Baseball Quilt

I have gotten so much work done on my grandson’s baseball quilt since joining the Sandstitchers Quilt Guild.  There is an opportunity to sit and sew at least twice a month.  Large blocks of time with lots of table space. 

For ideas for the quilt, I googled “baseball quilt”.  Looking at all the images, I was drawn to the quilt on this site: Matt and Shari.  Plus it had a tutorial!

My progress thus far:

This one is for Logan, one of my grandsons.  He puts his whole heart into playing baseball.

Go,Go, Go!

I am traveling and am too exhausted to drive back home to Mississippi tonight, so I cut a few hundred dark 2″ squares with the Go cutter. These are for the Happily Scrappily Irish quilt by Bonnie Hunter. Nice. Quick. Easy.

Best!
Claire

Amish Basket Block for Catharine

As time goes on, guild members move away the rest of us make her a Friendship Block in a pattern and colors of her choosing.

Catharine is moving and she chose an Amish Basket Block in purple with a white background.  I cut it out this afternoon and finished it tonight.  It is made with “Sunday Afternoon” fabric by Jane Spolar.

I bought a half yard of the fabric from Block Therapy in Gautier, MS a couple of months ago and made two fat quarters out of it for a drawing. I just couldn’t resist using one of the fat quarters for this block!  I’ll have to get another for the drawing.

The Amish Basket pattern is by Marcia Hohn, and is located on the on the Quilters Cache website.  The block is nice and large — 15″ finished.

I really enjoyed making it, Catharine!  Best wishes at school!

Happy Birthday Borne Quilter

The Borne Qiilter is 4 years old!  And and they are celebrating with a sale, cookies and punch, of course!

The shop is tucked away at the Five H Plaza on Kaliste Saloom Rd in Lafayette, LA.  Kah-lee Sah-loom is how my Dad pronounced it.

I picked up a cutting mat and rotary cutter to leave at my mom’s home and some batiks. I really dont like traveling in the heat; cutting mats warp so easily down south. Here is the sale fabric section:

I got to draw a dubloon for a special discount. Mine was silver for 15% off! Not the best discount, but it was what I drew and I was grateful for it! More pics:

Best!
Claire

On the Road Again

This weekend I’m on the road again.

The correct decision at the great interstate trifecta was I-12.

When I went through Baton Rouge, I stopped at Fabric Krazy quilt store since they are having a 60 percent off sale on yardage, and 50% off everything else!

The store is relocating and they are trying to reduce inventory.

Woohoo. It was a feeding frenzy. There were ladies with stacks of bolts, buying and buying. You literally had to take a number to get served.

Minimum purchase was 1 yard, and I have enough stash, so I basically bought with very specific projects in mind: a backing, a chenille project, a potential charity project, etc. I will post those photos as I use the fabric.

There is one purchase I do want to show you. I fell in love with this panel and paid $3.50 for it!

I have a pretty good idea about what I want to do with it, but for now it will have to wait.

Too many quilts, too many ideas, not enough time. AND, I am going to go broke saving money!!!

Fabric Krazy should have been enough, but, last weekend, the shop owners at Mes Ami told me about a new quilt store in Baton Rouge called Red Stick, which translated means “Baton Rouge”. (Can you tell where I am from??!!!) They have been open about 6 weeks.

Since I was in Baton Rouge, I padsed a good time there too!

I bought some yardage there to go with the panel.

I’d better get to work!

Best!
Claire

Decision Made for Next Academy Project

I took the easy way out and purchased a different focus fabric for the  project.

It is called Rain Forest by Ro Greg.

Purchased at Mes Ami in New Orleans last weekend.

I like how the fabric goes from teal to dark blue. I also like the varying sizes of the butterflies. It will add some variety when the blocks are cut and laid out.

I also switched out the orange and yellow fabric with a different print. The yellow is from the Rain Forest line, and the orange is Freckles also by Ro Gregg.

Somehow, the orange fabric with the cartoonish bees seen here just didn’t work anymore.

This is the new line up.

The Rain Forest fabric has a glitter on the surface that makes it sparkle in the sun.

The ABC blocks will get used—eventually.

Best!
Claire

Blocks too big

On no.  The print on some of the ABC blocks for the next QA lesson are too big!  And they are not square.  I need to fussy cut 5×5 squares for Cowboy Corral blocks, and the fabric is printed in such a way that for some of the blocks, the words will be cut off at the bottom.  

And…when I washed the fabric, I lost the use of several blocks due to raveling.

I am so frustrated, but not confused. I can do this, its just a matter of deciding WHAT to do.

I can either:

1.  Toss the fabric out and get something new.

2.  Cut everything bigger AND not square, to include figuring out how the strips will alternate in size depending on which way they are turned.  Eeek!  That would be a grad school thing?

3.  Cut it the correct size and hide it in the attic when I am done.  Hmmmm.  No attic here.  No basement either.  And the garage is full.

4.  Cut the blocks bigger, but square, although I don’t know if that will work.

Hmmmmm.  I think this is not a Freshman Year kind of challenge!

For now,  I cut them the max size, Aboutt 5.4992″x 5.93729″– definately not a nice even number — as in there is no line on the ruler to use for duplicating.  I would need to cut a template from plastic…bigger than required, AND not square!

I have not cut the strips.  Except for option 3, I will have to make sure I have enough fabric to do the strips.

I guess there is one more option.

5.  Sash the blocks and square them up to be 7×7 or 8×8 (or some other measurable number on the ruler!)

Gulp.  Did anyone out there even understand any of the predicament and solutions?

Anyone have any advice?

I think option 1 is my best bet. Option 5 is a close second, but I definately do not have enough fabric for the strips.  Perhaps I could get by with what I have if I  reduce the number of fussy cut blocks.

Hmmmm.

Hmmmmmmm.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Best!
Claire

Overwhelmed at all the comments

I am overwhelmed at all the comments on the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative blog post and I’d like to thank EVERYONE!  My prayers go out to all who have or have had a loved one go through what my mom calls end of life issues”.

I mailed the quilt on Thursday and before I did, I took one last photo of the back side.

Best!
Claire

Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative #10,699

Wow.  This one is really tough to write.  I am submitting a quilt I completed to the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative in honor of my mother, Melba Gene Brown Martin.  I just registered it and got an email back — it is #10,699!

Her diagnosis came in April of 2007, and I drive to Louisiana to visit her at least once a month, usually twice.  She is now 83 years old, and is living in a nursing home.  She still enjoys going out, reading the paper and magazines, and talking about family.   She also loves to go shopping for fabric with me, although she cannot comprehend the prices — they are way too high!

For my submission, I was inspired by Moira McSpadden’s  “Drunkard Path” block and have her permission to use my adaptation of her design for this fundraiser.  Her website has a .pdf of the paper-pieced pattern. 

The quilt is called”Journey into Darkness” and is 8 wide x 9 inches high. The bottom left corner fabric represents clear thinking. As the sunbursts peel off the circle, the fabrics get blurred and darker.

More information about the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative can be found on their website.

There is also a TV show that featured Ami Simms; what a gift she has given back to her mother. Click here to watch Ricky Tims and Alex Anderson interviewing Ami.

My mom’s memory is slipping away fast.   She currently resides in Lafayette, LA.

Love you, Mamma! Thank you for all the memories that we have made together over my lifetime — and thank you for teaching me to sew!

Best!
Claire

Midsummer Night’s Dream 2012 Summer Challenge

At Thursday’s Sandstitcher meeting, Cindy Reaves had prepared a challenge.  The theme is Midsummer Night’s Dream.  Those that wanted to participate chose two envelopes.  One had a paint card with four blends and the other envelope had a “wildcard” color.

I love my first picks and no one can have anything better!

All neutrals with a Honey Caramel  wildcard.

The item made can be any size, must be completely finished, use three embellishments, and must use the colors chosen.  You can also use any other colors as desired!  THANK YOU LORD!

Now, I don’t know if I will make anything yet or not . . . but I’m going to have fun THINKING about it!

Best!
Claire