This and That on A Friday

This and that on my design wall. I'm prepping some options for the string quilt class. I think the settings are endless!

 I finished my antique block quilt challenge! Whoop! Whoop! It is small, but everything else is unusual for me.  We will share our challenge quilt on November 25th. I'm looking forward to seeing them!

A bit of Instagram this week. 

And Elsa making herself comfy when nobody was looking!! She's looking at me like, "Oh Hi! What did you turn the light on for?" LOL

 

And so I had this crazy thought that Tuesday would put an end to our election news, endless commercials and unkind people. Boy, was I wrong! How about we start by being gentle to one another? Accepting each other no matter what we believe or who we voted for.

Have a great weekend friends! Love you ALL!

Antique Block Challenge

Last year at the Houston Quilt show I challenged a few blog readers to an antique block challenge. 

It was this: The antique blocks are an optional challenge- make a quilt with it, cut it up, undo the seams, keep it whole, make a little quilt, big quilt, potholder, label, etc........ And you have a year to complete it. 

Well, this is my reminder if you wanted to play that a year is closing in! The deadline will be American Thanksgiving, November 26th. 

                               Connie, Jan, Sandy, me, Ann, Kevin and Tea and their blocks. 

And- Christopher, Cecile, Janet. (Christopher was along for the ride with Cecile) 

Here is my block and I started my challenge at my retreat! Need to get back to it soon!

If you have an orphan antique block and would like to join the challenge, please feel free! 

Year of the Rooster Challenge- 2017

"Stand Tall Chicken" 

Why do Roosters get all the glory? LOL 

This is one challenge quilt I actually like a lot. I was inspired by folk artist Karla Gerard. 

 I used this pretty fabric I got in France for the backing. 

Here is my "rooster" taking shape. 

I am looking forward to seeing the other challenge quilts! 

Link up HERE:

An InLinkz Link-up

This, That and the Other...Wednesday

I've been getting a few quilt tops out of the closet to finish working on. This lovely little house quilt was one I made from Diane's book when I reviewed it back HERE. 

I kept the quilting simple, big X's, little X's and some stitch in the ditch. I used Randy's method for machine sewing down the binding. It's going to help me get a few of these done. Recently I've befriended my yoga teacher, Mai, and they have just moved into a cute little house. I thought it would be perfect for her. She isn't a quilter and I'm not even sure she liked it, but that's okay. It was a gift from my heart to hers. 

 I was asked to make this little cake block by two fellow quilters. I wish my handwriting was better! 

It's a fun little block. 

The countdown is on for the "Year of the Rooster Challenge"

Mine is complete! I thought this French General label with a rooster on it was perfect! If you'd like to mail yours to be on display at Two Thimbles Quilt shop you can make arrangements with Lee at the email below.

You can also send her a photo and this information to info@twothimbles.com 
Title:
Sources:

Inspiration:

Name:

If there are a few people I'll do a linky. Barb and Danice are the only ones I can remember who did it, but Lee at Two Thimbles let me know there were about 6 people that ordered after seeing the blog posts by me and Barb. Let me know if you want to do a linky party. We will do our reveal April 7th. 

We will be sharing our Fall festival on April 3rd. I better get busy on some flying geese!

Have a fantastic day, friends.

Something to Crow About!

Did you know 2017  was the Year of Rooster according to the Chinese zodiac? My brother lives in China and my SIL is Chinese, so I guess it is good for me to know these things.

 Look what came in the mail this week? Nope, not fried rice!

 A cute challenge by Two Thimbles Quilt shop! It's 2017 Year of the Rooster Challenge. I'm terrible at quilt challenges, but this one intrigued me. You have a choice of solid red fabric, or solid with gold. Get all the info HERE.  It would be fun to show them all online if several of you decide to join. Contact LEE and she'll fix you right up!

Rebecca finished her Front Porch quilt! I love everything about it! Nice work Rebecca! And thanks for sharing it.

Here's my Instagram for the week. 

Have a wonderful weekend, friends!

First Friday

Well, first Friday at Quiltworks was last Friday and I was unable to go, but they were having a parking lot sale on Saturday so I was able to go to both that day! I really had a fun weekend and this exhibit was a part of it.
The featured quilter was Prudence Lay.

 This was a fun way to use panels.

 Her quilts definitely had a floral theme!

 The Material Girls had a napkin challenge. I've shared their challenge before. I think they do it once a year.

 The napkin.

 The quilt.

 My favorite napkin.

 Too stinkin' cute!

I'll be back Friday to share the rest of my fun weekend with you!

Remember, you can still link-up your Front Porch quilt HERE.

And your Gwennie Inspired medallion center HERE.

Have a fantastic day!

Napkin Quilt Challenge

I've never heard of that either, but I saw the exhibit of quilts at Quiltworks and boy was it a good one! The ladies drew a napkin and they were to use it for inspiration to make a quilt.
The inspiration napkins hang to the right of the quilt.

I think the Poppies are my favorite.

What is the best quilt challenge you've ever been involved with? I admit I'm not good at them at all!

Vermont Challenge Revealed

Most of this is written by my friend, Jill.

Once upon a time…there were four quilt friends, from both coasts of the U.S….Lori (Humble Quilts), Barb (Fun With Barb), Jill (no blog) and from England…Sue (I Sew Quilts UK), who decided to meet up at the Vermont Quilt Festival in late June 2012.

When Lori, Jill and Sue were in the Yankee Doodle (actually Yankee Pride…lol) quilt shop in Essex Junction, they decided to pick out a yard of fabric and split it four ways for a challenge.

The consensus was that it should be a green fabric, in honor of the Green Mountain State. We saw a nice green fabric with sheep, which was very “Vermont” looking and also reminiscent of Sue’s Cotswolds, but alas, there was not enough of it. After much consternation we settled on a green fabric by our designer friend, Mary Koval.

Sue had proposed a lovely dinner at the New England Culinary Institute to celebrate both Lori and Barb’s jubilee birthdays, and thus launched the challenge.

As much as I like all fabric, I found it extremely difficult to put colors with it. I wasted evening after evening, just starring blankly…lol…at the challenge fabric and at my stash shelves. I wanted to “spark” the sort of browned out colors and I tried chartreuse (ick!), magenta (awful)…nothing seemed to work for me.

So…I decided to try to spark it with pattern, instead of color, and added the zig zag sashing for a little motion to the composition.

My inspiration for my quilt is the symbolism of the four patch in the center of each star (for the four of us quilt buddies)…then four stars (for the four of us). That’s my story and I’m sticking to it! Happy New Year Everyone…and my wish is for all of us to have many happy hours in our sewing rooms in 2013!

I would say Jill met the challenge! It's a lovely quilt!!

 

I started my challenge quilt once thinking I'd make a strippy quilt. It was AWFUL!! Terrible- worse than awful!! So I decided to take the same fabric I'd chosen for the strippy and make a little string quilt. It's a bit liberated, but it is just the way I like it.

We had a fun revealing our quilts to each other. Sue's is on her blog and Barb's will be at some point, not sure if today.

I love the friendship of a challenge, but not the actual challenge!!

Happy New Year!