Friday Focus

Normally I like to do a post on what I finished during the week, but I haven't had time to turn my machine on until today.

I am just smitten with the Quick Curve Ruler.  I used the ruler to make these pumpkins.  I wanted to try another pattern to see if it was easy also.  I looked through the book, then I settled on one of the free patterns from Jenny's blog.  Way back when, our quilt group was going to give the poinsettia pattern a try but never did.

I can say that it was really simple too!  The hardest part with these blocks is trimming them up.  It really isn't hard, but I can never figure out which way to put the ruler on the block.  It seems really silly, but I swear I have to turn the ruler 4 or 5 times before I get it right.  Being a leftie, I am sometimes challenged in the rightie world.  This is not my normal color range, but I am enjoying playing with the softer colors.  This is likely to become another pillow.  It will finish at 20"

Do you see those little bits of color behind the block?  You need to look really close.....



 I couldn't tease you and then not show.  These are the new bolts that just arrived.

 I have been tied up most of the week with serving shift dinners for my family. Delaney at 5:00, Gavin at 6:00, Mason and Estelle at 6:30 and be at the play at 7:00. That makes for a crazy evening!

My son, Gavin is one of the brothers in the play Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

I am proud of him for his hard work in learning all the steps and the songs. He is doing a great job.

My host daughter is not in the play, but the other 2 exchange students are.  This is their first experience being on stage and they are doing an excellent job (especially since English is not their first language)

The beauty on the left is from the Czech Republic, and the one on the right is from Germany.

Tonight is the last performance so I will be going to support them.  Delaney is in the choir and is doing a great job.  All the sets are really amazing.

Saturday is a wrestling day, but maybe Sunday I can have some sewing moments.

DWM - Something New to show

I had hoped to work on my blue/brown/green strip stack quilt this weekend, but I still didn't have my 1/4" foot.  I don't like to work on a quilt with more than one machine, so I went with a different project.  I bound two quilts and passed them along to a friend for hand work (thank you, thank you)

This isn't actually new, it is on the UFO list from last year.  It is the canned pears pattern from Fig Tree.  Beware that if you make it larger, your columns will be different lengths.  I put it away last year because I didn't want to deal with how to make them even last year.  It is now in one piece and I have the tiny 4 patches for the checkerboard done also.  It feels great to have this one down to the borders.  Since I made it bigger, I need to figure out what size to make the inner border so that the pieced border will fit.  Time to turn on my math brain again.

My group also played with the quick curve ruler.  I don't live in the Southern Hemisphere, so it is a little out of season.  Several people from the group made pumpkins.  Mine are the tall skinny ones in the middle of the bottom and the fat ones on the lower left.  A few of Ellen's beads also made it into the photo along with pumpkins from the other members.

I really enjoyed using the ruler and I can see me making more projects.  The instructions were easy to understand and the curves were easy to sew.  I love how all the pumpkins turned out so differently.  

I hope to do a little quilting this week and maybe sew a few more strip stack blocks.  My new feet for my machine arrived on Saturday.  Life is too short to spend it looking for lost items (especially ones that can be replaced so easily).

It won't be long and my flowers should be popping up from the long winter rest.

Stop over to Judy's to see what others are working on.

Bring it on Mr. Winter!

I know almost everyone is sick of snow, but I say "Bring it on!"  Another snow day today = more quilting time for me!  I quilted a UFO, and that wasn't even on my goal list.

I actually finished another quilt from the UFO mountain.  I may have even finished mine before some others in the group (like Ellen).  This has never happened before.  These are the blocks from the Lewis and Clark sampler that I taught many years ago.  I added the alternate blocks and set it on point.  I will take some better pictures once the weather isn't so gloomy.  

I mentioned in yesterdays post that I have been doing a fair amount of running for my kids.  Along with show choir, I get to watch my son wrestle.  It is a really hard sport for me to watch.  I am told that I make quite the funny facial expressions.  I don't think bodies are supposed to bend like they do in wrestling.  This is my son getting a pin last night.  I am quite certain my neck would be broken if I twisted it like that.  

Is it too much to ask for a fog delay tomorrow?

Monday - How can that be?

and...how can it be March already?

I have nothing new to show on my design wall.  It looks exactly the same as in my last post.  I have wrestling and show choir going on.

My DH had a problem with materials on a job so he switched gears and put the flooring in the boys room.  It went very well until the very end.  We are one board X 21" short.  That is the way projects always work out at my house.  We had to go buy another box of flooring for that 4" X 21" piece.  UGH!

Since the flooring was essentially done, that pushed me to get the paining finished.  I had the base coat of taupe on the walls, but I didn't get the stripes or the accent wall complete.  I looked at several tutorials on stripes, and I am pleased with how well they turned out.  I also managed to get the accent wall painted (sorry about the turned photo).  It is the dark blue.  The best part is both boys like the colors and the flooring.  Once we get them moved back into their room, we can work on the last bedroom that needs attention.  

I quilted 2 customer this weekend.  I quilted both of them with the pantograph popcorn.  I think it is the perfect choice of pattern.  It is funny that I received two different quilts with basically the same colors.  It made the thread choice really easy!

It feels good to check something off my March goal list so early in the month.