One Quilt and a Pillow

Did You Say "Breakfast in Bed?"

2010-04-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

Mother's Day will be here before long.

Flashback: Once upon a time, when my children were young, they told me to stay in bed. The brought me breakfast -- in bed, and they had made it all by themselves. What a great memory!

Hold that thought!

For now, Lori and I are going to attempt another "memory maker!" We're making "Breakfast in Bed!" But don't get too excited. As much as we'd love to serve you, that's not what we have in mind. :-)

This next quilt project is entitled "Breakfast in Bed!" So... if you want "Breakfast in Bed" by Lori and me, you'll have to attend the quilt auction at the Inservice designed to raise Mission money next Fall!!!

This is the progress so far... cutting strips and pieces.

Won't you join us from time-to-time?
SG

Can You Believe It?

2010-02-28T19:11:00.001-08:00

There's going to be another twin-sized quilt!

Lori and I are going to create a second "Christmas-y" (in colors only) quilt for the annual Quilt Sale - Fund-raising effort for Mission efforts, conducted through our church, around the world.

I cannot tell you the name of this quilt... I know I was told, but for now... I cannot remember. However, there are diagonal stripes going both directions that result in small nine-patch sections when they intersect. Between the diagonal lines are squares "on point." You'll get the idea as we begin working and posting photos.

For now - here are photos of the fabrics we'll be using (that are now in the washing machine)!
The green fabric has impressions of pine trees. The mottled red fabric reminds me of cardinals... how about you? ;-) I have provided close-ups of the other two fabrics below.

This is a close-up of the white fabric at the top right in the above photo.
Does it look like swirls of snow?

This is a close-up of the fabric on the bottom-left of the first photo.
Subtle snowy scene.

Enjoy the "trip!" I know we will!

by "Shady"

Saying Goodbye to a Two-Year Friendship...

2009-11-07T15:27:00.001-08:00

The Auction Date arrived.
This morning celebrated the 31st Annual Thanksgiving Ingathering,
begun in November, 1978 at the former Westmar College in LeMars, Iowa.

From that humble beginning, the idea spread and it is now celebrated all around the state in a variety of locations.

All the funds raised, through the sale of a variety of donations from United Methodist Church congregations, are channeled to such relief organizations as Self-Help, Heifer International, Crop Walk, etc. Below are photos of most of the quilts that were sold at the quilt auction this morning.

If you look down the row towards the end, you'll see our Christmas 'Jacob's Ladder' quilt!

There it is! The third from the left (below)...

Shhhh! The auction has begun, and unless you want to place a bid...

Oh! We were so excited!
People kept bidding and bidding (I tried for awhile), and then it got down to a contest between two bidders... $175... $200... $225... $235... $245... $255!

It was sold for $255.00

We may just try this again!

Watch for the news of a new quilt...

although, we may not begin for awhile.
:-)

It's Finished!

2009-10-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

Jacob's Ladder
is the name of this pattern.

The quilt is finished as of 12:00 Midnight
October 28, 2009.

Here it is, draped over a recliner.

Placed over a twin-sized bed...

... with some teddy bears.

Another view.

Closer view

We had it Long Arm Quilted at the quilt store.
Here you can see the work.

Now it will be sold at auction, helping to raise money in addressing the problem of world hunger. The auction will be at Iowa Weslyan College, Mt. Pleasant, Iowa on Saturday, November 7 around 11:30 A.M. Are you interested? Contact Brenda Mayer at 319-3351-7337 or mayerbrenda@hotmail.com

The pillow? I think I'll make another block... so Lori and I might each have a pillow as a reminder. :-)

How Could I Let It Go Without a Photo?

2009-10-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Lori rolled up the "bedroll..."

This would be the completed quilt top and the batting (the nice airtrap between the top and bottom layers).

... and took it to the quilt shop.
She was going to purchase the backing and wash it
before returning with all three layers
to the quilt shop for machine quilting.

Yes! We're going to have it machine quilted!

We loved getting together, but it just hasn't been often enough...
or something to that effect! ha.

Speaking for myself, I've perhaps learned a lesson.

Don't Gloat!

ha?

I'll post a photo prior to the end of October.

In the meantime - Happy Quilting!

Lookey, Lookey!

2009-09-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

No More Playing Hooky!

All the trimmed blocks are lying in place...

... and being sewn in strips.

More to report very soon.
:-)

Happy Days Are Here Again...

2009-09-17T19:16:00.000-07:00

Soon we'll have time to cheer again!

We'll not wait another year again,

For our quilt may be sewn soon!

;-)

Lori and I worked Wednesday evening... All 42 blocks are sewn, and now we're trimming them to size. I hope I can finish the trimming and maybe even begin sewing a few together before we meet again!

What do you think about that, Lori??

Whoa!

2009-08-30T18:13:00.000-07:00

Don't tell me...

Okay, I won't.

Okay, tell me...

Alright, then. I just finished my last two "homework" blocks. And Lori has also finished hers.

That means (drumroll), we can begin squaring the blocks and readying to sew them together!!

Yea!

I agree!

Totally.

Someone Always Has to Have the Last Word!

;-)

One Would Think...

2009-03-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

... that we're purposely being pokey!
We're not being purposeful about it... we're just pokey. :-)

Last night Lori and I each created one more block. This means we're up to 32 blocks with 10 more to go. We're meeting again this coming Monday night after school. Perhaps I can be organized enough to have enough items pre-cut that we can both spend our entire 1 1/2 hours sewing!!

If there's still a "fan club" out there, we want you to know that we WILL have this sewn together before too very long!

"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." Galatians 6:9 NKJV

Shady G

Hey, Lori! Look At THIS!

2009-01-13T10:09:00.001-08:00

Sit Down, Lori~

Oh, no...

does it look like another pillow?

No... it was just upside down. :-)

This shows the completion of Block Number 30!
Only 12 more to go.

At this rate, 15 months to make 30 blocks,
it'll take us ...
hahahahahahahahaha...
Well, hopefully we can go a little faster, now that we're nearing the end of this part of the project!

You can stand up, now, Lori! ;-)

by Shady G

Appreciation

2008-12-02T06:48:00.000-08:00

Appreciation
by Jacquie Scuitto

There are quilts that make me wonder.
there are quilts that make me blink.
There are quilts that tug my heartstrings.
There are quilts that make me think.

But the quilts that mean the most
And that fill my heart with glee
Aren't the ones I see at quilt shows.
But the rare ones made for me!

Nice poem! But if I could take the liberty of changing the last line a bit, that second stanza would read:

But the quilts that mean the most
And that fill my heart with glee
Aren't the ones I see at quilt shows.
But the rare ones made BY me!

I think the operative word here is "by." lol.
"Shady G"

There are Now 27 and 1/2 blocks! Yea!

2008-11-18T06:17:00.001-08:00

Lori and I are quilting again! We've been getting together here, after school, on the first- and third-Mondays of the month. :-) We've had several sessions already, and are now up to 27 and 1/2 pieced blocks!

This is the "stack of 27 blocks."

And this one's on the table... waiting to be finished.
It's the "1/2 block."

(Mine. ha!)

I actually did a lot of sewing and cutting of the various blocks and sequence blocks (that's a good name for them, isn't it Lori?) But now we have a pretty good supply. I'll try to continue making pieces so that the next time we're together we can just be a couple of "sew and sews!" ;-)

Happy day!
SG

We're Back in the Saddle Again!

2008-11-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

and we're ready to ride! :-)

or we're ready to cut loose!

or cut up!

But no cutting corners! Just quilting them. :-)

Monday's Child is Fair of Face

2008-03-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

Well, I was hoping it would be Full of Grace, as that what was given us Monday morning...

But, then, Lori IS very fair of face. :-)

We had fun Monday morning! Taking advantage of Spring Break from school, she was here around 9:00 A.M. and sewed two blocks together (midst all my chattering!). I cut more pieces... enough for three more to be sewn!

We won't get another chance to sew this week, as I'm having fun being a grandmother. And, perhaps it will be quite a "spell" as Spring is 'round the corner!

Three More Blocks

2008-03-19T19:45:00.000-07:00

Everything is here, in my basement, so I'm feeling pretty responsible for the slow progress on our quilt. Lori will be here Monday morning, as she'll be on Spring Break. We wish we could get together more often this week, but my family will be here.

FYI: Our daughter is bringing her two children (our grandchildren, obviously!) Monday afternoon. Daddy has to stay home. They will all three spend the night. Mommy and L are going to visit a friend in Illinois on Tuesday through Thursday. And little A and I get to "hang out" for two days and nights together. Yea! I am so excited!

On Thursday, Mommy and L will return here and spend another night. Then they'll all leave Friday for home.

Sooo. All that is to say, I've done one block a day for the past three days. I've cut enough pieces for two more blocks, but it looks like I'll have to hunt for a bit of additional fabric before Monday. Friday might be a nice day for a trip! ;-)

Here is a photo of our 16 blocks and that crazy pillow!
LOL.No, they're not sewn together yet.
You'll be able to see why, later.

One More Post

2008-03-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

Wouldn't it be nice if there were "progress pictures" here tonight? But, other than doing preliminary cutting and a bit of sewing, Lori and I have nothing concrete to show for the evening's work. However, we always spend a good deal of time visiting!

;-)

Little Bits of Fabric

Little bits of fabric
Sewn into a quilt
Form a warm and loving blanket
From which memories are built.
And when you seek peace and comfort
In the quiet of the night
It will keep you warm and snug
Until the morning's light.

(Author: unknown)

posted by Shady

Cold and Snowy Outside; Quilting with a Friend and Warm Chai Inside

2008-02-08T17:46:00.000-08:00

When Shady and I quilted last week it was bitter cold outside. So cold that I didn't want to bring my sewing machine out of the house and expose it to the elements. Shady let me use her traveling machine that she uses for quilt classes, camps, etc. I liked it so much I am thinking I need to look into purchasing a light weight, "take a trip" machine, just like it.

My dear friend is so thoughtful! When I arrived she had a warm cup of chai, with whipped cream, waiting for me. You can see why it doesn't matter to me when she occasionally makes a pillow block. ;-)

I spent my time sewing green and white bias strips together that I had cut out before arriving at Shady's. To cut them, I started with white and green fabric, right sides together, and cut 2 1/2 inch strips at a 45 degree angle.

After I arrived at Shady's and warmed up with some chai, I sewed the green and white strips together. Then I sewed the pairs together, and so on, until the strips were sewn into one long green and white striped piece.

You can see in the picture below it is almost as long as I am tall. This piece will supply enough bias squares to make approximately 6 blocks. Though it seems like a lot of work, it is sooooo much easier than cutting little triangles and sewing them together for bias squares.

Whenever quilting seems tedious, I like to remember how it was done before strip quilting. Before strip quilting, quilters used templates and cut each piece by hand!! Quilters still do I'm sure, especially for shapes that don't lend themselves to strip work! But, I like the shortcuts!

While I was making this long strip, Shady was busy, busy sewing more blocks. The last picture I wanted to add had our current total of 12 blocks (number is right, Shady?). That picture I am having trouble loading. Look for it, or one with more than 12 completed blocks, in the near future.

Until later, stay warm and happy quilting!

Lori's piece.

Whew! And I Thought This Was EASY?

2008-01-21T18:41:00.000-08:00

These blocks are tricky. As careful as I've tried to be (methodical and deliberate as well) I almost blew it!

Don't tell Lori, but I almost made another pillow! Yikes! That would be bad news for two reasons: 1) I'd have to duplicate all that effort to make yet another useful block, and 2) we'd have to re-name this blog! THAT is definitely not in the "stack!" ;-)

You see, there are lots of little squares of fabric that must be sewn into strips.
Then the strips are sewn together, one by one.
The next to the last strip(at this point, it's at the top of the front block) was inverted.
Can you tell? (oops!)

So, I removed the stitches, realigned the strip
and re-sewed the seam. The photo below shows the block
after I finished adding the final strip. Ta-dah!

Now we have a total of 11 completed blocks... plus that odd pillow one.

Just to refresh your memory, here's a close-up of the pillow.

I'm the one that must claim authorship of the pillow block.
But I'm striving to make up for it, and
we only have 31 more blocks to go (for a total of 42).

What do you think, Lori? (Lori is home cutting strips and sewing them together
to make the green and white triangle blocks.)

by Shady

Shhhh.... don't tell Lori...

2007-12-01T10:56:00.000-08:00

...but I've made another block (correctly!) today. :-)

(Today's sleet and freezing rain has reconfigured the events of the day... which means a Free Day with No Specific Plans! Hurrah!)

This photo shows the seven blocks we had after leaving our last, and final, quilt class. It's looking pretty good, isn't it? Each finished block is 12" square. There are enough blocks to sew one strip of seven blocks together. To make the finished quilt, we will be sewing six strips, of seven blocks each, together and adding three borders, around each of the four sides, of different fabrics and widths prior to making the "sandwich" of the sewn quilt top, batting (inside layer), and backing (the underside of the quilt). Then it will be hand quilted by Lori and me and perhaps a few other quilting friends. The final step is to add the binding.

Okay! Here are our 8 (eight!) quilt blocks. What do you think, now? I arranged them this way to be able to better appreciate the over all design of the finished quilt. Be watching for a few variances.

The overall design will remain the same, but details will vary because we are using coordinating fabric scraps that remind us of Christmas. At this point, the scraps we've used have created 8 blocks. We will soon be incorporating those coordinating fabrics into other blocks. It should be fun!

Well... maybe we could tell Lori, after all.

Second (and final) Night of Class

2007-11-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

Shady and I had four blocks and a pillow going into the second night of class, and seven block and a pillow coming out. Only 35 blocks to go! I haven't told Shady this yet, but that amounts to a total of 1848 pieces of fabric in the blocks of our Jacob's Ladder Quilt! Shhh!

Here are some pictures from our second class:

I am thankful for strip quilting!!!!

Yippee, close to completing one more block!

The Diligent...

Of course, some of our classmates were a little more industrious between classes and came into the second class with all 42 blocks completed!

Those quilters went home from the second class with something that looked a lot like a quilt top!

I think we're the only ones with a completed pillow block, however! ;-) Lori's piece.

Midst Gales of Laughter

2007-11-13T14:17:00.000-08:00

Last night my husband returned home from a meeting, only to be met by gales of laughter eminating from the basement. Hmmmm....

Background: My friend Lori and I had decided to take a quilting class. Three weeks ago, we attended our first class. We measured, cut and sewed little pieces of fabric; each creating one single 12" quilt block after 4 hours' of instruction. We were on our way to making a Jacob's Ladder* quilt. Only 40 more blocks to go!

Back to the Basement: So, in preparation for tonight's class, we met in my basement last night to sew at least one more block each. Hopefully we have time to make another in class tonight. We'll see.

Back to the gales of laughter...

This is what each block is supposed to look like.

Do you see a discrepancy here? Yes, that is my block...
top right corner. Soon to be a pillow. :-)

And, a Blog is Born! "One Quilt and a Pillow."

I created one more block today. Now we have four good ones!
I still have an hour before class. Maybe I can sew one more?????
Lori and I will take turns posting from here on in.
You can trace our steps in the making of our quilt.

*Do you suppose we could call the quilt Polemonium? :-) by Shady Gardener