Gettin' Down to the Carpals, Tarsals and Phalanges

And the metatarsals and metacarpals and let us not forget the ribs, incisors and canines. In other words, the skeleton is the last man standing as it were. I finished the embellishments on the shoe full of candy last night and did a few more ribs and metatarsals (toes).

Here's a sneak peek at the skeleton so far. I need to re-size the lower tombstone and make it a bit smaller before I can applique it down. The cauldron needs some embellishment and instead of the plain bubbles I'm using the new Clover yo-yo maker to make 3/4" yo-yos. (yes, we are missing a phalange on one foot and need to cut another)

Also on deck are some quick panel baby quilts backed in flannel for baby girls born in the San Joaquin Valley during August. Babies in that region don't need their quilts right away if born in the summer, but time is coming soon when they will. Daughter Kate's friends keep this Nana very busy!

Another Wonderful Block

Arrived today from my friend Karrin. I now have only 2 blocks yet to arrive, but Sistah Kathy B. has informed me that her top is done with 9-inch blocks, 13 total, and that I need to do 5 more to make the top bigger. She wouldn't lie to me and has already told me that she is making one additional block, so I guess I need to get with the program, eh?

Here is a peek at all 10 blocks I have to date.

And, I got the 4th block of the Designers Mystery Block of the Month from The Fat Quarter Shop and it is now history. I also finished my SR Quilt Guild Challenge just in the nick of time for the meeting last week. The theme was "Vote 2008" and those words had to appear on the quilt. Mine was a fairly minimalist effort and done at the last minute even though I'd beeen percolating the idea ever since the challenge was announced in February. Photo tomorrow.

Leave Town, Make a Quilt

We just got back from a week at Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii, enjoying the fun and sun, but not the humidity. Being a lifelong Californian and living in a pretty dry climate, I didn't do too well with the heat and humidity. I did love swimming in the ocean and actually not freezing to death. Oh, and the fresh pineapple and Kona coffee. Delicious!

While I was gone, I got some more Lotto blocks from my girlfriends, and that was almost as good as sewing them myself! Sunday, my friend Sandi and I will go to the Napa Quilt Show where we will meet up with our friend Kathy B. Good Times!

Measure Twice, Cut Once

I have the lattice for the lotto blocks all cut out now that the replacement fabric has arrived. Seems I, in my infinite wisdom, managed to cut the WOF pieces 9 inches instead of 9 1/2. Brilliant! Luckily, I was able to order an additional 2/3 yard online and was a bit more careful with the second go-round.

I have been embroidering on the redwork Quilter's Blessings so generously shared with everyone by Bea at Capricorn Quilts- BOM. Thanks Bea!

Here's a shot of my design wall with the Pepper Cory blocks to date, Bea's redwork, my lotto blocks and some paper pieced (from EQ6) letters.

I have a few redwork blocks prepared and the skeleton applique ready to go because on Tuesday morning we are flying to Hawaii! I doubt if I'll be blogging again before we leave, so have a nice week and I'll see you later.

Yet Another Fabulous Block

This one from Carolyn in Iowa. I love it!

More Love in the Mailbox

From my Sistah Kathy B. in Woodland, the one who got me started on this whole sampler enterprise, I present the block Beacon Lights. I love this block and had I needed to do one for the quilt, this is the one I'd have made.

I've been appliqueing like a fiend at night while watching Deadwood again, but you wouldn't know it by my progress. I'm facing the demon skeleton and working this dude is a slow-go. In the past few days, I've managed to finish most of the carpals and metacarpals on this, his left hand. I'm also treating myself to occasional breaks from hands and fingers to work on the clavicles and ribs.


I've found with these small pieces it is much easier to mark them all in proper position on a larger piece of fabric and then baste them down only in the places that are the actual applique. When I'm ready to tackle a new piece, I simply trim around it to separate it from the rest and I'm good to go. You can probably see through the rib-piece that I've already appliqued the sternum, so I'll just cut around that when I'm ready. He will have more teeth....maybe. I'm kind of getting used to him with only one!

Blocks, Blocks and More Blocks

Another Lotto block arrived over the weekend from my friend Marilyn and I love this one so much!

I really wanted this block, but I hate flying geese and I happen to know that Marilyn is a pro at them, so she got this one and if you will notice, her points are perfect. That's Marilyn for you, a pro.

I'm also caught up on my DMBOM with blocks two and three finished and up on the design wall.

On deck: a few machine applique blocks for a Sew-A-Row with a Christmas theme. I'm a couple of weeks late on this one, but since the next rotation is the final one and I built some "fluff time" into the schedule, we'll be fine. The most recent American Quilter Magazine (from AQS) has two great articles on machine applique, both satin stitch and buttonhole and well worth looking for.

One 2008 Sew-A-Row is already complete, worked on by speed demons (not me for sure) and I'll show you a picture of that one tomorrow.

Another Lotto Block Arrives

From my pal Molly in Sacramento.

Is this quilt going to rock my world? You betcha! It is going to be hard to give away, except that the recipient is pretty danged deserving. Whoever it is.

Happy Friday all, I'm off to sew some more Designers Mystery BOM blocks just for me.....actually, I have a recipient in mind for them as well.

The silly little siggy is not working today, so I'll sign off myself,

peace.......ms jan

First Lotto Block Arrives!

Every month, my online group of longtime friends the Fat Quarters has a lotto for those who wish to participate. We used operate more like a real lotto, having the prior month's winner send out fabric to everyone and then draw lots for a new winner. Last year, we decided to change things a bit and work it like another swap we all used to do, the Favorite Fabric Swap. In the FF swap, each member would send out her favorite fabric and the others would make a specific block they'd signed up for at the beginning. Blending the best of both worlds, each member signs up for a month and on her month she sends fabric and pattern to the others, with or without go-withs depending on what she wants.

August is my month and I opted to send out sampler blocks using Marsha McKloskey's Block Party and Judie Rothermel's Civil War Classics line. The fabrics were offered as an online Block of the Month, but since my friend Kathy gave me fat eighths of the entire line, I opted to buy a finishing kit and do the rest on my own. Kathy joined me in this project and her quilt is nearly done.

My first block arrived today from my friend Nancy, Near Philadelphia and she did a bang-up job, as I knew she would. Nancy also sent me a wonderful quilt kit from the aforementioned Fat Quarter Shop in lieu of a Pirate's Booty Swap quilt back when her Joe was sick --in spite of being told not-to-worry, but she didn't have her listening ears on. Nancy knows how I feel about Halloween and Sandy Gervais fabrics. Sweet.

On the topic of Halloween, I'm one block closer to finishing the Verna Mosquera BOM. Mr. Jack O'Lantern has joined the others in the finished box. Now the boot full of candy and yes, the skeleton.

You can run, but you can't hide!

Another Block of the Month

Last spring I signed up for a Block of the Month at one of my favorite online shops The Fat Quarter Shop. If you've never been there, go. Now. You will spend money, I guarantee it. Of course if you are in a no-fabric-buying-mode you can always just look, but don't drool on your keyboard, it makes them cranky.

Anyhoo, Kim started a BOM Designers Mystery using the Peace On Earth line by 3 Sisters for Moda, which I just love. The mystery blocks started arriving in June and I got a little behind what with all the travelling in July, so I decided to start catching up today with Block One, a modification of an old one-patch type quilt I've always known as Kansas Dugout, near and dear to me because I hand pieced one for my second baby, Daniel born in 1980. The block went together well and had impeccable pressing instructions that would have enabled me to match my corners perfectly had I followed them. The story of my life--can't follow directions!

No Sew Weekend

Saturdays are so busy and during the summer our weather is so beautiful that we don't spend a lot of time indoors, so not much sewing gets done. This was one of those weekends.

I have another block almost finished on the Halloween applique and will post tomorrow. That leaves one block to prepare while I'm dodging the finishing of the skeleton. Sooner or later, it will catch up with me...

Here is a picture of the blocks I made in the Pepper Cory workshop at Quilt Festival a couple of weeks ago. The solid block fabric is the one Pepper loved so I gave her a fat quarter. I'm liking how this looks so far, very scrappy and sweet.

Yes, I Am Sewing

I'm finally sewing a bit and last night while watching a bit of television, I finished work on another block of the Halloween BOM. While at Quilt Festival I got to meet the designer, Verna Mosquera, and had fun chatting with her about how much I loved the quilt. When I told her about being behind on the skeleton she told me to use wool, but I'm too far into it to change now.
This block (three blocks actually) worked up more quickly than you might imagine. I made the spiderweb as I would have if I'd been doing reverse applique. All of the rings were marked on the same fabric and I cut away each line as I appliqued it down, and then I placed the center and "arms" over the top and appliqued it down.

All I have left is a shoe full of candy and a Jack-O-Lanter and of course, the rest of the skeleton. I had to unstitch an ulna, femur and hip socket last night because I'd placed them a bit wonky and if allowed to stay, the poor dude would have had rather stretched ankles and wrists. Bad enough to be a skeleton, one needn't be deformed!

Also, today I was able to make a pillowcase for my daughter's brother-in-law and got Benjamin and Alexander's names ironed down (and Benjamin's appliqued) for their Christmas quilts. FINALLY, some progress.

Sunday Report

I've had a busy week getting things back to normal at home and really haven't sewed much. I pulled out a quilt top made several years ago and am quilting it up for daughter Kate's hubby's grandparents who both have cancer. Grandma is always cold, so I'm doing some quick quilting to get this one to her fast. Anyone who lives in the Central Valley of California and is cold in July really needs a quilt!

Quilt Festival

I'm back after a week away and like I always say, "There's no place like home."

I had a wonderful time with Becky and Kathy and all the quilts and vendors at Quilt Festival, but we all decided that it was just too much and that we are just as happy with smaller, regional shows like Pacific International Quilt Festival and Road to California. The show had over 500 vendors and supposedly 1000 quilts, but many were small journal quilts the size of a piece of typing paper with artist statements the same length and quite honestly, had meaning only to the maker.

We took a class, "Scrap Quilts from Antique Quilts" with Pepper Cory and had a good time with that. We are pictured with her in front of the antique quilt (above left-right) Becky, Kathy, Pepper, and MsJan. Pepper was a charming lady and her sample quilt was gorgeous. I got a few rows done and it will be a great project to keep by the machine for those times when I want to sew without thinking too much.

One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to M & L fabrics in Anaheim, a gi-normous warehouse of fabrics from $7.98-$1.98/yard depending on how close to the front door you are....literally! The place was mind-boggling. The back area was filled with row after row of very neatly stacked flat folds. Here is a picture of Kathy and Becky among the flat folds and if you can figure out how to pull one from a stack you are smarter than we are. We just stared in awe and moved on to the $2.98 fabrics figuring it was worth a buck a yard to not have to pull one of these out.

This is a view of the store from the front of the flat fold area. Mind boggling to say the least. We all picked up some quilt backs and a little bit of this and that and Becky got some gorgeous boucle woven for a jacket in just her color and I got a hunk of Robert Kauffman tropical rayon blend for a sarong to wear in Hawaii in September (at $2.98/yard).

I got a little bit more done on the boy's Christmas quilts and need to add the last row for Becky to commence the quilting for me. More on that later.

Gone Quiltin'

I'm not slackin' again, I'm actually being quite productive with my pal Becky in Lompoc. Greyhair and I traveled south and stayed Saturday in Cayucos, CA, a tiny beach town where both of our families spent summer vacations and where my parents and tow sisters eventually retired. I'd been shunned from a family wedding in Visalia (long story), so I decided to go visit my old home-away-from-home while the "cats were away."

Greyhair dropped me off with Becky on Monday and we've been sewing and chatting up a storm. I'm working on the applique technique using fusible thread and have discovered a new trick which I will share as a tutorial next week when I get back.

We pick Kathy B. up in Santa Barbara tomorrow and then its down to Long Beach for the first International Quilt Festival on the west coast. Festival starts Friday and we have a class on Saturday, so on Thursday we thought we might see the Queen Mary or do something else touristy.

Are we excited? You betcha!