I Fixed My Goof

Back awhile, on a day when Sharon was coming over to sew, I'd planned to work on the OSU t-shirt quilt. I cut out the t-shirts, then the interfacing, and proceeded with ironing on. Ehh, well, what do you know?? I bought and cut out non-fusible interfacing! There was no way it was ever going to "iron on." Dang! This frustrates me so - when I have a project ready to go and a stupid mistake prevents my making any progress on it.

And, to make matters worse, I bought about 20 yards of the non-fusible interfacing. I'd found a great sale, and since I had a couple of t-shirt quilts lined up, I figured I'd use it.

So what to do?? I had mountains of this stuff that I just hated to see go to waste!

Give me enough time, and I can often come up with an idea, you know??

Spray adhesive!

Last week, when I went to Kay's to work on the t-shirt quilt, I took both interfacings; she had some spray adhesive so I tried it and it worked!!! So, I will be able to use up the non-fusible that I have after all! Hurray!

Here is a quilt that Kay is doing for a friend who is a cancer survivor.

Twelve shirts - 12 years of survivorship!

Our friend and former colleague, Nancy, a non-quilter, was learning to make t-shirt quilts. Having 3 kids who were extremely active when in high school, she has plenty of t-shirts at her disposal.

Later today, I am meeting Kay and we are going to a quilt show in Circleville sponsored by the guild from up there - The Good Time Quilters. Pics forthcoming!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Visit to Kay's House

ast Wednesday I stopped in at Kay's for a bit of quilting with friends. Just a bit, for me, actually, as I could not stay long. I will save the quilting details for another day.

First, I would like to show you the wonderful quilts that I saw everywhere I looked. I'd not been to Kay's in quite awhile, so there was a feast for the eyes! Enjoy these beauties!!

This is Kay's current project - a kit that she says is 11 years old! She's working on the borders. Looks great!

This beauty was on Kay's guest bed. Blue and white 9-patches on point.
Quilting doesn't get much lovlier than this!

This quilt was hanging from the banister of Kay's staircase. It was found in the belongings of her in-laws.
No one knows the origin of it, as her mother-in-law was not a quilter.

This is a batik quilt that Kay made with her granddaughter.

Take a look at the incredible quilting done on it; the thread is variegated. Awesome.

The pattern was featured on the cover of American Patchwork and Quilting by BH&G.
June 2007.

I'll tell you about our quilting work in an upcoming post.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Postage Stamp Quilt Update

ay, way back on April 30, 2010, I shared a long-term project that a friend of mine was undertaking. Take a look back, if you like.

I have recently heard from Amie and she has given me an update on her progress, as well as a picture.

Impressive, isn't it? She has 15 blocks completed and plans to make 48 more! She did the math and figures that she has 2,160 1-inch squares in these 15 blocks, all different fabrics! Awesome, I say! I must send her some more squishy packages, too!

I continue to work on September Stars using my French General fabric. Love working with it, and cannot wait to see this quilt top finished! It's going to be one that I really love. (Of course, I love them all, right?)

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Last Sewing Day with Sharon ~

or a while, anyway. Right after Labor Day, we both start our adjunct positions at Ohio University-Chillicothe. I teach on Tuesdays and Thursdays; she teaches on Mondays and Wednesdays. That will not be very conducive to spending a day at the sewing machine, will it? So we had our swan song today at my house; we did look ahead at the calendar to see when the quarter will be over. We've penciled in a date for starting back up at the end of November. So a hiatus is upon is, that's all. We agreed today that this has been a wonderful weekly event that has kept us moving on our projects and has seen us finish off quite a few quilt tops! Sharon has even had a few of her quilted. So, we know we must continue when our schedules will allow.

Remember last week, when Sharon took a Pom Pom de Paris jelly roll and began a "race" quilt? Well, take a look at this beauty!

After we sewed last week, she said she was so motivated to continue working on this, that she just kept right on sewing and finished the quilt center. Then, on Saturday, after our tea party (see previous post) we made a stop in Waynesville at Fabric Shack. There, she found the fabrics she wanted for her borders and backing. Her only goal today was to get this top finished!!

An unassuming shop from the outside, Fabric Shack is packed full of fabrics.

 So, Sharon is in a good place to be putting sewing and quilting on the back burner for awhile; turning her focus to OUC classes must take center stage for a bit ~ and for me, too.

I, however, have a long way to go before I can call this quilt top complete. I've got a lot of triangles to press and stitch into hourglass blocks.

I did, though, go ahead and make a block. I just couldn't help myself. What do you think??

One block of September Stars.

I am actually glad I did make an early block because I know now that my measurements are slightly larger than what the pattern says they ought to be. I cut the center square according to the directions, and it was just a smidge too small. I used it anyway, but on all the others I cut, I am planning to add a quarter of an inch to compensate.

Happy Quilting Friends!
I must be off! I've got stuff to do!

What a Wonderful Day!

ometimes, when planning a get-together with friends, it just seems the right time to go the extra mile. That's exactly what the Frienzies did today.

We arranged a special outing to Lucy and Ethel's Country Tea Room, located just outside of Wilmington, OH. Bobbie, the 'Lucy' of the business, was the greatest hostess, pampering us with gorgeous yet comfortable surroundings and an incredible multi-course meal with a variety of teas.

Just try to keep your mouth from watering as you get a glimpse of all these delicacies!

First course: Little short breads and wedges of blueberry scones. On the table was clotted cream and lemon curd.

The table was beautifully set; this is Noritake China; Camelot design.

A green tea with a hint of jasmine; blooming tea is fascinating ~ can  you see the pretty bloom on this?

Second course: Mild, delicious quiche with heirloom tomatoes. Check out that garnish! Scrumptious!

Third course: Soup. We had choices!! I selected the smokey cheese soup.

 A second soup choice was this warm tomato soup with a dollop of sour cream.  I had a taste - so, so good!

A third soup choice was this gazpacho. Since no one ordered this, she allowed us each to sample it. See the little container of tasting spoons?  We each took a spoon and passed the soup around ~ it was fantastic.

Fourth, fifth and sixth courses: top, middle and bottom tiers, respectively. Just look at how pretty it all is! Those gorgeous cosmos flowers in the center of the top two tiers along with the doilies just make it look so special!

Presentation is everything!
 Fourth course/top tier: Skewered fruit and a bite-size brie in a phyllo crust topped with blueberry and sauce.

How can I describe the taste of this brie topped with blueberry? I hope the picture does it for me!

Fifth course/middle tier: right, fruited chicken salad with a pita wedge; top, delicate cucumber sandwich; left, egg salad in bread, shaped and garnished to resemble a calla lily.

I must have been talking because I didn't get a close up picture of the sixth course. This is the best I can do. Desserts!! In the tiny demitasse cup, we had a spice cake with topping; in the ramekin, we had a most delectable creme brule; and in the cupcake paper, we had a chocolate-dipped strawberry. Oh my goodness! The flavors were incredible!

You probably think we are done, right?? We sure thought so. By this time, we were full and quite sufficiently satisfied! But no, no, no!!! Lucy had an extra-special treat to finish off our tea party.

Final course: Homemade lemon-vanilla ice with mint garnish. So light, so lemony. A perfect ending.

Now, I did not mention all the tea varieties that were offered. The teas served were Harney and Sons. Along with the green tea pictured above, we also had a black tea called Paris. I really liked its flavor. And the story behind it was so sweet. We were also offered the ever-popular Hot Cinnamon Spice. In addition, there was an iced tea, but I do not recall the flavor, unfortunately.

This was such a special day. We Frienzies have a long-standing tradition of getting together once each month, and I think I speak for everyone: we look forward to seeing each other! So every lunch or dinner is wonderful, but today's event was even more special because we were so magnificently pampered! We celebrated Pam's birthday. One of our group was unable to attend today, and she would have loved it. I don't think it'd be difficult to schedule a return trip to Lucy and Ethel's!

Anyone Interested in a Charitable Project?

n between naps, I have been reading blogs (I just cannot keep my eyes open this afternoon!), and I happened across this project posted by Suzanne on At Home With the Farmer's Wife. I just love reading her blog; she shares insight with a subtle wit - just to my liking. Wish I had that knack!

Anyway, I digress. The charitable project is from Craft Hope. Their motto is "Spreading seeds of hope one stitch at a time."

Project 14 is asking for donations of Christmas stockings to be submitted for distributing in Joplin, Missouri, where they suffered such devastation a few months back with a tornado. Here is the website for the project. There are some requirements to consider, so be sure to read through the page before starting a stocking. The page also lists the address of where to send finished stockings.

(Google Image)

 Most quilters that I know are notoriously generous, and I just know that my few readers might be interested in contributing to something like this. When I think about Christmas, one very important part of the tradition is the stocking!! I have even framed the stocking that was mine all through my childhood. If it were to be lost in a tornado, why, I'd be heartsick about it! While this effort will certainly not replace cherished keepsakes, it will ease the pain of all the loss suffered by the Joplin folks.

(Google Image)

The deadline is September 23, so get cracking!!

I think I will make a few to send. How about you?

Meet Rose

esterday I went to Sharon's for our weekly sewing date. I got to meet the newest member of her family, Rose, a Boston terrier puppy. She's a sweet little thing.

She is learning to be trained and what is acceptable to chew and not chew. She seems very well-behaved; I think she'll be a wonderful companion for Sharon. It is apparent that grandson Reilly (you met him here) loves her. Rose sure is a tiny thing right now, but will have some size to her in adulthood.

So what did we work on? Well, Sharon finished off the piecing of her Blue Frothy. She thinks it was an awful lot of work for such a small quilt. However, it is beautiful, and will be such a cozy thing to wrap up in when cooler weather comes and she feels like snuggling in to read.

Reilly helped!

After she folded Blue Frothy and put it aside, Sharon brought out a jelly roll of beautiful Pom Pom de Paris and a pattern for making a "race" quilt. I've seen directions for this around the internet, and will most likely do one myself at some point. Well, Sharon started hers!

It looks like a lot of fun to make, and I have some random jelly rolls that I really have no plans for, so this seems like the perfect solution for using them.

I began a new project! On Sunday night, I brought out my project tub of Rounneries and a Thimbleberries pattern from about a decade ago and began cutting.

September Stars is in a Lynette Jensen book called September Morning. As seems to be my typical method, I am going to alter the pattern a bit; I will not use as many different fabrics as are called for in the pattern; instead I will use the Rouenneries and related French General fabrics already on hand. Stash reduction is what it's all about!!! And, in keeping with the title, I'd be very happy to have the quilt top done by September!

A pattern calling for this many Ohio Star blocks is going to require many, many triangles. I get rather antsy about slogging through so many, and I'm trying to change my attitude. There are a couple of bloggers who have had some good triangle advice lately. I think Ariane's tutorials are very well done. I tried to take the advice of another blogger (who I would link to if I could locate it; grrr!!)NOTE! I found her!! Bonnie at Quiltville's Quips and Snips!! I read over the weekend; she gets into a zen-like groove when doing so many triangles; I guess I got to that point yesterday. I did gobs and gobs of triangles.

I am excited most of all to be using this French General fabric. When it first came out, I was eager to accumulate a good bit of it and I did! The "right" project needed to come along, and I think this one is it! I hope I can report a fast finish!


As usual, Sharon had a spectacular lunch for us - today, a vegetable frittata was on the menu. OMG, it was delicious! And the house smelled fantastic. What a lovely day for stitching - the weather was cool and pleasant - we had the windows and patio door open - it was wonderful in every way.

Happy Quilting, Friends.  I need to get back to those triangles and finish them off.