I'm only checking for the UPS guy once every 10 minutes or so...

Quick post while I'm waiting for the new computer.
Twinkle has all the pieced borders attached, and I laid it out to measure for the outer borders.  I like to measure each edge and through the center, hoping that the three measurements will end up within shouting distance, for both height and width.   I was quite gratified to find that there was only a 1/4" variation between them, which is close enough for anybody's galloping horse.

Next I'll be holding my breath while I cut the final borders and get them stitched on.
Which means I had to run for the top I'm going to machine quilt first as a practice piece for the Big One.
Anyone remember this?

Yay, Garden Party!

A nice orange border,

and a flashy flowery orange back.

Nothing like some nice fall colors as we lurch into spring!

And I finished the center medallion for the 365 Challenge quilt - here it is at midpoint,

and all put together.

That's an 18" block, which just seems tent-like when you consider my usual scale.  It sure felt huge as I was sewing that last set of pieces around the outside.

(By the way, I've checked three times for the UPS guy while typing this and loading pictures.  Not yet...)

I didn't get any other piecing done, what with wrestling giant blocks and endlessly long borders, but I'm still plugging along through this book looking for the actual name for some of the blocks I'm making for the RSC. 

It's an interesting book, but weirdly organized.  The blocks are divided into categories like 'square', 'diamond', and 'circle', with each category filled with every block that could be said to have a square, diamond, or circle anywhere in it.

To me, categories like 'four-patch' or '60degree triangle' would be more useful and easier to search, but this is the book I have, so I continue thumbing through a dozen or two pages whenever I have an idle moment.
The problem, of course, is the problem I have thumbing through any collection of quilt blocks.

Wouldn't all three of those make great scrap quilts?  I certainly need more ideas, right?

Well, as PaulaB pointed out, at least my sewing machine is working.

And I'm heartily glad about that.  I'm still holding my breath that my computer will hold together until the new one gets here (I've got one on the way!), but in the meantime, I can happily keep on sewing.

I've got all the pieced borders for Big Twinkle assembled, and three of them are sewn on.  You can see how the corners are going to resolve here.

Once I get that last border on, I'll be able to add the 6" plain borders, and then I can start panicking about the quilting!  8)

I started the center medallion for the 365 Challenge.  Here's the center of the center medallion - 

There are some star points and four-patches to add around the outside, and then I can start the March blocks.   (Only two weeks behind!  Yay!)
It's a relief to be working with a larger size block, frankly.  Here you can see the February 27th block next to that medallion  part.

Quite a size difference, eh?  But fear not, I'll be back to 3" blocks in no time.
Wouldn't want to get too comfortable with blocks I can actually see or anything...



Linking with Oh Scrap! at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  There's lots of happy scrappy goodness to be found!

I'm feeling better, but my computer isn't...

My hard drive is dying, which is the root of all my computer woes.  I'm dithering whether to replace the hard drive (and update Windows from XP which I've been happily running all these years) (and given my history with installing hard drives (ack! hardware!) this might not be the best option) (definitely not the easiest option) or if I should just bite the bullet and buy a new computer.
Argh.

So here's a couple of quick photos, in case Old Faithful here craps out on me.
The last of the February 365 Challenge blocks, before starting the center medallion that wraps up the month.

A couple of Chantal's Pinwheels in purple.

And an applique quilt I saw and coveted at a quilt show I went to with my sister-in-law yesterday.  (I want to make it with a dark background, though, I think...)

 I've got tons of pics from the show, but I want to get this posted.  If I'm still operational later, I'll throw together a brief tour of the show - there were some beauties!
For now, I'll just be over here in the corner, swearing quietly at hard drives.
Argh.


Linking with SoScrappy's ScrapHappy Saturday.  Rather quickly, I might add...

Crying geese...

I'm still determined to catch up on the 365 Challenge blocks.  I made another two today.

The one on the left went fine.

The one on the right actually made me cry.

I'm not kidding.

I can't tell you how many times I took apart those itty bitty flying geese triangles and put them back together again.  The first time I fell under the curse of thinking I knew what I was doing, so I had them with the same colors at each end, and I didn't realize that was wrong until I had all eight of them assembled.  It went downhill from there.  If you look closely, you'll see that there are two different settings for those geese.  (Don't look too closely, however, or your brain will explode.)

The truly sad thing is that the block is supposed to be made with four different colored 'T's instead of the two that I opted for.  I don't know if that would have made it better or worse - whether I would have gone into it with a healthy dose of paranoia, or whether I would have come out of it a gibbering fool.

So since I was frustrated anyway, I spent the next hour hunting for a particular fabric that I wanted to use next for RSC.  It wasn't where I'd put it when it first arrived, where I'd set it aside to have it ready for this moment.

Now people will tell you that getting your studio organized, with everything put away and nice and neat, will make it easier to be creative, and that time spent clearing away the clutter will make you feel great.

This is a lie.

Every single time I have ever straightened up my studio and put things away, I've spent the next 6 months cursing myself, the studio, every piece of fabric I own, and the art of quilting itself.
Because I can't find a damn thing and waste an hour hunting for the one fabric I need.  Which I knew exactly where to find BEFORE I organized and put stuff away.

Because this is the fabric I needed.  This is the purple fabric of my true heart's desire.

A pig in a blanket is good.

A pig in a sweater is better.

Not a completely unproductive day

Years ago, my grandmother (who, along with my other grandmother, taught me most of what I know about quilting) would participate every year in a town fundraising effort involving making and raffling a quilt.  Unfortunately the number of quilting ladies had dwindled over the years - time and attrition and all that.
Which is how I found myself sitting in the Grange Hall this afternoon, discussing quilt blocks and quiltmaking with a bunch of women who had also been roped in by my sister-in-law and (chiefly) her sister-in-law.  (I'll freely admit that 90% of the reason I showed up was so that I wouldn't get volunteered for anything in absentia...) 
There are only a few of us who are actual quilters, but everyone seems game to try, so this should be interesting.  I'll keep you posted.  Especially if it gets really interesting...

Meeting over, I headed to my studio to get a bit of work done before I ran out of steam completely.
I think I've finally got all the pieces for Allietare cut and corralled. 

That means I can put all the reds, blacks, and golds back into their respective spots, and it frees up the bin that I'd been keeping 2" Allietare strips in.  I can certainly put the bin to good use, given the ridiculous number of projects I've somehow got going.

Speaking of ridiculous projects, I got three more blocks done for the 365 Challenge.

These are the blocks for Feb 18th thru 21st. 
So, if I can make 3 blocks every 6 or 7 days, I should be caught up in...  um...  well...

Can someone give me a hand with the math here?  I think my brain has frozen.



linking with Oh, Scrap at Quilting is More Fun than Housework.  Come see all the scrappy goodness!

First Purples

It's March, so this must be purple!

Because who can resist a purple batik piglet?

And what's a piglet without a kaleidoscope?
Or two.  

Or, er, um, several.

And I'm going to have to cut some more bits for the Twinkle Star borders, because I'm almost out of what I'd cut ahead.

Now that I know it's safe to proceed, having tested the borders and finding they're going to fit, that is.  (Always a worry...)

I've got the right side border on, and will be adding the others as soon as I can trust my brain again.
(I've found it's best not to push it too hard when in the throes of a cold.  Especially when there's this much matchy-matchy stuff going on.)
(If ever there was a time I'm likely to sew a border completely reversed, possibly twice, this is it.)
(Go on, ask me how I know.)
(If I run out of parenthetical comments, can someone send me their extras?)
(I think it's time to wrap up in a fleecy blanket in front of the woodstove.  With my feet up.  Night night!)


Before I go, though, I'm going to link up with Angela for ScrapHappy Saturday.  I'm late for the party!
And as long as I'm at it, I'll link with ScrapTastic Tuesday, as well.  There can't be too much scrappy fun!

Kaleidoscopes, orange peels, and a brain full of snot...

Welcome to March.  I got hit late last week with a horrific cold, so most of my time is being spent coughing uncontrollably and blowing my nose, which makes it hard to do any coherent... well... anything. 
I've started assembling the next row of Quilty 365, working right to left across the top.

I ran out of steam getting the last blocks actually stitched, but at least the fabrics are chosen and cut and everything's ready to go.  You'll notice there's bacon for the 28th fabric, and the March 1st orange peel is in the new RSC colors of purple with yellow.
The interesting thing is that the March 1st block is going to be right next to the February 1st block.  Twenty-nine days made a complete lap around.  Whoda thunk?

And in the kaleidoscope realm, how could I resist a bacon block?

It was the last block of February for my calmer gentler kaleidoscope project.

I need to catch up the corners on these blocks.  I just didn't have the brain power to tackle it today.

My other kaleidoscope - the one that grabs me by the scruff of the neck and drags me back and forth through my stash - is now at this stage.

Now, this one, I'm not doing corners until the end.  I've seen all kinds of creative treatments for those empty spots, so I'm leaving my options open until all blocks are made.

Say goodnight, kaleidoscope.  I'm about ready to go lie down, myself.

But first, I'm linking to Quilty Folk for the Quilty 365 March linkup, and with Sane, Crazy, Crumby Quilting for Kaleidoscopes of Butterflies.