Time Flies

Its March!!! and now almost April!!! and even with an extra day in February... the month was all too short. I think the groundhog was right and that we will have an early spring, at least on my block in KY!!!! There is a maple in the front blooming. I don't know the variety... and the one in the back has the bark changing color, but the buds are slow to swell. In wandering around the yard I can see swelling buds on the flowering cherries, the birch and the Knockout roses are just a few days away from leaves!!! We spend a Sunday cutting them back.

So how has all this time gone by so quickly... well I am still playing and making more quilts than I ever thought I could. Granted none of them are show stoppers!!! But I am making some progress and presented below in the order completed and their fate!!!


While I was waiting for the longarm to arrive, I found a pile of blocks I acquired in Virginia at the annual Guild auction, (a quilters garage sale of sorts). I bid on a box of stuff... and really just stuff. In the box were 18 blocks, 12 sampler type and 9 of the baskets. These were made  by several quilters and of course were many different sizes. So the first was this one. I really just threw it together, thinking my quilting would not be great.... so it would become a dog blanket. So once it was quilted and bound I tossed it into the washer... and oh my it had a fabulous texture... and scrunched up so nicely. I posted it on the previous blog and called it Axels blanket before I bound it. It was backed in flannel. My brother and family just recently moved from southern California to Wyoming and are suffering from the difference in temperatures. I sent the quilt to them as a warming gift! Quilted E2E in YLI Gold Cotton top and King Tut Variegated Orange in the bobbin. I called it Monkey Tails, because the design reminded me of money tails, and their new place has monkey in the name! A very happy coincidence!

Next up was the other pile of acquired blocks- the baskets. I set them on point and filled in with plain blocks. Remember this was a practice piece and was going to become Linzis dog blanket. But it also turned out nice and now lives draped over the railing looking from the second floor to the family room. Also quilted E2E with white Omni top and bobbin and flannel backed too.

My sister has dabbled in quilt making and had a pile of blocks and a completed top, along with a couple of smaller projects. So I took a pile of her swap blocks added some similar fabrics as sashing and put the whole thing together. Some of those swap blocks were way out of size!!! One I even had to add some fabric to get it up to size on one edge. I quilted the top E2E in Omni natural on top and in the bobbin, bound it, added a label and sent it back to her. She liked it!!!

Next up was a top she completed, all I did was press it to death and then quilted it. I am happy to say, it quilted up great. I was afraid it would have a couple of tucks in it from some billowy areas. I also backed in a brown flannel. I matched the bobbin to the back Essential Cotton Thread and quilted the top in a dark blue YLI cotton. She liked this one as well. Still on the frame! I forgot to take a picture of the finished quilt.... oh well. The brown flannel had the look of quilted leather.

I quilted one other for a baby. I foundation pieced the top from all my black and white scraps and the color was all from scraps as well. I only purchased fabric for the border and a flannel backing. I quilted the top E2E in black Omni and in the bobbin was a white Omni.

Overall I have had some fun.... quilting and E2E is a nice way to make nice quilt very quickly. I have a new found appreciation for hand guided quilting and the skill it takes. I am not anywhere near quilting from the front... but I long to get there, as the panto is fun, but very boring!

More to tell, but I hate using blogger to write in.... and the MS Live program no longer works on old laptop.... so I will have to find a new program or get used to blogger again- YUCK!!!


More Later-  Beth