Mostly Quilt Related

So besides work… what have I been doing? DH was gone for a bit less than 2 full weeks. So it was just me and the dogs. I did do mostly quilty stuff, tho. The flower above is a ‘bind weed ’of some sort.

Since moving in, one of the things I have been missing is a design wall. I really wanted to bring mine from Chicago, but the movers talked me out of it. Aside from being large, the weren’t particularly heavy; so why didn’t I just bring them? I did have a flannel backed tablecloth that I stuck on the wall, but it was unsatisfactory… moved to much and it didn’t like to be pinned through.  Most of the homes here are brick so finding insulation materials is difficult, but I got lucky… I think. I found some 2 inch thick Styrofoam boards, that are about 2 feet by 3 feet… so I covered 2 with the flannel backed tablecloth, but you can see the printed design through the flannel part, (I don’t like that). So today I went to a fabric store, and bought some decorators flannel, about 90” wide and covered 2 other panels. I am going to use the Command Picture hangers I only had enough on hand to hang 2 panels –so now I need to find some more… mail order, for sure. Since I started this post, I have discovered that I need to come up with a different plan to hang them on the wall.  The part of the Command system, that attaches to the Styrofoam sticks very well. The part that is supposed to stick to the wall, not so well. They both fell down after we went to bed, the other night and of course Axel thought that we had a bigger problem and went off. I have 2 choices left… Double sided sticky foam tape, (but it will be difficult to remove that from the wall) and similar to the Command solution would  be sticky backed Velcro. I have some of that, about 14 inches… that I have had for years, so that has been up over night… and appears to be holding. Next is to hang something on the design wall, like some heavy fabrics… I have ordered more sticky backed Velcro, so now I am just waiting for it to arrive, so I can hang 4 more panels for a BIG design wall. The 2 I covered in the flannel backed table cloth are going to become a bulletin board of sorts (or portable design walls)…

I am in a ‘Receiver’s Choice’ block swap. I think I mentioned that last post. Well the first block arrived at its destination so I can show it now. Jacqui wanted bees or bee skeps, so this is what I sent. I left it large incase she needed more of something… she can trim to size. The next one is for Karen, her blog is “Creative Kick” and her block is winging its way to the USA. I dropped it in the mail on Tuesday… should be there by the first of March. She wanted Happy Animals in brights…..

I did receive a goody in the mail… I think maybe the last of the Crazy Quilt 4x4’s. These are supposed to be 4 inches by 4 inches, and embellished. Some of makers had design block or stage fright and it took them a while to get them done! But they are all lovely and worth the wait!



So where did DH go and did he bring anything back for me? DH left South Africa for a few days in Brazzaville -Congo, then to Kigali -Rwanda for a few days and his last stop was in Bujumbura -Burundi. Yep. 2 pieces of fabric from West Africa. One still has the labels on it. The are both about 12 yards!!! Not sure why he picked the chicken one… unless he knew I might want to share…. These are Wax Block Prints… (batik) on 100% cotton. The labels do NOT have the word China on them anywhere!

The UFO Project number was 10, for this month… but I am going to have to trade a number… the whole reason for a design wall was to view the blocks and layout…. so I discovered several things… 1- I need a design wall and 2 -I like to be able to use pins to keep things where I want while I play on the wall, and  3- I don’t have a satisfactory fabric for the setting. I thought I did… but when playing with the blocks and fabrics… I don’t like anything I have so far and I have not been able to view…. in a way that I can visualize… where I want to go. So I am going to have to order fabric…. which even if it was cut and packaged to go within minutes of ordering… it will take 2 weeks to get here. Kind of a different way of shopping after having a 24 hour Wal-Mart just about a mile away from the house in Chicago!

I have to think ahead for everything we need…. especially if we want it from the USA. Well have a great day everyone… I am off to work and as always, there will be more later.

Beth