It was a long week but I got a lot done. I was able to get my three quilts finished and off to Dixon Mayfair for the quilt show. I started two baby quilts and all they need is the binding and I also started an applique project, which I have fallen in love with. I am going to finish binding my baby quilts tomorrow and I am also going to work on my applique blocks.

I have enjoyed the applique project so much I have already picked out two more projects and I cannot start to work on them also. This is officially an obsession. But then, there are worse things to be obsessed about!!

Applique Project

So, with the gentle encouragement of a good friend, Diane Steele of the Rabid Quilter blog, of I am going to take on a block of the month applique project. I first needed to find the project, which I located at One Piece at a Time and it is called My Tweets. Birds and flowers sound like fun! Now to pick fabric. My goal, as usual, is to use what I already have so I started early this morning sifting through bins of fabric.

Do I go with regular fabric or batiks? How much will I need? Half a yard or So can I get away with fat quarters?? So many choices but no real focus fabric. I may have to work on finding my focus fabric first and then pull the rest of the fabric. Tonight will be fun as I pull groups of fabric and see what works.

Here is my bin to sort through with all the fabric I have purchased at the last couple of quilt shows I attended. I have plenty of greens but need yellows, blues, pinks and purples if I want the colors but I could go with the red and black fabric, using gray for my contrast. This is so much fun!! I hope I only have to purchase my background fabric.

Once I figure out my fabric I will be getting a quick lesson on how to applique without having the entire project fall apart on you! This looks to be a great hand project that I can take along to work for lunch or do on the weekends if I take the kids to the pool or venture out to the park! I hope to have an update on fabric choices in the next couple of days.

Design Wall Monday 4/11/2011

Wonderful weekend and I started quilting my Mariners Compass quilt this weekend after being just to scared to start machine quilting it. So far so good!! I enjoyed a great trip to Auburn California and the Foothill Quilters Guilt Show today and just had a blast. There was so much applique that I think I need to start doing it. The quilts were just so beautiful and they seem to be projects that I can put together and work on over the summer when I travel, camp or just hang out at the pool with the kids!! I kept my purchases to a reasonable amount, only $38 in fabric and I enjoyed looking around, seeing the vendors and their products.

Next week I will be finishing up the three quilts I entered in the Dixon Mayfair, only one is completely finished. The second one only needs a bit more work, has binding and the hanging sleeve is pinned but the third is a bit further off. I have two weeks so I am confident that I can work under the gun and get them done. I can take some of the hand work into work with me this next week and work on it during lunch. Half hour walk, half hour sewing = a happy lunch.

Monday Morning Design Wall 4/4/2011

Quite a productive week in my machine quilting journey, I have almost finished my Dresden Plate quilt, with only a couple of plates left but binding and quilt hanging sleeve done!

I have also made huge strides on my Kaleidoscope Quilt, having figured out the border pattern and actually did it! I did leaves and they turned out fantastic much to my shock. Ok, after working on this for a month I think I can actually machine quilt and not hate it or myself!

I have also finished the majority of my donation quilt for the Sutter Cancer Quilt Auction but cannot show the entire quilt until the reveal in August but here is one block. It does look different with all the blocks together!

I have high hopes for getting a lot done this week as it is spring break for the kids and I will be working a bit less!! Here is to less work and more quilting time!! I think I will make the kids cook and clean....then I will have even more time!