Monday Morning Design Wall 7/16/2012

Great week, I was able to get one border ready to sew for my Baltimore Album quilt and even made some progress before the Annual Family Camping Trip.  This year we went to Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California.  Wonderful time.  We had the entire Lost Creek Group Camping Ground to ourselves and we hiked and cooked like fiends.  We climbed to Bumpass Hell and saw the sulphur pots (1,500 feet gain in elevation) and then tried to climb to the top of Mount Lassen. 

 Missed being able to sew for a few days but would never risk my fabric to the smoke of the fire.  I read magazines, talked with my friends and picked out a pattern to make for my youngest son who pointed out I had made two quilts for my friend's son and only one for him!!   How could this slip by me??  I am off to the Long Beach Quilt show in a week or so and will be getting fabric for a Ocean Wave quilt for him.  I think he will love it.

 This is Nicolas, perched on a rock over looking the valley we climbed up from during one of his many "wait for the parents" stops on the way to Bumpass Hell.   Below is me, my husband and my son's, Nathan and Nicolas.  Great trip!!  Only one bad blister! 

Monday Morning Design Wall 7/9/2012

GOOD MORNING! Happy 54th Birthday to my husband Stuart! Hope you have a great day.  Welcome Home to my 17th year old son who spent the last month in Germany with his exchange student, can't wait to hear about your trip!!

I had a very productive two weeks, finally finishing every block for my Baltimore Album. I have done enough french knots to sink a ship but I am very happy with the results. Worth all the work!!  I have embellished and I think it looks great.

The rows are sewn together but I wanted to preview it for a day or two before I finish the rest of the sewing.  I am working on the first border so I have high hopes it will be finished soon.  I also finished another from the P3 Designs and  will soon start the next block. There is only one difficult one left so that is good.
Below are a couple of close up pictures of my french knots, the block is fourth row, second from the left.  I was so worried about doing them I initially decided to skip them but a bit of practice and they turned out rather well!!

 I can't wait to get the first border done and I hope to be quilting this quilt shortly after Labor Day once it cools off here in the hot hot valley of central California.    Don't forget to check out all the other walls in Judy's blog.

Monday Morning Design Wall 6/25/2012

 What a week!  Keeping to my promise to finish up my Baltimore Album quilt I successfully finished the last two of the 25 blocks!!  The star block was the biggest challenge and took weeks of fear before I was ready to tackle it.  The green section is done with a combo of applique and reverse applique and cutting into the background fabric but I chickened out on the red and did it the way I felt more comfortable, just so I could get it done already!!  I also made my four ruched flowers for Block #25. 

Below is the progress I have made on the border applique, many many leaves, flowers and everything else.  I am about to start my second round, of 4 total so I should be ready to start the borders by the time I get the top sewn together.

 Just for the fun of it I also included my Farmer's Market shopping trip this last Saturday.  I was so thrilled to have purchased all these yummy organic foods for only $41.  Tons of cherries, bing and renier, Yukon potatoes, basil, carrots, strawberries and a huge flat of jumbo eggs!!

Next week I am hoping the corn and stone fruit look good, it is almost PEACH time here!!  Yummmm.

Remember to check out Judy's blog and see all the other design walls!

Monday Morning Ironing Board 6/18/2012

Well, my design wall is blank thanks to my decision to stop new projects and start work on the borders for my Baltimore Album quilt.  There are multiple components, tons of leaves and flowers up and down these long mitered borders.  This will be time consuming and a bit repetitive as I have to do four, but if I just work on getting something done each and every day, I hope to have them done by the end of summer.  Then I can start hand quilting this project in the fall when it is cooler.   I prepared my pieces several weeks ago and just want to see this project done at last!!

Remember to check out Judy's blog and see what is on all the other design walls! 

Monday Morning Design Wall 6/11/2012

 Yea!!  I was able to get most of the leaves sewn down on my Miss Kyra quilt by Erin Russek but I still have a few left.  I am trying to think about the borders now as I am determined to make them shine!!    I just wonder what I can do with the fabric I have left!

I was also able to finish up P3 Design BOM #3, which was quite a challenge in itself.   I am going to start block #4 shortly and it is just as challenging but I am really enjoying it.   

Please remember to check out the rest of the design walls on Judy's blog!

Monday Morning Design Wall 6/4/2012

 First, I want to wish my beautiful daughter, Stephanie Elizabeth, HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY!  The picture to the left was taken just a few minutes after she was born, 3:45 a.m., June 4, 1991.  Below is a picture of my wonderful husband and myself, a day or two later when we ventured out to a park.  (Yes, the glasses were great, were they not!)   If you scroll down, there is a more recent picture of Stephanie!    She is finishing up her junior year at Cal Poly!!  I could not be prouder of her!

Just to celebrate her birthday I finished my quilt top for the Hawaiian Quilt with a Twist.   This top took hours and hours of work but dang, it turned out great.  I am hoping to get it pinned/based and will start hand quilting it soon!  And to think I started this on a whim when I had an hour free on a Thursday night several months ago and it grew into this finished top. I think hand quilt it will just make it better!

Monday Morning Design Wall 5/28/2012

Finally finished block 2 of P3 Designs block of the month, took a lot of courage just to start the block as it looks so difficult, so when I finally did, I was surprised how well it turned out.  Check out her web page for the BOM.       I am working on block 3 and have block 4 pending so I need to catch up on this project.   God bless our service men and women this Memorial Day!!

I was also able to finish up two blocks on my latest applique quilt. They are lacking some embroidery but I will wait until I have a few more done before I add the embroidery, just to make sure I use colors that go well with all of the blocks.    Don't forget to check out Judy's blog for the rest of the design walls!!