Ukraine. We are collecting clothing for the orphanages she works in over there. Last year she did this clothing drive in five different churches and she ended up collecting 600 LBS of clothing. This year I told her I would help ship the boxes to her in the Ukraine. It will be lots of work, but God willing, many orphans will be blessed with new to them clothes! I guess in the Ukraine clothing is very cheaply made and what is available is very expensive. I will let you know know everything goes.

Janet

Awana Grand Prix race car...

My son attends Awana club that holds an annual Grand Prix. This is similar to Cub Scouts pinewood derby cars. Anyway they have an open class where adults can make and race these little cars. I will be making a car this year again and I have decided that I want to make a quilt block and glue it down to the car. Now I just need to find a pattern that would work well. I have lots of scraps and could just do a scrap block and cut it to the proper size to attach to the car. We don't have the cars yet so I am not sure what size it is exactly but it is rectangle. I would guess it is only about 1 1/2 inches wide by about 7 inches long. Here are some cars from previous years.

So if anyone has any idea's on a quilt block that would look great on a car please let me know!

Library Mystery Quilt

I am participating in a mystery quilt with our local library. These are my fabric choices. The quilt will finish at 70 X 84. I am thinking about doing a second one with christmas fabrics. I have holiday fabric in my stash that really needs to be used up. We are getting two clues a month and are suppose to be finished by April 29th where we will all meet at the library to show off our creations.

Below are the fabrics I am thinking about using for the second quilt. I could always shoot for getting two done in the time allowed but my concern is that it is taking on too much.

I start my new job as PT church secretary on Friday working 28 hrs a week. I have been home yesterday and today with my youngest son who is sick. They did not like it at my old job calling in but it can't be helped. I am not sending my son to school running a fever and trying to fight off a chest cold.

Small Arm Quilting setup

Here is a copy of my quilt setup. I own the B-line quilting frame which is set up at 10ft and just recently purchased the WOW IV stretched Singer 201 while on vacation. I have completed one quilt top and some practice pieces on the new machine to date. I have owned the frame for three years now. I used to use the Babylock Quilters Professional Choice sewing machine which has a 9" throat. I am keeping that sewing machine to use when I want to quilt smaller quilts off the frame. Right now I have the mystery quilt that needs to be quilted by Thursday to put in my guild's quilt show. I am struggling however as there is tons of open space and I don't know what design to use. I am not good with quilting under pressure!